Populations and communities grew larger during this period of time and their complex organization became significant. New political, social, and economic systems emerged and became necessary. The growth of populations led to dramatic increase in the collective learning which was an essential step in advancing technology The extraordinary achievements in Technology and Intellectual innovation from religions such as Buddhism, empires such as Rome, and complex societies such as the Nile river valley, help us understand the advancements of humanity over long periods of time. The Intellectual advancements from 10,000 BCE to 500 CE not only helped shape our modern society, yet also help us make connections between ancient civilizations and Ideas. …show more content…
The Roman empire is a perfect way to represent this due to it’s breakthrough in an intellectual government system.
A great example of this is social classes in rome. Patricians were the landholding upper class, which was the most powerful social class that controlled the government. in the Roman society Plebeians made up the bulk of the population and included the farmers, merchants, artisans, and traders. "The efforts of the plebeians to gain power shaped politics in the early republic.”(“Roman Republic & Emergence of Roman Empire.” World History. Editors: Elisabeth Ellis and Anthony Esler. Pearson Prentice Hall Publishing. Boston, MA. 2007. Pgs. 150-160.) They had little influence on the government. However, over time they gained the right to elect their own officials (tribunes) to protect their interests. Plebeians gradually gained power and they were able to withhold government officials.Which shows advancements in equality and fairness. "More than 2,000 years later, the framers of tbe United States Constitution would adapt such Roman ideas as the senate, the veto. and checks on political power.”(“Roman Republic & Emergence of Roman Empire.” World History. Editors: Elisabeth Ellis and Anthony Esler. Pearson Prentice Hall Publishing. Boston, MA. 2007. Pgs. 150-160.).The roman republic also shows the …show more content…
advanced government system in rome. The Romans established a new form of government called res publica (republic), which means a government that belongs to the people. The aim was to prevent government officials from gaining lots of power and to enable people to choose some of the officials in the government. Also, The Laws of the Twelve Tables, (450 B.C.): was a remarkable step and breakthrough in advancing the democracy in the Rome Empire. “The Laws of the Twelve Tables made it possible for the first time for plebeians to appeal a judgement handed down by a patrician judge”(“Roman Republic & Emergence of Roman Empire.” World History. Editors: Elisabeth Ellis and Anthony Esler. Pearson Prentice Hall Publishing. Boston, MA. 2007. Pgs. 150-160.) These laws were placed on 12 tablets in the Forum (Rome’s marketplace) so everyone can read them. Plebeians were able for the first time to appeal an unfair judgment by a patrician judge.These are three of many examples that display the complex yet unique government of the Roman empire which show intellectual advancements. These advancements in Era four can also be shown by the ideology behind Egyption Gods. “Over the centuries, the Egyptian gods evolved, combining often contradictory aspects into single deities who were represented by symbols”( “Egypt.” Worlds Together Worlds Apart. Editors: Robrt Tignor, Jeremy Adelman, and Peter Brown. W.W. Norton & Company Inc. New York. 2010. Pgs. 72-81.)Egyptians thought the planet was inhabited by three different groups: kings, gods, and all other humanity. Kings were not mistaken for gods in Ancient Egypt. However after death, kings “joined” the gods whom they were representing in their lifetime. Every region in Egypt had its own god. Some gods, such as Amun, who was believed to reside and be physically present in Thebes, spread into other regions because of the importance of their hometown. Over the centuries, Egyptian gods evolved, human figures that often had animal as well as divine attributes. They included Horus, the hawk god. The gods, who were represented in sculptures, supported and maintained the king and through him all humanity. Pyramids are a perfect example of technological innovation in Egypt, due to complicated systems of designing and building. “Pyramid building evolved rapidly from the step version of Djoser to the grand pyramids put up in the Fourth Dynasty (2575-2465 BCE).” (“Egypt.” Worlds Together Worlds Apart. Editors: Robrt Tignor, Jeremy Adelman, and Peter Brown. W.W. Norton &Company Inc. New York. 2010. Pgs. 72-81.) The pyramid of Khufu, for instance, is the largest stone structure in the world, and it was built to precision to detail. Khephren's pyramid, though smaller, is even more alluring because of the protective presence of the famous recumbent sphinx. The amount of labor involved in constructing these monuments was unbelievable and provides another measure of the degree of highly intensive engineering that existed in Egyptian society at this time. The manpower was drawn from the peasants, workers, captured peoples and slaves. The intellectual prosperity in Egypt was also seen in writings. Two basic forms of Egyptian writing were used: Hieroglyphs which was employed exclusively in temple, royal, or divine contexts. Hieroglyphs was the formal writing. It is based on images that carry values of ideas. All royal and funeral inscriptions were written in Hieroglyphs. The Demotic writing was the most common and practical form of writing in Egypt ;religious hymns, love poems, medical and mathematical texts, collections of rituals, and mortuary books. The final example of technological and intellectual advancements during era 4 is Buddhism.The The Buddha described the Eightfold Path as "right views, right aspirations, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right contemplation.effort, Right mindfulness, and Right contemplation.” (“Buddhism.” World History.
Editors: Elisabeth Ellis and Anthony Esler. Pearson Prentice Hall Publishing. Boston, MA. 2007. Pgs. 79-83.) In other words it explains the morals that one must have to live a good life. "The Buddha saw the Eightfold Path as a middle way between a life devoted to pleasure and one based on harsh self-denial.” (“Buddhism.” World History. Editors: Elisabeth Ellis and Anthony Esler. Pearson Prentice Hall Publishing. Boston, MA. 2007. Pgs. 79-83.) The 4 noble truths are Buddha’s way of explaining the nature of life. It states that all life is suffering and pain, The cause of suffering is non virtue, The only cure for suffering is overcoming non virtue, and the way to overcome non virtue is to follow the Eightfold Path. . Nirvana is the point in the rebirth cycle when you reach enlightenment. It is the moment when you are at full peace. It is the ultimate goal of all people and is challenging to acheive. You must go the cycle of rebirth many times before you can reach nirvana. "For the Buddhist, the final goal is nirvana, or union with the universe and release from the cycle of rebirth." (“Buddhism.” World History. Editors:
Elisabeth Ellis and Anthony Esler. Pearson Prentice Hall Publishing. Boston, MA. 2007. Pgs. 79-83.) Yet that is the point when the reincarnation ends and you are at the ultimate level of peace. In conclusion, major developments in Technology and intellectuality shaped our world today. Egypt showed breakthrough technology, Buddhism displayed complex intellectual beliefs, and Rome’s government showed a level of fairness that had never been reached. We base our worlds today off of the technology and thought process from back then.
“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” –Marcus Garvey. The U.S. is a combination of many cultures and influences over the centuries and because of this we are alike to many of them. We could name many of these influences: the Greeks, the Chinese Dynasties but the Romans were particularly like us. We might see them as barbaric is some ways but the reality is that the U.S. takes pages from many areas of the Romans, and comparisons could be drawn between both of us. Examples include government, our religions, and in some ways entertainment. The U.S. is much like the old Roman Empire was more than a millennium ago
In order to understand the concepts of the Four Noble Truths, one needs to understand the aim of Buddhist practice. “The aim of Buddhist practice is to cure craving, the desire conditioned by ignorance that leads to suffering” (Demoss 1).2 Buddhism advocates meditation, and a “…goal of Buddhist meditation is to produce right mindfulness, an alert awareness of what is happening in body, mind, and world at the present moment” (Demoss 318).3 “Traditionally, ‘right action’ is defined in Buddhist ethics by the five percepts: do not kill, do not steal, do not engage in illicit sex, do not lie, and do not become intoxicated” (Demoss 319).4 “According to Buddhism a person does not have an intrinsic permanent changeless identity. There is no core self. The self is empty” (Demoss 1).5 The Four Noble Truths provide a conceptual framework for all Buddhist thought. According to the Four Noble Truths, craving leads to suffering, but craving can cease if one cultivates a path of mental discipline, wisdom, and moral conduct (Demoss 309).6 An understanding of Buddhism is...
Rome was a tremendous civilization that we got many ideas from. They eventually fell, but left their mark in the list of great civilizations. They had three main reasons of why they fell and those were foreign invasions, weak military, and weak leadership.
Buddhists believe that life is pain, and pain is caused by desire. They believed that ridding themselves of all desire would also end any pain they felt. These beliefs are known as the Four Noble Truths. The last step to end pain is to follow the Eightfold Path. If an individual has right views, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right recollection, right effort, and right meditation all pain would cease (Doc 6). Without the interference of pain, Buddhists strive to reach a state of higher truth, peace, and enlightenment known of nirvana. Reaching nirvana also real eases the soul from its constant cycle of
The United States was revolutionary in the 1780’s and 1790’s for their new ways of government, including giving the people representatives and having different heigherarcy groups all represented in lawmaking and government. Ancient Rome, however, was the first to use this “partial form of democracy.” The Romans were a group of people who settled in Mid-West Italy in 750 BCE. They steadily grew, and by 200 BCE they had turned into a powerhouse, slashing through neighboring land. While spreading their control and gaining power, the Romans spread their Democratic ideas. Although some believe that Natural disasters led to the collapse of the empire, believing that they succumbed to the elements, the primary reasons for Rome’s downfall was their
There are certain traits the Roman Empire possessed which contributed greatly to the growth of Christianity. The Roman Empire, most importantly, united a great variety and cultures and people into what became one nation; the resulting unity and communication between so many peoples eased the spread of Christianity all over the world. Of the Roman emperors, even the extremely rude ones assisted in spreading the Christian faith; not despite, but relieved by their pursuit Christianity grew rapidly. Finally, the oppressed and broken nature of the plebeians made them very liable to and eager of the Christian message.
Because aristocratic families in ancient Rome did not want a government dominated by one ruler, they overthrew the king to avoid losing their own power and established the Roman Republic in 509 B.C. In this new government, the idea was that an entire community of people would take part in the government. Though it was to include all citizens, it was dominated by the patricians: the elite, noble and upper class of Rome, with the plebeians (anyone who wasn 't a patrician) bringing up the rear. Structurally, this government consisted of patricians, who would be in the highest seats of the government, such as consuls and senators, and the plebeians, with a lesser say in government matters and banned from holding political office, were members of an assembly, effectively choosing the aforementioned consuls from the senate, leaving most of the benefits from this structure for the patricians.
Even though historians believed for decades that the Roman empire did not have the capability to make their way out to the Americas, there has been recent evidence indicating that this in fact is quite far from the truth. Various scientists from the Ancient Artifact Preservation Society have uncovered a massive shipwreck that does prove the fact the Romans did attempt travel to this side of the atlantic to further expand their already massive global empire.
Buddhist follow, along with karma, follow an idea called the eightfold path. These 8 steps are: right understanding, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. These steps are another process Buddhist take to get to their revelations to enlightenment. It is the last of the very first of Buddha’s teachings, The Four Noble Truths. These truths are the basic guidelines of what Buddha wants to teach. They work in tandem with each other to explain the suffering of life, what causes it, and what one must do to eliminate
One of the most important books of the Bible Paul ever wrote was the book of Romans. Romans is considered by most christians today, the summarization of why we believe what we believe and why Christ died on the cross. The book of Romans was written in the time of Paul who was going all throughout the world and the places God called him to to spread the news of the Gospel. The book of Romans was written for both Jews and Gentiles. It was written for the Gentiles to break the idea that only Jews were worthy of a relationship with God. It was a way for the Gentiles to be freed of the idea that there was a class system in the kingdom of God. It was to let them know they could be saved and brought into paradise just by faith. Conversely, the book
The Four Noble Truth states that suffering is inherent in life. The cause of suffering is caused by desire and there is a a way to put end to desire and suffering. The way is the Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Eightfold Path is the way one will reach enlightenment by following the eight virtues, which consist of the right: view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration. This believe is based of the Middle Way. By completing the eight virtues, it allows an individual to achieve mental clarity. The Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path is significant for Buddhist practice because this is the path that one follows when looking to achieve enlightenment/nirvana. If one follows this path, they are able to put end to desire, not be tempted, and achieve enlightenment just like Buddha
The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism capture the ethos of the spirituality and its teachings. By just these four lessons, Buddha preaches the principles of tranquility within meditation, not mere concentration. From these truths he developed a guidance referred to as the Eightfold Path, a series of principles that lead to awakening when practiced and understood. He preaches that inevitable suffering comes from desire, however he concludes with a solution to a life lived in nirvana. The first two of the Four Noble Truths are Dukha and Avidya, focusing on the primitive presence of suffering within day to day life.
Although Romans are known for borrowing knowledge of architecture and arts from the Greeks, they have contributed some of their own innovations to the city of Roman, such as the Colosseum. The Colosseum, completed in 80 AD, was used to entertain the public with events such as gladiator fights, wild animal hunts, and public executions (Mark Cartwright, Ancient History Encyclopedia). The Colosseum, according to Keith Hopkins of BBC, was “a grand political gesture. Suitably for that great city, it was the largest amphitheatre in the Roman world”. This brilliant and beautiful piece of architecture accurately symbolized the savage and violent nature of the Roman culture and much of it still stands in Rome today.
The Four Noble Truths are: Suffering exists, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering and Eightfold path. The Eightfold path is made up of the following: Right understanding, Right thought, Right speech, Right action, Right livelihood, Right effort, Right mindfulness, and the Right concentration.
The Roman Empire Augustus was arguably the most successful ruler in the history of ancient western civilization, and his was one of the greatest constructive successes in history. He inherited an empire on the verge of complete collapse. Rome has undergone almost a century worth of civil unrest: assassinations, riots, and outright civil wars. He evoked order out of chaos. Peace was re-established and the madness of armed conflict was squelched in every part of the Republic.