Opening Paragraph & Thesis
The Bronze Age was the time period in which civilization arose and flourished.
The river valley civilizations, both Mesopotamia and Egypt, were influenced by
the environments in which they were founded.
In both, the economies centered on agriculture and both developed writing
from symbols.
One difference, however, was the gods they worshipped and the outlook the
people had on their afterlife in accordance with the harshness of their
environment.
Due to environmental differences, the people of these early civilizations
developed unique life ways and customs.
Topics and Closings
Both Egypt and Mesopotamia were founded in environments known as river
valleys, where rivers flooded and left mineral and soil deposits making the
ground fertile for crops.
These environments were similar and created similar economic systems as
result.
Writing systems in Mesopotamia and Egypt came into existence after the
fertile environments produced surplus foods.
The environments of Egypt and Mesopotamia provided enough crops for the
people, allowing job specialization and thus, the development of writing and
record keeping.
Environmental situations in Egypt and Mesopotamia varied in certain
conditions, causing the formation of various beliefs and opinions in each
civilization.
These differences between the two civilizations’ religions coincided with their
environmental situations.
Evidence and Analysis
These abundant harvests created agricultural economies in both civilizations.
Mesopotamia was called the Fertile Crescent because of its location between the
Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Egypt had the Nile with predictable and beneficial flooding.
Irrigation was used in both societies to bring water to the crops.
The growing of grain and its storage allowed for the creation of artisans,
priests, soldiers, bureaucrats, and kings that protected and traded the crops.
In both areas, a fertile environment and the presence of a river caused the
development of a new sedentary lifestyle in which people grew their own food.
Paragraph 2
These developments took place because, as the amount of food grows, the need
of a society to farm diminishes, allowing workers to choose other jobs, such as
potters, artists, and writers.
These writers had time to create stories and develop religions after the
surrounding environment provided for them. Both governments began
demanding taxes.
In Mesopotamia cuneiform was used to keep track of taxes in temples.
Writing was necessary to keep records of not only citizens’ debts, but also to
remember stories. In Egypt, hieroglyphics were used to represent gods and
pharaohs and for scribes and priests.