Instructor: Doctor Thomson

Student: Mugeeth Mousawi

Date: Sunday, June 26, 2016
Assignment: M15 Portfolio Reflection
PortfolioReflection
Iamattractedtohistoryandtheancientworld;and,asahistorian,Iembracethe
recollectionofthepast.Thisistheonlywaytoappreciatelifeandwhollymove
forward.Inrecentdays,Ihavereflectedabouteducationandthecivilizationsofthepast.
Iseducationthebuildingblockstostructureacommunityandtohelpacommunity
thrive?Inregardstoinfluencesthatsocietiesadopt(goodorbad)fromcivilizationspre
existingtheirtime,educationisofficiallythedrivingforceofreformforongoingpost
generations.
GoingallthewaybacktotheStoneAge,onecaninferanindirectformof
education;intheory,Homosapienspavedawayforhumankind.Ashomosapiens
evolvedfromAfrica,theyadvancedbywayofsimplyeducatingoneanotherandbyword
ofmouth.Theirdifferentmechanismstoinnovateandadaptaremerelythetechnological
toolsthathavemetamorphosedintothetoolsweusetoday.Indeed,around5000B.C.
homosapiensbegantocreatehomesfromclayanduseddifferentmethodstosurvive,
suchasharpoons,pottery,fishinghooks,andwaystokeepfoodfromspoiling.A21st
Centurylifestylemightbetooluxurioustoentertainthethoughtofthepast;nonetheless,
historyshows,grossly,howdifferentthingsare.Buthistorybuildsthefutureina

paradoxicalway.BlairHodges,whoexaminestherhetoricaluseofhistory,states,
Wherewearetodayrestsonafoundationofthinkersandbuilderswhocamebefore.
AncientGreecehadmuchinfluenceoneducationtoday,notjusttheirown,butall
overtheworld.TheSpartanking,Agesilaus,said,Whatmattersineducationisthat
childrenmustlearntheskillstheywillusewhentheygrowup,andthissayingisstill
usedtodaybyeducationexperts.Ofcourseweallknowthebasicsoftheirinfluenceon
therestoftheworld,fromtheirinventionsofwaxtabletsandpapyrusrolls,onwhichto
writewiththeirreedpens,allthewaytotheirtunics,buttheyhadsomuchmore
influenceontheeducationoftherestoftheworld.Theirgreatestachievementandour
greatestbitofknowledgethatwecouldhavepossiblyattainedfromGreecewasduring
theHellenisticperiod;withoutthistimeera,wewouldnothavelearnedthearts,
literature,theater,architecture,music,mathematics,philosophy,andsciencetheseare
thefoundationtoeveryeducationalsystem,andtheGreeksweretheoneswhotaughtitto
thethenknownworld.Theirphilosophy(yes,aGreekwordmeaningtheloveof
wisdom)wasthattheywantedeveryonetohaveaneducationbecausetheythemselves,
thelearners,weretheoneswhostoodtogainfromeverythingthattheyweretaught.
MovingforwardinthetimelinemymindvisitsthePersianEmpireworld,
moderndayIran.AsIreflectInoticethatthereisquiteabitofconfusion;asIam
educatedinthiscollegecourse,Iamalsobeingbombardedbyinformationfromthe
media(anotherindirectformofeducationtobequestioned).Inancienthistorystudents
learnthattheJewsweresavedacoupleoftimesbytheIranians:Onceinthebookof

Estherandalsosomewherebetween559529B.C.duringthereignofkingCyrus.King
Cyruswascalled"CyrustheGreat"becausetheJewsreveredhimashesavedthemfrom
theircaptivityduringhisreignfromBabylon.Inthefirstyearofhisreign,kingCyrus
waspromptedbyGodtorebuildtheTempleinJerusalem.Duringthistimeera,theking
alsoallowedalltheJewsthatwishedtoreturntotheirhomelandtodoso;somethingthat
thekingsbeforehimdidnotdo.Thekingalsosentback,withtheJews,sacredvessels
thathadbeentakenfromthefirstTemplebytheircaptors,alongwithahandsomesumof
moneythatenabledthemtopurchasethesuppliesneededtorebuild.Butincontemporary
times,newsmediaoutletshaveportrayedthatthemoderndayIranianregimeisno
differentthantheNaziregime.WithsomeofthefactorsofPersia,Imentionedabove,in
History,thiscausedmetoreflectandsearchifIraniansareabletocoexistintodays
reality.MichaelPostmawhocoordinatesprogramsfortheyouthinpublicschoolsstates,
Apartfromthis,andperhapsmoreimportantly,historygivesusmeaning.Itallowsusto
thinkcriticallyaboutnarrativesthathavedevelopedovertimeand,indoingso,provides
uswithaformattodevelopthemeaningfulinterpretationsnecessarytoexaminethe
eventsthatshapemodernsociety.So,learningwhatIhaveaboutthepastbetweenthe
JewsandtheIranians,Idecidedtodelvedeepertoseeiftheyactuallycanlivepeaceably
togetherintoday'sdayandageand,asitturnsout,theydocoexistandalwayshave.
TherearealargenumberofJewishpeoplethathavearepresentativeallocatedtothem,as
wellasdisproportionalitytotheirnumber;wherethereislessthen20,000Jewslivingin
Iran,yetstillhavearepresentativebeyondtheusual.ThereisastandardrateforIranian
Muslimsforevery350,000Iranians,thereisarepresentativeallocatedtothemin

parliament.ThisissomethingIvalue,butthemediaseeminglymisrepresentedwhat
actuallyhappensinIrantoday.Hodge'sgoesontosay,Ourhistoriestellusmuchabout
whatwepresentlyvalue,asmuchastheytellusaboutwhatwasvaluedinthepast.We
willalwaysvaluethetruth,andeducationinhistorywillalwaysbuildabetterfutureof
understanding.
ThePersianEmpiredidagreatdealineducatingpeopleinalldifferentmanners;
notonlyweretheircaptivestrainedinPersianculturesandrituals,religion,customsand
ways,thePersiansalsotrainedpeopleintheartofwoodworking,brickmaking,and
stoneworking.ThePersiansevenhadthedifficulttaskoffindingawaytobringwater
thattheyhadfoundawayfromthepeople,tothepeople,andtheonlymeanstheyhadto
transferthewaterwasbyusingrocks,somehow.So,thePersiansbroughtinsomeoftheir
smartestpeopletotryandfigureawayoffixingtheseissues,whichtheydid."Qanats,"is
whattheycalledthem,andtheywereconsideredanancienttimespipingsystemor
undergroundcanals.Theynotonlytrainedtheircaptivesinthesearts,butpeoplefromall
overtheempireaswellthishelpedmaketheempiregreat.
Finally, education is knowledge, and Historical knowledge is no more and no
less than carefully and critically constructed collective memory, to quote William H.
McNeill. Wecanseethateducationtrulyisthedrivingforceinsociety,aswelearnfrom
ourancestorsandourpastsandwepassthatknowledgeontoourdescendantsasthey
learnabouttheirhistoryandapplyittotheireverydaylives.So,what can I, as a historian
of the ancient world, learn from the history of my ancient ancestors and incorporate that
to my own role to better society?