The philosophy of Epicurus

Epicurus was born in 341 B.C. and died in 270 B.C. He founded one of the major philosophies of ancient Greece, helping to lay foundations for modern science and also for secular individualism. Many of his aspects are still relevant today. His philosophy was based on materialism and moderation of desires and cultivation of friendships. It was based on humanistic ideas and materialistic ideas based around rational thinking. Epicurus thought that both mind and matter were conglomerations of material elements.He believed that in a society that could punish impiety towards its gods with death that it did not deny their existence but simply points out that the qualities were given to them in an indifference to humanity. From Epicurus' ideas, he opened up a school to many people (including slaves) who couldn't gain access to the worldly philosophers. It was also for the wealthy, powerful, and educated, it was opened for all.

Epicurus’ teachings had a major effect on the Hellenistic world. At the age of 35, Epicurus settled in Athens and founded a Garden, which was a place at that time where his followers could gather and be taught. He taught that desires in life can be painful so you should only desire what you can get. Epicurus also taught that the gods should not be feared because they were not interested and not involved in human affairs,and that death should not be feared. These teaching were inconsistent with Christianity. The strength of his philosophy was that he told many people that weakness leads to an opportunity to desire strength and a person should eliminate all these desires. Epicurus' philosophy taught that pain was nothing compared to pleasure, and that actual moments of pain do not go by quickly.

Epicurus followed the materialist philosopher Democritus, in believing that the world was composed of atoms and that those making up each person dissolved when that person died. All that could be known must be based on observation and experience of this world. He taught that the only purpose of this life was to ensure survival in the world through pleasure of things. By this he did not mean a search for enjoyment but instead a peace of mind and freedom from pain. To achieve this it was important to not fear death and to concentrate on the pleasures of life from which he considered friendship and rational thinking. Epicureanism was never fully respectable but it proved to be popular in the last few years of republican Rome and it still today has not lost its impact. ( Freeman 351 book 1 )

Epicureans had an important influence on Christianity, though some of it was inconsistent with it. The Christian idea that holy people should separate themselves from the world, and not to think about themselves or about the things they own or on their friends and family but to focus on Heaven and its gifts. From this we owe something to Epicureanism. But Christians hated Epicureanism because it denied the existence of heaven and hell, and for their reliance on pleasure as a way of life. So Epicureanism became less popular partly because of the rise of Christianity. If Epicurus had fully eradicated faith in his time, today we would most likely be living in a completely secular culture today. But faith lived on. Within Epicurus’ influence the atheistic moral philosophy freely developed. His moral emphasis “focused upon the individual and his immediate desires for pleasures instead of upon abstract principles of what God wants. He thought of that pleasure and pain had no distinguished difference.

When the Hellenistic Age started the Greeks concentrated on achievement. Epicurus believed that random nature of the collisions ensured that life would be predictable. Except life is not always predictable only in some ways. He also believed that there was need to fear the gods but he did believe in them and their powers. The Garden was a place where people could celebrate birthdays, the writing of elaborate poems on relationships, and sharing of life. ( Freeman 362 and 363 book 2 )

Freeman, Charles. The Greek Achievement. New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc, 1999 ( book 1 )
Freeman, Charles. Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc, 2004 ( book 2 )

Biography of Plato

Plato was born in Athens in 427 B.C. He was a Greek philosopher who believed in war service and political ambitions. Plato was never really sympathetic to the Athenian democracy and he never fully agreed with the government either. Plato original name was Aristocles, but in his school days he received a nickname. His nickname was Platon which means broad, he got it because he had broad shoulders. Plato left Athens for a long while to explore the world. He returned to Athens in his later years.

Plato is considered one of the greatest influences on modern Western thought and one of the greatest minds in world history. Not much is known about Plato in his younger years. He was from the higher class and he was from a noble family which meant that he could have access to the best libraries and teachers in his day. Though he perfred to stay in Athens he knew a lot about the outside world from his studies. Even when he was a young boy, he wrote poetry and plays.

Plato was a student and follower of Socrates. He founded the Academy school in Athens. His works consisted mainly of dialogues. Plato was very interested in moral philosophy. Plato firmly believed that knowledge was "forgotten" at birth but later on in life it could be remembered and he saw the search for understanding as an attempt to gain knowledge. Plato believed that all substances are composed of air, earth, fire, and water. He invented a theory of vision involving three streams of light. he wanted to find or discover the truth behind things, but he believed that absolute truth could not be derived.

Plato was in his thirties when Socrates was executed. Socrates thoughts were written down by Plato since he himself wrote nothing. He was deeply troubled by the threat offered by the Sophists' thinking to the concept of authority. The Academy he had started, never became an institution that simply worked and reworked his own views. Instead independence of thoughts was encouraged. A large part of Plato's writing have survived all these years, and there not only impressive in range and scope but also for the lucidity of his writing. Plato believed that virtue was not simply a concept in which something was tangled together from characteristics of many instances of virtue in everyday life, but that it existed as a higher level than the actual material world. Plato who was one of Socrates students was there when he died. Plato wrote down the last thoughts of Socrates. He is known for displaying Socrates life since Socrates never wrote anything down. ( Freeman 268 and 269 ) ( Bauer 574 )

As Plato grew up he wanted to be politician. But after seeing the death of his dear friend Socrates, he changed his mind about what he wanted to do. He set up an Academy, which many scholars consider to be the first University of his time. The subjects taught in the University were astronomy, biological sciences, mathematics, and political science. This is where we began to use the term academy when referring to schools today. He stayed there and headed the school for the remainder of his life. Plato was a person of the relativism and scepticism of the Sophists but he focused on values rather than on physical science.Then later on in his life about when he was eighty years old he died in 347 B.C.

Freeman, Charles. The Greek Achievement. New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc, 1999
Bauer, Wise, Susan. The History of the Ancient World. New York: Norton & Company, Inc, 2007

Biography of Socrates

Socrates was a Greek philosopher and moralist who was born in Athens in 469 B.C. His father, Sophroniskus, was a sculptor and later on Socrates followed the same profession. Socrates had the usual education of a Athenian citizen, which included arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy. Little is known about circumstances in his life, but we do know he served as a hoplite at the siege of Potidaea, at the battle of Deliurn. Though he was a philosopher, he never secluded himself for study, nor did he open a school for the regular instruction of pupils.

Socrates shifted the concerns of Greek philosophy to a search for understanding of the natural world toward what it meant to live a good life. This was a new beginning in philosophy and earlier philosophy which is grouped under the term of "pre-Socratic. His method was to go out and question people about the everyday opinions of people. Also to question people of their everyday values they held. His purpose was to get people to become thinkers in a lazy society. ( Freeman 256 )

Socrates came to feel that he had a divine mission to improve the moral education of the Athenians and to do this he had to send time in educational discussions with the Athenians youths. Socrates is known for opening up moral, ethical, and political questions of virtue and justice. Socrates left no writing behind of his own so we rely on on the writings of Plato and Xenophon, who knew him and his philosophy . Both of them were younger then him so they only really knew him as a philosopher during the last 10 years of his life. Plato had left extensive and vivid records of Socrate's life and teachings shown in his writings. Socrates was very influential to Plato, Euclid, Alcibiades, and many others. He spent much of his adult life in the agora or the marketplace talking about ethical issues. He had a characteristic of exposing ignorance, hypocrisy, and conceit among many of the Athenians. From this many did not like him.

When Socrates was in his thirties, the good times of Athens changed. Athen's rivals the Spartans broke their long- standing truce and invaded Athens. From this the people had to blame this terrible crisis on. Socrates was blamed for this. He was charged for corrupting the minds of the youth and worshipping gods other than those of the city.

The most accurate of Plato's writing on Socrates is the " Apology." It is the account of Socrates's defense at his trial in 399 B.C. The word apology comes from the Greek word " defense- speech" and it does not mean what it means today. In the writing it is clear that Socrates's speech turned into a justification for Socrates's life and his death. Some of the famous philosophical ideas are that "the necessity of doing what one thinks is right even in the face of universal opposition, and the need to pursue knowledge even when being opposed." The Athenians thought of Socrates as a Sophist, which means that he had bitter resentment. After the successful return of the Ten Thousand, the Athenians convicted Socrates for wrongdoings. In the end Socrates was sentenced to death. He died by drinking hemlock which was a deadly poison which killed a person very slow and painfully. ( Bauer 546 & 574)

Bauer, Wise, Susan. The History of the Ancient World. New York: Norton & Company, Inc, 2007
Freeman, Charles. The Greek Achievement. New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc, 1999

The Greeks

Greek architecture, paintings, sculptures, buildings and decorative arts started about 1050 B.C. and ended about 31 B.C. The best known monuments are stone temples, statues of human figures, and painted vases. The importance of Greek architecture for the history of Western civilization, was that the Greeks established many of the most enduring themes, attitudes, and forms of Western culture. The architecture of the Greeks told stories of gods and heroes that have given the Western world a common ground for art and literature. Architecture is one of the Greek legacies that the West has inherited, as the Greeks established many of the structural elements, decorative motifs, and building types still used today.

Greece architecture has influenced all architecture throughout the world. The Romans especially got their ideas from the Greeks. The greatest monument that was ever built was the Parthenon of the Acropolis, in Athens. It is the most brilliant example of the Doric architecture. It is also said that it has the reputation of the most perfect angle calculated temple. There were three types of architecture that the Greeks used, Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian style. The Doric and Ionic were commonly used and the Corinthian style was later on developed.

There were two main styles of the Greek architecture, the Doric and Ionic. These names were used by the Greeks and they are said to have reflected the Dorian and Ionian Greeks of the Dark Ages. The Doric was used in the mainland and from there it spread to the Greek colonies in Italy. The Doric style was formal and austere. The Ionic style was more relaxed and decorative. The Corinthian was a later style of the Ionic. Marble was another element used for expensive building in Greece.

Later on after the Romans took over Greece, they took over the architecture of the Greeks. They used the architecture and changed it into their style of life. During this time Corinthian architecture became more popular. By the middle of the first century B.C., the Romans were able to reflect on the Greek architecture to enhance their cultural life. The Greeks were a model to the Romans architecture. Though the Greeks architectural influenced the Western world more.( Freeman 401- 402)

Architecture means the art or science of planning and designing buildings, temples, and paintings. The Greeks focused some of their architecture on the gods and goddess. The temple of Parthenon was one of the temples that was dedicated to a goddess. The goddess was Athena. This temple the Acropolis was decorated with sculpted stone which had legendary stories written on it. This was the most brilliant and magnificent temple built during this time. ( Bauer 546 )

The Hellenistic period was the time when Greek architecture began to change into different styles. It was the time when the Greeks were buildings theaters. They spent less time on temples and kept their focus on building the theaters. By 200 to 100 B. C. the Romans had conquered Greece. After this the architecture begin to take on the Roman style. This was the time when the Greek architecture started to decline.

Bauer, Wise, Susan. The History of the Ancient World. New York: Norton & Company, Inc, 2007
Freeman, Charles. The Greek Achievement. New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc, 1999

Homer's Writing

The writing of Homer were influential to the Greeks because they told a story. No other texts in the Western society have had such an impact as Homer's writing, the Iliad and the Odyssey. They both concern the great defining moment of the Greek society, the Trojan War. Whether or not this war occurred or occurred as the Greeks narrate it, it still gave a story line on how the Greeks lived. Through the writing's of Homer, the Greeks saw the Trojan War as the first moment in history when the Greeks came to together as one people with a common purpose. As the Greek idea of culture changed, so did their stories about the Trojan War.

Little is known about Homer's life except that he wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey. Some scholars believed that he was born in Ionia in the ninth century B.C. The meaning of the name Homer is hostage. Both stories consist of twenty four books. Ancient Greeks not only learned about his writing but were also well educated by them.

There are two very important words portrayed in Homer's writing and they are arete and ergon. The idea arete is one of the strongest and clearest values of Homer's writing about the Greeks. The word arete means "virtue" and " being the best you can be." The importance of this word is that it implies that the Greeks saw their world as one in which each persons actions played an important role in life and how effective the person was to their world. The word ergon means good, hard, work. Without this a society cannot exist especially for the Greeks. Arete and ergon both intertwine with each other in the Greek culture shown in Homer's writing.

The Iliad and the Odyssey were the two great epic poems which said to have marked the beginning of the European cultural heritage. The writings of Homer help to tell us a little about Troy and the Greeks though the whole story is not true. The epic poems of Homer contain certain events and scenes which reflect and resemble the History of the Greeks. Homer's writing have a background to the Greek life and they tell us the significance of the Greeks. ( Freeman 45-48)

No one today is sure when the writing of Homer were set down and written. The writing of Homer reflected the times of the Ancient Greeks. The two epic poems show a knowledge of oversea settlements known to be in the Mycenaean era. These stories express the beginning of a growing identification between the Greeks and other people. These stories also show how the Greeks never reached unity of action. Or in other words it means they did not share much life together as a civilization. ( Bauer 352)

The Iliad and The Odyssey with their captivating stories and magnificent characters, have had a major impact on artists and writers today. Homer has had a major impact not only on how a person fits into the bigger picture, but on how to understand the bigger picture itself. The Ancient Greek writers have had an impact on providing a powerful model for the western cultures. Homer's writings have also had an amazing effect on Western literature. The cultural roots of Western Civilization are deep in the events of the Ancient Greeks. These writings have had a long powerful influence on many amazing western thinkers.

Bauer, Wise, Susan. The History of the Ancient World. New York: Norton & Company, Inc, 2007
Freeman, Charles. The Greek Achievement. New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc, 1999

The New Kingdom of Egypt

The New Kingdom of Egypt was from about 1570 to 1069 B.C. For about two hundred years between the end of the Middle Kingdom and the beginning of the New Kingdom, invasion and the horror of foreign rulers, had completely changed the Egyptian's way of thinking about their world. During this time Egypt for the first time became a military state. Armies started to flourish as they began their own invasions outside of Egypt. (Lassieur 58-60)

Ahmose became the first king of the New Kingdom. The land of Egypt was in ruins and its people were demoralized.King Ahmose and his successors lifted Egypt up once again and brought it back to power. Egypt and the kings who ruled during the New Kingdom would never again be the center of the universe. The New Kingdom was the last hallmark of the Egyptians civilization. The New Kingdom was a time of atonishing achievement in art and architecture. This was the most powerful and prosperous time in Egypt. At this time Egypt had many great rulers who strengthened the empire.(Lassieur 59)

The New Kingdom was also the Age of the Empire because during this time ambitious pharoahs build a large empire. One of the most important pharoahs of the New Kingdom was the first female ruler Queen Hatshepsut. Her step son was too young to take the throne so she ruled in his place. Later on she claimed herself pharoah, because the Egyptians saw kingship as a male privilege, she wore a fake beard and was portrayed as a male. Hatshepsut encouraged trade and improved trade with other countries. Her greatest achievement was when she sent a expedition to Punt and from this she recieved many gifts.

The New Kingdom consisted of 3 dynasties, the eighteenth through the twentieth. The pharoahs of the New Kingdom were the most well known amoungst all the pharoahs of Egypt. The first pharoah of the eighteenth dynasty was Ahmose I. He pushed the Hittites out of Egypt. The first pharoah of the nineteeth dynasty was Ramesses I. He only ruled for a period of two years. The first pharoah of the twentieth dynasy was Ramesses IV. He sent expeditions to Sinai for stone for statues.

The New Kingdom was not only successful with their military but also with trade. The Egyptians had trade relations during the New Kingdom with the Nubians, Hittites, and other cities farther beyond that. The foreigners contributed to the Egyptians during the New Kingdom. The foreigners brought prosperity to Egypt which provided the means to enlarge and build new temples and cities. During the end of the nineteeth dynasty Egypt began to lose their prosperity and stability.

The New Kingdom began to collapse because of no political unity. Unity played a big part in the New Kingdom because without it the empire would be weakened and it would have no support. The Hittite Empire was attacked by outsiders called the" Sea Peoples." Not much is known about the sea peoples but that they detroyed the Hittite Empire. Later on the Sea Peoples came and attacked Egypt, this ended the New Kingdom. Egypt was not controlled by the Sea Peoples but later on they went to war against each other and the Egyptians won. This started the 3rd Intermediate Period.

Assmann, Jan. The Mind of Egypt. New York: Henry Holt & Company, Inc, 1996.
Lassieur, Allison. The Ancient Egyptians. San Diego:Lucent Books Inc, 2001.

The Middle Kingdom

The Middle Kingdom was from 2125 to 1650 B.C. It was generally a peaceful time. But at certain times many enemies were trying to push borders of Egypt outward. The Middle Kingdom started with king Nebhepetre Mentuhotep I who united all of Egypt again. He ruled for 51 years and his reign brought stability to Egypt.

The Eleventh Dynasty marks the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. Under the kings in the Middle Kingdom, trade with foreign countries began again, irrigation projects were repaired, and text writing began from scratch. The powers of many kings really didn't return to Egypt during that time. As the king's of Egypt began to regain authority over Egypt, wealth and population began to grow again. Much of the population came from non-Egyptians who migrated to the Nile for a good life. The foreigners greatly influenced the course of history in the Middle Kingdom.

The prosperity of this time lasted for a short period of time. Many kings of the Middle Kingdom greatly weakened the throne of Egypt. The dynasties went fom the eleventh to the seventeenth. During Amenemhet the third's reign, Egypt was properious until the flood of the Nile began to decrease. During the Thirteenth Dynasty the kings managed to keep control of the country of Egypt. (Bauer 178-179)

During the Forteenth Dynasty the kings began to weaken and lose power. The Hyksos invaded during this time and took over Egypt for two centuries. The word Hyksos means "ruler of foreign lands". The rule of the Hyksos brought the Bronze Age and with them they brought better weapons. In many ways the Hyksos were beneficial to the Egyptians. The Middle Kingdom was a turbulent period. Corruptions and rebellions were common in the Middle Kingdom. In the end new kings arose and pushed out the foreigners. This was the time when the New Kingdom began.

In the Middle Kingdom was a golden period for art and literature, with it many new ideas were introduced. The kings of the Middle Kingdom continued to build pyramids almost as big as the Great Pyramids, but less expensive. King Mentuhotep II seized control of Egypt and established the Eleventh Dynasty in the Middle Kingdom.

The rulers of the Middle Kingdom were known as savers in times of hardship. The Middle Kingdom also restored the sacral kingship and relflected upon that kingship. Egypt was strong and powerful for a time but later on it grew weaker and weaker. A reason why it became weaker was because of enemies attacking and weakening the strong points of the kingdom. The reason for the fall of the Middle Kingdom is unclear. The fall seems to resemble the fall of the Old Kingdom. (Assmann 119-120)

Bauer, Wise, Susan. The History of the Acient World. New York: Norton & Company, Inc, 2007
Assmann, Jan. The Mind of Egypt. New York: Henry Holt & Company, Inc, 1996

The Old Kingdom

The Old Kingdom in Egypt was the period from about 2650 to 2134, which was the richest and most creative period in Egyptian history. All the pyramids were built at this time. These pyramids were built in the lifetime of four kings, Snofru, Cheops, Chephren, and Mycerinus.

The fourth dynasty is the beginning of the Old Kingdom. This was the Golden Age when the pyramids at Giza were built as tombs for the three Pharaohs. They were Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. It is these monuments that have been greatly remembered through out history. During the fifth and sixth dynasties of the Old Kingdom, the pharoahs began to loose power and control.

In the third dynasty the pharoahs were Sanakhte, Djoser, Sekhemkhet, Khaba, and Huni. In the fourth dynasty the pharoahs were Snefru, Cheops, Dfedefre, Chephren, Menkaura, Shepseskaf, and Djedefptah. In the fifth dynasty the pharoahs were Userkaf, Sahure, Neferirkare, Shepseskare, Neferefre, Nyuserre, Mankauhor, Djedkare, and Unas. In the sixth dynasty the pharoahs were Teti the first, Userkare, Pepi the first, Merenre the first, Pepi the second, Merenre the second, and Nitocris.

The second king of the Third Dynasty was Djoser. He ruled for about two decades and he built the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. During his reign, Egypt experienced a seven year famine. The fifth king of the Third Dynasty was Huni who ruled for about 24 years. He built or at least started the pyramid at Meidum. This pyramid was however the first square ground plan.

Sneferu was the first king of the Fourth Dynasty. He was an active leader. He began trade with the Mediterranean nations . Sneferu built the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid. Khufu was the second king of this dynasty. Little is known about Khufu but he is greatly remebered for building the Great Pyramid. Khafre was the fourth king of this dynasty. He built the Pyramid of Khafre and many historians believe he built the Great Sphinx at Giza.

The second king of the Fifth Dynasty was Sahure who established the Egyptian navy and a fleet to trade with Palestine. Nyuserre was the sixth king of this dynasty. He is famous for his solar temple and his pyramid at Abu Sir. Unas was the ninth king of this dynasty. His pyramid was the very first to carry inscriptions. Later on these became known as the famous, "Pyramid Texts." Pepi the first was the third king of the Sixth Dynasty. He took the offensive military role. The fifth king of this Dynasty was the son of Pepi the first who was Pepi the second. He took the throne when he was only 6 years old and reigned for 94 years. The "Pyramid Texts" were a decoration for the burial chambers or tombs of the pharoahs of the Fifth Dynasty. (Bauer 116)

The Old Kingdom was a great flourishing of thoughts, creativity, and technical advances. The Old Kingdom is also known as the "Age of Stone." Though the dynasties of the kingdoms are a useful tool for studying Ancient Egypt they don't help us understand how the Egyptians viewed their world then.

The Old Kingdom was a period of stability and prosperity in Egypt. Some of the largest monuments were the king's tombs in the Old Kingdom. After the wasteful Fourth Dynasty, a dreadful drought came which ended the Old Kingdom. The combination of the drought and overplanting had shrink streams and rivers which caused the Old Kingdom to come to an end. The Sixth Dynasty was the last of the Old Kingdom. (Bauer 117 & 131) (Kemp 125)

Kemp, Barry. Think Like an Egyptian. New York: Penguin Group, Inc, 2005
Bauer, Wise, Susan. The History of the Ancient World. New York: Norton & Company, Inc, 2007

Pharoah Khufu

Khufu was the son of Snefera and Queen Hetephere. His full name was Khnum-Khufwy, which means "the god." Khufu is also known as Cheops, who was the second king of the Fourth Dynasty. Khufu is greatly known for building the Great Pyramid at Giza. His only surviving statue is the smallest piece of Egyptian sculptures ever discovered. Khufu reigned from 2589 to 2566,which was about 23 years.

The Great Pyramid at Giza is the only remaining ancient wonder that is still standing today. Khufu's great pyramid was made of 2.3 million blocks of granite and limestone. Each block weighed about 2.5 to 15 tons. King Khufu picked the spot of his great pyramid. In 2566, the pyramid was done. It was 481 feet tall.

Not much is known of Khufu's personal life or his accomplishments. But his most famous undertaking was the Great Pyramid at Giza. There was two theories for the building of his pyramid. First that slaves were forced to work until the task was done and the other was that there was hundreds of skilled workers who were payed to complete the pyramid. Today there is no remains of the mummy that have been found due to his tomb being robbed.

The Great Pyramid has been the center of more theories than any other structure. Khufu's had six sons, many did not succeed at building any pyramids but one did. Khafre built a pyramid called the"Second Pyramid." Khufu is best known for building one of the largest pyramids today. Khufu was so busy with the pyramid that he closed down all the temples to stop people from worshipping him. Khufu wanted to gain as much power as he could but he was running out of money to do this. So it was said that he placed his daughter in a room with men to entertain them and the money she made was to be passed on to him. (Bauer 84-87)

King Khufu was portrayed as a cruel ruler unlike his father Snefera. Snefera was a calm and gentle man who was very helpful to the Egyptians. Though Khufu was cruel, he had built the largest pyramid around. In the Fourth Dynasty was the first period in which mummification took place. It was not very successful but it was useful when using the linen bandages. The Fourth Dynasty was also the mark that peaked of the great pyramid building. Cheops whose Egyptian name was Khufu was the second king of the Fourth Dyansty. (Kemp 86) (Maisels 70)

Though the Great Pyramid at Giza has so much fame, not much is known about Khufu. An ancient wooden boat was found in a pit at the base of the pyramid. Inside this a small statue of Khufu was found. The statue is really all we have of him. The pyramid had three burial chambers. The first was underground which was carved into bedrock. The second one was the "queens chamber," And the third one was the king's chamber in which a red granite sarcophagus was placed.

Bauer, Wise, Susan. The History of the Ancient World. New York: Norton & Company, Inc, 2007

Kemp, Barry. Think Like an Egyptian. New York: Penguin Group, Inc, 2005

Maisels, Keith, Charles. Early Civilizations of the Old World. London: Florence Group, Inc, 1999

The Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi was written in 1750 B.C. by the King Hammurabi. The code was the most complete collection of the Babylonian laws There was 282 laws and each one covered a different aspect of life.

The Code of Hammurabi was written to encourage people to accept the king, who was trying to give common day rules to the people to follow. The laws ranged from private to public matters. The code of laws applied to the entire society. A person who failed to follow the laws were punished. Each mistake had a different penality.There was three classes, the patricians, the commoners, and the slaves. The purpose of the Code of Hammurabi was to use power to create common bonds amoung the people.

Hammurabi's stele was written in Akkadian, the Babylonian lanuage. Originally the code was in Babylon's temple of Marduk. Although the code is not the first legal code, it's the best preserved ancient law in the world today. The stele was more than just a educational tool. It was a code of the rules which was established by an authority. The Code of Hammurabi was a model for the schools of scribes, who were to copy it for many years.

Hammurabi's code is the oldest set of laws known to exist today. The code is significant because it allowed all the people to understand the laws that governed their lives. It's unique because it is one of the only laws written down.

Hammurabi felt that he had to write the laws to please the gods. He did'nt consider himself a god though but he did call himself "the favorite of the gods." The laws were clearly stated so that there was no excuses or explanations for the mistakes the people made. The code of Hammurabi was very important and he wanted it to last forever. Those laws can help us understand Hammurabi a little more than what we already know.