Three cultures essays

Three cultures essays The three different cultures that I will be discussing are those of the Babylonians, the Athenians, and the Romans. Each of these cultures had their own primary interests. These cultures will be described according to the following documents: the Code of Hammurabi for ancient Babylonia, the Funeral Oration of Pericles for Athenian Greece, and the Constitution of Rome for the Republican Rome. Some of these cultures also borrowed ideas from earlier cultures. The code of Hammurabi has many laws that tell us how the Babylonians thought and lived their daily lives. This law lists many offenses and the penalties for each. The code focuses on theft, womens rights, childrens rights, mens rights and slaves rights. All of the groups in Babylonia had their own rights and obligations. Slaves had some rights and they could eventually obtain freedom. Women were able to hold public positions and practice trades. The men of Babylonia were in charge of their households, but did not have authority over their wives. After reading the code of Hammurabi, I personally thought women were not given the benefit of the doubt. They were always found guilty and punished. They had to prove their innocence by being thrown into the Euphrates River. It was believed that this river was a judge of the people that were accused of committing crimes. Men, on the other hand, would be punished only if they were caught. For example, If a man violate the wife o f another man, who has never known a man, and still lives in her fathers house, and sleep with her and be caught, this man shall be put to death (Hammurabi, 2). This is basically saying that if the man is caught, he will be punished. After reading Pericles Funeral Oration, we can see why Thucydides believed Athens was the greatest of the Greek poleis. Their democratic government is a great example to the other governments. Even the poorest citi...