...How Geography Effected Ancient Cultures Mesopotamia and Egypt in the ancient world were in modern day Iraq, and Egypt is still there today. Culture in theses societies, was loosely based on their natural surroundings. While geography in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt differed in stability and protection, they were similar in farming opportunities, with comparable sources of water giving them both the chance to excel in agriculture. The river flooding in Mesopotamia and Egypt differed in predictability; while rivers in Mesopotamia were sporadic in flood patterns, the Nile in Egypt was very predictable in its flooding. This caused the two civilizations to have opposing ideas of the power of their gods. In ancient Mesopotamia, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were incredibly unpredictable, and when they flooded they caused frenzies in surrounding areas. This unpredictability was reflected in their religion, as they felt the flooding of the rivers was a punishment for something they did. In thinking they could never please the gods, the people of Mesopotamia believed one only had the underworld to look forward to after death. They viewed nature as something out to get them. This belief led to more selfishness in people, and as a result, people were generally less trusting. However, in Egypt, the Nile River and its yearly predictable flooding led to the creation of calendars to plan agriculture around flooding; therefore, the flooding would help, not hurt them. The predictability...
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...Compare and contrast essay: Ancient Egypt and Greece The ancient Egyptian and ancient Greek civilizations are two of the oldest known civilizations in our history. The Egyptian civilization, based in the eastern part of North Africa, is believed to have started around 3150 BC and continued till the end of the Pharaoh rule in 31 BC. The ancient Greek civilization is believed to have been in effect from 1100 BC till about 146 BC. Many similarities and differences existed between these two civilizations, as even though they co-existed during a certain timeframe (1150 BC to 146 BC), they were located in different geographical areas. Because of these differences in geography, both these civilizations were subjected to different kinds of exposure, which included contact with other civilization and cultural inheritance. In the political sphere, we find that the Egyptian civilization had stronger emphasis on central authority, while the Greeks had a more decentralized structure, where powers were distributed over the cities and the states as well. As far as art is concerned, we find that the Egyptians were more involved in creating great monumental and gaudy structures, while the Greeks were more involved in creating smaller, more literary pieces of art. One of the biggest reasons why these two civilizations had these differences is due to their geography. The Egyptians had easy access to large stones that they could bring in to their country and use them to erect such monumental...
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...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Book Summary of Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament by John H. Walton Submitted to Dr. Peter Hamilton in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the course 201420 Spring 2014 OBST 510-B08 LUO by March 2, 2014 ABSTRACT There are fourteen chapters in the book Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible written by John H. Walton. It includes five main sections. Along with these sections there are historical pictures that consist of over 20 images. Each one of those images are included in a complete appendix at the beginning of the book. Walton gives acknowledgements, which are followed by a list of abbreviations. Part 1- Comparative Studies In this first section it includes the first two chapters. Chapter one is appropriately named history and methods. The resolution of this part of the book is to protect the Bible from the harm done by comparative studies which warped evidence to work against the historicity, canonicity, and divine revelation of the Bible. Chapter 1- History and Methods This chapter opens up with the rediscovery of Egypt and Mesopotamia, dating back to the 1800s and the mid 1900s. The author states that archeologists were very quickly discovering that the Bible in its entirety was completely and wholly accurate and true. It was during this time that evolution and the scientific...
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...The Civilizations and Cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt Mesopotamia has been called the first civilization, forming around 2500 BC, but there was also another civilization being formed around the same time; the Egyptian civilization was formed by 3000 BC along the Nile River. Both civilizations were strongly influenced by geography, natural resources, and social class. The development of two great early civilizations were guided by the geography, natural resources, and social classes but these broad categories branched off in different directions for each civilization. Geography had a large impact on the successful development of these two civilizations. Both largely depended on nearby rivers for their success and were called the river civilizations. Mesopotamia translates to “land between rivers” which is exactly what it was. It was located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. These rivers provided for the Sumerians to develop an extensive irrigation system. They were also able to use the flooding of the rivers to their benefit, and all of these developments lead to them having things to trade which they also used the rivers to do. Goods were able to move from place to place along the river along with ideas. Similarly, the Egyptian civilization was strongly dependent on their river, the Nile, and they would have not made nearly as much advancement without it. When the Nile flooded it helped farming and agriculture by providing silt, helping the soil. Their irrigation...
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...How Did The Nile Help Shape Ancient Egypt Did you know that Ancient Egypt would not exist without the Nile? The river provided many things. Three of these things were jobs and trading in document C , the flooding cycle in document B, and protection in document A. Jobs and trading were important because people needed money to provide for their families and themselves. The flooding cycle was important because it gave farmers a schedule when to plant, harvest, and help with political problems, such as building. Also, protection was important because foreign people all wanted to take their land. Jobs and trading relied on the Nile because they needed to travel. Document C shows that they would ride up the river to trading spots. Some jobs that...
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...Ancient Egypt is a wonderful land of mystery. People today still have no idea how to duplicate some of the achievements of Ancient Egyptians. Egypt became a great civilization due to many things, but there were three that seem to stand out above the rest. They were the geography, culture, and Architecture. Egypt can be divided into four major regions: the Nile Valley and Delta, the Arabian Desert, the Libyan Desert, and the Sinai. The Nile River valley is about 950 mi. long. In the south the valley is rarely more than 2 mi. wide. "North of EDFU (Idfu) the valley averages 5 to 10 mi. in width, with steep cliffs on either side" . From Cairo to the north, the valley merges with the fertile delta. "Southwest of Cairo near...
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...more predictable than the Tigris and Euphrates. Geography is the study of Earth; it’s landforms, features and inhabitants. It is important as it includes the study of our planet and what happens in nature, it studies people, helps with navigation, includes study of natural resources and let’s us appreciate life. Unfortunately, The Tigris and Euphrates River set a negative view of the afterlife for Mesopotamia, as they couldn’t foresee the floods that were going to happen. Thus, the people of Mesopotamia believed that the Gods were displeased or rather frustrated with them. This led them to believe that the afterlife was absolute misery. The rivers were used as a water supple and to irrigate crops, but also important for transportation and trade. Because of these rivers, Mesopotamia was a crossroads of the ancient world for trade between China, Egypt and India. As the Mesopotamians thought that their gods were furious at them, they built statues of them prayigg in hopes of them to please their gods....
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...by past students isn’t enough for the powers that be (not sure who they are) and our jobs seem to now be forever insecure. Designing and Implementing Learning Bags, and their importance for a home school connection in math, science, and reading couldn’t be any better way of physically showing our good practice as teachers to those who hold us in judgment. Seventh grade social studies covers thousands and thousands of years of history from the beginning of man right up to the beginnings of the Roman Empire. Before students start studying prehistory, Homo sapiens and the development of civilizations we start by explaining the five themes of geography and how they have played and continue to play a huge part in civilizations development, modernization, and continual communication with others. The 5 Themes of Geography Learning Bag contains materials...
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...OBST 590 - Old Testament Introduction Book Summary II Ancient Near Eastern Thought and The Old Testament By Walton ___________________ Submitted to Dr. Ashraf Basilious 27 February 2013 CONTENTS iNTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER I REVIEW 2 chapter ii review 4 CHAPTER III REVIEW 6 CHAPTER IV REVIEW 7 CHAPTER V REVIEW 9 CHAPTER VI REVIEW 11 CHAPTER VII REVIEW 13 CHAPTER VIII REVIEW 15 CHAPTER IX REVIEW 17 CHAPTER X REVIEW 18 CHAPTER XI REVIEW 20 CHAPTER XII REVIEW 22 CHAPTER XIII REVIEW 23 CHAPTER XIV REVIEW 24 CONCLUSION 26 Introduction The “Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament”, by Walton covers many issues which an individual unless wanting to seek more than what is written in the bible would want to perform endless days of research and ability to see firsthand by reading Walton’s book. These areas covered in Walton’s book cover the time from when the Old Testament had begun to be written back in BC and later re-found along with other textual artifacts earth in the 18 and mid 19th century AD. The discoveries of both biblical, and other un-biblical artifacts is covered within Walton’s book to how and why some individuals who have a different form of religious beliefs. To how in the past the individual living during early Near Eastern thought processes had been in regards to God or in many cases when not Israeli or Christian involved gods which were based off an...
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...One significant physical geographical factor that contributed to Egypt’s development is the Nile River. The land surrounding Egypt is rocky and approximately 4% can be cultivated. (British Broadcasting Corporation, 2010) The Nile River remains gentle bringing fertilized silts to be deposited along the banks of Egypt. Seasonal flood season is July through August and by the end of October the outer banks of the Nile is water soaked. Egyptians tapped into the Nile River resources by building irrigation. Channels, dikes and basins were created in Egypt’s rocky topography to provide needed water for crops. (Orlin, 2010). The Nile’s water allowed barley, wheat and other chosen crops to flourish in the spring. The Nile River’s abundance of water attracted the Egyptians to settle and create an early society. The Nile River is clearly the reason Egyptians were able to flourish. B. The process of diffusion of the chariot. The first chariot is synonymously dated with the origin of the wheel. 2000 BCE the chariot was created as a hunting vessel around the East Ural Mountains. (Plubin, 2013). Transmission of the chariot was driven by fighting and war. In 1800 BCE Syria used chariots as a weapon. Civilizations and cultures followed using chariots as weapons. In 1700 Hittites used the chariot as weapons in their kingdom and in 1650 BCE Egypt lost to the Hyksos army of chariots. Over the years the Middle East, China and Europe proclaimed the chariot as the main weapon of choice. Horses...
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...Material culture often plays an important role in providing archaeologists and historians with a better understanding of the peoples and cultures associated with them. These artefacts date back to many thousands years ago however; some of the earliest artefacts can be found in Egypt. Egypt is located in the northeast corner of Africa, spanning to the southwest corner of Asia, while the Nile runs north throughout the entire country. Before the Old Kingdom, Egypt was divided in to Upper and Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt in the South and Lower Egypt in the North. The reason for this is the direction in which the Nile ran, towards the North. The roots of Egyptian civilization date back to over 6000 years ago back to the earliest human settlements along...
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...Zackery Mrs. Howard World History (Honors) 29 November 2014 Egypt Geography The transcontinental country of Egypt is located in the northern part of Africa right alongside the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Egypt shares borders with the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula, plus the countries of Libya, Israel, and Sudan. Egypt is mainly made up of desert plateaus, yet the Nile River flows through its eastern part. The country is 386,662 square miles, which make it the 30th largest country in the entire world. The Egypt is normally humid and hot, but the nights are cool. Since Egypt only has two seasons, humid summers and mild winters, the temperatures change tremendously, yet in the winter they don’t seem to change drastically. In fact, in the coastal regions the temperature can range from a minimum of 14°C in the winter to a maximum of 30°C in the summer. In the inland areas temperatures vary widely in the summer. They can range from 7°C at nighttime to 43° in the day. In the winter the temperatures range from 0°C at night to 18°C in the daytime. Winter lasts from November to April, and the summers are from May to October. There aren’t many variations between the two seasons besides the temperature in the daytime and the day-to-day winds. The country barely receives and rain on a yearly basis. In fact, Egypt’s wettest area is the Alexandria, which only receives a maximum of 200 millimeters of rain each year. Egypt receives winds, known as the sirocco and the khamsin, around April...
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...LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY BOOK SUMMARY OF “ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN THOUGHT AND THE OLD TESTAMENT” BY JOHN H. WALTON SUBMITTED TO PROFESSOR DANIEL WARNER IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR OBST 590 BY JOEY F. LANGLINAIS LYNCHBURG, VA JUNE 23, 2013 Chapter 1 History and Methods John Walton begins this chapter by stating that the “rediscovery of Egypt began in the eighteenth century AD and of Mesopotamia in the mid nineteenth century AD.” This allowed the tens of thousands of texts that were being unearthed to be translated and studied. The motives of those involved ranged from political to interest in antiquities to biblical apologetics. Regardless of the motive, this allowed scholars to assess what might be learned from one to enhance the understanding of another . The noted Assyriologist Freidrich Delitzsch claimed that the Bible was borrowed from Mesopotamian literature, specifically the regions of the Tigris and Euphrates. His conclusion was that the Old Testament was not divine and that Christianity was rooted in pagan mythology. The result was growing division among biblical scholars. Some even took the stand that the Old Testament should be excluded from Christian theology. Others came to the defense of the Bible. This division was between a confessional standpoint and the secular view. This work actually spawned a movement called “Pan-Babylonianism” which asserted that all world myths and Christian Scriptures were...
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...The Egyptian Culture Reflected in Worship Deborah Howard Much of our knowledge about ancient Egyptian culture is based on elaborate worship rituals related to death and the afterlife. Egyptians were devoted to their gods and to their pharaohs who were gods on earth, as demonstrated by their willingness to build the pyramids for the safe passage of their leaders into the afterlife. Understanding the development of Egyptian society and their theological system requires a basic knowledge of the geography of the area. The Nile River Valley and Nile Delta, circa 4000-5000 BCE, was comprised of about 12,000 square miles of arable land. The villages and towns of ancient Egypt were found up and down the length of the Nile with most of the population living below the First Cataract (located approximately at present day Aswan). The Egyptians were accomplished farmers. They knew the Nile would flood each year and bring new life and abundant grain. The Nile's flooding was predictable and left rich new deposits of silt for new crops, making irrigation easy to plan. A basin irrigation system allowed the flood waters to flow gently into each field, cleansing and renewing the earth each year. The virtual isolation of the Nile Valley allowed Egyptian civilization to develop unthreatened by its neighbors. The Mediterranean Sea lay to the north, vast deserts were found to the east and west, and dense jungle lay to the south. An invader would have to be quite determined to brave the elements...
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...HIST-T124 T1 Study Guide I. MULTIPLE CHOICE KEY CONCEPTS Early Humans and their Culture * Define “culture” * Identify the features of the Paleolithic and Neolithic Cultures Middle East * Define “civilization” * Explain the role of climate and geography in the development of Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations Near East * Explain the role of climate and geography in the development of Near Eastern civilizations * Identify the Hittites and Assyrians Indian Sub-Continent * Explain the role of climate and geography in the development of early Indian civilization * Recognize and identify key characteristics and features of Harappan and Vedic Aryan civilizations East Asia (China) * Explain the role of climate and geography on the emergence of civilization in East Asia * Identify and describe the key features of Shang and Zhou civilization The Americas * Explain the role of climate and geography in the development of civilization in the Americas * Focus on the Olmecs in Mesoamerica and Chavin de Huantar in the Andes Comparing the Four Great Revolutions * Identify and understand the main points of comparison and contrast between Chinese, Indian, Near Eastern, and Mediterranean philosophy and religion Philosophy in China * Identify and understand the key features and messages of Confucianism, Daoism...
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