Throughout history, many civilizations have come and gone. Most of these lost and forgotten civilizations were very similar in many ways, while maintaining their differences. In this essay, the Sumerian and Mayan civilizations will be compared and contrasted based on their writing, social classes, and religion. The thesis is that the two civilizations are very different despite their similarities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The first thing is the language or script that the Sumerians and Mayans used to communicate with their peers. The Sumerians used a writing system called cuneiform. This system relied on images to convey abstract ideas, but was also useful in ways such as record keeping. Around 2900 BC the Sumerians developed a flexible writing system that combined graphic symbols to represent sounds and syllables. The Maya, on the other hand, built on Olmec writing techniques. Maya writing included ideographic elements (such as 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 myth. They also preserved genealogical, administrative and astronomical documents. There are some differences between the two techniques. First, Sumerian cuneiform was formed by the Sumerians, while the Maya adopted their writing from the Olmecs. Second, cuneiform used graphic symbols while the Maya used ideographic symbols and elements. Then there are the social classes of the two great world civilizations. Starting from a similarity between the two; both civilizations were run by kings, priests, and ruling families. However, in early Mesopotamia, kings and nobles were chosen based on their valor and success as warriors. In the Mayan civilization, nobility was hereditary and collaborated with kings and priests by organizing military forces and participating in religious rituals. The similarity of the two social classes is that both civilizations had heavily indebted slaves or peasants. The difference between the slaves of the Mayan and Sumerian civilizations is that the Sumerian slaves worked as agricultural laborers and the Mayan slaves provided physical labor for the construction of cities and monuments. The last one is the religion of the two. Maya writing sheds light on religious and cultural traditions. For example, the PopolVuh, a Mayan creation myth, taught that the gods created humans from corn and water, who then became human flesh and blood. Therefore, the Mayan religion reflected the fundamental role of agriculture in their society. The first kings of the Sumerian cities left such a deep impression on their contemporaries that legends depicted them as descendants of the gods. For example, Gilgamesh of Uruk was considered two-thirds divine and one-third human because he was considered the son of a goddess and a king. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay 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 somewhat similar, but the differences were greater between the two civilizations.