An Essay on the Characteristics and Development of Ancient City-States Essay

A city-state is defined as an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as part of a local government. Through reading the articles of Larson, Westenholz, and Neihmer it becomes apparent that city-states differ depending on the region and time they are in, and the purpose they serve. The three specific examples that come to mind are the Phoenicians, Assyrians, and the Sumerians. All three of these had unique characteristics that define each society; however, all three societies displayed enough similarities to make them definable as ancient city-states. One of the defining characteristics of a city-state is the fact that it is a self-governing and self-sufficient entity. Ancient city-states provided the first clear evidence for social stratification and most city-states contained a ruling family or dynasty, which controlled the city-state and it’s surrounding hinterlands by managing the land, water, and other natural resources. Each city state also contained a council of elders which helped the ruling family serve as a controlling body of local policy. However in Assyrian city-states there also existed a year-eponymy, which was a person who was elected for a single year to serve as the head of the city hall. He acted as the head of the city and carried out the executive orders form the higher officials suchas the king and the elders. In Sumerian city states, kings were referred to as â€Å"ensi† or â€Å"lugal† which were names that were meant to display to citizens his power and importance, and made his rule indisputable within society. Kings were relied upon to build not only monumental structures and temples for their respective deities, but also to maintain a functional infrastructure. In Phoenician city states, The king was landlord of pretentious places and sacrificial buildings. This display exists in many city- states and not only in Phoenician culture. The king demonstrated his power through buildings such as tombs and temples, but however, he was also the leading figure in charge of maintenance of public places, and in most cities, the defensive wall. There is sufficient evidence of city-walls consistently across all ancient city-states, but the reason these walls existed remains unclear. There is no archaeological evidence of warfare, or conflict between city- states. One of the most logical reasons for these walls to exist was to serve a symbolic purpose because the interior area would be posses a more clear political identity. The Assyrians, in dealing with enemies, took a unique and strict political regime that limited trade and dealings with other city-states, and as evidenced by the archaeological record, in a letter. Their particular rule stated that if any merchant traded with a Akkadian Amorite or a Subariean, then the merchant would be put to death. Laws such as this one established a clear political stance that many cities held on many issues concerning interactions with outsiders. Though The city ruler acted as the city god’s human deputy and managed the assets of the city as a whole. there is also sufficient evidence for long- distance trade. City- states developed in Phoenician, Assyrian, and Sumerian society as important trade resources and had a significant impact on culture. Prominent city-states were key to cultural development because they were able to support local artisans and were key centers of trade, which enabled different cultures to influence one another. Sumerian city-states were located in key trade locations because their own agricultural opportunities were scarce, and they heavily relied on the trade of barley, beer and textiles to other places in order to obtain food resources form elsewhere in order to support their population. In Assyrian society, the economy was controlled by ruling families and therefore, trade was regulated depending on the ruling class. These city-states productivity was dependent upon the weather for that year, so trade would fluctuate depending on the success of the season. For Phoenician city- states, there is sufficient archaeological evidence for long- distance trade, shown in the influence and presence of foreign art and style. Furthermore, archeological evidence is supplied in the discovery of cylinder seals, which were used to ensure the authenticity of the item being traded or shipped, and ensure its condition, if the seal remained unbroken. Key developments in ancient city- states are displayed in the changes of city plan’s and architecture, as well as further developments in trade. In some cases, cities were set up in tribute to a specific deity. These cities were mainly located on a hill, with a temple on the highest point, with the rest of the city built around the center temple. These temples not only served as places of religious worship and practice, but also served as cultural and economic centers. A distinguishing characteristic of many ancient city- states is, dominant palaces, temples†¦of sometimes monumental size and form†¦lie next to tightly knit living quarters traversed by an irregular network of streets, and in most cases these cities had irregular and unique city plans from one another. The proximity of the households to the temple showed the importance and the involvement of the temple in the daily life of the citizens. Furthermore, the layout of the city also demonstrates social stratification.

Historical Change- Describe the drive for African American Civil Essay

Historical Change- Describe the drive for African American Civil Rights 1863 1968 - Essay Example is period only served to set precedence to later activities that culminated in great achievement not only for the blacks in American but also for the many people with similar problems across the globe. In America, the civil right movement focused much in the south, a region that was inhabited by a large African American population. This region was characterized by a blatant racial inequality in economic opportunity, education and legal and political process (Smith, & Wynn, 2009, pg 12-14). In 1808 the U.S congress abolished slave trade following the passage of the constitution which banned slavery. This became the central divisive matter in the early republic. Such is the case that this law came into force at a time when the south was heavily dependent on cheap slave labor for their agriculture contrary to the north that was speedily embracing industrialization. The newly found division between the south and north aggravated political and cultural differences and resulted to great animosity. One such difference revolved around the issue of admitting new states. Here, the question was as to whether to admit them as free or slave oriented. The effect of this crisis came up in 1820 when Missouri requested for admission stating its intention to operate a slave state. The north came out strongly against Missouri admission fearing that the slave holding states would gain majority share in the senate. This was however resolved through a compromise that saw Missouri granted i ts request as a slave state but not without the admission of a free Maine( cut out of Massachusetts). This move ensured preservation of the balance of power between the two antagonistic parties but never resolved the raging controversies. Following the growing antislavery campaigns, especially from the north, the abolitionist movement alongside other charities undertook a move that saw them purchase slaves with the sole aim of sending back to Africa, this was in the early 1800s. For instance,

An improvement Approach to Quality Education In the United States of Research Proposal

An improvement Approach to Quality Education In the United States of America - Research Proposal Example This essay declares that the common aim of the entire US educational system must be established as the Deming philosophy applied to education suggests that each school in its educational setting is a component of the whole educational system in America and each school is obligated to accomplish the overall aim of the system, rather than focusing exclusively on maximizing its own performance. Otherwise, the effort among schools will be fragmented and the system will be sub-optimized; each and every school must exist to accomplish the common aim – to educate students to be equal American citizens, equal not only in political or social rights but also in educationally determined abilities to be both self-supporting and contributing American citizens. This paper makes a conclusion that the Japanese system did not develop without drawbacks or flaws that have had to be eliminated as the country became able to afford the solutions economically. Nevertheless, the emphasis on co-operation at all levels, a necessity within environments having extremely scarce resources, has contributed tremendously to raising the educational standard of the entire population in Japan. Perhaps for the first time in American experience, resources are becoming scarce and encouraging individuality and competition is incompatible with providing quality education at minimum cost; we must re-evaluate co-operation as a most efficient and cost effective approach to providing quality education equally to all students in American state schools.

The Role of Colors in The Great Gatsby Research Paper

The Role of Colors in The Great Gatsby - Research Paper Example The first huge symbolism that is exemplified in the Great Gatsby is the symbolism of green light. The green light is a monumental factor that exemplifies Jay’s dream to chase Gatsby. The green light had a profound meaning as it signifies Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future. Gatsby love for Daisy, as excellently illustrated in Chapter 1 as he reaches for the light, represents his quest to get Daisy. Gatsby had a strong attachment to this mysterious light as the author states, â€Å"Gatsby believed in the green light† (Fitzgerald 128). The green light was Gatsby only diminishing hopes to ever get back with Daisy, which unfortunately never occurred.   In addition, the green light also represents that of the quest for the â€Å"American Dream† that the new immigrants desired when they reached the â€Å"promise land† (Mellard 853). In essence, Fitzgerald believed that Americans were disillusioned by attaching a meaning to America through their own dreams. Green is used to portray wealth and money that all people love to accumulate. Similarly, Gatsby is deceived as he attaches this perfect illusion to Daisy. Unfortunately, Gatsby is struck with utter failure as he fails to attain Daisy just as the American dream was devastated by the materialistic things in 1920’s. Gatsby’s bold attempt to re-create his best memory, which was to spend time with Daisy in Louisville, never happened. Sadly, Gatsby lost his will to live and looked forward for his death (Mellard 855). Another element that is exemplified via color, is ash through the color of gray. .† Fitzgerald excellent ability to point of key flaws in society was perfectly illustrated by this symbolism. Fitzgerald describes the Valley of Ashes in his book â€Å"a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and

Candide Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Candide - Essay Example Most of these Barons perverted justice because they had unfettered powers. Dr. Pangloss represented philosophers of that generation. Dr. Pangloss believed in logic steeped in divine providence. Dr. Pangloss position discouraged effort. It allowed people to accept things as they were and live with them. This position discouraged science and development in the society. James the Antabaptist depicted the fact that idealistic religion caused good people to suffer whilst bad people enjoyed life. This was a fundamental questioning of the essence of religion. This is shown by the fact that even though James did many good things by healing Dr. Pangloss, sharing the little he had and even rescuing the drowning man, he drowned in the stead of the person he sought to save. On the other hand, the bad person who was rescued got a new lease in life and went to loot from the rubles of the Lisbon earthquake. Candide, Ms Cunegund and the Old Woman were just helpless victims of the society who suffered because of the injustices of the European society. The institutions satirized included the Catholic Church which supported the oppressive system of Europe. The Old Woman was the daughter of a Pope. Protestants in Germany had a belief in divine providence which stood in the way of independent thinking. Protestants in Holland had a strong hatred for the Pope and this led to war. Atheists were seen as people who did not believe in anything but enjoyed life. States like Germany, Portugal, Ottoman Empire and Britain were depicted as unjust and disrespectful of human rights. They supported extrajudicial killing, slavery, war and many inhumane practices. Candides travels show the different trends in Europe like the injustices perpetrated in wars in Europe. In Holland, Voltaire shows evidence of anti-Catholicism, pure capitalism and lack of social security systems. In Lisbon,

Assignment on us history Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

On us history - Assignment Example All the more along these lines, we verbalize that the outlaw laws requires the way that the profit of slaves "for ache of overwhelming punishment" is acknowledged yet allowed a jury trial under the condition that outlaws be restricted from affirming with all due respect (Gordon, 2013). Because of this and thinking about the historical backdrop of west domains possessed by the slaves, being a stakeholder I feel that slaves dont possess and additionally propose to o claim any slaves and hence the bearings could be viewed as invalid and void. The War of 1812 was, it could be said, a second war of freedom, for before that times the United States had not been concurred fairness in the group of countries. With its decision, a large number of the genuine challenges that the adolescent republic had confronted since the Revolution now vanished. National union under the Constitution brought a harmony between freedom and request. With a low national obligation and a landmass expecting investigation, the possibility of peace, success and social advancement opened before the country. Pondering the part of the uncovered framework, the position of the central government at this point is incredibly reinforced by a few Supreme Court choices as saw from the way that a conferred Federalist, John Marshall of Virginia, got to be head equity in 1801 and held office until his demise in 1835. Subjection, which had up to now have gained minimal open consideration, started to expect much more amazing vitality as a national issue. In the early years of the republic, when the Northern states were accommodating prompt or progressive liberation of the slaves, numerous pioneers had assumed that bondage might vanish. In 1786 George Washington composed that he passionately longed some arrangement could be embraced "by which bondage may be abrogated by moderate, beyond any doubt and subtle degrees. The desire from that point forward have been turned out to

How the Stock Market Crash of 1929 Affected the United States Essay Example for Free

How the Stock Market Crash of 1929 Affected the United States Essay The year of 1929 is marked by the Stock Market Crash in which most consider to be the beginning of the Great Depression. This was not the sole cause of the Great Depression, though. The Stock Market Crash was caused by an economy that was not stable enough to handle the high stock prices. The Stock Market Crash helped bring on the Great Depression which forced the United States government to make changes in the regulation of stock exchanges, providing much greater protection for investors. The United States was a young nation and was not always as powerful as it is now or was in 1929. The United States was formed from European citizens who wanted to start their lives over. So the United States had relatively little money compared to the financial status of the rest of the world. London at the time was considered the center of finance. The United States borrowed money from England and other countries to spur its industry. By 1960 it seemed that the United States would inevitably be the worlds most important business and financial power. The Civil War provided a boost for industry, which jump-started the gradual shift of financial power from London to New York. The United States had a valuable asset in the form of land. â€Å"The United States was forced to develop itself before it could worry about competing with the world. Hence, the amount of capital was far greater once available to be spent outside the United States. The year of 1914 can be considered the point at which the United States would never be second in the world again.† (Axon, 32) Europe was stricken with war and the United States was turned to for supplies. The â€Å"wealthy European countries were ravaged by war because of casualties, economic losses, and expensed of war over four years.† (Axon, 33) The United States only was in the war for a year and did not have its country damaged by the war. The United States emerged from World War I being owed billions of dollars for having financed most of the war and was acknowledged to be the leader of the Western world. The early 1920s were a time of booming industry, of soaring hope and confidence. The ups and downs of the stock market were hardly noticed by the average American. The average American was more concerned with their daily life than the state of the stock market. The economy was such that many new products and services were available to almost everyone, including the automobile, radios, and other products for the home. The stock market was controlled by professionals that worked for large firms who had good financial backing which made it easier to use the market advantageously. Small investors were never shut out of Wall Street but the professionals paid for stock tips and also rigged the market so that certain stocks would rise and fall. This gave small investors a much harder time in making money through the stock market. As the market began to grow more small investors entered the game and were really just gambling their money. Most were not successful but some got lucky or got a good stock tip and rode the rising market until they lost their money too with the Stock Market Crash. At this time nobody had any reason to believe that the stock market would not keep rising. â€Å"Throughout the 1920s a long boom took stock prices to peaks never before seen. From 1920 to 1929 stocks more than quadrupled in value. Many investors became convinced that stocks were a sure thing and borrowed heavily to invest more money in the market.† (PBS) As the market grew, the stock market became a way of life and was a highly discussed topic among common Americans who were eager to get a piece of the pie. Americans no longer were connected by the common bond of making a life for themselves like at the birth of the nation. The 1920s were an era of revolution in ideas, beliefs, inventions, and ways of living. â€Å"The nation was totally different after World War I than before. The United States experimented with Prohibition. The Jazz age rose from the streets of Harlem, NY. Women got the right to vote. The whole of society was convinced that anything was possible, not only in the stock market and finances, but also in every facet of life.† (Sherrow, 12) Most of this is taken for granted now because what was considered a new idea seems commonplace and because the Stock Market Crash of 1929 overshadowed the great improvements in society. Societys attitude affected Wall Street, though. The large investing firms thought that the government should not be allowed to interfere with the speculation of finances. This is a common feeling when the economy is booming, that the government is always trying to oppress. The exact opposite is seen when the economy is in a depression and everyone turns to the government for help. The federal government was very limited in its control of the market and could not impose new control efforts at the time because the nation would not agree. As we know now, the stock market would have been better off if the government would have stepped in when the stock market became dangerously high. One of the main causes for the stock market to become dangerous was because large firms or groups of individuals practiced unfair techniques when buying and selling stocks. This was known as rigging the market. The stock market flows more smoothly through normal buying and selling activity but when certain groups tried to make money in an unfair way they hurt others in the process which concentrated capital. Large pools could control prices more than was healthy for the stock market. Some made fortunes others lost everything. An example was â€Å"a cigar stock at the time was selling for $115 a share. The market collapsed. I got a call from the company president. Could I loan him $200 million?† (Blaszczyk and Scranton, 337) To the public, the stock market seemed as though it would surely make them money, and were buying. The craze was a â€Å"frenzied finance that made Ponzi look like an amateur. (Blaszczyk and Scranton, 337) The insiders were controlling the market though, setting the stage for the greatest crash of all time. The booming economy in the United States was not typical of the whole world. England had its share of problems concerning currency. The people wanted gold to again be used as it was before the war. They felt that it was a valuable metal and provided a solid backing for currency. The British government finally agreed, after a lot of pressure, to re-instate the gold standard but it was a new version where gold would be used to back up paper money and gold would be used to handle international debts. The pound was put into use, which created a problem. The pound was overvalued in terms of other currencies meaning that people had to pay more to by British goods. Naturally, people bought goods elsewhere to avoid the currency exchange rate of the pound. Instead of realizing what was happening, the British tried to lower the price, which in turn lowered wages and caused strikes to break out in England around 1926. Germans were not better off. Of course their country was destroyed physically by war, but the financial system was very poor at this time in Germany. Germany was forced to pay reparations according to the Treaty of Versailles plus the inflation was so bad that German currency was absolutely worthless. The German public was enraged about this and the fact that they lost a lot of what they considered their land because of the war. The new government installed in Germany after the war called the Weimar republic was a democracy. The German public could not adjust to this making governmental intervention a difficult task. France and the rest of Europe faced the same effects. Inflation was uncontrolled and the political systems were thrown into upheaval. Since the United States was so financially secure at this time, countries like Britain and France naturally asked for assistance. They appealed to the Federal Reserve Board to make cuts in interest rates in the United States. This would make the United States less attractive to investors and would maybe cause investment in Europe instead. By increasing the money supply in the United States, the dollar would be worth less and make American goods more expensive while lowering the price of foreign goods. At this time the United States thought that this would not benefit it at this time. After all, the economy was booming, nearly everyone was working, people were making money from the stock market, and life was generally pleasant. Taking actions that would have hurt the United States would not have been appreciated by businessmen and normal citizens as well. The United States paid little attention to these pleas. There has always been talk that if the Federal Reserve Board would have stepped in that there would have been no boom in speculation, greatly reducing the risk of a crash. The argument against this is the fact that the Federal Reserve Banking system has little control of the economy, but can only make changes spurring growth or decline. Other theories put the blame on foreign countries too. One allegation states that stock speculation and gambling the market was a trait the United States adopted from Europe. However, the get rich quick attitude of Americans is just as great as the Europeans. The California Gold Rush and the Florida Real Estate Boom prove this. The United States Government can still consume most of the blame. At that day and age, it was hard to expect economists to predict exactly what would happen with the stock market rising so rapidly. They could have realized that it was a dangerous situation. The government felt too threatened by  business. When the government stepped in businessmen, bankers, and society in general criticized them for trying to take action when none was deemed necessary. By 1928 the stock market had reached the point of no return. The stock market fluctuated greatly and the risk of the stock market became greater. The rigging of stocks became so common that people of great esteem thought nothing wrong of manipulating stocks in way that actually defrauded the public. By† the inevitability of a market collapse was upon the United States but nobody expected that a full-fledged business depression was to come about because of it.† (Axon, 47) At this time three million shares were traded each day. Slowly it rose to four and five million shares per day. By November 1928 a daily volume of six million shares was reached. It must be realized that industrial stocks rose at a normal rate at this time, approximately growing by a third. The individual stocks are what marked disaster. For example, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) grew an unheard of 400 percent in 1928. In 1929 the stock market continued to grow at a dangerous pace. People borrowed money at high interest rates figuring to make enough in the stock market to cover the interest and still profit greatly. With people concentrating so much energy in the stock market, few realized that production could not keep up with the stock market. The automobile and construction industries had a small decline but people disregarded it as normal. Few Americans decided to sell-out for a profit. Most refused to believe the boom was coming to a halt. Stock market prices were now driven up by the sheer power of speculative demand. In other words, there was nothing concrete to back up the stock prices. By mid-October, the stock market was in a bad state. No major boom could revive the quality stocks that took a sharp dive. Fear began to take the place of greed in Wall Street. The word sell was now heard more than the word buy. Brokers asked for more margins or more cash from the customer to be paid into their accounts. The customers, of course, could not afford it and the brokers sold the stock. This pushed stock prices even lower. Everyone began banking the large operators on Wall Street would step in because they had much more to lose than the small investor. The problem was that they could not afford to because they were already in trouble because of the sharp decline in their stocks. October 24, 1929 was called Black Thursday because this hope was squashed and stock prices plummeted. Even after this there was still some hope. That same day, bankers moved in trying to restore some of the mess. They were trying to restore some of the optimism in the market. This was not the case as the following Monday, October 28, 1929, the market was flooded with selling orders. The big bankers were no longer there because they were in their own trouble. The people that were hurt the most are those that put their whole lives into the stock market and now walked the streets, stunned about their losses. â€Å"Some of the more badly declining stocks from 1929 to 1933 are as follows: Consolidated Cigar common stock fell from $115 to $3. General Foods dropped from $82 to less than $20. General Motors fell from $91 to less than $8. US Steel dropped drastically from $261 to just over $21. The railroad stocks were hit the hardest. The New York Central Railroad alone fell to $9 from $256.† (Klingaman, 111) The Stock Market Crash of 1929 marked a new era that was not immediately realized. Just as the rising stock market had provided industry with the capital to expand, the falling market caused industry to move into recession.