Posted: September 2nd, 2022

Differences between the ancient civilizations of Greece and Egypt

Differences between the ancient civilizations of Greece and Egypt
The ancient Greek and Egyptian civilizations are arguably two of the most popular and oldest civilizations in history. The Egyptian civilization was based in the Eastern region of North Africa and is believed to have begun around 3000 BCE and concluded with the end of the Pharaoh rule around 31 BCE. The ancient Greek, on the other hand, was found in mainland Europe and is said to have existed between 1100 BC and 146 BC. While the two civilizations coexisted between the same time frame, they were located in two different geographical locations. As a result of the difference in exposure, they developed a diverse set of cultures, practices, religions, and architectures.
One obvious difference was in the realm of politics. Egyptian civilization adopted a centralized political system. They had a theocratical government system in hierarchies where Pharaoh was at the top and farmers at the bottom. Other leaders took orders directly from Pharaoh, who was viewed as the God on earth with the most power. The Greeks, on the other hand, developed a decentralized political structure and each city/state had its own government. Initially, they had monarchies, which evolved to oligarchies, tyrannies, and eventually changed to democracies.
The two civilizations also differed in terms of religious beliefs and practices. The Egyptians and Greeks were both polytheistic, meaning that they believed and worshipped more than one God. However, the two religions differed significantly in various aspects. For instance, the Egyptians had many tales about the origin of the world. The Hocus was the sky god with a human body the head of a hawk. They also viewed death as the beginning of a better life after death. For the Greeks, Zeus was the most powerful god among the gods. They also believed that the gods communicated with humans through oracles, and had multiple ceremonies and rituals to celebrate and honour the gods.
Another apparent aspect that set the two civilizations apart was art. The Egyptians can be said to have been more involved in art than the Greeks. They created superficial and monumental arts of various forms, including sculptures, painting, craft, and architecture. Most of their arts were also symbolic and are were mostly placed on tombs and monuments. The Greeks, on the other hand, were also involved in art but created smaller and more literal pieces like pottery and ornaments.
The two civilizations were also involved extensively on trade. However, due to the difference in geographical location, they differed significantly in how they traded. The Egyptians, for instance, were more involved in agricultural production due to their proximity to the river Nile. The Greeks, on the other hand, were located on a harsher climatic region and were mostly involved in commercial and merchant trade.

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