World History Homework One Answers - Student Two

ReneeStJ

1. What do you hope to accomplish with this course?

I hope to learn about lots but especially ancient greece, rome, and the reformation. I also want to learn how forms of art and music changed over time.

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.

I find the creation of adam and eve 3700-4004 B.C. most interesting. I'd like to learn more about how we come up with different dates when the Bible gives us how long each of Jesus' ancestors lived.

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 helped bring order to Babylon, but unlike the Ten Commandments it had hundreds of laws. I think this would make it much harder for average people to understand.

4. List the major ancient empires from the lecture in approximate chronological order, and identify which one you like best, and why.

The Mesopotamian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Chaldean, and Persian were the major empires. I find the Persian most interesting because they went to war with Greece several times so other sources back up the Biblical history!

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 anger between many Jewish and Arab people goes back to the different sons of Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael. I wonder how many of them know that now.

6. Describe the three kingdoms of ancient Egypt, and mention what you like most about the culture or achievements of ancient Egypt.

The Old Kingdom built the pyramids, the Middle Kingdom worked on culture, while the New Kingdom expanded its land. I find it most interesting that the Egyptians managed to make such large and accurate structures so long ago, and such beautiful cities.

H3. Pick out any mystery about the lecture this week: Did people have a higher intelligence (IQ) in ancient times than today?

I don't think they did. We only know about the absolute smartest people like Plato or Julius Caesar, so we like to think of ancient people being smarter, but there were probably millions of normal people then as now. If they were really so much smarter, why did it take so long to develop modern science?

H4. Write about anything in the lecture.

I like the question "Which matters more in making a society successful: its laws or its language?" I think it's laws. Language has very little impact on a society's success, because it can change if it isn't good enough for what people want to do. English brought in lots of French, German, Latin, and even Greek words for stuff it didn't already have words for. If it hadn't, English would probably be not very great because we'd have a harder time expressing things.