Class: Western Civilization 1
Professor: Dr. John F. Shean
Student: Vlado Vukovic

Task: Paper #1
Title: Compare and contrast Egyptian and Mesopotamian attitudes towards life and death. How do you account for the differences?

Class: Western Civilization 1
Professor: Dr. John F. Shean
Student: Vlado Vukovic

Task: Paper #1
Title: Compare and contrast Egyptian and Mesopotamian attitudes towards life and death. How do you account for the differences?


Egyptian and Mesopotamian attitudes towards life and death have some similarities and have some differences. Some of the similarities are that both regions had rulers that thought of themselves as Gods representatives on earth while Egyptian ones went as far as to proclaim themselves as Gods.

Basic differences between Egyptian and Mesopotamian attitudes towards life and death is that Egyptians were much less pessimistic towards their attitudes towards life and death as opposed to the way Mesopotamians had attitudes towards life and death. The reason for this difference is can be found in the way Egypt and Mesopotamia are in a geographical sense.

Egypt is a land that has access to Mediterranean sea and whose main lifeline is the River Nile. River Nile is a river whose nature is predictable and as such would make Egyptians less stressful. Also Egypt is as a land much easier to defend since it is surrounded by sand (Sahara desert) while it can be entered only either through the Mediterranean sea, to the east of west of their Nile delta (thus again coastal regions) or from the direction of Nubia, to the south of it.

Mesopotamia is a Greek word that means land between rivers (Meso-between, potomos-river) and those rivers are Euphrates and Tigress (as written originally in Greek from where their names originate from). These two rivers (that look like twins sort of speak since they follow each other are much less predictable then Nile and thus would make the people of Mesopotamia more stressful and thus less optimistic by nature. Also the land of Mesopotamia is much less stable in political terms then Egypt since it is surrounded by land that are inhabited by other people and it is situated in a very strategic location that makes it a target for any local invading force.

As I stated the difference can be explained through he difference in the nature that exist between Egypt and Mesopotamia.

Class: Western Civilization 1
Professor: Dr. John F. Shean
Student: Vlado Vukovic

Task: Paper #2
Title: Discuss in what ways the Jewish Religion was similar to that of the other people.


The ways in which the Jewish Religion was similar to that of the other people are limited. For the most part Jewish religion represented a break with polytheistic traditions that existed in its surrounding by moving to a monotheistic religion.

One of the primary ways in which the Jewish Religion was similar to that of the other people is that Jews has similar account (such as biblical account regarding Creation, the Flood, and the tower of Babylon) in their bible that correspond with Babylonian literature. The reason for such similarity is that Jews originated in Mesopotamia and as a result had similar history to other people that lived in the Mesopotamia (where Babylon is located).

Jewish religion was a reflection of their condition where they were enslaved in their early existence as a people. By being enslaved they wanted to believe in something that would be outside of their own realm of existence and outside of their own realm of reality. Reason for that is that deep down they wanted to break free of the chains of slavery and if no other religion that existed at the time would give them inspiration then Jews were bound to make a religion for themselves, and they did. It was a religion that sought inspiration for divine being outside of the usual traditional patterns that early polytheistic and somewhat earthbound religions followed.

Another similarity is that in Jewish religion a believer was and is expected to be a blind follower (if not a slave) of the word of God that is transmitted through religious text such as Jewish bible called Torah. Similarly, here exists with earlier Semitic based religions where people are there to obey the God or Gods and not vice versa.

All in all similarities between Jewish religion and ancient middle eastern religions are few and consist in some elementary similarities such as biblical story accounts and obeying the God.

Class: Western Civilization 1
Professor: Dr. John F. Shean
Student: Vlado Vukovic

Homework: What do the plays 'Antigone' and 'Lysistrata' tell us about Greek attitudes towards women?

Ancient Greece when compared to modern western societies (which are its indirect cultural derivatives) was a sexist society. The status of women was not on the same level as was the status that existed for males. Reading the plays 'Antigone' and 'Lysistrata' can draw the same conclusion (especially reading the play 'Lysistrata' will lead a reader towards that conclusion). These two plays do give us enough information to analyze the status of women in ancient Greece.

In the play 'Antigone' we have a conflict between personal ethics and government imposed laws. Women called Antigone will risk her life in order to bury her dead brothers body. This part of the story is telling is that there was a code of behavior that existed within ancient Greek society where ones and families honor and courage were given a very importance place that sometimes superseded the importance of ones life. Antigone's comments directed towards the Creon, king of Thebes, where she behaves what king perceives in an arrogant manner only enrages the king further for he is offended that a servant and women at that feels no remorse for her actions.

This play 'Antigone' tells us that women's position was clearly subordinate when compared to men's position within ancient Greece. Creon even states at one point "no women is going to lord over me" which this tells us that the accepted view was for women to be lorded over not to lord over. Another insight into ancient Greek society is when Creon states that women should provide "household full of sons who are dutiful and attentive." Creon even warns his son Haemon not to trust women for they might corrupt him and to stay true to the accepted view of woman. Creon also states that men should never be rated inferior when compared to women. Antigone's status among the Thebans, after her death, was elevated due to the heroic action she performed to get her brother buried thus suggesting us that women had to do extraordinary deed to be viewed with same respect as a man. Thebans were fair and believed that Antigone was innocent thus telling us that women's action was given a second thought. Thebans also though of Creon as an arrogant and ego driven old man with closed horizons.

Lysistrata was a comical play where writer makes fun of the Peloponnesian War (between Sparta and Athens and their allies) and where Athenian women seize the Acropolis and refuse to have sex with their men until the war is declared finished. Commissioner and men accompanying him have a dialogue in the play with the women.

If commissioner is to be taken as an example of a classical Greek male then this male would believe that women are good for making problems, that schooling women is a mistake and that women are unable to have common sense (which would all imply they need to be told what to do). In continuation the male would believe that women should not curse when speaking to men, that free spirited women is a menace to society while Lysistrata even states that women is primarily a house wife by naming what a women does. One of the commissioner's men even called women animals (one goes to full extreme by comparing women to monsters) thus demeaning them although this could have been said in a heat of the moment. One of the women states that it is true that women are home bound, angel-like and respectful towards men but should not be abused and disrespected which would suggest they were abused and disrespected at home by male members.

In conclusion I will state again that at the Ancient Greece was a sexist society where the status of women was not on the same level as was the status that existed for males. Women were regarded as basically being mans property whose duty was to obey their men (whether brother, father or husband).

Class: Western Civilization 1
Professor: Dr. John F. Shean
Student: Vlado Vukovic

Task: Paper #3
Title: How did Imperialism disrupt traditional roman society?

Roman imperialism started out in 27 BC when Octavian Augustus proclaimed himself to be the first roman emperor. By doing so he ended five centuries of roman republic and by doing so he started a reign of Roman emperor that also lasted for next five hundred years.

The first change that occurred within the roman world was that this was the beginning of so-called ‘Pax Romana’, or Roman piece, which lasted from 27 BC to 180 AD. During this time Roman world achieved until then unrivaled prosperity that was enforced by three elements; long lasting piece, effective management of the government and economy.

After the two year rule by Marcus Cocceius Rome was able to achieve more orderly successions by future to be Emperors by following the rules that Marcus Cocceius left behind him. This, in turn, enabled a greater degree of stability for the Romans.

Roman society was due for the change from even before the change to Imperialism. Roman farmers were affected in a negative way after the Punic wars since new slaves deemed their work as unnecessary therefore a new reform (that was earlier attempted by Tiberius Graphus) to grant them a bigger security was needed to strengthen Romans security. Also Roman women were demanding more rights (period around second Punic war) that were negated in a debate by Cato the Elder who was a traditionalist Roman government spokesman. Roman society was being more and more influenced by Hellenic culture and its phylisophy, which in turn started producing Roman philosophers such as Lucretius and Cicero. Another change that was occurring is that the state under which slaves were kept was becoming more and more inhuman which in turn produced at least one major slave revolt. Slaves were mainly brought from newly conquered states such as Carthage.

Octavian introduced oligarchic republic, which in reality was a monarchy, did the first major change by a new Imperialism. He wasn’t bold enough to call himself a king (due to what happen earlier to Caesar) but in effect he does represent the first Roman Monarch.
Another change was the continuation of the trend prior to Imperial rule of having Roman culture being more and more influenced by Greeks. In fact Romans at this time even trace their origins to Greeks (Trojans) when Virgil writes ‘The Aeneid’.

Class: Western Civilization 1
Professor: Dr. John F. Shean
Student: Vlado Vukovic

Task: Homework

Question: How does Octavian Augustus Describes his position? Is he a dictator or a 'restorer' of a Republic?

Octavian Augustus presented himself not as an emperor but as a continuation of earlier republican establishment. He poinded out that he would not accept any position that did not exist during the Roman republican past. If effect Octavian Augustus was a first emperor that was clever enough and careful enough not to refer to himself as such nor to present himself as such to the Roman people when he gained control. The reason for caution was what happened to earlier Caesar who proclaimed himself (in what was till then republican Rome with a 500 year old Republican tradition) as an emperor and who was killed afterwards. Therefore Octavian Augustus was keenly aware that if he made any radical moves (like his predecessor Ceasar) he might suffer the same fate. Therefore he masked himself and presented himself as a continuation of Roman republican past while he imposed gradual change.

Class: Western Civilization 1
Professor: Dr. John F. Shean
Student: Vlado Vukovic

Task: Homework

Question: Tertullion and Clement of Alexandria's attitute towards pagan learning? (Compare and contrast)

Although both are Christian thinkers their views are very different. One of them was not very rational and can be compared with religious fundamentalists of modern times and the other was a Christian that respected and valued ancient ideas.

Tertullion was what we call today religious fundamentalist that can be compared to Taliban rulers when it comes to similarity of his ideas. He was very much against ancient Greco-Roman culture and stated that since Athens can nothing in common with Jerusalem (Christianity is a Jewish sect after all) the why incorporate any philosophical ideas from ancient Greece. The reason was of course to maintain his religious dogma within the minds of brainwashed Greco-Roman people he could not imagine allowing Greco-Roman thought to resume for it's nature is in direct opposition to the blinding dogma. Using his logic one can also say since Jerusalem has nothing to do with Athens or Rome why even convert Greeks and Romans into Jewish religion for they are not Jews.

Clement of Alexandria on the other hand was might more brighter and used rationality in his though much more then the first individual. He was also a Christian but he was a kind of Christian that understood the importance of ancient Greek ideas and attempted to incorporate them with the ideas of the new Jewish sect (thinking perhaps it would be easier for Romans to accept the Jewish dogma if it was accompanied with some reasoning from ancient greeks).

Class: Western Civilization 1
Professor: Dr. John F. Shean
Student: Vlado Vukovic

Task: Homework

Question: Why did the Romans persucate the Christians

Romans persucated Christians because the Christiajs were seen as a threat. Christians standed for everything that Romans and Greeks did not. Christians were all about their religious fundamentalistist dogma that was bordering insanity and Romans and Greeks were about ractional thought. Romans , if they wanted to preserve their old ways had two options and that is to be againts christianity that was spereading like a virus or to try to alter it from within which they essenssially did. Christianity corrupted many people and blinded their horizonts and romans desipsed this. Christians were also eneminies of the roman state who felt no loyalty towards it.

Class: Western Civilization 1
Professor: Dr. John F. Shean
Student: Vlado Vukovic

Task: 1 Page Paper
Title: According to Augustine, what is the role of God in human learning?

The role of God in human learning according to Augustine is that Augustine didn't accept that the central premise of ancient Greek learning was for an individual to rely on reason alone. His opinion is that (my words: vindictive and jealous) God will afflict suffering on people is they turn their back on him and as a result reason cannot be the only truth an individual can rely on (thus fear being the key word here). Augustine stated there were two realms one he called City of God and secular one he called city of Man and he urged people to conform to religion rather then to human laws. Augustine was just another one of the early Christian fanatic fundamentalist (which as any religious fundamentalists is a form of madness) who believed in what they believed as the only truth even though there was not a shred of evidence to back any of their claims except the visions in their heads. Such world was then.

Class: Western Civilization 1
Professor: Dr. John F. Shean
Student: Vlado Vukovic

Task: 1 Page Paper
Title: Sumarize the tenets of Islam?

The tenets of Islam

The first tenets of Islam is the belief that there is one God and that Muhammad is his prophet. This tenet also consist of believing that the angel Gabriel visited Muhammad and ordered him to "recite in the name of the Lord!"

Another tenet is that there is only one God and hence the name of the new religion is Islam which means 'surrender to Allah' or surrender to (one) God. The one God that all Abrahamic religions warship to Muslims is all powerful and just Allah, who created and rules heaven and earth and who is also compassionate and merciful.

The tenet is also that Koran is to be taken as the major guiding light for Islamic moral standards and rules and regulation regarding daily life. Islam is seen by Muslims (for a reason) as continuation of the earlier two Abrahamic religions (original one Judaism and its offshoot Christianity) only more complete and more perfect.

Muslims regard Judaic and Christian holly figures as holy also only to them Christ isn't a son of God by another prophet. Another tenet is that Muhammad is the last and greatest of all prophets but different from Christians they see him as completely human. Muslims were greatly affected by Greek though and incorporated much of its in its early tradition.