Art

Despite having been influenced by Mesopotamia in different ways (trade and technology), the Egyptian civilization formed a quite unique society and culture. In many ways they are both related and different. However, no one can deny that both civilizations managed to produce extra ordinary piece of arts with the ingenuity of their craftsmen and with the help of the wealth of their lands.

Architecture
    Both civilizations erected huge monuments. Among these monuments, the most famous are their pyramids. In many cases, Egypt is characterized with their colossal pyramids. The same with the Mesopotamia, they are often portrayed doing rituals in their ziggurat. In Mesopotamia these huge buildings are referred as ziggurats. The ziggurats are constructed by sun-dried mud brick which are not as long lasting compared to the materials used in other pyramids. These make Mesopotamian pyramids not to last as far as the Egyptian pyramids which are made of brick and stone. As scholars would say, Egyptians buildings and monuments are built to last forever.
 

Design
    The Egyptian pyramids are constructed to use its internal structure while the Mesopotamian ziggurats are primarily used as a platform. This makes the design of two kinds of buildings to vary. The Mesopotamian ziggurats outside are painted with bright colors with staircase leading to the top of it. As scholars would describe it, terraced pyramid of successively receding stories. The Egyptian pyramids outside structure however are crude in color (stone or brick colored) and does not provide an access to the top level using a staircase outside.

    However in a particular pyramid of Egypt which is referred as Saqarra who was made for the pharaoh Djoser-Netcherikhe a pyramid that somewhat resembles the Mesopotamian ziggurat was built, the Egyptians referred it as the Step Pyramid.

Utility
    Aside from the materials and design used in construction, Egyptian pyramids and Mesopotamian ziggurats differed in their utilities. The ziggurats are known for their importance and significance in religious gatherings and rituals. The Egyptian pyramids however are known for their housing of the corpse of the Egypts pharaoh.

Paintings
Themes
The theme of the Egyptian art primarily revolves on religion and their respect for death or the afterlife. Much of the Egyptian art symbolized power and the order in the Egyptian civilization. Also, the use of animals is widespread in many wall paintings. The use of specific colors also portrays specificity in the characters of what is being portrayed. Gold for example are commonly used in royal characters while red are often used to portray the youth and the warriors.
Most of the paintings of the Egyptian portray wars. They paint their warriors, their chariots and their leaders in battle. Aside from wars they depict some of the events wherein their gods communicate with their leaders.

Layout
It is noticeable that in both Egyptian and Mesopotamian paintings, there is a similarity on how a 2 dimensional image is portrayed. The head, the legs and the feet are shown in their sides while the torsos are shown frontally.
See pictures below
 
Sculptures
Royal Masks
The Golden Mask of Tutan Khamun is one of the most celebrated pieces of masksculpture. It is a mask weighing 24 pounds of solid gold, inlaid lapis lazuli, carnelian, quartz, turquoise, obsidian, and colored glass.(Deurer 1996)
The Helmet of King Meskalamdug is comparable in different attributes with the Golden Mask of Tutan Khamun.
Gold for both civilization become the currency in building prestigious objects that are usually reserved for the royals.
   
The Eyes
It has also been observed that many of the Mesopotamian sculptures are engraved with huge eyes. The sculptures found in Abu Temple in Tell Asmar are great examples of the sculptures with this characteristic. This implies the emphasis of the Mesopotamian in the eyes of a character.
In the Egypt however, eyes are often drawn or engraved as narrow and smaller. Eyes are only emphasized with the use of color linings typically black in color (commonly known today as eye liner).We can often see these in the paintings in the walls of a pyramid. Aside from the drawings in the wall, this is also noticeable with the discovered precious masks of their rulers in the past.
See pictures below
       
No one can deny the riches of both the Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilization. Both of them made the transition from the prehistoric to historic. The importance of their accounts of their daily lives, their rulers and their gods cannot be discounted especially for our understanding of the earlier people. They also spearheaded the value and importance and legacy of erecting one of a kind structure that will inspire the future generations to strive for perfection and innovation.