Comparing Religious And Political Authority Of Early...

Comparing Religious and Political Authority of Early Civilizations Civilization can be defined along lines of a sophisticated state of human society, whereby a high level of culture and science, as well as industry and government has been attained. This paper compares civilization in the line of authority, both in religious and political spheres among the three groups; Mesopotamia, Nile in Egypt and Indus Valley (Mahenjodaro and Harrapa) in India. Mesopotamia Political organization The name Mesopotamia is derived from a Greek word that means the land between two rivers identified as Euphrates and Tigris in this case. Much of it is contained in the present day Iraq and is considered to be one of the ancient civilizations that bear great†¦show more content†¦The region herein referred to as Mesopotamia was made up of independent city states that had their respective political organizations and sphere of influence. Between the period of emergence and fall, Mesopotamian city states often engaged each other in various wars due to the fact that the Kings of respective cities always wanted to expand their territorial boundaries. The need to expand the sphere of influence also stemmed from the desire to control vast amount of resources (Fordham University, â€Å"Mesopotamia†). The Ancient Mesopotamian inhabitants lacked a unified national identity. They majorly identified themselves with their respective cities and their political control. The concept of national identity arose only after the development of the printing press, which makes it understandable why this region was not unified under a common national identity. Most of the identities were, however, defined alongside family, clan, village and then the city (Fordham University, â€Å"Mesopotamia†). Religion in Mesopotamia Religion in Mesopotamia was understood as a concept that helped people to get a deeper meaning of the world and its surroundings. It offered an assurance to the people of Mesopotamia that there are other existences beyond the chaotic and random happenings of the physical world. Consequently, Mesopotamians had anthromorphic gods that often assumed the appearance of