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  • Essay / Similarities in Cultural Ideals of the Egyptian and Mayan Antipodean Civilizations

    The goal of this internal evaluation was to take information from two sides and find comparisons and contrasts to answer my research question: “ To what extent did the civilizations of the Antipodes Egypt and the Maya share cultural ideals? » The two main sources chosen are: Source 1 - Encyclopedia of the Ancient Maya and Source 2 - Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Although the origin of the source of one is unknown, the value and limitations of the site allow the information to appear unbiased and could possibly be a bunch of sources together that we would not know about. The goal was to educate myself about the different sub-zones that existed within the Mayan civilization and culture. This is valuable because the objective aligns perfectly with half of my historical investigation versus my RQ. However, this information is limited because it only focuses on the Mayans and not their relationship with the Egyptians. The content contained facts, similar to an encyclopedia, about the different subfields that existed within the Mayan civilization and culture as they relate to my RQ. This is valuable because the factual information offered represents half of the research needed to answer my research question about antipodean societies. Therefore, a major limitation is that the site only exponentially exposes one topic and not both halves. Then, the origin of source two is also unknown. This is also an equally major limitation that could possibly be due to the fact that the site is a compilation of many other sources that we will never really know the answer to. Still, this allows the information to be a primary source and appear unbiased in some ways. The aim was to provide knowledge in many areas of ancient Egyptian civilization. However, the purpose of the site is limited because it was designed solely to provide information on a subject. However allowing this site to be valuable in the sense that it aligned perfectly with the other half of my research. The content of the second source contained facts and information on subtopics of ancient Egyptian civilization as it relates to my research question. Therefore, this allows the content to be valuable as part of the second half of my research as it relates to my overall historical investigation. Yet this causes it to be limited in the sense that it only exposes the Egyptians and not its relationships with the Mayans. I will basically evaluate two ancient Antipodean civilizations on a global scale, to find their similarities and differences. This will be done through the analysis of some elements that they generally have in common and by showing the similarities and differences between each area. First, what were the different aspects of religion that benefited each society or factored into its demise? The Mayans and Egyptians had many gods with different names but with the same soul (meaning). Some of these gods include Itzamn and Amun-Ra (big cheese), Chac and Tefnut (god and goddess of rain), Ah Mun and Osiris (gods of agriculture), Ah Puch and Anubis (gods of death and embalming), etc. These Gods in common, both civilizations occasionally believed in human sacrifice, perhaps not as much as either, to please the Gods. (For example, the Egyptians sacrificed humans in times of famine, droughtor severe flooding, unlike the Mayans who religiously sacrificed humans). Additionally, unlike the Egyptians, the Mayans sacrificed animal offerings more than any other civilization of their time. Each society was so religious, to the point that priests had a separate calendar developed just for religious days and events. What technological advances helped each civilization develop? What construction advances helped each civilization? What advances caused problems for each civilization? Both companies based their construction techniques on the basic principles of geometry. The Mayans and Egyptians interpreted the principles of geometry differently. Unlike the Mayans, Egyptian pyramids began as Mastaba and evolved over time due to their advancements in pulley systems. Giant blocks of stone are moved on wet sand, making them easier to transport. Science shows that the Egyptians placed the great pyramids so close to the stars that they were offset by a tenth of a degree from true north. The Mayans excelled in one crucial area that the Egyptians simply could not, the development of rubber (vulcanization – combining rubber with other materials to make it more durable – was discovered by (Connecticut) American Charles Goodyear in the 19th century). The Mayans discovered this process by chance, during a religious ritual in which they combined the rubber tree and the morning glory plant. Once they realized how strong and versatile this new material was, the Mayans began using it in a variety of ways: to make water-resistant fabrics, glue, book bindings, figurines and the large rubber balls used in the ritual game known as pokatok. Both civilizations used 2 calendars. These calendars lasted 360 days each, for each civilization one calendar was intended for daily life and the other for religious purposes. The Egyptians were one of the first true civilizations to adopt a calendar based on solar energy. The calendar had 360 days, 12 months and 30 days, but they added 5 extra days due to an error over time. The solar calendar allowed them to predict the annual floods that usually occurred just after Sirius reappeared. The solar calendar was so precise that it was only 12 minutes off from a true solar year. However, every 4 years the calendar would be one day behind the actual solar year and it would take up to 1,460 years for it to match the lunisolar calendar. The Sothic cycle was a huge deal. The Mayans developed one of the most accurate calendar systems in history. The Mayans strongly believed in the influence of the cosmos on daily life. The first, known as the Calendar Round, was based on two overlapping annual cycles: a sacred year of 260 days and a secular year of 365 days. For example, they knew how to predict solar eclipses. They also used astrological cycles to aid planting and harvesting and developed two calendars as accurate as those we use today. Under this system, each day was assigned four identifying information: a day number and day name in the sacred calendar and a day number and month name in the secular calendar. Every 52 years counts as a single interval, or calendar cycle. After each interval, the calendar reset like clockwork. Because the calendar cycle measured time in a.