IndexEgypt and Mesopotamia: Compare and Contrast: Cultural Similarities and Drastic DifferencesRoles and Status of Women in Ancient SocietiesConclusionWorks CitedIn both ancient Egypt and ancient Mesopotamia, we can find many similarities and differences between their cultures. The laws of the two countries varied quite a bit, their literature was relatively similar, and the way women were viewed in their respective societies contrasted drastically with each other. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayEgypt and Mesopotamia Compare and Contrast: Cultural Similarities and Drastic DifferencesThe laws of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt were both executed and established in different ways. Egyptian law was less strict than Mesopotamian law, as laws were written after each pharaoh came to power. The main stipulation was that the laws followed the teachings and ideals of the goddess Ma'at, but interpretation and implementation were left to the pharaoh. The law was usually “an aspect of administration, which made every official a possible judge: it was not separated from its exclusively judicial officials and its exclusively judicial buildings – neither judges nor courts. Officials adjudicated cases; no individuals in ancient Egypt are known whose only official capacity was to hear legal cases. The same groups of individuals might meet regularly to consider a range of administrative and legal cases (the Egyptian "council"), but no special space or building appears to have been set aside for this. A council of officials (Egyptian DADAt) could be established for particular short-term tasks, by the royal commission, and that task could be the adjudication of an important legal case, but it could also be the successful management of a project such as a expedition to the quarry. Law seemed to be more of an additional task for the government than its own dedicated branch. Pharaoh's decrees were used in conjunction with precedents from previous legal rulings, and most trials were conducted on a case-by-case basis. The Mesopotamians took a different approach with their legal system. Laws were codified so that crimes and their punishments were well known to all. At the time this system was considered just as were the punishments, with the most famous adage from Hammurabi's legal code being: "If a man put out another man's eye, his own eye will be put out." commonly used as the proverb “an eye for an eye”. There was an elected council of elders called an assembly who would be the ones to judge cases. They would use codified law to award punishments and conduct trials in a fair and uniform manner. The assembly was also tasked with telling the king whether any new laws he attempted to pass would be unjust or whether the law would be offensive to the gods. Not only did they help decide the law, but they also established laws that the gods had to follow, such as how to behave and which gods could marry each other. Punishments under most laws included equal pay, but being put to death was often more common than not. 26 of the laws of the Code of Hammurabi directly mention being "put to death" and 8 mention a part of the body, such as the tongue, hands, or even the breast, being cut off. Both Mesopotamia and Egypt had developed their own pictographic alphabets, Egypt having hieroglyphics and Mesopotamia using the more abstract cuneiform. Mesopotamian writings were usually written on a clay tablet which was then hardened while Egyptian writings wereengraved on the walls of monuments and temples or were written on papyrus paper. The function of their writings appears to have been quite similar and the most important use was for administrative and record-keeping purposes. Historical documents, other than the names of kings or pharaohs, as seen on the Palermo Stone, were not common in the earlier stages of these civilizations, but became more common as the societies progressed. Poems such as the Mesopotamian epic of Gilgamesh and the Egyptian hymns to the Nile and the Aten were also common forms of literature. For religious uses, the Mesopotamians primarily used writings to record prayers and religious ceremonies while in Egypt it was common to record spells for protection or for use in the afterlife, as seen in the Book of the Dead. Egyptian hieroglyphics were used more literally with drawings used to describe what was written and characters used for names. An example of this can be seen in the False Door of Kaitep, described as “the bottom of a false door with five vertical lines of text on the central and four side panels, containing Kaitep's name and titles. On the outer panels on both sides are representations of the deceased supporting himself with his staff. more like property of their husbands or fathers. In Egypt, women and men were legally held in equal esteem. Most rights applied to men also extended to women. Women could own property and could provide their own livestock, goods, slaves, servants and earn their own money outside the home. They may also enter into contracts or sue over your property, marriage, and employment. The most common jobs held by women were weavers, hairdressers, writers, dancers, singers, musicians, treasurers, priestesses, and, in the case of a woman named Nebet of the Old Kingdom, vizier to the pharaoh. An example of this equality can be seen “in a case where a woman named Iry-nefret was accused of illegally using silver and a tomb belonging to a woman named Bak-Mut to help pay for the purchase of a servant . Iry-nefret was brought to court and told in her own words how she had acquired the girl, listing all the items she had given to the merchant as the price for the girl and identifying the people from whom she had purchased some of the items used in this purchase. He had to take an oath before the judges in the name of the god Amun and the Sovereign. The judges then asked the complainant to produce witnesses (three men and three women) who would attest that she had used stolen goods to buy the girl. The final part of the papyrus documenting the court case has been lost, but it is clear that the woman Iry-nefret acted on her own initiative in purchasing the servant and was held solely responsible for her actions while the testimony of women and men. by the judges is equally admissible". Mesopotamia did not grant such rights to its women. The only women who acted individually were those married to royalty or powerful men. They were seen as their father's daughters and married after reaching puberty in an arranged marriage. After getting married, she would be considered her husband's wife instead of being an independent person. According to an article written by the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago some women were allowed to have some responsibilities stating that: “Most girls were trained from childhood for the traditional roles of wife, mother and housekeeper. They learned to grind grain, cook and brew drinks, especially beer, and spin and weave fabric for clothing. If a woman worked outside the home, her work usually extended beyond household chores. Could sell beer that..