Sumer and Egypt

From prehistory to 50 C. E. lived multiple civilizations. Two of the greatest were Sumer and Egypt, which strongly resembled each other. Say we lived in the time of Sumer; it would not be a great challenge to switch to life in Egypt. They had similar hierarchy, and similar beliefs on gods controlling their every day events and lives. One of a few differences between them is the writing. The writing had become more complex over the many years.

One similarity, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, was their belief in how gods control everyday happenings. Sumer believed that gods controlled every aspect of life, especially the forces of nature. They believed that gods and goddesses behaved like ordinary people; they ate, drank, married, and raised families. Although the gods favored truth and justice, they were also responsible for violence and suffering. Egypt believed similar things about gods and goddesses. The chief god of the Egyptians was Amon-Re (AH muhn RAY), the sun god. The pharaoh, also considered a god, as well as a monarch, was closely linked to Amon-Re, and was the only person who could conduct certain ceremonies for him. Most Egyptians linked with Osiris, and Isis. Osiris once ruled Egypt, until he was killed by his brother, Set. Set cut him into pieces and tossed them all over Egypt. His wife, Isis, reassembled him and brought him back to life, but because Osiris could not rule over the living, he became god of the dead, and judge of the souls seeking admission into afterlife. Osiris was also extremely important to the Egyptians because he was the god of the Nile, and controlled annual flooding. Isis had the women's attention. They believed she taught the women to grind corn, spin flax, weave cloth, and care for children. She promised the faithful they would have life after death. The gods were on the top of the hierarchy in both civilizations.

Both civilizations had similar hierarchy. In both civilizations, gods and goddesses were on top. In Egypt, the next level down was pharaoh, also considered a god, and the royal family. The third class consisted of the high priests and priestesses, who served the gods. Next were the nobles, who fought pharaoh's war. Fifth were merchants, scribes, and artisans. The second lowest class consisted of the civilians, and the lowest class was the slaves, who were captured from won battles. In Sumer, the highest class (under the gods and goddesses) was also the ruling family, but there were also the leading officials, and high priests. The next class was the lesser priests, and scribes. The lowest classes were also the same, minus the scribes.

Egypt and Sumer were not fully similar, though. One thing extremely different between the two was the writing. Sumer used cuneiform, and Egypt used hieroglyphics. Cuneiform was a simple writing that used pictures for words. The picture was always top to the right, possibly to prevent smearing.