Rome Vs. Egypt: A Comparison Between Rome And Egypt

Comparison between Rome and Egypt

To some looking at ancient civilizations they may all seem very similar to each other. At first glance some of the art work may seem the same, a Roman and Greek vase may look very similar at first but with a keener eye the differences are vividly striking. The ancient cultures of Rome and Egypt are known for their greatness and power, but that is about all they have in common. How they evolved, worshiped and eventually organized and ran their societies have little in common. Rome had a practical view of religion, not set on a central belief system with rituals and ideals they took from other cultures around them. Similar to the Greeks they had a more contractual belief with their gods, “I give you a sacrifice, you give me glory in battle” attitude. For Rome the gods were like themselves just bigger, better, stronger and immortal, and that …show more content…
The theology they believed in affected the entire society and everyone followed the rules. The Egyptians believed their ability to thrive was made possible by the rise and fall of the Nile and in trying to understand the power of this river, they personified myths and gods, and built a society around these beliefs. They were not concerned about perfection, good and evil, they understood no person could be perfect, but the only way chaos could be avoided was by balance. The gods themselves were rarely shown as human, Anubis has the head of a jackal, Horus the head of a hawk. Then there is Ma’at, she is seen in many different ways, mostly weighing the souls against the feather, but she is also known to regulate seasons or movement of the stars. The afterlife for the Egyptians was very important and their life was spent preparing for judgment. If their deeds balanced against Ma’at's feather, then they could pass on to the afterlife, where eating and drinking and free from strife and life everlasting was waiting for