Mesopotamian_vs._Egyptian_Social_Structures

Mesopotamian and Egyptian Social Structures Concerning social structure, the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt had similar general structures, but very different specific structures. The social structures of both Mesopotamia and Egypt consisted of the general, basic features, such as social division and gender dominance, that were either emergent properties of the formation of civilization or common features of civilizations at that time. However, when these features are broken down into more detailed social properties of specific social hierarchy and the degree of male dominance, it becomes apparent that Mesopotamia had both a more distinct hierarchy and a higher degree of male dominance than Egypt. Both Mesopotamia and Egypt had similar general social structures concerning class divisions, general classifying methods, and gender dominance. In both civilizations, class divisions in general were very apparent and significant. Social classes were defined in both Mesopotamia and Egypt by wealth and position. This social division is an inevitable characteristic of civilizations caused by their development during their emergence. Another similarity of the general social structures of Mesopotamia and Egypt is that both civilizations were patriarchies. This characteristic of a male-dominated society is the result of the agriculture revolution, which degraded women because of the decreasing dependency on them and their lack of labor skills needed. Before the agriculture revolution, women’s foraging provided most of the food for the community. However, after the agriculture revolution, communities depended almost entirely on labors requiring heavy physical strength. Since men were physically stronger, these labors were usually done by them, leaving women mainly as powerless housewives. These similarities in Mesopotamian and Egyptian social structure characteristics signify their both being civilizations and their similar time periods. Nonetheless, when the broad features mentioned above are broken down into more specific features, the Mesopotamian and Egyptian social structures start showing differences between each other. When the concept of social division is narrowed to specific social hierarchies, Mesopotamia and Egypt totally differ. In Mesopotamia, the social hierarchy was very clear and each class was very distinct. The first class consisted of land owners who were the royalty, high ranking officials, warriors, priests, and some merchants. The second class consisted of Farmers, who made up the agricultural work force and were often attached to an estate owned privately or by the king or temple. And the third and lowest class consisted of slaves. This social hierarchy was very clear because of the obvious distinctions of ownership. On the contrary, Egypt’s social hierarchy was not so clear and distinct. The first class consisted of pharaoh and his high-ranking officials. The second class consisted of low-ranking officials, local leaders, priests, and other professionals. The third and lowest class consisted of peasants. This social hierarchy was not very distinct because pharaoh controlled everything, and therefore ownership was not very distinctive. Another feature that can be broken down to reveal differences between the two social structures is the gender dominance. Even though both Mesopotamia and Egypt were patriarchies, the degree to which males dominated women was not the same. In Mesopotamia, males had almost complete dominance over women and women were often considered as nothing more than economic objects. This resulted from the emergence of the city state, the rise of urbanized middle class, and an increase in private wealth. These factors increased men’s power in politics as well as in the household and made women mere instruments for preserving and enhancing family wealth. On the other hand, even though males dominated Egypt, its women still had the privilege of legal and economic rights that were denied to the women of Mesopotamia. These rights included ownership and inheritance of property, ability to divorce and retain dowry, and a few exceptions of women who held political power (queen, queen’s mother). These differences in Mesopotamian and Egyptian social structures show that even though they had basic similarities, each structure was unique and was shaped in a custom way that fit its civilization. In conclusion, the social structures of Mesopotamia and Egypt had a similar basis, on top of which each structure had its own unique characteristics. The basis of the social structures was similar because of the emergent properties of the emergence of civilizations and the similar time periods at which they existed. However, as a result of the different locations of the two civilizations and the different ways at which the properties of each civilization emerged, each civilization had unique social characteristics that fitted it and its people.