Civilization is not built overnight, but rather over decades or hundreds of years, failure after failure in order to finally advance. According to the Collins English Dictionary, civilization is defined as “The condition of being civilized; high-level social organization, marked by the development and use of written language and advances in the arts, sciences, government, etc.”. Another key aspect is that the civilization gets an established form of religion at the center of the organization. Without a form of civilization, some organizations would flourish and not advance. This helps the community to sustain itself and develop to be as functional as possible. Although Mesopotamia arose before ancient Egypt, the two were on their way to building their own form of civilization. Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt demonstrated similarities as well as many differences in their construction. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Mesopotamia was centralized between two rivers which contributed greatly to its successful start. The two rivers that contributed to the advancement of civilization were the Tigris and the Euphrates, as Mesopotamia was located in the middle between the two. Around 4000 BC cities began to appear, but not until 3000 BC were cities organized and many lived in Mesopotamia off the harvest. Surplus food has enabled markets, which attract money and represent the fundamental pillar of civilization. It was not until 6000 BC that irrigation systems began and in 5000 BC that irrigation became operational. Producing large cities, "Uruk was the first of these cities, dating to around 3200 BC" and was one of the largest cities. These cities became city-states, which combined smaller towns into cities and were relatively close to farmland. Cities became more religious and in need of public works such as building, roads, irrigation and the need for government. Mesopotamia used brick as a building material, but over time it crumbled because it was delicate and could not resist. The government was made up of officials, tax collectors, ward leaders and scribes and they “…oversaw the community work necessary for the maintenance of aqueducts, irrigation canals and water resources. They assisted merchants and traders when necessary, providing protection for the caravans." The community over time became sophisticated in writing, which led to better politics and economics. Furthermore, people invented bronze which was used as armor, swords, shields, plates and knives for a better life. Also, throughout Mesopotamia, they used slaves who were prisoners or had debts and then released after a couple of years. With numerous cities, each "...had its own patron god or goddess, and most of what we know about them has been passed down through clay tablets describing Mesomoptian religious beliefs and practices." One of their beliefs was Gilgamesh, who was a demigod and ruled Uruk and expressed stories about his extraordinary abilities. They did not believe in an afterlife but buried the dead with accessories. Although Mesopotamia was ruled and conquered numerous times, it failed to maintain a central government and was ungovernable. This caused the fall of Mesopotamia and did not last long. Ancient Egypt began around 3100 BC with its first dynastic period, and everything was located within 20-30 km of the Nile River. Egypt took advantage of their location and in time quickly used the Nile for trade, travel, and communications. The form of writing employed by the Egyptians was that of hieroglyphics, which,.