1. Civilizations of the Ancient Western World: Comparison/Cont
Moreover, there must be a past, present, and future to satisfy the human condition. Memory (recalling past events), and consciousness (feelings towards events) makes us who we are today. Lack of historical consciousness and history can cause a person to feel vulnerable to a certain cultural death (Obenga). .
History can also be defined through the perspective of other cultures. For example, the late Baqir al-Sadr from Iraq feels that understanding and studying history contributes to the advancement of knowledge and a resolution to problems that are facing human beings today (Nash, 64-69). Man and his environment exist by virtue of divine creativity and therefore must have meaning. "History unfolds according to a specific set of rules and its natural processes are not random, for God's actions are not without meaning" (Nash 56). Sadr feels that God has created a system in his creation that links the historical process to each other. .
In addition, there are two parts to the historical process. The first one is the materialistic side, and the second one is the metaphysical side. The materialistic side consists of man and nature creating an impact on the process, and the metaphysical side has Deities having full control. Between these two parts, it is thought that in the end God is victorious (Nash). The historical process is believed to be created by God will and because of this it run by a divine pattern. Some people in Western Civilizations believe that God creates history because he created the heavens, the earth, and humans. The humans that were created with a sinful nature create chaos and evil in the world (Nash). .
History can also help to understand different types of civilizations, and the recourses that they used the most. For example, the civilization of Kemet looks at the Nile River as a source of life, and transportation. The Nile River (meaning water, life) is 4, 150 miles, "rising south of the equator and flows northward through northeastern Africa to drain into the Mediterranean Sea, what is now present day Egypt" (Britannica).
This harmony was called Maat. To the ancient Egyptians, Maat also meant order and justice. ... This however, does not ensure that Maat would be unthreatened. ... If the king acted justly then this was supporting Maat. In return, Maat would bring fertility for the land and wellbeing for all. ...
Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt are both cradles of civilization. Both contributed greatly to human development through their achievements, failures, peoples, scientific accomplishments, philosophies, religions, and contributions. Mesopotamia is a rich flat plain c...
Binding together this endless cycle was Maat, the serene order of the universe with which the individual must remain in harmony, and against which each person's KA would be weighed after death, embodying Ma'at on earth was the pharaoh, the earthly manifestation of all gods. ... The thirteenth became more about social justice and the Pharaoh goes back to speaking through MAAT. ...
Ramses II did not get the nickname Ramses the Great' for no reason, he contributed exceedingly to Ancients Egypt's History through his buildings and wars with the Hittite king. Ramses II was a great warrior and builder. He was also a good leader and displayed a distinct personality. Ramses II su...
Ikhnaton was a great leader with revolutionary ideas for the ancient world, but Egypt was not ready for him. Egypt had been a polytheistic empire for over two thousand years when Ikhnaton took over and expected the empire to give it up and become monotheistic with the worship of Aton. (Bratton, The ...
The different between ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt: 1. Origins: The first civilizations emerged in the Mesopotamia about 3500B.C.. It was the oldest known of civilization, although Egypt gave birth to civilization before 3100B.C. 2. Geography: Mesopotamia landed between ...