MilestoneTWOHIS117 (1)

Milestone Two SNHU23EW5 HIS117 June 4th, 2023

1 The environment can affect societies in many ways. As in the Persian Empire, the dry desert areas affected society negatively but also brought them together in a way to help each other. The hot summers and cold winters made it very hard to grow crops for the Empire to survive. They were in constant search for water. The only way to survive was to move and find new ground near a water source. While being in the desert protected them from potential enemies, it harmed the Persians greatly. 1 Another way that the environment brought society closer together is in Greek society. There were many hills and rocky mountains, with minimal flat lands for larger communities to stay together. This separated Greeks into many small villages. 2 The Greeks believed that agriculture would harm nature which would upset the Gods. Soon they realized they wouldn’t be punished, and the Greeks moved to more nutrient-rich soils to grow cereals, grapes, and olives. 3 As well as moving closer to the water to fish. This brought everyone closer together because they began to trade with other villages as well. In Egyptian society, they depended solely on the Nile to bring them enough water to irrigate crops. When there were droughts this brought a lot of stress to their society. The problems that were documented happened mostly when the Nile was scarce and couldn’t help their society. 4 The stresses of not being able to eat brought each society closer to its own. They learned how to irrigate crops and found more reliable sources and gave each other jobs. Jobs allowed for a structure to become more solid. When everyone in the society has a purpose, it all comes together nicely. Societies are stronger when everyone works together as a team. Aristotle explained that the cultivation of crops allowed for revenue, and this allowed for an economic 1 Albert T. Olmstead. 1948. History of the Persian Empire . London: The University of Chicago Press Ltd. p. 19-20 2 Lukas Thommen. 2012. An Environmental History of Ancient Greece and Rome . Vol. Rev. English ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 25-27 3 Lukas Thommen p. 33-36 4 Joe McCarthy. "Climate Change Affected Ancient Egypt, Too and Led to Its Demise." Global Citizen. October 18, 2017.

2 system to begin. 5 With these societies beginning to form a real structure, gender roles begin to form as well. Women in Greek society essentially had no rights, and their main purpose in society was to bear children so that their society can grow. It is ironic that in Greek mythology women are very important, and are put on a pedestal when in real Greek societies, women have no roles outside of their homes. 6 Aristotle has expressed that women were considered more to be property. And women could only inherit things if their husbands died. 7 Slave women were the only exception to working women during this time in Greek society. And the women slaves were used as entertainment for the working men, especially during a symposium, which was where the male citizens would have a feast, conversate, listen to music, and have live entertainment. 8 In Egyptian society, women had a different experience. Women in Egyptian society have been known to be involved in politics and decision-making. Women were also respected, and this was shown through paintings of husbands and wives together shown as equals. And it was more common for one man to have one wife, whereas in other societies men could have multiple wives. Women could even be judges or rulers in this society. 9 And in the Persian Empire, women had more rights, but they were still not as free as Egyptian women. There was more of a social class in the Persian Empire. Wealth was heavily influenced by whether you had rights or not. And women during this time could also serve in the military. 10 The role and social status of women were also portrayed on fortification tablets found in 5 Aristotle, and H. Rackham. Athenian Constitution. [Electronic Resource] ; Eudemian Ethics ; Virtues and Vices . Rev. Loeb Classical Library: 285. Harvard University Press, 1935. p. 49 6 Mark Cartwright. " Women in Ancient Greece ." World History Encyclopedia . 7 Aristotle and H. Rackham. 1944. Politics . Cambridge Mass: Harvard University Press. p. 134. 8 Mark Cartwright. “Women in Ancient Greece.” 9 Russ VerSteeg. 2023. “Ancient Egypt and Laws Relating to the Status of Women.” Women & Criminal Justice 33 (1): 1–13. 10 Joshua J. Mark. " Women in Ancient Persia ." World History Encyclopedia .