Answer ONE of the following questions in the space for question 1. I expect to see a formal essay structure, including an introductory paragraph with a thesis statement, a body of evidence supporting your thesis, and a conclusion. This means that at minimum, your essay should be 3 paragraphs but will likely be more like 4-5 paragraphs if you have fully developed your essay. Remember, a thesis is not just an explanation of what you are going to discuss; a thesis offers an argument that indicates what you are aiming to prove in your essay. You must include at least 3 direct quotes from the text or class materials in support of your claims. Worth 30 points.
You do NOT need to provide a bibliography. If you include a direct quote from the class textbook, just provide the page number in parenthesis after the quote. If you use a quote from Pompeii material, include the last name of the author plus the page number in parenthesis after the quote.
Remember, you should only answer ONE prompt.
Option 1: Using 2 of the religions discussed in the textbook, explain how religion became an important feature of life in settled populations. Specifically consider the ways that religion affected political life. Why do you think religion intersected with politics and power? Do you think that the intersection between religion and politics brought stability or tension to evolving civilizations? You will find Chapter 8 particularly useful for this essay.
Option 2: Using 2 of the regions discussed in the textbook, discuss the political evolution of these early civilizations. How did leaders rise to power? What are examples of some leaders using military strength to expand their kingdoms and in what ways did leaders use diplomacy and commerce to expand their kingdoms? Do you think that the military approach was more or less successful than the diplomatic approach to power building? You will find Chapter 7 particularly useful for this essay.
Option 3: Although ancient Rome and the Han Dynasty would, from the outset, look like two very different civilizations, there was some overlap in terms of the political, cultural, and economic developments in both of those empire. In what ways were these two civilizations similar? In what ways were they different? Based on these two places, do you see a pattern on what was required for civilization to evolve and thrive during that broad time period? You will find Chapter 7 particularly useful for this essay.
Option 4: With the development of these complex ancient civilizations came the entrenchment of class stratification within the populations. How important do you think class identification was in ancient societies? How did class stratification operate in these ancient societies? In your answer, you should include a discussion of the different class statuses you found in the readings about ancient civilizations and you should include information from at least two regions. You will find the Pompeii information and material on Ancient Rome and the Han Dynasty particularly useful for this essay.
