Alphabetical Index to Bible Timeline – Page 64 – Amazing Bible Timeline with World History

Posted on November 15, 2012September 25, 2015 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Solon The Athenian Law Giver

Solon the Lawgiver was an ancient ruler who controlled Athens around 594 B.C., which is where he appears on the Bible Timeline Chart. Solon wasn’t a king he was considered a chief archon that was considered the highest ranking council member within the ancient Athenian city-state. He was born in 638 B.C., and he was the son of Execestides, who was a descendant of a legendary Athenian king named Cordus.

This particular King is known for sacrificing his life for his people. Historians claim that Solon’s mother was related to a tyrant. A lot of other factual information is missing from Solon’s early life. Solon must have been a wise young man or gained wisdom during his youth. The people of Athens went to Solon for him to resolve their problems.

Apparently, Solon was blessed with good judgment and a keen intellect. These particular characteristics are what motivated the people of Athens to elect him as the chief archon of Athens. When Solon was elected chief archon of Athens it happened during a time of great civil unrest within the city state. Rich land-owning citizens were at odds with the poorer members of society. A lot of the citizens had sold themselves into slavery to pay off their debts. And the other poorer members of society had to give a certain percentage of their crops to the rich to pay off their debts. Many people were unhappy because they found it to be very difficult to live in these types of circumstances.

Tyrants were a common theme in ancient Greece and the conditions in Athens were perfect for a tyrant to rule. To avoid this situation the Athens council had to move very quickly to put Solon in power. Once Solon was in power, he quickly started to make important reforms that would go on to change Athenian society. He began changing the laws within society by repealing some of the established codes that were put in place by a former archon named Draco.

This particular archon was well known for his extremely harsh and cruel laws where death was the ultimate penalty even for minor offenses. Solon eliminated most of these laws and penalties except for the ones that were related to homicide. Solon then went to work to free the poor and indebted from their obligations to the rich. He then empowered the poorer members of society by allowing them to participate in the civil government. The poorer members of society couldn’t hold office, but they certainly could vote in assembly and become jurors in the courts of law. Even though his reforms helped to ease poor people’s burden of debt he did not allow them to become ruling members of society. He also did away with slavery as a means to pay off debts. In other words, Solon thought it to be wise to allow the rich landowning members of society to remain in charge. He created the concept of citizen rights based off of land ownership. He then divided the citizenry into four primary classes. The more crops that a person’s lands produced would mean that they would have greater power within society. These were some of the primary changes that Solon created for Athenian society. His efforts helped to lay the groundwork for democracy and the democratic process which would eventually become a feature of modern society. Solon died in 558 B.C. and was also known as a poet, a military leader and for his visit to the Delphic Oracle.

References:
http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/solon/g/052809SolonofAthens.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solon#Solon.27s_reforms http://www.agathe.gr/democracy/solon_the_lawgiver.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Solon2.jpg.

Posted on November 14, 2012July 24, 2024 by Margaret Hunter — 2 Comments

Japan First Emperor

The founding of Japan is considered mythical by many credible sources. But Japanese historical records indicate that the modern nation of Japan has its beginnings with the legendary Emperor Jimmu around the sixth century BC. This is where he appears on the Biblical Timeline with World History. Japanese history is unique and different from many other cultures because they define the period before Emperor Jimmu’s ascension to the throne as the Age of Gods.

This particular era in the history of Japan began with mythical deities named Izanagi and Izanami. These two gods supposedly stuck a magic spear into the ocean and created the islands of Japan. Other parts of the creation myth states that Izanami had children who were born in the form of the Japanese islands. Even though this story is a part of the myth that surrounds the forming of Japan’s civilization, there are some factual and historical epochs which define Japan’s development.
Japan’s history begins with the prehistory era. The Jamon period lasted until about 300 B.C., and it was during this particular segment of time that the Japanese empire was founded.

Japan,First_Emperor_660_bc — Emperor Jinmu

Japan’s inhabitants came from the Asian mainland, and most of the people crossed over the Sea of Japan (East Sea) from areas that lie in modern day Russia, China, North and South Korea. The nation of South Korea is located about 400 miles from Japan, and this would have been a relatively short trip for seafarers to take to reach the island.

People had migrated across the ancient Sea of Japan for thousands of years. The first inhabitants were gatherers and hunters. As time passed, and civilizations became more settled, many people who crossed over the Japanese Sea from the mainland began to form stable societies. They brought with them new farming techniques and metallurgy. These advances in technology helped early Japanese settlers to form stable and sedentary societies. The distinctive cultural factors of modern Japanese society began to form during this Jomon period.

Japan adopted China‘s writing system between the 6th and 8th centuries. During this period, they began to develop their creation myth as it pertained to Emperor Jimmu. Ancient Chinese records indicate that there was an island named Wa that was a short ways across the sea from the mainland. They say that this island was ruled by family clans. Outside of Chinese sources there are two Japanese Chronicles that outline the periods between 700 B.C. and 700 A.D. The name of these two chronicles is the Nihon Shoki and the Koji-Ki. The Nihon Shoki states that Jimmu ascended the throne of Japan around 660 B.C., and once he became the first emperor he established the first ruling monarchy of this nation. He is supposedly descended from the sun goddess Amaterasu.

Emperor Jimmu’s legacy is important to Japan because he was the first emperor to give Japan’s royal and longest remaining monarchy. And through his efforts the emperor had become a lasting symbol of inspiration and pride for the Japanese people. The Chinese accounts of the Japanese states that the people of Wa lived in relative peace during the reign of Jimmu and had a society that was settled and prosperous.

References:
http://mickmc.tripod.com/jhistory.html
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Japan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C5%8Dmon_period
http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/Japan.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tenn%C5%8D_Jimmu_detail_01.jpg

Posted on November 13, 2012August 22, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — 1 Comment

Buddha The Wise

Buddhism is a religious belief system that is practiced by close to 360 million people all over the world and its influence is strongest in the Far East. This particular belief system was founded in Northeastern India in 520 B.C. which is where it appears on the Bible Timeline with World History. A Prince by the name of Siddharta Gautama laid the foundation for Buddhism. Since its inception, Buddhism has caught on places such as China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asian.

Buddha means “awakened one” or “enlightened one” and it also refers to the first awakened being in a particular era. Siddharta is regarded as the supreme Buddha of the modern era. He was born in 563 B.C. Kapilavastu which is an area that is believed to have been located in modern day Nepal. Suddgarta was born to king Suddhodana who was the leader of the powerful Shakya clan. His mother was named Queen Maha Maya who is also important to the development of Buddhism.

When the Queen was pregnant with Siddhartha she had a very important dream. Legend claims that this dream was about a white elephant with six tusks that entered her side right before Buddha was born. While she was pregnant, Queen Maha Maya left her husband’s homelands to have Buddha in her father’s home but she ended up having Buddha during her journey. He was born under a Lumbini tree in a garden. The Queen died after she had given birth to Buddha. He was then named Siddhartha which means “he who achieves his aims”.

After Buddha was born a great holy man or seer named Asita told the people that Buddha was going to be a great king or religious leader. Eight Brahmins or holy men also reinforced Asita’s prophecy and one of them claimed that Siddhartha would become the Buddha or the enlightened one of the current age. Buddha’s father didn’t like these teachings and prophecies. He supposedly kept Prince Siddharta from religious teachings and practices while he was being raised. The king made it a point to have Buddha live the early part of his life in pleasure and great wealth.

Prince Siddhartha eventually became fed up with this type of lifestyle and he left the palace. The prince ventured out into his kingdom. He encountered a lot of suffering and many teachings that he was protected from during his youth. He met old people, diseased individuals and even seen the dead. He was so sheltered from the world that he was ignorant of the fact that people grew older over time. He tried to overcome these problems by living the life of seclusion and denial, but it didn’t work.

Buddha then decided to travel around his lands. His first journey was to a nearby kingdom where he lived life as a beggar until he was discovered to be the prince. They offered him their throne, but he refused it and then subjected himself to two religious teachers. Ultimately, this didn’t go as planned and he was still left searching for the answers to life.
He discovered this path when he realized that meditative jhana was the right method to take in life, but it had to be balanced with moderation from extreme aesthetics and self-denial. These set of circumstances help to discover the Middle Way. While he was living out this newfound pathway to life, he became extremely hungry to the point of starvation and a young girl gave him some rice pudding. After eating the pudding, he was revived and the girl believed he was a spirit. Buddha then decided to grant her a wish. He then sat himself under a Bodhi tree and vowed to never get up again until he learned the pathway of truth. He finally discovered what the truth is after 49 days.

He then discovered the Four Noble Truths and the steps that people would need to take in order to accomplish them. Nirvana or supreme liberation is obtained through these truths. Ultimately Nirvana is the end of the person in the fact that it totally releases a person from their identity and boundaries within their mind. Once a person reaches this state they will then have obtained the 10 characteristics belonging to Buddha. Buddha then went on to teach nobles, merchants and peasants his knowledge. Throughout the time that he was teaching people, there were many assassination attempts on his life. His fame grew far and wide eventually died of old age in 483 B.C.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha
http://www.ancientindia.co.uk/buddha/home_set.html
http://www.aboutbuddha.org/
http://online.sfsu.edu/rone/Buddhism/footsteps.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Buddha_in_Sarnath_Museum_(Dhammajak_Mutra).jpg

Posted on November 12, 2012April 5, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — 3 Comments

Cyrus The Great and The Bible

Cyrus of Persia is also known as Cyrus the Great and he is considered one of the world’s greatest conquerors and rulers. Cyrus’ name means “like the sun” and during his reign of the Persian Empire he controlled most of the world’s greatest kingdoms and city-states of the era. He appears on the Biblical Timeline with World History around 560 BC.

Cyrus took over the throne of Persia in 559 B.C. after his father Cambyses I had passed away. During his time in power or sometime before he became king, God had revealed to him that he would become one of the greatest kings in the history of the world. In the book of 2 Chronicles 36: 23 God reveals to Cyrus that he was going to gather the major kingdom of the Earth to himself. God authorized Cyrus for this task to accomplish his purposes on the Earth and one of those purposes was to rule his chosen people.

The Israelites and Judeans had rebelled against God for centuries and he ultimately sent them into captivity for their disobedience. He initially allowed the Assyrians and then the Babylonians to punish his people. Eventually, he decided to allow the Persian people to conquer the Babylonians so that they could rule over his people. God allowed Cyrus the Great to govern his people so that he could send them back to their homelands in order to rebuild their temple and to worship him in truth once again.

In Ezra 1 God reveals to Cyrus the Great that he is to rebuild the Temple of the Lord which is also known as Solomon’s Temple. He also told him to send the Judeans back to their homelands in order to carry out this task. Cyrus then supplied the Jewish people within his kingdom with the supplies that they needed and he also gave back the treasures that were removed from the temple when the Babylonians defeated them. Since he ruled over most of the kingdoms that surrounded Judah he informed their officials that they were not to interfere with the Jews project. Many of the kingdoms complied with his edict, but there were some that didn’t follow his instructions. Cyrus the Great was mentioned in the Bible 23 times.

Cyrus the Great was born around 600 B.C. and he ruled the Persian Empire around 559 B.C. During his reign he conquered the Medians, the Babylonians, Lydia and he controlled all of the territories and minor kingdoms that were possessed by Babylonians. Cyrus didn’t remove the customs or governments of the people that he ruled; he designed his government to work in collaboration with them. As long as they paid their tribute, taxes and homage, he allowed them to live in peace, to worship as they pleased and pray to their own deities.

King Cyrus was married to Cassandane who was said to have loved him very deeply. Her devotion is supposed to have been so deep that she loved him more than her own life. King Cyrus also had four children. Cambyses II, Bardiya, Atossa, Artystone and another daughter whose name is not mentioned. He loved his family and he was known as a great ruler to his people. This is why the people gave him the name of Cyrus the Great. To some, he was a liberator and to others a savior. The Jewish people referred to him as a righteous king.

He developed and controlled the trade routes between the various empires he dominated. King Cyrus also conquered Turkey, Arabia, Georgia, Indus River, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Oman. He knew how to rule his empire well and through his efforts the Persian Empire had come to influence the Middle East for at least 1000 years. Many Iranian people from the modern era refer to Cyrus as “Father” because of the great influence that he has had on their culture and society over the years. Cyrus the Great was buried in the ancient city of Pasargadae in 530 B.C. which is located in modern-day Iran.

Biblical References:

2 Chronicles 36: 23 King Cyrus acknowledges that God has allowed him to conquer the world.
Ezra 1 King Cyrus authorizes the people of Judah to return back to their land in order to rebuild God’s temple.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_(Bible)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_the_Great
http://www.cyrusthegreat.net/
http://wildfiregames.com/0ad/page.php?p=7026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SculptureofCyrusTheGreat.jpg

Posted on November 11, 2012August 21, 2015 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Deiokes or Deioces of Medea

Deiokes is considered the first king of the ancient land of Medes. He appears on the Bible Timeline with World History around 700 BC. The Medians were an ancient tribal group that existed in the Middle East for thousands of years.

Their homelands were situated in the Middle East near the modern day nation of Iran. The Medes were not an important tribal group for thousands of years and it wasn’t until the fall of the Assyrian Empire that they became significant in world affairs.

Deiokes_or_Deioces_of_Medea — Median Empire about 600 B.C.

Around 600 B.C. the Babylonians, Medes and Scythians were subjected to the might of the Assyrian Empire which ruled the Middle East and the Mesopotamian world. The Babylonians, Medes and Scythians joined forces and rebelled against the Assyrians. They were led by the Babylonian general Nebopolasser who eventually play a crucial role with the defeat of Assyria at Nineveh and Harran. Once Harran fell to the Babylonians and their allies the Babylonians became the next undisputed rulers of the Middle East.

The Babylonians formed an alliance with the Medes and continued to rely on them to help fight wars. After the Medes gained their independence from the Assyrians they settled into their homelands and began to live a sedentary lifestyle. The vast majority of the Median population no longer remained nomadic. They tried to live in cities and to establish some type of permanent society. Since the Medes were not used to living a stable existence this situation caused them many problems.

The Medes were a people who didn’t have a centralized government. They were used to living as nomads and as a result they were governed by clan chiefs. The chiefs would usually settle disputes, but this proved to be ineffective for their new lifestyle. They needed a judge or group of judges to preside over their legal and social matters.

There was one man within their community by the name of Deiokes whom the people considered a wise judge and ruler. The Median people took all of their problems to Deiokes and him decide various matters that affected their lives. At first Deiokes didn’t mind performing this task for the people but eventually it started to weigh down on him and take a toll on his personal life. So Deiokes told the people that he would continue to be their judge if they made him king. The people agreed that Deiokes would be king and he then began to rule the people.

Once Deiokes became the first Median king he had the people construct a palace and created a Median capital known as Ecbatana. Deiokes then told the people that he must live in seclusion when he was not governing the people. He had developed a vast network of spies that constantly fed him information about events all throughout his land. He also decided to write down all of his judgments and decisions in writing so that he could enjoy the pleasures and luxuries of being king.

Deiokes’ rule didn’t achieve any major changes for the Median people, but it did help them to remain settled as a people. The Medians were always in the shadow of the Babylonians and they didn’t become a significant power.

Starting with Deiokes there were only five ruling monarchs that governed the land from 700 B.C. to 550 B.C. The biblical city of Laodicea that was mentioned in Revelations 3: 14 used was founded by the people of Medes. After Persia conquered Babylon and the rest of the Middle East the Medians began to decline after 550 B.C. Many of them went back to their nomadic lifestyles.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deioces
http://bibleencyclopedia.com/medes.htm
http://mythagora.com/encyctxt/subtextd/deiokes.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Median_Empire.jpg

Posted on November 10, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Tarquinius Priscus of Rome

Tanaquil was the wife of Tarquinius Priscus, who is known in history as the fifth king of Rome began his rule 616 BC that is where he appears in the Bible and World History Timeline Chart. Tanaquil wasn’t only Tarquinius’ queen, her cunning and influence helped Tarquinius to gain the Roman throne. She also managed to rule in Rome through her son Servius Tullius after Tarquinius’ was assassinated. Early in the 6th century B.C. Tanaquil was married to Tarquinius, and they lived in the region known as Etruria.

Tarquinius Priscus, Roman_Ruler — Tarquinius Priscus,

Tanaquil came from a wealthy family, and she was a woman who understood how important it is to have power. She wanted her husband Tarquinius to be a ruling member in Etruria, but the people would not accept him to this position because he wasn’t a pure Etruria nobleman. Tanaquil realized that her husband couldn’t gain power in her homeland, so she convinced him to go to Rome and seize power from the old king Marcius. King Marcius was an old man who had two sons, and he befriended Tarquinius once he arrived in Rome. Tanaquil manipulated many people and events to get her husband into a good position with the King.

One day while King Marcius’ sons were away on a hunting trip, Tanquil had the people to vote Tarquinius into office as the new regent. The Senate approved this measure because Tarquinius had become very popular with the people, and this was primarily due to his wife. King Marcius was too old to stop the process, and his sons didn’t know what was going on until it was too late. King Marcius’ sons were teenagers who were supposed to become the next rulers. Tarquinius managed to convince the Senate that he would be a wiser choice than the two young princes. One day the two boys would become men and avenge Tarquinius’ treachery.

Meanwhile, King Tarquinius Priscus became the fifth monarch of ancient Rome. Once he was in power, he immediately expanded the number of the senate by 200 extra members. He did this so that he would always have a control of the Senate since most of them were sympathetic toward his rule. Once he became the king he set up the circus maximus that would become a Roman public spectacle until the empire ended. King Priscus also modernized Rome as much as possible by upgrading buildings and adding more structures such as an outer wall and sewer. The new king strengthened Rome’s military forces by expanding the cavalry units.

Rome constantly fought against the Latina and Sabine since it was first ruled by Romulus. During King Priscus’ reign, he fought against the Etruscan tribes and conquered these people once again for Rome. His military conquest expanded Rome’s borders further than any other king before him. Rome had now become a regional power that would help to establish the future empire that would emerge from the kingdom.

These were exciting times for King Priscus and his wife Tanaquil, but strange events started to occur at the palace that were going to change the course of Rome forever. According to legend, King Priscus had a servant boy named Servius. One day Servius was sleeping near the king and queen and as he slept strange flames began to burn around his head. Servius slept while the fire burned all around him, and as another slave was about to put out the flames, Tanaquil ordered him not to take this action. She then revealed to the king and the people that Servius was special and that he should raise as her child. The king agreed and Servius was made a prince. King Priscus and Queen Tanaquil had two daughters as well.

Some time had passed, and the sons of the former King Marcius were old enough to seek their revenge. They decided to assassinate the King Tarquinius. They managed to carry out their assignation plot, but Queen Tanaquil had kept his death hidden from the people. Instead, she told them that Tarquinius placed Servius in control. Once again the two sons of King Marcius were denied their right to rule. Eventually, the two sons of King Marcius were eliminated, and they no longer remained a threat. King Priscus’ reign would be the first in series of rulers who would make Rome one of the greatest empires in all of history.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Tarquinius_Priscus
http://www.the-romans.eu/kings/Tarquinius-Priscus.php
http://dante.udallas.edu/hutchison/Seven_kings/king_tarquin.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tanaquil.jpg

Posted on November 9, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Ancus Marcius of Rome

Ancus Marcius was given the task to rule Rome as its fourth monarch when he was appointed to this position by the Roman senate. He came to power in 640 B.C. which is where he appears on the Biblical Timeline Poster with World History.

Ancus Marcius spent the early part of his reign fighting against the Latin tribes. Rome had a history of battling against neighboring tribes in the area such as the Sabines and the Albans. The Latin tribes had started to settle into Roman territory and when they refused to peacefully leave King Marcius sent his forces out against them.

Ancus_Marcius,_Roman_Ruler — Massive retaining walls extended the area on the Palatine available for the Imperial building complex.

Massive retaining walls extended the area on the Palatine available for the Imperial building complex.

King Marcius eventually defeated the Latin tribes and then absorbed them into the Roman Empire. Many were situated at Aventine near Palatine Hill.

King Marcius was an administrator as much as he was a warrior. Once he became king he ordered the Pontifex Maximus or religious leader to copy religious practices and rights so that would be displayed in public. King Marcius wanted to make sure that religious rights and practices wouldn’t be ignored or improperly performed. King Marcius also built fortifications and Rome’s first prison. King Marcius also expanded the Roman Empire. He founded the port of Ostia and a coastal forest known as Silva Maesia.

Many of the surrounding tribes honestly believed that King Ancus Marcius was a weak and ineffective ruler who wanted to avoid war. The reason for this thought had to do with the fact that the Roman king focused on religious duties and practices more so than war. Unfortunately, many of the surrounding tribes who challenged him because of his perceived weakness were defeated by this ruler.

Though King Marcius isn’t necessarily regarded as the first ruler who expanded the borders of Rome; his efforts with settling the region under Roman authority would help to set a precedent that would become one of the defining characteristics of the Roman Empire. King Marcius proved that Rome was a strong kingdom that was capable of subduing their foes. Many of the tribes that surrounded the Romans recognized that they possessed this type of strength. Though some might have challenged Roman authority many people didn’t fight against it at all.

Historical records indicate that many tribal peoples settled into the city of Rome during the rule of King Marcius and started to adopt the Roman way of life. The Latin tribal influence on Rome would later become an integral part of the Roman government, political, societal and educational systems. The language of the Latin tribes would become the standard dialect of Rome and would later influence many western societies.

King Marcius wasn’t considered one of Rome’s greatest monarchs, but he had laid the groundwork for cementing Rome’s influence. His religious reforms were kept in place by future rulers as well. King Marcius ruled Rome for about 24 years before dying in 616 B.C. Most of what is known about King Marcius is derived from the ancient Roman historian Livy.

References:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/23413/Ancus-Marcius
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancus_Marcius

Posted on November 8, 2012October 4, 2017 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Oracle of Delphos

The Oracle of Delphos was a series of female prophets that have used by ancient Greek people to foretell future events. The Oracle was especially popular during the seventh century BC that is where it appears on the Bible Timeline Poster with World History.

There are varying historical accounts about how the Delphos Oracle came into existence. About 1400 B.C. a Greek herder named Coretas realized that his flock was acting strangely once he took them near a chasm that was close to Mt. Parnassus. As Coretas neared the chasm, he began to feel strange, and he realized that he could see into the past and more importantly into the future. Coretas was puzzled by what was happening to him, but he realized that a strange vapor was coming from the chasm, and he attributed this vapor as the presence of a Greek deity. Coretas told many people in his nearby village about his experience. They started to travel to the chasm to experience the same thing, and some of them lost their lives when they entered into a trance-like a state.

Apparently a few individuals lost control of their mental faculties and fell into the chasm. So the villagers built a tripod over the chasm and elected one person to become a prophet. The first person that was chosen to be an oracle was a young virgin woman from their village. This young virgin woman soon found her a suitor and ran away with him. The villagers established a new set of rules for oracles. All oracles had to be at least fifty years old and dedicated to their duty as a prophetess to the gods.

The oracles of Delphos were also known as Pythia, and they were considered priestesses of the Greek god Apollo. Historians also claim that they served Apollo and Dionysus with some speculation about Poseidon. In time the inhabitants who resided near the Oracle built up a bank, a temple, constructed a sacred spring and formed a shrine near the temple. Once the area near the temple was settled many people from all over Greece began to come to the temple to hear the oracle’s prophesies and revelations.

Religious rites were set up for the adherents of Apollo, who worshiped at the temple near Delphi. The priests and priestesses set up temple rites that had to be followed by the Oracle and visitors to the temple. The Pythia demanded payment for her prophesies. People had paid the Delphi temple in gold, silver and other goods. They also were required to bring animals for the purpose of sacrificing them to the gods. People had to draw lots to see who would go first with seeing the oracles, but individuals who could afford to pay an extremely large amount of money would usually end up being the first in line. The huge amount of money that was being made by this spectacle helped the people of Delphos to start one of the first major banking centers in the world. People asked the oracle about the best time to plant their crops or if they would ever find true love. Rulers and governing officials wanted to know if they would win wars or if disease and famine would ruin their kingdoms and empires.

People visited the oracle from all over Greece and other areas of the world such as Egypt, Rome, Mesopotamia and the Middle East. Scholars had gathered into the area near Delphos to exchange knowledge about the oracle’s interpretation and current affairs or intellectual information. The practice of the Oracle continued for many years up until the 4th century A.D. About this time Christianity had spread far and wide, and it had affected the lives of many Greek people. The Oracle of Delphos and its temple practices conflicted with the Christian belief system, so Catholic leaders had the temple shut down because of its pagan rituals. The Oracle of Delphi was never prophesized again once the temple was finally closed at the demands of the Catholic Church.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythia http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/background/7_p1.html http://ehistory.osu.edu/world/articles/articleview.cfm?aid=8 http://www.coastal.edu/ashes2art/delphi2/misc-essays/oracle_of_delphi.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Collier-priestess_of_Delphi.jpg

Posted on November 7, 2012March 14, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Draco Legislation

Draco was asked by the leading citizens of Athens to write a set of laws to quell the rebellion constantly disrupting the city of Athens. He and his laws appear on the Biblical Timeline Chart with World History in 620 BC, which is when his laws were written.

The ancient city of Athens was ruled by the land holding members of its society. They were known as the Alcmaeonides, and they created the legal system that would dictate how their society would operate. The laws that have been established by this class were passed down through oral tradition. Since the lower class citizens were not privileged to sit in on the Alcmaenides council meetings they often did not know they were breaking the laws. Since many of the lower class citizens were being punished for laws that they did not know existed or that they didn’t understand many of them began to rebel. Athenian society experienced a lot of civil unrest around 600 BC. This situation lasted for many years. The privileged Alcmaeonides were also about to be taken from their positions. So they designated one of their council members named Draco to establish a set of written laws that could be used to inform the lower classes of people about the law.

Draco’s personal life is a mystery and no one is certain about the details of his existence before he wrote the new set of laws. What history does reveal to us about Draco is that he had written the first constitution of the Athenian people. He had the laws etched on wooden tablets and 3 sided pyramids. These posts were hung and positioned at various places within Athenian society so that the common man could read them and not remain ignorant of the law.

Before this point, the ruling citizens of Athens created laws that were designed to give them power. They would sometimes come up with laws that severely punished the lower class people and they made laws that allowed them to escape punishment when they performed some illegal activity. Draco didn’t do away with favoring the rich over the poor when it came to the law but he did make the punishments for criminal offenses extremely severe for all members of society.

Draco wrote laws where lower class citizens had to go into slavery when they owed upper class citizens a debt. He made upper class citizens pay a fine if they owed a debt to the lower class citizen. Athenian citizens could also lose their lives for minor offenses such as stealing regardless of what was stolen. His laws pertaining to murder were considered extreme and harsh. This law stated that murder victim’s family had the right to avenge their death or to prosecute the murderer. People who committed accidental homicide had to be exiled from Athens. As a matter of fact Draco usually assigned death to almost any type of crime that a person could commit. Many people in ancient Athens were terrified by Draco’s laws because death was usually the punishment for most offenses. People still broke the law but the amount of crime did decline while Draco was in charge.

Draco also helped to form the institution of democracy. He set up rules and laws for electing council members and citizens to public posts. Many of the ruling class citizens of Athens were required to possess a certain amount of land. His laws also helped to keep land in the control of just a few of Athens citizens. Draco’s laws were Athens first written constitution and they are still considered some of the harshest laws ever created by man. The term “Draconian” is used in modern times to denote an extremely harsh set of punishments for minor offenses.

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_(lawgiver)
http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/greecehellas1/a/cylonanddraco_3.htm
http://www.athensinfoguide.com/history/t2-1historical.htm
http://www.publicbookshelf.com/public_html/The_Story_of_the_Greatest_Nations_and_the_Worlds_Famous_Events_Vol_1/whatisd_bei.html
http://odraconiandevil.co.uk/
http://history-world.org/draco_and_solon_laws.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens

Posted on November 6, 2012May 25, 2016 by Margaret Hunter — Leave a comment

Athens Thrives 700 – 500 BC

Athens is one of the world’s oldest and recognized cities that existed from ancient times. The ancient Athenians claimed that the city was founded by the mythical Greek goddess Athena. This particular Greek deity supposedly held a contest against the sea god Poseidon over the city of Athens. Whoever gave the city the best gift would be given the honor of naming this acropolis. Athena gave the city an olive tree and proved to be the victor. The city was instantly named after her and she became its chief deity. It’s culture thrived from 700 to 500 BC which is where it appears on the Bible Timeline Chart with World History.

The area where Athens is situated is also known as Attica. The early inhabitants of Attica lived in tribal groups. The early inhabitants of Athens considered themselves to be from the original Greek settlers known as the Ionians. After being identified as Athens the Ionian tribal groups that resided in ancient Athens began to form into a city state around 800 B.C. Athens began to conquer many of the other tribes and started to absorb them into their city and by 700 B.C. the city had become a major economic, political and military center.

Since Athens was located in the Attica region which is positioned in the southeastern part of modern day Greece; it was strategically positioned for trade with other major kingdoms and empires throughout the Mesopotamian and Middle Eastern areas of the world. Places such as Egypt, Carthage, Iberia and Tyre had all traded with the Athenians at one point or another between 700 B.C. and 500 B.C. The city also had a powerful navy to protect the homeland and its oversea trade routes. Though the city of Athens fought in some major conflicts they were not a people known for their superior fighting skills they were renown for their establishing government and political systems that would influence major world empires such as Rome and even the United States.

The city of Athens was originally governed by ruling monarchs. Eventually the monarchy form of government was replaced by a council of nobles. The nobles were the high council of government and they organized the middle class citizens into a secondary ruling class. They were called the “eclesia” and they were tightly controlled by the nobles. Civil unrest was a common aspect of Athens society throughout the 7th century B.C. This particular type of civil unrest made the conditions within Athens at the time favorable for tyrants. Many other Greek city states were being ruled by tyrants during the 7th century B.C. Because of this type of threat the council enacted some important legislation to protect the city from tyrants and to keep people from rebelling.

The ruling classes had so much power that they were literally enslaving the other members of Athenian society. Many lower class citizens who couldn’t meet their financial obligations had their land taken away from them and they were forced to work off their debts. This particular practice had become widespread and many people suffered under this system. So laws were passed that canceled out the debt and forbade people from trading in their freedom in order to pay off a debt. Wealthy landowners were also limited with how much property they could control. Higher level offices were now controlled by powerful landholders and a council of lower level citizens was created as well. These set of laws would be used to help form the concept of democracy. These laws were established by a man named Cylon.

Another man named Draco became the ruler during the 6th century B.C. His laws were extremely hard and harsh against the aristocratic members of his society. His punishments for crimes, especially murder, were enforced. His set of laws is remembered throughout the ages for being harsh and cruel.

Though the city state of Athens had many challenges between the years 700 B.C. to 500 B.C. they were able to grow their kingdom into an economic and political power.Much of the history of Athens has been recorded and preserved throughout the ages by its people, historians and its conquerors. These historical accounts reveal how Athenian politics, laws and society have come to strongly influence western civilization in modern times.

References:
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=ac45
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Athens
http://www.athensinfoguide.com/history/t2-1historical.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Athens_Montage_2.jpg