Mesopotamia consisted of a series of Empires, either
Sumerian, Babylonian, or Chaldean, to name a few. Each was ruled by an Emperor with a
well defined class structure which separated the nobility from the commoners. Among the
more well known of the Mesopotamian Emperors was Hammurabi, who promulgated his famous
Code of Laws, and Nebuchadnezzar, who constructed the hanging Gardens of Babylon. This
system remained in place until the area was ultimately conquered by the Persians under
Cyrus the Achaenamid in 558 B.C.E.
Ancient Egypt was ruled
by a king known as the Pharaoh, meaning "Great House." He was considered the
personification of the sun God, Horus, and was believed to be responsible for the annual
flooding of the Nile, from which ancient Egypt gained it subsistence. Pharaoh ruled
directly through an administrative bureaucracy; there was no Egyptian nobility.
Although some Pharaohs led troops into battle, most were never seen by the public at
large. They remained secluded from public view. It was forbidden to even look on him,
and to touch him unless he expressly requested it was punishable by death. Pharaohs
typically referred to their wives as their "dear sister." This has led to some
speculation that these marriages were incestuous, but there is no concrete
evidence.
The early society of India was the Harappan, or
Dravidian. Because their language has not yet been deciphered. As a result, there is no
way of knowing their political structure. It is known that they built several large
cities with broad streets organized on a grid with shops, public baths, and other
amenities. All of this indicates a highly organized and developed society; but other
than that, nothing is known of their system of government.
No comments:
Post a Comment