Human History

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorCollege, Undergraduate October 2001

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HISTORY ESSAY I believe that the quote, "In human history the power of ideas is often more significant than the power of empires" is true. The empires are remembered for their contributions to society, not for how powerful their empires were. The many great ideas that came to us from ancient empires included writing, the arts, and military tactics.

You may have thought that writing has just been here all this time, but someone actually had to invent a way to communicate through nonverbal methods. The Sumerians invented this new way of communicating. Thousands of tablets and inscriptions dating from the 1st millennium BC were uncovered. Today, these are still the earliest known writings.

The arts came from the Greeks. They produced paintings, sculpture, buildings, and decorative art in Greece from about 1100 BC to 30 BC. Their influence in architecture and the fine arts are still prevalent in Western society.

The importance of Greek art and architecture for the history of Western civilization can hardly be forgotten, for the Greeks established many of the most enduring themes, attitudes, and forms of Western culture.

Through a strict military regiment, the Spartans created a society based on war. The program was full of rigid training, diet, and living conditions. Men would enter at the age of 20 and be discharged at the age of 60. Many mothers would often send their sons of to war giving them a shield and telling them "You better come home with this or on it." The citizens were not allowed to travel outside of Sparta and shunned visitors, worried that the citizens would find out there was a better life out there.

In conclusion, I believe that the quote, "In human history the power of ideas is often more significant than the power of empires"...