Comparison Of Egyptian And Incan Empires
Ancient empires had a lot to overcome in order to build up to the large and expansive systems they came to be. Between the Egyptian and Incan civilizations, they transformed in both similar and different ways. Both of these vast empires used many tactics to ensure that everything was in order and that the massive system would be expanded. One of these tactics is how the leaders of the empires used their power to force the citizens to help with the construction of the cities. Within the Egyptian empire, in order to build the mighty pyramids, the government used a form of taxation that forced a member of each family to help with the construction of it all.
Along the same lines in the Incan empire, the Sapa Inca made it so every citizen was required to supply and help out with their labor or it was punishable by death. This allowed for these empires to expand and construct major structures like the pyramids and the road systems that they are known for. Both of these civilizations were also known for their advances in medical practices. Mummification was a large part of this which typically had religious connotation involved. With the Incan empire, these medical practices became as impressive as some advanced surgeries. Egyptians as well were able to perform successful basic surgeries on top of advanced medicine. Overall, both of these empires were very ahead of their time in similar ways.
Although all the above is true, there is no way for two empires that are very far away from each other would develop in exactly the same way. For example, these two civilizations both found a way to communicate and record data but in very opposite ways. The Egyptian civilization was very advanced in the way that they were able to invent a form of written language called Hieroglyphs. Due to this form of written language, they were able to document important information such as advances in medicine, astronomy, and mathematics. For the Incan civilization, they didn’t develop written language at all but they invented a tool called a Quipu. This tool used an arrangement of colorful strings that were tied in specific ways to represent numbers.
Another example of the differences between the two empires is represented in their artwork. In the Egyptian civilization, buildings tended to be covered in the colorful art as well as carved writing in the wall. The art in Egyptian culture tends to stand out and be colorful. On the other hand, art in the Inca civilization tended to be much more toned down. Typically the art tended to be plain and simple. So much so that when art is seen from the Incan culture where it is colorful and vibrant, it stands out. Art can say a lot about people in general but in situations where you are looking at history, it can completely shape the way you look at these ancient civilizations.
