Different civilizations have been founded and others crashed over the years. The way of life of the people today is very different from the way people carried out their activities in the past. However, there were some advanced civilizations that acquired a lot in their time of existence while others ended up dead. The Mayan, Indus Valley (IVC) and the Ancient Egyptian civilizations are among the ancient civilization and they compare in social-cultural, economic, political and diplomatic practices.
IVC was the largest and most wide spread civilization as compared to Mayan and Egyptian civilizations. This is because it covered a large area which extended from Afghanistan, Pakistan and to Northwest India. Basing on the social and cultural context, the three ancient civilizations engaged in agriculture. Egyptians however, did irrigation by digging canals because they had dry lands with hot temperatures. Agriculture in Egypt sprouted and led to urbanization because of trading (Ancient Egyptian civilization, n.d). Mayans lived in a good climatic area thus nature provided favorable conditions for agriculture. IVC engaged in agriculture in seasons because of the climatic region in which they lived in. They planted wheat and barley as their staple food (Bhat, 2017). They also domesticated elephants unlike the Mayans and Egyptians. Egyptians and IVC developed along rivers. River Nile was located in Egypt while the IVC developed along river Indus. The Mayans developed around the Yucatan Peninsula and no river was present. In view of their culture, Mayans and Egyptians used hieroglyphics. This is the use of symbols in conveying the meaning of something. The symbols were created on a stone in both civilizations but they had different structures. Mayan and Egyptian civilizations were both experts in mathematics and engineering. The hieroglyphics were used in record keeping of the moon cycles and the movement of planets by the Mayans. However, according to Ancient Egyptian civilization (n.d), Egyptian writings were however read from right to left, while Mayan writings were read from left to right. The IVC used molded structures to convey their message.
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Mayan and Egyptian civilizations were religious. They believed in gods like the earth, water and sun gods. Egyptians believed that the gods controlled the flooding of river Nile. They also offered offerings to the gods through their priests and pharaohs because they believed they were closer to the gods. Besides, they believed in life after death and thus buried their people with few belongings in which they thought would be used in the afterlife (Agai, 2020). Mayans on the other hand, did not believe in life after death. They offered human sacrifices to their gods through their king. They believed that heaven and earth were different and therefore did not see the practice as being unacceptable. According to Bhat (2017), IVC worshipped fire and believed in evil spirits and ghosts.
The IVC lived in developed and spacious urban centers. Their houses had personal bathrooms inside and also the drainage system was well managed. They used burnt bricks in construction unlike Egyptians and Mayans who used dry brick. Distinctively, Mayans and Egyptians built pyramids. However, Mayans pyramids were different from Egyptian pyramids. They were a bit higher and bigger than pyramids in Egypt and were used as temples and places of worship. Ancient Egypt on the other hand, built the greatest pyramid, Giza, which is among the Seven Wonders of the World. Pyramids in Egypt were however used as tombs for the rich people who were viewed as elites and deserved a befitting burial. This was one aspect that divided the rich and the common people in the Egyptian society.
In the economic and political context, Mayan civilization, IVC and Egyptians were great traders. Egyptians exchanged items like gold, bronze, artifacts and crops with the neighboring civilizations which led to its enormous growth in economics. Trade routes and water transport enabled Mayans to engage in substantial trade. IVC also traded with other civilizations. The Egyptian civilization was ruled by kings who were referred to as pharaoh. They also had a matriarchy system of government. Daughters in Egypt, inherited their parents thrones and property. This shows that the women in ancient Egypt were treated fairly and given equal opportunities like other people.
Mayans were ruled by kings. They also had a female ruler known as Yohl Ik’nal. According to Ellis (2019), Yohl Ik’nal brought justice to the women in Mayan civilization who were previously regarded as supportive tools with disrespect. The government system of IVC was not described. However, according to Bhat (2017), they were ruled by classes of merchants. Basing on the diplomatic view, IVC and Mayans lived in peace with other neighboring civilizations. IVC were reported not to make or possess any defensive weapons like swords (Bhat, 2017). Egyptians were however involved in constant wars over kingship in Egypt and they lost the war.
In summary, aspects of social culture, politics and economies, unfolds the distinction among the Mayan, Indus Valley and the ancient Egyptian civilizations. In contrast to Mayans and Egyptians, the IVC does not have descriptions and evidences of religion or the structure of their political organizations. However, the three ancient civilizations engage in agricultural practices in the society. Egyptian civilization is exceptional among the three civilizations because it goes against the societal norms by engaging in matriarchal system of administration, where women are given an opportunity to rule.
References
Agai, J. M. (2020). The role of the ancient Egyptians beliefs in the afterlife in preserving the ancient Egyptian cultural heritage. Journal of Languages and Culture, 11(1), 17-23.https://academicjournals.org/journal/JLC/article-full-text/B240B5D64139
Ancient Egyptian civilization. (n.d.). Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/world-history-beginnings/ancient-egypt-hittites/a/egypt-article
Bhat, A. H. (2017). The Indus valley civilization. International journal of research and review, 4(7), 106-109.
Ellis, D. (2019). Cultural and Historical Views of Women in Ancient Mayan Civilization through Sculpture. https://rrpress.utsa.edu/handle/20.500.12588/75
