World History Homework One Answers - Model 2009
1. What do you hope to accomplish with this course?
- Like in American history, I hope to learn a great deal and remember it for the rest of my life. (Kara)
- With this course I wish to improve my writing skills, my ability to hold an argument, and to learn more about the history of man. (Cole)
2. Look at the estimated dates in the three tables. Pick any one that you dispute, or are most interested in, and discuss it briefly.
- When you look at the dates of the Assyrian (B.C. 700) and the Late Babylonian (B.C. 500) languages you will see that they were less than 200 years apart according to the first table, yet the drawing of characters changed more significantly. Meanwhile the Outline Character (B.C. 3500) and the Archaic Cuneiform (B.C. 2500) languages that were over 1000 years apart showed little character change in function. ... Why would the newer civilization change their characters so much? ..." (Sandro)
- One of my favorite events in the bible was the Tower of Babel. The Tower of Babel was located in Babylonia around 2500 B.C. it was built in hopes to be able and reach heaven. God was not in agreement with the people who were involved with building the tower so he mixed up all the languages that way none of them could communicate with each other. I like how God could simply mix up the way people talk that way none of them could communicate and finish the tower. (Amanda)
- In the biblical events table the Creation most interests me. Though we estimate the creation to be around 3700-4004 BC, the Bible does not say how long it was that Adam and Eve stayed in the garden. It could have been many, many years before Adam and Eve sinned - more than most predict. I think that people assume too much when they give such a narrow span of years that the Creation could have taken place in. (John)
3. Write about any aspect of Hammurabi's Code, such as its similarity or differences with the Ten Commandments, or its role in making the society (which society was it?) a success.
- Hammurabi’s Code was a very simple, down-to-earth form of government. Jesus actually takes this concept one step further in the New Testament. In Matthew 7: 12 Jesus says, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Hammurabi’s Code stated that people would pay for their crimes by having their crimes done to them; an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Jesus says that we need to do to others what we would have them do to us, and if we follow these principles our society will be a success. (Jenna)
- Hammurabi’s Code was rather restrictive on society. It had rules for everything: how much a skilled artisian would be paid, based on his craft, how much a physician would be paid if the surgery he preformed went well, how much he would be penalized if it went poorly. If he was operating on a freeborn man’s son, and the son died, the physicians own son would be killed. If a builder built a house and it collapsed on the owner and killed him, the builder would be killed as well. These kind of rules don’t create good circumstances for population growth, or good relations in the trade market. There were even rules for what you could do if you wanted to throw your son out of your house. Such an amount of rules, extending into private business and family, is not healthy for society. Government should not be so intrusive. (Michelle)
4. List the major ancient empires from the lecture in approximate chronological order, and identify which one you like best, and why.
- Mesopotamia, Egypt, Indus Valley, China, Mexican Olmec, and Peru are the first major empires of world history. Egypt is definitely my favorite because of their amazing intelligence. Their communication wasn’t that great, but to see such great works of architecture and leadership simply amazes me. (Leonard)
- The Assyrian Empire, Chaldean Empire and the Persian Empire. I liked the Chaldean empire because of their military dominance and their king Nebuchadnezzar. (Isaac)
- Mesopotamia - about 3500 B.C.
- Egypt - about 3100 B.C.
- Babylon - about 2300 B.C.
- Israel - 1010 B.C.
- I like Mesopotamia because of its mystery, prosperity, and also the geography: placed between two rivers that bring fertile soil to it. (Jonathan R.)
5. Current Events Question: What controversy today can be traced back in origin to something in this week's lecture, such as current Middle East conflicts?
- The conflict between Israel and Palestine today dates back to the sibling rivalry between Isaac and Ishmael. (Steven H.)
6. Describe the three kingdoms of ancient Egypt, and mention what you like most about the culture or achievements of ancient Egypt.
- Old Kingdom: The dynasty that lasted between 2700 B.C. TO 2200B.C. In this time period the Egyptians built many significant structures including the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx.
- Middle Kingdom: a period that lasted from 2100-1800 B.C. in which the Egyptians created a new form of government which did not give the pharaoh absolute power.
- New Kingdom: The dynasty that lasted from 1570-1080 B.C. In the beginning of this period of time the Egyptians were very successful in conquering many other territories, but, towards the end, Ancient Egypt began to fall apart and it soon was invaded and captured.
- I am fascinated by the pyramids that the brilliant Egyptian architects constructed without the wheel. What also interested me was that women were not considered lowly or unintelligent and that they could own land or a business. I think it helped that there were some women pharaohs at that time to prove that women are also great thinkers and can be wonderful rulers. (Veronika)
- The three kingdoms of ancient Egypt were a) The Old Kingdom (3100-2200 B.C.), b) the Middle Kingdom (2100-1650 B.C.), and c) The New Kingdom (1550-700 B.C). More so than its achievements, the culture is what really stands out to me - the way they dressed, who and what they worshiped, the way they mourned, etc. ... (Olivia)
H1. Write briefly about the role of Jerusalem in ancient history.
- Jerusalem was the place where Solomon built God's temple. (Benjamin)
H2. Do you see a key role for language or religion in determining the rise and fall of ancient empires in this week's lecture? Give at least one example.
- ... The Egyptians two flaws were their language, and the fact that their "god" or Pharaoh, died. This created disbelief, and the fact that their written language was so inferior was instrumental in the inability to keep concise records, which till this day are hard to decipher ... one has to wonder though, was their lack of an efficient language purposeful, as the ancient Egyptians did keep marvelous tallies of their successes, failures, food stores and population ... this "language" was efficient, and the only time they used this picture language was in tombs when describing something mystical, which is far different from using it as a true language. (Jonathan L.)
H3. Pick out any mystery about the lecture this week (such as the history of marriage or the construction of the pyramids) and suggest an explanation for it. Other mysteries are at:
http://www.conservapedia.com/Essay:Greatest_Mysteries_of_World_History
- The construction of the pyramids by the Egyptians is one of the most confusing aspects of World History. How could an ancient civilization, without access even to the wheel until later in its lifespan, manage to construct such large structures with unparalleled precision and skill? I think it is important to understand that without modern distractions and the like the ancients (including the Egyptians) probably devoted far more time and energy in mastering the various arts to which they had access. That being said, time and energy, regardless of how ample, can never sufficiently account for genius, pure and simple. Literal explanations, naturally, are more complicated. The sadly flawed theory that the Egyptians used logs to build the Great Pyramid is incorrect for several simple reasons: a) the use of the logs is too close of a leap to the wheel for someone to use without making the connection, b) Egypt simply did not have the resources to muster such a supply of logs, and c) the logs would have snapped like twigs under the weight of multi-ton pieces of rock. If I had to guess how they managed to construct the pyramids I would assert that perhaps they used a series of planks and boards somehow slickened by oil, mud, water, or some thereof combination in addition with sledges to drag the pieces into place. In any event, even such an explanation cannot account for how precisely the measurements of the stones are, in addition to how spectacularly precisely the pyramid is aligned with the celestial heavens. (Joe)
H4. Write about anything in the lecture.
- I just want to comment on how large and successful the cities of ancient times were. For example, Babylon was larger than San Francisco, and Sumerian/early Mesopotamian cities were modern in all aspects except technology. When you think “ancient” you think cavemen or savages, but the ancient people were very much just as advanced as we are now. If they had had the same technology back then as we have now, they would probably have been almost identical to us today. (Addison)
- The Babylonians also had superior gardens, which included the first Hydroponics systems, the hanging gardens at Babylon. This showed their intellect, as hydroponics is a far more efficient way to grow plants than in traditional soil. (Jonathan L.)