Mesopotamian and Egyptian Religion and Art (Essay Sample)

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Mesopotamian and Egyptian religion and art
It is common for scholars to try and attempt to compare the Mesopotamian and the Egyptian way of worship, practices and art. This is because while both share certain fundamental values that shaped their kingdoms and ways of lives there also so exist many ways the two differ, an aspect that has particularly drawn scholarly interest. Thus, it is important to point out that while there do exist similarities, there also exist differences that the two cultures are characterized. This paper will critically assess the common grounds that define the Mesopotamian and Egyptian religion and art while also pointing out the key factors that make them uniquely different that have helped shaped them.
The similarities
When analyzing both societies’ religion, it is noted that both pay allegiance to the gods. In fact, both societies had an extreme notion on this that they held strict reverence to it, and anyone found disrespecting the Gods would be punished ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "URL" : "/topic/Mesopotamian-religion", "accessed" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2015", "6", "21" ] ] }, "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Jacobsen", "given" : "Thorkild", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2014" ] ] }, "page" : "1-13", "title" : "Mesopotamian religion", "type" : "webpage" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=36abc9a3-df06-40f8-b0e4-20aa121b1670" ] }, { "id" : "ITEM-2", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Mark, Joshua", "given" : "J", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "Ancient History Encyclopedia", "id" : "ITEM-2", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2013" ] ] }, "title" : "Ancient Egyptian Culture", "type" : "article-journal" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=4391b1d2-068d-4846-8617-dd71450f4f22" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "formattedCitation" : "(Jacobsen; Mark, Joshua)", "plainTextFormattedCitation" : "(Jacobsen; Mark, Joshua)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Jacobsen; Mark, Joshua)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Jacobsen; Mark, Joshua). For example, the Egyptians believed that through their carvings that they owed their entities to god. Similarly, the Mesopotamian religion proves no different in this vice because they too believed in their gods. For example, through the Hittite Double-Headed Eagle, the Mesopotamians drew from it the inspiration that on seeing the Hittite Storm God standing on his bull, they had the God of fertility ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Chariton", "given" : "Jesse. D", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "Journal of Undergraduate Research XIV", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2011" ] ] }, "page" : "1-13", "title" : "The Mesopotamian Origins of the Hittite Double-Headed Eagle", "type" : "article-journal", "volume" : "XIV" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=6f32ced0-64bd-4121-b4cb-47fe1f27c520" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "formattedCitation" : "(Chariton)", "plainTextFormattedCitation" : "(Chariton)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Chariton)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Chariton). In fact, ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Chariton", "given" : "Jesse. D", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "Journal of Undergraduate Research XIV", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2011" ] ] }, "page" : "1-13", "title" : "The Mesopotamian Origins of the Hittite Double-Headed Eagle", "type" : "article-journal", "volume" : "XIV" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=6f32ced0-64bd-4121-b4cb-47fe1f27c520" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "formattedCitation" : "(Chariton)", "manualFormatting" : "Chariton", "plainTextFormattedCitation" : "(Chariton)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Chariton)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }Chariton notes that there exist dozens of manifestations on the symbol of the double-headed motif that the Mesopotamians related to god. Thus, both believed that the gods were important to their lives and helped shape them to fear the gods.
Moreover, both religions were polytheists, in that they recognized and paid allegiance to many gods. For example, the Egyptians believed that they had other gods, which the living god, the Pharaoh, linked them to ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Mark, Joshua", "given" : "J", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "Ancient History Encyclopedia", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2013" ] ] }, "title" : "Ancient Egyptian Culture", "type" : "article-journal" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=4391b1d2-068d-4846-8617-dd71450f4f22" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "formattedCitation" : "(Mark, Joshua)", "plainTextFormattedCitation" : "(Mark, Joshua)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Mark, Joshua)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Mark, Joshua). The Mesopotamians are no different in the perception. For example, in the Hittite Double-Headed Eagle, ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Chariton", "given" : "Jesse. D", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "Journal of Undergraduate Research XIV", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2011" ] ] }, "page" : "1-13", "title" : "The Mesopotamian Origins of the Hittite Double-Headed Eagle", "type" : "article-journal", "volume" : "XIV" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=6f32ced0-64bd-4121-b4cb-47fe1f27c520" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "formattedCitation" : "(Chariton)", "manualFormatting" : "Chariton", "plainTextFormattedCitation" : "(Chariton)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Chariton)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }Chariton notes that they had many carvings that they alleged to different gods. For instance, he identifies that the reliefs on the Eagle supporting figures 45 and 46 in Chamber A were thought to represent to represent the storm God, far from the belief that seeing the Hittite Storm God standing on his bull symbolizing the god of fertility. This implies that both societies were deeply rooted in their perception of religion, which made them define an array of gods and goddesses to shape their living structure then a culture that is present today.
It is also noted that the art practiced by both societies were similar. By analyzing their artistic skills, it is found that both had a characteristic of making carvings that they perceived as gods and goddesses that acted as sources of supreme power. For example, the Egyptian culture is famous for the pyramids that they are accredited for the advances of geometry and technology on construction advancement ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Mark, Joshua", "given" : "J", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "Ancient History Encyclopedia", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2013" ] ] }, "title" : "Ancient Egyptian Culture", "type" : "article-journal" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=4391b1d2-068d-4846-8617-dd71450f4f22" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "formattedCitation" : "(Mark, Joshua)", "plainTextFormattedCitation" : "(Mark, Joshua)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Mark, Joshua)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Mark, Joshua). On the other hand, despite not artistically advanced as the Egyptians, the Mesopotamian culture also valued carvings as noted by the Hittite Double-Headed Eagle carving ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Chariton", "given" : "Jesse. D", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "Journal of Undergraduate Research XIV", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2011" ] ] }, "page" : "1-13", "title" : "The Mesopotamian Origins of the Hittite Double-Headed Eagle", "type" : "article-journal", "volume" : "XIV" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=6f32ced0-64bd-4121-b4cb-47fe1f27c520" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "formattedCitation" : "(Chariton)", "plainTextFormattedCitation" : "(Chariton)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Chariton)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Chariton).
Therefore, both cultures had several major foundations that they shared. These foundations were held strictly and thus helped shape not only their way of life then, but has also proven critical to their cultures today, as seen, for instance, with the advancement in geometry in Egypt, and the strict religious grounds both cultures have ended up withholding.
The differences
Despite the simil...