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Notes on video lecture:
Differences between Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt
Notes taken by Edward Tanguay on March 20, 2016 (go to class or lectures)
Choose from these words to fill the blanks below:
Egypt, resources, distinct, order, contact, passing, change, Nile, architecture, location, sky, differently, social, attack, invaders, land, law, ruler, societal, production, balance, king, cosmic, Sumer, religion, help, skills, rivalry
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kingship and law in ancient Mesopotamia and           
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environment, climate, and geography affect                  order
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things that humans can't             
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society order is usually seen as the       
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but when no laws in place, it's
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the relationship between the            and the ruled
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the relationship of the ruled in terms of each other
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societies and leaders understand order                       
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sources of social order and why it was forced the way it was
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myths
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law codes
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religious beliefs
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civilizations in Mesopotamia and Egypt
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Egypt civilization arrives after the            civilization in Mesopotamia
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3500 BC
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likely some                between them
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but Egypt developed essentially as a                  civilization of its own
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in both places, social order changed as the value of the          increased
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the kind of kingship depended on                  of civilization
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if people were                through who might pose a threat
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if they were being left alone
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if others could              without notice
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Mesopotamia
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volatile rivers
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changing weather
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people who move across this landscape
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so for leaderships and                 
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theme of               
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who is going to contend
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how might one win
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the land of warring        gods
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gods that can rival the king
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gods represented in things like lightening, thunder and dust storms
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generally threatened people as a whole but could also threaten a         
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a king is supposed to lead
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if regular warfare, these              are important
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cities almost always had walls
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a sign that there was always some threat afoot
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growing population in cities
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suggests increased              problems
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the god-king must be a warrior and dominate
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people have recourse
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don't have a vote
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but can ask gods for         
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king is expected not to interfere with the established           , should respect gods
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Epic of Gilgamesh
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tells the story that the king is not supposed to abuse power and what the gods do when he does
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Egypt
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also a relationship between religion and leadership
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but a greater theme of               
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the "land of divine harmony"
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the goddess Ma'at was in charge of balancing conflicting              forces
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Egypt was different than Mesopotamia
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a more of less consistent environment with regular flooding of the         
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consistent agricultural production as well as herding
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had fewer                  given their geography
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desert and sea around them
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fewer people were going to be wandering through or have access to their                   
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here God is truth, law, and justice, and if the Pharaoh doesn't keep this balance, then the are may be subject to problems
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the Nile might become irregular
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an invasion might occur
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strength and                      might decrease
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comparing Mesopotamia and Egypt
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differences
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different geographies
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different threats
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different understandings therefore of order
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unlike the Code of Hammurabi and other Mesopotamian law codes, there isn't a law code found in Egypt
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although in Egypt a well ordered society was an absolute priority
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there is a theme of balance in Egypt vs. the conflict and required dominance seen in Mesopotamia
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similarities
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a god-king
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an implied recourse that the people should have to their gods if the king doesn't act correctly
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land is in both cases is at the resources

Ideas and Concepts:

From the know-your-gods department, via tonight's Western Civilization class:

"In Ancient Egypt, as in Mesopotamia, there was also a relationship between religion and leadership. But in Egypt, there was a greater theme of balance. Ancient Egypt was known as the land of divine harmony, and it was the goddess Ma'at who was in charge of balancing the conflicting cosmic forces. She embodied the concept of truth, balance, order, harmony, law, morality, and justice. She also regulated the stars, seasons, and it was Ma'at who set the order of the universe from chaos at the moment of creation.

Apart from this role in creation and continuously preventing the universe from returning to chaos, represented by her ideological counterpart Isfet, her primary role in Egyptian mythology dealt with the weighing of the heart that took place in the underworld. The feather she wears on her head was the measure that determined whether human souls, considered to reside in the heart, would reach the paradise of afterlife successfully. Pharaohs are often depicted with the emblems of Ma'at to emphasize their role in upholding the laws of the Creator."
Differences between Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt
Ancient Egyptian War, Politics and Gods
The Egyptian Empire at its Greatest Extent