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Shang Dynasty And The Roman Empire Primary Sources

Decent Essays

Prompt 2: Shang Dynasty and the Roman Empire Primary Sources Historians depend on textual, artistic, and archaeological evidence to create narratives about various historical cultures. By analyzing primary sources, historians can determine what type of society existed, what forms of government were in power, and even what society held to high standards, such as honor. Certainties about the Roman Empire, in Europe, experiencing civil unrest, eventual re-installment of the Republic, and expectation of its citizens are supported by the primary source, “The Rape of Lucretia.” Alternatively, certainties about the Shang Dynasty, in East Asian, utilizing religion and politics together to determine natural phenomenons in life are supported by the primary source, “Shang Oracle Bones.” Ultimately, primary sources give a pretty clear and reliable picture as to how society functioned during the time periods that are being studied. The primary source, “The Rape of Lucretia” written in 17 AD by Roman historian named Livy, who authored The History of Rome. The story is a form of propaganda that criticized the Roman monarchy while encouraging the reinstatement of the Roman Republic. The narrative depicts the rape of an honorable woman named Lucretia, who was admired for her humble, modest, hospitable, and dutiful nature. Tragically, she was raped by one of the emperor’s sons, Sextus Tarquinius. After she confides in her husband, father, and family friend Brutus about the Sextus’s crime

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