Differences in Early Development of The Egyptian and Babylonian Civilizations.
The two early civilizations of the Egyptians and the Babylonians developed in close proximity to each other and at approximately the same time, yet they were very different in lifestyle and beliefs. There were two main reasons for this. One was the religious and philosophical outlook of the people, and the other was the physical geography of their environment.
The geography of each region is believed to have contributed to the religious outlook of the cultures. In the Nile Valley where the Egyptian civilization resided, it was a rich source of agriculture. The Nile river flooded on a consistent basis every season, and the people learned how to work with the forces of nature to maximum benefit. Their crops were abundant and plentiful. .
In contrast, the Babylonians, who settled between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, were never certain when the rivers would flood and their crops would be ruined. There seemed to be no order to the way nature behaved. This was the primary reason for the difference in philosophy of each civilization and the development of their myths of creator gods and goddesses which formed the basis for their belief about life and the afterlife. .
Another aspect of the geography was important in the way these two civilizations developed. The Nile Valley was an isolated area and easy to protect from invaders because it had the sea to the north and the vast expanse of desert surrounding the other sides. This allowed the Egyptians to live without fear of being taken over by other people. They were relatively happy and peaceful in the early years of their development. On the other hand, the Babylonians were constantly in danger of being invaded from the north. This, combined with their view of the creator gods as being destructive forces, made the Babylonians a negative and fearful people.