Mesopotamia comprises the region now known as Iraq, parts of eastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwest Iran in the 4th Millenium BC. Early Asian civilization includes the Harappan Civilization also called the Harappan in South Asia around 3300-1700 BCE. This ancient civilization thrived in Indus and Ghaggar-Hakra river valleys what is now Pakistan and western India and portion of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.
Early Mesopotamia is characterized by ancient states with highly developed societies. The region is known as one of four riverine civilizations that invented writing with the Yellow River Valley in China as one of them. Early Mesopotamian and Harappan in Asia societies both have sophisticated advanced urban culture. Both early societies are situated in a valley near riverbeds hence, the brand riverine civilizations.
Both early Mesopotamia and the Harappan have advanced scientific and mathematical knowledge as evidenced by the fact that early Mesopotamia used a number of technologies such as metalworking, textile weaving, flood control and others. They used metals such as copper, bronze and gold. The people in Harappan also developed advanced scientific technologies such as measuring of length, mass and time. Like their Mesopotamian counterparts they made use of metals copper, bronze, lead and tin through advanced methods in metallurgy.
Both early Mesopotamian and Harappan are considered “literate society”.
Mesopotamian used Sumerian language. Later, Akkadian became widely used then Aramaic. The cuneiform script was invented in Early Mesopotamia. The Harappan developed 400 different symbols. There were a number of inscriptions found in a number of ritual objects. . Some believed that these symbols were used for economic transactions which others refuted.
In contrast to Ancient Mesopotamia, early Harappan did not have large monumental structures. There were no palaces or temples either. There were citadels but it is not likely that these were used for defense purposes.
Another observable difference between the two societies is the fact that the early Mesopotamian believed in gods and goddesses. Mesopotamian religion was the first to be recorded in history. Mesopotamians believed in multiple gods or deities. They referred to the universe as an-ki, representing their god An and the goddess Ki. Enlil was the air god, also the most powerful god. On the other hand, Harappan people made a number of figurines which some believed to be the Mother goddess of fertility. A number of people refuted this claim though because of the presence of swastikas or a religious symbol in Indus valley seals.
Another contrast between the two societies is the Mesopotamian relied heavily on irrigation in order to grow their agricultural crops. This is not the case for Harappan people since throughout Asia, rice farmers made use of terraced, hillside rice paddies or terrace agriculture as a method of agriculture to be able to support cities.
The reason for this difference in agriculture techniques is that in Mesopotamia, lands that are far from water is not habitable and often dry. The Indus Valley is lucky that they had fertile alluvial soil left by rivers after flood season.
