which ever topic choice is fine with me. 

His101

Essay #1

Due March 3rd at 10:30 PM (turn in to Blackboard) Late essays lose 2 ½ points per day late

Worth 50 points

Choose and answer ONE:

1) Define as thoroughly as possible the term “civilization”. What qualities does a culture need to have to be considered a civilization? What specific qualities of civilization do we find in the earliest Mesopotamian culture of Sumer? (Be sure to use specific terms for Sumerian civilization (such as “Ziggurat” and “Cuneiform” etc.).

2) Discuss the development of the Hebrews’ fairly unique culture from the larger Mesopotamian world they lived in. What similarities did they have to Mesopotamian religion and culture? What notable differences developed? What events changed the Hebrews’ culture and religious views? Cover the period from the Covenant through to the end of the Babylonian Captivity.

3)   Discuss the development of democracy in Athens. What did the Athenians mean by “democracy”? Who was considered a citizen? What branches of government did the system have? What role did the magistrates play? What type of government did pre-democratic Athens have? How was the system reformed by Solon, Cleisthenes, and Pericles?

Your essay should be about 1 ½ -2 pages (typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font, one inch margins). For this essay, only use your textbook as a source of information. Do not copy and paste online sources. Pretend you are basically writing an “open book open note” essay in class. Write in the past tense. Do not make comparisons outside the historical period identified in the topic or with the present. Write it in your own words (Plagiarism score should be below 20%-most essays I’ve received in the past are below 10%).

 Spelling and grammar errors count off (1/2 point per error) so be sure to proofread carefully (and don’t rely on spell check alone-it doesn’t catch everything)! Here are some common spelling errors to watch out for:

-Pharaoh

-Lead/Led-for example: “The toy soldier, though covered in lead paint, took the lead and led the unit up the hill.” It is that last “led” that students usually get wrong

-Its/It’s/Its’: If you aren’t trying to write “it is” use “its” (“it is” is the only thing abbreviated as “it’s”; “its’” isn’t a word)

-Words ending in “ist”: more than one scientist, Communist, colonist, environmentalist etc. is two scientists, four Communists, six colonists, ten environmentalists for example. There would also be two Nazis not Nazi’s

-For the most part, if you are trying to write centuries in numerical form it will be like this: 1900s, 1700s, 2000s not 1900’s, 1700’s, 2000’s

-Where/Were-“Where were you looking for the werewolf?”

 Submission Instructions: Write the essay as a Word document ( or x ). THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: the Blackboard CAN’T OPEN most other types of files (for example, .pages, Google docs). Failure to upload the document properly may result in a zero for the assignment.

When ready to submit it, click on “Essay #1” then “Turn in Essay #1”. Go to the “attach File” part and click on “Browse my computer to upload the document.  Once that uploads just click “Submit”. You should get an email submission receipt if things went properly.  If not, try to upload it again. If it still doesn’t send an email receipt, let me know.

His 101

Essay #1

Due

March 3
rd

at 1
0
:30 PM

(turn in to Blackboard)

Late essays lose
2 ½ p
oints per day
late

Worth 50 points

Choose and answer ONE:

1)

Define as
thoroughly as possible the term “civilization”. What qualities does a culture
need to have to be considered a civilization? What specific qualities of civilization do we
find in the earliest Mesopotamian culture of Sumer? (Be sure to use specific terms
for
Sumerian civilization (such as “Ziggurat” and “Cuneiform” etc.).

2)

Discuss the development
of the Hebrews’ fairly unique culture from the larger
Mesopotamian world they lived in. What similarities did they have to Mesopotamian
religion and culture? What notable differences developed? What events changed the
Hebrews’ culture and religious view
s? Cover the period from the Covenant through to
the end of the Babylonian Captivity.

3)

Discuss the development of democracy in Athens. What did the At
henians mean by
“democracy”? Who was considered a citizen? What branches of government did the
system have?
What role did the magistrates play?
What type of government did pre
–
democratic Athens have? How was the system reformed by Solon, Cleisthenes,
and
Pericles?

Your essay should be about 1 ½
–
2 pages (typed, double
–
spaced, Times New Roman 12
–
point
font, one inch margins). For this essay, only use your textbook as a source of information.

Do

not
copy and paste online sources.

Pretend you are basically writing an “open book open note
”
essay in class.
Write in the past tense.

Do not make comparisons outside the historical period
identified in the topic or with the present.
Write it in your own words

(Plagiarism score should be
below 20%
–
most essays I’ve received in the past are below 10%).

Spelling and grammar errors count off (1/2 point per error) so be sure to proofread carefully
(and don’t rely on spell check alone
–
it doesn’t catch everythin
g)! Here are some common
spelling errors to watch out for:

–
Pharaoh

–
Lead/Led
–
for example: “The toy soldier, though covered in lead paint, took the lead and led the unit up
the hill.” It is that last “led” that students usually get wrong

–
Its/It’s/Its
’: If you aren’t trying to write “it is” use “its” (“it is” is the only thing abbreviated as “it’s”;
“its’” isn’t a word)

–
Words ending in “ist”: more than one scientist, Communist, colonist, environmentalist etc. is two
scientist
s
, four Communist
s
, six co
lonist
s
, ten environmentalist
s

for example. There would also be two
Nazis not Nazi’s

His 101
Essay #1

Due March 3
rd
at 10:30 PM (turn in to Blackboard) Late essays lose 2 ½ points per day
late
Worth 50 points
Choose and answer ONE:

1) Define as thoroughly as possible the term “civilization”. What qualities does a culture
need to have to be considered a civilization? What specific qualities of civilization do we
find in the earliest Mesopotamian culture of Sumer? (Be sure to use specific terms for
Sumerian civilization (such as “Ziggurat” and “Cuneiform” etc.).

2) Discuss the development of the Hebrews’ fairly unique culture from the larger
Mesopotamian world they lived in. What similarities did they have to Mesopotamian
religion and culture? What notable differences developed? What events changed the
Hebrews’ culture and religious views? Cover the period from the Covenant through to
the end of the Babylonian Captivity.

3) Discuss the development of democracy in Athens. What did the Athenians mean by
“democracy”? Who was considered a citizen? What branches of government did the
system have? What role did the magistrates play? What type of government did pre-
democratic Athens have? How was the system reformed by Solon, Cleisthenes, and
Pericles?

Your essay should be about 1 ½ -2 pages (typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point
font, one inch margins). For this essay, only use your textbook as a source of information. Do
not copy and paste online sources. Pretend you are basically writing an “open book open note”
essay in class. Write in the past tense. Do not make comparisons outside the historical period
identified in the topic or with the present. Write it in your own words (Plagiarism score should be
below 20%-most essays I’ve received in the past are below 10%).

Spelling and grammar errors count off (1/2 point per error) so be sure to proofread carefully
(and don’t rely on spell check alone-it doesn’t catch everything)! Here are some common
spelling errors to watch out for:

-Pharaoh

-Lead/Led-for example: “The toy soldier, though covered in lead paint, took the lead and led the unit up
the hill.” It is that last “led” that students usually get wrong
-Its/It’s/Its’: If you aren’t trying to write “it is” use “its” (“it is” is the only thing abbreviated as “it’s”;
“its’” isn’t a word)
-Words ending in “ist”: more than one scientist, Communist, colonist, environmentalist etc. is two
scientists, four Communists, six colonists, ten environmentalists for example. There would also be two
Nazis not Nazi’s

III. The Building Blocks of Civilization
A. Neolithic Revolution: New Stone Age (post-11,000 b.c.e.)
B. Climate change
1. Cold Mediterranean conditions between 40,000 and 11,000
2. Climate warms and species change, as glaciers retreat
C. Major characteristics
1. Development of managed food production
2. Permanent settlements
3. Trade between settlements: long distance and local
4. Individuals and communities to accumulate and store wealth on a large scale
5. Specialization developed along with distinctions of status and rank
D. Changes and challenges of food production
1. Increasing birth rates
a. Women more specialized in roles
b. Men have less participation in child raising
2. More rapid spread of diseases
3. Necessity of developing storage capacity
4. Predictable surpluses allow for more animal domestication
E. The Emergence of Towns and Villages
1. Jericho
a. Seasonal grain-producing settlement
b. Massive building program (walls and towers)
c. Supported 3,000 inhabitants
d. Pottery used for storage, cooking, brewing beer
i. Identifiable pottery styles help archaeologists
2. Impact of stored agricultural surpluses
a. Stockpiling wealth
b. Tied people to a specific community
c. More stratified communities
3. Rise of priestly class
a. Dependence on agriculture required more attention to land, seasons, and weather
b. Rise of a priestly class
c. Spiritual power tied to more worldly power
4. Trade and the exchange of commodities
a. Accelerated exchange of commodities and new ideas
b. Increasing social stratification
c. Social elites

The root of civilization is the Latin civis city. So when we think about what makes an early civilization possible we need to think about what makes it possible for human beings to live together in a settled community, sedentary society? Most of our ancestors for the vast majority of our history have been migratory. They’ve moved from place to place often from season to season in search of resources. The earliest cities can only develop when human beings have a source of food that is sustainable over a long period of time and that means that civilization depends upon agriculture.
So for the first time around ten thousand BCE human beings are involved what we often call the Neolithic revolution. They are revolutionizing the way that human beings feed themselves by practicing agriculture. Not only do you have to have a sustainable source of food, but you have to find a way to store it. So these human beings were also learning how to use stoneware or pottery vessels in order to store food safely against times of famine or drought. The other thing that we have to think about is what enables people to live together in a society without fighting with one another? When you are nomadic you can just simply, if you have a disagreement with another group, you can simply just split up and leave. In a sedentary society you need a method of just of settling disputes, which means that you need a law giver or a set of laws.

The earliest cities that we are studying in this chapter started in Mesopotamia what the Greeks called the land between the two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates. This is actually a very forbidding landscape and so the only reason cities could actually emerge here is because of their sustainable water supply and yet these two rivers are rather unpredictable. So the inhabitants of these earliest cities had to start engineering the landscape by building an elaborate system of drainage ditches and dikes in order to channel water and to hold that water.
The other thing that helps these cities to survive is that they are fortified. So the earliest cities are walled. They are defending themselves against their neighbors and that means they’re defending their inhabitants and also defending their flocks of sheep and goats.
They’re defending their food supply. They were also ruled by relatively strong rulers what the Mesopotamians called Lugals or strong men and these rulers helped to keep the peace within the city and they were also war lords and war leaders in times of conflict. And remember we’ve talked about how a settled society needs to have a source of law and strong rule.