Civiliation and culture

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorCollege, Undergraduate February 2008

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Almost everything in our culture today has been influenced by and/or relates to an ancient civilization. The Egyptians, Babylonians, and Sumerians are three major contributors to today's contemporary culture.

The Sumerian civilization had many technological advances, they developed a form of writing, at the same time they trained people to write, developing basic schools like we have today. In these ancient learning facilities is where the first literatures and mathematics were formed. The sexigecimal counting method was established which along with mathematics our society uses on a daily basis. Using these mathematic and writing concepts helped them keep records and establish a form of government. This form of government had a two-house congress and a board of governors which is very similar to the government used today. In this government the Sumerians used the first legal code, UR-NAMMU, which was based on justice, judges were used in their legal system similar to the court systems we use today.

The Babylonians however created the most complete legal code we possess today, unlike the Sumerians legal code this code, known as Hammurabi's code was based on the ideal of peace, which established the rule of law and justice and is used daily by the people of the 21st century. Another 21st century concept the Babylonians have been credited for is the evolving concept of a national god which unified cultures all over. This belief in one main god is used in many religions and is the main belief used in our time, unlike the ancient Egyptian belief of more than one god.the great Egyptians however did have a great impact on our contemporary culture, the concept of thirty days in a month and twelve months in a year created a calender which used today helps keep track of certain events in a set period of time, like knowing when you must turn your paper in for school, all in all the Egyptians, Babylonians and Sumerians are not the only ancient civilizations which played a major role in our contemporary culture today, they are just three out of many which are found very interesting.