Mesopotamia Geography Essay

The Impact of Geography Between Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia Geography has an extremely underestimated influence on civilizations. Ancient societies were especially shaped by geography because they depended heavily on local natural resources to survive. Two societies in particular that experienced this impact were Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. The land surrounding these countries helped to develop a thriving economy, government, and culture in each population.
Both Egypt and Mesopotamia were located near powerful rivers. Egypt had the Nile and Mesopotamia had the Tigris on one side and the Euphrates on the other. The main difference between these rivers was their predictability. The Nile flooded at approximately the same time each year. Meanwhile, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers flooded at random times, causing havoc. This lead to a major difference in government between the two territories. The Priests in Mesopotamia would use the unstableness of the land as a threat; they would scare citizens with the possibility of droughts or floods if they behaved badly. Egyptian pharaohs could not use this tactic because the Nile’s flood patterns were calculated. Instead, the pharaohs used the threat …show more content…
Egypt was in the center of the Mediterranean Sea, large deserts and cataracts while Mesopotamia was located in between two rivers. This lead to one major difference: Egypt had access to trade without invasion. It was much harder for them to be conquered because of all the obstructions. On the other hand, Mesopotamia was in a desirable location for civilization and was invaded multiple times. This means that Egypt had more time for it’s own culture to flourish and individualize. Whereas, Mesopotamian culture has been influenced by the rule of countless other societies. As a result, the barriers of Egypt and Mesopotamia shaped the way their beliefs and customs