Original+Source+of+Common+Myths

=Neighbors of the Unknown World=

250,000 years ago, humans roamed the deserts of Africa to explore an unknown world. Slowly, they scattered themselves over earth's many surfaces, establishing a dominant presence throughout the regions of their new world. Although some human establishments were in contact with each other, some weren't, and their respective cultures flourished independently, giving rise to unique life styles characteristic to only that society.

Why did the various early civilizations such as the Babylonians and Egyptians have different mythology concepts? What triggers both societies to believe in different gods, goddesses, and demigods?

From 3500 B.C. to 2500 B.C., Egypt economically, politically, and artistically transformed due to their Golden Age. Upper and Lower Egypt united as one creating the first civilized nation of the Western World. During the Golden Age, the Egyptians invented a form of writing known as hieroglyphics which was expressed through the drawing of various figures upon papyrus paper. This newfound innovation permitted Egyptians to record their visions, thoughts, history, along with their ideas of religion. Egypt's most prominent epic tale called //Osiris, Isis, and Horus// developed around 2500 B.C. The gods portrayed in the heroic journey appear kind and humane due to the calm Nile River. The Egyptians, whose stories depict merciful deities, live safely because the elements assisted them. Unlike other rivers, the precious water of the Nile River floods predictably, assisting agricultural growth without the threat of deadly flood. Due to Egypt's isolation from other advanced societies, their economic, political, and religious views differ from that of the Mesopotamians as well as other civilizations.


 * Picture of Characters in //Osiris, Isis, and Horus//**

However in 1700 B.C., Egypt established contact with the Babylonia. Because the Babylonians sheltered near the famously chaotic Euphrates and Tigris rivers, Babylonians had fewer economic, political, and artistic accomplishments. These disruptions reflected the religious views and stories of Mesopotamia. The brilliant stories recorded on Cuneiform Tablets date back to 1000 B.C. In 1902, German Scholars discovered an identical version of a more popularly known story //Nineveh// except the story contained several different names of characters like the Assyrian national god was altered into the Babylonian hero, Marduk. This copied script is known as //Enuma Elish//. The epic tale embodies the Mesopotamian society as well as their religious views. The elderly gods punished their offspring because of their naive, annoying personalities.


 * The Enuma Elish Cuneiform Tablet**


 * Myths of Babylonians and Egyptians**

The myths differ significantly because their gods have different purposes. For example, in //Enuma Elish//, the Mesopotamian myth of creation, gods wage war on each other for fun or comfort, even attempting to kill their own children. In fact, the main god, Marduk, gains honor through matricide. Marduk represents the sun, and has many human appendages as well as creating humans from the body of another god named Kingu.The Egyptian creation myth, //Isis, Osiris, and Horus//, instead focuses on rulers such as Osiris, who rules as a wise, demigod leader of Egypt. The sun god, Re, generously passes his position as lord of the gods to Osiris willingly after Osiris returns from the dead. His resurrection gives hope to Egyptians that they too will see life again because of their own divinity, whereas Enuma Elish regards humans as servants to gods. Strangely, both of the nations neighbor each other in the Middle Eastern region of the world, but their cultures contradict. Anthropology and psycology provide possible explanations for this mystery. Fossils proved that the first humans, who barely walked on two legs, definitely migrated outwards from southern Africa. During this journey, Egyptians stopped along the Nile, while the Babylonians continued further through Arabia to modern Iraq. Because they encountered the threats of predators such as the scorpion during their journey to Egypt, they immediately adapted to the lethal creatures. The lack of trees made fire a negligible terror. However, dehydration posed a much greater threat because of the barren Sahara Desert. Fortunately, the Egyptian civilizations encompassed the Nile and drew enough water from the river daily. Thus, their culture reflected their lack of natural threats. Just as their land acted mercifully to them, their deities cared for them. An ecosystem that provides an easier life also causes the people of that land to thank and worship the gods that control nature, believing that their deities have total control over the land and purposefully give to them. On the other hand, an unforgiving terrain promotes fear in nature, and fear in the beings that control it. The Babylonians fear their gods because they consider themselves as servants to rather cruel gods who demand respect. Their gods physically attack each other, rather than symbolically raging elements. The physical danger reflected in Babylonian myths probably represent physical dangers. The famous walls of Babylon as well as the other walls of Babylon rose to protect the Babylonians from their greatest fears, invaders.


 * Geography**

Another primary and more obvious differences between the Mesopotamian and Egyptian religion lies within the influence of the various geographies on the respective cultures. Although both civilizations were based adjacently to rivers, each civilization, Mesopotamian and Egyptian, had opposing views of what the rivers brought to their lives. The Egyptians, attempting to survive in the middle of the Libyan, Nubian, and Eastern deserts, relied on the Nile to bring life to their crops, and water to their people. The Nile was perceived as a giver of life, thus the reason for Isis, a goddess who symbolized fertility, to be the river's master. Knowing the importance that the river Nile held in sustaining all manor of life, the Egyptians frequently prayed for the flooding of the river in coming years, hoping to ensure the survival of their people. In contrast, the Mesopotamians feared the power of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The two rivers were notorious at the time for their unpredictability, often flooding and destroying mass quantities of crops, sometimes even killing people. Tiamat, a goddess who was responsible for the production of the sea waters of Chaos, is described in Babylonian mythology as being destructive because she periodically mutilates any creation made by other gods. Eventually however, Tiamat was overthrown successfully by the other gods, signaling the end of her sabotage. Tiamat's defeat can be seen as the Mesopotamians' hope for overcoming the threats of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. So despite a major geographical similarity between the Egyptians and Mesopotamians, the two civilizations anticipated the coming of two very different events, resulting in a lasting effect on their cultures.


 * Religion**

Religion, another very influential component to each society's lifestyle, played an important role in the way that each civilization managed their government. The Egyptians fostered a controlled and prospering society that was entirely self supporting. A reliable source of crops that was owned by the state provided the people of Egypt with plenty of food to survive. Scribes and artisans made up the upper class of society, artisans making a living through creating pieces of art that could appear in temples as well as be sold at special street markets and scribes functioning as the writers and money keepers of society. The incredible organization of Egyptian society was in part due to the ideals that their idols held high. Egyptian gods ruled their subjects with incredible benevolence which is revealed through their inclination to provide humans with a constant source of food and energy, the Nile. Also, because of the closeness of Osiris as a demigod, people, as well as gods, received worship and divine praise. Mesopotamian government on the other hand, reflected their god's notoriety for being violent, tyrannic, and strict. Tiamat, goddess of salt water, led a revolt against Ea, the ruler of gods, and his council of gods inspiring a war between the two factions of gods. Marduk, the most powerful of all gods, was called upon to defeat Tiamat's forces of destruction. After defeating her, Marduk installed a series of rules that governed the newly required behavior of gods and humans alike. For example, Marduk created humans with the purpose of making them servants to the gods. As a result of worshiping deities that held ideals of a strict society in high regard, the Mesopotamians themselves began to imitate the actions of their own gods in Babylonian society. For example, Hammurabi, an ancient Babylonian king, instilled a justice system through which any wrong done to a person would be compensated for by having that same wrong done back to the original inflicter. This very system, known as Hammurabi's Code, resulted in extreme cases such as one person having his or her own leg dismembered because he or she had cut off another man's leg, perhaps even accidentally.

Influenced by their religion and geography, Egyptians and Babylonians developed their societies independently of one another despite the physical distance between them. In the end, contact means little to the development of a nation when vast gaps in their religion and environment exist.


 * Questions**

What other societies could communicate with each other?

Did they have similar myths as each other?

What geographical peculiarities of other societies reflect their religion, or government?

What other things reflected mythology stories?

Did some stories affect of people in a civilization, and how did the effectiveness compare with other societies?

What other causes triggered different mythology stories?


 * Bibliography**

Unknown. Enuma Elish. http://www.darkstar1.co.uk/enumaelish.jpg. 19 Dec. 2007.

Rosenberg, Donna. //World Mythology an Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics//. 3rd ed. Lincolnwood, Illinois: NTC Group. 3-5-12-14.

Unknown. The Cuneiform Tablet .image:http://www.wlym.com/%7Espanish/articulos/Grecia,%20hija%20de%20Egipto%20II%20Parte_archivos/OsirisIsisHorus.jpg. 19 Dec. 2007