The Arthashastra Of Kautily A Work Of Incredible Historical Utility And Rarity

As we are introduced to the Great Persian Empire, we find that Amy Chua’s thesis talks about how tolerance was critical in allowing the Persians to not only establish and prosper their world dominant empire, but to maintain it for over two centuries. The thesis of the book, Day of Empire by Amy Chua, is about the “study of colossal power and the conditions needed to maintain it”. Not only this, but it discusses “the contest between ethnic “purity” and ethnic pluralism”. Amy Chua argues that The Achaemenid Persian Empire was “one of the first hyper powers in world history, governing a territory larger than all the ancient empires, including even Rome’s.” (Day of Empire pg. 4) Along with this, she argues that the Persian Empire was “one of the most culturally diverse and religiously open empires in history.” (Day of Empire pg. 4) Therefore, the author argues that The Persian Empire is relevant when discussing large powerful world authorities with a large size, long period of ruling, and ethnic tolerance it

The coffin and mummy of Djedmaatesankh are known as one of the few unopened coffins, retaining the original seal. Currently, it has been decided not to open the coffin in order to examine the mummy within due to the fact that it would severely damage the artwork and hieroglyphs that have been painted on the outside. The coffin is made of cartonnage, which is created with moulded linen and plaster and is painted on the outermost layer. These paintings describe the story of Djedmaatesankh’s life, as well as references to the Book of Caverns in order to provide the body “with safe protection as it makes its journey through the underworld on its way to eternal life in the Field of Reeds”. The coffin is from the 3rd intermediate period of ancient Egyptian culture and has been dated to 945-715 BC, coinciding with the 22nd Dynasty in which Ian Shaw relays that the “Chief of the Meshwesh Sheshonq (King Sheshonq I)” ruled. The base materials used are linen and plaster to form the cartonnage, and the artwork on the outermost layer uses a combination of paint and gold leaf to create depictions of Djedmaatesankh’s life. Ancient Egyptians used paint made from a mixture of pigment and plaster to paint on coffins and sarcophagi, and the higher classes used increased amounts of gold leaf as well. Djedmaatesankh’s coffin would be classified as funerary art, which had been created to be of use in funerary rituals and practices. Djedmaatesankh’s coffin is an excellent example of the extensive

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.

Old Imperialism was the period from 1450-1750, in which powers were motivated by “gold, glory, and God”. Political power was controlled by central governments while leaders were busy trying to increase their power. National wealth was widely viewed as holder of

I have spent the last two years studying world history with an emphasis on western civilization, and I will attempt to give a conspectus of what I have learned during that time. I have learned about a myriad of topics ranging from early Sumerian agricultural techniques to the U.S. intervention in Kosovo, therefore I will focus my efforts on an abbreviated overview of my studies. I will primarily focus on the governments of the major civilizations

Discussion of militaries in public school is often relegated to battle and military strategy. However, there are several more layers that go into handling and continuing any force of consequence. Societies throughout history have tackled these extra layers in their own ways. Examination of the primary documents “Genghis Khan: The History of the World Conqueror” by ‘Ala-ad-Din ‘Ata-Malik Juvaini, “Conscription and Professional Soldiers in Song China” by Ouyang Xiu and Fan Zhen, and “The Challenges of Raising an Army” by Zia’ al-Din Barani details the contrasting ways in which thirteenth century Mongolia, Song China, and Delhi handled the upkeep, recruitment, and organization of their respective militaries. Examination also reveals

The Mauryan Empire became one of the most recognized Classical Civilizations under the rule of Asoka. Asoka assumed control over the Mauryan Empire in 268 BCE after the previous ruler, Chandragupta, Asoka’s grandfather. Although Asoka is remembered to be a ruler of one of the most successful empires, the debate between whether he should be remembered as a ruthless conqueror or an enlightened ruler still remains. Asoka should be remembered primarily as an enlightened ruler because of his successful spread of Buddhism, end of his violent behavior, and produced a better governance and proper aid for the citizens of his empire.

While realism is a relatively new theory in the history of human states and warfare, it is still possible to expand it back before its birth. In the 13th century BC there were two major powers in the Middle East, the Egyptians under Pharaoh Ramses II and the Hittites under the guidance of Kings Muwatali II and Hattusili III. They were fighting over a stretch of land in what are now Israel, Palestine, Southern Turkey and Syria, otherwise known as the Levant. Both rulers claimed the territory and fought each other in the Battle of Qadesh in 1274 BC. The resulting peace treaty, the first diplomatic agreement from the Near East, was negotiated in 1259 BC. This peace treaty has been a hotspot of debate to this day over whether the Egyptian or Hittite narrative is more accurate. A few of the questions that this paper will address are: Why did the Hittite and Egyptian empires fight? Who were the main influences on foreign policy in the Ancient Near East? How did the internal characteristics of the two states play a role in the conflict and peace treaty? How did the nascent international system play a role in the war, stalemate, and peace treaty? The lack of any international system at this early stage of human civilization caused the warfare, the fifteen year gap between the battle and the peace treaty, and made it necessary for the two powers to seek peace as an alternative to sustained war. This lack of international system, and its subsequent creation, was compounded by the

The six documents provided in the appendix can be grouped together in many different ways. Although all of the documents imply ways their respective empires exerted political power, there were some distinctions between them. Additionally, all of the documents incorporate their respective cultures’ beliefs into their governments and methods for exerting political power. Document 1, for example, shows that the Persians incorporated their value of bravery into their method of exerting political power, military conquests. The Greeks and Romans in Documents 2 and 6 incorporated their value of freedom into their methods of exerting political power. The Greeks incorporated freedom by boating about their free democracy while the Romans included the

Asoka occupied Kalinga in 261 BCE which in result affected many people. By conquering Kalinga, he centralized the Mauryan empire. The reason for this conquest was to strengthen and improve the economy of the empire. Kalinga is described as a “powerful maritime area” which opened up trade routes and brought in income (Doc. B). After this conquest, “Asoka ceased to indulge in wars,” proving that he conquered Kalinga for the wellness of his people rather than wanting more power (Doc. B). Thus, Asoka was a ruler for the people by trying to better the empire therefore exemplifying traits of an affable

During the course of this analytical paper, we will look at the impact of warfare on world societies and people's consciousness, during the period of the 1500s in world history, called the Early Modern Period; also, we will discuss the consequences of the Great War. Additionally, apart from studying the altering methods of warfare and their magnitude, we will look up to different motivations of statesmen and peoples who declare wars or engage in several types of violent actions towards certain societies. Throughout the paper, we will stretch any pertinent evidence at appropriate points of what war leaders, intellectuals and common citizens view war and violence, which they experience during their life. Some of the examples include the Arabs that vastly expanded the world of Islam, yet were traditionally predatory in nature, which benefited more from the taxation of the conquered than from their conversion. There are also examples like the Mongol Empire, which was too, predatory, but differently from the Arab

The Achaemenid Empire existed from 559 BC to 330 BC, and was considered the world’s most culturally diverse and religiously open empire in history. The author’s thesis of this chapter is mainly about how tolerance is pivotal in the rise and eventual fall of an empire. She argues that the willingness of the leaders to accept each culture led to great things, like fewer rebellions, but it also caused the lack of each group to have a common language, religion, or interest to respect and worship. The empires success is mainly attributed to tolerance. For example, as each leader took over more territory and civilizations it let the people go about their lives normally and keep there same religions and traditions. Also, the multiple rulers had vast naval armies and always had a strong military. One ruler, King Darius, was always an exceptional administrator and would ensure the empire was one of the most sophisticated civilizations in history by overseeing contraction sites, introducing a standard currency, providing a royal mail service, and so on. The “glue” that kept the civilization together was the tolerance throughout the empire, without it civilians would have resented the leaders and riots would have occurred. However, the empires tolerance began to decline as leaders brutally crushed rebellions by tearing down significant religious structures, killing priests, and enslaving subjects in the process. The rebellions led to servitude, which

Charles Tilly’s article “War Making and State Making as Organized Crime” creates an analogy between the creation of European states and acting out an organized crime. Earlier in our course, we learned about Max Weber, who defined a state as “a human community that successfully claims the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory.” Tilly argues that the word “protection” in relation to physical force has positive and negative connotations, leading to illegitimate use of power during the period time that Tilly is discussing. Tilly’s analysis eventually tells the reader that war is always a major part of state politics; specifically that war making and state making are interdependent.

The ancient Egyptians are known for many of the incredible aspects of their culture and everything they have produced. Some of the well known ancient Egyptian relics are the ones like the ancient pyramids, the Great Sphinx of Giza, mummies, and their many forms of art. Ancient Egyptian art is one of the most recognized styles of art. The most commonly known types of ancient Egyptian art are types like paintings, ceramics, and sculptures. Not only is Egyptian art beautiful, but it carries a huge deal of value and significance with it. A great portion of the time, the art has some kind of religious meaning to it. Consequently it is very difficult to discuss the art itself without delving into the various gods and goddesses presented in it.

The final level of analysis Morgenthau considers to be important is whether or not the power is legitimate and moral or if it is illegitimate and immoral. Legitimate and moral power carries considerable weight in the international community. However, if the power of a state is derived from illegitimate sources such as a dictatorship the international community will be less responsive to that state, weakening its power. Weak or small states may enter into alliances with stronger states to increase their power and influence within the international community (Kleinberg 2010, 33-34). Morgenthau also believed that the charisma and personality of a leader was very important when reviewing the balance of power and understanding a state’s self interest (Kleinberg 2010, 32).