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Module 1 Foundations of Civilization Comparing Sumer, Egypt, and The Indus Valley

Ancient Sumer, Egypt, and the Indus Valley Civilization emerged during the Neolithic period, each showcasing advanced urban development and unique religious ideologies. Sumer developed the first writing system, cuneiform, while Egypt innovated with papyrus, and the Indus Valley's script remains largely undeciphered. Despite their distinct characteristics and declines, these civilizations profoundly influenced the foundations of human society and technological advancements.

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Kyng Sankofa
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60 views2 pages

Module 1 Foundations of Civilization Comparing Sumer, Egypt, and The Indus Valley

Ancient Sumer, Egypt, and the Indus Valley Civilization emerged during the Neolithic period, each showcasing advanced urban development and unique religious ideologies. Sumer developed the first writing system, cuneiform, while Egypt innovated with papyrus, and the Indus Valley's script remains largely undeciphered. Despite their distinct characteristics and declines, these civilizations profoundly influenced the foundations of human society and technological advancements.

Uploaded by

Kyng Sankofa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Foundations of Civilization: Comparing Sumer, Egypt, and the Indus Valley

Ancient Sumer, Ancient Egypt, and the Indus Valley Civilization emerged
during the Neolithic period, showcasing their significance through advanced
urban development and religious ideology. Sumer, the earliest of these
civilizations, developed between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in
Mesopotamia, while Egypt and the Indus Valley grew along the Nile and Indus
Rivers, respectively. Each civilization exhibited unique features in its religious
beliefs and systems of government, reflecting their distinct cultural contexts.
While Sumer and Egypt are renowned for their developed writing systems,
the script of the Indus Valley Civilization remains largely unknown and
undeciphered. Despite these differences, all three civilizations contributed
profoundly to the foundations of early human society.

Sumer is known to have the first writing script called cuneiform. They used
reeds to create wedge-shaped indentions on clay tablets, and this was a form
of counting and receipt keeping that evolved into pictographs and an
alphabet. Egypt’s script, known as hieroglyphics or medu-netjer, wasn’t just
written in stone or tablets like cuneiform like their Sumerian predecessors.
The Egyptians revolutionized writing when they developed papyrus, a paper-
like material, and recorded various things on it. Not much is known of Indus
Valley’s writings. Archaeologists have discovered clay seals containing
phonograms unique to the region, that are thought to depict various sounds
and appear to be influenced by the writing of the Sumerians.

Each of these three civilizations also had unique religious traditions. Indus
Valley religion is still undergoing study and leaves much speculation, but
archaeological digs that unearthed figurines may indicate a system of
priesthood. Egypt’s pantheon of deities is well known, as is that of Sumer.
What separates the two is that the rulers of Sumer were not seen as Gods,
while Egypt’s pharaohs were revered as deities in the flesh. What sets Indus
Valley Religion apart from Egypt and Sumer is the lack of temples in the
region, leaving very little information regarding specific religious rites like
those well known in the other regions.

The decline of these three civilizations occurred under different


circumstances. Sumer faced a gradual decline due to many internal conflicts
and invasions, which brought forth the rise of the Babylonian Empire. Egypt
also experienced invasions from groups like the Hyksos, the Assyrians, and
Persians. Although they were successful in reclaiming their civilization many
times, they eventually were defeated and rose no more. What brought about
the Indus Valley Civilization’s demise is not well documented, but it is
believed to be due to some conquests of warring nations and environmental
factors.

Despite their distinct paths, each civilization significantly shaped the


foundations of human society, influencing later cultures and laying the
groundwork for future advancements. From the earliest cuneiform
inscriptions on clay tablets to the development of papyrus and the eventual
evolution of writing tools such as pens, pencils, and paper, their innovations
have paved the way for numerous technological advances.

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