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World Civilization

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Submitted By rose48
Words 1119
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Laura Rose
World Civilization 101
March 6, 2014

“Egypt, birthplace of the oldest known civilization in Africa,” is a statement in the gallery of the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Egypt has influenced many civilizations. Hebrew: Moses and Monotheism, Greco-Roman civilization, Yoruba gods, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Islamic social structures all have social institutions that dialectically emerge from the Egyptian culture. There are many aspects to the Egyptian culture. Family is very important to Egyptians; family was seen to be superior then just an individual. Blood relations are significant in all social relations, even though the family consisted of both nuclear and extended family. How they greeted each other were bases on their religion. It is traditionally a handshake, which should be first done by a woman; if not the men most bow their heads in respect.¹ Egyptians had a lot of pride in their family and it was expected for the children to take care of the parents when they get elderly. Women were allowed to get married after their first menstrual cycle while men were allowed to around the age of 16 to 20; that’s when they were expected to be able to know how to care for a family.² In Egypt people were allowed to engage in premarital sex, as long as they stayed faithful after marriage. For example women were seen as equal to men legally. They were able to own property and slaves, to administer and sell land, to make their own wills, to sign their own marriage contracts, and to initiate divorce.³ The Yoruba civilization is one of the oldest civilizations and had dominated a large part of Africa. Writing has not been the main way for the Yoruba to talk about their history and experiences. Instead, stories and histories are passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. Historical and mythical legends, fables, poetry, folktales are very important. Most men will combine city and farm work, moving to the countryside for part of the year. Yoruba women are not involved in the farm work, but control instead much of the market system. A woman's position in society is mostly determined by her own work, and not by her husband's position. Because they believe that higher education is the path to influence and advancement in society, the Yoruba have been able to dominate the public and private sectors of Nigeria.⁴ The Yoruba people traded with the civilizations around them. Their art also reflected a lot of their culture.³ Eastern Orthodoxy is a branch of Christianity. Their worship is highly liturgical and extremely iconographic, both of which are central to the Church's life, history, and practice. Their icons, which include depictions of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, biblical scenes, or saints, are believed to create a sense of the presence of God. Eastern Orthodoxy is strongly doctrinal and places great authority in the Bible, the Creeds, and the seven ecumenical councils. Like all other Christians, Orthodoxy is Trinitarian, believing that God exists in three persons.⁵ The foundations of the social system of Islam, rest on the belief that all human beings are equal and constitute one single fraternity. Islam says that if there is any real difference between man and man it cannot be one of race, color, country or language, but of ideas, beliefs and principles. Two children of the same mother, though they may be equal from the point of view of a common ancestry, will have to go their different ways in life if their beliefs and moral conduct differ. On the contrary, two people, one in the East and the other in the West, even though geographically and outwardly separated by vast distances, will tread the same path in life if they share the same code of moral behavior. On the basis of this fundamental tenet, Islam seeks to build a principled and ideological society very different from the racial, nationalistic and parochial societies existing in the world today.⁶ Moses and Monotheism is a 1937 book by Sigmund Freud, published in English translation in 1939. In it Freud hypothesizes that Moses was not Hebrew, but actually born into Ancient Egyptian nobility and was perhaps a follower of Akhenaten, an ancient Egyptian monotheist, or perhaps Akhenaten himself. In Moses and Monotheism, Freud contradicts the Biblical story of Moses with his own retelling of events claiming that Moses only led his close followers into freedom during an unstable period in Egyptian history after Akhenaten and that they subsequently killed Moses in rebellion and later combined with another monotheistic tribe in Midian based on a volcanic God. Freud explains that years after the murder of Moses, the rebels regretted their action thus forming the concept of the Messiah as a hope for the return of Moses as the Savior of the Israelites. Freud said that the guilt from the murder of Moses is inherited through the generations; this guilt then drives the Jews to religion to make them feel better.⁷
Greco-Roman culture is a mixture between Greek and Roman cultures. While the Romans were expanding they conquered Greece but took on a lot of their beliefs and culture. Women as young as 12 could get married but needed parent consent. Women could also get divorces by themselves but it was limited and rare. Men usually got married at the age of 20. Men were also allowed to have sex with various different women whether they were prostitutes are slaves. Men also had complete control of their kids, they could see them or use them for labor.8
During marriages, women in the Graeco-Roman world were supposed to occupy themselves with weaving within the house confines. A respectable woman was not allowed to leave the house unless a trustworthy male escort accompanied her. 9

Footnotes
¹ "Egypt - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette." The Translation Agency For A Complete Professional Translation Service. http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/egypt-country-profile.html
² Brewer, Douglas, and Emily Teeter. "Ancient Egyptian Society and Family Life." Ancient Egyptian Society and Family Life. http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/2/21701778
³ Strayer, Robert W.. Ways of the world: a brief global history. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009
⁴ Distant Train. "THE BIG MYTH - the myths." THE BIG MYTH - the myths. http://www.mythicjourneys.org/bigmyth/myths
⁵"Library." Eastern Orthodoxy Origins, Eastern Orthodoxy History, Eastern Orthodoxy Beliefs. http://www.patheos.com/Library/Eastern-Orthodoxy.html
⁶Maududi, Abul Ala . "The Social System of Islam." The Social System of Islam. http://www.islam101.com/sociology/socialOrder.html
7http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses_and_Monotheism
8http://web.campbell.edu/faculty/vandergriffk/foundations_new_testament.html http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/201004/201004_000_christian_women.cfm

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