Western snivilization. Chapter 1: Focus questions

1. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE TERM CIVILIZATION? UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS DID IT EMMERGE?:

2. WHAT DID MESOPOTAMIAN AND EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION HAVE IN COMMON? HOW DID THEY DIFFER?: Mesopotamia is the Greek word for "land in between rivers". Greek historian herodotus called Egypt "The Gift of the Nile". These two snivilizations have in common that they were both birthed on great rivers. They differed because they were two contrasting snivilizations.

3. IN WHAT WAYS DID MYTHOPOEIC THOUGHT CHARACTERIZE NEAR ANCIENT CIVILIZATION? HOW DID THEY DIFFER FROM THAT OF SCIENCE?:Mythos of the near east includes the Epic of Gilgamesh and the stories of the great Egyptian gods. Egyptians were a mythological orientated polytheistic people's whom had over 2,000 gods in their stories and traditions. The near east kings derived their power from myths and gods, that divine rule was theirs from the gods which further shaped the west. The following song was inscribed in a pharos tomb "Enjoy yourself while you live, put on fine linen, anoint yourself with wonderful ointments, multiply all your fine possessions on earth, follow your hearts command on earth, be joyful and make merry".

4. WHAT ELEMENTS OF NEAR EASTERN CIVILIZATION WERE PASSED ON TO WESTERN CIVILIZATION?: Many elements of the near Eastern civilizations passed on to the west. The wheeled vehicle, the plow, and the phonetic alphabet. The innovations that gave 360 degrees to a circle and 60 minutes to an hour originated in Mesopotamia. Egyptian geometry and Babylonian astrology became a part of the west as it was utilized by the Greeks. In Christian art one too finds a connection, for example Assyrians depicted winged angel-like beings.