Reference no: EM133475418

Assignment: Early World History Paper

Part A

I sure struggle when it comes to Greece and Rome. There is so much of interest for the development of Western Civilizations, I want to include it all. Every place we study is of great consequence, of course, and I love them all, don't get me wrong. Greece and Rome, however, were the models from which the Western world cast itself. Philosophy, politics, art, architecture, literature, myths, theater,...and the list goes on, were influential. I have tried to allow you some room to pick something in option A, while directing us in options B and C. Enjoy!

Option I: Pick either Greek philosophy, Greek art and architecture, Greek religion, theater, politics, or Greek warfare as your topic. There are many aspects of Greek politics and culture you can explore. Then provide us with a wonderful entry all about your topic, which will include why you chose it and why it was important. Be sure to merge the text data with the readings from the following website. Identify what time period of Greek history you are discussing (no later than the end of the Hellenistic Age please for this assignment). Don't forget to respond to one of your peers.

Option II: For this choice, focus in on the life of Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic world. Watch the following cc video. Then, discuss the life and rule of Alexander the Great. What were the consequences of his military expansion? Evaluate the consequences; were they uniformly beneficial or were some detrimental and why. Respond to one of your peers.

Option III: This option allows you to explore Crete and Mycenaea, which are the formative periods of Greek culture. Browse through the Minoan and Mycenaean art. After viewing examples of each, compare and contrast the art and culture of these two civilizations. You may choose any objects or art pieces. Describe a few pieces to us when you post your discussion, tell us why you chose the objects or art, and tell us how the art or objects reflect or relate to the focus of each society. This requires you to describe each society with specific examples drawn from the art/artifacts and readings. In other words, what can art or material objects help us to know about a culture (its hopes, fears, drives, desires, religion, virtues,...). Respond to one other student.

Part B

Begin by reading the chapter on Rome in the text. Then, for this week, you get to build your own assignment. You will pick a topic related to Roman history that you find the most compelling and write about it. You can explore the City of Rome (), or topics related to Ancient Rome. () ()Be sure to explain why you picked your topic and identify the when, where, how, why, what data (in other words, if you pick Julius Caesar () tell us when he ruled, why he was important, what he did, how he did it, where he did the thing you are telling us about...). or perhaps you are more interested in the Empire () period? Or the "Fall ()"? Roman history is full of fascinating topics and by allowing you all the freedom to choose we will receive a diverse and interesting set of entries. There are rules of course. You may not use any encyclopedias - no wikipedia or any other type of encyclopedia is allowed. Websites ending in edu or org are usually good to use, if you don't find what you like in what I have included or the e-text. You respond to someone as usual :-)

Part C

We will look at the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire and the Islamic Empires. Read chapter seven in the text to get started.

Option I: For option A you will be investigating the Byzantine Empire. (Eastern Roman Empire). Read chapter seven in our book and the information at the included web sites below. What were the outstanding accomplishments of the Byzantine empire under Justinian and Theodora's rule? What was Theodora's role in the governance of Constantinople? What was unusual about her role, for the time? In what ways did they preserve the culture of the Roman Empire and help solidify the importance and expansion of Christianity? Don't forget to respond to one peer.

Option II: We turn our attention to the development and expansion of lslam. I am limiting sources because in the modern world there are so many anti-Islam sites that spread disinformation. I want you to get historical facts. Islam is not a monolithic religion. Under the umbrella of "Islam" are numerous cultural practices and political ideologies that are at odds with each other, as is sometimes the case with Shia and Sunni Islam or Sufi Islamic mysticism. Let's be scholars and really learn so we can understand - just as we did with our other religions and locations. Summarize the rise and main features of Islam. Then, survey the expansion of Islam -what territories did it include and what were some of the reasons for its amazing success? Who were the Shi'ites and the Sunnis? What main issues divided them? What about Sufi Muslims - what do they believe and practice? Please don't forget to respond to someone.