FREE ESSAY ON HAMMURABI AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT

HAMMURABI AND ALEXANDER THE GREAT

Hammurabi, Zhou, Asoka the Great, and Alexander the Great had various means by which they
justified their authority and their rule. Each had a very unique style of thoughts and
actions. History was changed due to the actions of these rulers. 
The Zhou was a coalition of several groups that existed during the Shang dynasty. Zhou
believed that the Shang failed to uphold religious duties, therefore they attributed
their victory over Shang to the Mandate of Heaven. This empire was the longest empire in
Chinese civilization. Iron made its first appearance during this period. Enormous armies
of foot soldiers armed with iron swords and shields replaced old chariot style warfare.
Commerce expanded and population grew. The Zhou believed that to retain loyalty of
nobility, they must grant the nobility a certain amount of land. 
Hammarubi justified authority by his code of laws. He was king of Babylon during the
first Babylonian Empire. This Empire extended from the Tigris and Euphrates and westward
to the Mediterranean Sea. Hammarubi supervised irrigation, agriculture, tax collection,
and construction of many buildings. He was best known for his codification of Babylonian
law. The codes of Hammurabi are the earliest legal code known. The laws seek to protect
the poor, women, children, and slaves. It is from this code of laws that we get the
punishment idea of "an eye for an eye."
Asoka the Great was the son of a Mauryan King. At age eighteen he became vice-roy. In the
year 273 he inherited his fathers thrown. During the Kalinga revolt, he realized that the
bloodshed was far too great for him to handle. He hung up his sword and converted to
Buddhism. Asoka's power allowed him to promote his principle as the law of the land.
Asoka scraped codes into rock pillars that talked about conforming to Dharma. Asoka the
Great did not allow capital punishment. He was most responsible for the exploration of
Buddhism to areas such as China and Asia Minor. 
Alexander the Great was one of the greatest military minds of all times. He was King of
Macedonia and conqueror of the Persian Empire. Aristotle taught Alexander about the Iliad
and other classic novels. In a single week Alexander crushed Illyrians and Thebes, which
had revolted. He took the cities by storm and spared only the temples of gods and the
house of a poet. He began war against Persia in 334 with an army of Macedonian and Greek
troops. Alexander founded a number of cities, most named Alexandria. These cities were
well located, well paved, and were provided with good water supplies. Greek culture was
introduced during the period of Alexander's reign. It was during this time that the Greek
language became widely known. Alexander the Great extended the influence of Greek
civilization and prepared the way for the conquest of the Roman Empire. 
Zhou, Asoka the Great, Hammurabi, and Alexander the Great played important roles in the
history of the world. Each ruler had their own ideas and beliefs, but all of them had
their way of ruling the land. As you can see, The four leaders had different ways of
justifying their rule.