THE GREATER INFLUENCE OF PERSIA OVER GREECE IN WESTERN CULTURE
USAACE
SFC Eric A. Curfman
15ZSLC
17-002
SFC Maradol History repeatedly tells us that ancient Greece is the cradle of modern democracy, and is one of the most influential cultures to modern western civilization (Borbor, 2008). Hollywood has popularized Sparta as great defenders of freedom and democracy, two pillars of our own way of life, while portraying Persia as a tyrannical empire bent on the destruction and assimilation of Greece. A closer look at the evidence reveals that what we consider the modern west has far more in common with Persia than with Greece. Modern western culture is reliant on many pillars of civilization. These include individual rights …show more content…
Many city-states existed, with no real form of national government. There was constant in fighting between kingdoms. Corinth was the commercial hub of Greece and was the richest state of the nation. Sparta was most famous for its warrior culture and military prowess. Athens was the cultural center of the region, with a focus on the arts and literature. Athens was the first of the Greek states to share governmental power with a select few of the populace, specifically the wealthiest male landowners. This is where the concept of Athenian Democracy stems from. Sparta’s government was quite different then Athens, being a patriarchal monarchy with a rigid caste system. The king passed the rule of the state to his son, but only to a worthy son. Law required Spartan males to serve as warriors, and the children of Sparta did not belong to the parents, but to the state. If the elders found a male child to be sickly or misshapen, they threw him over the mountainside, or raised him into slavery (Brown, 2009). Sparta developed such a warrior centric culture to prevent the uprising of the helots, the farmer slaves that cultivated the land. The adult males, known as Hoplites, were full time soldiers. The defense of the kingdom and waging war were their only responsibilities. Spartan women did have more freedoms than women of other states did, but were unable to hold land or vote (Adare, 1999). You …show more content…
Cyrus conquered the greatest empire the world had yet seen, stretching from Asia Minor to northwestern India. One of the many reasons Cyrus was successful in conquering and maintaining his empire was his philosophy of multiculturalism. He realized that it was more beneficial to allow a conquered region to remain culturally independent than to try to force his own culture upon them (Borbor, 2008). The monoculture rulers in the past experienced turmoil and war from conquered states. To be a Persian nation, Cyrus required only the collection of taxes from that nation. Cyrus the Great is a pioneer of basic human rights. The Cyrus Cylinder, a relic from his rule, reads, “I did not allow any to terrorize the land of Sumer and Akkad. I kept in view the needs of Babylon and all its sanctuaries to promote their wellbeing. The citizens of Babylon... I lifted their unbecoming yoke. Their dilapidated dwellings I restored. I put an end to their misfortunes”. This means he conquered the land, then protected it, rebuilt it and returned the citizenry to their own way. “What makes this man and his cylinder so remarkable is that he ruled 530 years before Christ. Cyrus' declarations of tolerance, justice, and religious freedom inspired generations of philosophers and policymakers, from ancient Greece to the Renaissance, and from the Founding Fathers to modern-day Iran.
USAACE
SFC Eric A. Curfman
15ZSLC
17-002
SFC Maradol History repeatedly tells us that ancient Greece is the cradle of modern democracy, and is one of the most influential cultures to modern western civilization (Borbor, 2008). Hollywood has popularized Sparta as great defenders of freedom and democracy, two pillars of our own way of life, while portraying Persia as a tyrannical empire bent on the destruction and assimilation of Greece. A closer look at the evidence reveals that what we consider the modern west has far more in common with Persia than with Greece. Modern western culture is reliant on many pillars of civilization. These include individual rights …show more content…
Many city-states existed, with no real form of national government. There was constant in fighting between kingdoms. Corinth was the commercial hub of Greece and was the richest state of the nation. Sparta was most famous for its warrior culture and military prowess. Athens was the cultural center of the region, with a focus on the arts and literature. Athens was the first of the Greek states to share governmental power with a select few of the populace, specifically the wealthiest male landowners. This is where the concept of Athenian Democracy stems from. Sparta’s government was quite different then Athens, being a patriarchal monarchy with a rigid caste system. The king passed the rule of the state to his son, but only to a worthy son. Law required Spartan males to serve as warriors, and the children of Sparta did not belong to the parents, but to the state. If the elders found a male child to be sickly or misshapen, they threw him over the mountainside, or raised him into slavery (Brown, 2009). Sparta developed such a warrior centric culture to prevent the uprising of the helots, the farmer slaves that cultivated the land. The adult males, known as Hoplites, were full time soldiers. The defense of the kingdom and waging war were their only responsibilities. Spartan women did have more freedoms than women of other states did, but were unable to hold land or vote (Adare, 1999). You …show more content…
Cyrus conquered the greatest empire the world had yet seen, stretching from Asia Minor to northwestern India. One of the many reasons Cyrus was successful in conquering and maintaining his empire was his philosophy of multiculturalism. He realized that it was more beneficial to allow a conquered region to remain culturally independent than to try to force his own culture upon them (Borbor, 2008). The monoculture rulers in the past experienced turmoil and war from conquered states. To be a Persian nation, Cyrus required only the collection of taxes from that nation. Cyrus the Great is a pioneer of basic human rights. The Cyrus Cylinder, a relic from his rule, reads, “I did not allow any to terrorize the land of Sumer and Akkad. I kept in view the needs of Babylon and all its sanctuaries to promote their wellbeing. The citizens of Babylon... I lifted their unbecoming yoke. Their dilapidated dwellings I restored. I put an end to their misfortunes”. This means he conquered the land, then protected it, rebuilt it and returned the citizenry to their own way. “What makes this man and his cylinder so remarkable is that he ruled 530 years before Christ. Cyrus' declarations of tolerance, justice, and religious freedom inspired generations of philosophers and policymakers, from ancient Greece to the Renaissance, and from the Founding Fathers to modern-day Iran.