The Historian

Patriarchal systems existed since paleolithic times, rendering the art of machismo and paternal power. Male dominance was defined by the patriarch as the fundamental unit of power in ancient society. The clan was only as strong as its male head of the household, building and influencing a generation of sturdy and brisk men who would soon take over the roles that defined them. However, if men inherited this machismo, women enabled it. Women were expected to tend to their men, submit to them, and raise them. But they also proved themselves the purveyors of this masculinity, sometimes engaging in cross-dressing practices, prostitution, and even serving in wars against enemy militias. Nowhere is this more evident than in ancient Spartan society. Spartan society stretched the envelope for women, displaying an implicit gender-bending reality in a society that Aristotle labeled "lawless". Furthermore, ancient Spartan women partook in many interesting social practices that people of ...

The Indian civilization is thousands of centuries old. What do we in the west know about this ancient civilization? What has Indian culture brought to our world history and how can we better our societies by incorporating Hindi customs to our everyday living? The ancient Dravidians, a pastoral and semi-literate people, inhabited the Indus Valley as far back as 2600 B.C. It was not until the Aryan peoples (semi-nomadic warriors from the central Asian steppes) invaded northern India, pushing the dark-skinned Dravidians southward past the Deccan plateau. The Aryans were a Vedic peoples, ascribing hymns and sacrifices to their gods and incorporating a caste-system based on varna or skin color. The highest caste were the priests of this group, known as the Brahmans, who were the lightest skin shade and helped shape Hindu culture to what it is today. The Brahmans were deeply aescetic people, worshipping the gods in public and often times chastising those who did not devote themselves to the ...

When American historians recall the arduous democratic and constitutional process of this country, they often attribute this process to the determined and tenacious founding fathers. One man in particular, Thomas Jefferson, goes down in history as the 'man behind the true democratic experiment' - unconventional, private, and paradoxical. How much do Americans really know about this man who drafted the Declaration of Independence? What were his passions, fears, and beliefs for democracy? How and why is he still looked at as the 'father of American democracy?' And most importantly, would his views on race muddy his reputation as America's leading founding father? Jefferson was complex, a young widowed man who spent most of his presidency in his room writing and reading on science and invention. He spent most of his life at his rural Virginia manor of Monticello. His tastes derived from French aristocracy and naturalistic elements engrained in the Deist ethos of the en...

As a Christian American with Arab roots, I was raised with the essential understanding that the more we know about others, the more we learn about ourselves. Americans and many Westerners have the impression that Arabs and other cultures have a very narrow view of the world, since they come from a homogeneous and paternalistic society rooted in their own philosophies seperate from 'the West'. However, I must contend with this viewpoint. Arab culture as well as all cultures of the world are far from homogeneous. Islam, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Sufism, Judaism, along with different cultural practices pervade the Middle East, creating a cohesive religious diversity that most societies envy. Although politics is really the point of all contention in all societies, religion has always been a significant cause for Arab identity--causing many to live their lives by their faith and practice. Even moreso, because Arabs in the Middle East come across Christians, Muslims, and Jews on...