Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China

Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China

Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China are similar in that they all started as a river valley society. They each originally had a polytheistic religion and a class system. Egypt was different from the other civilizations in that it was isolated many centuries before having outside influences. Their king was also considered divine. China was different from the rest because trade was very important and they utilized paper for written communication. India is different in that religion, not government, held the people together to make them a nation. Mesopotamians believed that humans were slaves of their gods and the gods were cruel.

Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) is located between two rivers; the Euphrates and the Tigris. Both rivers originate in present day Turkey and run four hundred miles parallel to each other before meeting to dump into the Persian Gulf. Mesopotamia was very well protected by natural barriers. To the west is the Syrian Dessert and in the southwest the Arabian Dessert. To the northeast are the Zagros Mountains and to the northwest are the Taurus Mountains.1 Then to the Southeast is the Persian Gulf. The main crops for Mesopotamia were wheat, barley, millet, and rice.2 They developed the first large cities, sophisticated writing system, sun baked clay bricks, designed the first gravity irrigation system, and were the first to use the plow. Some of the most influential cities