Ancient Egyptian vs.

Mayan Culture
The civilizations of ancient Egypt and Maya, while separated by
thousands of miles and hundreds of years, shared a number of
recognizable features. Egypt civilization appears to have begun about
4,000 to 3,500 B.C. in northern Africa, while the Mayan civilization
appears to have arisen around 3300 B.C. in the Yucatan peninsula of
North America, now modern Guatemala. Both of these cultures occupied
large areas of land and expanded their domains through military
conquest and exploration.
Pyramids in Common
Both the Egyptians and the Maya built large cities that featured
housing, administration buildings, and funerary and religious structures.
These cities included large pyramidal structures. In Egypt, these
pyramids were tombs for great kings, while in the kingdom of the Maya,
pyramids appear to have been used for religious ceremonies.
Hieroglyphic Writing Systems
Both Egyptian and Mayan cultures used hieroglyphs consisting of
pictographs or drawings representing words or concepts. Egyptians used
hieroglyphs to record history, prayers and administrative information.
Mayan hieroglyphs were combination pictographs formed in neat blocks
that included phonograms and ideograms. Mayan scribes recorded
calendar information, administrative data and genealogies.
Calendar Systems
Both the Egyptian and Mayan civilizations created calendar systems.
During their Classic period, the Maya developed a sophisticated calendar
system of overlapping annual cycles that included a 260-day sacred year
and a 365-day secular year. The cycles restarted every 52 years.
Technology and Construction Techniques
The Egyptians developed sophisticated technologies in several areas
including metal tools. Surveying and construction techniques allowed the
Egyptians to construct vast burial complexes and temples. The Mayan
building techniques allowed them to construct great structures but they
did not have metals or the wheel, which is impressive.
Aspects of Religion
Both Egyptian and Mayan cultures were polytheistic with rulers that
represented gods on earth. Egyptian pharaohs were revered as gods for

the benefit of the people. Mayan gods also were based upon natural
phenomena, including earth, sun and water. Mayan belief in the strength
of human blood to appease the gods gave rise to ritualized human
sacrifice of wartime captives.
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