Comparison of the Egyptians and the Hittites
Christopher Kelly
9/20/2012
The Egyptians and the Hittites
In modern times, it seems that most countries share commonalities in everything from government to life styles to religion. When one country sees a good idea that another country has, they adapt it to their needs and use it. This has been the case for thousands of years, since the dawn of civilizations. The ancient Egyptians were one of the earliest civilizations. This civilization rose around 3100 B.C. (p. 15), along the northern part of the Nile river. The Nile was an obvious place for the early Egyptians to settle. All along its banks runs a strip of land that is only a few miles wide, which has perfect soil for growing food. This was thanks to the yearly rain that caused the Nile to flood its banks and deposit nutrient rich soil on the farmlands. This annual flooding leads these early people to start believing in their river god Hapi. Like Hapi, most of their gods were based on phenomenon in nature they could not easily explain. During the time of The Old Kingdom, 2700-2200 B.C. (p. 16) the pharaoh was not only a king but also revered as a god. The Egyptians were very well protected from any sort of attack. With hundreds of miles of desert on either side of the Nile, a land attack would be almost impossible. As for an attack by sea, an entire navy would have to cross the Mediterranean and travel up the Nile inorder to attack any part of Egypt. The Hittite empire came about shortly after the Egyptians. In the early 18th century the Hittites settled an area between the Halys River and the Mediterranean Sea. Like the Egyptians the natural place for people to settle is near water. To the north and east they had rivers for farming, fishing and trading. To the south of their empire they had the Mediterranean Sea, which allowed them to trade with many civilizations in northern Africa. The Hittite kingdom was ruled by one king; however the king was treated not as a god but as
9/20/2012
The Egyptians and the Hittites
In modern times, it seems that most countries share commonalities in everything from government to life styles to religion. When one country sees a good idea that another country has, they adapt it to their needs and use it. This has been the case for thousands of years, since the dawn of civilizations. The ancient Egyptians were one of the earliest civilizations. This civilization rose around 3100 B.C. (p. 15), along the northern part of the Nile river. The Nile was an obvious place for the early Egyptians to settle. All along its banks runs a strip of land that is only a few miles wide, which has perfect soil for growing food. This was thanks to the yearly rain that caused the Nile to flood its banks and deposit nutrient rich soil on the farmlands. This annual flooding leads these early people to start believing in their river god Hapi. Like Hapi, most of their gods were based on phenomenon in nature they could not easily explain. During the time of The Old Kingdom, 2700-2200 B.C. (p. 16) the pharaoh was not only a king but also revered as a god. The Egyptians were very well protected from any sort of attack. With hundreds of miles of desert on either side of the Nile, a land attack would be almost impossible. As for an attack by sea, an entire navy would have to cross the Mediterranean and travel up the Nile inorder to attack any part of Egypt. The Hittite empire came about shortly after the Egyptians. In the early 18th century the Hittites settled an area between the Halys River and the Mediterranean Sea. Like the Egyptians the natural place for people to settle is near water. To the north and east they had rivers for farming, fishing and trading. To the south of their empire they had the Mediterranean Sea, which allowed them to trade with many civilizations in northern Africa. The Hittite kingdom was ruled by one king; however the king was treated not as a god but as