Humanities Homework Help
HIST 100 GMU The Persian Empire World History Europe & India Discussion
For this assignment we return to chapter two to revisit the Persian Empire and the Hebrews. The Persian Empire was formed by Cyrus the Great. It was one of the largest Empire of the ancient world, cosmopolitan, advanced, and wealthy. We will explore. some thesis statements by scholars about the importance of the religion of the Empire, as well as the importance and “greatness” of two of its Emperors, Cyrus the Great and Darius the Great (two very important historical figures for you to know). We will also learn about causes and effects of important developments, religious or infrastructure, to the Empire. When discussing the Hebrew people, who. develop into the Jewish people, it is important that we recognize the arguments made for their importance to world history 9those thesis statements again :)), which we will read about in our text and the websites. We will also note important people, such as Abraham, whose embrace of the God of the people will cause many effects.
To begin, please read through those sections covering the Persian Empires and the Hebrews in Chapter Two. Then, pick one of the options
Option A: Read these hymns that constitute the central scriptures of Zoroastrianism. The Avesta, sacred scripture, (Links to an external site.)contains the Gathas, which reveal a great deal about this monotheist religion. The Central beliefs (Links to an external site.)and practices of the Zoroastrian people are still important today. What are the central themes and concerns of this religion? How do they compare to the religious texts we have examined from other cultures? What might they tell us about Persian culture? Is there anything distinctly more modern about these texts than others we have read about either for a Discussion Assignment or in our text? You might enjoy watching the optional cc video I have included here for you:
Option B: Discuss the history of the Hebrew people and the development of the Jewish people from their polytheism to monotheism (Links to an external site.)and kingdom building (Links to an external site.)up through the return from the Babylonian Captivity. (Links to an external site.)What would you say was the greatest contribution made by Jewish people to Early World History?
The optional cc video I have included here is an interesting look at the development of the early Kingdom of David of the Israelites:
Option C: Discuss Cyrus the Great (Links to an external site.)and the Persian Empire (Links to an external site.)up through its conquest by Alexander the Great. What do you think earned Cyrus the name “the Great?” What about Darius the Great (Links to an external site.) ? What were his major accomplishments (Links to an external site.)?
The following optional cc video I have included is very good: