Mesopotamia South Asia

Ancient Egypt and the settlements of Southeast Asia developed in very different environment. As a result of this there are many differences in the two societies. However, there are also a number of commonalities that the two civilizations shared. These civilizations serve as good examples of the differences and commonalities of civilizations. The civilization of Ancient Egypt developed along the Nile River in north east Africa. Due to the dry climate of the region the Egyptians’ access to fresh water was limited to the areas directly around the Nile. In contrast to this Southeast Asia was a far more tropical environment with a much higher rainfall. This allowed for the spreading of the civilizations away from the direct access to a large river. In these two contrasting environments different types …show more content…
One common characteristic that is shared by both is the importance of trade. In the case of Egypt luxury goods, such as wood from the Levant, flowed into the country. Egypt served as both an important importer of these luxuries and as the trade hub between Africa and Eurasia. The communities that developed in Southeastern Asia, particularly Angkor, also served an important role in trade networks. It served as a link in the network that connected the Far East and with the Middle East and Europe. It is important to note here that while both played important roles within their respective trade networks, Egypt played a much more dominant role whereas Angkor played a more secondary role to the other powers trading on the network. Another common element between these two polities is the development of a clear social hierarchy. This can be seen in the varying elaborateness of burial goods found in Southeast Asia and the vastly different scale of burial architecture between groups in Ancient