Compare and contrast the common characteristics of the preclassical societies in Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and China.

The above
post correctly notes that all the noted civilizations were river civilizations; it does not note
that flooding of those rivers was a factor. The flooding of the Nile was considered vital for
the Egyptian civilization to survive; it was problematic in other areas, such as Mesopotamia.
The flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers gave rise to the Epic of Gilgamesh and
consequentially the story of Noah and the flood. In China, the Yangtze river was called the
"river of sorrows" because its flooding was often capricious.

It
should also be noted that all three civilizations were poytheistic, While the Pharoah was
considered the human manifestation of the god Horus, other rulers ruled with the consent of the
gods. The Chinese ruler ruled with the authority of the Mandate of Heaven. Mesopotamian rulers
ruled on the basis of military might.