2ndPeriod

PhuongNguyen
JanetOkoroji
TrucPhan
AndrewWinston
Le
PreAPWorldHistory
18January2017

RiverValleyCivilizationsProjectEssay
ThefourmajorancientrivervalleycivilizationswerecalledMesopotamia,Egypt,China,
andtheIndusValley.Thesesocietieswereabletomaintaintheirownprominentcultural
customs,religiousbeliefs,andpoliticalorganization.Theysharedmanysimilaritiesbutalso
manydifferencesintheseaspects.Thesefactorscontributedtothefurtheringofhistoryintheir
variousregions.
Allofthecivilizationsbelievedinthebuildingofreligiousstructuresinordertoproperly
praisetheirgodsanddeities.Mesopotamia,Egypt,andtheIndusValleyhadthesamemindset
andarchitecturalbuildusingbricksandstone,whileChinastoodsolowiththeirwoodentemples.
Theyallalsomadestatues,withMesopotamiausingstone,Indususinglimestone,andEgyptians
usingwood.Chinaalsosawgreatartisticvalueinpottery,andusedmanynonlinguisticsymbols
totellstoriesontheirceramics,whichpresentedtheiruseofwritingandtext.Theirdifferences
inmaterialallcouldvebeendeterminedbytheirgeographicalpointandtheresourcesthatwere
easilyattainableintheirprovinces.

2ndPeriod

Therivervalleycivilizationswereallpolytheistic,havingthereligiousbeliefthatholy
divinitiesrepresentedmultipleaspectsoflife.TheIndus,China,andEgyptbelievedinthe
afterlifeandperformedritualsinordertoshowrespecttothedeceasedintheirjourneybeyond
theliving.TheIndusunderwenttheprocessofcremationofthebodyandsignificantitemsas
treasuresforthemtobring.ThepeopleofEgyptmummifiedPharaohsandothersthatheldhigh
significance,topreservethemattheircurrentstate.ThoseinChinabelievedthattheprocessof
deathshouldbeheldwithutmostrespect.Iftheywerenotinpeace,theirsoulswouldcomeback
andhaunttheirfuturegenerations.Theyallhadtheirdifferentmethodsandreasoningto
believingintheafterlife,butallshowedhighesteemfortheireldersduringtheirtimeof
mourning.
Thewaysofgoverninginthedifferentcivilizationswereallverydistinctfromone
another,andresultedindifferentproducts.ThesystemusedbyMesopotamiawascitystate,
whichmeantthatcitieswereallowedtohavecontroloversurroundingarea.Egypthada
bureaucracy,withtheirlandsbeingevenlydistributedintothepowerfulhandsoftheappointed
districtleaderandofcourse,thePharaoh.TheIndusRiverValleywastheocratic,meaningthat
religionwasincorporatedintotheirgovernment,andwasledbythepriest.Chinahada
socioeconomicrankingidentification,wherewealthwasbasedontheacresoflandownedby
one.
WiththeRiverValleysresources,thecivilizationsandtheirlifestylesgreatlycomposed
thefoundationsofnewcivilizationstocomelater.Theydifferedallintheirownways,pursuing
differenttraditions,ideologies,andgovernment.Theirsimilaritiesanddifferencesallowedthe
humanracetofollowdifferentpaths,leadingusaspeopletowherewearenow.