Comparison of Mesopotamia and the Indus Civilization

Mesopotamia and Harappan societies have long been compared throughout the history of archaeology. Mesopotamia, also known as, 'the land between the rivers,' was named for the triangular area between the Tigris and the Euphrates river, (Nov. 7 lecture). In recent use, it covers a broader area referring to most of what is now Iraq. This adds ancient Assyria and Babylonia to the scope of Mesopotamia (Schultz and Lavenda 1995:310). Parts of Mesopotamia were not inhabited at …

…in the non-westernized orient of today.'         So it is obvious that these two areas had similarities as they grew and expanded in the early civilizations, but they had more pronounced differences in vital areas. Perhaps someday, more will be found out about Harappan civilization and a more thorough inquiry can be carried out. But until then, we will slowly piece together information as it becomes available, building a history of these great pre-classical civilizations.