Western civilization can be sketched from Egypt as early as 3000 B.C., when civilization was in its infancy. The Egyptians and Mesopotamian peoples initiated ideas that are still associated with civilization today. These peoples began to progress with developing a written language, organizing cities, struggling with problems that arose with individuals now living closer to one another, being dependent upon one another for survival and wresting with politics and governmental structure. Influenced by the Egyptians and Mesopotamian people, Romans and Greeks later played a key role in the expansion of civilization. These emerging civilizations lumbered through establishing political systems, military strongholds, religious belief systems and social organization. The leaders of the people, whether they be kings, aristocrats, emperors, or other ruling status, fought over control of land, which also meant control of the peoples that inhabited the land, resulting in more power, prestige, military strength and wealth. There seemed to be an enormous amount of tolerance for differing religious beliefs until the advent of monotheism, which initiated a great deal of persecution, religious fanaticism, and even war primarily because the peoples felt threatened that the non-worship of their various gods (river god, crop god, etc.) caused famines, defeat in war, and any other calamity that befell the nations (Perry, Chase, Jacob, Jacob, and Von Laue, 2009). Around the 13th Century B.C., Egypt was attacked by the Libyans and the Peoples of the Sea which served to ultimately decimate the Egyptian empire, as the Egyptians became ruled by the "Libyans, Nubians, Assyrians, Persians, and finally Greeks," which paved the way for multiple small kingdoms and city-states to arise (Perry et. al., 2009, p. 20). The Egyptian empire became a smorgasbord of intermingling peoples and cultures (Perry et. al., 2009). The Greeks' political and cultural epitomes had a tremendous effect on Western civilization. The Greek polis, also called the city-state, was the primary focus of Grecian life; loyalty to the polis established a strong, close-knit community, that had the additional effect of separating the Greeks into multiple city-states, the primary two being Sparta and Athens (Perry et. al., 2009). Sparta was an impenetrable, closed, highly-disciplined military-based society, whereas Athens was an open and largely democratic naval society (Perry et. al., 2009). Despite all of the Grecian achievements, they were not able to overcome the rifts and contentions that caused in-cultural fighting, which served to weaken and destabilize the Grecian civilization. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle all arose from the Greek polis, and their philosophies have had a long-term impact on Western sciences, philosophies, and culture (Perry et. al., 2009). Thucydides and Herodotus established the field of history, as the world's first true historians (Perry et. al., 2009). Grecian poetry, art, and drama continue to influence Western arts. Western conceptions of human rights, duties of the people, and the very basis of democracy were first conceived in Athens. The questions of the purpose of life, humanity, and the order of the universe were first raised by philosophers in ancient Greece. The Roman Empire arose from a small community in Italy and expanded rapidly and significantly. Unfortunately, the Roman Empire outgrew the ability of its republican government to adequately control, causing the government to severely breakdown as opportunistic individuals seized the opportunity to gain unprecedented power resulting in a succession of civil wars (Perry, et. al., 2009). Peace reigned for a time when Octavian, also known as Augustus, conquered Cleopatra and Antony. Octavian's monumental task was to create an orderly government that would serve to also conserve the Roman Republic (Perry, et. al., 2009). Augustus succeeded in reorganizing the military forces, repair roads, build water mains and aqueducts, established a fire brigade, established a free distribution of grain to the needy, and beautified Rome (Perry, et. al., 2009). Under Augustus' rule, there was a prolonged period of peace. The Hebrews played a significant role in history; even though they did not build an empire and were, more often than not, controlled by a completive nation including Assyria, Chaldea, Persia, and Rome, their contribution to society, justice, and religion have made lasting impacts upon Western civilization (Perry, et. al., 2009). The Hebrew's belief in monotheism established one of the world's longest-lasting and most vastly influential religions. The Hebrew's monotheistic religion not only led to the establishment of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but it also imparted many of the ideals of morality, human rights, social justice, and law formation (Perry, et. al., 2009). Although Christianity suffered through countless periods of intense persecution, it has survived to become the leading religion in the world. Western civilization has been significantly influenced by the trials and errors of the past governmental institutions, empires, and religious beliefs. Each drop in the water of time has had a ripple effect on all the nations in the current world and will continue to do so. Many of the things valued today such as democracy, art, literature, history, and the sciences had their beginning many centuries ago with each establishment of a new civilization, the rise and fall of each has led to more successful and stable governments today as well as increased tolerance and observance of human rights. Western civilization did not just come into being, it was slowly and painstakingly built on all preceding governments and societies. Reference Perry, M., Chase, M., Jacob, J., Jacob, M. C., & Von Laue, T. H. (2009). Western civilization: Ideas, politics, and society: Volume 1: To 1789 (9th ed.). Boston, MA; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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