ABSTRACT
The two greatest civilisations of the Bronze Age Near East were those of southernMesopotamia and the Nile Valley. In terms of intellectual vibrancy, Mesopotamia must be viewed as the greater of the two. In terms of identity, continuity, monumentality, and power, Egypt had no equals. Although far from enjoying a glorious solitary existence far removed from the hurly burly of daily politics, Egypt was never exposed to constant abrasion by abusive neighbours which was the part assigned to Babylonia. The results are thus expressed in the masterpieces of the two civilisations. Constant challenge forced Babylonia to respond in a fashion at least partially moulded to express the Babylonian identity in a manner recognizable to neighbours. This gave it an enormous advantage, and the result was the development of an intellectual heritage shared by all the civilisations of the Near East. Power and wealth allowed Egypt to impose its will on its own landscape, but it was less concerned about neighbours, and its influence diminished as one left the Nile Valley.
