Mesopotamia and Phoenicia are two ancient civilizations which helped shape the modern world.
These two civilizations have created inventions which are held very important to the progression of humankind towards the modern times. Mesopotamia is best known for its invention of the wheel (Dassonville 76), while Phoenicians are noted for their invention of maritime trade and navigation (Dassonville 25). In this way, these two ancient civilizations made contributions to the progression of modern civilizations, and that is still in use today.
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Mesopotamians invented the wheel 5,500 years ago (Sussman 195) and are noted to be one of the oldest inventions that create the modern world. The wheel which Mesopotamians invented is not just the ordinary wheel because it aided not only in transportation and the creation of vehicles but also in enabling people to lift objects above and forward to its purposive destinations. Mesopotamians are esteemed to have perfected the use of wheels and its bearings and helped ancient civilizations to travel for trade and barter. Mesopotamia also invented the chariot which is a form of transportation that made transporting of people and goods easier. As the first concept for human transportation, the technology which the Mesopotamians used for the creation of the chariot is also based on the wheel. The chariot has been used for various purposes such as for transporting humans, animals, and goods, as well as for sports and warfare (Randolph 23).
Primarily used by the royal families and of the higher classes, the chariot was constructed through the use of wood that is weighed lighter to ensure that the animal and the wheel can accommodate the total weight (Faiella 9). Moreover, the chariot has been used by civilization for a longer period of time and is also the main blueprint of motorized vehicles.On the other hand, Phoenicians are noted for the invention of maritime navigation in that they used celestial navigation to decipher the way towards the sea as well as how to properly measure the distances of one port to another (Heing 24).
Because of this, Phoenicians were known as the princes of the seas and made them favorable for the Mesopotamian royalty for their use in trade and military tactics (Heing 25). This made Phoenicians very important in their contribution to astronomy, maritime navigation, and trade as well as military events during the ancient civilization.Another important invention which the Phoenicians have created is the production of colored dye. The color purple, which was created from grinding shells, was one of the most expensive and highly prized colors during the early civilization. As it is associated with Phoenicia, colored dyes symbolize luxury, higher class, and wealth, and thus enabled the invention as a means to create margins around people. The color purple also held very significant association in history, wherein only the wealthiest of the people can gain access to its trade as well as purchase it (Krebs 339).
Phoenicians made significant means of using the colored dye that it elevated the production of textiles as well.Both of this civilization were very valuable, yet, I particularly think that Mesopotamia is the most valuable. Mesopotamia is also known as the earliest civilization which also helps in providing a stable food supply. The chariot invention which has two-wheeled horse has used for transporting humans, animals, welfare, sports, and goods. It was also used by the royal families and upper classes.
The chariot was invented by the Mesopotamia that has made transporting of people and goods easier. In conclusion, Mesopotamia and Phoenicia are highly regard for their contribution in the ancient time which have led to the creation of modern civilization. From the most useful and functional inventions of the wheel and the chariot, as well as the highly advanced form of seafaring and the production of luxury goods, Mesopotamia and Phoenicia held the most significant forms of progressing with human civilization (Dassonville 34). The breadth of their contributions shows that human progress is inevitable as the need for expansion, convenience, and trade are necessary elements for enabling civilization to survive. They also provided key elements in the progress of human communities, thus enabling the process to continue towards modernity.
