They saw unification of smaller units into single state by Menes, supposedly the first ruler. The king had to maintain ma’ta, which was to divinely authorized order of the universe. Egypt’s political system reflected importance of religion. The pharaoh, also known as king, was the heart of the government but not only just a king, but he was a god also. The “Old Kingdom” which lasted from 2100-2500 B. C. E, was the strongest and most powerful of all kingdoms. That is because only a few outsiders tried to challenge the power, economic prosperity and general rule. Their will as to what to do was the law.
This is also the time when the first pyramids for tombs for the pharaohs, which was between 2600-2100 B. C. E. In the “Middle Kingdom” (2100-1650 B. C. E) Egyptians started to trade with their neighbors extensively and developed small, middle class officials and merchants. Kings were represented by officials, which were landed nobility that were specialized trained in writing and laws. Governors were appointed for different regions and responsible for supervising irrigation and public works. This good peace was ended when the Hysos (modern day Turkey) invaded Egypt.
In the “New Kingdom” (1550-700 B. C. E) Hysos ruled for that century between the Middle and New Kingdom. After that ruling, they were defeated by the Prince from Thebes. The Hysosians married Egyptians when they were ruling but were seen as foreigners because they weren’t from there. After that, the kings expanded control of the territory to north into Syria and Palestine and south into Nubia. Egyptian armies became special and in 1100 B. C. E the king ruled again but only over the Nile Valley. This kingdom gradually weakened to foreign invasion and lost dependence.
The Essay on Ancient Egypt: Compare Old Kingdom to Middle Kingdom
... the Old Kingdom, the king was looked upon as a god. This idea gave the Egyptian people the perspective that their king was divine ... forever, by acknowledging the past mistakes of Ancient Egypt, The middle Kingdom prevented history from repeating itself. The arrogance of the pharaohs ... and power. It wasn’t too long before the fittest nomes ruled all of Egypt. These nomes divided Egypt in half and ...
In contrast, the Mesopotamians were composed of city-states, constantly clashing the leaders and made centralizing the government very weak. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu represented what the Mesopotamian people the roll of the king should be and do. Sargon/Akkadians (2250-2230 B. C. E. ) ruled over Mesopotamia and unified many city-states. He claimed to be the leader of the universe. He kept his power by tearing down the walls in all the city-states he conquered. They installed the “puppet government” which was to let the ruler stay but tell the ruler what to do.
He gave loyal soldiers land, in which, was money and power. Also, he promoted taxation to pay for what he was doing. Sumerians (3000-2000 B. C. E) built a capital city, Babylon, and ruler was Hammurabi (1792-1750 B. C. E. ).
He gained land, was a military leader and wrote down a very strict law code. The code was called “Hammurabi’s code”; it reflected social divisions that may have been okay for other places and times despite inevitable fluctuations. It was based on three different classes: the landowning class-royalty, high-ranking officials, warriors, priests, merchants and some artisans and shopkeepers.
They viewed priests and kings as divine human representatives of patron of gods; second, the class of dependent farmers and artisans; and third, the class of slaves, primarily employed in domesticated services only. The penalties depended on what class you were in. They called kings “lugals”. The priests were in a higher position than the lugal. They helped keep the irrigation right, controlled land and trade. Politically, they were very powerful. The lugals were used only when there was famine, war, drought or any time of a crisis.
Overtime, the kings got political, judicial, and religious power. As the lugals or kings ruled in power, priests had less power. Lugals position was not hereditary, but often passed from father to the most talented son. Mesopotamian people lacked a positive relationship with their gods and goddesses. They thought of their gods negatively and unpredictable because they depended upon the river for life and the gods could take that away from them at anytime. They were anthropomorphic, which is, when they are treated like humans in form and conduct.
The Essay on Mortal Man God Richard King
Within Shakespeare s play Richard II there are many questionable and un trusting characters. Truth and duty are only illusions within the play. Lust for power and control override the order of England and its ordained king. It s believed that it is by the will of God that Richard is king. No mortal man can come between what God has set before them as rule. The final decision is God s and the only ...
Mesopotamian people put statues of themselves in the temple so they could always get prayed upon. The priests’ occupation was to feed, bathe, and put the statue/figurines of the god to sleep. Humans and gods were taught by the priests that humans were there to serve for the gods. The priests were the spokesmen for the gods. They worked in a ziggurat/temple, which is, a central part of a central complex. They had homes, markets, tombs, cafeterias, and religious places for people to pray in. They believed their kings had special access to gods, but saw them as purely humans, not gods.
Some priests scarified animals and spread out the end tailings to predict the future and did exorcisms. On the other hand, Egypt was polytheistic meaning they believed in more than one god. They thought of their gods as the chief deities that were associated with agriculture. Their goddesses were associated with the source of creativity, nature, and fertility. They had Oriris, the ruler of the afterlife; Isis, protector of the dead and goddess of children; and Horus, the son of Orisis and Isis, and god of the sun, war, and protection. The pharaohs represent him.
Egyptians believed in afterlife. They prepared so hard for a safe passage and a comfortable existence once they arrived. Their obsession with it produced concerns about the physical condition of the dead body and the perfection of mummification techniques for preserving it. The tombs for the mummified mummies were reflected with wealth and status. Mostly kings and priests were placed in the tombs with the other gods’ statues. The Egyptian Book of the Dead, presented in many excavate tombs, contained rituals and spells to protect the journeying spirit.
Similarly, the Mesopotamians and Egyptians treated the women of their society the same, negatively. Early on in Mesopotamia, the women played a huge role in the society. They cooked and gathered food. They were represented with nature, birth, etc. When Mesopotamia became a civilization women lost all of their high social status. The four reasons they lost their status in agricultural civilization is because they were not physically in shape and not as social as the men as it needed in agricultural areas. Their upper body strength was not like men.
The Essay on Milton's Paradise Lost And His Justification Of The Ways Of God To Man
When John Milton decided to write, he knew from the start he wanted his creation to be that of an epic. Paradise Lost is just that. It is Milton’s own take on the biblical story of Satan’s fall from grace as well as man’s fall. Milton was not only armed with an extensive knowledge on the Bible, but in everything a man of his time could learn. With his wisdom he emersed himself ...
Men could hold more things and work for long hours, women couldn’t. Socially, the societies got more complex. Lastly, men had more time and women were more tied to the homes because of the cooking and watching of the children. In Hammurabi’s’ law code, it protected women and put into submission. Egypt was patriarchy just like in Mesopotamia, but they had a higher status in Egypt than in Mesopotamia. Patriarchy is when the men are the social, political and religious leaders, they denominated. In Egypt they were respected more and had more legal and social freedom than women in Mesopotamia.
They could own land and keep it after married. They could also trade, but they had to be in the middle or lower class. The male gods became more important and the goddesses became less important. The women were treated negatively here because they weren’t included in any of the activities or couldn’t do the things men could do. Even though now, in the 21st century, women can do just about anything a man can do. It is socially accepted unlike in those ancient times. Unlike Mesopotamia, the Egyptians discovered unity early in history.
They saw unification of smaller units into single state by Menes, supposedly the first ruler. The king had to maintain ma’ta, which was to divinely authorized order of the universe. Egypt’s political system reflected importance of religion. The pharaoh, also known as king, was the heart of the government but not only just a king, but he was a god also. The “Old Kingdom” which lasted from 2100-2500 B. C. E, was the strongest and most powerful of all kingdoms. That is because only a few outsiders tried to challenge the power, economic prosperity and general rule. Their will as to what to do was the law.
