Abstract The Panathenaic Prize Amphora, on display in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, is dated to around 375-70 B.C. and stands 33 inches high. It is attributed to the Asteios group and is an example of the ceramic black-figure ware that was a principal industry of Athens. This paper discusses the amphora and shows why its design and features are so typical of Athenian ceramic-ware production.
From the Paper "Various centers competed in the production and export of ceramic wares, but by the middle of the sixth century Athens had eliminated its principal rivals "and the many other wares that had flourished during the seventh and early sixth century had gradually disappeared, continuing only as local products" (Richter 315). Athens' dominance in the Mediterranean ceramics market extended from 550 to 400 B.C. and the Detroit example comes at the end of the city's reign. Black-figure technique also dominated production in the sixth century but was gradually overtaken in popularity by red-figure ware in the fifth century."
Abstract This paper offers a descriptive review of the architectural site Palenque in Mexico. The writer believes that Palenque may be the most beautiful and evocative of all the Maya ruins. The paper includes a description of the actual site, its surrounding scenery and additional sites nearby. The paper also includes a history of the site with reference to its discovery in the 1700s by an indigenous farmer. The paper points out that Palenque is famous not only for its beauty but it also has the distinction of being the actual site of major breakthroughs in the study of the Maya written language.
From the Paper "The site lies on a narrow shelf of land abutting the forested escarpment of the Chiapas highlands. Below Palenque, the lush coastal plain of Tabasco extends all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Set upon this scenic vista lies the true beauty of Palenque?its unequaled architecture. The Maya architects that constructed Palenque revolutionized the methods utilized in the construction of the day. The Maya architects made the upper facades of the temples in Palenque slope backward at the same angle as the slant of the corbelled walls inside."
Abstract Koriun was one of a few "historians" who have documented the time and early history of Armenia. This paper discusses this Armenian scholar of the 5th Century who was among those who first translated the Bible into Armenian. It examines his most valid contribution to Armenian literature - "The Life of Mashtots", a book based on the life of his mentor, St. Mashtots Vardapet.
From the Paper "Christian literature in the 5th Century was limited within Armenia. Elsewhere, church historians contributed their recordings regarding influential changes in Christian literature and relevant translations of doctrines. Writers like the 5th-century church historian Gennadius of Marseilles documented the life the life of Nicetas of Remesiana and his sacred musical influences to converted Serbians.
Such historians are of value to the period as by the end of the 5th Century, the Roman Empire was split in two, with Milan as one capital and Constantinople as another. During invasions in the east, vandals and Goth invaders destroyed many manuscripts and doctrines."
Abstract This paper reviews the work in light of ancient Greek culture and society. The writer claims that this time was well organized with a set way of making decisions, a hierarchy headed by the elders, a population fully involved in affairs and heralds who serve as protection and population controls. The original document proves this mythology to be complex and extensive while it still relates directly to the real world. The writer attempts to understand and explain the story for its reader.
From the Paper "First, this is a society that has achieved a higher level of organization. Certainly, it is a society that has reached the Bronze Age. Civilization developed following a pattern based on the ability of the human population to learn to use different tools at different stages, different materials from which those tools were made, and different modes of food production. With the development of more sedentary habitats, urban centers eventually developed and produced civilizations with certain similar characteristics, though these developments may have taken place at different rates in different areas. Civilization began with agriculture, developed metalworking in the Bronze Age, and progressed to more advanced metalworking in the Iron Age."
Abstract This paper is about the Kensington Rune Stone and the controversy surrounding it as a possible Pre-Columbian, Scandinavian relic. By looking at each individual line this paper shows how it is overwhelmingly possible that the tale told on the stone is authentic. The author discusses the controversy, the background of the stone, and examines the inscription line by line.
From the Paper "Since its discovery in 1898 by Olaf Ohman, the Kensington Rune Stone has been at the center of a heated controversy surrounding its authenticity. The general academic world's position on the authenticity of the stone began as almost overwhelmingly negative and remained that way until recent studies and findings have given it more credibility. The argument in favor of the stone's authenticity has recently become nearly un-opposable. The apparent credibility for the stone can be shown when one considers the facts concerning the inscription itself when studied as a whole and then line by line."
Abstract Looks at the differing historical assessments of the nature of Israel during the rules of David and Solomon and whether Israel could be classified as a kingdom during those times. Examines both the traditional view, where David and Solomon are considered central to Jewish history, and the position taken by a group called the "new archaeologists" who claim that David and Solomon were, at best, small-time leaders of local tribes.
From the Paper "Such an analysis is more a matter of commentary on the text than any sort of historical analysis because until recently there was little clear evidence that David or Solomon even existed, and many scholars have claimed that they did not. Under the traditional view, David and Solomon are considered central to Jewish history. A group known as the "new archaeologists" claim that David and Solomon were at best small-time leaders of local tribes, making the greatness of Israel under their leadership is a matter of exaggeration. For instance, they doubt that Solomon ever built the great temple as described in the Bible. These scholars are also known as the "minimalists" because they believe in a minimal interpretation of the evidence available about ancient Israel."
Abstract "The Tale of Two Brothers" is a story of sexual dominance, revenge, and deceit, and across these themes a deadly power struggle between the opposite sexes takes place. The paper shows that women in this story are depicted as powerful, however using their power for evil purposes. Men on the other hand, are depicted as equally powerful but use their power for good. It is because the men use their power for good that they prevail over the women. By analyzing the relationships between the two couples in the story, this paper makes a persuasive argument that, by the end of the story, the men are the victors of the power struggle.
From the Paper "The relationship between Anpu and his wife is the first to be examined. Anpu's wife is introduced as a woman who uses her manipulative power for evil purposes. After Anpu's brother, Bata, refuses her sexual advances she seeks revenge by using her skill in deception to convince Anpu to kill his brother. Anpu's wife lies and says, ?When your brother came to fetch the seed, he saw me fixing my hair. He tried to make love to me. ? He became angry and beat me. ? Oh Anpu, kill him for me, or I will surely die? (Loy 1997:1). Here, Anpu's wife successfully uses her manipulative powers for evil purposes. While Anpu's wife uses her intellectual power for an evil motive, her husband utilizes his physical power to reestablish what is just. After discovering his wife's evil plot, Anpu regains the power in the relationship physically by ?[killing] his wife, and [throwing] her body to the dogs? (Loy 1997:2). Anpu is seen as the victor in the situation not only because he is the one left standing at the end, but also because he uses his power for good."
Abstract This essay investigates such egyptology techniques and disciplines as historiography, chronology, philolgy, palaeography, lexigraphy, papyrology, epigraphy, anthropology and ethno-archaeology that can be employed to understand the ancient egyptian economy ranging from such topics as trade activities, importance of particular materials such as gold and silver, bureaucracy, the non-monetary economy and foreign trade relations.
From the Paper "There are many methodologies and techniques that could be employed to reconstruct and analyse the past in order to better understand the ancient Egyptian economy. Historiography is one such methodology that could be of use because history writing encompasses many different aspects of society and culture. A concise history of Egypt would be particularly beneficial in understanding the ancient Egyptian economy because it would provide an insight into how the economy developed over time, perhaps illustrating the different trade activities that emerged or the gradual increase in free enterprise and markets for example. However historians and Egyptologists are reluctant to write an Egyptian history and instead concentrate on such aspects as cataloguing and labelling (Morkot 2003). Understandably there are a number of difficulties in attempting to write a concise Egyptian history including the sheer amounts of data available, as well as the increased specialisation of Egyptologists who focus on one area of study, causing problems for the writing of an overall Egyptian history. Therefore using the methodology of historiography, although would provide a valuable insight into the ancient Egyptian economy, is currently lacking in its availability. Along with this there is also a scarcity of evidence in terms of surviving texts from Egypt that attempt to tell accounts of Egyptian history and this to provides problematic when attempting to use historiography to interpret the ancient Egyptian economy."
Abstract This paper examines the rule of King Herod over Idumea, Galilee, Judea, Batanea, Samaria and Peraea. It discusses why his relationship with the Jews was so tense and reasons for their hatred of him. It looks at the culture of the time and how the rule of Herod influenced cultural norms of society.
Introduction
Herod's Regime from 37-25 B.C
The Pharisees
The Ruling Class
The Hasmonean Family
Cleopatra
Herod and Octavius
The Death of Mariamne
The Death of the Last of the Hasmoneans
Herod Regime from 25-14 B.C.
Herod as Master Builder
Jerusalem
Masada
The Herodion
Jericho
Caesarea
Herod's Household Affairs
Augustus and Herod
Pleasing the Subjects
Marriage of Herod's Sons
Herod's Rule from 14-4 B.C
Matrimonial Issues
The Conspiracy for Succession
Foreign Disturbances
Trial of Alexander and Aristobulus
Antipater's Conspiracy and Failure
A New Will
The Divine Indications of Jesus? Birth
The Rabbi Rebels
Imprisonment of all Jew Noblemen
Antipater's Execution and Change of Will
Death and Deliverance
Herod's Religious Implications on Judaism & Christianity
From the Paper "Quite a variety of members belonging to the royal dynasty had their names Herod being originated in Edom or Idumea after John Hyrcanus in 125 B.C was obligated to adopt the Jewish religion (1). The Herod family ruled in Palestine as vassals of the Romans. Followed by Maccabees, the history of this dynasty mainly relates to the political history of Palestine during this whole era (1). Romans in 40 B.C made Herod I the Great, son of Antipater the king who managed to keep hold of his throne even during the times of changes in the government at Rome (1). Herod's kingdom included Idumea, Galilee, Judea, Batanea, Samaria and Peraea, which was more or less the same size as the kingdom of David and Solomon (1). Though Herod had outstanding leadership skills, yet he was greatly detested by the Jews. One of the reasons for disliking him was his attitude toward the Maccabean dynasty to which he was linked in terms of marriage, while his impudence and brutality, infuriated Jews more (1)."
Abstract Historians presume that the Toltecs are actually the refugees from the "Teotihuan culture" which fell apart during the 700 A.D. They were among the first purely "Militaristic" cultures and commanded the neighboring states by their military power. The paper shows that the empire expanded rapidly and the Toltecs began to take control of lands which were controlled by the Mayans. The Toltec Empire extended into what is present day Mexico, Guatemala and the Pacific coastal area of Chiopas. The paper describes how the Toltec Empire, which flourished from the 8th century, began to fall during the Twelfth century when Mayans, Chimetics and the other tribal powers finally subordinated them. Since there is no written record our primary source of information about the mesoamerican society is from the archaeological evidence discoveries. This paper examines the Toltec Society in detail.
From the Paper "The era of the Toltecs is perceived by historians as the change from a priesthood society to that of a Militaristic one. Toltec society was a militaristic one that used its army to subjugate and occupy the neighboring lands. This is all the more evident form their architecture. Toltecs had great regard for their warriors and enshrined many of their brave warriors in their temples. There is an air of somber about their architectures. The Toltec's carved out images of serpents, eagles, jaguars and other forms of threatening images. They also had images of their god Tezcatlipoca, "Smoking Mirrors" carved out in most of their architectures. Toltec's used Limestone as the main material for their constructions. A characteristic feature of the Toltec architecture, other than the various carvings of snake, jaguars, eagle etc, is their flat roofed constructions. Unlike the roman civilizations wherein we see lot of dooms the Toltecs predominantly designed flat roofed buildings. [Ferguson,]"
Abstract Twenty thousand years ago, mile-thick glacial ice sheets that extended from Canada to the Ohio River covered Michigan and most of northern North America. It took more than 12,000 years for the ice to melt, leaving Michigan a glacially scarred landscape with the Great Lakes. This paper focuses on the ancient Michigan basin area and presents a brief geological history of the area. It discusses how the mammals that lived during the Ice Age, such as mammoths, horses, camels and saber-toothed tigers adapted to their environment over the years, with some eventually becoming extinct.
From the Paper "The sperm whale represents a prehistoric carnivore that still exists today and Michigan boasts one of the largest fossils from a prehistoric sperm whale. Even during prehistoric times, the Great Lakes as we know them now were larger and connected to the Atlantic Ocean. This may be one reason why the sperm whale survived. Today, they are found far from land in very deep waters, which probably had been there environment during the Pleistocene Epoch."
Abstract An analysis of Egyptian culture and how it relates to war, religion and government, as well as the notion of astronomy and numbers in the acceleration of this great culture's rise in history. By verifying these elements, we can see how they grew in power.
Abstract In funerary art, the Greeks from the Geometric period in the 8th century through Hellenistic times seem to go from the heroic and noble to the sentimental and mawkish. Is funerary art a clue to the emotional development of a people?
