mckayworldunderstanding2e

Step 4: Put It All Together

Now, take a step back and try to explain the big picture. Remember to use specific examples from the chapter in your answers.

Click here to download the exercise for Step 4 in MS Word.

GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA AND EGYPT What role did religion play in legitimizing the power of Mesopotamian and Egyptian rulers? What similarities and differences do you note in the structure of Mesopotamian and Egyptian society? How would you explain these similarities and differences?	HEBREW RELIGION AND SOCIETY How did the experience of subjugation and exile shape Hebrew religion and culture? How did the Hebrew’s relationship with Yahweh differ from that of their neighbors’ relationships with their deities?
IMPERIAL POWERS: ASSYRIA AND PERSIA How did the brutality of Assyrian rule contribute both to the rise and fall of their empire? How did the Persians build and maintain their empire? What explains its long-term stability?	LOOKING BACK, LOOKING AHEAD How did the states of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Assyria, and the Persian Empire differ from earlier forms of social and political organization? How would you explain the fact that, over time, the state became the dominant form of political organization in societies around the world?