Comparison Between Tang China And The Mesopotamia - Book Report/Review Example

Comparison Between Tang China And The Mesopotamia Religion The inhabitants of Mesopotamia were religious. They had temples that were located centrally and housed deities for each city. The temples stored gifts that were brought by worshippers and owned agricultural lands.by locating the temples centrally; it indicated their importance to the inhabitants. Unlike in Tang China, the roles of the high priest were more diverse; including managing the shrine’s wealth and taking part in different economic roles of the kingdom.They believed their gods as anthropomorphic,in human formand conduct(Bulliet). Religion in the Tang China takes a center stage just like in Mesopotamia. The priest was a central person right from the start of the narration to the end of the book. In (Gulik9), he is described how she is dressed, in a tattered brown robe sitting at the shrine’s entrance. In his front, there was a sculptor of a goddess, which the priest describes as beautiful (Gulik). The high priest carried out all the sacrifices in the kingdom.There were several temples in the kingdom, including the Taoist temple, the Temple of the War God and the Temple of Confucius(Gulik),just like in Mesopotamia. The people also had worship services at the River Goddess. Both fishermen and boatmen used to come and worship at the river; with the hope that they would be successful in their missions on the river. In the Mandrake River, there was an altar that had a huge marble statue of the goddess, where a young man was sacrificed on it every year(Gulik). Women In Mesopotamia, men dominated major positions in the society, including scribes. Women lost theirsocial standings and freedom. The primary function of women was bearing and rearing children.Polygamy was allowed only if the first wife was barren and the man wanted children(Bulliet). In some instances,women were not given the highest degree of freedom inTang China. Their relationship with men,who were not connected with their household, was forbidden(Gulik14). Their opinion on some issues was thus overlooked when it came to issues that didn’t involve their husbands. However, the women were in some instances, given unusually lots of freedom (Lady Amber was carrying around huge sums of money to give to Judge Dee for her protection). They were permitted to take part in wrestling and run businesses; which, is unlike most traditional settings. Marriage Polygamy was accepted in the Tang China society. Judge Dee had three wives and his rule over them was dictatorial; they had no much say over his opinion. When he come from his investigations and finds his wives still up, he is surprised because he had ordered them to be in bed and he expected them to be sound asleep(Gulik).Marriage proposals were both either fixed or by through proposals (The municipal officer wanted to approach a lady on behalf of Sheng Pa). Children out of wedlock were not encouraged (Ton Mai and Amber decided to flee when she became pregnant)(Gulik). In Mesopotamia, marriage was a simple affair. It was monogamous unless the first wife was unable to bear kids; the man was then forced to look for a second wife to sire him children. The husband was the overall head of the family and the woman’s rolewas reduced to household chores and childbearing. Cultural events and ceremonies The people engaged in several ceremonialactivities. They even had aminister for rites. The people had the Dragon-boat festival on the fifth day of the fifth moon. The citizens of Pooyang would stream towards the Canal from the South-end. It was the obligation of the judge or magistrate to perform and oversee the ceremonies.The costume that was used on the day was symbolic, with someone using a boat shaped like a dragon (Gulik18). Just like in Tang Chao, in Mesopotamia, ceremonies were part of their daily lives. The people had ceremonies for different seasons including planting and harvesting seasons. Economy In Mesopotamia, the main driving point of their economy was agriculture. The Mesopotamia cities controlled all the agricultural activities of the kingdom. They opened up land for farming by coming up with irrigation schemes(Bulliet). The Mesopotamians also took part in international trade with its neighbors. The main trading items were its diverse agricultural produces. The basic transacting currency was gold in Tang China, in Mesopotamia; the main currencies used were primary metals and silver. The economy of the occupants in the Emperor’s pearl was diversified. There were different activities carried out. They included blacksmithing, which is symbolized by the presence of daggers (Gulik 41), iron bound doors and gates.The presence of a market also hinted that trade was an essential activity for the people. Old Tong was a merchant who went bankrupt and sold his assets to a wealthy drug dealer. Drugs were a major selling item in the kingdom. The people also had trading relations with merchants from Persia and Arabia.Prostitution was widely accepted as a means of income. Miss Liang admits to receiving customers at her brothel and attending parties in wine-houses. Government and administration In Mesopotamia, their administration was centralized. The lugal (King) was the overall head of the kingdom.The powers and jurisdiction of the king expanded at the cost of the priesthood. Some Mesopotamia kings claimed divinity(Bulliet). Unlike the Mesopotamia, the government of Tang Chao was decentralized, with headmen being in charge of several areas. The centralplaceofadministration was at the palace,which had lots of women employees.Magistrates were the center of all cases. They did the investigations, hearing of trials and sentencing all by themselves(Gulik).At times, the government would interfere with the religious belief of the people,at their own expense. It once ordered the discontinuation of sacrifices and an earthquake occurred, killing a priest and his acolytes(Gulik). Education The first forms of writing (Cuneiform) were invented in Mesopotamia; which symbolizes an emphasis oneducation(Bulliet).The society had an emphasis on education, with the presence of qualified professionals indicating that they were learning. They had a doctor (Dr.Pien), coroner who was accurate in his examination and a professor (Professor Ou-yang). They also had schools, which Tong and Sia were attending. The education system in Tang China was, however, more complicated than in Mesopotamia and included schools and libraries. Foreign policy In the Emperor’s Pearl, strangers were viewed with suspicion.Kwang Min was not welcomed whole-heartedly when he bought Tong I-Kwan’s property. The judge treats him as a suspect for the crimes and asks for his identification(Gulik). The foreign policy of Mesopotamia is not well defined. But by considering their trade relations with its neighbors, it is obvious that Mesopotamia had a fairly favorable foreign policy. References Bulliet, Robert. Bulliet, R. (2011). The Earth and Its Peoples. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning., 2011. Print. Gulik, Robert Hans van.The Emperor's Pearl. New York: Scribner, 1964. Print. Read More