Thursday, November 28, 2019
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Power Structures in Early Rome
Power Structures in Early Rome Hierarchy: The family was the basic unit in ancient Rome. The father, who headed the family, is said to have held the power of life and death over his dependents. This arrangement was repeated in the overarching political structures but was moderated by the voice of the people. It Started With a King at the Top As the clans resting upon a family basis were the constituent elements of the state, so the form of the body-politic was modelled after the family both generally and in detail.~ Mommsen The political structure changed over time. It started with a monarch, the king or rex. The king was not always a Roman but could be Sabine or Etruscan. The 7th and final king, Tarquinius Superbus, was an Etruscan who was removed from office by some of the leading men of the state. Lucius Junius Brutus, an ancestor of the Brutus who helped assassinate Julius Caesar and usher in the age of emperors, led the revolt against the kings. With the king gone (he and his family fled to Etruria), the top power holders became the two annually-elected consuls, and then later, the emperor who, to some extent, reinstated the role of the king.This is a look at the power structures at the beginning of Romes (legendary) history. Familia: The basic unit of Roman life was the familia family, consisting of the father, mother, children, slaves, and clients, under a paterfamilias father of the family who was responsible for making sure the family worshiped its household gods (Lares, Penates, and Vesta) and ancestors. The power of the early paterfamilias was, in theory, absolute: he could even execute or sell his dependents into slavery.Gens: Descendants in the male line either by blood or adoption are members of the same gens. The plural of a gens is gentes. There were several families in each gens. Patron and Clients: Clients, who included in their number manumitted slaves, were under the protection of the patron. Although most clients were free, they were under the paterfamilias-like power of the patron. A modern parallel of the Roman patron is the sponsor who helps with newly arrived immigrants.Plebeians:The early plebeians were the common people. Some plebeians had once been slaves-turned-clients who then became completely free, under state protection. As Rome gained territory in Italy and granted citizenship rights, the number of Roman plebeians increased. Kings: The king was the head of the people, chief priest, a leader in war, and the judge whose sentence couldnt be appealed. He convened the Senate. He was accompanied by 12 lictors who carried a bundle of rods with a symbolic death-wielding ax in the center of the bundle (the fasces). However much power the king had, he could be kicked out. After the expulsion of the last of the Tarquin kings, the 7 kings of Rome were remembered with such hatred that there were never again kings in Rome. Senate: The council of fathers (who were heads of the early great patrician houses) made up the Senate. They had lifetime tenure and served as an advisory council for the kings. Romulus is thought to have named 100 men senators. By the time of Tarquin the Elder, there may have been 200. He is thought to have added another hundred, making the number 300 until the time of Sulla. When there was a period between kings, an interregnum, the Senators took temporary power. When a new king was picked, given imperium by the Assembly, the new king was sanctioned by the Senate. Comitia Curiata: The earliest assembly of free Roman men was called the Comitia Curiata. It was held in the comitium area of the forum. The curiae (the plural of curia) were based on the 3 tribes, Ramnes, Tities, and Luceres. Curiae contained several gens with a common set of festivals and rites, as well as shared ancestry. Each curia had one vote based on the majority of the votes of its members. The assembly met when called by the king. It could accept or reject a new king. It had the power to deal with foreign states and could grant a change in citizenship status. It witnessed religious acts, as well. Comitia Centuriata: Following the end of the regal period, the Assembly of the people could hear appeals in capital cases. They annually elected rulers and had the power of war and peace. This was a different Assembly from the earlier tribal one and was the result of a re-division of the people. It was called the Comitia Centuriata because it was based on the centuries used to supply soldiers to the legions. This new Assembly did not entirely replace the old one, but the comitia curiata had much-reduced functions. It was responsible for confirmation of the magistrates. Early Reforms: The army was made up of 1000 infantry and 100 horsemen from each of the 3 tribes. Tarquinius Priscus doubled this, then Servius Tullius reorganized the tribes into property-based groupings and increased the size of the army. Servius divided the city into 4 tribal districts, the Palatine, Esquiline, Suburan, and Colline. Servius Tullius may have created some of the rural tribes, as well. This is the redistribution of the people that led to the change in the comitia. This is the redistribution of the people that led to the change in the comitia. Power: For the Romans, power (imperium) was almost a tangible. Having it made you superior to others. It was also a relative thing that could be given to someone or removed. There were even symbols the lictors and their faces the powerful man used so those around him could immediately see that he was filled with power. Imperium was originally the lifelong power of the king. After the kings, it became the power of the consuls. There were 2 consuls who shared imperium for a year and then stepped down. Their power was not absolute, but they were like dual annually-elected kings.imperium militiaeDuring war, consuls had the power of life and death and their lictors carried axes in their fasces bundles. Sometimes a dictator was appointed for 6 months, holding absolute power.imperium domiIn peace the authority of the consuls could be challenged by the assembly. Their lictors left the axes out of the fasces within the city. Historicity: Some of the ancient writers of the period of the Roman kings are Livy, Plutarch, and Dionysius of Halicarnassus, all of whom lived centuries after the events. When the Gauls sacked Rome in 390 B.C. more than a century after Brutus deposed Tarquinius Superbus the historical records were at least partially destroyed. T.J. Cornell discusses the extent of this destruction, both in his own and in by F. W. Walbank and A. E. Astin. As a result of the destruction, however devastating or not, the information about the earlier period is unreliable.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
A Comparison of Athens and Sparta Research Paper
A Comparison of Athens and Sparta - Research Paper Example It was at this time that Athens emerged as the most powerful of the city states. The city emerged as the cultural capital of the entire Greek world and it was the cradle of contemporary western science and philosophy. The Athenian empire reached its zenith during Periclesââ¬â¢s life time. The city was full of splendor and Athenians themselves believed it to be the ââ¬ËCity of Godââ¬â¢. On the other hand, Sparta represented to a totally different world. It had its own philosophy about administration, military, education and marriage. It also differed from Athens on ideas about the nature of relationship with other Greek empires. Although Sparta was a strong military state, it was content to remain in its territory and didnââ¬â¢t indulge in warfare for acquisitions of new territories. On the other hand, Athens had expansionist policies. It wanted to get hold of more and more Greek territories. This expansionist policy of Athens, proposed by Pericles, led to war between the two states which ended with the defeat of Athens. Athens suffered defeat at the hands of Sparta. Although Athenians were world renowned for their superior naval units, they succumbed to the Spartan military expertise. The reason for Spartan victory can be attributed to the upbringing and training of the Spartan soldiers. This demands an in-depth investigation into the similarities and dissimilarities of the two states. The Spartans differed from Athenians in many ways. The main points around which the commonalties or differences between the two states can be discussed are Economy, Art, Lifestyle, Women, Military and Sexuality. The economic or financial policies of a nation or state depend on the nature of politics prevalent in the country. Athens and Sparta were similar on this feature because both the stateââ¬â¢s governments were elected by people. While the Athenian government pioneered the democratic system, Sparta was a military aristocracy (McNesse, 31). In Athens, participa tion came from all walks of life. Although there were restrictions on women, men were free to discuss new ideas in the assembly. On the other hand, Sparta had much more inflexible political framework. Its own ideologies and policies made Sparta politically and economically less active. Out of the two, Athens was more economically active. It was at the centre of a great trading network that dealt with goods from as far the Britain in the west to India in the east, bringing untold wealth into the city. This trade and Athensââ¬â¢s expansionist ambitions led to the building of Athenian naval empire which stretched across the Aegean Sea. Agriculture was the mainstay of Athenian economy. It also prospered because of the profits brought by mining and metal crafts. As said earlier, trade also played an important part in Athensââ¬â¢ economy. This is a feature where there lie stark differences between the two empires. In Sparta, economic activities were carried outside the city while th ere was no such thing with Athens. Sparta also lacked a currency system, a system which was very well developed in Athens. This meant that Sparta not only had very less interaction with the outside world, it also lay dormant as far as trade was concerned. Art is a dimension where the two empires Athens and Sparta differed a lot. During the period of coexistence of Sparta and Athens, Athens produced some of the greatest sculptors and philosophers of all time. Socrates, Phidias and Plato were philosophers who still represent the immortal soul of Greek and art and Philosophy. On the other hand, Sparta was only concerned with its military glory. Although early Sparta produces marvelous pottery, it was no match to Athenian art and mathematics.
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
The Things They Carried Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
The Things They Carried - Essay Example The main thing that we learn about Jimmy Cross at the beginning of the story is that he is a romantic, and that there is one specific girl that Jimmy finds himself infatuated with. Unfortunately, a person in the position that Jimmy was in cannot afford to be a romantic who daydreams constantly about a girl back home. The extent to which he values these letters, which arenââ¬Ët really even love letters, can be shown in the care he takes of them: ââ¬Å"he would dig his foxhole, wash his hands under a canteen, unwrap the letters, hold them with the tips of his fingers, and spend the last hour of light pretendingâ⬠(Oââ¬â¢Brien, 2). From the extreme care that he takes of the letters, we can see that they are highly prized possessions. He is obviously infatuated with the girl as he wonders if ââ¬Å"Martha was a virginâ⬠(2). Despite the contents of the letter obviously lacking in any sort of romantic intent from Martha, Jimmy Cross is obviously thinking about a future wi th this girl once he gets back from Vietnam. It is this distraction that leads Cross to making the mistakes that he does in the story. Because of his distraction, the soldier, Ted Lavender, is shot. The author describes Jimmyââ¬â¢s distraction by stating ââ¬Å"Lieutenant Cross gazed at the tunnel. But he was not there. He was buried with Martha under the white sand at the Jersey shoreâ⬠(12). Cross was supposed to be in charge of the platoon, and he was supposed to keep his men safe. He could hardly pay attention to the extent that he needed to and think about Martha to the extent that he did. He realizes that he is to blame for Lavenderââ¬â¢s death: ââ¬Å"He had loved Martha more than his men, and as a consequence Lavender was now deadâ⬠(16). If nothing had happened, then the argument could be made that his daydreaming was harmless, though this is obviously not the case. While this particular death would have been
Monday, November 18, 2019
Critically discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the outdoor Essay
Critically discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the outdoor learning environment in the UK's Early Years - Essay Example According to Watson (2000) the significance of childhood education cannot be underestimated since it may shape most character traits and behavior a child adopts (34). In childhood education two factors are usually considered. One is the gender difference between children and the different adaptation skills of both genders (CCEA, 2003; 56). Second is the involvement of outdoor activities in the early childhood education curriculum. It is a common thought that boys adapt faster to outdoor activities than girls. At an early age boys tend to have an adventurous trait which is absent in most girls (Tymms, Merrell & Henderson, 2000; 102). In words by Costello (2000) boys have a dire need for acquiring education than girls (87). The author further argues that boys tend to react well to the introduction to the education system well than girls. However, this depends on the activities involved in the curriculum implemented. In an argument by Leavers (2000) girls acquire more skills in indoor a ctivities than boys (67). Girls at this early age tend to avoid physical activities due to their sexuality. Sylva, Siraj-Blatchford & Taggart (2003) argue that the modern day girl child is more connected to their sexuality at an early and this hinders their participation in physical outdoor (97). As much there is so much opposition on the outdoor activities being involved in the curriculum, there are numerous advantages of the system. In words by Sproule et.al (2003) outdoor learning stretches the imaginative range of a child (112). This is because outdoor activities and learning involve a lot of imaginative and creative thinking activities. A child is exposed to a world where they can relate to the natural environment. This according to Sproule et.al (2002) makes their spirit become more jovial and free (107). Additionally, the physical activities aid in the development of a childââ¬â¢s cognitive abilities. Their psychology is given a boost in terms of strength and length of the ir thinking capacity. Another advantage of the outdoor education system is that it gives a child the best opportunity to realize their talent at an early age (Sheehy et.al, 2000; 123). This is because outdoor activities allow a child to explore more and apply their abilities at different angles (Leavers, 2000; 34). Disadvantages of outdoor education system revolve around denying a child the opportunity to grow their formal education knowledge faster and at an early age. In words by Moyles, Adams & Musgrove (2002) it is important for a child to have an early and effective formal education system since the system will be used all through their lives (90). The author further argues that this makes it important for them to adapt to the system earlier before they develop their complete mental and psychological abilities. In a nation like Sweden, the early childhood curriculum is based on the involvement of the outdoor environment. The curriculum bases its formal education on tangible and enjoyable factors in the outdoor environment (Claxton & Carr, 2004; 111). This move has been highly praised by educationalist and theorist by arguing that this is the best way that a child could acquire enough intelligence and knowledge at their age. Another hailed inclusion of this education system is the involvement of the forest schools. In words by Leavitt, Tonniges & Rogers (2003) the exposure of children to the natural en
Friday, November 15, 2019
Components and Functions of the Synapse
Components and Functions of the Synapse B. The connection between two neurons is called a synapse, a term derived from the Latin word that means ââ¬Å"to grasp.â⬠The synapse consists of many components that are essential to the flow of information from one neuron to another. Through an outline of these components, we can begin to understand how processes such as synaptic transmission are possible. In regards to our understanding of the synapse, it is important to note the accomplishments of Charles Scott Sherrington and his initial work that first outlined the basic properties of the synapse. One of the properties, reflexes, or automatic muscular responses to stimuli was demonstrated by pinching a dogs leg in his experiments. Sherrington demonstrated that a short delay occurs before the dog flexes the pinched leg and extends the others. This finding is important because he discovered that transmission through the reflex arc is slower than transmission through an equivalent length of axon. This led him to conclude that the delay must occur where one neuron communicates with another, a concept he introduced as a synapse. Sherringtons work outlines other basic properties of the synapse such as temporal and spatial summation. Temporal summation is a concept where a single stimulus (a single pinch) is too weak to reach threshold to produce an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron. When stimuli occur in succession (i.e., pinching the dogs foot several times), however, the combined effect can be enough to produce an action potential, thereby causing a reflex. With spatial summation, several stimuli occurring at different points on the body combine their effects on a neuron. By pinching multiple places on a dogs body, for example, the combined effect can be enough to produce a reflex. Sherrington work also infers the property of inhibitory synapses. This is a concept where after a reflex (action potential) occurs, hyperpolarization causes the cell to become more negative, therefore making it difficult for another action potential to immediately occur. As technology has improved, so has our understanding of the mechanisms of the synapse. Before we can understand the components and functioning of the synapse, however, it is important to first consider neurons. Neurons have the responsibility of producing all of our movements, thoughts, memories, and emotions. There are four major types of neurons: motor neurons, sensory, interneurons, and projection neurons. Each of these neurons shares a common structure and function. For example, the soma, or cell body, contains the cells nucleus, most of the cytoplasm, and structures that convert nutrients into energy and eliminate waste materials for each of these neurons. This quality is not unique, however, as this is also a component of any cell in the body. The quality that separates neurons from other cells are dendrites, extensions that branch out from the soma to receive information from other neurons, and axons, which extend like a tail from the cell body and carries information to other locations. Branches at the end of the axon culminate in swellings called bulbs or terminals. The terminals contain chemical neurotransmitters, which the neuron releases to communicate with a muscle or an organ or the next neuron in the chain. As introduced earlier, the connection between two neurons is called a synapse, a site where most communication among neurons occurs. To clarify the function and purpose of the synapse, it is important to understand the sequence of major chemical events that occur at the synapse. At the site of the cell body, neurons synthesize chemicals that serve as neurotransmitters, specifically peptide neurotransmitters. The neuron then transports the peptide neurotransmitters to the axon terminals. Action potentials then travel down the axon where at the presynaptic terminal, the action potential enables calcium to enter the cell. The calcium then releases neurotransmitters from the terminals and into the synaptic cleft (the space between the presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons). Next, the neurotransmitter binds to the receptor, diffusing across the cleft and altering the activity of the postsynaptic neuron. This alteration also causes the neurotransmitter molecules to separate from their recep tors. Finally, reuptake of the neurotransmitter occurs, recycling neurotransmitters back into the presynaptic neuron. All of these events lead a successful transmission at the point of the synapse. There are different types of synapses used in the flow of information from neuron to neuron. Axodendritic synapses, synapses of axon terminal buttons on dendrites, terminate on dendritic spines, small synaptic buds that cover the surfaces of many dendrites. Also common are axosomatic synapses, synapses of axon terminal buttons on somas. Although axodendritic and axosomatic synapses are the most common synaptic arrangements, there are several others. For example, there are dendrodendritic synapses, which are capable of transmission in either direction; and there are axoaxonal synapses, which can mediate presynaptic inhibition. Also, there are directed synapses, synapses at which the site of neurotransmitter release and the site of neurotransmitter reception are in close proximity. This is a common arrangement, but, there are also many nondirected synapses in the nervous system. Nondirected synapses are synapses at which the site of release is at some distance from the site of receptio n. In this type of arrangement, neurotransmitter molecules are released from a series of varicosities along the axon and its branches and thus are widely dispersed to surrounding targets. Because of their appearance, these synapses are often referred to as string-of-beads synapses. In conclusion, with the initial contributions of Sherrington and with what is known about neurotransmission today, we have been able to outline the basic components and functions of the synapse. The synapse, in turn, is an essential component for the transmission of neurons, which enables the human body to respond to events in the environment. By acting as a ââ¬Å"bridgeâ⬠between the neurons, the synapse is helping to control human movements, thoughts, memories, and emotions. The synapse is truly a necessary component in the human body.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Essay --
Buddhism is one of biggest and influential religions. Buddhism has own teachings and ethics which are different from other religions. It also has traditional holidays which are still continued. Buddhism's source and Buddhaââ¬â¢s story are interesting so it has many believers. The numbers of Buddhists are still increasing, and Buddhism grows bigger today. 2. What is Buddhism? There are 350 million Buddhists on the world. Many people study spirit of Buddhism, and Buddhism requires deep study. 2.1 Basic information of Buddhism Buddhism's basic emphasis is to practice meditation and to develop spirit. Buddhism teaches practical methods and gives a lot of example of answer that helps to solve human's problems in society. It emphasizes to find true purpose of human life and happiness and researches to understand deeply and psychologically about human mind. Buddhists also do not worship and study about any other God or divinities. They even do not worship Buddha who is creator of Buddhism. They sometimes go to a temple and bow down to a statue which has smiling. It is just an expression of thanks for the teaching of Buddha. Buddhists think Buddha is ideal person so try to resemble him. They always practice to get highest quality of personality and spirit like Buddha. 2.2 Meditation There are many different types of Buddhism, but all of that are based on practice of meditation. Meditation is major activity of Buddhists. It is a time to develop spirit and mind. When Buddhists meditate in a house or a temple, they believe that meditation helps to find peace in mind and gives positive energy and happiness. They have meditation time like a habit. The other goal of Buddhists is to understand reality of nature and the finish of suffering. ... ...sm today Buddhism is one of suitable religion for modern peopleââ¬â¢s life. People want to be relaxed and have peaceful life in competition of society. It increases numbers of people who practice meditation and study Buddhism. Buddhists say that meditation gives happiness in suffering life. It makes many people try to practice meditation. There are also many Buddhist centers and meditation festivals. It is easy to find and experience Buddhism culture. Especially, South Korea has long history of Buddhism so there are many Buddhist architectures and arts which are highly acclaimed. Buddhism is effective religion, also it is artistic culture. 8. Conclusion Buddhism has a lot of study and teaching. Its teaching and culture are very unique. It also has different own views and ethics, so it is still continued. Buddhaââ¬â¢s Buddhism is a history and deep-rooted religion.
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