Early Complex Societies

Early Complex Societies

The Mesopotamian society, unlike the Indo-European society was very wealthy and powerful. It would seem that the Indo-European society was a more hands-on group of people. Many of their discoveries involved or aided them in a physical way. On the other hand, Mesopotamians were more of a “textbook” type of people. Mesopotamians are responsible for dividing the calendar into 12 months and the clock into 60 minutes. As “smart” as they were, the Indo-Europeans still managed to bring the Mesopotamian Empire to a ruin.
They both had empire building characteristics. In order to communicate in business and later with their people, Mesopotamians developed the world’s earliest known writing. They are also responsible for the groundwork for what made the Indo-Europeans famous. Mesopotamians had the premise for the horse drawn chariots and the iron metallurgy but the Indo-European society refined it and made their society prosper.
Foreign societies seemed to adapt many of their ways in order to make their societies better. For example, the war chariots of the Indo-Europeans became popular in many places, some as far away as Rome to China (Ziegler, 2008). However, at one point, Mesopotamians were overtaken by foreign empires with possibly some techniques that they had discovered themselves.
Both societies were very influential to surrounding settlements and civilizations not developed yet. The Mesopotamians’ wealth and power made them the envy of many. Some societies only wanted parts of their way of living. In some cases, Mesopotamians would attempt to force people into “living their life”. The Indo-Europeans two technological modifications definitely influenced societies throughout the ancient world (Ziegler, 2008). Their horse drawn war chariots were widespread.
During this time, both societies were patriarchal. Mesopotamians even demanded that brides had to be virgins. Eventually, women received more recognition and freedom. Some...

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