Ancient Civilization of Hittite and Greece. Comparative Analysis on Government, Law Language and Characteristics of the Middle Eastern civilization

Essay , 2016 , 9 Seiten , Note: 79.1

Weltgeschichte - Altertum

This paper deals with the civilization of the Greeks and the Hittites.

It considers all aspects of the civilizations but especially what we know of law, literature and government: How do they compare? How are they different?

It lists some of the people who exemplify those characteristics of the civilization and how did they do so. Why does that person matter?

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advantages of large-scale irrigation farming. Civilization from Egypt and Mesopotamia

greatly inspired the Hittite to develop their civilization

The Greece civilization has evolved through their history; the ancient civilization period

starts from the periods between 12th t centuries to around500 BC. Ancient Greece comprised

of the mainland and the scattered islands and civilization took place in city states otherwise

known as Polis.

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Contrary to Hittite civilization, the Greece civilization rose on the people

mainly depending on farming activities. As civilization sets in, there was the advancement in

other areas including technology, art and poetry, and philosophy. The Greek Dark Age

predeceases the ancient Greece civilization and succeeded by the classical age

Most civilization in the ancient history revolves around the king, and so is the Hittite

civilization. The king was the head of state, and the practice was on the lineage heredity. The

unique civilization development in the ruling institution of the Hittite civilization was the

Assembly the assembly made of individuals from noble families who acted as the court of

appeal on the governance. Ideally, the assembly was the opposition to the king as it curtailed

his power and could out rule the king's decision. On the side of Greece, Greece had some

government system. Different cities had different forms of governments that ruled its

subjects. The ancient Greece states include the monarchs, oligarchies, tyrants and democratic

governments at various times and towns

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. The most famous monarch in the old time was the

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Donlan, Walter, Michael Grant, and Rachel Kitzinger. "Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean: Greece and

Rome." The American Historical Review 95, no. 2 (1990), 466. doi:10.2307/2163783

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Gera, Deborah L. "3. Oligarchy and Oligarchs in Ancient Greece." Language and History in Ancient Greek

Culture (n.d.). doi:10.9783/9780812206098.39

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Sparta which had two kings usually brothers or causing ruling simultaneously. While one

king was at war, the other looked at home affairs

The kingdom was divided into small subunits consisting of communities. Each community

had a council of elders responsible for its affairs and reporting to the king. There were also

religious leaders, governors and the military officials with distinct administrative duties in the

community.

The Hittite kingdom consists of conquered territories who owe alliance to the Hittite king.

Those countries that surrendered to the Hittite king before ware, their kings retained power

but ruled and paid tribute to the king of the Hittite. The king received his kingdom and

allowed to operate as vassals' king who could not make any alliance with any other king other

than the Hittite great king

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. The agreement ensured that the weaker king was to be protected

from inversion from other kings resisting kingdoms were to be taken by force. Once the

Hittite conquered a nation trough war, its army carried the inhabitants and distributed among

the noble Hittites but not sold as slaves.

As the empire expanded, more techniques were sought to enable the King to take control of

the vassals. The king introduced governors who were in charge of large areas and acted as

intermediaries between the king and the vassals.

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Gera, Deborah L. "3. Oligarchy and Oligarchs in Ancient Greece." Language and History in Ancient Greek

Culture (n.d.). doi:10.9783/9780812206098.39

---

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Hittite Kingship succession was a major challenge as there was no clear law on such an

important matter drawing the attention of nobilities who were usually many with an interest

of being the successor of the sitting king. It was until 1525-1500 that when King Telipinus set

a clear guideline on the succession of the king when the problem was solved.

The king was the military leader, lawgiver, high priest, and the supreme judge. Although he

could delegate all other duties, he was the chief commander and could not delegate this role.

The Hittite king had titles that developed over time. Initially, the king was referred to as the

great king referring to the vassal king as being the minor kings. Latter, he was given the title

"my Sun" indicating that he was superhuman and lastly the "Hello beloved of God" about

being more of a god rather than human. At his death, the king was thought to join the spiritual

world.

Although Greece also had kings, their power was highly controlled, unlike the Hittite kings.

In the oligarchy government, rich and noble men referred to us aristocrats ruled the city.

Between 600bc and 500 BC, many states in Greece were ruled by tyrants. The tyrants were

more civilize as they were the only tyrant in a way they took one Aristotle seize power from

others trough approval and support of the poor

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. The dictator ruled the same way the Hittite

king could rule with no legal right. The most civilized form of government in the ancient

Greece was the rise of democratic government experienced nowhere else in the ancient time.

In Athens, the power people were given more power through a right to vote leaders.

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Gera, Deborah L. "3. Oligarchy and Oligarchs in Ancient Greece." Language and History in Ancient Greek

Culture (n.d.). doi:10.9783/9780812206098.39

---

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The large Hittite community composed of people from different origin such as the Hittite, the

Hitti, Luwians, Hurrians, and other communities that the kingdom conquered and all these

people had different culture necessitating law for good governance and application of

justices. On the other hand, Greece was a homogeneous society, and thus the cultural and

social norms unified the people. There was no prescribed official law or punishment until 800

BC. The Greece could revenge especially on issues of murder that resulted to endless blood

feuds.

The Hittite had an excellent reference to the application of justice trough the use of the law.

The old law articles obtained shows that the law was not static but rather developed gradually

from a more severe to a less harsh on. Archaeologist finds phrases like formerly the penalty

was in force, but now the king has ordained another penalty. The successor is usually less

severe or otherwise more human than the previous. In the ancient Greece, the civilization in

law took the same procedure. Draco established the first law in 620 BC. The law ware

reasonably harsh and the English named it draconian. More civilization is seen when Solon

took office as the law give. He refined law and ensured that justice was more available to the

civilians.

In the ancient Hittite, the body of law had no distinction between civic and criminal laws. The

rule of revenge and compensation were missing to ensure that civilians are not taking the law

into their hand but rather they are an operating system

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. In Cases where taking one life was

the desirable punishment, the king must give consent. Similarly, murder was the most serious

offense in Greece, but Draco prescribed exile as the punishment. The king was not part of the

law making the process as seen in the Hittite. The Greece lawgivers were appointed official

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Bryce, Trevor. Life and Society in the Hittite World. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.

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resulting in no ruler influence in the law set. The ancient laws of Greece advanced as at that

time as the dictatorial rulers were curtailed by the Draco's established.

Hittite Laws stand on hypothetical cases followed by an appropriate ruling. Records show

that legal precedent was essential to the legal system even at this time. The case is similar to

the ancient Greece procedural laws that required gave details on how to apply rules. On

comparison, the ancient Greek laws were more information including little facts such as some

witnesses needed for someone to be found guilty.

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Notably, great civilization in the way cases

moved from one authority to another. A case started at the lower level and if the party in not

satisfied, he appeals at the higher rank.

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The king had few issues to handle. In Greece, the

judicial system was well defined and advanced. The court system put in place with judges

whose work was to prescribe penalty after the hearing in which the audience" jurors" could

vote.

Within the Hittite realm of the Hittite, two official languages were acceptable the Hittite and

the Akkadian while Hurrian was acceptable for business communication. The ancient Hittite

noticed the use o an official seal was acceptable. Rock carving and stone monuments

invented to preserve historical facts of the time. On the other hand, ancient Greece was the

first among the ancient civilization to write and read. The Greek language had three main

dialects namely Aeolic, Doric, and Ionic. In the Hittite civilization language developed along

different tribes of the time but, in Greece the Greek language developed with three dialects

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Seignobos, Charles. History of Ancient Civilization. 2015.

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Gera, Deborah L. "3. Oligarchy and Oligarchs in Ancient Greece." Language and History in Ancient

Greek Culture (n.d.). doi:10.9783/9780812206098.39.

---

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contrary to the Hittite where three languages emerged and used as either official or

commercial.

The language history of the early language in Hittite civilizations best studied using

cuneiform. Cuneiform were an advanced form of writing brought into the Hittite and

developed more complexity through the use of wedge shapes.

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Contrary to the Hittite

civilization, the geek had a variety of preserving information and language. The most

dominating work in ancient Greece is philosophical work seen nowhere in the old time

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.

Literature such as poet, drama history and philosophical saying dominate the ancient

civilization of the Greece.

Civilization contains prominent people whose ideas and acts ware beyond the conventional

society of the time. The most famous people during early civilization of Greece include

Socrates, Alexander the great, Aristotle, Plato, Pythagoras Leonidas I and Hippocrates.

Hippocrates was a physician whose work and contribution is remarkable the western

medicine thus known as the father of medicine. Hippocrates introduced the first school of

medicine. Pythagoras is considered the first philosopher, he learned and travelled widely and

associated with the great thinker. The most significant contribution of Pythagoras was his

discovery of a formula to calculate the area of a triangle known as Pythagoras theorem to

present. Socrates significant contributions are in the development of ethos accounted in the

philosophy

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. Aristotle was a student of Plato who gained a lot of philosophy and often

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Seignobos, Charles. History of Ancient Civilization. 2015

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Wedgwood, C. V. The Spoils of Time: A World History from the Dawn of Civilization Through the Early

Renaissance. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1985

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Wedgwood, C. V. The Spoils of Time: A World History from the Dawn of Civilization Through the Early

Renaissance. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1985

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surpasses the master. Aristotle philosophical and great contributions are in is the famous poet,

physics, politics science and moral virtues

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. Alexandra the great is another personality in the

history of early civilization of Greece who showed remarkable contribution. He was tutored

by Aristotle and succeeded his father as a king on his assassination. Alexandra the great was

a skilful general commander who conquered the whole world breaking king Darius III but

eventually died at a tender age of 33. The Hittite influential personalities are fewer including

kings and iron smelters, and war leaders.

13

Donlan, Walter, Michael Grant, and Rachel Kitzinger. "Civilization of the Ancient

Mediterranean: Greece and Rome." The American Historical Review 95, no. 2

(1990), 466. doi:10.2307/2163783.

---

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Bibliography

Bryce, Trevor. Life and Society in the Hittite World. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Donlan, Walter, Michael Grant, and Rachel Kitzinger. "Civilization of the Ancient

Mediterranean: Greece and Rome." The American Historical Review 95, no. 2

(1990), 466. doi:10.2307/2163783.

Gera, Deborah L. "3. Oligarchy and Oligarchs in Ancient Greece." Language and History in

Ancient Greek Culture (n.d.). doi:10.9783/9780812206098.39.

Seignobos, Charles. History of Ancient Civilization. 2015.

Wedgwood, C. V. The Spoils of Time: A World History from the Dawn of Civilization

Through the Early Renaissance. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1985.

• Hochschule: Kenyatta University
• Note: 79.1
• Autor: Doctor Alfhonce Michael (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2016
• Seiten: 9
• Katalognummer: V373284
• ISBN (eBook): 9783668530843
• ISBN (Buch): 9783668530850
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: ancient, civilization, hittite, greece, comparative, analysis, government, language, characteristics, middle, eastern