Throughout history, many civilizations have succeeded one another. Most of these lost and forgotten civilizations were very similar in many ways, while still retaining their differences. In this essay, the Sumerian and Mayan civilizations will be compared and contrasted by their writings, social classes, and religion. The thesis is that the two civilizations are very different despite similarities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay First, there is the language or writing that the Sumerians and Mayans used to communicate with each other. The Sumerians used a writing system called cuneiform. This system relied on images to convey abstract ideas, but was also useful for record keeping. Around 2900 BCE, the Sumerians developed a flexible writing system combining graphic symbols to represent sounds and syllables. The Mayans, for their part, were inspired by the writing techniques of the Olmecs. Mayan writing included ideographic elements (like Chinese characters) and symbols for syllables. Scholars had begun deciphering the writing in the 1960s and discovered that Mayan scribes wrote works of poetry, history and myths. They also kept genealogical, administrative and astronomical records. There are some differences between the two techniques. First, Sumerian cuneiform was formed by the Sumerians, while the Maya adopted their script from the Olmecs. Second, cuneiform used graphic symbols where the Maya used ideographic symbols and elements. Next come the social classes of the two great world civilizations. Starting with a similarity between the two; both civilizations were ruled by kings, priests, and ruling families. However, in early Mesopotamia, kings and nobles were chosen based on their valor and success as warriors. In Mayan civilization, the nobility was hereditary and cooperated with kings and priests by organizing military forces and participating in religious rituals. The similarity between the two social classes is that both civilizations had slaves or peasants who were heavily in debt. The difference between slaves in the Mayan and Sumerian civilizations is that Sumerian slaves worked as agricultural laborers and Mayan slaves provided physical labor for the construction of cities and monuments. Finally, there is the religion of both. The writings of the Maya highlight religious and cultural traditions. For example, the PopolVuh, a Mayan creation myth, taught that the gods created humans from corn and water, which then became human flesh and blood. Thus, the Mayan religion reflected the fundamental role of agriculture in their society. The first kings of Sumerian cities made such a deep impression on their contemporaries that legends described them as descendants of gods. For example, Gilgamesh of Uruk was considered two-thirds divine and half human because he was considered the son of a goddess and a king. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper now from our expert writers. In conclusion, the Sumerian and Mayan civilizations had multiple similarities and differences, but overall they are very different societies. Writing styles, social classes, and religion were similar in some ways, but the differences were more..