Civilization is not built overnight, but rather over decades or hundreds of years, failure after failure to finally progress. 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 a written language and by advances in the arts, sciences, government, etc. Another key aspect is that civilization gets a form of religion established at the center of the organization. Without some form of civilization, some organizations would prosper and not advance. This helps the community to maintain itself and develop to be as functional as possible. Although Mesopotamia began before ancient Egypt, both were moving toward building their form of civilization. Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt showed similarities as well as many differences in their construction. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Mesopotamia was centralized between two rivers, which contributed immensely to its successful start. The two rivers that contributed to the progress of civilization were the Tigris and the Euphrates, with Mesopotamia lying in the middle of the two. Around 4000 BC, cities began to appear but it was not until 3000 BC that cities were organized and many lived in Mesopotamia thanks to the crops. The food surplus allowed the opening of markets which attracted money and which represent the fundamental pillar of civilization. It took until 6000 BC before irrigation systems began and 5000 BC when irrigations became effective. Producing large cities, “Uruk was the first of these cities, dating back to around 3,200 BC” and was one of the most massive cities. These towns became city-states, consolidating smaller towns into towns and relatively close to agricultural land. Cities became more religious and needed public works like construction, roads, irrigation, and government. Mesopotamia used brick as a building material, but it collapsed over time because it was delicate and could not hold together. The government was composed of civil servants, tax collectors, parish chiefs and scribes and they "..supervised the communal work necessary for the maintenance of aqueducts, irrigation canals and water resources." They assisted merchants and traders when necessary, providing protection to a caravan.” Over time, the community became sophisticated about writing, which led to better politics and economics. Furthermore, the people invented bronze which was used as armor, swords, shields, plates and knives for better living. Additionally, throughout Mesopotamia, they used slaves who were either imprisoned or owed money, then released after a few years. With numerous cities, each "..had its own patron god or goddess, and most of what we know about them was transmitted through clay tablets describing Mesomoptian religious beliefs and practices." One of their beliefs was Gilgamesh, who was a demigod who ruled Uruk and told stories of 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 central rule and was ungovernable. This caused the fall of Mesopotamia and did not last,.