...The start of Western Civilization can be traced back to the East where people in Mesopotamia and Egypt developed organized societies and created the ideas and institutions that we connect to civilization. Greeks and Romans also played a big role in the development and were fed and influenced by these older societies in the East. Around 3000 B.C., people in Mesopotamia and Egypt began to develop cities and deal with the problems of states. In order to deal with the problems they developed writing to keep records which then created text. Our memory of humans began with these two civilizations. Many things lead up to the creation of the dynamic western culture, a few of those being religion in egypt, the fall of rome, the creation of new european...
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...begin we need to define civilization. “Civilization is a way of life based in cities with dense populations organized as political states, large buildings constructed for communal activities, the production of food, diverse economies, a sense of local identity, and some knowledge of writing” (Hunt pg. 4). Areas such as Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Iraq, and others around the Mediterranean Sea are the original Western Civilizations. Mesopotamia was the home of the first civilization. There was a huge change in the climate that made the soil more fertile for crops and the domestication of animals for food or farming. This area was known as the Fertile Crescent (Hunt pg. 7). Western civilization was able, thanks to the progress of mathematics, natural science and their technological applications, to provide man with unprecedented and undreamt of capabilities and opportunities. It offered means, tools and apparatuses that were never available before, and reduced distances, bringing remote locations closer while saving time, thanks to modern means of transportation which are permanently improved, to the extent that the world has become a planetary...
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...Genieva Subic HIST – 1110 WESTERN CIVILIZATION I E Journal #1 Chapter one of our text covers a broad range of history beginning with the legend of Babel. (1) The story tells us how spoken communication has been lost over the years and it also creates a foundation for spoken history. (1) The text then moves on to the city of Çatalhöyük, which was established around nine thousand years ago in south central Turkey. (2) This city had eight thousand occupants living in two thousand homes, which is an average of four occupants per home, that’s not so different from how we live today. The people of Çatalhöyük were an organized and technologically sophisticated society that practiced religion, and had domesticated plants and animals. (2) This is just another example of how even though these people lived nine thousand years ago people today are still living in the same ways. I think that has been the most interesting part of the beginning of chapter one; our society still has many of the same values and practices of our ancient ancestors. The next section of chapter one focuses on the Old Stone Age or Paleolithic era. (3) The people of this era lived before written history existed, around 3000 B.C.E. However, they were tool-makers and artists. The cave paintings at Lascaux act as a type of history as do the finely made tools and jewelry that historians have discovered. (3) The Paleolithic people were known to be hunters and gatherers, they did not have domesticated animals, they had...
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...seemingly all revolve around one ideal, its superiority. This imagined sense of self-evaluation has become apparent in several texts and can be shown in comparison to multiple different facets that surround the West. The West, using imaginary and real circumstances, envisions itself to be in a position of superiority over both nature and other civilizations. In one instance of Westerners constructing an argument for their superiority, Plato referenced the imaginary civilization of Atlantis, whose purpose was to rival Athens. Plato constructed Atlantis as the political and cultural opposite of Athens and its democratic system. In the text, Critias recounted...
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...Western civilization dates back thousands of years as it relates to the development of various beliefs, cultures, perceptions, people, events and other related elements related to early history. Such elements help form the modern civilization we have adapted today. Western civilization is a broad term since there are so many useful and important aspects to learn about. With no doubt, Western Civilization was a useful and important concept coming into Hist 100. Many concepts derived from Egypt and other areas throughout Europe. Concepts such as Islam, Christian culture, expansion of Europe, scholastic culture, and even elements of the bible were developed during this time. One aspect that is an important part of how people live in modern times...
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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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...Music in western civilization in 20th century Music is defined as sounds that are arranged in a particular pattern in which when played are exciting to hear or listen to. Music is commonly used as a form or relaxation and entertainment. The chronology of music started way back in the period of the medieval times when the chanting was introduced into most of the catholic churches. Music then had moved through the following stages up to until the modern day music (Burkholder, Grout & Palisca 2010, p. 276). It originated in the medieval era then moved to the renaissance, baroque, classical music which ushered in the romantic music which in turn paved way to the modern music and hence the contemporary music of the 20th century. Medieval music traces back to times when music was only done to kings and queens or generally the royal people. It later found its way to liturgical platforms where the music was introduced to the Roman Catholic churches as this time Christianity was real emerging. During this time many musical artists were priests or members of the clergy. As the music entered the renaissance era the printing media had already been established. There emerged a class of composers from the western nations of for instance France Belgium Netherlands etc. Music in this era had become strong with especially the use of instruments. This included the a cappella. As the music moved on to the baroque era it had started to be used to bring a certain mood. The music composers used...
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...Greece was a very powerful civilization during the 400s B.C. and helped influence other civilizations. A civilization has many factor that can make it great including: government, specialized work, record keeping, complex institutions, and advanced technology. The Greeks had the majority of these factors in their civilization, which contributed to their success. The Greeks’ government changed multiple times throughout their history and caused them to have multiple types of governments and leaders. All these power changes brought new ideas that helped their civilizations survive, including a new way of medicine. These power struggles also made people begin to think and questions their lives through the study of philosophy. One of the civilizations...
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...Laura Allen Brownworth, Lars. Lost to the West The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization. New York: Crown, 2009. Print. Lars Brownworth wrote Lost to the West The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization because he believed that many heroic Romans were not credited for their work throughout many historical books. Brownworth thinks that the people of the past should have writing about their accomplishments towards the Roman empire. Brownsworth also believes that no other history book has credited many historical figures up to this point. Lars Brownworth not only wrote the book Lost to the West The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization , but he also has several other accomplishments....
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...Western civilization has evolved through the works of many people, as well as techniques and methods used during this period. In particular, art has given the representation of this time, which is portrayed by each artist in different ways. One of the most significant figures in western art is Michelangelo. Some of his most famous works include the painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, his sculptures of The Pietà and David. Through his significant art pieces and sculptures, Michelangelo has widely influenced western civilization. Because of his contributions, he defined western art and he represented the Renaissance time period. Michelangelo was born in Caprese, Italy, on March 6, 1475. When he was young, his parents noticed...
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...Initially the Italian Peninsula had three main groups on it, the Romans, the Greeks and the Etruscans. Rome itself was founded in 753 B.C.E. An Etruscan led monarchy was overthrown in 509 B.C.E. The Roman Republic consisted of two Consuls who were chosen annually and led the army into battle. The Roman praetor ruled in the consul’s absence but was responsible for civil justice. New praetors were put in place to rule over conquered provinces. During emergencies a temporary dictator was voted in who had unlimited power to handle the threat to Rome. Quaestor's assisted in financial matters, while aediles supervised the public games and grain supply. The Roman Senate consisted of 300 men who served for life and advised the consuls. The centuriate assembly was the political assembly of the Roman army, and the tribunes of the plebs were to protect plebeians against patrician magistrates. The council of the plebs, 471 B.C.E., passed laws for the plebeians. The Twelve Tables of Law had the laws and policies written down for all to see. The Roman confederation, 338 B.C.E., allowed for conquered nations to become citizens, it allowed for provinces to maintain their own autonomy in exchange for soldiers for the Roman Army. After the Italian Peninsula, Romans faced off with Carthage located by Tyre. Three Punic Wars followed with Carthage ultimately defeated. The First Triumvirate was a coalition between Pompey, Crassus and Caesar, who felt that the senate was continuously trying to...
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...Paul French Professor Keefe English 063 12.5.13 GUN CONTROL Is there a way to control gun distribution? I’m not sure. The control of guns has been an ongoing issue going back before the 2nd Amendment was introduced (December, 15, 1791). Prior to this Amendment people that owned guns basically made up their own laws. They were able to carry and use guns in a way that fit their life style. For the most part they would use them for hunting and self-protection being able to carry their guns either concealed or in the open was a decision they were able to make themselves. As stated, people could use their guns for hunting which provided food for their family or possibly an income if they could sell the game killed. But there were some people that would use their guns in more destructive ways. They would use their guns as a source of power to control different situations. Some examples would be, bank, train, or stagecoach robberies, territorial fights for land (The Hatfield’s and McCoy’s) the fight for political power. In each of these examples if things went wrong or if someone died there is a very good chance that guns were involved. It was only a matter of time that manufacturing of firearms for the purpose of distribution needed to be controlled. Hence the 2nd Amendment, whereas the people of this great nation have the Right to Keep and Bear Arms through the eyes of the law. Though this amendment is a big part of our constitutional right as...
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...1) What role did magic play in the lives of ordinary people in the Middle Ages? Magic was dominant in the time of the middle ages. It was famously said that one’s magic is another man’s religion. People in the middle ages would often times resort to magic to get healing or to achieve something that they want but impossible to attain. The ordinary people in the middle ages practice magic and believes in it. Magic is a part of their way of life and something that they resort to when in need of it. Ordinary people in the middle ages believes in magic and practices it. 2) What was the relationship between magic and miracles? Why was it necessary to separate the two? I think that in the time of the early Christians, it was important to separate magic and miracles because the early Christians believed magic to be antithetical to the Christian faith. It was important to separate magic from miracles because it would interfere with the faith of the early Christian believers and the church. 3) What elements of the Christian faith in the Middle Ages incorporated “magic”? I think that magic and Christian faith in the middle ages have nothing in common nor incorporated by it. The Christian faith believes magic to be the work of the devil, also the Christian faith in the early days of the middle ages were against magic, witchcraft and witches too. In this period, the Christian faith is also spreading and growing and making its marks on history thus the need to...
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...Journal #1 The Egyptian Pyramids Today in history the pyramids in Egypt were brought up and I decided to look into them a little bit more. The pyramids were built as part of a huge complex which served as a place to bury the dead. The complex was built with the king having the largest pyramid surrounded by less important families in smaller pyramids. Inside the pyramids contained objects that made it feel like a home. Objects like chairs, boats, chests, weapons, games, dishes and many different foods. The reasoning for furnishing these people's tombs is because the Egyptians believed that if the physical body dies and is properly set up in a tomb with furnishings around them there spiritual body will live on and be happy. The first real pyramid with all sides filled to make an even surface was built in 2600 B.C by King Snefru. The best pyramid built however was built by his son Khufu and was called the Great Pyramid which was built in Giza around 2540 B.C. It stands at 481 feet high, and 756 feet side on each side of the pyramid. To build this pyramid it is thought that it took 100,000 Egyptians twenty years to build with the use of limestone blocks and granite. No pyramid could ever match the size of this one and still stands today being thought of as a living god on earth. An interesting fact about the pyramid though is that the four points are exactly constructed to make up the four points of a compass. I also decided to do some research on the pyramids as a whole and...
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...Alejandra Fraguada Ancient & Medieval Western Civilization Contributions of Greek Civilization to Western Civilization. Ancient Greeks made many influential contributions to western civilization such as in the areas of philosophy, art and architecture, math and science. These contributions, which are also the achievements of ancient Greece, include certain things in the areas of philosophy, art, architecture, math and science. The ancient Greeks were a remarkable civilization in that they have made all these contributions and achievements while simultaneously fighting two wars, the Peloponnesian wars and the Persian wars. Luckily for western civilization, Greece carried on through these hardships and managed to achieve one thing after another, ultimately contributing a vast amount to western civilization. In the area of philosophy, Greece had made many influential contributions to western civilization. Greek philosophers were great thinkers who were determined to seek truth to a certain subject or question no matter where it led them. Three of the most famous philosophers in Greek history include Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato. Socrates, who lived from around 470 to 399 B.C., believed that life was not worth living unless it was examined and the truth about life was sought out. He also believed that there had to be certain standards for justice and punishment. In order to solve problems in life, Socrates invented a method for solving these problems called Socratic...
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