This week we will be studying some of the most important ancient empires of the western world, including the Old Babylonian Empire and the Jewish Empire. Your assignment is to research one of the following great leaders: Hammurabi, Cyrus the Great, Darius I, or Solomon. Here are some questions to consider as you read the articles and write your essay:
What were the great accomplishments of the leader's reign?
What were the obstacles he faced?
How do you think the commoners he ruled felt about him? Why?
If it were possible for your selected leader to be a modern president, would he be good at the job? Why do you think he would/wouldn't?
Incorporate your answers to these questions in an essay format. You should start at www.worldbookonline.com but you may have to do some additional reading to find all you are looking for. The requirements for this assignment are exactly as those of Homework 1; you must submit a 200 word essay (don't forget to cite your sources!) and you must respond to at least two essays by other students (responses are due Sunday, August 29, and must total at least 150 words). Keep up the good work!
King Solomon was the son of David and Bathsheba and was the third king of Isreal. Solomon built the Temple of God in Jerusalum, ruled without using a militery force, and, when asked by God for anything he wanted, he asked for wisdom and, in turn, God not only gave him wisdom, but also great riches and power. In the end, however, Solomon made a big mistake. To help astablish peace, Solomon took the daughters of the neighboring countries as his brides and let them keep there religions, even partcipating in worshipping there gods as well.
ReplyDeleteSolomon faced many obstacles during his reign. The number one obstacle he faced, I believe, was his many wives and there religions, as I have already stated. He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. With that many women in his life, Solomon was around the temptation to serve many gods every day. He could have decided to stay true to the one true God, but instead he gave into temptation and served other gods as well as our God. Thus, Solomon "...did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completly, as David his father had done."
I'm sure that Solomon was a good king, at least until he grew old and started serving other gods, but I'm sure he was a good king. The people served him loyally, and respected his God-given wisdom. A story I love about Solomon comes from 1 Kings 3:16-28. It is the story of the two women who lived together with there babies and one baby died one night, and the mother of the dead baby switched her baby with the live baby. The two women took it to court and Solomon, showing his wisdom, said to cut the live baby in half and give part of the baby to each of the women. THe mother who stole the baby said she didn't care while the real mother begged for the babies life, even though she knew it would mean loosing her baby to the other women. Solomon realized this, and gave the baby to the real mother. After this story became known, I'm sure the people respected Solomon even more.
If Solomon was a modern day president, I believe that he would make a good one. Because of his wisdom, and (at first) closeness to the Lord, he would be able to change things today. Perhaps there would be better peace in the world, though hopefully he wouldn't have gotten the peace the way he did when he actually ruled.
Works cited: 1 Kings 1-11 and http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar519360&st=solomon
Jerome Heinz Georg Geils-Lindemann
ReplyDeleteI have chosen Hammurabi. He was a king from the great Babylonia which was the kingdom of the great Babylonian empire. Hammurabi was the sixth king after Borsippa, Kisch, Dilbat, Kazallu, Marad and Sippar. His tenure was from 1792 to 1750 B.C. and he had the title “King of Sumer and Akkad” Other important states in this time were Larsa, Eshnunna and Elam in the south and east, and Mari and Assyria in the north.
Hammurabi’s greatest accomplishment was conquering lots of states. One of which was expanding the Babylon Empire, so that it is stretched from the Persian Gulf and the Zagros Mountains to the Euphrates. Even during the reign of his son Šamšu-iluna there were riots. The Kassites finally broke the Hammurabi dynasty. That was the end of the “Old Babylonian Empire” in Mesopotamia. Another great accomplishment from Hammurabi was that he was the earliest writer of collections of laws, the Code of Hammurabi.
He didn’t have many obstacles. But one of the few he did face would be many wars that he fought.
I think the commoners didn’t like King Hammurabi, because he took their money and the resources to recruit soldier. He needed so many soldiers to protect the Empire and to make assaults.
I think he wouldn’t be good as a modern president in the USA because he went to war often and because one person cannot decide in a Republic whether to go to war or not. Normally, we want peace. Another point is, the new interests from the new states are not expansion, but rather to have the new technology from this new period and to have the most mining (example oil).
Works cited: http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar244300&st=hammurabi
ReplyDeletehttp://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammurapi
In ancient history many facts get muddled because of lost information. Cyrus the Great was born 600 B.C. Cyrus the Great, like Alexander the Great had many stories and versions of his upbringing. Now Alexander the Great did this in order to have a mystic theme that would make people think that he was born of gods.
ReplyDeleteThe reign of Cyrus the Great lasted 29-31 years. Cyrus built his empire by fighting and conquering. He left a legacy on the art of leadership and decision making. He attributed his success to "Diversity in Counsel, Unity in Command."
He respected the customs and religions of the land that he conquered. It was Cyrus the Great that allowed Ezra and the Jewish people to go back to Israel and rebuild the temple after being in Babylon for so long. He is dearly loved by the Jewish nation to this day.
One of the obstacles he faced was the enormous land mass that he governed. He ruled Asia parts of Africa and parts of Europe. He made an official government language so that every one would be on the same page.
Cyrus the Great was known to establish a government that was a working government that worked to the advantage and profit for the people it served. That was a totally different way of governing back then. I think it's the way our government use to work. "By the people for the people!" Cyrus the Great was a great leader and was not afraid to think outside the box. I think he would make a great president.
Works cited: wikipedia
Hammurabi was one of the first great leaders of the ancient world. He was the king of the Babylonian Empire. He ruled for forty two years between 1792 and 1750 BC. At the beginning of his reign the Babylonian Empire was just one city with some of the land around it, but at the end the Babylonians ruled most of Mesopotamia. This was an incredible accomplishment but it was not his greatest. The most important thing that Hammurabi did was create a written law code. The laws were based on the strong not being oppressive toward the weak. The laws not only promise this to citizens of the Empire but also to those that were taken captive from conquered empires. The law also says that the gods of conquered people will be honored. This code was the greatest accomplishment of Hammurabi.
ReplyDeleteone of the many challenges that Hammurabi faced was the constant threat of invasion. One of the greatest threats came from a kingdom to the east called Elam. Another great challenge that he faced was how to keep his kingdom unified. This is one area in which Hammurabi failed. After his death the Empire went into turmoil and then was taken over by the same people who Hammurabi had captured it from.
I think that Hammurabi would make a good leader in this modern time. The reason that I think this is because he cared about the people and not just personal gain.
My sources were: http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar244300&st=hammurabi
I also used http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammurapi
ReplyDeleteCyrus the great was a towering figure in the history of mankind. He is famed as a triumphant conqueror, a superb warrior, and the founder of the greatest empire the world has ever seen. Cyrus is generally more admired as a liberator than a conqueror. He was mentioned 2 2 times in the old testament, where he is unconditionally praised. Cyrus was eulogized by many other writers and his actual or legendary exploits were used as moral instruction or as a source of inspiration for political philosophies. He was the first leader to ever be referred to as "The Great." Cyrus founded the first world empire, and the second Iranian dynastic empire (Achaemenids) ; after defeating the Median dynasty and uniting the Medes with the other major Iranian tribe, the Persians. One of his only obstacles was that he had conquered so much land that it was hard to rule over all of it. the people he conquered, he respected their local customs and religion in his empire. He freed the Jews from captivity in Babylonia and let them rebuild their temple at Jerusalem. Yes, i think he would be a good leader today, because he knows how to lead.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHammurabi, called of Bel am I, was the ruler of Babylonia for forty-two years from 1792 B.C. to 1750 B.C. He was the sixth king of the first Babylonian dynasty. He expanded his kingdom into the first great Babylonian empire. When he first came to rule, his kingdom was made up of Babylonia and some surrounding territories. Babylonia was in Mesopotamia which is now most of modern Iraq. Hammurabi conquered all other kingdoms south and united them under the old Babylonian empire.
ReplyDeleteHammurabi made The Code of Hammurabi. There were 282 laws in his law code. I won't say all of them but the first law in The Code of Hammurabi is, If any one ensnare another, putting a ban upon him, but he can not prove it, then he that ensnared him shall be put to death. The last one states, If a slave says to his master: " You are not my master," if they convict him his master shall cut off his ears. Hammurabi, known as a wise king established these laws of justice.
Hammurabi had many great accomplishments. He united Mesopotamia, won victory against the King of Elam, conquered much land, built temples, dug canals, established justice, but his greatest accomplishment was The Law Code of Hammurabi. During all of these great accomplishments I'm sure he faced many struggles too. Not all of his military victories were a piece of cake, many were struggles, coming face to face with his enemies. Also, it was considered a great struggle, when his kingdom fell into barbarian hands.
I think the commoners under the rule of Hammurabi were greatly appreciative of him and his just, fair laws. Personally, if someone similar to Hammurabi were to run for President, I would probably vote for him. He would be great at ruling, he holds the claim of restoring order and justice to Mesopotamia. He also strongly encouraged eduacation. Not a lazy man, but rather a devout, God-fearing man who treated people fairly.
http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar244300&st=hammurabi
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/CODE.HTM
Alexenadria Grace,
ReplyDeleteGood job on your essay!! I didn't know 'bout half of that stuff about Hamurabi. The part that stuck out ot me the most in your essay is the "cut off his ears" part. OUCH!! That's one way to make sure that everyone listens. haha sorta. :) Good job!!! :)
Solomon, David' s son, was the third king of Israel. He did a lot of good actions. First of all, for God, He built the temple of God, his God, not an other one, in Jerusalem. He had the most powerful kingdom in his day because God was with him. Solomon ruled this extensive kingdom, apparently without using military force. He was an international leader who reorganized and developed the large kingdom his father had conquered, by establishing various gouvernements for all departements. He had the skill to do it and to deal with difficult situations and people. He establish peace in his kingdom and also formed a close alliance with some Kings and other kingdoms. The bigger obstacle he faced was having all those people from other countrys, other opignons, other cultures, and most of all, other religions. He had to stay faitful in the Lord with all those peoples around him. I think that all the commoners felt good things about him, because he was a good king. He had wisdom and tat is the most important thing a king can have.
ReplyDeleteIf Solomon will be a modern president he will be a good one. As I just sad, he had wisdom. And he trust in the Lord. So, I think that all President that Trust in the Lord can be a good one, because if you do what the Lord ask you to do, everything is gonna be fine. But, when he got older, he began to turn to other Gods and that will make him fall.
I used :
http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar519360&st=solomon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon
Camden, I think you did a great job explaining about Hammurabi. You mention his written law code. Today in our government we have massive amount of paper in just one bill being passed. Back then, they were just coming up with a written code of ideas. The idea of the strong not being oppressive toward the weak when all the neighboring countries were barbaric was I'm sure a whole new thought. The fact that this law was given to the captives made it a great stride forward in a more livable situation.
ReplyDeleteElena, great job on King Solomon. Since Israel had never built a building to represent and meet with God, King Solomon's responsibility was very great. When you write that Soloman ruled his extensive kingdom without using military force that is pretty impressive. I agree with you, I think the commoners appreciated the standard of living he gave the people. After Soloman died the peopledid complain aabout all the taxes. When Soloman asked for God to give him wisdom God did. He then gave him wealth and riches as well.
Elena,
ReplyDeleteGood job!!! :) I agree completly with what you said about a good President being one who trusts in God. America needs a President like that today and maybe this country would stop going the way it is going. America needs a good Christian leader to guide us back onto the path we need to be on. If a Christian leader rose to power in any country, not just America, I think the world would be a better place. It's a shame that Solomon isn't still alive and ruling, maybe things would be different then they are now. :)
Many of us are familiar with Solomon and what the Bible has to say about him. I have always known Solomon to be the man who asked God specifically for wisdom. I suppose that is the reason he was such a successful leader of Israel.
ReplyDeleteSolomon was David’s son, the third king of Israel, and he ruled until around 965 B.C. when he died. Under Solomon’s rule, he did not use military force like the kings before him had. He handled different and difficult situations with ease. One of the most common Bible stories told about King Solomon can be found in 1 Kings 3:16-28. Two women came to Solomon with quite an interesting story. These women were living in the same house and both had newborn babies. In the middle of the night, one mother had rolled over onto her child while she was sleeping and her child died. The woman with the dead baby was accused of stealing the other woman’s baby and they argued about whose child he really was. Solomon then brought a sword and told the women that he would cut the baby in half so they could share him. This seems to be a strange way to approach the situation, right? The real mother reacted as you would expect a mother would. She told Solomon to give the other woman the baby, alive and in one piece. When the real mother reacted like this, he knew who the real mother was. I’m sure Solomon was faced with many other difficult situations such as this, some which he might have had trouble finding a solution to.
Solomon was an organized, wise, and powerful king despite his young age. I believe the commoners would have many good things to say about Solomon. He kept peace on Israel’s borders, built the Temple, and wrote the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. He became a very wealthy king, built his own palace, and a city wall. His rule over Israel lasted for about 40 years before his downfall. The Bible tells us he had married many foreign wives and allowed them to worship false gods. His wives drew him away from the Lord and he turned to other gods. Solomon lost the wonderful kingdom he had worked so hard to maintain and improve.
All in all, Solomon was a very powerful and successful king. If Solomon could rule our country today, I’m sure we would be living a completely different life. Would it be for the better? Yes, I think it would. Our government and this entire world needs wisdom. Solomon’s influence would be wonderful right now.
works cited: www.cyrusthegreat.com
ReplyDeleteAbbie,
ReplyDeleteYour report was very very good and interesting. The story about the two mothers is a great example of Solomons wisdom. His life is also a great example of how a person can have so much and lose it all. I also think that if Solomon were still alive and ruled over the United States, many things would not be near as messed up as they are now. The thing that stood out the most to me was your sentence, "His wives drew him away from the Lord and he turned to other gods." You'd think through all of his wisdom that God gave him he wouldn't turn away and that he would see all the great things God granted him the ability to do.
Biggin,
ReplyDeleteGood job. I learned a lot more about Cyrus the Great and his background. I found it interesting that he made an official government language so that everyone would be able to understand. He also seemed to be a very successful leader that knew how to control the government and maintain respect.
In 1792 BCE, Babylon was made the capital of Babylonia by the king Hammurabi. Babylon was one of the many ancient city-states in Mesopotamian .Hammurabi was assisted during the war in the south by his allies from the north, the absence of soldiers in the north led to unrest.His expansion, Hammurabi turned his attention northward, quelling the unrest and soon after crushing Eshnunna. Next the Babylonian armies conquered the remaining northern states, including Babylon's former ally Mari, although it is possible that the 'conquest' of Mari was a surrender without any actual conflict. In just a few years, Hammurabi had succeeded in uniting all of Mesopotamia under his rule. Of the major city-states in the region, only Aleppo and Qatna to the west in Syria maintained their independence.However, one stele of Hammurabi has been found as far north as Diyarbekir , where he claims the title "King of the Amorites".
ReplyDeleteThe most remarkable of the Hammurabi records is his code of laws, the earliest-known example of a ruler proclaiming publicly to his people an entire body of laws, arranged in orderly groups, so that all men might read and know what was required of them. The code was carved upon a black stone monument, eight feet high, and clearly intended to be reared in public view.
I think if I can select him to be a modern president ,it will be great because he is a honestly fairly and accurate person.
Cyrus the Great, also known as "father of the Iranian nation", was the first world leader to be referred to as “The Great”. Cyrus was an accomplished figure in history; he founded the very first world empire and the second Iranian dynastic empire. Not much is known about his life as a child but according to historians Cyrus’s grandfather, Astyages, was told in a dream that Cyrus would over throw him. From this, Astyages ordered that his own grandson be killed. However the official given the task to murder the child, instead, gave Cyrus to a shepherd. As Cyrus grew older he did soon over throw his grandfather after conquering the Median Empire. From there he began to establish the first world empire.
ReplyDeleteThe Cyrus cylinder, which is a detailed account of Cyrus’s conquest of Babylon inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform written by Cyrus, has revealed that although Cyrus was an accomplished conqueror he was more of a liberator. To those that he conquered and defeated he was merciful. Cyrus was an Ideal leader; kind, wise, merciful, yet a warrior and a conqueror, therefore I think Cyrus would be a successful modern day president.
Cyrus’s reign lasted 29-31 years. Cuneiform records suggest that Cyrus was killed 530bc by the queen of the Massagetae. The queen killed him because Cyrus had killed her son Spargapises. Once Cyrus had been killed, It’s said that the queen ordered his body to be found and for his head to be dipped in blood before he was buried.
Cyrus the Great lived a successful life as a leader.
Cyrus the Great
ReplyDeleteWhat were the great accomplishments of the leader's reign?
Cyrus the Great defeated Kyros Astyages King of media, and also took the control over western Asia. After the victory over king Croesus from Lydia (in 545B.C) he conquored Babylonia and a big part of the middle east, including Palestine. He was very successful and powerful. He won a lot of battles against different countries and areas. So his goverment area was very big.
How do you think the commoners he ruled felt about him? Why?
I Think they felt good, because he accepted all the different religions,traditions and manners.
He freed the Jewish people from captivity in Babylon and he let them rebuilt their temple in Jerusalem.
I think he was one of the most respectful rulers in that time period, because very often they did not respect the manners and wishes from the people in their states. But he did and so I think the people were happy to have him as a ruler than anyone else where they would not have these rights.
If it were possible for your selected leader to be a modern president, would he be good at the job? Why do you think he would/wouldn't?
I think it would be possible for him to be good . He was respectful in the way he works with his subjects, and a president must be respectful with other persons and he must act in the interests of others. That is a very important thing, and he did it in the past, by respecting all the things which were important for the people in his states, such as respecting their religions and let them rebuilt their temple. He also had the incentive to expand his area, which is very good for a person who governed his land.
(299 words)
(http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Login?ed=wb)
(Cyrus the Great)
To biggin, I really enjoyed your essay on Cyrus the great. I think you greatly personified numerous important aspects of his life. I did not know many of the things about him that you have mentioned, and learned a lot about him from your essay. Such as how he was known to establish a government that was a working government that worked to the advantage and profit for the people it served; or even how he attributed success to the diversity in counsel, unity in command. Great job though, I really liked it.
ReplyDeleteDarius I (550?-486 B.C.), know as Darius the Great. He was the third king of kings of the Achaemenid Empire. Darius ascended the throne by assassinating the alleged Ursurper Bardiya. Darius was crowned the king the next morning. Darius expanded hid empire by conquering Thrace, Macedon, and Saka, Iranian tribes that had just killed Cyrus the Great. Darius European expedition was a major eventin his reign. Starting with the Scythians, Darius conquered Scythia, Thrace, and many cities of northern Aegean, while Macedonia sbmitted voluntarily. THE Asiatic Greeks had submitted to Persian rule by 55 B.C. They were ruled by tyrants of Darius. After conquering Thrace, Macedon, Scythia and the Asiatic Greeks Darius began organizing his empire. He put them into twenty different provinces and placing governors over all of them. He changed there official language to Aramaic. Darius began planning another expedition of the Greek city-states. Darius had spend three years preparing for this expedition, then a revolt broke out in Egypt. This worsened his failing health until he died. Darius' body was embalmed and entombed in the rock-cut sepulcher which was made several years earlier.
ReplyDeleteI used http://de Wikipedia.org/wiki/Darius I.
ReplyDeleteSolomon...
ReplyDeletei have chose to write about solomon simply for the fact that i have heard so much about him. i find great interset in him. solomon had a stupendous reign until around 965 B.C. when he died. he did many astounding things while he was ruler one of which he is very well known for... building God's temple. solomon was so very succcessful in his reign not only because he had such good leadership skills but because he also had God with him in all things. he never allowed his faith to be shaken no matter what the circumstance.
in my opinion the commoners would be very pleased soloman had a great system and he was intersted in everyones opinion. the people of our country today would be other joyed with a truly organized system. i believe solomon would be an exceptional current day president. in many ways i think that the peoples voices would be heard more accurately. the fact that solomon was also david's son also give him an upper hand in the matter, david with his equally unshakable faith im sure solomom was raised with a strong religious foundation also supporting him in his rise to ruler.
private elijah, in your essay you mentioned one of solomons obsticles being his many wives and their many differant religions. that would definitely be a tough one... how do you compromise and discuss relgion with women that are set in there ways when it comes to religious views i know that there is no one i this world that could change my mind on my religion. bless his heart i know he had to have had a hard time with this issue.
ReplyDeleteeileen, it caught my attention that in your essay you emphasized the respectful nature of cyrus. i think that if more leaders today would strive to be respectful to ones he has rule over that maybe just maybe we would get more things accomplished in the world today. but sadly the leader greatly lack in humility and overflow with pride... leaving us in a tough spot and being unheard
ReplyDeleteTo cite this article, World Book recommends the following format:
ReplyDeletei used... "Solomon." World Book Student. World Book, 2010. Web. 27 Aug. 2010.
Solomon wa the third king of ancient Israel.He was the son of david and bathseba.king solomon was resposible for building the temple and palace in jerusalem.something interesting about king solomon is he ruled with out a military.also when king solomon was visited in a dream by God and asked what he wanted he sayed he sayed he wanted wisdom.so God also gave him riches and honor since he didnt ask for it.one of the obstacles that king solomon faced is ruling people of different nations.this was more inlikely a problem because he had to stay faithful to the lord and rule people with pagon gods.i am sure the people of solomon's kingdom respected him because he was a very wise king.a prefect display of his wisdom can be found in 1 kings 3:16-28.this is the story of the two mothers that lived together with their babies.one mothers baby died during the night.so she switched the living baby with her dead one.so they took the matter to court.since both women claimed the baby solomon,showing his wisdom,said cut the baby in halves.the real mother jumped in front of the sword and told king solomon to give it to the other woman just let it live.so king solomon saw which one was the real mother so he gave it to her.i am sure after the people of the kingdom heard about this they looked up and respected solomon.i am sure solomon would make a good president because he was close to the lord.solomon played a big part in keeping peace between nations and israel.
ReplyDeletewww.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=519360&st=solomon
Well, i chose King Solomon to do my essay on. King Solomon was the son of David and
ReplyDeleteBathsheba and was the third King to rule over Israel. He was the final King before the northern Kingdom of Israel and southern Kingdom of Judah split.
When i think of King Solomon, the first thing that comes to my mind is: how he (out of all
things) ask God for wisdom. That for me would be a challenge, I probably would have been
selfish and said something about being wealthy, but this isn’t about me so I’ll move on. Another
thing I think about is the two women who had children and one of the babies died during the
night because the mother rolled on top of it and she woke up switched the babies. They took the baby to King Solomon and he suggested they just cut the baby in half so they would both have it and the women who had stolen the baby said she didn’t care, but the true mother of this baby begged and pleated for him not to and said she would rather the other women have her baby, then for Solomon to kill her child, that story just shows his wisdom.
-Emily.
I chose to write my article about Solomon, because he is the only king I had heard of before and I also remember learning about him in my Bible class in primary school. It felt like a good time to get to know him better.
ReplyDeleteSolomon was the son of King David and he ruled Israel about 965 BC. King Solomon was very committed as a leader. His biggest accomplishment was the building of the Temple in the Israeli capital of Jerusalem. Solomon reorganized the kingdom, which his father King David had conquered. He contributed three books to the Bible, which are Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, and the Song of Solomon. Finally he brought peace to Israel and its neighboring countries.
Solomon’s main obstacles were self-inflicted. He refused God’s commands by marrying foreign women that worshipped strange gods. Eventually these actions weakened his empire.
Solomon was a wise king and dealt with his people with great wisdom and diplomacy. Because of this, the people had great respect for him and were very submissive to his leadership.
I think Solomon would be a successful president for the United States because of his great knowledge. Although he was a young leader, he ruled his kingdom with wisdom. He knew his success was depending on his obedience to God.
(213 words)
On worldbookonline.com I found following article to use for my essay:
http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar519360&st=solomon
Hammurabi.
ReplyDeleteKing Hammurabi, most well known for his set of laws known as The Code of Hammurabi. King Hammurabi's code is the first known written code of laws. Though the code of laws is what he is probably most well known for king hammurabi accomplished more than that. He was actually the sixth king of his dynasty but he was the first ruler of the Babylonian Empire. He ruled Babylon for around forty-three years.
Before Hammurabi came to rule Babylon was just a small kingdom located in Mesopotamia in what is present day Iraq. After Hammurabi rose to power he united many of the surounding kingdoms to the south uniting them under the Babylonian Empire to expand it. He won many babttles and expaned the empire greatly.
His struggles... Well, I'm sure like any ruler he had many struggles. Ruling a great empire probably wasn't very easy. He had to deal with opposition from the people and make many tough decisions. Many of his decisions were probbaly pertaning to how to better expand his empire with as little cost as possible or how to better rule his empire, and how to keep everyone under hand. I'm sure his life wasn't all easy victories and luxuries, he had to work at it.
As for how the commoners felt about him I am not so very sure. He did have many fair laws and he didn't seem to be an oppressive ruler. From what we see from history he seemed pretty fair and under control. But on the other hand I definitley wouldn't like someone who attacked and took over my kingdom just so they could add it too theirs.
If it was possible for King Hammurabi to be a present day president THAT would be pretty cool but I'm not so sure about him being a good leader for this country. His laws were great and many of them encouraged equality but he was a leader back then and a fairly good one but I'm not so sure he would be good in todays standards.
My sources:
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammurabi
http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar244300&st=hammurabi
http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/MiddleEast/Hammurabi.html
Private Elija. ( interesting name )
ReplyDeleteYour essay was good. I thought it was quite thorough and very interesting. I didn't know some of that before. I liked your point about his having so many wives from so many countries and religions. That had to be hard to try and resist the everyday temptations of worshipping their gods.
Biggin,
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that Alexander the great had messed up the history of his origin and birth and such to make people think he was born of gods. Interesting! Since I was young, history has always intrigued me. I love learning new historical facts. You did a good job on your essay. It was very informatave since I didn't know a whole lot about Cyrus the Great. Its cool how he allowed Ezra to go back and rebuild the temple. Good job!
I chose Solomon because I'm most familiar with his reign. He started ruling when he was just a teenager in about 965 B.C. He began his reign with loving the Lord and letting the real King rule through him. God gave him 'more wisdom than anyone who has ever lived!' With that, he had many great accomplishments; such as, the Temple of God in Jerusalem and ruling without a military.
ReplyDeleteHe was considered a wise king because of the way he could handle all sorts of people in all sorts of situations. But even then, he handled some things in ways unpleasing to God. He had successfully made peace on the border's of Israel, but only by marrying hundreds of women (with all sorts of religions) and following their gods too.
The commoners, I believe, would be happy with King Solomon. He listened to them, and they repsected him. Solomon put much effort into staying peaceful with his neighboring territories. He would make a GREAT President if he stayed faithful to God and looked only to Him for guidance. I think America really needs someone with as much wisdom as Solomon had.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Solomon#Succession
http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar519360&st=solomon
& the book of 1 Kings
you would make the webiste better as soon as my class left it.
ReplyDeleteI am writing my essay on Solomon this week. Solomon was the wisest of all the Jewish kings in Jewish history. God gifted him in wisdom. David was Solomon’s father and Bathsheba was his mother. David promised Bathsheba that Solomon would be the next reigning king of Israel. David’s oldest son Adonijah declared to be the next Israel king. So David took Solomon to Gihon spring where Solomon was anointed king over Israel. Although Solomon was a young king he was the wisest and mist powerful king of Israel. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines, and had peace with the countries surrounding Israel. The wisdom of Solomon is best shown by the story of the two women. The story goes, there were two women who each bore a child. Throughout the night one woman rolled on her baby and suffocated her baby. She then stole the other woman’s child and said that the other woman rolled on her child and that the baby was hers. King Solomon said that the baby should be cut in half and each one of the mothers would get half the baby. The real mother begged king Solomon to let the other woman have the baby, which let Solomon know that she was the real mother and that the other woman was lying. Solomon was really gifted in wisdom and that is why I chose Solomon as my topic of this week’s essay.
ReplyDeleteWilli Nowak:
ReplyDeleteI chose Solomon because he’s a famous Bible figure who I’ve heard of. In the Old Testament, King Solomon shows wisdom. Among Solomon's writing credits are most of the Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and perhaps Ecclesiastes. Solomon ruled the kingdom of Israel during the era of approximately 970 – 930 BC. These texts can serve as a guide to all leaders even if you don’t believe the Bible but definitely if you do.
We can use Solomon’s lessons today in religion, government, society. It doesn’t matter what religion a person may be, looking at Solomon serves as a good lesson for all leaders because he was so wise with his choices and kingdom.
One of Solomon’s greatest accomplishments was building the temple. The Bible tells this story. We all know it. I imagine it would have been very difficult without much technology to help them. They didn’t have cars, machines or robots like us today.
Some lessons we can learn from him are that we must be close to God, create allies not enemies. Solomon was very good with trade too, making his kingdom so powerful.
I THINK HE IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTEST PERONS IN THE BIBLE.
I chose to write about Solomon. Solomon was the son of King David and Bathsheba. He was the third king of Israel. Solomon was the one to build the temple instead of his father David because David had too much blood on his hands. Probably the thing Solomon is mostly known for is his wisdom. God had told Solomon to ask Him for anything and He would grant it to him. Instead of money, power, or women like other men would have asked for, he asked for wisdom. God gave it to him and along with it riches and power. One way Solomon showed the wisdom that God gave him was in the story of the two prostitutes and their babies found in 1 Kings 3:16-28. In the middle of the night one prostitute had rolled over and killed her baby. Realizing this she switched babies with the other prostitute. In the morning the prostitute whose baby had been taken went before him and said that she had stolen her child. The other woman said that this was a lie. Solomon said just to cut the baby in half and let each have a half. One woman cried out and said no let her keep the child don’t kill him. Solomon at once knew the woman who had spoken out was the child real mother. The people heard of this decision and respected. They followed him faithfully, trusting in his God giving wisdom.
ReplyDeleteSolomon did have his share of problems though. Later in his life he married over 700 wives and over 300 concubines. He allowed them all to keep their pagan religions. Because of this Solomon had many different temptations every day and gave in to a few of them.
References The Bible
I'm choosing to make my essay on Hammurabi. Hammurabi was the sixth king of Babylon,who had many great achievments. He was the First Dynasty king of the city-state of Babylon, and innherited the power from his father. Hammurabi is mostly know for The Code of Hammurabi, which is one of the first written laws in the world.
ReplyDeleteThe first few decades of Hammurabi's reign were relitively peacefull, but in 1701 B.C. the powerful kingdom of Elam. In order to consolidate it's position, Elam tried to start a war between Hammurabi's kingdom and the kingdom of Larsa. So Hammurabi and the king of Larsa joined forces to tottaly PWN the Elamites in the face; they crushed the Elamites, although Larsa didn't contribute much to the military effort.
I don't know how the commoners felt.Probably glad to know that their society was under control with laws, but I don't think they liked how he was always took over other kingdoms. On the other hand, they probably felt good to be on the winning side.
I really can't see him as a President, but maybe if he lived in modern times, he might be a completely different ruler; he would have no need to always take over other lands.
Yoffee, Norman. "Hammurabi." World Book Student. World Book, 2010. Web. 28 Aug. 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammurabi#History
Alexandria Grace, I think Hammurabi was a notable king. I had never heard of him before and your essay was very informative. In my opinion, he was a very wise and brave king especially because he enforced a code of laws that gave stability to his kingdom. A lesser king could be tempted to design laws to their advantage, but he seemed to create laws for the good of his people. But even though he worked tirelessly to create a lasting kingdom it was a great loss when it was eventually destroyed by the Barbarians.
ReplyDeleteEileen, I enjoyed reading your article. Cyrus was definitely an amazing king. I think it was a generous action of him to allow the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem after so many years of captivity. He must have been a gracious king. Cyrus definitely utilized the power that God had given him and because of this his kingdom greatly increased.
ReplyDeleteBiggin
ReplyDeleteYour essay was very nice, I liked it a lot. I agree with you that Cyrus the Great would make an amazing president today. He would make sure that our people actually got what they worked for and would be fair to all the people much unlike today’s president. Think about it. He ruled all of Asis and parts of Africa and Europe. If he could rule all that land for 29-31 years as well as he did. There is no question about it that he would be able to be the president, not only just the president but probably one of the best this country would have ever seen.
Solomon ruled from 965 B.C. until his death he was responsible for many public works, like the Temple and palace in his capital of jerusalem. These very popular pleaces served as the authority of the laws and government of Israel.Solomon was an international leader.He reorganized and developed the kingdom that his father had conquered.Solomon ruled with great personal wisdom.According to a tradition that developed after the Biblical period,he composed many songs and proverbs as well as three books of the Hebrew Bible-Ecclesiastes,Proverbs, and the Song of Solomon.Solomon reorganized the various government departments his father had established.He also organized Isral into twelve districs,appointing his own prefect (governor) for each one.Solomon helped established peace on Israel's borders.Solomon also formed a close alliance with Hiram, the King of Tyre, a Phoenician city on the Mediterranean Sea.Hiram sent Solomon building materials from Lebanon in return for agricultural products from Israel.The two kings also collaborated in building a navy and in organizing large trading fleets.After Solomons death, his son Rehoboam became king.However,most of the tribs of Israel rebelled against Rehoam's rule and formed a new kingdom.Jeroboam, the leader of the revolt,became their king.
ReplyDeleteKing Solomon had done many great things in his time. Some of those great things were building the temple and his palace in the capital of Jerusalem. He ruled with diplomacy and his personal wisdom. He was one of the most powerful rulers of his time. I think the people he ruled over thought very highly of him because of the way he ran the kingdom. He was chosen by god to rule through his dad King David. I think they though highly of him. They respected him. They wouldn’t have rebelled against Rehoboam if what he was doing was so bad. If I had to pick anyone of the people we have been studying, he would have to be Solomon. He would do a very good job at being the president. King Solomon knew how to run a government without going overboard. he could make structure. King Solomon was the best king that they had at that time. One obstacle king Solomon faced was when the two ladies brought in the baby because both women said the baby was theirs. King Solomon said that he was going to cut the baby into so both ladies could have a piece. The real mother said let the other lady have her baby because she couldn’t see it die. In the end the lady that said “let her have it,” got her baby back. King Solomon was the most fluential king of biblical time.
ReplyDeleteSources: www.worldbook.com and http://www.helium.com/items/579513-who-was-king-solomon
morgan,
ReplyDeletei really liked you essay.when i think of king hammerurabi,i think of this expansion and code of laws.i had no idea that he was part of a dynstay or that he ruled for forty three years.however i think he wouldnt be such a great leader in todays world.mainly because things have changed so greatly since hammurabi ruled over the babylonian empire.
elena good job on writting about king solomon.since they didnt have a place to worship and hang out with the lord.this was a great resposibility for king solomon.i agree with you about how kong solomon had an obstacle ruling over people of different religions but also havin to stay faithful to the lord.i am sure there was many times he was tempted to worship pagon gods.i also agree with you about solomon being a good president today because we was very wise and trusted in the lord.
ReplyDeleteAlexandria Grace, your essay was very good. You did a very good job presenting the facts and also your opinion at the end. I think that it was really cool that there were 282 laws in the code. this was a huge accomplishment for the civilizations of the time. Once again you wrote a great essay and I look forward to seeing what you write about the future assignments.
ReplyDeleteBiggin, Your essay was amazing. I did not know a lot if that stuff about Cyrus the Great. One part that I found interesting was the part about "Diversity in Counsel, Unity in Command." this is a very wise thing that some of our government leaders need to take into practice. Cyrus the Great really was a forward thinker. He was responsible for some great achievements and an impressive empire. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteI think the article was good, because he did not olny write about what Cyrus the Great did, he also wrote about what kind of person he was. How he was important for the history in that time period.
ReplyDeletehe wrote that you can also find something about him in the old testament.
He answered the questions with details and not superficially. So you can understand what he means and what he wants to show.
(christianstrack)
I think it is good to say, why you choose the person you write about.
It showes the reader that you had a specific reason to write about that guy.
I didn't know very much about Solomon before, I heard about him in the Bibel, but I did not know what things he really did.
Your article showes me what person he was and what he did for the people in the past.
I really liked your essay.
(stella)
(159 words)
annam,
ReplyDeleteYou did a very Good Job on your Essay!! I love the story about the two mothers and the baby. He did things right, and with wisdom. That's why he will do a good President this days. And you are right on the point that he knew how to run a government without going overboard and he could make structure. That' s why God choose he to be King after his Dad, King David.
Paco,
ReplyDeleteYou did a very Good Job on your essay. I think that Solomon was honored to build the temple. And as you said, he was a good King. God may have rewarded him because he just ask wisdom insted of all the other things he could had have. It' s to bad that he gave into a few of the religions his wives and concubines had. But he resisted intill the end of his life! It was very hard.
Alexandria ,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that if I can vote I will vote for him. Because he is God-fearing man that treated people fairly .And he supported and encouraged the education. And the best thing of Hammurabi is called "The Law Code of Hammurabi" and had many great accomplishments. So I think this is a really great essay about Hammurabi.And I agree with you . Very great job !!
Elena ,
ReplyDeleteI like this essay that you wrote about the Solomon,son of David. Because he developed and organized the kingdom so It was a powerful kingdom ,and he also could pass many big obstacles like from the different culture and different people .He made all the commoners felt good things about him. So I think he is a good guy.And you did a very good job !!!
Dear Alexandria Grace,
ReplyDeleteYour essay about Hammurabi was a fantastic essay and I learned a lot about Hammurabi. I never knew he ruled Babylonia until this year, actually I never heard his name. It is very cool how he thought of the first written code; I know I wouldn’t think of that back then. Hammurabi seems like he was a very mighty king after uniting countries and conquering empires after empires. I enjoyed reading your essay and cannot wait until next weeks essays.
Dear Willi,
ReplyDeleteYour essay about Solomon was a fantastic essay and I learned a lot about Solomon. I think that he was very lucky to be gifted by God. I think that if I could choose a gift I would also choose wisdom. Wisdom would be one of the best qualities you can have. I think it is cool that he was anointed king while his father was alive.
Elena,
ReplyDeleteI loved your essay on Solomon! It was very well written and informative. The reason your essay caught my eye is from what you said about him being a good leader because God was on his side. I also loved what you said about any president that trusts God could be a good one. I totally agree! Many people, not just presidents, lean on their own understanding rather than on Gods and that is not the right way to go. Leaders should be wiser and trust in God. Awesome job Elena!
Biggin,
ReplyDeleteYour essay on Cyrus the Great was fantastic. I really enjoyed all the facts that you included in yours. I had no idea about some of the thing you wrote in your essay. I found it interesting that as you said, “He made an official government language so that everyone would be on the same page”. I didn’t know that before I read your essay. I also agree with what you said about Cyrus probably being a good president. Great Job!
Dear GaGalicious ,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your Essay about Solomon, son of David and I agree with all. I didn’t know a lot about him and in your essay are much information then I learn a lot. Your king is very interesting! My opinion about Solomon is that he was definitely an amazing king. I think King Solomon had done many great things in his time I love the story about the two mothers and the baby , but one thing I don’t understand, how can he share a baby? He was very powerful and he had peace with all the countries surrounding Israel . . .
Dear GaGalicious,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you absolutely in the most of the parts of your essay. Your essay was very good and I know now more about Solomon. I think you’re right it’s incredible that he get so much wisdom from god and I think he wasn’t silly before because it’s great to choose wisdom and not for example gold or today a new car or whatever. I like your example for his wisdom, the story about the two women with one child, too. I think it would be great to be like him.
Nathaniel I must say great job.
Dear Billy tha Squid,
I like your essay because it has a lot of information’s about Darius I, Darius the Great which I didn’t knew before. I think he was a very conquer because he didn’t lost against big cultures like Thrace, Macedon, and Saka. I agree absolutely with you in all points.
Biggin,
ReplyDeleteI really like your essay on Cyrus the Great! I didn't know that he had such an impact on the Jews (even the Jews of today). He definitely had a lot of territory to govern, with him being the leader over Asia, some of Africa, and some of Europe. He definitely respected everyone he dealt with; whether he ruled over them or fought & conquored them.
Paco ,
ReplyDeleteyou did a very Good Job on your essay. I agree with all what do you say. Also I learned a lot about Solomon. That was a very good choose.
Abbie i really liked your essay about Solomon.I definatly love the part that you stated how you think he handled different and difficult situations with ease unlike the kings befour him.And i really like how you stated our government and the entire world needs more wisdom.Our wourld has taken a change for the worse i believe and it will definatly take a lot of work to get it back to whear we once were.All in all i do believe also Solomon would come in handy rightnow!
ReplyDeleteCamdem,
ReplyDeleteI like that you emphasized Hammurabi's selflessness. He was fair among his people and he treated the people he conquored justly while also honoring their gods. His written laws, the Code of Hammurabi, is very valuable because it gives us much of what we know about Old Babylonian society. It also provides much example of the language it's written in, Akkadian. Good essay.
to jeromegl, I really liked your essay, and I learned a lot about Hammurabi from it. I did not know that he had the title of king of Sumer and Akkad. But I agree with you that the commoners probably did not like him since he took their money. but he was a pretty good leader. I liked your essay though. Great job!!
ReplyDeleteEmily Lynn i love how you mentioned how the first thing that came to his mind was to ask God for wisdom.I feel that we all need to be a little more like that!And i love how you used the story of the two women and the baby that passed away during the night.All in all i think his wisdom was great and we all need to have that kind of wisdom.
ReplyDeletePrivate Elijah
ReplyDeleteI really liked your essay on King Solomon. I learned a lot about him that I didn't know before. I didn't know he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. I agree with you that Solomon was a good king until he got older. When he got older he started worshiping false gods. I also believe Solomon was one of the wisest kings, like the story of the two women with the baby. He came up with a great solution to see who the true mother was. All together great essay about Solomon. Good job!
Biggin
ReplyDeleteI really liked your essay on Cyrus the Great. I learned a lot from your essay about Cyrus the Great. I didn't know that his reign lasted 29-31 years, and I didn't know he built his empire by fighting and conquering other empires. I agree with what with everything you wrote about Cyrus the Great. All together that was a great essay about Cyrus the Great, I learned a lot, good job!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJerome, I thought your essay on Hammurabi was great. I didn’t realize he was the sixth king of the Babylonian Empire. I’ve heard bits and pieces about the Code of Hammurabi and it seems kind of violent. I agree with you when you mentioned Hammurabi being a president in today’s world. I don’t think he would be a peaceful leader.
ReplyDeleteChristian, the part about your essay that really stood out was that you mentioned how he was the first ruler to be called “the Great.” I wonder who came up with that idea. It seemed to stick around. I also wonder what significance it had to the commoners of that time period.
Private Elijah, I loved your essay about Solomon. I thought it was cool how you mentioned how many wives and concubines he had. How would he even have time for them all? You would think with the wisdom God had given him, he would have realized he was falling into temptation before the consequences caught up to him. I guess Solomon’s story was God’s way of showing us that even wise men can stumble.
(I forgot to cite my sources. I used the Bible for my research :D)
Emily
ReplyDeleteI like how you worded your essay. It is true that he asked for wisdom above all else. That was why he was a great leader. He was humble. He feared god. The story you wrote about is one of my favorite stories in the bible. When I think of King Solomon I think of that story. I also think it go to show that someone who cares will do what’s right and not what’s wrong with a friend or a human or anything.
Biggin
Cyrus the great sounds wonderful. It sounds like he was a great king. I never knew that government for the people by the people came from ancient times. I like how he listened to people and not just ruling how he felt like it. It’s cool how he governed so many lands and how he handled each one of their needs. I also like how he fought for his kingdom while he reigned.
Elena
ReplyDeleteGood job on your essay! When Solomon built the temple he did it without making a single sound of work on the site of the temple. Wow!! That had to be difficult! I agree that he was a very good ruler in the beginning of his reign. However he was not so much in his later years because of his bad choices in wives.
[I changed my name]
ReplyDeleteAbbie, I liked your essay beacause it was really really really long, and you didn't even have to cite an article. And I thought that story of Solomon with two mothers was touching. That story not only shows his wisdom, but his faith that the real mother would be willing to give up her baby to spare it's life.
Alex,.. your essay was alot better than mine, because you put alot more oppinions than I did. I just read the articles, then changed the wording a little bit, and then made a few little comments.
Eilein, you put the questions in the essay.. I got to remember to do that next time, it makes it look longer than it really is.
Morgan, I loved yours. Not only was it excellent, but we both agree that Hammurabi is cool, but he would be a horrible president it today's time frame.
Emily, I also like how you worded your essay.
[153 words]
King Solomon, son of David and Bathsheba, reigned as king of Israel. He had many great accomplishments including the building of the temple and palace in Jerusalem, keeping peace without military force, and strong leadership skills.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of King Solomon two things come to my mind. When he was given the opportunity to be granted anything he wanted from God, instead of asking for wealth and riches he asked for wisdom. In the end God gave him wisdom and riches. The other thing that I remember is how he used his wisdom to decide whether a baby belonged to one woman or another. He settled the dispute by recommending the baby be cut in half and they would both have a part of the child. The true mother shouted for the other woman to take the child - to not kill him and then King Solomon knew she was the true mother.
King Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. I think this example with the two mothers is a perfect example of just how well he ruled the commoners. He was fair and he had strong insight when making decisions because he had been given such great wisdom from God.
What a leader he would make today. To rule with out military force. To lead with a strong, organized government. To use his God given wisdom to lead this country.
Alexandria(: Your essay was very good. It was well structured and all together amazing. I would like to say that I agree with you about voting for a man such as Hammurabi, he knew what he was doing and he did it right. He was also veryyyy wise, something we don’t see a lot these days.
ReplyDeleteElena, I realllyyyyy enjoyed your essay. King David has always been one of my favorite people from the Bible, and his son Solomon has also intrigued me in some way or another. It was great to see your perspective of him and how he ruled, and also your perspective on how he would be a good president.
Abbie, like Elena you spoke about King Solomon, but you both had different things to say about him. My mom was talking to me the other day and said something interesting to e that I never saw before. King David was a very war-full kind of man, and then he had a son who constantly had piece in his kingdom. And I totally agree about how, at such a time as this, we need a man like Solomon to be our president. His wisdom is very much needed.
Alexandria - your essay on Hammurabi is very interesting. When you wrote about The Code of Hammurabi and how intense the punishments were for breaking the laws, it made me think of how good we have it. In Bible times there was a huge price to pay for sinning much less breaking a common law. While I don't believe in breaking the law I am thankful we don't have The Code of Hammurabi to answer to. I rather like my ears and would not want them cut off. :)
ReplyDeletePrivate Elijah - you have a good essay. I also wrote about Solomon but did not discuss his weakness with many wives. You have made a good point about this weakness and how in having so many wives it set him up to serve their gods. Solomon served such a mighty God - our God - and yet he was tempted to serve false gods. It is hard to understand why he had so many wives and concubines. It is also hard to understand how a man with so much God-given wisdom let himself get into such a situation. He did much good in his life time but certainly this was an area where he failed God and himself.
ReplyDelete