Mesopotamia

In order to start a successful civilization, you must have five things: location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and region. You must choose a good location because your location will influence the skills and ideas. For example, using the ideas and skills from your neighboring tribe to survive. Next, you have to select the right place so that the physical features that you have will successfully meet your needs. The physical features include having bodies of water, a good…

New belief systems and cultural traditions emerged and spread, often asserting universal truths. A. The core beliefs about desire, suffering, and the search for enlightenment preached by the historic Buddha and recorded by his followers into sutras and other scriptures were, in part, a reaction to the Vedic beliefs and rituals dominant in South Asia. Buddhism changed over time as it spread throughout Asia – first through the support of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, and then through the…

Civilizations everywhere have their own unique quirks, but it is what they contribute to society that leaves a lasting impression. Ancient river valley civilizations are both similar and different compared to their neighboring civilizations. One civilization, though, made the most lasting impact of them all. The three societies that stood out the most were the the Nubians/Kushites, the Akkadians, and the Babylonians. Geography played a major role in how the individuals of that particular…

Beliefs are different and can vary greatly across the world, or even a small community. Beliefs can be completely opposite of a person within arm’s reach, but the same as someone two oceans away. In the ancient texts The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Rubáiyát, The Guest House, “Liberia: The Jabo”, and “Tanzania and Kenya: The Masai”. The major values of wisdom and friendship emerge. In many of these ancient writings, characters demonstrate the value of being friendly to one another, and also how it is…

Literature is meant to provoke many different kinds of emotions and responses from the reader. However, the best literary stories are the ones that have stood the test of time and are read over and over again. But is something so old really relatable to modern thinking and society. The ancient literary texts can be a bridge between ancient and modern cultures. These stories have too many years between the point they were written and the time the reader is getting to them. Problems in society…

Justice is a highly subjective idea. Every society throughout history has had legal codes with the hopes of achieving what they believed to be justice. However, because each society has different attitudes toward what they believe is just and even toward the purpose of their laws, historians have often seen different concepts arise. Two clear examples of societies having different concepts of justice and of the purpose of legal codes are the Mesopotamians, who believed that justice involved…

Sea of Poppies is regarded as a narrative in epical form. The epic always contains the mythological stories related to the lives of saints, gods and super humans. Such stories are full of mysticism and miracles. The Ibis becomes the symbol of incarnation for Baboo Nob Kissin while her voyage from Calcutta to Mauritius is regarded as a pilgrimage. Nob Kissin had been influenced by Taramomy in his life from childhood. Nob Kissin family was the devotee of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a saint, mystic…

The Journey of Gilgamesh The oldest piece of literature in the world today has transcended time. The main character of Gilgamesh reflects a journey that we must all make in life, learning we will not live forever. This lesson transforms Gilgamesh from a tyrannical leader to a humble king. Gilgamesh undergoes this transformation through a hero's journey. A hero’s journey was identified by Joseph Campbell when he recognised a similar theme across all cultures and times. The subject of the journey…

Timekeeping was an important aspect in ancient rome. The romans used it in everyday life but also in the long term. Calendars allowed them to keep track of festivals, seasons, and agriculture. Though it was difficult to work with, it improved with time. For daily occurrences like meeting or meal times, knowing the time of day was convenient to know. These simple aspects that the Romans created simplified life for them. Timekeeping and calendars posed as an important aspect of Roman life and…

Imru' al-Qais: Life and Poetry Imru' al-Qais was born in the Najd region of northern Arabia sometime in the early 6th century AD. He was an Arabian poet in the 6th century. He was the son of Hujr bin al-Harith who was a king that ruled over the tribes of Asad and Ghatfan. Many scholars believe that Imru’ al-Qais was born in the Asad territory and his mother was said to be Fatimah bin Rabi'ah al-Taghlibi. He is considered by many Arabic poetry scholars to be the father of Arabic poetry. His…