Example Of Ancient Mesopotamia Research Paper

ABSTRACT

This study compares and contrasts the Mesopotamian and Egyptian attitudes towards death and the afterlife. In addition, it describes how religion has come to affect the idea of death and afterlife in ancient civilizations. Moreover, this report will describe both Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations in detail on its fundamentals such as its peoples and geography, respectively. Furthermore, it describes each civilization’s funeral practices, preservation of the dead and burial methods and etc. in great detail and provides additional information that the authors has obtained through multiple, credible websites and books, etc. as referenced at the end of the study.

INTRODUCTION

Geography
Civilizations
Peoples
Ancient Egypt
Geography
Civilizations
Peoples

ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

Religious Beliefs
Death
Funeral Practices
Afterlife
ANCIENT EGYPT
Religious Beliefs

Death

Funeral Practices
Afterlife
COMPARISONS AND CONTRASTS ON ATTITUDES TOWARDS DEATH
COMPARISONS AND CONTRASTS ON ATTITUDES TOWARDS AFTERLIFE
CONCLUSION
The idea of people of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt about the death and life after death, are very interesting, and have a fairly clear distinction. They originate from the birth of religions and are different in traditions. These traditions have some different and some common things and , sometimes, were hard to understand. However, it was really interesting to explore something new about it, to discover the particularities of burial ceremonies and believes in life after death.
When somebody from Mesopotamia was dying, this person has to lie in bed and face the death surrounded by loved people. The corpse would be placed in a coffin, then to the grave, it will be washed, perfumed and dressed in different cloth. Burial ceremonies depended on the social status. People believed that there is no food after death but only dust. That is why relatives of dead person were trying to leave as much food as possible. They believed that the dead can rise up, and people were afraid of dead bodies. Sometimes they were burying kids under the floor of the house.
Ancient Egyptians were making the mummy from and were bringing it to the tomb in procession of relatives, friends, close people. They have to leave the corpse with open mouth, that is how dead person will be able to receive offerings in the underworld. The heart of the dead body was placed near its face, they believed it would give another life to the body.
Both religions believed that there is no end after the death. The religion of Mesopotamia described it as a transformation t the form of spirit or wondering as the ghost in the underworld.
The Egyptians thought that person, who died, would have one-day trip with god Ra and eternal afterlife with god Osiris. A lot of religions have a belief in the life after death, even nowadays. Maybe it is caused by the fear of death, maybe people do not want to loose their close people, want to stay near them and protect even after the death.

REFERENCES

What is the Mesopotamian view of the after life? - Homework Help - eNotes.com. (n.d.). Retrieved February 7, 2015, from http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-mesopotamian-view-after-life-204579
Ancient Mesopotamian Beliefs in the Afterlife. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2015, from http://www.ancient.eu/article/701/
Death :: Mesopotamia. (n.d.). Retrieved February 7, 2015, from http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/154412/death/22185/Mesopotamia
The Afterlife. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2015, from http://www.penn.museum/sites/iraq/?page_id=216
Ancient Mesopotamia (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2015, from http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/1299180
Death in Ancient Civilisations. (2013, March 12). Retrieved February 6, 2015, from http://www.history.co.uk/study-topics/history-of-death/death-in-ancient-civilisations
Edgar, R., Hackett, N., Jewsbury, G., Molony, B., & Gordon, M. (2008). Stone Age Societies and the Earliest Civilizations of the Near East. In Civilizations past & present (12th ed., Vol. One, pp. 10 - 25). New York: Pearson/Longman.