The Kingdom of Akkad in Contact with the World

Author(s):  
Piotr Michalowski

This chapter is dedicated to the external relationships of the Sargonic (Old Akkadian) polity, often described as the world’s first empire, and focuses primarily on military and diplomatic matters. The kings of this dynasty reigned over all of southern and northern Babylonia as well as patchworks of outposts, trade routes, and territory in neighboring Iran and Syria for approximately two and a half centuries, although their reach varied over time. The martial exploits of its rulers were remembered by later generations of Mesopotamian scribes and poets, who fictionalized them for their own purposes. This chapter eschews such information, focusing exclusively on the critical evaluation of contemporary sources. The Akkad polity was the first successful state of such a large size in Western Asia, with armies and organizational structures that were developed for maintaining strong, centralized control over its peripheries and the unruly central provinces, which were prone to revolt. Its armies were engaged in constant warfare, putting down native rebellions and venturing far and wide in search of booty and access to metals and stone, but often also engaged in defensive actions in Iran, contending with the expansive activities of the powerful state of Marhaši to the east.

2001 ◽  
pp. 13-17
Author(s):  
Serhii Viktorovych Svystunov

In the 21st century, the world became a sign of globalization: global conflicts, global disasters, global economy, global Internet, etc. The Polish researcher Casimir Zhigulsky defines globalization as a kind of process, that is, the target set of characteristic changes that develop over time and occur in the modern world. These changes in general are reduced to mutual rapprochement, reduction of distances, the rapid appearance of a large number of different connections, contacts, exchanges, and to increase the dependence of society in almost all spheres of his life from what is happening in other, often very remote regions of the world.


2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Ahmed Akgunduz

AbstractIslamic Law is one of the broadest and most comprehensive systems of legislation in the world. It was applied, through various schools of thought, from one end of the Muslim world to the other. It also had a great impact on other nations and cultures. We will focus in this article on values and norms in Islamic law. The value system of Islam is immutable and does not tolerate change over time for the simple fact that human nature does not change. The basic values and needs (which can be called maṣlaḥa) are classified hierarchically into three levels: (1) necessities (Ḍarūriyyāt), (2) convenience (Ḥājiyyāt), and (3) refinements (Kamāliyyāt=Taḥsīniyyāt). In Islamic legal theory (Uṣūl al‐fiqh) the general aim of legislation is to realize values through protecting and guaranteeing their necessities (al-Ḍarūriyyāt) as well as stressing their importance (al‐ Ḥājiyyāt) and their refinements (taḥsīniyyāt).In the second part of this article we will draw attention to Islamic norms. Islam has paid great attention to norms that protect basic values. We cannot explain all the Islamic norms that relate to basic values, but we will classify them categorically. We will focus on four kinds of norms: 1) norms (rules) concerned with belief (I’tiqādiyyāt), 2) norms (rules) concerned with law (ʿAmaliyyāt); 3) general legal norms (Qawā‘id al‐ Kulliyya al‐Fiqhiyya); 4) norms (rules) concerned with ethics (Wijdāniyyāt = Aḵlāqiyyāt = Ādāb = social and moral norms).


Author(s):  
Noor Mohammad Osmani ◽  
Tawfique Al-Mubarak

Samuel Huntington (1927-2008) claimed that there would be seven eight civilizations ruling over the world in the coming centuries, thus resulting a possible clash among them. The West faces the greatest challenge from the Islamic civilization, as he claimed. Beginning from the Cold-War, the Western civilization became dominant in reality over other cultures creating an invisible division between the West and the rest. The main purpose of this research is to examine the perceived clash between the Western and Islamic Civilization and the criteria that lead a civilization to precede others. The research would conduct a comprehensive review of available literatures from both Islamic and Western perspectives, analyze historical facts and data and provide a critical evaluation. This paper argues that there is no such a strong reason that should lead to any clash between the West and Islam; rather, there are many good reasons that may lead to a peaceful coexistence and cultural tolerance among civilizations


2017 ◽  
Vol 68 (7) ◽  
pp. 1438-1441 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sorin Berbece ◽  
Dan Iliescu ◽  
Valeriu Ardeleanu ◽  
Alexandru Nicolau ◽  
Radu Cristian Jecan

Obesity represents a global health problem. According to the latest studies released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), 1.7 billion currently in excess of normal weight individuals, of which approx. 75% are overweight (body mass index - BMI 25 to 30). The common form of excess adipose tissue manifestation in overweight individuals is localized fat deposits with high (abdominal) or low (buttocks and thighs) disposition. Although the overweight can be corrected relatively easy by changing behavioral habits or food, a constant physical exercises program or following a diet food are not accessible to all through the efforts of will, financial and time involved. Several methods have been studied and tested over time to eliminate more or less invasive fat deposits with varying efficacy and adverse effects. Chemical lipolysis using phosphatidylcholine as the basic substance was initially used in hypercholesterolemia and its complications and was rapidly adopted in mesotherapy techniques for the treatment of fat deposits. This study reveals the results obtained using Dermastabilon on a sample of 16 patients, the time allocated to treatment and discomfort being minimal, and rapid and notable results. There were no side effects.


1992 ◽  
Vol 25 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 67-73
Author(s):  
H. Fleckseder ◽  
L. Prendl ◽  
H. Meulenbroek

The primary driving force for re-investments in wastewater treatment plants in Austria - and also other countries in Central Europe - is at present not an increase in load to treatment but a marked increase in effluent requirements to be fulfilled. (The re-investments necessary for sludge handling and treatment remain outside this paper.) Within a period of 20 years, the load specific requirements on aeration tank volume rose five- to tenfold, when Lv = 2.0 kg BOD5/(m3d) was the starting value, and roughly doubled for final clarifiers. In addition, the importance of the application and expansion of primary sedimentation decreased as well. This development over time in Central European countries as well as the need to utilize previous investments as long as possible - 35 to 60 years for civil works are common as periods of depreciation - indicate that investments in new plant at any location in the world have to consider the possible whole life cycle of a plant and that plant hydraulics becomes the “key hook” for expandability.


Author(s):  
Lisa Herzog

The world of wage labour seems to have become a soulless machine, an engine of social and environmental destruction. Employees seem to be nothing but ‘cogs’ in this system—but is this true? Located at the intersection of political theory, moral philosophy, and business ethics, this book questions the picture of the world of work as a ‘system’. Hierarchical organizations, both in the public and in the private sphere, have specific features of their own. This does not mean, however, that they cannot leave room for moral responsibility, and maybe even human flourishing. Drawing on detailed empirical case studies, Lisa Herzog analyses the nature of organizations from a normative perspective: their rule-bound character, the ways in which they deal with divided knowledge, and organizational cultures and their relation to morality. She asks how individual agency and organizational structures would have to mesh to avoid common moral pitfalls. She develops the notion of ‘transformational agency’, which refers to a critical, creative way of engaging with one’s organizational role while remaining committed to basic moral norms. The last part zooms out to the political and institutional changes that would be required to re-embed organizations into a just society. Whether we submit to ‘the system’ or try to reclaim it, Herzog argues, is a question of eminent political importance in our globalized world.


Think ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (58) ◽  
pp. 23-38
Author(s):  
Emily Thomas

ABSTRACTWhat is time? Just like everything else in the world, our understanding of time has changed continually over time. This article tracks this question through the history of Western philosophy and looks at major answers from the likes of Aristotle, Kant, and McTaggart.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 467
Author(s):  
Ana Henriques Mota ◽  
Inês Prazeres ◽  
Henrique Mestre ◽  
Andreia Bento-Silva ◽  
Maria João Rodrigues ◽  
...  

Sambucus nigra L. (S. nigra) is a shrub widespread in Europe and western Asia, traditionally used in medicine, that has become popular in recent years as a potential source of a wide range of interesting bioactive compounds. The aim of the present work was to develop a topical S. nigra extract formulation based on ethosomes and thus to support its health claims with scientific evidence. S. nigra extract was prepared by an ultrasound-assisted method and then included in ethosomes. The ethosomes were analyzed in terms of their size, stability over time, morphology, entrapment capacity (EC), extract release profile, stability over time and several biological activities. The prepared ethosomes were indicated to be well defined, presenting sizes around 600 nm. The extract entrapment capacity in ethosomes was 73.9 ± 24.8%, with an interesting slow extract release profile over 24 h. The extract-loaded ethosomes presented collagenase inhibition activity and a very good skin compatibility after human application. This study demonstrates the potential use of S. nigra extract incorporated in ethosomes as a potential cosmeceutical ingredient and on further studies should be performed to better understand the impact of S. nigra compounds on skin care over the time.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo J. Sánchez ◽  
Daniel E. Perrotti ◽  
Alejandra Gomez Paz Fort

AbstractSince 2006, when the Emma Maersk broke into the world of shipping, the growth in containership size has remained a continuous trend.For the last 14 years, since 2006, the enlargement of fullcontainerships size has remained a continuous trend since Emma Maersk broke into the world of shipping. This process - that also affected north-south trades - has crucial implications in the shipping business, particularly in the planning of ports and its services and related activities. This paper analyses the global increase in vessel size and forecasts larger vessels’ arrival to South American coasts. The paper analyses evidence since 2006 to understand the factors behind the trend for bigger ships (fleets between 18,000 and 24,000 TEU) and introduce a validated methodology for the prediction of the size of container ships. Experts presented a consensus vision in which factors associated with infrastructure, economics, technology, and the environment play a crucial role in driving the trend. Next, the paper presents a methodology for forecasting the size of containerships and applies it to Latin America’s trade. The models include two alternative thresholds for the dependent variables (1310 ft LOA and 18,000 TEU of nominal capacity) that are controlled by cascading effect (i.e., the size gap between Latin America and the world’s main trade routes), and the economic activity at the destination countries (represented by port activity). Finally, the conclusions highlight the forecast’s call to take action on infrastructure planning and investments, analyzing issues such as “economies of scale,” concentration, or entry barriers. Overall, the paper warns about the importance of efficient medium-term planning in the port industry to maximize its economic impact.


PalZ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gideon T. Haug ◽  
Carolin Haug ◽  
Serita van der Wal ◽  
Patrick Müller ◽  
Joachim T. Haug

AbstractNymphidae, the group of split-footed lacewings, is a rather species-poor group. Split-footed lacewings nowadays are restricted to Australasia, while fossil forms are also known from other areas of the world, indicating that the group was more species-rich and therefore likely diverse in the past. Split-footed lacewings have rather distinct larvae, roughly resembling antlion larvae, but differing from the latter especially with regard to the mandibles. Antlion larvae usually have three prominent teeth on each mandible, while at least extant larvae of split-footed lacewings only have a single prominent tooth per mandible. Fossils interpreted as larvae of split-footed lacewings are well known from amber from Myanmar (ca. 100 myr; Burmese amber) and by a single specimen from Baltic amber (about 40 myr). We here report additional fossil specimens from Myanmar amber, expanding the known record of fossil forms from six depicted specimens to 15. For the extant fauna, we could compile 25 larvae. We compare the diversity of shape of extant and fossil larvae through time using an outline analysis (based on elliptic Fourier transformation) of the head. The results of this analysis indicate that the morphological diversity, or disparity, of split-footed lacewing larvae was higher in the past than it is today. With this type of analysis, we can show a loss of diversity over time, without the necessity to identify the fossil larvae down to a narrow taxonomical range. A similar pattern has already been recognised in silky lacewings, Psychopsidae. This might indicate a general loss of diversity of lacewing larvae.


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