Slavery Struggles: The Twelve Tables and The Prince
Each historical document chosen for this discussion has its purpose and impact on the reader. It is not enough to compare the authors’ approaches and main ideas but to clarify the evidence about power and slavery in the ancient world. The Twelve Tables and The Prince by Machiavelli promote a better understanding of the history and ancient activities of stabilizing the relationships between rich and poor people.
The law of the Twelve Tables was one of the brightest examples of how Roman law was implemented to enhance quality. Each table had its specific purpose of discussing how court and trial procedures were organized (tables 1 and 2), how acquisition and possession occurred (table 6), and how public and sacred laws differed (tables 9 and 10). Ancient Roman justice was strong and specific, e.g., “if any person has sung or composed against another person… he shall be clubbed to death” (The Twelve Tables, 2020, p. 172). Family relationships and court trials had a specific order to ensure human rights were properly identified and followed. The land people had or conquered was hard to keep, and the law allowed for preventing social conflicts.
Compared to the law of the Twelve Tables, Machiavelli attempted to achieve justice among rulers to eliminate national slavery in his country. The author admitted the unstable political situation in the country because of multiple international struggles on the land (Noble et al., 2014). Instead of focusing on interpersonal relationships and family traditions, Machiavelli wanted to show how Italy needed to remove all external forces that caused the suffering of native citizens. After being poorly understood and criticized in his city, Machiavelli created that work as a part of his redemption and the desire to return to his position as a wise political advisor.
The Historical Context and Gender Conceptions: Homer and Hildegard of Bingen
Although written in different epochs, the works by Homer and Hildegard of Bingen deserve attention and recognition as they perfectly fit the historical context, including the imposed social order, law, and gender conceptions. The Iliad and the Odyssey introduce the chaotic conditions under which Greece had to live for a long period and the desire to strive for peace and improvement (Noble et al., 2014). According to Homer (as cited in Noble et al., 2014), the world could not avoid competitions and tournaments because it was the only way to challenge the population and reveal the true sources of power. It was the warrior elite that made significant decisions for the country’s economic and cultural developments. Thus, masculinity was critical in Greece, and similar conceptions were transferred to other periods.
The work by Hildegard of Bingen consisted of certain medieval conceptions about gender and religious differences that affected social morals and human relationships. Her goal was to make a place for females in history and prove that women’s position could no longer be ignored in cosmology, medicine, and politics (Noble et al., 2014). Hildegard defined the church as a female with a crown on her head in her writing.
Although she found support from some male religious leaders, her fight for rights and gender freedoms was constant. For a long period, women were accepted as an inferior version of men who could not contribute significantly to social development except to give birth to new people. She addressed the basics of Christianity and reminded society that women and men followed the image of God in unequal ways. There was no particular reason to diminish one’s rights over others. Compared to Homer’s works, whose context was positively accepted by the public and underlined the current changes in history, Hildegard’s writing provoked debates at the beginning of the 11th century. Still, today, these documents become solid representatives of their eras and social morals.
The Impact of the Document: Plutarch’s Lives
After reading the excerpts from Plutarch’s Lives, it is possible to get a solid understanding of the chosen historical period and the principles according to which people lived. The example of Marcus Cato, the Elder, shows how diverse and unpredictable Roman leaders could be. Compared to other Roman soldiers and orators, Cato the Elder was not self-arrogant.
Plutarch (2020) described him as wise and prudent, always remembering and respecting his roots and the people around him. His temperate style of life (no expensive clothes or food) and the desire to work with his hands (cooperation with slaves) caused ambiguous opinions in society. Some people called his behavior “stinginess,” while others admired his “correct and moderate” way (Plutarch, 2020, p. 176). That behavior and attitude helped to realize that the politics and society of ancient Rome contradicted Cato’s choices. Thus, it is better to understand the chosen period as contrary to Cato.
There were slaves in Ancient Rome, and the distinctions between rich and poor people provoked new conflicts and disagreements. Cato could entrust his secrets to his wife and support his children the best way he could. For example, Cato said, “The man who struck his wife or child, laid violent hands on the holiest of holy things” (as cited in Plutarch, 2020, p. 177). The life of this person served as a solid background for developing new family relationships where gender or age differences did not exist. At the same time, Cato was confident about his thoughts and actions; his military and philosophical experiences made him a good leader. All this information contributed to understanding ancient Roman qualities and life principles when no social or gender inequality emerged.
References
Noble, T. F. X., Strauss, B., Osheim, D. J, Neuschel, K. B., Accampo, E. A., Roberts, D. D., & Cohen, W. B. (2014). Western civilization: Beyond boundaries: Volume I: To 1715 (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Plutarch. (2020). Lives. In J. M. Brophy, J. Cole, J. Robertson, T. M. Safley, & C. Symes (Eds.), Perspectives from the past: Primary sources in western civilizations (vol. 1, 7th ed., pp. 174-179). W. W. Norton & Company.
The Twelve Tables. (2020). In J. M. Brophy, J. Cole, J. Robertson, T. M. Safley, & C. Symes (Eds.), Perspectives from the past: Primary sources in western civilizations (vol. 1, 7th ed., pp. 170-174). W. W. Norton & Company.