Ceremonies and ways of worshipping
We have a reasonably similar way of worshipping compared to the Mesopotamians. We do go to buildings that have some relation to Gods, like the Mesopotamians. They went to Ziggurats, which resemble an older version of a chapel or a church. |
God or Gods which were important in the religion Unlike Mesopotamia, different places of the world mainly only worship one God, depending on your religion. Also, it’s not compulsory to worship the God if you don’t want to. You are not forced to be religious. |
The roles of religious leaders such as priests in curing disease and maintaining health In the world today, the religious leaders such as priests do not cure diseases as we now have a specific job for that kind of duty, known as doctors. |
Ways in which religion impacted on the lives of the people. Did they believe that ill health was linked to transgressions?
Religion impacts different people in different ways. If you are not a part of a certain religion, you will not be impacted as highly as those who do surround themselves with religious activities or beliefs. |
The role of jewellery, crystals and talismans as symbols of power, healing and protection from injury and sickness.
Completely opposite to Mesopotamia; we do not use jewellery to protect, heal or as a symbol of power against injury or sickness. This is because of your religion, though. If you are included in a religion that does use symbols like those, then you obviously would use them. Nowadays, jewellery is more an accessory than anything else. |
The role of religion in the major celebrations in their lives such as births, weddings, reaching adulthood, death. Normally, religion is used in major ceremonies such as births, weddings and death; but, on a much lower standard compared to how Ancient Mesopotamia used it. |
How are decisions made, who makes them and how do they get to their position.
Today, major decisions are made by your country’s leader, depending on who that is. For example, New Zealand has a Prime Minister called John Key. He makes the major decisions for our country. They get to their position by election of the public, which has changed a lot since Ancient Mesopotamia, seeing as the Gods elected the King. Now, we live in a democratic society so the leader is elected by the public. |
How is power distributed? Do men and women have equal rights and responsibilities? Power today is distributed through out the MPs (Members of Parliament) but based around the Prime Minister’s decisions. Men and women are completely equal these days. |
Who does the hard manual work, who is responsible for providing food and how does the civilisation defend itself? The manual work is done by people who have jobs under those specific categories. For example, maids and cleaners clean houses, farmers provide the food etc. everyone gets paid for their jobs and there are no slaves. The civilisation defends itself today by having a strong fighting force, amazing weaponry and highly advanced technology. All slightly more advanced compared to Mesopotamia. |
What link is there between their religious beliefs and their rulers?
Nowadays, God can still be thoroughly connected with the rulers. For example, the Queen of England’s main anthem is “God Save The Queen”. The first verse of the anthem is as follows: God save our gracious Queen Long live our noble Queen God save the Queen Send her victorious Happy and glorious Long to reign over us God save the Queen To interpret this, the people are singing to the God asking for protection of their ruler and to always keep her pleased and in good health. To end my point, not all countries strongly connect with God, but some majorly do. |
How was knowledge passed on to children? Did they go to school?
In modern society, everyone has the right to go to school. Also, over time, there has been a succession of ‘public schools’ and ‘private schools’. Depending on how much you earn and what education you want to give your children, you would choose one or the other. Typically, private schools are more expensive and focus strongly on each individual student; whereas public schools are more social, still learning under a similar curriculum, and they are cheaper, meaning the classes are bigger. Knowledge can be passed down from adult to child, basically the same as Ancient Mesopotamia. |
Could the people become more powerful over their lifetimes or were they each born into a position that didn’t change? In New Zealand, for example, everyone is born with an equal status. If you choose to become the Prime Minister or a member of parliament, you can work towards that specific job. You are able to become more powerful over time. To contradict this, in England, you have to be either born in a royal family or marry a member of the royal family to move up ‘the ladder of power’. |