No Difference

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

This quote relates to all the great leaders of the ancient times, the reason for this is because they didn't only give there men greatness and their city civilization , they taught them how to do it for themselves and that is the greatest power. If they just got everything from the leader they wouldn't now how to do it for themselves and everyone would rely on the one person and if something was to go wrong and the person passed away that city would be done. That's why you must teach people your powers and the world around you will be a better place.

And the long road begins...

"Manus, the power of a husband over his wife, was less comprehensive than patria potestas, Even in the Twelve Tables it was fairly easy for a wife to avoid coming under the legal authority of her husband. Independent women whose fathers were dead could inherit property. They were required to have guardians (this may reflect Greek influence), but one clause in the code protects women's property rights against embezzlement by their guardians, thus recognizing women as the true owners of their property. These are some early indications that the status of women in the Roman world would be higher than their status in classical Athens."

-The Ancient Mediterranean World

Philosophy

"In the sixth century B.C., a new way of thought arose in parts of the Greek world-the beginning of what the Greeks later called philosophy, which means "love of wisdom."

-The Ancient Mediterranean World; Page 72

Philosophy's birthplace coincided with democracy, modern literature, citizenship, and other matters of utmost importance during the sixth century B.C. in Greece. Philosophy is an important thing to study because it looks at the bigger picture; why things are how they are and if in fact things actually are how they appear. Philosophy opens people up to the possibility that their reality may not be quite what they thought it was. The problem with philosophy has always been, and looks as if it will continue to be, that it is a subject that leaves many questions unanswered. It often moves in endless circles that give one no reasonable assurance or proof about a certain matter. Nevertheless, it is important to question what has been taught, for without questioning there will never be any intellectual progress.

Varied Women's Rights

Ancient Mediterranean World

"...Those who defended the city in war also had full rights of participation in its constitution. Women could not be citizens in this sense..." pp. 62

"Spartan women were famous (or notorious) for having more freedom than the women of other cities...received an education similar to that of boys..." pp. 65

"...authors wrote of homosexual love...the passionate and erotic dimensions of love that they celebrated were to be found here, and not in heterosexual love leading to marriage...dancing in Sappho's chorus was also an important rite of passage; living apart from men and bonding with their peers...could be intense and even erotic in nature..." pp. 68-69

"...the conventions of Greek society, which accepted male nudity in public but jealously guarded the sexuality of respectable women and girls." pp. 71


I don't have much to expand on this, since it's self explanatory. I am aware that every city is run differently and this age allowed for such variety. I just wanted to physically point out just how varied this age is from page to page - from "jealously guarding female sexuality" to the "celebration of homosexual love". How colourful.

Civilization

"To speak of 'civilization' (of which this book is a history) is at once to plunge into controversy, so that our very first words illustrate why some people are so fearful of the study of history"

- Ancient Mediterranean World Preface

History is riddled with controversy, from what started wars to who won them, from how civilizations existed to how they fell - riddled with issues and questions we may never be able to understand or answer. When we start delving into topics, when we start trying to understand the controversy, we scare ourselves with the truth sometimes.

Arguments

"History is a series of arguments to be debated, not a body of data to be recorded or a set of facts to be memorized"

- The Ancient Mediterranean World Preface: The Value of History

History is something that we carry with us together, it teaches us things and highlights important issues but it is not always absolute. Though what is reiterated is facts we can only speculate as to the reasoning behind them and learn from the past. It is often thought that history is simply a set of facts, that you just have to memorize data, but it is so much more than that. It is personal histories that create the bigger history, personal thoughts that create the things we learn - individuals have shaped the world.

Who writes history?

"Great nations write autobiographies in three manuscripts, the book of their deeds, the book of their words, and the book of their art." - John Ruskin, English critic.

from The Ancient Mediterranean World, page xii, paragraph 1.

This is an interesting quote to me because of the question of history's reliability: would history books teach us the same thing about Hitler and the Nazis had they not lost the second world war?

Also, art and books can be historically censored, much like they were in the time of the Nazis. What history books tell us are all that our ancestors CHOSE to pass on to us.

History as Story

“History is a narrative, a story; history is concerned foremost with major themes, even as it recognizes the significance of many fascinating digressions. Because history is largely about how and why people behave as they do, it is also about patterns of thought and belief. Ultimately, history is about what people believe to be true…”

Robin W. Winks “Preface” The Ancient Mediterranean World