Reflection of Humanities
Reflection Paper 1
By: Tenesha Blackmon
Western history and civilization is of vast importance to understanding the great story of humanity. The study of the ancient civilizations has shown itself to me to be a new found interest as the journey of the course had lead me to see the magnificent accomplishments of mankind, and the possibilities of our potential; both in glory and darkness. In this reflection paper, I will look back upon the beginnings of our studies of the development of the early civilizations from the Sumerians to the Roman Empire. The definition and development of civilization is characterized by 5 major important factors. The 5 characteristics are the existence of cities that inhabits many citizens, organized governments, specialized labor and trades, monumental architect, writing, and organized religion. In around 3, 000 B.C. Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, was the 1st to develop urban civilization. Today this area is known to be modern day Iraq . The 1st civilization that we are introduced to are the Sumerians, whose inventions of ancient writing system, cuneiform, the wheel, and 1st number system proved to be a bench marker to upcoming civilizations. Others that followed pursuit were the Hittites. Known for their strong, well trained army, the Hittites were also crafty in the area of iron work. The Babylonians were next, followed by the Phoenicians whose contribution of the 1st alphabet was the major contribution of writing that served to be the building block for European languages. The small nation of the Hebrews had a big contribution of individual and moral self-sufficiency, monotheistic way of life, and historical value shapes the very fabric of western ideas that legacy is evident to the modern day society.
Ancient kingdoms developed throughout the ages. The abilities to expand beyond their boundaries allowed the powerful and aggressive to build empires. Ancient Empires were many but there
By: Tenesha Blackmon
Western history and civilization is of vast importance to understanding the great story of humanity. The study of the ancient civilizations has shown itself to me to be a new found interest as the journey of the course had lead me to see the magnificent accomplishments of mankind, and the possibilities of our potential; both in glory and darkness. In this reflection paper, I will look back upon the beginnings of our studies of the development of the early civilizations from the Sumerians to the Roman Empire. The definition and development of civilization is characterized by 5 major important factors. The 5 characteristics are the existence of cities that inhabits many citizens, organized governments, specialized labor and trades, monumental architect, writing, and organized religion. In around 3, 000 B.C. Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, was the 1st to develop urban civilization. Today this area is known to be modern day Iraq . The 1st civilization that we are introduced to are the Sumerians, whose inventions of ancient writing system, cuneiform, the wheel, and 1st number system proved to be a bench marker to upcoming civilizations. Others that followed pursuit were the Hittites. Known for their strong, well trained army, the Hittites were also crafty in the area of iron work. The Babylonians were next, followed by the Phoenicians whose contribution of the 1st alphabet was the major contribution of writing that served to be the building block for European languages. The small nation of the Hebrews had a big contribution of individual and moral self-sufficiency, monotheistic way of life, and historical value shapes the very fabric of western ideas that legacy is evident to the modern day society.
Ancient kingdoms developed throughout the ages. The abilities to expand beyond their boundaries allowed the powerful and aggressive to build empires. Ancient Empires were many but there