Indus Valley Civilization vs. Mesopotamia

Indus Valley Civilization vs. Mesopotamia

The early civilizations were very similar in many ways. For the Indus Valley Civilization, however, it stands out to be different from others in multiple ways. The focus of this paper is a comparison between Mesopotamia civilization and that of Indus Valley. In particular, the discussion will look at the enigmatic nature of the Indus civilization and the stark difference with the Mesopotamia counterpart. 

The Mesopotamia civilization was led by religious leaders. They were referred to as priests and were considered divine. The leaders were responsible in solving disputes. The Indus Valley on the other has no evidence of ruler ship. It is unclear how the hierarchy of leadership in Indus Valley was. 

Mesopotamia was a largely religious civilization. The inhabitants were built temples for worship. Indus Valley has no tangible evidence of worship. There are no temples or any religious statues to suggest any form of worship. However, it is believed that they had a belief in a supreme being. 

One major difference between Indus Valley and Mesopotamia civilizations is that while the former was largely matriarchal, Mesopotamia embraced a patriarchal society (Feder, 2016). Mesopotamia civilization placed more power on men while Indus valley gave women more power. 

It is the enigmatic nature of the Indus valley civilization that sets it apart from Mesopotamia. The civilization grew rapidly and was on an upward trend. However, in 1900bc the civilization begun to decline. The civilization would completely vanish and forgotten. It not until later that historians and archaeologists discovered the ruins (Feder, 2016). 

It is not clear the cause of the collapse of the once rich and vibrant civilization (Feder, 2016). It is however considered as among the oldest yet richest. It is compared with other civilizations such as Mesopotamia as it is seen to be the foundation of Hinduism and civilizations among the India community. 

References 

Feder, K. (2016). The Past in Perspective: An Introduction to Human Prehistory. Oxford      University Press. The Enigma of Indus Civilization- Powerpoint.