Essay on Elements of Ancient World: Religion, Language, Courage

Ancient world refers to time from beginning of early human history recordings up to early Middle Ages. The ancient world is associated with different themes and topics. People in ancient times lived a life that is almost totally different from the life people in the contemporary society live. However, there were similarities in the way people in the ancient world lived their lives when compared with lives people led in present times. The paper critically examines themes of courage, leadership, and religion in the ancient world using three scholarly books about the ancient world.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Courage was an important element of leadership in the ancient world. In 1274, a young Pharaoh by the name of Ramesses II had to show courage when he found himself surrounded by 3500 chariots in a trap laid out by Hittite King Muwatalli II. Despite being outnumbered, Ramesses II showed a large magnitude of courage by leading a series of counter attacks. Courtesy of the immense courage that Ramesses II showed, his army was saved from destruction. There are very few leaders who are courageous enough to recover from imminent calamity. Bravery and courage are leadership elements that go hand in hand (Cotterell et al. 4). From the aforementioned example of courage as an important leadership element; it can be deduced that in the ancient world, the theme of courage was highly valued. Leaders who showed courage in the ancient world did not do it out of unthinking recklessness; rather they did it out of a powerful sense of purpose from a profound desire to improve their subjects well being. A leader in the ancient world was expected to have the courage to be at the frontline of steering necessary change amid complex challenges and difficulties.

Language was important in the ancient world because it was a tool for communication. The first evidence showing writing systems that represent human language arose around 3000 BCE in the ancient east. From that time henceforth, the practice of writing spread westward across the Mediterranean to nearby lands. There are written texts from the ancient world that are currently in existence. The written texts can help one understand languages that were used during ancient times. In the ancient world, different languages were spoken and different dialects used for communication (Clackson 1). Societies and individuals in the ancient world chose to express themselves in different ways. Some of the languages that were spoken in the ancient world included Greek and Latin. However, it is worthy to mention that majority of people who lived around the Mediterranean during the ancient times did not speak Greek or Latin as their first language until the last century of the Roman Empire. After the end of the Roman Empire, the language diversity that had earlier existed disappeared, and Greek and Latin were adopted. The Greek language was spoken in various dialects throughout Greece. Before Greek and Latin languages being dominant in the region around the Mediterranean Sea, people who lived in that region used to communicate in languages that were completely unrelated to those spoken by their neighbors (Clackson 2). In the ancient world, language was a form of identity. Language was used to identify individuals from a given geographical location and territory. Languages spoken around the Mediterranean Sea and Europe underwent a lot of changes when Greek and Roman traders and colonists started to spread to new territories while importing Greek and Latin new languages. Nearly all the languages of North Africa and Asian Minor were replaced courtesy of importation of Greek and Latin in the new territories. It reached a point whereby Greek and Latin became major languages spoken in the region around the Mediterranean Sea. An individual who had a good command of Greek and Latin was presumed to be a citizen of the Roman Empire.

Religion is an important theme about the ancient world. In the ancient world, people believed in divine powers. Religion in the ancient world was pegged on diverse cultural influences. Monotheism and polytheism were common in the ancient world. There were people in the ancient world who worshiped many deities and gods. Cybele, the goddess was worshiped in ancient Rome and Greece. In the ancient world, polytheism was prevalent in Egypt, Babylon, India and Greece (Johnson 17). Sculptures were often made to represent deities; the sculptures were then worshiped (Johnston 7). Worship involved chanting, singing praises and making prayers to a god. Rituals were done with an intention to appease the gods (Johnson 34). Sacrifices to gods were done on an altar, which was a sacred place. Sacrifices involved offering meat of freshly slaughtered livestock to the gods; the meat was then burned. Foods such as fruit and bread were also used as sacrifices. Libations, processions and votive gifts were practiced in ancient times (Johnson 11). Religion spread from one geographical location to another. For instance, when traveling to Egypt from Greece, Herodotus was captivated by the Egyptians religion and took it Greece. Dionysius of Rome was captivated by Greek religion and took it to Rome (Johnson 8).

In conclusion, courage, language, and religion are some of the dominant themes about the ancient world in scholarly books. I have come to realize that a leader in the ancient world was expected to be highly courageous and brave. Language was used as a source of identity among people during ancient times. In the ancient world, there were people who believed in one Supreme Being and there were people who believed in deities.

World Cat

Clackson, James. Language and Society in the Greek and Roman Worlds. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2015. Print.

Cotterell, Arthur, Roger Lowe, and Ian Shaw. Leadership: Lessons from the Ancient World. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley, 2006. Print.

Johnston, Sarah I. Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide. Cambridge (Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2004. Print.