What were the mainstream ideals of life in ancient Egypt and Babylon?

5000 years ago, other parts of the world were still in primitive societies. The ancient Egyptians were already skilled in making bread, brewing beer, mixing paint, smelting and casting copper, glazing pottery, even inventing the oldest agricultural tool, the hoe, and conducting animal and plant breeding experiments.

In terms of life pursuit, it is not only about fully enjoying material life, but also about focusing on "enjoying the present and looking forward to the afterlife" in spiritual life. They will turn their bodies into mummies and preserve them properly, placing them in pyramids that require a lifetime of effort to build, so that they can be reincarnated 3000 years later and reach the pinnacle of their lives. This is because the Nile River basin has superior geographical conditions, abundant agricultural production, and the mainstream lifestyle of ancient Egyptians.

Ancient Egypt was located at the intersection of Europe, Asia, and Africa, which was a place with unique geographical features. Its territorial boundaries are particularly clear, with large deserts to the east and west, the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and before the construction of the Aswan High Dam to the south, there was a terrifying igneous barrier behind which lies the extremely desolate Nubian plain.

This relatively closed geographical condition is particularly suitable for early settlement and is beneficial for the development and survival of centralized states, with few large-scale invasions by nomadic tribes.

The narrow Nile River valley divides the clearly defined "black soil" and "red soil", with numerous limestone, sandstone, as well as hard granite, basalt, quartz, and diorite, providing ample building materials for pharaohs to construct magnificent pyramids and temples.

During the Old Kingdom period, the climate in Egypt was quite stable. In 3000 BC, the first pharaoh Narba unified Upper and Lower Egypt, building a unified empire and also managing this ecological valley, which is rich in species. Many plants can adapt to the temperature and humidity in this place, and Egypt's agricultural civilization grew from this fertile land.

The famous historian Herodotus once said, 'Egypt was a gift from the Nile River.'. The ancient Egyptians were able to live a prosperous life thanks to the green Nile Valley. The river regularly floods, creating a thick layer of silt downstream, making the soil in the valley soft and loose. The ancient Egyptians only used simple tools such as hoes and baskets to dig irrigation channels, repair water barriers, or dig ditches, which resulted in good harvests.

The farmers there waited for the river to overflow on its own, flowing into the fields for irrigation, and then returning to the riverbed after irrigation. Then each person sowed seeds in their own field, and the pigs stepped on the seeds and planted them in the soil. After that, they just waited for the harvest. They also let pigs come to grain and then bring the grain into the barn. This is the agricultural production method of the ancient Egyptians.

The agriculture in ancient Egypt relied heavily on nature, and people relied on the "heavenly reward for food", so agricultural technology was outdated for a long time and the primitive "pond irrigation method" was always used. However, the water level of the Nile River is directly related to crop sowing, and ancient Egyptians placed great importance on water level measurement to predict the yield.

The determination of water level is closely related to the observation of celestial phenomena, and the Nile River always floods, allowing the ancient Egyptians to cultivate for a short period of time each year, leaving plenty of time for other things such as astrology, religion, architecture, and so on.

The relatively closed geographical environment and abundant material life made it easier for the ancient Egyptians to form a stable social form and self-centered national consciousness with less contact with the outside world. In terms of spirituality, the ideas formed under the long-term authoritarian rule of theocracy and monarchy had a great influence on the cosmology and worldview of ancient Egyptians.

Although the saying 'the great affairs of the country lie in the worship and military service' was mentioned in the Zuo Zhuan of the Spring and Autumn Period in China, it is also appropriate to place it in Egypt. There, royal power and religion were closely intertwined, so the kings of ancient Egypt became gods and the core of the entire country. Moreover, religion was also a key source of the emergence and development of ancient Egyptian civilization.

In ancient Egyptian civilization, religion was like a particularly powerful thread that connected various aspects of Egyptian social life and culture, forming a vast network of civilizations. In their eyes, there are intangible forces everywhere in this world, such as the sun, moon, stars, wind, rain, lightning, mountains, rivers, and some animals and plants, all symbolizing mysterious and irresistible forces that can influence human activities, reproduction, and life and death.

So, they worshipped all of these as gods, such as the Nile River, desert, sun, lions, crocodiles, snakes, and so on. Subsequently, the worshipped gods from various places entered the Pantheon in ancient Egypt together. Only by sincerely worshiping these deities can we keep our lives prosperous and enjoy this life to the fullest.

On the other hand, this also filled the ancient Egyptians with hope for the afterlife. Due to the regular rise and fall of the Nile River every year, as well as the flourishing and withering of plants that follow, and the daily rise and fall of the sun, these natural phenomena were constantly repeated, which gave the ancient Egyptians a firm belief that the soul would not disappear.

The world is constantly in a cycle, things in nature can die and live, and humans can do the same, but human cycles are much longer. As long as the body is well preserved, it can be resurrected after 3000 years of death, thus gaining eternal life. So they divided the world into the real world and the underground world, or in other words, this life and the next life. The real world is relatively short-lived, while the underground world is eternal. Therefore, they strive to pursue an eternal world and value this life more than the next.

Under the influence of this afterlife concept, it was popular in ancient Egypt to turn corpses into mummies. They believe that humans are composed of body, soul, and spirit, and that the soul and spirit of upright people will leave the body and live with the blessed dead and gods in heaven. Making a mummy of a corpse and preserving it well is in the hope of growing or sprouting a soul from the body.

Joy is when life is in a state of happiness. It is short-lived and does not rely on material or social conditions. It is just a collective or individual emotion that will not last long. It is an instinctive impulse of life and a rhythm that can make people feel comfortable, relaxed, and free both physically and mentally.

5000 years have passed, and the civilizations of the past have become relics, and their glory has become a thing of the past. But if we stop in front of the more than 80 pyramids, big and small, on the banks of the Nile River, everyone will remember the Arabic proverb: "All things will disappear, only the pyramids will exist forever." This is the idea of ancient Egyptians' life: 3000 years later, the soul will still be there, remembered by us modern people, and full of mystery. This is the highest level they want to achieve - a happy life.

About 6000 to 7000 years ago, in the area closest to the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, the Babylonian Kingdom built the world's most prosperous city-state, the flower of the Mesopotamian civilization created by Sumerian Babylonians, which bloomed on the land of Iraq, which is now plagued by war.

Due to the location of the two river basins and the turmoil brought about by the prosperity of commerce, the Babylonians highly valued the rare peaceful days and were particularly concerned about the benefits of their own real life, as well as the stability and prosperity of their country. Their attitude towards life was "only living in this life, not in the next life", and the mainstream ideal of life was a peaceful and prosperous life.

The meaning of Babylon in Akkadian is "the gate of gods" or "the place where the gods meet". It is located in the Mesopotamian Plain, a two river basin between two flat deserts. It borders the Armenian Plateau to the north, the Syrian steppe to the west, and the Iranian Plateau to the east. There are no dangerous places to defend on all three sides.

The open geographical conditions have led many nomadic tribes to compete for this fertile land. The history here is filled with bloodshed, where a city quickly declines as soon as it rises, and one tribe drives away another. This frequent ethnic migration and conflict have consistently led to political changes in ancient Babylon, characterized by ethnic and dynastic transformations. The entire history has been mostly in turmoil, with few days of peace.

Although the land known as the Garden of Eden in mythology has now become a barren land, as early as 5000 BC, the Babylonians knew how to irrigate with river water, laying the foundation for irrigation agriculture and creating a large-scale irrigation network, which gave rise to ancient agricultural civilization.

However, on the other side of the two river basins, the rainfall in the upper reaches varies greatly, the process is not long, and the water volume is not accurate, which makes it easy to cause disasters and form swamps. In addition, groundwater cannot be discharged, and long-term irrigation relies on pumping water, especially the water seeping out of the canal. Overirrigation causes the groundwater level to rise, and the accumulation of salt in the soil leads to salinization of farmland, which has a fatal impact on agriculture.

Meanwhile, excessive agricultural development has worsened the already poor ecological environment. In order to cope with the threat of salinization, farmers in Babylon had to adopt fallow crop rotation and even gave up many cities. The once green farmland has turned into a desert, which makes the Babylonians particularly cherish the land and real life they currently possess.

The Two Rivers Basin is an important strategic location that must be passed through for east-west commercial and trade exchanges. During the most prosperous period of Babylon, the famous Hammurabi ascended to the throne and challenged other royal powers at the time, ultimately unifying the Mesopotamian region except for Assyria and creating the Babylonian Empire.

The unification of the north and south led to the development of urban economy, which greatly promoted industry and commerce. Babylon became the center of national and international trade, and the textile, construction, and jade carving industries also developed. The widespread production and exchange of commodities have widened the wealth gap among different social classes, leading to the formation and development of debt slavery.

Maintaining hierarchical differences and mediating social conflicts through heavy and light penalties, safeguarding private property with strict laws, and prohibiting high interest loans to add warmth and goodwill to the law. The role of family kinship made slavery in ancient Babylon somewhat "gentle", and slaves were able to own their own families and a small amount of property.

The Code of Hammurabi is the oldest and most complete legal code that has survived in the world today, with a total of 282 articles that discuss how to handle civil and criminal cases. In the preamble of the Code, Hammurabi states that his power is given by God and he legislates on behalf of God.

He said, "At this moment, Anu and Enli let me, the glorious and god fearing ruler Hammurabi, promote justice in the world, eradicate those who break the law and do evil, and not bully the weak. Let me come before the people like Shamash, illuminating the earth... When Marduk asked me to manage everyone and make the country prosperous and happy, let me spread justice and righteousness throughout the country, bringing benefits to the people.

During the reign of Hammurabi, the Babylonian attitude of "living only in this life, not in the next" was displayed thoroughly. The construction of temples, the construction of defensive walls, and the creation of irrigation channels have all contributed to the strength of the country, which cannot be found in the two river basins or even the entire ancient world. When Herodotus visited Babylon, the city had already passed its most glorious days.

However, he still wrote, 'In terms of grandeur, no other city we know can compare to it.' The buildings there are dazzling, with magnificent palaces, temples, and towering pagodas everywhere. What is particularly distinctive is the huge multi-level ancient Kulata and Ur Grand Temple Pagoda, which have magnificent structures and can be used to worship gods, observe celestial phenomena, and explore the secrets of the universe.

The Babylonians believed that the temple tower was a place where the gods lived. If the gods wanted to see those who worshipped them, they would fly down from the sky in a nebula. The auspicious beast they worship, the Mardukh god, is a protector god with a body that looks "four different": it has a dragon head, horse body, deer vertebrae, crocodile scales, eagle eyes, python tongue, phoenix tail, or horse head and snake tail, and its body resembles a tiger or leopard.

Reflecting the ancient Babylonians' desire for auspiciousness, peace, and happiness. New Babylon has a representative building called the Hanging Gardens, known as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, as well as stunning Assyrian reliefs. The brilliant civilization of the Mesopotamian region fully demonstrates the Babylonians' longing for real life in harsh natural conditions and endless destructive wars. Through these dreamlike buildings and exquisite artworks, it reflects the mainstream attitude of life: "only seeking present life, not the afterlife".

After experiencing the devastation of war, city walls were toppled, statues were looted, houses were burned down, and people were forcibly relocated, the Babylonians valued their current life more than the ancient Egyptians. On this land, they created the first agricultural village, the first city, the first legal code in history, invented the earliest cars and ships, learned how to make bread and wine, fully enjoyed the comfort of life and the beauty of humanity, and presented the mainstream pursuit of life - a prosperous life.

Overall, there are differences between ancient Egyptian and Babylonian civilizations, mainly due to their diverse cultures, respective development trends, and environmental conditions. A good geographical environment reflects positive life ideals, like the joyful life in ancient Egypt; The poorer geographical environment reflects the actual ideal of life, such as the prosperous life of Babylon in Cuba.

Secondly, this is related to the living systems, customs, and religious beliefs that accompanied ancient civilizations. Indeed, the culture corresponding to civilization and the environment it relies on are compatible in maintaining a mainstream ideal of social life.