Examples Of Ancient Empires Exert Power

During the Classical period, Han China and Mauryan/Gupta India developed many methods of political control. Although these empires were located in different geographic regions, they both used social hierarchy, language, bureaucracy, and religion as a means of political control. Many of Classical India’s religious beliefs and bureaucratic practices contrasted each other in relation to the ways that they supported the methods of political control.

Governments in Western Civilization started in 2350 BC with the first Mesopotamian Empire led by Sargon the Great. He stationed garrisons and appointed governors and government officials to look after his territories and divide out commodities (11). The Mesopotamians believed that gods governed the people through appointed kings who were to administer Hammurabi’s code and report back to the gods. The people of Sargon’s empire also looked to the priests for many needs. Priests not only looked after the temples but also distributed land, and stored food for emergencies. For the Mesopotamian Empire, religion and government worked hand-in-hand.

Pericles articulates a strong sense of pride for the Athenian self-image through praising their ancestors, fathers, and the fallen. Pericles stated, “I shall begin with our ancestors: it is both just and proper that they should have the honor of the first mention on and occasion like the present. They dwelt in the country without break in the succession from generation to generation, and handed it down free to the present time by their valor.” The Athenian’s ancestors allowed for the future greatness and the ultimate formation of the government through their great and honorable patriotism. Their ancestors passed down the empire to the fathers of Pericles and other citizens, who only further added greatness to the inherited empire and began forming national habits. However, this greatness was earned through military achievements allowing for the possessions enjoyed by the current citizens, who gained the city from their fathers. The current Athenians, both dead and alive, further progressed the Athenian control and greatness as their successors already did. Pericles stated, “There are few parts of our dominions that have not been augmented by those of us here, who are still more or less in the vigor of life; while the mother country has been furnished by us with everything that can enable her to

An interesting question to ask oneself about ancient civilizations is “How did the various governments keep their respective populations under control?” By taking a look at some of the literature and forms of art, one can get an idea of the crafty techniques used by leaders to control the populace. The concept of social control has been around as long as civilizations have been. This can be seen in the Roman stoic ideals portrayed in the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, the Four Noble Truth’s teachings in India, and the emphasis on harmony in China with the Chinese Bronze Bell. It’s interesting to see the ways works of art and even religious texts were used to control the common people.

The freedom which we enjoy in our government extends also to our ordinary life” (Pericles’ Funeral Oration, Thucydides). In other words, it doesn’t matter what your social rank is, if you are a citizen of Athens, you have a right (and duty) to serve in the government. This is known as a direct democracy today, and it is where we, citizens of the United States, took inspiration for our current system of government. Pericles is right to praise the city-state in this regard, as its legacy still has effect on the world millenniums after its time.

Most Greek city states were ruled by a small elite group, also known as an aristocratic oligarchy (cite text book). Pericles explains that the Athens government is a democracy because the administration is in the hands of many and not just a few people. This will cause the government to have equal justices exist for all people. This is confirmed by Pericles stating, “When a citizen is in any way distinguished, he is preferred to the public service, not as a matter of privilege, but as a reward of merit”. This means that a citizen has to earn their privileges, they don’t just get things because of who they are in society. Athens not only takes pride in their government, but is also very proud of their military. Athens considers their military training to be better that their enemies in many ways. The people never try to hide anything from enemies or prevent them from seeing or learning anything that might benefit them. While their enemies are undergoing difficult exercises to make them brave, the people of Athens live the easy life. Although they live the easy life, the people of Athens are equally ready to face the challenges which their enemies face. The people of Athens would rather meet danger with a light heart and not intense training like their neighbors. They also want to do this with courage not enforce by law, but instead gain by habit. When the Lacedaemonians come into Athenian territory they bring their whole confederacy,

This investigation attempts to answer the question, what are the similarities and differences of Pericles and Xerxes’ leadership traits? This question is relevant and important because Pericles and Xerxes were influential leaders of their time and continue to learn from them even today. Pericles was a general during the golden age of Athens (480-404 BCE) and he led Athens during the early Peloponnesian war and Persian wars. Xerxes was a king of Persia and is known for conquering much of Greece during his reign (486-465 BCE). This investigation will address the following: the achievements of the leaders, how they affected the future and their means of doing what they did. This investigation will focus on the time period from 518 BCE to 429 BCE and the places investigated will include Persia and the reaches of the Greek empire. This will be completed through a thorough examination of several books and information on the internet.

One of Ashoka’s most convicting beliefs was the abstention of harming any living being. This is evident by his conversion to peace loving Buddhism after the gruesome Kalinga war. However, he did make it clear that if his subjects did not reform or submit to his rule, he would have to punish them

All empires rise, rule, and fall—the only difference is how they go about doing it. Between the 600s B.C.E. and the 600s C.E, many empires grew, flourished, and developed their own political philosophies and practices. Two different cultures in Asia planted their own kingdoms during this time—the Chinese with the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E.–220 C.E.) and the Indians with the Mauryan and Gupta empires (320 B.C.E.–550 C.E.). These empires’ ideologies clashed strongly on many topics, but one can most clearly see their differences in their methods of political control. While both empires utilized military force and economic regulation to achieve political control, the Han Dynasty and Mauryan and Gupta empires differed greatly in their overall government structure.

In the beginning of the sixth century BCE the idea of people participating in a role of society started to develop and later evolved into the status of people given by their government; citizenship. With citizenship came the theory of social contract, which stated that if a citizen does their part for their nation their nation shall do theirs. As the theory evolved the Roman republic focused more on how their people interacted with the other citizens and participated in their government rather than the citizen’s responsibility which was the main emphasis in the city-state of Athens. Athens had stricter guidelines to become a citizen, but allowed more freedom when they have received the title of being a citizen, unlike the Romans, which constricted their citizens based on their initial background and/or gender (Citizenship in Athens and Rome Background Essay). The Athenian city-state had an overall superior citizenship organization than the Romans because there citizens had the ability to have an input, no matter their assets, various were accepted as

Ancient empires used military importance, legal systems, and punishments to exert political power. The use of military importance can be seen in documents 1, and 2. Both of these documents speak of the pride taken in the achievements of their military and the goods that have been procured because of their conquest. An example from document 1 is the statement, “Next to prowess in arms, it is regarded as the greatest proof of manly excellence to be the father of many sons…” and in document 2 it says, “Because of the greatness of our city the fruits of the whole earth flow in upon us; so that we enjoy the goods of other countries as freely as of our own”. The use of legal systems can be seen in documents 2, 3, 4, and 5. All these documents express laws in place to ensure equality, obedience, and moral values. Some examples can be seen in document 2, “The law secures equal justice to all alike in their private disputes…” and document 3, “ Strict laws are used by rulers to prevent disobedience and expel the selfish…” This is effective because it creates order, which causes an empire to be easier to manage for the ruler, allowing him/her to focus on

Empires are defined with the heterogeneous and hierarchical rule over centres and peripheries . Restricted to the question, legitimacy, rights and wrongs of empires contained in this definition will not be discussed. This form of polity has a long history and played major roles in world history. The analysis for the question will focus on the key word 'major' and will focus on the importance and uniqueness of empires in world history. Most obviously empires could achieve dominance and they behaved accordingly to such dominance. These behaviours catalyzed changes in a region or in the whole world. Also they had continuous existence in world history with such influence. And finally the fact that empire, with a changing concept contained in the

The early empires, numerous and powerful, provided structure for a long amount of time. While some may be far apart, they share some similar features. Highlighted in Chapter 3, the Roman, Persian, Mauryan, and Han Empires show a glimpse of early societies. All empires had one main focus: expanding their territory. In addition to the expansion of territories, they shared the desire to establish different types of governments. Most of the empires shared the same polytheistic origins, contributing all of their success to the gods.

One method of exerting political power is evident in Documents 2, 4, and 5 when the authors of these documents stress the values of their respective cultures. According to Pericles, a Greek political leader, ancient Greece was very nonviolent, fair, and “do[es] not copy...[from its neighbors], but [is]...an example to them” (Document 2). Pericles uses examples of the government of Greece and its interactions with the general people to justify his claims about some of Greece’s values (nonviolence, justice, and individuality) and generate pride within the subjects in order to exert political power. Similarly, Emperor Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty stresses nonviolence and generosity, especially within his officials. Just like Pericles, Ashoka uses examples of his

And another key feature is that they have equal justice, and no one is above the law, it's expressed in the phrase "...our laws secure equal justice for all...". So no one can get away with committing crimes and breaking the laws. In a sentence in source I it says that they debate and discuss matters, therefore it suggests that the people use words instead of violence. It almost seems like they are referring to the Spartans when they say that, because they are enemies and in war with each other so Pericles probably wants to prove to the people how much better the Athenians were than Spartans, since it was a speech to honor those who died in battle against Spartans. Pericles also said "...do not allow absorption in their own various affairs to interfere with their knowledge of the city's", and that suggests that public affairs are more important than private affairs, and that one should be able to separate those affairs from each other in order to not be affected of one another when handling something in public or private. The people seems very supportive of the system because they attend both public and private duties. Words like "us" and "we" are mainly used in source I instead of "I" or "me". Those key words suggests that everyone