...The Cradle of Civilization Situated in a vast expanse of delta between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers, Mesopotamia was the wellspring from which modern societies emerged. The land was very important because it’s where writing was first discovered 5000 years ago at Uruk, and where the seventh wonder of the world, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, is situated. It is important culturally because it was the center of the Islamic Empire (Khilafat), and Arab civilization for hundreds of years. It’s where science and culture prospered, where Arabic language has its two distinguished schools, Kufa and Basra, and where one of the oldest universities in the world was built, Al Mustansiriyya University in Baghdad. It is also important religiously, as it has the oldest established church in the world, The Church of the East, founded by St Thomas, one of Christ's 12 disciples. In addition, it has numerous Islamic holy sites such as Karbala, Najaf, and Baghdad. The holy city of Najaf is the study center of theology for the world's 150 million Muslims who follow the Shia tradition. Its people learned how to tame the dry land and draw sustenance from it. Tanks tread there and now companies pump oil from beneath the ancient soil. According to what Dr. Oguagha taught in History 101 class he said that much of the area lies in present day Iraq were it not for the Mesopotamians, that country or any other possibly wouldn't exist, at least not in a way we would recognize. During my...
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...French Revolution of 1789 was major turning point in European history because it redefined the image of nation in a way never seen before as the people gained political control over their own nation. Therefore the aspects of this revolution have been debated as the beginning concept of “modern history.” This concept is derived from how the French Revolution demonstrated the will of the citizens as a political entity that could dictate governmental change by showing how the people, not the monarchy, could reform a nation. Through the establishment of a new government by the people, new institutions and policies were developed that the world we live as modern; such innovations included a system of power based on wealth and status instead of birth, and a new state bureaucracy. The ideas that drove the revolution came from the innovative thinkers of the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment, and inspired the people of France to question those who reigned over them. While the events of the French Revolution transformed France, the reign of Napoleon turned the revolution into a European event by sparking revolution in countries that had not already. Napoleon’s conquests helped spread the mind set created in the French Revolution around Europe. The French Revolution marked the beginning of “modern history,” because the revolutionary ideas that it created sparked the creation of citizen-governed nations across Europe. One of the aspects of the French Revolution that helped establish...
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...The civilizations of ancient India and China are both rich in culture and history. The Chinese culture emphasized family structure and philosophy while undergoing various changes through its classical period. Culture in India was most influenced by religion. Although both civilizations shared patriarchal views and were agriculture based societies, the difference in moral perceptions is what created two distinctly diverse societies. India’s Caste system is a complex social system with its foundations rooted in the belief of a people who became dominant in north India with the decline of the aboriginal civilization of the Harrappans. The social and religious attitudes of these people were illustrated through a collection of hymns, religious texts and philosophical treatises once orally transmitted before being composed as what are called Vedas. The earliest of the texts, the Rig Veda portrays the...
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...The Influence of Ancient Greece on Western Civilization Of all the cultures that have come and gone throughout human history, it was the achievements of ancient Greece that have left the most indelible imprint on Western civilization. In particular, it was greek achievements in the realms of art, democracy, medicine, philosophy and literature that has influenced the modern world the most. It is interesting to note that the loss of Greek thought after Roman civilization inducted a period popularly characterized as the Dark Ages. During this time human life was, in words popularized by Thomas Hobbes, “nasty, brutish and short.” Superstition, disease and a short life span were the hallmark of the age. It is crucial to understand that the middle “dark” ages finally ended with the re-discovery of greek texts to usher in the re-birth of civilization, ie: the Renaissance. It was the Catholic theologian St. Thomas Aquinas that set Western civilization on its current track by reintroducing Greek thinkers to European intellectuals. The popularizing of Greek philosophers renewed Western interest in Greek achievements, specifically within the realms of art, democracy, medicine, literature, and philosophy. While some of these subjects remained underdeveloped in Greek times, such as the discipline of medicine and democracy, others were so advanced as to set a standard to this day in the realm of art, philosophy, and literature. Discussed herein is a brief exploration of those Greek achievements...
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...To start the geography, of kush well most of it is deserts, accept for a part of the Nile valley. This area had an abundance of food and water for this particular reason the first civilization in sudan and maybe one of the first in the world developed there. Historically there are some geographical between Kush and Nubia ( Nubia and Kush are the same civilization ) Kush is only in sudan but, with nubia it is a part of southern Egypt. It is also important to note that, west of Kush is the Libyan desert. The Libyan desert are\were flat arid lands and long seemingly never ending sand dunes that continue across the...
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...the provinces (areas)? You may address topics such as language, veteran’s settlements, citizenship, marriage, gender, legal principles and other social concepts. Prior to the Roman Republic the Etruscans conquered Rome, owning the mainland and its people which had a major influence the Roman civilization. Rome was turned into a city and the Romans had now adopted the Eutruscans alphabet, fashion and its army as well as introducing trade. The Roman army especially had an influence on the Growth of civilization when peace was established during the Pax Romana. Such peaceful conditions also promoted trade which was a very important aspect of Roman society. Roman laws and the growth of the Roman Empire were the two aspects which affected Roman religious beliefs. As Rome conquered the majority of Europe many of the different religions were introduced and later accepted in Rome to unite people. Religion was divided into two, the Gods which watched over people and their families and the pater familias who was in charge of the household worship that honoured them. A few centuries later Christianity was born. During the Pax Romana the Roman army has had a major influence on the civilization of Rome. The Roman culture made a wide spread throughout many of Western Europe including countries such as Britain and Spain. As Rome’s current Emperor, Augustus’ establishment of peace meant that Roman troops were permanently stationed in the provinces which improved civilisation in two different...
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...Knowledge of birth control was an unfamiliar topic in colonial Korea, understanding that reproduction was just a natural process that was uncontrollable. As Japan’s influences greatly impacted Korea, information on birth control slowly became recognizable, letting women have several alternatives. The realization of birth control was evidently useful, however the actions behind several aspects of this matter was not fully understood. Birth control became a leading factor to abortion, causing additional problems regarding hygiene, correct surgical methods, and ethical issues. It brought both positive and negative effects to the society, leading to new issues that were unheard of before birth control set foot into Korea. As women were described as “tools for reproduction,” they were commonly characterized as weak and unhealthy. Most women in the colonial period were used to having multiple children, leading them to have continuous deliveries with short recovery periods. Even with poor circumstances, children were still born into poverty, many families not being able to support their own...
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...What are the major ancient China’s achievements in scientific technology? For the better part of the past 1500 years, the Chinese civilization has given birth to inventions and developments in navigation, alchemy, mathematics, natural prevention and medical diagnosis. Early Chinese civilization was specifically responsible for the invention of such things as porcelain, paper, fishing reels, church bells, rudders, solar wind, the circulation of blood in the human body, the suspension bridge, the technique for drilling for natural gas, the iron plough, the seed drill, the mechanical clock, the seismograph, planting and hoeing techniques, the abacus as well as the "shadow clock," However, the ancient inventions of the Ancient Chinese civilization that revolutionzed the world are the famous “Four Great Inventions” (Chinese 四大发明). These “Four Great Inventions” are: 1) Compass, 2) Gunpowder, 3) Papermaking and 4) Printing....
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...Western Civilization is a type of civilization which relates to cultures of the western European culture. According to historians Western Civilization emerged between fourth and third thousands BC, “when people in different parts of the world began to live in organized communities with distinct political, military, economic, and social structures” (Judith & Learner, 123-129). Basically, Western Civilization is rich and famous for its progressive development and constant changes in people`s lives. She appeared in ancient Greece and ancient Rome. The first stage of its development, known as "ancient civilization", was marked by the emergence of the core values of Western-type society: the relations of private ownership, private production, market-oriented, the first “government by the people” – democracy, republican form of government. In the early times of Western Civilization the foundations of civil society to ensure individual rights and freedoms were established, as well as socio-cultural system of principles, the mobilization of creativity and development of the individuals (Judith & Learner, 130). There are many significant events that happened in Western Civilization and influenced today`s world, as some of them have significantly affected our modern lifestyle and undoubtedly changed our society. Nevertheless, I think the three major elements that happened in Western Civilization are: The Rise of Christianity, the appearance of Democracy, and the invention of the printing...
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...Christian Benjamin Mrs. Sauter History/ Block F 12/7/14 A Comparison of Social Contracts A social contract is a distinctive agreement among the members of a society to cooperate with one another to gain social benefits. There have been many social philosophers throughout history who have written about their opinion on how society should function within a successful government. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was an English philosopher who believed that the human race was corrupted from birth and that they were cruel, greedy and selfish. He also believed that people will fight, steal, and torment each other. He further believes that people must be ruled by an absolute monarchy and the surrounding governments must grant all power to the king. Another English philosopher,...
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...Freedom is a very susceptible term, to Mr. Jean - Jaques Rousseau freedom seems to be a product of nature and at the same time a product of civilization, and either of them is true depending of the context that freedom is interpreted in. Freedom then becomes a set of constraints, chains that compel us to cooperate with others in order to survive. It is for the sake of a community that new chains need to be created, thus given birth to the law. The purpose of this piece is to analyze the nature of freedom, the civil rights and the establishment of the a sovereign power according to Mr. Rousseau’s work. Let’s begin with men and his freedom. “Men is born free; and everywhere he is in chains,” (ER, 430) I take what Mr. Rousseau means is that In nature, men is born free but as soon as the event of his birth comes to pass, men becomes enslaved to his own needs, to his intellectual and physical limitations. Therefore the only obvious solution to any problem presented to man was to be solved physically, through the use of strength, to build, to hunt, to control their environment. So freedom in this sense is the use of force, and also is yielding to force, “an act of necessity” (ER,431) Mr. Rousseau calls it, and act of self-preservation. And it is by combining forces that men can manage to defend their rights, their freedom. But to Rousseau, strength isn’t just power or necessity, it is also a responsibility that compels to respect the freedom of others. This way power becomes...
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...ancient era known as the Indus Valley or Harappan civilization, and then the invasion and settlement of the Aryans along the Ganges River plain. The Ganges and Indus Rivers are known as the mother and father of India. Other rivers traverse the land, which has a lot of desert regions, the mighty Himalayan Mountains, and the torrid and humid south where spices lured traders. Yearly monsoons interrupt the dry weather with its hot humidity. Today the countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh are separated from the state of India, but in the past there were an integral part of the culture. Many languages have served to separate the Indians, but Hinduism has been an uniting religious and cultural force in additional to the impact of Buddhism, Janism, and later Islam. Just recently India surpassed China as the most populated country in the world. Ancient India spans a vast period 2500 b.c.e.-250 b.c.e. Archaeology, ancient texts, and artifacts are being used to reconstruct the lives of women. “The earliest materials found by archaeological excavations suggest the worship of goddesses. The earliest recorded religious texts (ca. 1500 b.c.e.) call on the life-giving power of goddesses to give life and to nurture and sustain it.” p. 36 from Vivante. After the Aryan invasion and the development of Hinduism and then Buddhism, India’s extant written texts add greatly to our knowledge. Centered on the Indus River valley, the oldest known civilization in India ranged from ca. 2500-1500 b.c.e. Today...
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...Western civilization is known to be the modern culture of Western Europe and North America and the migration of the culture to other developing countries. Many countries around the world have benefitted immensely and advanced as countries by adapting western customs. Countries such as Thailand, China, Japan and India have all benefitted the most by adapting to forms of entertainment, fashion and even political ideas. As time progresses and countries evolve they will keep on growing based on the fundamental influences they had by western civilization. The world that we know today has been greatly influenced and shaped by western civilization. As western civilization passed across Thailand it left behind many customs for the Thai people to accommodate to. Thailand was influenced by western civilization in many ways. Firstly, Thailand adapted to the western calendar with days, weeks, and months. Before the Thais went by the Buddhist or solar calendar which would begin numbering years with the passing of the Lord Buddha while as the western calendar starts numbering after Christ’s birth. The western calendar is followed by the rest of the world; with Thailand following it has well will be mean that Thailand will be in sync with western holidays and the western business world which would benefit Thailand greatly. Secondly the Thai’s adapted the idea of allowing woman to enrol in the military, by amending to this Secondly the Thai’s adapted the idea of enrolling woman in the military...
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...children survived: Arthur, Margaret, Mary, and Henry. Henry VIII’s brother, Arthur, was the eldest of the Tudor family and Arthur’s father would bequeath his position and the royal title to Arthur. When Arthur reached the age of fifteen he passed away leaving the right to the throne to he younger brother, Henry VIII. King Henry VIII was only ten-years-old when he was appointed king of England. He eventually married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, who was once betrothed to Arthur, his oldest brother. Catherine, being the daughter of the Spanish king and queen, was a contributing factor as to why Henry agreed to join Catherine in matrimony, for Henry could remain in relations with Spain (Ford 18). Catherine and King Henry VIII gave birth to a daughter, Mary. This was unacceptable to King Henry because he anticipated continuing his family’s name on the throne for generations to come, he would need to conceive a son to take his spot as king once he was deceased. The Catholic Church doesn’t permit divorce of a marriage, but Henry asked for Pope Clement VII to cancel his marriage. King Henry VIII demanded his marriage to Catherine be canceled, and he spoke out that their marriage was wrong from the beginning because his brother was first to marry her, making Henry VIII feel forced into and unwanted marriage with Catherine. At the meeting with the Church counsel arguing for his...
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...In the world of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, everyone is happy, society is stable and peaceful, and the world seems like a utopia. Every person enjoys life and faces no problems or deals with hardships. In reality, the civilization is stable, but only because everyone chooses not to deal with their problems and escapes multiple displeasures through different means. Happiness is prioritized over everything else and everyone chooses to remain happy instead of facing truth or other conflicts. The civilization in Brave New World thus, is more dystopian than utopian. The major detrimental effects of this society are its use of escapism as an everyday application, and how that it deteriorates the psychology of each person. The detrimental effects of this society apply to the real world....
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