Download Document 1 Hammurabi was a king of the Babylonian Empire

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Document 1
Hammurabi was a king of the Babylonian Empire who rose to power around 1792
B.C.E. Aside from uniting Mesopotamian city-states into one empire, he is famous
for his code of laws, known as Hammurabi’s Code. Made up of nearly 300 laws,
the code provided the people of the Babylonian Empire with a uniform set of laws
to govern their daily lives. The following are a series of excerpts from
“Hammurabi’s Code.”
“If any man, without the knowledge of the owner of a garden, fell a tree in a
garden he shall pay half a mina in money.
If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out.
If any one hire oxen and kill them by bad treatment or blows, he shall
compensate the owner, oxen for oxen.
If any one is committing a robbery and it caught, then he shall be put to death.
If he breaks another man’s bone, his bone shall be broken.
If a builder builds a house for someone, and does not construct it properly, and
the house which he built fall in and kill its owner, then that builder shall be put to
death.”
How would you describe Hammurabi’s Code?
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What would life be like under a set of laws like those of King Hammurabi?
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Document 2
Confucius was a Chinese philosopher born in 551 BCE. The teachings of
Confucius gave people value to live by. These teachings were collected in analects,
or selected writings, about family, loyalty, respect, and proper conduct. In this
excerpt,“the Master” refers to Confucius.
“The Master said, ‘He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be
compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn
towards it…
The Master said, ‘If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given
them by punishments, they will try to avoid punishment, but have no sense of
shame.
‘If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of
propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good.’
The Master said, ‘Let him preside over them with gravity;- then they will
reverence him. Let him be final and kind to all;- then they will be faithful to him.
Let him advance the good and teach the incompetent;- then they will eagerly seek
to be virtuous.’”
According to Confucius, how should the leader of a government behave?
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Document 3
Ancient India’s Maurya Empire was ruled by the emperor Ashoka, a peaceful
leader who supported tolerance and the growth of Buddhism. During his reign,
Ashoka worked to improve people’s lives. He had stone pillars constructed
throughout his empire. The pillars displayed edicts, or rules about morality,
respect, and the right way to govern. The following is an excerpt from “The Edicts
of Ashoka.”
“For a long time past it has not happened that business has been dispatched and
that reports have been received at all hours. Now by me this arrangement has
been made that at all hours and in all places...the official Reporters should report
to me on the people’s business, and I am ready to do the people’s business in all
places. And if, perchance, I personally by word of mouth command that a gift be
made or an order executed, or anything urgent is entrusted to the superior
officials, and in that business a dispute arises or a fraud occurs among the
monastic community, I have commanded that immediate report must be made to
me at any hour and in any place, because I never feel full satisfaction in my
efforts and dispatch of business. For the welfare of all folk is what I must work
for- and the root of that, again, is in effort and the dispatch of business.”
What is the overarching theme in the Edicts of Ashoka? Support your claim with
two examples.
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How would you characterize/describe the governments of ancient India, ancient
Babylon, and ancient China based on the primary sources presented to you?
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Document 4
Pericles was a leader in Athens during the 5th Century BC, and he helped usher in
a democratic government. In 431 BC, during a time of war, Pericles gave a speech
in which he talked about the democratic values which made Athens unique. The
following excerpt is from this speech, known as the Funeral Oration.
“When it is a question of settling private disputes, everyone is
equal before the law. When it is a question of putting one
person before another in positions of public responsibility,
what counts is not membership in a particular class, but the
actual ability which the man possesses.”
What does Pericles claim is extraordinary about Athenian government? Support
with two examples from the text.
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Document 5
The following excerpt from the My World History text discusses the Twelve
Tables, a written law from the Roman republic.
In the early year of the Roman republic, there were no written
laws. Judges decided what the law was in each case. They
based decisions on custom and tradition. In the 400s BC, the
Romans wrote down a law code called the Twelve Tables. It
set down laws relating to family relations, property,
inheritance, and other important issues. For example, the
Twelve Tables states that "If a patron shall defraud his client,
he must be solemnly forfeited (‘killed’)" and "Putting to
death... of any man who has not been convicted, whosoever he
might be, is forbidden."
What are some words that could be used to describe the Twelve Tables of the
Roman Republic? Support your claim with two examples from the text.
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How would you characterize/describe the governments of Ancient Rome and
Ancient Greece based on the primary sources presented to you?
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Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the governments of
ancient India, Babylon, and China and the governments of Ancient Athens and the
Roman Republic. Use at least 3 examples from the text.
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