Although Mesopotamia is a specific region, which prospered, it possessed numerous city-states, which were self-governing and encountered many tribulations, making Mesopotamia less centralized. Egypt, however, emphasized strong central authority, as bureaucrats kept track of lands and imposed taxes to support construction and the military. Similar to Mesopotamia, Egypt also depicted the king as a god sent to earth to maintain property for civilization. Mesopotamia considered merchants within its own society essentially indispensable to trade extensively with foreign regions. On the other hand, Egypt's foreign policy was essentially isolationist; therefore they identified foreigners as enemies, but still valued foreign resources. Both Egypt and Mesopotamia possessed resources, which they traded extensively, namely bronze and papyrus, as these were in high demand in all foreign nations. Furthermore, the Mesopotamians viewed their gods negatively based on the obstacles they encountered due to their environment, as they believed their gods were associated with forces of nature. Despite this, Egypt also believed that its gods were associated with the forces of nature, however, the outlook towards their gods was positive as their environment was reliable. Mesopotamia's Tigris and Euphrates Rivers caused frequent floods and droughts, while the Nile River regularly inundated Egypt's crops. However, the Mesopotamians and Egyptians significantly valued their religious practices and beliefs, which were represented in their art and architecture. Therefore, although the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians settled during the River Valley civilization period, both have distinct aspects, as well as some