Governments Importance to Early Civilizations
Governments Importance to Early Civilizations It has been agreed upon by scholar's world wide that in order for a group of peoples to be "civilized" they have to meet certain specifications. These include urbanization, long distance trade, occupational specialization, and a stable government. This positive step in humanities existence could not have been achieved without a form of leadership; and this leadership must co-exist with the population's beliefs. In this way, religion has influenced the governments of some of the earliest civilized groups. In all groups that were considered civilized and used agriculture for their primary food source, a stable government was a must. Irrigation had to be arranged for all the fields, a group dedicated to protecting the foodstuffs and seeds had to be created and trained, crops had to be regulated so that there was enough of each to last the entire off season, and planting and harvesting ha
Though the Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Greeks and Hebrews were separated by many miles and years, they all faced some of the same challenges. When the pharaoh died he was placed in a large pyramid, where he could have a connection with both the living and the dead. In Mesopotamia, this meant the government had to show respect to each god evenly, and have a reason when one of the gods punished the land of Mesopotamia. The Egyptians required a public that would accept their orders as if they had come from the gods themselves, and the government that was formed provided just that through their deep connections to religion. In addition, these hieroglyphics were only able to be written or read by the priests and upper classes. This system incorporated debate into their education and government, allowing for ideas to be examined closely, showing the strength and weakness of each idea. The Hebrews had the most difficult time finding a government that fit with their beliefs. The Greeks that were educated were encouraged to think independently, finding the best solution to each unique problem. This encouragement to think independently created the first democracy. The pharaoh had a special connection with the gods. He was chosen by them, and he was placed to create stability. In ancient Egypt the government kept a close relationship with the polytheist religion of the time. In addition to this, the government had to be able to fit with the religious beliefs of the population. This belief lead the Hebrews to have a king for several years, even decades, then reject the idea of a king and eliminate the position of king.
Common topics in this essay:
Importance Civilizations,
Greeks Hebrews,
government formed,
stable government,
|
Acceptance Essays
