Example Of Rise Of Cities Essay

The Rise of Cities played an important role in society as well as documented history. Cities have risen up in a variety of cultures, from Egypt and Mesopotamia, to Rome, to Western Europe. Even the Aztecs and Mayans saw a Rise of the Cities. Cities marked the epicenter for development and change. The rise of cities in Mesopotamia was a great leap forward for the complexity of society because it essentially helped shape society. With the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flooding annually the farmers eventually came up with the idea of irrigation. For the time period, rivers were portrayed as gods, thus the village priest was charged with supervision over the irrigation. He would receive offerings of food and livestock for his troubles. Because it was more than he could consume, the rest was what could be considered the earliest form of capital, thus creating a currency or trade system. The priest used his expendable income to build a bigger temple, places for his expendable income to live, and higher more people to take care of all of his affairs. The building of the temple and the bodies needed to take care of his affairs created jobs. These people needed to get paid and when they were they introduced their own income back into the population. Slowly an economy was born. This type of sophistication followed society into modern times, marking where we began to act civilized as well as where our history began.
In the southern region of Mesopotamia lives the Sumerians. During their existence they did many things to contribute to the legacy of civilization. For example, the Sumerians invented writing. This is perhaps the greatest contribution known to mankind. Without the ability to write we would have no record of our history so when it is said that history began in Mesopotamia, with the rise of cities it is true; that is when it was first recorded. The Sumerians are also responsible for inventions such as the wheel and the plough. Mesopotamia began as an agricultural mecca. Such tools were essential, as was irrigation, which the Sumerians are also responsible for. The Sumerian’s also managed to invent sailing boats and are the first known civilization to have created multistory buildings. They developed a mathematics system, began learning astronomy, developed a judicial system, and even devised a calendar. There is no question that writing is their greatest contribution to the legacy that is civilization but the other mentioned contributions are also very important.
The differences in views on life and death in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia are varied. Ancient Mesopotamians believed priests, who lived in religious temples, should lead religious rituals. The land was ruled by a king and his family. The king and his family owned the most land and enjoyed authority over government and army. Free people had rights, meaning free men had rights; women and slaves were treated as property. The Mesopotamian’s view on death was negative, they believed the afterlife to be a terrible place. Ancient Egypt was ruled by a pharaoh, who controlled the armies, lands, and trades. He was considered a god, believed to have magical capabilities. When a pharaoh died he was replaced by his son, creating a dynastic rule. Priests were much the same in Egypt as Mesopotamia, leading religious rituals. The Egyptian’s believed the afterlife was a continuation of life on earth and, as a rule, pharaohs were buried with all of their earthly possessions and wealth in an attempt to remain rich after they were dead. The difference in this view may be because each culture attributed their environment and weather to the gods. Mesopotamia’s land was often plagued with bad weather, drought, flooding, and pestilence. They often thought the gods were trying to kill them and so they began to believe the afterlife must be a terrible place. In contrast, the Egyptian’s land always seemed to be fertile and their weather was relatively mild, for the climate. They believed the gods shined happiness down upon them unless they had done something wrong, causing them to believe that as long as they lived a good life, the gods would reward them after they had died.