Government
3 Branches of Government in the Roman Republic
The Roman Republican form of government had three branches, the consul, the senate, and the assembly, and these three branches of Republican Rome meant that there were elements of monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy in the Roman Republican form of government.
Roman Republic
Here you'll read about the meaning of "republic," the event that triggered the creation of the republic, and what the Romans devised as the republican form of government.
Worst Roman Emperors
*All Roman emperors had faults that ancient historians and biographers criticized. Many emperors had unusual sexual appetites and more were guilty of murder, but somehow these five stand out as too bizarre or excessive.
Tyrant - What Was a Tyrant
A tyrant in ancient Greece meant something different from our modern concept of tyrant as a cruel and oppressive despot.
Review of Democracy and Knowledge by Josiah Ober
The 1st chapter explains that Athenian democracy was unlike modern democracy for one main reason: modern democracy "willfully ignores popular sources of useful knowledge."
Polity of the Athenians - Xenophon
Xenophon writes about the democracy of the Athenians, and the way the rich support public programs. Xenophon explains the problems with and objections to democracy.
Polity of the Lacedaemonians - Xenophon
Xenophon describes the reforms of Lycurgus and the government of the Lacedaemonians (Spartans).
Major Near and Middle Eastern Kings
While the Greeks favored their small, local governments, the Persians were empire builders, with autocratic monarchs in charge.
Introduction to Babylonia
Babylonians believed the king held power because of the gods; moreover, they thought their king was a god. To maximize his power and control, a bureaucracy and centralized government were established along with the inevitable adjuncts, taxation and involuntary military service.
King Ashoka's Edicts
Ven. S. Dhammika's English rendering of the edicts of the third king of Mauryan Dynasty, the Buddhist King Ashoka.