The goal of this internal evaluation was to take information from two sides and find comparisons and contrasts to answer my research question: "In to what extent do the antipodal civilizations of Egypt and the Maya share cultural ideals?” The top two sources chosen include: Source One: Encyclopedia of the Ancient Maya and Source Two: Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Get an original essay Although the origin of the source of one is unknown, the value and limitations of the site allow the information to appear unbiased and could possibly be a bunch of sources together that we would not know about the different subareas that existed within the Mayan civilization and culture. This is valuable because the purpose aligned perfectly with half of my historical investigation in relation to my RQ. However, this information is limited because it only refers to the Mayans and not their relationship with the Egyptians it contained facts, similar to an encyclopedia, about the different sub-areas that existed within the Mayan civilization and culture in relation to my RQ. This is valuable because the factual information proposed represents half of the research needed to answer my research question on antipodean societies. So, one of the main limitations is that the site exponentially exposes only one topic and not both halves. Furthermore, the origin of Source Two is also unknown. This is also an equally important limitation that may be due to the fact that the site is a collection of many other sources that we will never really know the answer to. However, it allows the information to be a primary source and appear unbiased in some respects. The purpose was to provide knowledge in many areas of ancient Egyptian civilization. However, the scope of the site is limited because it was designed solely to inform about the topic. But allowing this site to be valuable in the sense that it aligned perfectly with the other half of my research. The content of source two contained facts and information about subtopics of ancient Egyptian civilization in relation to my research question. Therefore, I have allowed the content to be valuable as the second half of my research as it relates to my overall historical investigation. However, this makes it limited in the sense that it only refers to the Egyptians and not how it relates to the Mayans. I will essentially evaluate two polar opposite ancient civilizations on a global scale, to find their similarities and differences. This will be done by analyzing some things they generally have in common and showing the similarities and differences between each area. First, what were the different aspects of religion that benefited each society or contributed to its demise? The Mayans and Egyptians had many Gods with different names but with the same soul (meaning). Some of these gods include Itzamn and Amun-Ra (great cheese), Chac and Tefnut (god and goddess of rain), Ah Mun and Osiris (gods of agriculture), Ah Puch and Anubis (gods of death and embalming) , etc. these Gods in common, both civilizations occasionally believed in human sacrifice, perhaps one not so much the other, to please the Gods. (For example, the Egyptians sacrificed humans in cases of severe famine, drought, or flood, unlike the Maya who religiously sacrificed humans.) Furthermore, unlike the Egyptians, the Maya sacrificed animal offerings more than any other civilization of their time. Every society was so religious, to the point that the prieststhey had a separate calendar developed only for religious days and events. What technological advances helped each civilization grow? What construction advances helped each civilization? What advancements caused problems for each civilization? Both companies based their construction techniques on the basic principles of artegeometry. The Maya and the Egyptians interpreted the principles of geometry differently. Unlike the Mayans, Egyptian pyramids began as Mastabas and evolved over time due to advancements in pulley systems. Giant stone blocks are moved across the moistened sand, making it easier to transport the huge stone blocks. Science shows that the Egyptians placed the great pyramids so close to the stars that they were offset by a tenth of a degree from true north. The Maya excelled in a crucial area that the Egyptians simply could not, the development of rubber (vulcanization, or combining rubber with other materials to make it more durable, was discovered by the American (from Connecticut) Charles Goodyear in the 19th century). The Mayans discovered this process by accident, during a religious ritual in which they combined the rubber tree and the morning glory plant. Once they realized how durable and versatile this new material was, the Maya began using it in a variety of ways: to make water-resistant fabrics, glue, book bindings, figurines, and the large rubber balls used in the ritual game known as pokatok. Both civilizations used 2 calendars. These calendars lasted 360 days each, for each civilization one calendar was for daily life and the other for religious purposes. The Egyptians were one of the first true civilizations to adopt a calendar based on the sun. The calendar was 360 days with 12 months and 30 days, but an additional 5 days were added due to an error in timing. The solar calendar allowed them to predict the annual floods that usually occurred soon after the reappearance of Sirius. The solar calendar was so in tune that it was only 12 minutes apart in a true solar year. Every 4 years, however, the calendar would lag 1 day behind the true solar year and take up to 1,460 years to agree with the lunisolar calendar. The Sothic Cycle was a big deal. The Mayans developed one of the most accurate calendar systems in all of history. The Mayans strongly believed in the influence of the cosmos on daily life. The first, known as the Round Calendar, was based on two overlapping annual cycles: a sacred year of 260 days and a secular year of 365 days. For example, they knew how to predict solar eclipses. They also used astrological cycles to facilitate planting and harvesting and developed two calendars as precise as the ones we use today. Under this system, each day was assigned four pieces of identifying information: a day number and name in the sacred calendar and a day number and month name in the secular calendar. Every 52 years is counted as a single calendar interval or cycle. After each interval the calendar reset itself like a clock. Because the Round Calendar measured time in an infinite loop, it was an inadequate way to fix events in absolute chronology or in relation to each other over a long period. The Maya developed a renowned Long Count Calendar. A priest active around 236 BC devised another system: a calendar he called the Long Count. The Long Count system identified each day by counting forward from a date set in the distant past. (Early in the 20th century, scholars discovered that this "base date" was August 11 or 13, 3114 BC.) He grouped the days into series, or cycles, as follows: baktun.