Abstract This paper argues that Herodotus is deserving of the title of "the Father of History and that his "The Histories" pays tremendous attention to accuracy as well as detail. It looks at how "The Histories" sheds a degree of bias that taints most writings of that era and how the topics chosen by Herodotus are vital to the recording of history.
From the Paper "The wide array of detailed subjects which The Histories of Herodotus cover is reason alone to earn him the title of "the Father of History." While other historians of his time focused purely on war epics and politics, the content of the work of Herodotus proves to be a rare treasure. Indeed, much of his book discussed the wars and politics of the period, but also included is much more. The descriptive geographies of the regions, particularly of Egypt and the Nile, are extraordinary. He included numerous cultural details of society and religion. Intriguing, are the "full and accurate" descriptions of the customs of the Indian tribes which otherwise may have been blotted out of history. ".
Abstract This essay examines Herodotus' use of the gods in his "The Histories", and questions the extent to which he believes in their influence. It weighs up the importance of the competing powers, fate and chance, and looks at whether Herodotus uses these themes as literary tools.
From the Paper "Although frequently mentioned and certainly key figures in Herodotus? text, the gods do not have the influence one might expect. They are neither all-powerful nor flawless, and are often susceptible to human emotions such as anger and jealousy. More importantly, they are not responsible for the actions of humans. Through oracles and dreams certain courses of action are recommended or advised against, and it is up to the human to interpret. However, humans bring misfortune upon themselves; the gods merely ensure that the "rules" are obeyed. Herodotus indicates the nature of these rules; his narrative is largely based on "reciprocal action"."
Abstract This article offers a discussion of how Herodotus approaches diversity issues in 'The Histories'. The writer examines the development of cultural identity concerns about social cleavages within the ancient world. Further, the writer looks at the enmity between East and West from the Greek viewpoint.
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to examine 'The Histories' by Herodotus with a view toward demonstrating how the text represents diversity issues, chiefly those of developing cultural identity and concerns about social cleavages within the ancient world. The research will set forth the context in which 'The Histories' emerged and then discuss how the text treats diversity-related issues with a view toward evaluating whether and to what extent Herodotus retains relevance in historical discourse of the ancient world. As the first systematic source of Western civilization ... "
Abstract An examination of the the new era of globalization, focusing on Egypt, and its many effects on a distinctive Islamic society. The paper looks at Egypt during the 19th century, the era of colonialism, the cold war, and nowadays -- the age of U.S. dominated globalization. A major theme of the paper is the effect of the interaction of 'East' and 'West' on the development of radical Islam, as well as on the growth of feminism in Egypt.
From the Paper "The processes of globalization can viewed as a process, in which "the world is rapidly being moulded into a shared social space by economic and technological forces…" (Held, McGrew, Goldblatt & Perraton) As the economies and cultures of the world become integrated into the whole of the global information age, the concept and reality of globalization becomes more complex and far-reaching. The consequences of this increased sense of interconnectedness is that events in one community will inevitably affect all societies. And due to imbalance of power, the most forceful, dynamic and potent culture is likely to dominate others, thereby inducing much resentment in many indigenous cultures. Thus many argue that globalization, in this sense, is similar to colonialism. Encapsulating this sentiment about interaction with the dominant Western culture, indigenous leaders recently held a convention in which they argued that tension is created since "people have to defend themselves against that kind of attack". (Lucas) Globalization is therefore challenging existing social identities across the planet in many important ways. Many have forgotten the positive aspects of globalization because they are more concerned about preservation of their own distinctive identity. Ever-increasing cultural interactions, it is said, "break down human-scale structures, destroy bonds of reciprocity and mutual dependence, and pressure the young to substitute their own culture and values with the artificial values of advertising and the media." Like many others, Helena Norberg-Hodge goes on to argue that much of the discontents and conflicts that exist in various parts of the world is a result of increasing exposure to foreign cultures. Both domestic and international conflicts nowadays, it is therefore argued, are to a large extent a result of this interaction of cultures."
Tags: arab, colonialism, conflict, cultural, east, egypt, feminism, gender, globalization, imperialism, islam, israeli, middle, radicalism, religion, socialism, terrorism, west
Abstract This essay discusses the life of people in ancient Egypt. It describes how they lived and what family life was like. More than anything, we see how Egypt was a profoundly religious society.
Abstract This paper discusses the way that tomb construction developed and changed in Egypt. The paper looks at three periods - The Old Kingdom (c2780-2260 BC); Middle Kingdom (c1997 -1650 BC) and New Kingdom (1552-1069 BC) - in order to compare the methods.
From the Paper "Because of the incredible power and authority of the king at this time, his tomb was designed to exemplify his grandeur as well as serve as the final resting-place for his body and earthly possessions. In addition, the tomb complex was also the focal point of the king's cult for ritual prayer and for worship. Unfortunately, the roles of the king's tomb proved to nullify each other; the builders tried to "hide" the king's body and possessions while at the same time allowing the public in to worship him at the same time. As a result, the whereabouts of the king's treasure were common knowledge and over time each of these tombs was stripped of everything of value, not excluding the king's corpse itself? "
Abstract This paper takes a chronological look at the Hellenistic kingdom of Ptolemaic Egypt from its founding to its eventual end and integration into the Roman Empire under Caesar. It also looks at the succession of Ptolemaic rulers, the Ptolemy governments, and the infrastructure and economy established under these rulers. Included are descriptions of the significant aspects of the culture and religion of that era. The paper also covers the fall of the Ptolemaic empire and the events and characters in history that contributed to the fall.
From the Paper "After entering Egypt with no resistance, Alexander the Great stayed in Egypt about six months. (Platt and Ashwani 1985) From there he marched east into Asia and onto the plains of Indus, (modern day India). Before departing for points east Alexander appointed a nobleman from Macedonia satrap, (governor), of Egypt. His name was Ptolemy. In 306 B.C. having been part of ongoing civil wars with the other generals from Alexander's campaigns, Ptolemy declared himself king, and later god-king, of Egypt. Thus began the Hellenistic kingdom of Ptolemaic Egypt."
Abstract This paper discusses the economic advantages and disadvantages of the nation of Egypt. It explores the nation's natural wealth in terms of oil reserves, the stability of its government and its culture. It expands on the number of challenges faced by the country, including the fact that the nation's oil supplies will run out in the relatively near future. The author highlights the fact that the nation's economy will, in all likelihood, continue to be negatively affected by the violence in the region.
From the Paper "The nation of Egypt has both economic advantages and disadvantages. The nation is blessed with a great deal of natural wealth in terms of oil reserves. It is headed by a stable government and is the seat of one of the most ancient civilizations in the world. ..."
Abstract This paper provides an evaluation of the organizational development of General Motors, Egypt. The paper covers the issues of background of the company, market analysis, assessment of business problems and evaluation of strategy.
From the Paper "This research presents the findings of an organizational development analysis of General Motors, Egypt. The findings are presented in the following discussions: A background on the company and its environment, B environmental and market analysis, C major business problems, D assessment of business problems and E evaluation of the strategy of General Motors, Egypt. General Motors Corporation, GM, ranks number one on the Fortune and GM is a premiere America company by any measure."
Tags: organizational development, General Motors, Egypt, strategy
Abstract The paper examines key issues associated with privatization and focuses on the specific cases of Egypt and Tunisia.
From the Paper "The latter half of the twentieth century saw a concerted worldwide move toward free market economic principles. Colonies won their independence from their European masters and struggled to create their own political and economic identities. Post-war Europe grew into a strong economic power while post-war Japan became an economic powerhouse with multinational companies doing business around the world."
Abstract This paper reviews the history of Egypt as well as two fundamental governmental institutions. Namely, the paper examines the legislative organ of Egyptian government - the People's Assembly - and the executive organ of the government - namely, the Office of the Presidency. As soon becomes evident, the former has a ways to go before it can overcome the current powers and privileges of the latter.
From the Paper "The purpose of this paper is twofold. Chiefly, this paper is about examining two governmental institutions in Egypt - the legislature or People's Assembly, and the executive or Egyptian presidency. But more than that, this paper is an examination of Egypt itself, because it is only by placing these institutions within their proper context that they can be fully appreciated. This paper will provide a brief overview of the nation of Egypt and proceed to a discussion of the two aforementioned governmental institutions. While Egypt's governmental institutions share certain features with other countries, those institutions are still, in their own way, uniquely Egyptian. The history of Egypt is a fascinating one. The Egyptians were a dominant power from roughly 3200 B.C. until 341 B.C. when their native land was conquered by marauding Persian forces. "
Abstract This essay presents the opinion of an ordinary citizen on peasant life in Egypt since the 1980s. It describes increased U.S influence, World Bank restructuring, removal of food subsidy and other aspects of national development schemes that aimed to help rural women. It emphasizes rural-urban split in a country that cannot afford a dual economy and ensures political stability.
From the Paper "An Egyptian Woman Comments on the Rural Standard of Living since the 1980s. Better relations between Egypt, Israel and the United States, had mixed results. For instance, women's groups in Egypt were aided by influences from abroad, and new investment in the rural sector, but this progress was short-lived. There was optimism to the mid-1980s, as the United States backed Egypt's social and economic development plan of investment in agriculture, health care and basic education. After 1990, however, Egypt fell prone to restructuring, as in other countries affected by the shift of the World Bank to do with removing debt, running economies according to cost-benefit analysis, towards less social spending."
Abstract This paper considers the problematic nature of a traveler's view of a foreign culture and society and, in particular, the ancient Greek traveler, Herodotus's, view of ancient Egypt. The paper looks at the reliability of Herodotus's sources, how his recordings of Egyptian history and culture differ from what has been written in other texts, and what cultural biases Herodotus might hold as an observer.
From the Paper "Travelogues as sources of accurate history are problematic. By definition, they are written by outsiders rather than insiders to a particular land, culture and time. Travel writing even in our historical present, has a notorious unreliability as sources of data. They are filtered through the point of view of someone who, even if he or she is conversant in the language of the region, is not always equally fluent in the culture, and must rely upon the point of view of those selected by the ruling regime. For instance, the voices of the ?Work Songs from Ancient Egypt: Voices of Ordinary Men and Women,? as chronicled in Chapter 12 of Bailkey are entirely absent, as these voices of the hands, backs, and sweat that the great pyramids were constructed by were not part of the exposure of the historian. Perhaps they might not have been as interesting, to Herodotus, as the great visions of the pyramids themselves, given that the Greek Herodotus himself was part of a culture that accepted slavery as a necessity."
Abstract This paper summarizes Herodotus' work which chronicles the historical aspects of ancient Greece, Egypt and other regions of Asia Minor. The paper discusses the myths Herodotus chose to focus on, which were viewed as a historical truth in his time. It also looks at the leaders, the cultures and the wars that Herodotus detailed and explains why the work still has value today.
From the Paper "Following this, Herodotus examines the activities and consequences of more recent historical myths associated with the cultures of the Lydians, the Egyptians, the Scythians and the Persians, all of which are interspersed with so-called dialogue spoken by the leading figures of these cultures. However, Herodotus' ability to separate fact from fiction was hampered to a great degree by not having access to any major primary sources, thus making it difficult to determine which narrative was based on actual events and which was pure mythology. "
Abstract This paper takes a look at the process of ritual mummification in ancient Egypt. According to the paper, mummification refers to the process by means of which a human or animal body was preserved in ancient times.
From the Paper "The human and animal bodies were usually mummified the same way with the exception of a few things like linen and masks. Natron was used as the disinfectant and organs were usually removed to prevent internal decay. Heart was not removed however since it was considered the main organ of intelligence and hence sacred. Corpses were washed and wrapped in linen and bitumen was sometimes used for preservation. This was the practice during the Late Period and linen was normally provided by family of the deceased. Masks were used to cover the face of the deceased. Royal mummies were usually adorned with masks made of gold and silver while in other cases, wooden masks were also used. "
