Gordon Childe’s 10-criteria defining civilizations Introduction The concept of civilization has existed for centuries and is significant to the development of socially, economically, and politically complex urban societies. Anthropological conceptualization of the idea of civilization is incomplete without the consideration of V. Gordon Childe’s 10-criteria for defining civilization. Although Childe’s 10-criteria for defining urban revolution or civilization has faced critics such as lacking universality in their application, many scholars have used them as reference points when trying to understand civilization (Kelly, 2015). In definition, civilization refers to the process by which agricultural villages develop into urban societies with complex political, social, and economic structures. According to V. Gordon Childe, ten formal criteria can explain the concept of urban development or civilization. This article discusses some of V. Gordon Childe’s 10-criteria for defining civilization in order of their importance based on the way they were implemented in the old and new world civilizations. According to V. Gordon Childe (1950), the revolutions experienced in the new world like the industrial revolutions in England are repetitions of similar significant revolutions that could have…
Enron’s Demise- Were There Warning Signs? Evaluate Enron’s profit, leverage, and cash flow performance during the period 1998-2000. Profitability In the year 2000, the firm realized growth in revenue by 151.27%. This rate is similar to that of growth in income within the same period. However, the expenses have also grown at almost a similar rate, and this stands at 151.43%, with the net income only growing by 9.63%. A critical analysis of this shows that there are some flaws in the financial reporting by the firm. Enron has experienced diminished margins between 1998 and 2000, and this could be due to the decreased trading growth. For instance, putting into consideration the return on equity between 1998 and 2000, it is noted that this has declined from 9.33% to 8.54%. The case is the same for the return on asset ratio within the same period, which has declined from 2.68% to 1.49%. Besides, the net profit for the company has also reduced from 2.23% to 0.97% between 1998 and 2000. Leverage. The year 2000 experienced an increment in the short…
The Epic of Gilgamesh The Epic of Gilgamesh represents a poem about a Sumerian King known for his adventures, strength, wisdom, perseverance and courage. Importantly, Gilgamesh, the king is also described by his flaws of egocentrism and pride. He is, however, respected by society and considered a great man. As the poem begins, the poet says, “.When the gods created Gilgamesh they gave him a perfect body. Shamash the glorious sun endowed him with beauty, Adad the god of the storm endowed him with courage, the great gods made his beauty perfect, surpassing all others, terrifying like a great wild bull. Two thirds they made him god and one third man” (P.1). His superiority is determined by the respect granted to him by the community. As the poet says on page 1, “Supreme over other kings, lordly in appearance, he is the hero, born of Uruk, the goring wild bull”. The aim of this exercise is to examine the epic poem of Gilgamesh and his adventurous journey centered on his character. Gilgamesh goes on a journey with…
Explain how much potential energy lies in the ground (Oil, Gas, Coal) and above the ground (water, wind)? According to science, precisely physics, energy is a term used for a quantitative matter which is transferred to any object or property so as to execute specific duties, or heat the object. Besides being a conserved quantity, energy can also be converted into various forms, but it can neither be created nor generated as the law of conservation of energy dictates. The most common types that energy takes are kinetic energy, found in a moving object, potential energy, which is stored energy by object’s position in a force field that can be either magnetic, gravitational or electric (Criekemans, 2018). And for living organism to stay alive, they also require energy, for instance, the energy that humans acquire from foods. The humans also require substantial amounts of energy from sources such as renewable energy, fossil fuels and nuclear energy to allow them to have an operational environment. Coal is one of the examples of the sources of non-renewable energy as it takes it…
Choosing an Event Venue When you have an upcoming event, you may need to plan properly for you to ensure that you see it through. When you have an event that needs planning, a person may get overwhelmed since there are a lot of things that you may need to consider. A lot of things would require planning before the event date ranging from entertainment to food. However, the most important thing that needs proper preparation when you have an event at hand is the event venue. The event venue is the most important thing that you need to consider when you are planning n event since, without it, you will not have any event taking place. These days, there are many different event venues that you can choose from when you need one. For most people, it can be overwhelming to find the right event venue for them to host their guests since picking the right one from the several that are in the market can prove a hard task. If you are one of the people, you…
The Role of Violence in European History Religion plays a crucial role in determining people’s beliefs, routine activities, and, consequently, their way of life. It was, therefore, at the center of most of the violence witnessed in Europe’s history. Despite having different reasons for engaging in violent acts, there are a lot of similarities in how people used violence in Europe’s history. Majority of people initiated violence and used it to further their agendas. Depending on the violence’s magnitude, people used different methods to memorize violence. However, the most common was through giving testimonies and writings. Among the most notable violence witnessed on the continent were those relating to the holy wars and attacks on minority religious groups. In 1320, the shepherd’s crusade attacked Jews and was extended to lepers the following year (Nirenberg 43). The crusaders, who were partakers of the holy wars, aimed at creating the Christian New Jerusalem as they believed they moved against the antichrist (Rubenstein 7). The perpetrators of violence in Europe did so to promote their religion since they thought their faith was superior…
Definition and History of Capitalism Outline Attention Getter: Begin off by quoting Milton Friedman, a renowned economist and a one time winner of the Nobel Prize. He once said, “What kind of society isn’t structured on greed? The problem of social organization is how to set up an arrangement under which greed will do the least harm; capitalism is that kind of a system.” Specific Purpose: To define capitalism, give a brief historical background, and provide some real-life examples. Overview: There are different definitions of capitalisms that have been suggested by various scholars since the term was first coined. The primary objective for today’s presentation is to make sure that the audience leaves the venue with a full grasp of the definition of capitalism. Thesis Statement: The definition of capitalism could sometimes be least understood unless practical, real-life examples are incorporated into the explanation. Transition: One of the best ways to understand the concept of capitalism is to examine its definition and scope. The definition of capitalism The Definition by Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman He said, “The role of…
American civil war 1861-1865 Introduction During the early 1860s, North America was highly industrialized while the south heavily relied on agriculture and thus upheld slavery as a vital institution. The end of the Mexican-American war saw the USA acquire new territories embedded into slavery an aspect that the northerners were willing to curtail. Eleven of the southern states thus seceded to form a confederation that would protect the institution of slavery hence provoking a civil war. This paper addresses the essence with special reference to the urgent need for both cohesion and development of the USA after the war highlighting the outcomes. Essence of a strong central government The newly formed union aimed at diversifying development amongst the highly industrialized north and the war trodden south. The system of administration in place needed to provide a platform for the “contrabands” personal development void of further slavery exploitation. The abolitionist strongholds made up of capitalist slave owners however needed to be put in control to diminish any future incubation of slave trade. A strong central government would also ensure that the…
CIVIL RIGHTS HISTORY IN AMERICA Chapter 16.7. Frank H Mayer “We Kill the Golden Goose” How does Mayer account for the wastefulness of the buffalo hunt? Mayer starts the article by stating that we had killed the golden goose. In the second paragraph of the article, Mayer mentions that when he began as a buffalo runner, he was not interested in the overall figures of the buffalo number killed, and without realizing it, the game was on the way out. Mayer goes on describing how, at the start, the buffalo was a great business to be in, the meat and their bones were high in demand and made a lot of money[1]. As Mayer looked for an answer by consulting the railroads, which had an essential role in the destruction of the buffalo, he found no answers because they didn’t keep any records. According to Mayer, who or what was responsible for the destruction of the buffalo? Towards the end, Mayer describes that the Indians got their share of the buffalo too, and their kills had an impact on the…
Personality change Unemployment has been proven to negatively influence the well-being of an individual, however, it is yet unproven whether it affects the personality behaviors of an individual. Despite this though, results indicate that unemployment is associated with psychological implications. Studies prove personality is malleable by socioeconomic variables for instance income or marital status. Also, Boyce, Wood, Daly & Sedikides, (2015) assert that personality change is associated with the process of intrinsic maturation caused by genetic influences. An additional contribution to personal change is the environmental variations in events such as retirement and marital status, factors that have been associated with personal change. From various definitions, it is possible to regard personal change as a glimpse of the changing nature of individuals as they engage dynamically with their environments as longitudinal studies suggest that the change has environmental and genetic components. Since unemployment is a severe environmental change that restricts the chance of an individual engaging with certain types of tasks and omitting social contact, it will, therefore, permeate the person’s life and aid instigate change in behavior even…