What is the difference between mesopotamian and egyptian religion

In addition to their magnificent stone architecture, the ancient Egyptians are known for their invention and use of paper, which they made from the papyrus reeds growing along the Nile. They also created a beautiful array of pottery and painting.

The comparatively scattered and diverse character of ancient Mesopotamia, and the relative paucity of natural resources, meant that Mesopotamia did not rival Egypt in terms of artistic and architectural achievements.

Mesopotamian communities did produce sculpture, painting and pottery, but generally the art that has survived is smaller and less advanced than that produced in Egypt. Mesopotamia is known, instead, for its cuneiform tablets, its official seals and, above all, its temples. The distinctive beauty of the Mesopotamian ziggurat represents the highest artistic and architectural achievement of this civilization.

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Classroom is the educational resource for people of all ages. The Nile provided Egypt with food, water, transport and trade. Its floods were predictable and partly controllable, enabling a steady, well-planned way of life.

In effect, it allowed the Egyptians to maintain a stable, autocratic state miles long. The religious system reflected a more orderly, optimistic view of life than in Mesopotamia, and the richly furnished tombs and stately funeral rites suggest they were planning for an equally prosperous afterlife.

Egyptians wrote in pictorial hieroglyphics rather than cuneiform, and their records date from around B.

Plentiful supplies of stone and slave labor enabled them to leave pyramids and tombs as evidence of their belief in perpetual life. This is in contrast to the Mesopotamians, who left less grand architecture but wrote down epic myths that indicate concern with the quality of life before, rather than after death. As in Mesopotamia, the supreme lawgivers in Egypt were the gods, ruling through the pharaoh.

Many of them still exist today. The gods were believed to actually inhabit these temples. Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia were both ruled by divine right. Divine right meant that the leaders were an extension of the gods themselves. These theocracies governed every aspect of the citizens lives. In Mesopotamia the rulers were believed to speak for their gods and to have a direct connection with them, but in ancient Egypt they were considered gods themselves.

The biggest difference between the two nations was that Mesopotamians, while they believed in an afterlife, focused on their lives before death, whereas the Egyptians spent the majority of their living years concentrating on the afterlife.

In conclusion, Egypt and Mesopotamia are at once strikingly different in their beliefs and worship styles, and shockingly similar. Their achievements and religious beliefs have made them such an accomplished dynasty, but their pharaohs and policies are also known worldwide. Open Document. Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. The Egyptian and Mesopotamian religion and society were similar, but their government system was different. The religions in Egypt and Mesopotamia were similar because both were polytheistic, had beliefs of an afterlife, as well as priests who were part of the upper levels of the social hierarchy.

Social similarities between Egypt and Mesopotamia included: rigid social structure, dependence on slavery, and authoritative religious structure. However, the system of government was different because Egyptian society was governed by a theocratic monarchy, while Mesopotamia was ruled by a traditional monarchy. Mesopotamian and Egyptian religions shared two key similarities: polytheism and priestly authority.

The religions in Mesopotamia and Egypt were both polytheistic. Their religions were polytheistic because Mesopotamians and Egyptians could not explain many things in that occurred in their lives. Therefore, they assumed that there are different gods for everything. This means that the religion had many gods for different things. In Egypt and Mesopotamia, priests were part of the upper class and were very important in the daily lives of civilians.

Priests were part of the upper class because they were thought to have the ability to communicate with the gods. In Mesopotamia, the priests held the highest authority in the religious structure. Egyptian priests were not as powerful in government as Mesopotamian priests were, but they still had significant power. The pharaoh was at the top of all social classes and was considered to be a god-like figure. Mesopotamia and Egypt had similar societies.

In both Mesopotamian and Egyptian societies th Religion in Egypt and Mesopotamia were very similar because both faiths were polytheistic and had priestly authority.