chapters 2 and 3 quetions

Chapter 2 Questions

1 . The Hebrew Bible , Hebrew Law , and the Prophets were central to the development of Hebrew religion and society . First , the Law established the Hebrew identity as a `nation of priests ' and God 's chosen people created in the image of God . Women were subordinate , but treated comparatively better than in other societies . Secondly , the prophets spoke out against social injustice and the eroding morality of society as well as encouraged the people to seek their own relationship with God (rather than going through the priests

2 . The Assyrian

empire was ruled by an absolute monarch who was also the high priest of the god Ashur . The second tier of government was occupied by the king 's appointed nobles , who oversaw the governance of provinces and collected tribute . Lawbreakers were punished via terror or deportation . The Persian Empire adopted the Assyrian model of governance , though they respected the traditions of those conquered as long as taxes were paid

3 . King Nebuchadnezzar was the chief architecht of the Chaldean Empire which included Babylonia , Assyria , Syria , and Palestine . He is credited with the architectural brilliance of the Babylonian temples , and the creation of the world-famous hanging gardens . He also figured prominently in the Old Testament in the Book of Daniel

4 . Cyrus the Great was responsible for the expansion of the Persian Empire , conquering all territories between the Nile in Egypt and the Indus River in the Indian Subcontinent , which was accomplished within twenty-five years . Although the reign of Darius I was beset with continuous rebellion , he reformed the Persian legal code and administration thereof with respect to evidence , slave sales , bribery and assault

Chapter 3 Questions

1 . The geography of Greece contributed to the formation of city-states because there were many natural barriers (mountains , bays , islands ) to social and political unity . Because these barriers were so numerous the states were rather small , from 5 ,000 citizens in the smaller states to more than 35 ,000 in Athens . The Aegean Sea separated the Hellenic civilizations and Plato likened the Greeks to living on the sea as `frogs on a pond ' `Citizens ' only included adult males as women children , resident aliens , and slaves were not included in the lawmaking process

2 . According to Pericles , the ideal democracy is to place the administration of the state squarely in the hands of the citizens rather than leave governance to a purely noble class of individuals . Many critics believe that Athens was not a true democracy because it excluded resident aliens from politics and kept slaves , which by definition are denied the freedoms and rights of citizens . However , since slavery was practically universal 2500 years ago , it was one of the best models of ancient democracy . However , one of Pericles ' statements was contradictory : `There is no exclusiveness in our public life ' As we have mentioned before , only city-born free males were allowed to participate in the process...