An Essay on the Characteristics and Development of Ancient City-States Essay Example for Free

An Essay on the Characteristics and Development of Ancient City-States Essay A city-state is defined as an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as part of a local government. Through reading the articles of Larson, Westenholz, and Neihmer it becomes apparent that city-states differ depending on the region and time they are in, and the purpose they serve. The three specific examples that come to mind are the Phoenicians, Assyrians, and the Sumerians. All three of these had unique characteristics that define each society; however, all three societies displayed enough similarities to make them definable as ancient city-states. One of the defining characteristics of a city-state is the fact that it is a self-governing and self-sufficient entity. Ancient city-states provided the first clear evidence for social stratification and most city-states contained a ruling family or dynasty, which controlled the city-state and it’s surrounding hinterlands by managing the land, water, and other natural resources. Each city state also contained a council of elders which helped the ruling family serve as a controlling body of local policy. However in Assyrian city-states there also existed a year-eponymy, which was a person who was elected for a single year to serve as the head of the city hall. He acted as the head of the city and carried out the executive orders form the higher officials suchas the king and the elders. In Sumerian city states, kings were referred to as â€Å"ensi† or â€Å"lugal† which were names that were meant to display to citizens his power and importance, and made his rule indisputable within society. Kings were relied upon to build not only monumental structures and temples for their respective deities, but also to maintain a functional infrastructure. In Phoenician city states, The king was landlord of pretentious places and sacrificial buildings. This display exists in many city- states and not only in Phoenician culture. The king demonstrated his power through buildings such as tombs and temples, but however, he was also the leading figure in charge of maintenance of public places, and in most cities, the defensive wall. There is sufficient evidence of city-walls consistently across all ancient city-states, but the reason these walls existed remains unclear. There is no archaeological evidence of warfare, or conflict between city- states. One of the most logical reasons for these walls to exist was to serve a symbolic purpose because the interior area would be posses a more clear political identity. The Assyrians, in dealing with enemies, took a unique and strict political regime that limited trade and dealings with other city-states, and as evidenced by the archaeological record, in a letter. Their particular rule stated that if any merchant traded with a Akkadian Amorite or a Subariean, then the merchant would be put to death. Laws such as this one established a clear political stance that many cities held on many issues concerning interactions with outsiders. Though The city ruler acted as the city god’s human deputy and managed the assets of the city as a whole. there is also sufficient evidence for long- distance trade. City- states developed in Phoenician, Assyrian, and Sumerian society as important trade resources and had a significant impact on culture. Prominent city-states were key to cultural development because they were able to support local artisans and were key centers of trade, which enabled different cultures to influence one another. Sumerian city-states were located in key trade locations because their own agricultural opportunities were scarce, and they heavily relied on the trade of barley, beer and textiles to other places in order to obtain food resources form elsewhere in order to support their population. In Assyrian society, the economy was controlled by ruling families and therefore, trade was regulated depending on the ruling class. These city-states productivity was dependent upon the weather for that year, so trade would fluctuate depending on the success of the season. For Phoenician city- states, there is sufficient archaeological evidence for long- distance trade, shown in the influence and presence of foreign art and style. Furthermore, archeological evidence is supplied in the discovery of cylinder seals, which were used to ensure the authenticity of the item being traded or shipped, and ensure its condition, if the seal remained unbroken. Key developments in ancient city- states are displayed in the changes of city plan’s and architecture, as well as further developments in trade. In some cases, cities were set up in tribute to a specific deity. These cities were mainly located on a hill, with a temple on the highest point, with the rest of the city built around the center temple. These temples not only served as places of religious worship and practice, but also served as cultural and economic centers. A distinguishing characteristic of many ancient city- states is, dominant palaces, temples†¦of sometimes monumental size and form†¦lie next to tightly knit living quarters traversed by an irregular network of streets, and in most cases these cities had irregular and unique city plans from one another. The proximity of the households to the temple showed the importance and the involvement of the temple in the daily life of the citizens. Furthermore, the layout of the city also demonstrates social stratification.

Silent Film Meets the Talkies: A Brief History Essay example -- Film M

Silent Film Meets the Talkies: A Brief History A gambling man, Governor Leland Stanford of California needed visual proof to win a bet he had eagerly placed. Governor Stanford firmly believed that at some point in their stride, horses had all four hooves off the ground at the same time. After hiring a photographer who was to no avail, the Governor brought in John D. Isaacs, the chief engineer for the Southern Pacific Railroad, to have a look at the situation. Isaacs decided to rig up a system of magnetic releases to trigger a series of cameras, twelve total, as the horse ran down the track (Everson, 17). Mounting these images on a rotating disk and projecting them on a screen through a special lantern, they produced a moving picture of the horse at full gallop as it had occurred in real life (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1211). American cinema's next big break came with beginning of World War I. Until this period, the industry had been dominated by France, Italy, and Germany, particularly in the area of feature length presentations and the construction of permanent theaters. However, when the war broke out in Europe, film production abroad nearly ceased due to the overlap of chemicals used in film and the manufacturing of gunpowder (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1213). Simultaneously, American Cinema experienced a period on unprecedented prosperity and growth. By the end of the war, when the Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919, 90 percent of all films screened in Europe, Africa, and Asia were American (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1213). Germany however, was the exception, because it had been cut off from America since 1914. When the Germans did finally reconnect with the world, the United States benefited greatly from their techn... ...me box office hits, regardless of the acting or recording quality. As talkies became more refined and commonplace, silent films started to dwindle. A backlash occurred and these pantomimed movies were labeled as the true art (Geduld, 253). Yet, nothing could be done to slow down the continual development of cinema as sound poured out of studios on a daily basis. In fact, this new cinematic style was so popular, the film industry turned out to be one of the few prosperous enterprises during the Depression (Geduld, 253). Works Cited Ellis, Jack C. A History of Film. eedham Heights, Mass: Allyn and Bacon, 1995. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britanica Inc.; vol. 24, 15th ed. Chicago, IL: 1995. Everson, William K. American Silent Film. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1978. Geduld, Harry M. The Birth of the Talkies. London: Indiana Univ. Press, 1975.

A Separate Peace: Coming of Age Story

Coming-Of-Age Story Gene Forrester is the protagonist of a coming of age story in many ways. First Genes shift from ignorance to knowledge is pretty apparent. An ignorant Gene is led to the tree where he jounces the the limb causing Finny to fall. The knowledge of his evil deed and the loss of innocence because of it really launches Gene from childhood to adulthood. Genes shift from innocence to experience can be expressed by the very same situation. Gene lost his innocence when he jounced the limb of the tree and injuring Finny because of it. He now has experience of doing sinful deeds.What drove Gene to jounce the limb was perhaps to bring Finny down to his own level and make the two equal. The very thought causes Gene to become a little less innocent and a little more devious. Part of coming-of-age is having the experience of the consequences of doing bad things. Gene also experiences a shift from a false view of his world to a correct view. In the beginning of the novel Gene view s his world as being confined to Devon and that the war was not going to approach him for a long time. He soon realizes that the war is coming for him whether he likes it or not.Coming-of-age also means accepting the things you cannot change and trying make a positive experience out of it. When Gene realizes that Finny made up his â€Å"theory† about the war because he was denied entry to all of the branches of the military, his view of the war changes. His view of the war changes also because he had found out that Leper was about to face a discharge and he abandoned his post because of it. He now views the war as a very real thing. Idealism and realism are two ideas that Gene faces through the course of the novel.In the first few chapters Gene is idealistic. He unrealistically pursues the idea that Finny resents him for his superior academic ability. We figure out though that it is Gene who resents Finny because of his athletic ability and charm. The idea of crippling Finny to bring him down to Gene’s level causes him to make Finny fall. He now faces the real effects of his actions and has to come to terms with them. He also realizes that Finny was to pure of heart to resent Gene and Gene envied this great quality. Recognizing the harshness of the realistic world is part of coming-of-age.

Base Definition in Chemistry

In chemistry, a base is a chemical species that donates electrons, accepts protons, or releases hydroxide (OH-) ions in aqueous solution. Bases display certain characteristic properties that can be used to help identify them. They tend to be slippery to the touch (e.g., soap), can taste bitter, react with acids to form salts, and catalyze certain reactions. Types of bases include Arrhenius base, Bronsted-Lowry base, and Lewis base. Examples of bases include alkali metal hydroxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides, and soap. Key Takeaways: Base Definition A base is a substance that reacts with an acid in an acid-base reaction.The mechanism through which a base works has been argued throughout history. Generally, a base either accepts a proton, releases a hydroxide anion when dissolved in water, or donates an electron.Examples of bases include hydroxides and soap. Word Origin The word base came into use in 1717 by French chemist Louis Là ©mery. Là ©mery used the word as a synonym for Paracelsus alchemical concept of a matrix in alchemy. Paracelsus proposed natural salts grew as a result of a universal acid mixing with a matrix. While Là ©mery may have used the word base first, its modern usage is generally attributed to French chemist Guillaume-Franà §ois Rouelle. Rouelle defined a neutral salt as the product of the union of an acid with another substance that acted as a base for the salt. Examples of Rouelles bases included alkalis, metals, oils, or absorbent earth. In the 18th century, salts were solid crystals, while acids were liquids. So, it made sense to early chemists that the material that neutralized the acid somehow destroyed its spirit and allowed it to take solid form. Properties of a Base A base displays several characteristic properties: Aqueous base solution or molten bases dissociate into ions and conduct electricity.Strong bases and concentrated bases are caustic. They react vigorously with acids and organic matter.Bases react in predictable ways with pH indicators. A base turns litmus paper blue, methyl orange yellow, and phenolphthalein pink. Bromothymol blue remains blue in the presence of a base.A basic solution has a pH greater than 7.Bases have a bitter flavor. (Dont taste them!) Types of Bases Bases may be categorized according to their degree of dissociation in water and reactivity. A strong base completely dissociates into its ions in water or is a compound that can remove a proton (H) from a very weak acid. Examples of strong bases include sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH).A weak base incompletely dissociates in water. Its aqueous solution includes both the weak base and its conjugate acid.A superbase is even better at deprotonation than a strong base. These bases have very weak conjugate acids. Such bases are formed by mixing an alkali metal with its conjugate acid. A superbase cannot remain in aqueous solution because it is a stronger base than the hydroxide ion. An example of a superbase in sodium hydride (NaH). The strongest superbase is the ortho-diethynylbenzene dianion (C6H4(C2)2)2−.A neutral base is one which forms a bond with a neutral acid such that the acid and base share an electron pair from the base.A solid base is active in solid form. Examples include silicon dioxide (SiO2) and NaOH mounted on alumina. Solid bases may be used in anion exchange resins or for reactions with gaseous acids. Reaction Between an Acid and a Base An acid and a base react with each other in a neutralization reaction. In neutralization, an aqueous acid and aqueous base produce an aqueous solution of salt and water. If the salt is saturated or insoluble, then it may precipitate out of the solution. While it may seem like acids and bases are opposites, some species can act as either an acid or a base. In fact, some strong acids can act as bases. Sources Jensen, William B. (2006). The origin of the term base. The Journal of Chemical Education. 83 (8): 1130. doi:10.1021/ed083p1130Johll, Matthew E. (2009). Investigating chemistry: a forensic science perspective (2nd ed.). New York: W. H. Freeman and Co. ISBN 1429209895.Whitten, Kenneth W.; Peck, Larry; Davis, Raymond E.; Lockwood, Lisa; Stanley, George G. (2009). Chemistry (9th ed.). ISBN 0-495-39163-8.Zumdahl, Steven; DeCoste, Donald (2013).  Chemical Principles  (7th ed.). Mary Finch.