RULING AN ANCIENT CIVILATION

RULING AN ANCIENT CIVILATION

In ancient cavitations such as China, India, and Mesopotamia being a ruler was a sought job by many different people, however it was not as easy as some people may have thought. With the job came much responsibility, such as what laws to make, how to prosecute, and military status. In the fallowing you will discover more about these civilizations and how they were ruled.  
First we will take a look at the kingship of ancient Mesopotamia. Their leader was thought to be divinely designated. “Central and fundamental to the Mesopotamian understanding of proper royal behavior were the two Akkadian words andurarum (freedom) and misharum (equity) that expressed the public idea of royal responsibilities in the general Mesopotamian cultural zone.”   The ruler was sought to rule as the “father” of the people. If people thought they were close enough to there ruler to think of him as a father figure then society would run smoothly. In Mesopotamia the Code of Hammurabi (circa 1750 BCE), was the first example of any written law in ancient society. It is somewhat simple to today’s society, but it fits the time period just perfectly, and gives equal punishment to the crime committed. For example “If a man accuse a man, and charge him with murder, but cannot convict him, the accuser shall be put to death…”  
Next I will look at the kingship of India. The cultural and political traditions of India are far different from that of Mesopotamia. There kingship comes mainly from their religious and cultural traditions. Closely related to India kingship, is the idea of dharma. Basically the dharma means right actions necessary to sustain the moral, social, and political order. According the the belief in dharma the ruler should carry out his duties faithfully with no thought of the outcome. The ruler should also not base his decisions on how they will give him material reward or recognition. The India culture was mainly based around religion.
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