During the course of this semester, we have been focusing on the earliest civilizations and what they have contributed to our society today. Although Mesopotamia (Sumerians) and Mesoamerica (Olmecs) are relatively near each other and there are numerous similarities, they still had distinct differences. Mesoamerica was more advanced than Mesopotamia despite the fact that archaeologists have found limited evidence. While the Sumers had a not-so-whopping population of 18,000 per city, the Olmecs had from 20,000 to 50,000 people that lived in one city. Apparently the hemorrhagic fever, Cocoliztli, did not make much of a dent in the Mesoamerican civilization. Surprisingly, both civilizations did not move as often as we do. As a result, they flourished
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The Sumers were polytheistic, they believed in around 200 deities. The Sumers thought that they were responsible for everything, so much that they selected a patron deity for each city. The Olmecs were monotheistic, they believed in nonhuman-like gods and goddesses. The were-jaguars were the central focus of their religion because they appeared throughout all of Olmec cities. Since the Olmecs were a mother civilization, many jaguars have been seen throughout more modern Mexican deities. The Mesopotamians molded sculptures of animals, deities, priest, and worshippers. The Mesoamericans formed 17 humongous heads made of basalt, jade jewelry, and tools of bone and stone. The Sumers were quite the architects, for archaeologists uncovered houses, temples, palaces, and ziggurats. Their structures were of the highest level of design because the Sumerians used exact measurements. On the contrary, the Olmecs built less accurate structures yet were still very impressive, including buildings, monuments, courtyards, pyramids, and ceremonial mounds. Olmecs were the first to make and use two-story houses. Cities were centered around a grand mound which was heavily decorated with many elaborate and sometimes frightening stone carvings. Since the Olmecs were obsessed with the stars and often observed the sky, they were incredibly skilled astronomers. They devoted some jobs to astronomy and in return, they made inventions more advanced than any other of their neighbors. The Sumerians were not as advanced with their science than the
The Sumers were polytheistic, they believed in around 200 deities. The Sumers thought that they were responsible for everything, so much that they selected a patron deity for each city. The Olmecs were monotheistic, they believed in nonhuman-like gods and goddesses. The were-jaguars were the central focus of their religion because they appeared throughout all of Olmec cities. Since the Olmecs were a mother civilization, many jaguars have been seen throughout more modern Mexican deities. The Mesopotamians molded sculptures of animals, deities, priest, and worshippers. The Mesoamericans formed 17 humongous heads made of basalt, jade jewelry, and tools of bone and stone. The Sumers were quite the architects, for archaeologists uncovered houses, temples, palaces, and ziggurats. Their structures were of the highest level of design because the Sumerians used exact measurements. On the contrary, the Olmecs built less accurate structures yet were still very impressive, including buildings, monuments, courtyards, pyramids, and ceremonial mounds. Olmecs were the first to make and use two-story houses. Cities were centered around a grand mound which was heavily decorated with many elaborate and sometimes frightening stone carvings. Since the Olmecs were obsessed with the stars and often observed the sky, they were incredibly skilled astronomers. They devoted some jobs to astronomy and in return, they made inventions more advanced than any other of their neighbors. The Sumerians were not as advanced with their science than the