Much of what we now know in Western Civilization can be traced back to ancient civilizations in China and in Egypt. In this illuminating book, hundreds of works dating from the 4th millennium BC to the 2nd century AD are presented side-by- side-and the similarities between both cultures are startling and significant. Divided into chapters focusing on each region's writing, government, daily life, religious beliefs, and funeral rites, the book examines how these cultures developed in parallel. These beautiful antiquities offer new insights into how ancient people lived, worked, and worshiped over the same time period on different continents.