Leaders Of The Ancient Egyptians example essay topic

Western Legal Tradition Paper #1 Oct. 7, 1996 When Machiavelli wrote of whether it was more important to be feared than loved, he had definitely studied the cases brought up in this paper. He talked of how politics and power were all that a real leader should be concerned with, and, if he isn't how he will not be a strong leader. When Machaivelli writes of being loved, he may have had the love for the gods in mind, as is the case of the examples given in the assignment. The main difference between the law and conceptions of law held by the ancient Egyptians, the Mesopotamians, and Hebrew leaders versus rule by a band of thieves, is just that- a distinction between love versus power. All conceptions of law in ancient civilizations had one thing in common: they were all supposed to be enforced by a more supreme being.

For the Egyptians that being was the Pharaoh; for the Mesopotamians, the Gods and the rulers descended from them; and for the Jews, their God. The people and the rulers both believed that if you violate the rules, then the Gods would punish you. If you followed the Gods, then, conversely, they would see to it that you were rewarded. In rule by a band of thieves, you may have small amounts of love for the leaders, but the real reason that keeps you following them is fear. In ancient Egypt, rule was kept by a class of people known as Pharaohs. These men were seen to have been descended from God, so they were considered more than men- but just short of real gods.

The earliest Pharaohs were seen as some kind of shaman, or holy men with almost mystical powers, sometimes wearing animal tails and "the beard of their goat-flocks" (Course Packet, 6). Their conceptions of law had everything to do with being "able to sustain th entire nation by having command over the Nile flood" (Course Packet, 7). The Pharaoh was an omnipotent power and was able to control everyone and everything- in all lands. The Egyptian people were said to believe that He controlled the rain in other lands because, as they felt, that rain was nothing but a Nile in the sky- and why shouldn't he control it The Egyptians also believed, in conjunction with belief in the Pharaoh, that there was a sense of " 'Ma " at', which may have the meaning of order, truth, justice, according to it's context" (Course Packet, 13). Ma " at was believed to control the Nile.

When there was a period of Ma " at, the Nile was kind to the people, giving them favorable tides and floods. Usually, the anti-Ma " at times were in between Pharaohs, and when the Pharaohs were re anointed, Ma " at was restored. This all contributed to the Egyptians' belief in law and order and the conceptions that were held by the Egyptians in loving their Pharaohs and seeing that their love was what makes their lives better. The only fear involved may have come with the power that the Pharoah's had. The citizens may have feared the Pharoah's power over the Nile and other assorted natural occurences, but it was also in the Pharoah's best interests to keep everything running smoothly.

He did this because Pharoah, when their powers began to wane, they were ritually sacrificed. (Course Packet, 6) As far as ancient Mesopotamia goes, the Code of Hammurabi was the defining document of it's time. It is seen as a document of prophetic proportions because its ideas, such a personal injury, criminal law, and others would be considered fair even to this day. It also, however, made no mention of religion.

The code also praises Hammurabi, exalting him for causing justice to prevail in His land and for destroying the wicked and the evil. This was so because Hammurabi loved his people and wanted to be loved by them, all the while keeping social order. He set rules for legal procedure and then stated the penalties for the crimes such as unjust accusation, false testimony, and injustice done by judges. Also, laws on property rights, loans, deposits, and debts were in acted. In possibly the most modern laws, he put into place laws which offered equal protection to all of the classes of society; they sought to protect the weak and the poor, and women and even children in a time when they were considered property. Hammurabi's fair laws and judgment made him loved and be followed by his people, not just because he, too, had been called upon by the Gods to protect this land from the "wicked and the evil".

For the case of the ancient Hebrews, they believed in and followed their true ruler, God. They had faith in His commandments and followed them to the letter. They do this, of course, out of love. They love their God and do not necessarily fear him.

They want please him, so any fear that they may have is one of failure to please the God that they love. A main part of this theory is their conception of the laws. They believed that law, since it came from their God, it is good, and they should follow it. Failure to do so, in their minds, would have meant disobeying God, and that was no good.

The basis of these laws were the Ten Commandments, which lead the Hebrews in all aspects of their lives. This basis was founded solely on their religion and the beliefs associated with it. They could fear the wrath of God, if you angered him, as the Egyptians did, but their love for him was stronger than the fear of his power. With a band of thieves, however, rule is of a different sort. Whoever had the most power at the time had all the power. That is all that it is about- power.

If you have it, you can control the band; if you do not, someone else will take it from you. Along with this power came an element of fear. These criminal societies had no moral code, killing and injuring meant nothing, so, even in the most evolved of criminal societies, the Mafia, you can be killed if someone more powerful than you questions your dedication or character. Order was kept, just like in other societies, but it was enforced in a different manner. People in a Pharoah's Egypt followed his rule because they loved him and did not want to dissapoint him, not that they feared his power. The underlings in a complex organized crime syndicate follow the leader's rule because they feared his wrath.

This alone kept them from going against the established rule, not love. All the leaders of the societies shown had complete power over their people, except for the band of thieves. Through love and trust, the leaders of the ancient Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and the ancient Hebrews had that in common. They could rule without inducing the element of fear, their subjects loved them because they were good, and their rules were thought to be good, as well. If the rulers were happy, and the people were happy, then the Nile would flow, order would be intact, and God would be happy..