Xerxes I of Persia

strong ties to other countries though trade Rome was prosperous. Power was mainly in the upper class’s hands, much like the Byzantine, Roman, and Persian Empires. A hierarchy was established and followed closely. Rome was not a dictatorship like Persia and Byzantine Empires; it was ruled by an emperor who has the highest amount of power, but a senate was also involved. The senate did not necessarily represent the average people of Rome, they kept the power spread out more. Throughout the…

Herodotus and Thucydides are the first Greek historians credited for documenting history. Not only are Herodotus and Thucydides credited for writing the first accounts of ancient Greek history, but they each shaped the future of historical writing in their own unique ways. The Peloponnesian and Persian wars were both important conflicts that focused on independence. Herodotus earned the designation “The Father of History” because before his writings, the Greeks had no word for history in terms…

The next musical work performed by the Alabama Concert Band was entitled Xerxes by John Mackey. This piece begins in a very disjointed and seemingly unappealing way, as the low brass and percussion begin with a homophonic rhythm. The tempo is one of moderato, as it is not fast, yet all slow either. All of the notes are staccato and separate from neighboring notes, which creates a sound that may seem strange or odd at first listen. It is written in a chromatic key, with no clear major or…

After deposing the queen for disobeying his command, the King of Persia sets about finding a woman to take her place. A beautiful Jewish girl, going by the name of Esther to conceal her heritage, was chosen to be the new queen. An orphan raised by her uncle, she was humble, obedient, and followed the law. Once queen, she continued to be guided by her uncle, who reveals a plot to exterminate her people. Finding her voice and the strength to disobey the law of her king would take great faith. She…

the founder of the Persian Empire. He allowed his people to keep doing their traditions which made his people loyal to him. When he died in 529 BC, Cyrus had already ruled the largest empire in the world. He had a son named Cambyses.When Cyrus died Persia rebelled and did not have an obvious leader. A man named Darius defeated all his rivals and became the next king. He called himself "King of kings", because he was very powerful. He organized the empire into twenty provinces. In each providence…

Esther 4:10-17 The book of Esther is a historical narrative, which tells the story of God’s people escaping exile in Israel with the help of a brave Jewish woman, Esther. While Esther has reservations about Mordecai’s request for her to appeal to King Xerxes, Esther follows through with the request, as she knows that it will serve the Jewish people. Mordecai on the contrary understands that God will stand true to His promise of redeeming the Jews, even if it is not on their desirable timeline.…

Themistocles of the Greeks and Xerxes of the Persians, in very different ways. Herodotus often points to how both men handle council and their own piety as a tool to depict what kind of men they are, and at times reinforces his own generalizations of the Greek and Persian people using these men as his proxy. Herodotus seems to accept the idea that men, as individuals, can shape great events, along with the gods. He lends this idea great weight through his explanation of both Xerxes’ and…

quickly changes from sympathetic to frantically desperate as the chorus better understands Medea’s intentions regarding the fate of her children. The chorus quickly states that they do not support her plan to kill her children by stating “I support / the laws of mankind, I ask you not to do this” (Eur. Med. 835-836). As Medea convinces herself that killing the children is the only true revenge, the chorus gets worried that she will follow through with the horrible act and they cry “we beg you,…

I believe that Jesus is the Messiah and I believe that some of these are truly prophecies and others I believe are not. Psalms was written as poems and songs, it is about David and His experiences. I do not believe that someone can just pick a single verse out of Psalms and say it is a prophecy to fit their own agenda. David was writing about his hands and feet being pierced because that was a common practice done to criminals at the time. There are more concrete prophesies in the bible about…

Precis Two: Herodotus’ The History I will begin by outlining the major problems with the Persian monarchy as described in Herodotus’ account. In a debate about the conditions of Persian government, Otanes discourages the idea of a monarch, stating, “The monarch may do what he pleases, with none to check him afterwards. Take the best man on earth and put him into a monarchy and you put him outside of the thoughts that have been wont to guide him” (3.80). This, in my opinion, is the greatest…