Sumer And Egypt The Pioneers Of Civilization - 1226 Words

Sumer and Egypt were two of the first civilizations established in ancient history, the Sumerians being the pioneers of civilization. Each of the civilizations settled on fertile lands and established political, religious, and economic standards of their own. The Sumerians created a system of writing called cuneiform, developed a theocratic government, established an agricultural-based economic system, and created a polytheistic religion. Because the land was flat and marshy with few hills or mountains, Sumer had little protection from a military standpoint. The environment of Egypt was the polar opposite of Sumer. The Egyptians were surrounded by desert to prevent invasion, yet gifted with plenty of fertile land along the Nile. This†¦show more content†¦To the west of Sumer, Egypt was developing as its own civilization. Egypt had a strong geographical advantage compared to Sumer. Cliffs and deserts encased the land which reduced the worries of invasion, thus creating a bett er outlook on life for its citizens. Egypt differed from Sumer and the Tigris and Euphrates in that the Egyptians could predict when the Nile River would flood. The river supplied Egypt with fertile land every year and an excellent medium for trade and communication. Like the Sumerian city-states, Egypt was run by a king, also referred to as a pharaoh. The pharaoh was not only a leader in bureaucracy but a religious figure as well. â€Å"Egyptian politics tended to be more authoritarian as well as centralized, for city-states in the Mesopotamian style, though often ruled by kings, also provided the opportunity for councils and other participatory institutions.† However, climate change and development in cities of Nubia diminished the power of the pharaoh in Egypt, resulting in the collapse of the Old Kingdom. By 2350B.C.E, Sargon had conquered all of the city-states in Sumer and began the acquisition of the rest of Mesopotamia. He appointed officials to rule all of the citie s and collected taxes to create an even larger political unit: the first known empire. Sargon was also accredited with the establishment of the first dynasty. Sargon made his empire imperialistic by initiating a program