Six Major Periods Of Western Civilization

In Egypt specialized labor was a feature to societies in the southern part of the Nile River valley, Egyptian and Nubian lands build patriarchal societies that placed authority in the hands of adult males. The Egyptian economy was really productive because of it’s location and prosperity of the location, Egypt was a center of trade, linking lands in southwest Asia, the eastern Mediterranean, and sub Saharan Africa. The Nile allowed Egyptians to travel back and forth due to the winds, all you needed to do is change your sail. Mesopotamia is known as the fertile crescent. There was much farming in ancient Mesopotamia. Farmers would dig trenches from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to keep their soil moist. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers were very important in Ancient Mesopotamia,

This essay will explore the rise of the West through examination of the evolution of European civilization. The theories and works of numerous authors, regarding how and why the Great Divergence occurred, will be considered; mainly the role of government, technological development and culture. Ultimately, it will be clear that the struggle for power in Europe led to a shift in the culture of Europe, which eventually led to the rulers that were vying for power making decisions that benefited their subjects rather than the government or church. Thus, the Great Divergence can be linked to the contrasting ideologies of the West and those of

Civilization: The West and the Rest, presented by Niall Ferguson, is a documentary in which Ferguson reveals what he calls the six killer applications which has helped Western civilization dominate over everyone else. These six applications are competition, science, property, medicine, consumerism, and work. Ferguson asks many questions over the course of the series as well as provides examples as to how Western civilization has surpassed other nations and empires. Ferguson’s main question in each episode is, “If we lose our monopoly over apps like these, could Western civilization be consigned to history.” This paper will analyze Ferguson’s questions and the examples he provides for the killer applications of competition, science, property, medicine, consumerism, and work, as well as his conclusions as to why the West has risen to the top, how the rest are passing up the West, as well as his conclusions to if the West can remain above the rest.

The past centuries saw a clear distinction between the Western civilization and the non-western culture. The western civilization composed of Greece, Romans, Byzantine Empire, and the European while the non-western civilizations included East Asia, Egypt, Persian Empire, Sassanid Empire, African Societies and Kingdoms, Incas, Mayans, Aztecs, and Mongols. For a long period, the western civilizations prevailed around the world. They influenced, lead and controlled others in various sectors such as medicine, clothing, business orientations, religion, and government. In this paper, I will be affirming my conviction that the western civilizations had unique attributes that made them more powerful than the non-western civilizations. I will also show how the western cultures were influenced by the spread of Christianity, and how the western cultures have maintained their great influence and power over the other societies even in the modern era.

The development of Europe and Western Culture are highlighted by five key dates. The main four key dates and there are as follows:

During the years of 3500 BC to 2500 BC, the geography of a land often impacted a civilizations development in great measures. Depending on the resources available or the detriments present due to certain topographical characteristics like rivers or deserts, a civilization could flourish or collapse. By studying the geographic features of growing societies like the Nile, Euphrates, and Tigris Rivers as well as the Mediterranean Sea of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the link between developing cultures and geography will be examined through sources, including Egypt: Ancient Culture, Modern Land edited by Jaromir Malek and Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek. To determine the extent

Agriculture was central to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia; it was the basis of both their economies. While both civilizations utilized agriculture in similar fashions, ancient Egypt had a more stable efficient system due to geographic location and resources, therefore relishing in a more positive economy. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers surrounding Mesopotamia were harsh, unpredictable, and prone to erratic flooding, causing

There are a number of differences that draw a distinction between the post-classical civilizations of both India and the Middle East. This distinction is found in the contrasting Muslim rule of both the Ottoman and Mughal Empires. Similar in Turkic origin, both civilizations ran at a similar time period, sharing an interesting history of social relations from 1556 and ending in 1748. The most significant of these distinctions would be in the factor of social structure and gender roles. These differences lie in the factors of origin, the role of women, and social hierarchy.

“The condition that exists when people have developed effective ways of organizing a society and care about art, science, etc.” This is the definition of civilization. So when I explain the different characteristics of the western civilizations, which is mainly made up of all the countries in the world that have roots that go way back to ancient Greece. Although western societies have a lot of similarities as todays and other civilizations, it’s still tend to be known to as pretty rare, mainly in the way “western” think and believe. Western people thinking investigates something that is thought to be true and questions it, they were the type of humans to heavily test everyone’s mind. They would challenge one another to think outside of what

The location of a civilization is crucial for agriculture and security. While Mesopotamia, Egypt, and India consisted of rivers, Egypt’s was the most profitable. In Mesopotamia, the Tigris and Euphrates River would harmfully flood the valleys creating a need for irrigation systems. Similarly, the Harappans often encountered floods until walls were built. In Egypt, the water flowed the banks from the Nile River replenishing the land with fertilized soil. As a result, the Egyptians had a stable supply of wheat and barley while the supplies of other civilizations were unsteady. Moreover, the Egyptians had natural

The ancient Greeks and Romans were perhaps two of the greatest civilizations of the ancient world. These two civilizations thrived in their ancient environments which eventually led to a vast amount of prosperity within these two cultures. It is because of this prosperity that these ancient cultures were able to make a variety of advancements in literature, architecture, art and a variety of other fields. These two civilizations also produced some of the ancient world’s greatest writers, leaders, and philosophers. The cultures of ancient Greece and Rome made a number of contributions to western civilization in the form of advancements in literature, architecture, art, government, and philosophy.

The ancient lands of Mesopotamia are unknown territory for many people. It is one of the earliest civilizations in the world. The first great civilization, located between Tigris and Euphrates rivers, was developed in 3500 BC. Word “Mesopotamia” is derived from two Greek words meaning ‘land between two rivers’. The region is a vast, dry plain through which two great rivers flow. People of Mesopotamia were ‘Sumerians’. Tigris and Euphrates created fertile river basins for the region. World’s first cities grew up in Mesopotamia. The people of Mesopotamia were among the first to use the written words and a language of their own. Mesopotamia is known as the “cradle of civilization”. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers provided rich fruitful soil and

Mesopotamia was a successful farming community early on. Utilizing the Tigris and Euphrates rivers this community was able to create a successful way of farming through the use of irrigation and drainage ditches (Duiker & Spielvogel, 2010). Once the use of irrigation became large scale and widely used it was possible to support a larger community base and thus encouraged expansion throughout the civilization.

The transition of Medieval to Modern happened over a long period of time. The middle ages marked a dark time in Europe’s history, and the people were anxious to get out. The Renaissance began, and art emerged to create a brighter society. During the Reformation, the country shifted away from the Roman Catholic Church, and many Protestant religions emerged. The Scientific Revolution also marked a change in medical to modern by creating new ways to look at the world and mathematics. The Age of Discovery marked yet another change in Medical to modern Europe when new technologies emerged in order to navigate around the world. Along with many other rulers, King Louis XIV changed France into a country looking to expand, which differed from

Chapter Ten of our textbook relates to the Medieval Civilization: The Rise of Western Europe. The first source I used for this discussion post is the “Medieval Technology & Science: The 1000 AD Pivot” from our Instructor Commentary. This source is relevant to study the topic of Medieval Civilization because it allows us to explore the technology and science used in this era. This source gives us an outline and summary of the Medieval technology and science used. According to this commentary, it was in the year 1000 that technology began to accelerate. The increase in technology can be contributed to monks, clergy, and scholars. Also, civilizations moved from constant war to more “advanced” pursuits” since “economic, political, and social norms were achieved” all leading to the rise of Western Europe (Darty 1-2). This commentary also gave valuable information for us to get a clear picture of the medieval style of technology used during this period including eotechnic which “focused on “wood, stone, wind, and water” as the drivers of machined technology” (2). This commentary supports the historically continued progress of the Medieval civilization which led to the rise of Western Europe.