Worksheet 4 Writing Assignment: Western Civilization
the book for this class is "ME ADV BK WSTRN CIV VL I with AC Edition: 9th"（Jackson J. Spielvogel）. but I can't find the E-book，so I will give you some course work, Hope it useful, if not please contact me.
this course is talk about Western Civilization from Ancient Times through 1500
Learning outcomes: At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Identify the major distinguishing characteristics of the primary civilizations of the ancient Near East and North Africa.
2. Describe the essential contributions of the ancient Near East to the social, cultural and intellectual development of Western Civilization.
3. Explain the crucial role of Greek civilization of distinctive political, social, cultural and intellectual institutions of the West.
4. Explain the major political, economic and social developments of the Roman Republic and Empire, which were central to the emergence of the West.
5. Assess the reasons for the rise and development of various religions in ancient, medieval and early modern cultures.
6. Compare and contrast the distinguishing features of economic, social and political feudalism in the evolution of European society.
7. Identify the major forces that marked the transition from late medieval to early modern society and the European nation states.
8. Evaluate the impact of political, economic and intellectual changes in the evolution and development of European civilization.
Western Civilization
Name
Institution
Western Civilization
1 Compare and contrast the distinct features of the primary civilizations of the ancient Near East and North Africa. How did the ancient Near East impact the social, cultural, and intellectual development of the Western Civilization?
The civilization of the ancient Near East started with the arrival of the Sumerians in the region between Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Mesopotamia, as the Sumerian settlements came to be known, is accredited for being the cradle of civilization owing to the political, economic, social, and cultural organization of the ancient community CITATION Spi11 \l 1033 (Spielvogel, 2011). The main economic activity of the ancient Near East civilization was farming. The Sumerian people were also known for their skills in pottery and manufacturing of farm tools. The ancient Near East civilization was also characterized by organized city states made from bricks with housing structures depicting the structural organization of the society. The city states acted as the center of governance which was headed by a King with the help of the priests and the priestesses. The king assumed the highest authority on the land overseeing key responsibilities on the land while also ensuring stability CITATION Spi11 \l 1033 (Spielvogel, 2011). The priests and priestesses were also held in high regard by the elite, dependent commoners, and commoners alike as they represented the gods who watched over the city states.
In ancient North Africa, the Touareg community accounts for much of the region’s civilization. The inhabitants of this region, also known as the Berbers, were nomadic pastoralists who evolved to become active agents of civilization. Though the civilization in ancient North Africa accounts for key innovations such iron farming tools and the art of trade through coins instead of commodities, the Berbers lacked a comprehensive center of administration. Authority was amassed through wealth accumulated and hence the high involvement in the slave trade.
Both civilizations encouraged innovation in the West who came up with sophisticated tools and weapons to conquer their neighbors. The West also adopted systems of governance whose headquarters were at city states, such as Rome, from which they conducted their activities and expanded their territories CITATION Spi11 \l 1033 (Spielvogel, 2011). The West further took structural differences in the society based on either class or wealth and hence inequality came into play in the western world.
2 Describe the characteristics of the major political, economic, and social developments of the Roman Republic and Empire.
The Roman Republic had a very organized political structure which embraced democracy as it involved intense deliberations in the senate, assemblies, and consuls. It was through the debates in the three forums that the few political elites passed laws and budgeted the country’s spending. The laws of the Republic were codified as twelve tables with punitive measures for law breakers CITATION Spi11 \l 1033 (Spielvogel, 2011). As a Republic, the city states made their own rules and affiliated itself to the rulers of the cities. However, Rome became the center of administrative power for the empire under Emperor Augustus when he took over the empire and replaced the Republican government with an imperial rule. The emperor assumed the role of the chief priest and that of the consul. The Senate’s role was reduced, and all the states within the empire pledged their allegiance to the emperor and Rome.
Both the Roman Republic and empire took part in extensive commodity trade through monetary system though varied during the two regimes. However, the Pax Romana brought around economic changes to the empire as it established a uniform system of money which increased trade within and outside the empire CITATION Bur13 \l 1033 (Burger, 2013). The empire also heightened security on the Roman roads thus creating safe routes for trade and hence increasing prosperity.
The Roman society under the both the rule of the empire...