western civilization Essay

Submitted By pmhockey21
Words: 1297
Pages: 6
Open Document
Hist E-101/06
Mid-Term Exam

03/11/2013

A) The Agriculture Revolution was substantial to the development of Western Civilization. The greatest changes occurred during the Neolithic Revolution. Civilians began establishing in one general area to farm and herd animals, rather than migrating from land to land. The culture was changing and evolving in more of a group and city rather than a “hunter-gather”. Therefore, the development of civilizations grew because the people remained in that general area to harvest and maintain their food and crops. The advancement of a settlement into a city didn’t come overnight, the process took several thousand years and along the way, they encountered several challenges. The rapid increase in population and the spread of contagious diseases was a major challenge, but eventually the increased fertility and birthrates out-weighted those limiting factors. By the end of the Neolithic age, and as a result of humans learning how to domesticate plants and animals, early civilizations were able to flourish in an area known as the Fertile Crescent. The Fertile Crescent was a land with a fertile soil and important rivers stretching in an arc from the Nile to the Tigris and Euphrates. This agriculture revolution gave birth to a collection of independent city-states known as Mesopotamia. E) Slavery was an important factor in the ancient Greek society. There was a countless amount of slaves throughout Greece for thousands of years. History says there may have been more slaves than free people. Its hard to imagine how hard the slaves worked, not only were they domestic servants, but also factor workers, shopkeepers, mineworkers, farm workers, ship crewmembers and companions to their owner. Slaves weren’t just local civilians, majority were foreigners who had been captured in wars or by pirates who seized their boats as well as their cargo. The Greeks were stubborn people, they had no respect for other countries, and they thought it was only natural for these “inferior” people to be enslaved. Slaves were looked on as tools, just like a factory machine or a chainsaw in today’s world. They were treated under such poor conditions that thousands of slaves died from exhaustion and work accidents. For example, slaves were sent to mines and farms, which was such a dangerous and degrading job that most of them didn’t make it to long. Once enslaved you were given very few rights, for instance, they were outlawed from participating in any religious activities and generally people who were slaves were to be enslaved for life. In addition to slaves being treated under terrible conditions, they did make numerous contributions to society. B) Throughout the ancient world, writing emerged in many different cultures. Written records are key factors that allows historians today understand what life was really like in the ancient civilization period. One certain individual didn’t create writing, however, the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia are given credit for inventing the earliest style of writing. They started drawing pictures of goods on clay tablets, which became known as “cuneiform” writing. The ancient Egyptians also began to invent their own form of writing around the same period as the Sumerians. The writing was called “hieroglyphics”, similar to “cuneiform” writing; it used symbols to express one’s thoughts or ideas. The creation of writing was substantial in the revolution of information. For example, the creation of writing allowed news and ideas to be carried to distant places without having to count on a messenger’s memory. Like all inventions in today’s world, writing emerged because there was a need for it. For example, wireless cell phones were invented for an individual to receive and deliver information quicker; it has become a necessity in today’s society. Therefor without written records, the past and the present
Show More

Related Documents: western civilization Essay

Western Civilization

Western civilizations during the post Civil War era went through numerous developments and challenges from political, economical, and social aspects. Several factors have contributed to this. The rise of railroads, the government involvement, and the challenges faced by Native Americans are among the major developments and challenges which shaped the western civilization. The rise of the Great Plains socially affected life on the Western Civilization. The Great Plains are vast grasslands through…

Words 874 - Pages 4

Western Civilization DBQ

city of Constantinople. By withstanding constant years under siege by the Arabs, the Byzantine Empire helped shaped and preserve the uniqueness of Western Civilization. As stated by John Julius Norwich in Document A, “The Byzantines…[withstood] five years of siege by [the Arabs] hitherto considered irresistible, and in doing so… saved Western civilization. Had the [Arabs] captured Constantinople in the seventh century… all Europe- and America-…

Words 348 - Pages 2

Western Civilization Advantages

Western civilization is said to be defined by www.dictionary.com as “the modern culture of Europe and North America; also, the study of this culture, ” (Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon). Western civilization refers to a particular place in the world where history took place and the events that happened there. There are many reasons why the history that happened within Western Civilization is beneficial to students learning and understanding of the rest of the world. In order to understand and…

Words 1411 - Pages 6

Western Civilization Essay

Western Civilization: Beginnings to Present Although Western culture has been defined by both Christian and secular values across the course of time, the West’s primary goal is to achieve economic supremacy, using Christian and secular philosophies, as well as colonization and technological innovation as means to achieve this goal. Of the features that define western culture, the most unique is democracy. Originating in ancient Athens, democracy created a sense of pride in one’s government which…

Words 1417 - Pages 6

Notes On Western Civilization

Western Civilization II Site Map First, print out these instructions and place them with your other course material. Look at the buttons along the left side of the Announcement page. Inside Start Here there is the Site Map, and you are reading it. The Announcements page automatically comes up with the banner and course name. Check these announcements every 48 hours. Inside Instructor Contact you have information on contacting me and our Chair for History, Dr. Allen Jones. Inside Syllabus…

Words 334 - Pages 2

Western Civilizations: The Crusades

The Crusades were a very important occurrence to the Western Civilizations. The crusades were a series of holy wars called by popes with the promise of indulgences for those who fought in them and directed against external and internal enemies of Christendom for the recovery of Christian property or in defense of the Church or Christian people. The flow of traffic from Europe to the Holy Land led to the rise of trade and ideas. While Europe came out of the Dark Ages, the East was on the rise with…

Words 1853 - Pages 8

Western Civilization Essay

“Traveling Back in Time” As I travel in my time machine back in time to Egypt, Rome, and England I stop and hover over a few areas and stop and take a closer look at others. My first stop is Egypt during the Middle Kingdom. The Egyptians are calling the Middle Kingdom the Golden Age which seem to be an indication of stability. The Pharaoh is now being called the shepherd of his people and is providing the public welfare. Egypt is embracing on a period of expansion and they are building a fortress…

Words 512 - Pages 3

Western Civilization Essay

Jessica Turner Debate over the Black Athena 1/29/13\ The Black Athena is the theory of how the Greek Alphabet came to be. Historians and Archeologists as well as linguists believe that it was adopted from the Egyptians and the Phoenicians. The Greek alphabet was formed during the 17th and 16th centuries B.C. The Greek alphabet consists of twenty – six letters, which is what we use today. The Greek alphabet consists of different letters and symbols. Jessica Turner They Have a Master called…

Words 495 - Pages 2

Greek Influence On Western Civilization

made many contributions to western civilization. The ancient Greeks have made contributions to our fine arts, medicine, and philosophies. The Greek culture has made a major impression on the way people live today. One way that ancient Greece affected western civilization is through the magnificent artist and works of art, created in Greece and by Greek Artist. Ancient Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle have made contributions to western civilization as well. Socrates questioned…

Words 360 - Pages 2

Columbus And Western Civilization Summary

An Analysis of the Ruling Class’s Control of History in Howard Zinn’s "Columbus and Western Civilization" and George Orwell’s 1984 This historical study will define the ruling class’s control of history that is defined in Howard Zinn’s "Columbus and Western Civilization" and George Orwell’s 1984. Zinn’s historical commentary on Columbus Day defines the underlying power of an elitist Eurocentric view of the discovery of America, which had become a national holiday in the United States. Zinn (1997)…

Words 1179 - Pages 5