Course Readings

Course Readings - HS 2321 World History to 1500 - Dr. Whitener

Pleasure vs. Procreation: Egyptian Women Take Control of Their Sexuality

Mariah Cavanaugh 10/02/2017

Winner of the Fall 2017 StMU History Media Award for Best Article in the Category of “Gender Studies” Best Overall Research For most of modern memory, the predominant belief was that sex was for procreation, and that pleasure was a sin.1 As a result, members of

The Upanishads: Foundations for Hinduism

Priscilla Reyes 10/19/2016

The earliest form of Hindu tradition occurred during the Vedic period in Indian history.1 The Upanishads, works of philosophical thought, were a major contribution to the development of Hinduism, taking place long after the Aryan migrations to the Indus and Ganges River valleys and their subsequent interaction

The Mandate of Heaven

Victoria Sanchez 10/07/2016

According to historians, the Shang Dynasty in China lasted from 1766 to 1122 B.C.E., and it had a big impact on setting the fundamental characteristics of early Chinese society, which we know today thanks to the written records and material remains that they left after their dynasty

Zoroastrianism and the Cosmic Conflict between Good and Evil

Jezel Luna 09/25/2016

Zoroastrianism was a dualist faith that originated in Persia, and over the years it has influenced a number of other faiths. Even though we may not recognize it today, it has been an influence on a number of world religions, especially on Christianity and Islam. Zoroastrianism is a belief system that

Revenge and Statecraft: India’s Spymaster

Steven Hale 11/03/2018

Nearly 300 years before the birth of Christ, Alexander the Great and his war machine had savaged everything east of Greece. After defeating the Persian Empire, the young warlord finally swept into India in 326 BCE. Unlike the previous lands conquered by Alexander, India was

The Battle of Thermopylae: Betrayed, Bloodied, and Besieged

Matthew Rios 09/21/2017

One by one the Greek and Persian forces continued to slaughter each other in combat as they battled for nearly three days. As the Spartan-led Greek forces relentlessly continued to combat the Persians, King Leonidas fell with sword in hand, finally receiving the glory he

Pheidippides and The Origins of The Marathon

Erick Martinez 05/01/2017

Pheidippides, a Greek runner, received orders to travel from the plain of Marathon to the city-state of Sparta in 490 BCE to seek help from the Spartans in an upcoming battle against the Persian Army. As he sprinted the 150 miles, 11,000 Greek infantry men

The Battle of Cannae: The Day Rome Stumbled

Davis Nickle 05/07/2020

It is the year 241 BCE in Carthage and the six-year-old Hannibal Barca has just been told the unthinkable, that Carthage has surrendered to the Roman Republic. Before the First Punic War, Carthage was the greatest superpower in the Mediterranean; it controlled most of the

Render Unto Caesar: The Conquest of Gaul and the Battle of Alesia

Peter Coons 10/21/2018

In 58 BCE, Roman proconsul Julius Caesar, a member of the first Triumvirate and an important political figure in the Roman Government, was forced to flee the very city he helped rule. As debts from his political aspirations and a general souring of relations among

Gladitorial School: Here is your Diploma and Knife

Mark Martinez 12/07/2017

One of the most famous and well known of the ancient Roman games, second only to the chariot races in terms of popularity, were the fights of the Gladiatorial Arena, a combination of blood, steal, and strange looking armor. The tradition of the gladiator fights

Prelude to the Roman Empire: The Battle of Actium

Christopher Hohman 09/30/2018

The years 34-31 B.C.E. was a difficult time for the Roman Republic. The Republic had been divided in two, with general Marc Antony ruling in the East and Octavian in the West. However, in the years leading up to 31 B.C.E., Marc Antony had spent

Greek Fire: A Byzantine Weapon Lost to the Ages

Mario Sosa 10/01/2017

September 1, 718. With the clear motivation to defend Constantinople, Byzantine ships filled with anxious soldiers were surrounding the mainland. On the horizon, Arab Muslim forces, bringing with them a fleet of large and robust wooden ships, started to form a blockade. Slowly but surely,

From a Life of Luxury to a Life of Holy Poverty: St. Francis, Before the Franciscan Order

Dalton Moy 04/07/2019

Winner of the Spring 2019 StMU History Media Award for Best Article in the Category of “People” Francis was faced with a very large obstacle: while he was trying his hardest to pursue what he found to be his vocation, the hate that welled up

The Fall of the Knights Templar

Tyler Sleeter 12/04/2017

The Knights Templar were a militaristic order of monks founded at the time of the First Crusade to protect the Christian people of Europe making the journey to the Holy Land. A papal bull issued by Pope Innocent II in 1139 gave the Knights Templar

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