Knossos

Solon was an Athenian statesman, lawmaker, and poet. He is remebered particulary for his efforts to legislate against political, economic, and moral decline in arachaic Athens. Cleisthenes was an ancient Athenian lawgiver credited with reforming the constitution of ancient Athens and setting in on a deocratic footing. For these accomplisments, historians refer to him as "the father of Athenian democracy." Herodotus was a Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus in the Persian Empire. He…

After exploring the vast expanse of rooms and collections inside the British Museum, the Mycenaean Collection is the collection of artifacts that truly intrigues me. Located in Room 12 and 12b in the British Museum, the Mycenaean Collection provides an amazing insight into the Greek Bronze Age, The Heroic Age, and Greek Mythology legends, especially the epics written by Homer. The collection features many artifacts of red and black painted pottery, bronzes from the Geometric Period, bronze…

The Ancient Greeks Ancient Greek history starts around 2000 BCE and with the arrival of Indo-European settlers in the Aegean Rim. These are the settlers that the Ancient Greeks take for their ancestors. The Ancient Greeks have a deep and expansive history. The Greeks rose from individual settlers to developing entire armies and colonies. Ancient Greeks also developed some of the first philosophers and saw a deep passion for the arts and humanities. It was the Ancient Greeks who founded…

Chapter 3: First Civilizations-Cities, States, and Unequal Societies, 3500 BCE to 500 BCE Questions: 1. When and where did the First Civilizations emerge? • Much like agriculture, emerging civilizations were a global phenomenon. They first became evident in three specific locations (from 3500 B.C.E to 3000 B.C.E.) in Mesopotamia, the Egyptian Nile River valley, and Norte Chico. • Following this, the next three specific civilizations emerged. By 2000 (to 1,200) B.C.E, the Indus Valley, China,…

The art of bathing has changed greatly over the years. The development of new bathing techniques, rituals and procedures has occurred as the frequency of bathers has increased in terms of population. This rise of bathing population has led to the design of great bathing halls throughout Europe that began as small bathing facilities in Greece. Many interpret the bathing rituals associated with roman decent a form of cleaning oneself. After much analysis and research on this topic, I have found…

In Ancient Mesopotamia, the concept of law was governed by what is known as the Law Code of Hammurabi. This code was established by Hammurabi of Babylon, after taking control of most of Mesopotamia circa 1792-1750 BCE. This law can best be described by its main principle of “Lex Talionis”, a legal principle of having the punishment fit the crime. It was believed that prior to its introduction, Babylon suffered from disorder and chaos. Its people were governed by little more than their rulers…

Cannibalism is one of the strongest food taboos instilled in modern western culture. Today, people all over the world face the idea of cannibalism with derision and claims of “I would never do that!” For example, people viewed the case of Austin Harrouff, a college student from Florida who recently killed an elderly couple and was found “biting the face of the male victim,” with fear and disgust (Newsome). Although the motive for the attack was not known, Austin became someone many people viewed…

Akhenaten, the son of Amenhotep III, was an Egyptian king of the 18th Dynasty who brought many cultural reforms to Egypt during his reign. It is generally thought that Akhenaten acted through his reign without any precedent or foreshadowing. However, it has also been speculated that he may have drawn his ideas from the rule of his father. Akhenaten, with his revolutionary focus on Aten and being the first Egyptian king to truly embrace monotheism coupled with henotheism, revealed the importance…

Greek mythology is the center of the ancient Greek world. Everything revolved around the gods, deities, and nymphs. Their society thrived on the guidance received from those of greater power. Precautions were taken in order to never offend any deity. These gods and members of greater power were held to higher standards than humanity and were worshipped as so. There are many Greek gods and deities that are common to many of us; Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, and Hades. The one that I have chosen to…