Contributions of Early Western Civilization
Teresa Layton
E. Shelton
HIST 101
25 May 2012
Contributions of Early Western Civilization The study of Early Western Civilization reveals that there where many people, events and stories that shaped the world we live in today. We were told stories at a young age and continue to learn the history of our world through higher education. The following essay will discuss a select few events that in some small or large way, contributed to modern cultures all over the world. Beginning with Ancient Egypt and ending with the Renaissance Age. Social practices, women’s rights, medical practices and art are only a few areas that contributed to the way daily modern life unfolds for people all over the world. Ancient Egypt must have been spectacular for the senses. That is, if one was lucky enough to be born into an upper class family. As a member of the upper class, one would have access to and enjoy quite a superb array of foods. The diet of the rich would include a variety of meats such as beef, goat, pork, goose, fish and pigeon (Spielvogel 29). The latter doesn’t really sound very appetizing, but maybe they knew how to cook pigeon just right. The upper class of Egyptians also enjoyed hunting waterfowl by the Nile. The poor Egyptian was not so fortunate. Their diet mainly consisted of bread, beer made from barley, and onions (Spielvogel 29). Both classes enjoyed fruits and vegetables, but the figs, dates and grapes were mainly consumed by the rich. One would guess that the bread was the most important part of the diet for poor Egyptians. They made bread daily from the grains that they harvested. Keep in mind that most of the poor Egyptians considered were indeed slaves.
When we think of Ancient Greece, Alexander the Great is a great example of the powerful rulers through Greece’s history. He became king of Macedonia when his father, King Philip II died in 336 B.C.E. He was only twenty when he became king, but Alexander’s father groomed him well for his future
E. Shelton
HIST 101
25 May 2012
Contributions of Early Western Civilization The study of Early Western Civilization reveals that there where many people, events and stories that shaped the world we live in today. We were told stories at a young age and continue to learn the history of our world through higher education. The following essay will discuss a select few events that in some small or large way, contributed to modern cultures all over the world. Beginning with Ancient Egypt and ending with the Renaissance Age. Social practices, women’s rights, medical practices and art are only a few areas that contributed to the way daily modern life unfolds for people all over the world. Ancient Egypt must have been spectacular for the senses. That is, if one was lucky enough to be born into an upper class family. As a member of the upper class, one would have access to and enjoy quite a superb array of foods. The diet of the rich would include a variety of meats such as beef, goat, pork, goose, fish and pigeon (Spielvogel 29). The latter doesn’t really sound very appetizing, but maybe they knew how to cook pigeon just right. The upper class of Egyptians also enjoyed hunting waterfowl by the Nile. The poor Egyptian was not so fortunate. Their diet mainly consisted of bread, beer made from barley, and onions (Spielvogel 29). Both classes enjoyed fruits and vegetables, but the figs, dates and grapes were mainly consumed by the rich. One would guess that the bread was the most important part of the diet for poor Egyptians. They made bread daily from the grains that they harvested. Keep in mind that most of the poor Egyptians considered were indeed slaves.
When we think of Ancient Greece, Alexander the Great is a great example of the powerful rulers through Greece’s history. He became king of Macedonia when his father, King Philip II died in 336 B.C.E. He was only twenty when he became king, but Alexander’s father groomed him well for his future