Jesus Topete

History 1 Honors-Fall 2015

Proffesor S. Wardinskim

During the first half of our recorded history the Sumerians, Athenian , Spartan and
Roman civilizations would emerge.These civilizations would come to be of vital importance to
the structure and history of western civilization. Each of these civilizations would rise to power
and live distinctive lives, with patterns of rulership different from another.The lack of resources
led the Sumerians to be a people constantly at war against each other .Athens and sparta two
civilizations of the same Hellenic world but with vastly different ways of doing things. Rome
this civilization would have its first half run different than its later half with its origins forming a
republic but its ailments transforming it to a Monarchy. All four civilizations had different
cultures with different systems that met the needs and problems of their day while at the same
time failed to meet or solve their problems making some of those civilizations more efficient
than others .Their efficiency would affect how each one of these societies had an impact on
today's western world and my decision of which of them i'd chose to go in my time traveling
DeLorean.
Sumerians in ancient mesopotamia in habited a harsh land with two rivers to give them
their sustenance.These ancient people found themselves in a contest with their summerian
neighbors for the collection of resources both to survive and to thrive. Sumerian societies were
constly at war one another and to ensure victory competent generals were given power over the
cities these generals would later become kings known as Lugal.In the Epic of Gilgamesh1 the
tale of a Lugal is told Gilgamesh is described by his subjects Gilgamesh leaves not the son to
his father...leaves not the maid to her mother,The warrior's daughter,the nobles spouse! later
in the epic he explains why he wages war and why he does anything else for that matter A name
that endures i will make for me!.His exploits in the epic reflect how all actions committed by
1 The Epic of Gilgamesh Original author unkown

Jesus Topete
History 1 Honors-Fall 2015
Proffesor S. Wardinskim

the king were to honor himself and gave little care for whom it affected. The nobles of Uruk lose
their sons whenever he goes out on war campaigns, the cities he invades have their woman taken
or Gilgamesh takes women from his own city married or virgin regardless of class without
reproach. Like Gilgamesh Sumerian Lugals wished to create power for themselves by taking it
from others.The region is harsh and devoid of many things key among them the minerals
nessesary to make iron weapons.A susseful lugal would work to bring the trade of needed
minerals and goods to his city and if there wasnt one then hed invade and take over a city that
had those trade connections.To Sumerian Lugals it wasnt just a contest for the resources of the
land but also for all the resources that crosses through Mesopotemia. Without trade many of the
palaces,temples and metals for their weapons wouldn't have being made.Sumerian culture
despite its infighting it had good trade networks as they were able to see that trade was a vital
component to grow.
Their constant fighting and failure to provide a unified front gave them a failed culture in
keeping their enemies out of their lives and their right to rule.Thanks to their infighting the two
times they were conquered were through strategies that had they paid attention to their neighbors
rather than their squabbles they might not have being conquered.The world's first recorded
empire by the Akkadians could have being avoided. Sargon of Akkad engulfed the Sumerian
city states severing their ties to outside trade.Had they watched their neighbors actions they
would have foreseen Sargon's intentions.The second time it was conquered was by Babylon
under the leadership of the astute Hamurabi. Hamurabi simply waited until the Sumerian cities
destroyed each other and at their weakest marched in and took the region over.Infighting limited
their potential to be more than city states.

Jesus Topete
History 1 Honors-Fall 2015
Proffesor S. Wardinskim

While the Sumerian peoples had a central structure with one person in charge the Spartan
people had a strong central government divided into two kings and like the Sumerians dedicated
their time to war. Early in Greek history all its poleis found themselves under the rule of the
Dorian. Once the Dorian were expelled each polis structured itself in unique ways from one
another, and no one instituted a culture more different than the Sparta. Sparta had a two king
system monarchy. Sparta was monarchical that thanks to king Lycurgus focused on the breeding
of soldiers above all else. Until Lycurgus Sparta was a polis with a strong military but after him
Spartas very essence would be to breed nothing but soldiers. Spartan boys would receive seven
years of military training and on their graduation day would have to kill a massena villager as a
right of passage into manhood as a Spartan. In Xenophons the Polity of the Spartans2 it is
explained how the spartan culture rejected any who would not fit the Spartan view of a proper
spartan it is clear that Lycurgus set himself deliberately to provide ...a sorry and ill-starred
existence for the coward.. Spartan individuals were made to be tough, loyal, brave and above
else obedient. Any Spartan that would run in battle rather than stay and die in battle would be
treated as a dead person in Spartan society. If any newborns had any deformitiies, health issues,
or other signs of weakness they are left to die.In Sparta the only shot at social mobility was
tthrough he military.Living a few wars until the age of 35 gave Spartans the right to
citinzenship ,joining the pallea body. Excelling as a general could get a Spartan elected as the
next Spartan king by the Gerousia. Lastly living to an old age of 65 offered Spartans a chance to
join the Gerousia the legislative branch. The restructure of their civilization was caused by
Lycurgus when their Messina slaves revolted against Spartan rule.Messina were a people who
had being captured and made slaves by the spartan people.Spartan had a much smaller
2 Xenophons The Polity of the Spartans

Jesus Topete
History 1 Honors-Fall 2015
Proffesor S. Wardinskim

population but a strong military, they put the revolt down but were confronted with the fear of
other revolts.The solution came in making all able males into soldiers for the state.
The Spartan system was a failure. Tremendous amounts of energy and time went to building the
most effective, strongest land army in all of Greece.Yet for all its strength just once was it ever
the ruling power of Greece and for a short time.The test of a great military is who it beats and
how long it conquers its foes .Sparta was able to beat their enemies but never conquered anyone
and when it finally did it was over as soon as it began.The infanticide they committed on their
newborns lowered their population. Sparta had a small population and rather then letting its
young people do what nature compels them to do they had their young young live in the
barracks. The spartan model existed to keep its large slaves at bay and that is why it failed to be a
conquering army .During the height of Spartan power it came its end in one move.Thebes
brought the Spartan system crumbling down in one move. Thebes sailed to Messina lands and
freed them ,without their slaves Sparta could no longer afford to play soldier.
The Dorian occupation of Greece caused the Spartan to move to a monarchy model based
of two kings and a military culture while Athens chose democracy and trade. While sparta was
closed to the world Athens was open constantly doing trade with other policies and other nations
through the mediterranean and establishing colonies. This openness to the world was explained
by the orator Pericles in an eulogy to Athenian soldiers in his speech The Funeral Oration of
Pericles3 we make our friends by conferring not by receiving favors. We, alone, do good to
our neighbors not upon a calculation of interest., In the eulogy he speaks on the things that
make Athenian life different and better than other polis. Athens was a city port that grew to
prominence thanks to its trading with other countries creating a mercantile class that swelled the
3 The Funeral Oration of Pericles : CA 430 BC-as recorded by Thucydides

Jesus Topete
History 1 Honors-Fall 2015
Proffesor S. Wardinskim

economy of Athens. To keep the wealth flowing good relationships with outside nations were
made.Unlike what the speech suggested their good relations with others did come with ulterior
motives. When Athens allied it self with Persia after the fist Persian war ,Athens also formed an
alliance with Egypt .With the sole purpose of helping it gain its independence from Persia
thereby debilitating Persia.By helping free Egypt they would also be able to get special trading
privilages. During Athens golden age all male free citizens of athens could vote. The
participation of everyone was a point Athenians were proud of as shown pericles ology4 It is
true that we are called a democracy,for the administration is in the hands of many and not of the
few...and when a citizen is in any way distinguished, he is preferred to the public service,.Neither
is poverty an obstacle,.To ensure all would one day participate in the assembly Pericles drew
funds from the Delian League coffers to promote democracy.Those without wealth could join the
assembly and not have to worry of being left out of the democratic aspects. Every so often the
assembly of 500 would change members and received money for time spent in it so if they are a
farmer or crafts man they wouldnt have to worry over wages lost.It was these types of actions
that got Pericles elected as Archon 30 times.His action made democracy in Athens more
inclusive regardless of wealth or status and in return for his actions he was elected to office and
kept there, his merit earned him his power in Athens. Merit was up to the voters to decide what
that entailed.Alcaibades was elected Archon after he had sold out Athenian information to Sparta
and was then kicked out of Sparta for trying to seduce the Spartan kings wife. He returned to
Athens and the man who betrayed Athens, disrespected his benefactor ,was chosen as Archon for
whatever good merits the Athenian people saw in him.

4 The Funeral Oration of Pericles : CA 430 BC-as recorded by Thucydides

Jesus Topete
History 1 Honors-Fall 2015
Proffesor S. Wardinskim

Athenian society model government and how they lived made them a competent
civilization. They managed to thrive and prosper more than any other of the Greek city
state.Their trading allowed them to gain wealth and establish diplomatic ties with other
nations .Democracy for the most part provided them with good leaders. During the Persian war
the military Archon was able to beat Persia by forcing them to fight in the sea. Pericles gave to
Athens more democracy by allowing everyone to participate by raiding the Delian league
coffers.But it did allow for terrible leaders or decisions to happen as in the case of Alcibiades. A
man without merits with a silver tongue was elected military Archon and his absurd military plan
tossed away years back was enacted causing Athenians the war against Sparta.Athenians were
able to set up an effective system it had its ups and downs.
The first half of Romes cycle was the Roman Republic.The republic started off as an
oligarchy with the senate and the consuls. The Republic would later change and be known as the
system that combined all elements of rulership . As Polybius wrote in Rome at the End of the
Punic Wars5 THE THREE kinds of government, monarchy,aristocracy and democracy,were all
found united in the commonwealth of Rome. But this merge of systems did not come about
naturally but instead begrudgingly. The tribunal branch of the people the democracy element
was forced to the Republic by the plebeian class. In 450 the plebeian refused to assist in the
defence of the city without a way for blebians to rise up in the social class and have social
mobility resulting in the Lex Canvleia in 450. Plebeian protest caused the ruling class to alter its
rules and eventually even set up a new Tribunal system where plebeians were able to make laws
and send them to the senate for approval.The forcing change of the Republic caused bitter anger
and remorse among the Patrician class and confrontations between them would plague the
5 Polybius :Rome at the End of the Punic Wars

Jesus Topete
History 1 Honors-Fall 2015
Proffesor S. Wardinskim

Republic.After the Punic wars Rome had defeated Carthage and had greatly increased its land,
subjects, and formed alliances. The Republic however wasn't ready to deal with that increased
responsibilities.Poverty ran amok, the Legion numbers were low, and a few patricians were
consolidated all the wealth along with increasing tensions of the pat. and bleb classes.In Plutarch:
The life of Tiberius Gracchus6 a young plebian holds the answears to what ills the Republic but
the patrician class refuse to let it pass through But the Senate in its session accomplished
nothing, owning to the prevailing influence of the wealthy class in it. Tiberius hoped to solve the
Legion problem and poverty problem by confiscating the lands of the patricians who are
consolidating wealth and giving the land to the families of veterans who fought in the war. After
ten years the poverty would lessen and those families would have risen in wealth and be able to
join the Legion.Solving two issues with one action but to Octavian and others it would further
increase the wealth of the plebeian class.Tiberius was killed nothing was solved and civil war
plagued Rome.
The Roman Republic was successful at ruling itself until it wasn't.While it remained a
small city encompassing a few territories no problems arose however the plunge from regional
power to a world power with large expansive lands under its control managed to put cracks in the
system.The lack of Legions to keep the region, and administration body work that would include
the new lands so they wouldn't be isolated were problems the Republic needed to address .
Instead the Republic became concern over its old squabbles regarding social classes gaining
more power followed by a series of civil wars for personal power caused the Republic to fail.
Solution were brought up but the classes inability to work with one another let the system down

6 Plutarch: The life of Tiberius Gracchus

Jesus Topete
History 1 Honors-Fall 2015
Proffesor S. Wardinskim

Decades of civil war in the Roman Republic were finanlly put to an end by the esablishment of
the Roman Empire under a moniarchial system placed by Octavian Augustus. Augustus made it
his life work that the conditions that caused the civil wars wouldnt be present in his empire.He
changed the way Rome would administer itself and the power of the Senotorial members.In the
CASSIUS DIO7 a fictional diologue dealing with Augustus decission touches on what would be
some of Augustus trasnformations the selection of officials should rest with you and your
adviser..those to whom any task was entrusted wouldbe appointed because of merit. The
Republic had rich patricians seeking office and other appointments to further their own wealth
.Augustus sought to end this by both appointing people into the senate who weren't patricians ,as
well as leaving provinces in the hands of anyone with talent who wasn't a patrician.Socii allies
from around the empire were made citizens and with other capable plebeians promoted to the
senate or made leaders of other provinces. Citizens of the provinces were now able to join the
Legion, a life career within the Legion would result in a passageway to Roman citizenship.
Passage to citizenship helped keep the lands conquered under Roman control and provided a
form of Romanization of the area. Romans who had served in the Legion were given land in the
outskirts of the empire further helping to spread Roman culture.
The Roman empire managed to solve many of the issues that threaten to rip apart the Roman
civilization under its Republic era. Although the empire had its string of bad emperors it also had
a string of good ones, with the five good roman emperors. Augustus was able to create something
that would last for a long time without the same issues of the Republic popping out in its second
life cycle making it a good governmental system.

7 CASSIUS DIO: How Agrippa and Maecenas Gave Political Advice to Augustus

Jesus Topete
History 1 Honors-Fall 2015
Proffesor S. Wardinskim

Of all the societies listed above the only one i would chose to go back in time and live in
would be Athens.Sumerian life would be difficult and in all likelihood end with me dying. The
harshness of the land made it so i may die of starvation after the heat killed the crops or the flood
destroyed the crops or the neighboring city stole my crops. City life would offer death just the
same either by a flood or incoming murdering army.Spartan civilazation has put one role for me
the role of a soldier.Living until im thirty in the barracks makes Summerian life appealing.
Roman Republic doesn't like plebeians i would a bleb , Empire only loved the best plebeian it
wouldn't be me. That leaves Athens, living in its golden age might prove good and interesting for
me.Thanks to pericles expansion democratic practices in the city at one point in my life i would
have served in the assembly. While in the assembly if i bring up the right legislation i might win
favor with the electorate and one day get elected Archon.
With the exception of sparta all the civilizations covered have in one way or
another left an impact on today's western world. The smallest impact was left behind by the
Sumerians and their complicated sexigesimal system. Our time, measurements of length and
height units are all divisible by six. When we measure we used their system and when we
participate in government we owe it to the Romans. Modern western governments such as the
U.S. owe their novel idea of governmental branches having the power to balance the power of
each other to ensure all branches of government can be impeded by the other thus preventing
tyranny. Politics is a great way of getting a nation to go nowhere,thanks to Rome it's not just the
legislative branch that does nothing now the other bodies can help in preventing anything from
happening. While Rome left us our body Athenian society left us our mind. English 101 and 103
discussed these three argumentive practices extensively ethos logos and pathos, so did my speech
class.In the western world Aristotles methods are thaught all over in schools.Anyone who has

Jesus Topete
History 1 Honors-Fall 2015
Proffesor S. Wardinskim

gone to school and remembers it tries to put a spin on things using those principles. Athenians
created some great thinkers and western civilazation spends its time reading and teaching those
practices to their young.You simply cannot get away from their teachings for that reason i believe
Athenian civilazation had the greatest impact.
All four civilizations were able to be a success in their own way and failed in
others.Sumerian were good at identifying the need to trade to excel but their constant inner wars
caused them to be conquered. Sparta was a great military power that scared anyone with the
prospect of going to war against them.But for all that power they were fully exercising , they
never conquered anyone and on one mover their whole system of life was destroyed. Athens the
open city to the world was a state that created and solved its problems through democracy for
any issue there was a right answer they just didn't always use it.Romes Republic did wonders so
long as expansion did not take place.The Republic model fit small city states so it failed when
Rome started expanding. The Empire worked to solve the issues of the Republic and succeeded.
If i had to choose one of them to live it would Athens since my chances of not dying there are the
lowest compare to the others. Though all shared a part in forming our modern western world
Athens plays a bigger role by affecting the way we think.

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Jesus Topete
History 1 Honors-Fall 2015
Proffesor S. Wardinskim

Work Cited Page

The Epic of Gilgamesh Original author unkown

Xenophons The Polity of the Spartans
The Funeral Oration of Pericles : CA 430 BC-as recorded by Thucydides
Polybius :Rome at the End of the Punic Wars
Plutarch: The life of Tiberius Gracchus
CASSIUS DIO: How Agrippa and Maecenas Gave Political Advice to Augustus

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