First Test: Reflections

INSTRUCTIONS: Write a blog post that reflects on our test, how you prepared, how you did, what you learned and what you will do different as we work our way through our next unit.

Well as far as first tests of the year go, I'd have to say I did relatively well. I received 6 points on the essay, which was more than i expected because of all the hype it earned before hand. The multiple choice, which i received a three on, is about where I assumed i had scored when I left class Friday, which is a well enough score for me :)
I prepared as in I studied whenever i really had a chance and i did end up making a set of flashcards to help with the topics that weren't ingrained as well as others. I also printed off every chapter's study guide and the Graphic organizers, filling each out. i also answered many of the margin review questions, stopping when i figured i probably could find better ways to study with the little time i had left.
For the next test I hope to spend more time studying and to prepare more as we go through this unit rather than needing to cover as much as i did for this previous test. As in, make a few flashcards as we go, take more time on the CCV's, and studying using the guides as we read each section.

Trade Routes- If I was a merchant...(Ch8)

Well I wouldn't want to be a merchant of the American Web because basically that didn't really seem like a suitable career, hehe. It was spotchy...it was definitely a more steady commerce system along trade on the Silk Road, Indian Ocean Basin Sea Routes, and the Sand Roads of Trans-Saharan Trade. Sea Routes would definitely be cool seeing as they were safest, could carry more goods, but being stuck at sea for so long and having to spend half your time on land away from home (seeing as you ride the monsoon winds- East in Summer and West in Winter), I'd rather be a merchant on a land Route. This leaves me one of two options: The Silk Roads or The Sand Roads. Both have their own appealing qualities, esp with some Mongol rulers offering to pay OVER the asking price of goods to merchants on the Silk Road, but seeing as I'd be a merchant on the move, I could get by with less money, so overall I think I'd choose to be a merchant on the Sand Roads because:

1.) It's most different from what I'm used to (but still within my comfort zone) 

2.) Semi-safe (compared with the Silk Roads)

3.) It is positively not to cold for my skinny body (blisteringly hot is more like it)

4.) AND the goods that I, as a merchant, would be carrying/trading/selling or whatnot, aren't too shabby themselves. 

• Gold
• Salt
• Slaves (not that this is one that I myself would trade, they are people after all!!)
• Horses
• Books (<3 gotta love reading)
• Cloth
• Weapons (*mischievous look*)
• Other Manufactured Goods (etc.)

5.) Crossing the Sahara Desert! okay so the way the Sand Roads work are pretty special in their own way, namely the fact that the average days spent crossing the Sahara was 70 days. Leading up to this 10 week journey is the process of fattening up the camels, and once in the desert these amazing animals need very little water to make it across (they can go ten days without water to sustain them!). The other bonus tied in with crossing the Sahara is the fact that most of the travel takes place at night...when there's a dark sky with hundreds of THOUSANDS of visible twinkling lights, known as stars to most, with millions more out of sight of the naked human eye. (Night travel...advantage to the merchants because the avoided the heat of day, but the view is way better at night, with the constellations accompanying the merchants and camels on their trek across the desert.)

Alright, the slave thing does show the downside to being a merchant on the Sand Road, seeing as slaves were one of the Big Three items traded (Gold and Salt being the other two), but I do believe I could make it as a very promising merchant, even without selling other humans like the properties that they are not. 

Overview, Final Post

What are the TEN MOST IMPORTANT FACTS we learned this semester?   

1.) Neolithic Revolution- The Neolithic Revolution, aka Agricultural Revolution, was the transition from the Paleolithic Age to a new world of societies, civilizations, and empires, which led to what we have today; Cities, States, Countries... During the Neolithic Revolution groups of people settled down and began growing their own crops, domesticating animals, and making homes and other buildings which were permanent rather than pick up/pack up/and move every few weeks or so. Peoples diets changed because now they always had easy access to food, the population expanded "more Food = more Babies", Social Classes began to form, Gender Roles were doled out, new Technologies were invented... It changed the course of human history. (see Neolithic Revolution Ch2 Post for more information.)


2.) Expanded Trade- From the start of all empires, there was trade. Some within the empire itself, some to nearby communities, whereas others had trade across the regions to empires all over the place. The biggest example of trade we learned of this year was the Silk Road (500-1500C.E) which was exchange all across Eurasia. The delivered luxury goods from China all the way to the Roman Empire, and everywhere in between. There were also Sea Routes of Exchange throughout the Indian Ocean. These trade routes not only spread goods across the region, but also religions, disease, and cultural influences. Trade was everywhere, drawing upon the resources that weren't within one civilizations reach, Egypt got goods from Mesopotamia, Sudan, the Middle East, Mediterranean, and Africa. (see Change and Continuity Essay, paragraph two for more examples.)

 3.) Spread/Beginning of Religion- Religion is obviously a very important aspect of all that we learned, of all history. It is the reason for many cultural languages, entertainment, art, government, architecture, etc. Religion spread through trade as well as distant settlement. Some of the most important of these are Judaism, which was the root for many following religions, Zoroastrianism which was the first monotheistic religion, and Greek Philosphy, because what different philosophers have come up with over history has carried on into the present. Religions are the base for many entire cultures, and many of the religions we learned about are still present today. (see Religious Beliefs Ch5 Post; Silk Road Ch8 Post, top.)

4.) Patriarchal Civilizations/Empires- Patriarchal Societies are societies where men are dominate over woman. Majority of civilizations are patriarchal; China, Rome, Greece, India, Mesopotamia, etc. In the Ancient and Classical World Patriarchy was more hardcore than it currently is. Patriarchy is still around, but woman have more rights in current communities than they did back then. Men basically owned woman, they got to control them and speak for them, woman didn't have the same citizenship rights as men, and in some societies mothers were even beneath their own son (three obediences, China). Men were also punished less severely for crimes they comitted. (see Patriarchal Societies Ch6 Post.)

5.) Writing- When writing came into play within societies that was obviously a big deal. Before written works, historians didn't have much that was left to learn about the people that lived there and how they lived. Writing began for many different reasons depending on the society. The world's first alphabet was by the Phoenicians. In China they had Pictographs put onto Oracle Bones in order to tell the future, where as in Maya and Egypt there were writings to celebrate the king/pharaohs great deeds. (see #5 Egypt Ch3 Post; #7 Classical Governments Ch4.)

6.) Technological Innovations- All the innovations that came to be were/are important to the course of human growth, in every way; agriculture, herding, travel/trade, education... In China, during the Qin Dynasty, a system of weights, measures, and currency was developed, the written form of Chinese came about. and a standard cart axle length. Plows, woven textiles, pots, metallurgy, looms, saddles and stirrups, triangular sails...all of these innovations led to something greater. (see Neolithic Revolution Ch2 Post; Silk Road Ch8 Post.) 

7.) Social Classes- Social Classes are everywhere, there is a hierarchy to every aspect of life, some are written out and in the form of laws that must be followed where as others are unspoken hierarchies that are expected to be followed without mention. Upper Class people were the ones with wealth, power, or land. They had the finest of everything, avoided physical labor in general, and they held the top positions in Politics/Military/Religious Leaders. Distinguishable by their clothing, housing, and manner of burial. In many empires, the more slaves you owned the more money you had, therefore putting you within the upper class. Free commoners, the majority of the population, were artisans, lower level officials, soldiers, police, servants, or farmers. Slaves were generally prisoners of war, criminals, or debtors. What laws and regulations applied to you generally depended on your Social Class. (see Patriarchal Society Ch6 Post.)

 

8.) Paleolithic Era- The Paleolithic Era was the beginning of time for humans. They lived before there was civilizations, writing, education, wars, etc. They lived within tribes that moved when the area they currently were residing had been picked clean and there was not much left to forage, when the animals had migrated or were dwindling, or even if they found the carcass of an animal that was too large to drag home. (see Summary of Paleolithic Societies Ch1 Post.)

 9.)  Art/Architecture- Art and Architecture often was drawn from the religions of the society, but also had influences from foreigners brought t them by trade or through other means of interaction. Greeks liked nudity, therefore much of their statues, which were created for the gods, were designed with the ideal "perfect body" in mind. Also in Greece they built huge temples for their gods, like the Parthenon for Athena with Greek columns along the temple. In Rome the big deal was arches and domes and columns. Pyramids were primarily built as temples or burial tombs for leaders of the Empire. (see Egypt Ch3 Post; Greek Theater Post; Mesoamerica and Eurasia Ch7 Post, 3rd Similarity.)

10.) Greek Theater- The start of theater was more important than it gets credit for, think about it; currently, one of the most prominent forms of entertainment is TV/Movies. Those only came about because theater was such a huge hit, and the Greeks invented theater itself, Greek culture is the root of many American distractions. Theater in Greece began as a way to show respect to their gods, to show wonderful feats that they accomplished, namely Dionysus. Dionysus, god of fertility and wine, was also the god that was most often celebrated in theater productions and had a festival held in his namesake. (see Greek Theater Post)

Sorry for the Highlighting, it won't let me remove it. 

Change and Continuity Essay

The civilizations from 3500 B.C.E to 500 C.E continued to have the same basic society rules but changed from having little/no trade amongst each other to having regional exchange and changed from there being no religious ways of thinking to having new and distinct religions.       

                Societies were organized with men being more important than woman, the elite classes being distinctly separate from those of lower class, and slaves being used as cheap labor. This didn’t change over time. In Athens woman meant nothing in the court, only being referred to by their relationship to some other man. Men were thought of so greatly in comparison to woman that it was thought a woman’s job was to birth sons and manage domestic affairs. As in Athens, woman of China stayed inside the home. They had ‘three obediences’ to follow, first to their father, secondly to their husband, and thirdly to their own son. Now days, a mother has authority over her son, but Ancient and Classical China believed a woman was to obey what her son told her to do. Elite classes were also a major part of society that didn’t change, luxury items still determined their position (for instance, the Olmec Civilization), more land meant you were richer (as in China), or as in India, whichever caste you were born into determined your status. The last main part of society that continued to stay the same was how slavery was prominent in most places such as Eurasia, Greece, Rome, and India. Even in China slaves played a minor role in the daily lives of the people. This is one of the most important continuities that can be found in history because it is still true; woman and men are becoming equals, but men still have the upper hand in many positions of power; “elite classes” are still separate from others, for they are seen with the more expensive items; and until the Civil Rights Movement in the recent past, slaves still were used as manual labor to save plantation owners, and other white men, money.

                A significant change that occurred between 3500 B.C.E and 500 C.E was the amount, and distance, of goods that were exchanged. Before 3500 B.C.E there was very little exchange, due to how hard it was to travel great distances, but over time exchange began to grow and expand. Before trade many civilizations couldn’t get necessary goods to fuel their society, resulting in famine and deforestation. Once travel began, caravans were a prime way of delivering goods and made commerce across Northern Eurasia easier. In Mesoamerica the trade grew into a sprawling network of trade. As trade began to grow, so did the forms of transportation used to deliver these goods from one place to another; the Indian Ocean Basin used seaborne routes and the Eastern Woodlands of North America used rivers to deliver necessary, and unnecessary, items from one place to another. Even in the Sahara trade began to pick up around 300 C.E. Trade is and was a vital part of history, it created a way for one society to get goods they didn’t have from other societies, Egypt got wheat and barley from Mesopotamia and gourds and watermelon from Sudan. Besides exchanging merchandise, trade routes also spread cultures, such as their religions, art, architectural techniques, and styles. For example Greek culture (art, religion, and philosophy) was influenced by Mesopotamia and Egypt. Besides cultures and products, unwanted spread also occurred, such as the spread of diseases. Intensified trade between these time periods brought even greater trade later on. Trade is so important to the growth and power of every empire and society since then, now days majority of products people in America buy have been processed, manufactured, and/or packaged elsewhere in the world.

                The other main change that happened in this time was the new religious traditions, which went from being mainly polytheistic to monotheistic, and the life style techniques. The first monotheistic religion that appeared was Zoroastrianism, around the 7^th century B.C.E, which sought to distinguish between good and evil, and like other religions to define the relationship between life and death. Zoroastrianism sprang up about when Judaism did, which also believed in one High God. Judaism set the path for many following religions, such as Christianity and Islam. Not only did religions begin, but different traditions started up (some due to religions), in China a new form of governing sprang up, Confucianism, which stated how important education is and that social harmony would come from moral examples from positions of authority. Other traditions that began in India were Hinduism and Buddhism, which started around the same time. The beliefs of Hinduism were to become involved in a social and political life where as Buddhism was to withdraw into nature. Both of these religions spread within the same state, yet the differences between them are great. The importance of religions in this time was it changed how rulers led their empires and how traditions began, even what goods were significant in the regions that had that religion. The change is still important today even because many of these religions were foundations for current popular beliefs, many of the religions that began between 3500 B.C.E and 500 C.E are even still practiced today.

Shamanism and Animism

Define shamanism and animism and give an example of where they are and why they continued.

Shamanism-

     Definition: The animistic religion (believing natural objects/phenomenon have souls) of Northern Asia, embracing a belief in powerful spirits that can be influenced only by shamans. 
Today it is practiced in parts of the world still, such as Japan where it is part of Shinto, the native religion. Shinto has merged with other religions though, not focusing mainly on shamanism alone anymore.
In Mongolia shamans work at businesses which provide services like healing, fortune telling, and solving problems for people, because it has become a persons living, it has survived into this age. 

Animism- 
    Definition: The belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls. Natural objects have souls that may exist apart from their material bodies.
Many beliefs of animism is that humans are equal to the other living beings of the world, not superior.
Some Hindu groups are animistic, its carried out to them because it was brought into the religion, as part of its important parts, therefore as Hinduism has survived, so has the animism within it. As with shamanism, it plays the same role in Shinto, Japan's traditional religion. 
   

Silk Road (Ch8)

How did the Silk Roads impact:

Religion (Buddhism and Christianity)- Buddhism spread mainly to the east but was blocked in the west due to Zoroastrianism. It spread slowly among pastoralists for it made founding monasteries hard and most nomads were illiterate so they couldn't read the written teachings. Merchants helped transmit Christian beliefs along the Silk Road, and in 638 the first Nestorian church was created in Changan. Evidence of Nestorian Christian writings can be found in previously mentioned cave temples at Dunhuang.



Trade (What products came from each location?)- Silk came from China and was popular all over, especially in Rome where the elite/rich wore it to show their social status. Camel caravans were the vehicles that often times carried the goods from one place to another. Grape and Olive products came from Rome. Caravans towards China carried gold (and other precious metals), ivory, valuable stones, and glass. In the opposite direction (westward) furs, ceramics, jade, bronze, lacquer, and iron were carried.
China- Silk, bamboo, mirrors,gunpowder, paper, rhubarb, ginger, lacquer-ware, chrysanthemums.
Siberia (forest lands) and Central Asia (grasslands)- Furs, walrus tusks, amber, livestock, horses, falcons, hides, copper vessels, tents, saddles, slaves.
India- Cotton textiles, herbal medicine, precious stones, spices.



Disease (What diseases and what was their impact?)-  Due to the travel, societies were exposed to unfamiliar diseases, such as the smallpox/measles in the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty. The Bubonic Plague from 534-750 C.E within Mediterranean.The Black Death, from China to Europe, this caused farmers to be able to demand high pay because their services were in such short supply. <--Grain prices also dropped.


Technology- Donkey Saddles, with stirrups. Domesticated pack animals, and the yoke which is the wood that hooks up oxen to something. Maritime technology, Lanteen Sails (triangular in shape rather than the squares that were used. These were invented because the physics of the wind became better understood).

Mesoamerica and Eurasia (Ch7)

List and explain in detail at least three similarities and three differences between Mesoamerica and Eurasia.

Similarities:
    1) Large Cities: Both Mesoamerica and Eurasia had societies with large populations and were over expansive areas of land. In Eurasia there was obviously the large Empires of Greece, Persia, Rome, and China, plus the settlement of India. In Mesoamerica there was the Olmec Empire, the Mayan, and the America's greatest city- Teotihuacan. The city itself was 8 square miles, but its whole empire reached over 10,000 square miles, taking over some of the most distant cities of Maya, such as Kaminalijuyu . 
    2) Agriculture: Both Mesoamerica and Eurasia had societies that settled down for agriculture. Without agriculture, these settlement would not exist for they would have stayed hunter gatherers. In Mesoamerica all the civilizations we study utilized the land to grow crops and they domesticated animals. The land in both regions was fertile and made this life easy. 
    3) Architecture: In both regions they had elaborate architecture and more similarly, both places had pyramids.  Teotihuacan in Mesoamerica had two pyramids within the city itself, serving as temples,  the Temple of the Feathered Serpent and the Pyramid of the Sun. Egypt, in Eurasia, is well known for its multiple pyramids, built for pharaohs as burial chambers. The Maya and Olmec (Mesoamerica) also built pyramids for sacrificial purposes, or just to honor their gods. In Eurasia the Chinese, often had burial mounds, which were used in the same way as pyramids, just not quite extensive. There were also the pyramids of Rome and Greece (even though there conditions didn't last as well as some other pyramids). Even though all of these places had pyramids, Egypt is still the most known society of pyramid builders due to how many there are and how well the conditions of many of them still are today. 

Differences:
    1) Trade: In Mesoamerica there was no trade, or at least very minimal amounts of it, they grew most of their own plants, killed their own animals, wove their own textiles, and created other tools and materials. Where as in Eurasia trade was a very big deal, the greatest example of which is the Silk Road, which was a network of trading routes that went from China to Rome, with stops everywhere in between. Camel Caravans carried the goods across the land. There was also seaborne trade and exchange across the desert, through woodlands and through mountains.  
    2) Metallurgy: Mesoamerica didn't have metallurgy, they worked with earth itself, where as Eurasia used metallurgy to utilize new technologies. Metallurgy worked gold, copper, bronze, and later iron, into jewelry, tools, and weapons.
    3) Big Animals: In Mesoamerica there were no large animals to domesticate and use for agriculture and travel, but in Eurasia there were horses, camels, oxen, and elephants which were indeed used for agriculture, travel, and trade.

Greek Theater

How did Greek religion impact theater, art, and architecture?


        Theater: The theatrical productions were based on stories of the gods, many of Dionysus who was the main god that started in the theater, the god of fertility and wine. in Athens there was the festival "Dionysia" which honored Dionysus. There are three dramatic genres- Tragedy, Comedy, and Satyr. 

        
       Art: The Greeks liked nudity, so many statues and paintings were of men and woman without clothing. The statues were designed to show the "Perfect" body. Art was created for the gods and much of it was of the gods themselves. 


        Architecture: In Greece many of their buildings had columns, arches, and domes. The Parthenon was a temple built for the Goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, just warfare, math, strength, strategy, the arts, and skill. 

                                      

Patriarchal Society (Ch6)

What examples of patriarchal society can be found in the classical world?        

             The patriarchy societies in the Classical World were, self explanatory, run by men, treating woman like dirt. Most places believed a woman's place was the home, where as a man's work was public. It was believed a woman was basically useless in many regards, and that she needed the protection and control of a man. If she even wanted to go to the market she had to have a male servant accompany her. In lower classes the woman actually had fewer restrictions than those of woman in higher classes. Upper class woman were limited to staying within the home and servant management where as those of lower class were more free to do outside work, but their lives were also more burdened. 
             In China when a baby girl is three days after birth she is placed below the bed to show how she is lowly and weak and to be humble before others, she is also given broken pottery to play with to show that her primary duty is to be industrious (there is then also an offering given to the ancestors to indicate that she will her responsibility for the continuation of worship in the home). The Two Notions of a woman was that "Men go out, and Woman stay in." and the "Three Obedience's" which is the subordination to firstly her father, secondly her husband, and lastly to her son. The only female emperor was Empress Wu, who many said that her actions were to the benefit of woman, she made it so that the mourning period of a mothers death was equal to that of a fathers and that their would be a Chinese character depicting a 'Human Being' which suggested the birth process. The Nomadic Influence loosened the grip on woman's restrictions a bit because that is how the Nomads lived, by the time of the Tang Dynasty woman were able to handle legal and business affairs all on their own. Occasionally they'd even be allowed to ride a horse, be bareheaded, or wear a mans clothing.
            GREECE: Some Greek thinkers compared woman with children and domesticated animals.  In Athens woman were not even referred by name in court, only as so-&-so's wife/daughter/mother. They were married off in their teen years to men that were ten to fifteen years older then them. Girls were limited to learning spinning and weaving and other household tasks where as boys learned writing and reading.

And…














How did the caste system form and how were people within its various castes treated? 

           The top four classes were the original classes, known as Varna. At the top was priests, known as Brahmins whom preformed rituals that ensured world function. Kshatriya were the warriors and rulers that governed society. Vaisya were the commoners who cultivated the land. those three classes were regarded as Pure Aryans "twice borns". At the bottom was the Sudra class, native people and servants. They were valued so little that if one was killed the punishment for the murderer was the same as if that person were a cat. 
           ^ The four Varna were formed from the god "Purusha"'s body, making it eternal and changeless. Brahmin Caste also had tribal medicine men/sorcerers within it. Kshatriya and Brahmins were often battling for the top position. The changes that were made to the System was that Vaisya came to include merchants and businessmen, Sudra included peasant farmers, and the new class of 'Untouchables' was added for those that did unclean work. 
          Jati's were the groups within a Varna based upon occupation. Marriage and meals permitted only within one's Jati. There were particular sets of rules/duties/obligations that they must follow, i.e. Brahmins could not eat meat at all, Kshatriya could and the Upper class woman covered their bodies where as people of the lower class did not.

Religious Beliefs (Ch5)

What are the core beliefs of:

Judaism- Founder: the Hebrew Prophets (Isaiah, Amos, Jeremiah. (Abe)). Transcendent high god. Covenant with chosen people. Social justice. Root of most religions. Torah was the book, the Old Testament.
                                                                                                                                                   
Zoroastrianism- Founder: Zoroaster. Single high god. Cosmic conflict of good and evil.

Hinduism- Founder: Anonymous writers of the Upanishads. After death will be reborn into a new life based on their karma. Caste system was important, it determined your position within the religion. Brahmins did the sacred rituals and sacrifices. Goal was to achieve moksha (ended the cycle of rebirth). Passionate devotion to some deity. Follow ones duties

Buddhism- Founder: Siddhartha Gautama. After death will be reborn depending on their karma. Hope to reach nirvana. Buddha is not a god in the Therevada form, but the Mahayana believe him to be. Siddhartha Gautama "Buddha". Overcome ego and end suffering.

Confucianism- Founder: Confucius. Social harmony through moral example. Secular outlook. Importance of education. (in China). Family as model of the state. (see China video from Chapter 4 post.)

Daoism- Founder: Laozi and Zhuangzi. (In China). Withdrawal from the world into contemplation of nature. Simple living. End of striving. Balance and Harmony. Uses poetry to teach.

Christianity- Founder: Jesus, "son of god". One god to follow. After death, a person goes to heaven or hell. St. Paul (saul)'s teachings. Sincerely repent sins. Constatine was an important man in regards to the spread. Follow ten commandments and the gospel. (it is Judaism, after Jesus came and added his teachings.)

Greek Philosophy (aka Greek Rationalism)- Founders: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Style of persistent questioning. Secular explanation of nature and human life. They thought in common; committed to rational and nonreligious explanation for everything in the world. Socrates was sentenced to death for "corrupting the minds of the youth". He refused to denounce his teachings. Emphasis on argument, logic, and relentless questioning. No god to follow.

Greek and Roman Polytheism- Polytheistic. Different God(dess) for every aspect.
 Zeus (Jupiter)- God of the sky. Supreme God.
Poseidon (Neptune)- God of the sea/horses/earthquakes.
Hades (Pluto)- God of the underworld. 
Artemis (Diana)- Goddess of the Hunt.
Ares (Mars)- God of war.
Hephaestus (Vulcan)- God of the forge. 
ETC 

 

Ancestor Veneration- (in China). Tend to the graves of ancestors. Talk to them, using respect. Provide offerings and sacrifices. Family is the most important thing, a family will only prosper if all the members work together. The leader is the head of the household (eldest male).

Classical Governments (Ch4)

Summarize the leadership and the fall of the following classical governments:
1. Persia
2. Qin and Han China
3. Maurrya and Gupta India
4. Greece
5. Hellenistic Empires
6. Roman Republic
7. Roman Empire


1.) The kings took great care to uphold religions in order to gain support, they easily adopted foreign customs in order to be well liked in that regard. The kings ruled while in favor of Ahura Mazda, their god. Satraps were governors, located in every province (23). Cyrus (a king) allowed Jews to return from Babylon and rebuild their temple of praise. Persia was also responsible for the construction of the "Royal Road', stretching 1700 miles. They fell due to Alexander the Great conquering them.

                                         Ahura Mazda of Persopolis

2.) Qin Shihuangdi was an Emperor of China, he ruled with legalism, brutal and harsh...he was mean. During his reign there developed the system of weights and measures/currency, the written form of Chinese, and a standard length of axles for carts. The Qin dynasty collapsed 206 B.C.E when Shihuangdi died, leaving a new emperor to take his place. Then came the Han Dynasty, switching from legalism to Confucianism.China had a problem of Nomads to the north, which they dealt with in several different ways... An emperors duty was to maintain the relationship between the heavens and the earth. Religion was Buddhism.

3.) Mauryans and Guptas both fell because weak kings could not protect them from invaders, these were short term empires in India, falling soon after they had grown to power. Neither empire completely ruled all of India, they never reached to the tip of the peninsula.

4.) Greece was filled with hundreds of city states each with 500 to 5,000 males, capitol was Athens which ran democratically. This Empire flourished for 400 years. Olympic games were held every 4 years here. They expanded by distant settlement rather than conquest.Traders searched iron, farmers searched for land.The idea of quality was unique here, a foreign king said "wise men speak on public affairs while fools decide them". This was the first place where the question of whether or not citizens should help govern. Early in Greek history the wealthy had rights to vote/fight/speak. Tyrants- strong benevolent rulers, <-- which emerged for a short time with the support of lower classes. Sparta had extreme forms of military discipline and many helots, which were infantrymen serving in city-state armies. Persia attacked. Peloponnesian War brought Athen's defeat, with Macedonia's eventual take over.


5.) Era- 323-30 B.C.E. This Era was Greece after it's collapse and Alexander the Great's mission.  He had defeated the Persian Empire and was anointed a Pharaoh and "King of Asia". After his death in 323 B.C.E the Empire divided into 3 parts. Alexandria had a harbor with 1,200 ships and a library with 700,000 books. Alexandria had an absence of independence that Athens and Sparta had. Macedonians and Greeks were elites and sought to be separate, in Egypt legal systems maintained separation. 

6.) The Roman Republic came to power when the Roman Kingdom was overthrown.  This new type of government involved elected representatives in the form of tribunes, senators, and consuls.  This republic was quite similar to America today.  This came to an end when Julius Caesar came and declared himself dictator for life.  While the senators stabbed him to death in the hopes to restore the republic, they failed and Rome would continue on for the next centuries with an all powerful emperor.

7.) The Roman Empire's religion was Christianity, which started with the poor and lower classes first, but in the 4th century the emperor himself became christian causing it to spread. Citizenship was granted for service to the Empire or to people who adopted the culture. By 212 C.E almost all free people were citizens, which meant they had the right to hold public office, wear a toga, and serve in military unites (legions).Many Romans sent their sons to Athens for a Greek education in the arts, literature, and philosophy. The Latin alphabet began here and gave rise to many other languages. Their collapse was partly due to their problem to the north, Germans. The Germans entered Rome in the 4th century as mercenaries within the army and as refugees fleeing the Huns. by 476 C.E they overthrew the Roman Emperor and they developed their own culture. After the collapse Rome was unsuccessful in recreating, from then on Europe civilization was without imperial states. 




Persia and Greece:

I also enjoy the video on China:

Alexander the Great of Macedonia:

Roman Empire:

Fall of Rome:

(I apologize for adding so many videos onto one blog post, I just find each video helpful. Plus Mr. Anderson, when I use these to study next year, it'll save me time having them all right here :))

Egypt (Ch3)

Egypt

1) River usage- Egyptians used the Nile River to keep their crops alive, relying on the annual flooding (or rebirth as they believed) of the river to maintain their agricultural lifestyle (irrigation). The river was also used for drinking (obviously), bathing, sailed down the river, and did the washing various objects (clothing, pots, pans, etc.)
                                                                   Egypt: Nile River

2) Government- Egypt was ruled by pharaohs, whom were believed to be gods in human form. Pharaohs had access to the afterlife and their bodies were buried in (or near) the pyramid built for him (or her in a few rare instances).


3) Interactions with Pastoralists- Egyptians traded with pastoralists and were invaded in 1650 B.C.E by the Hyksos.

 4) Architecture- Egyptians built pyramids to honor the ruling pharaoh, acting as a tomb. Once that pharaoh died he was buried within or near the pyramid, (which led to grave robbers raiding the tombs of the pharaohs for their riches).


5) Writing- Egypt used hieroglyphs, which were a series of signs to denote words or consonants.


6) Laws- (woman's aspect is under gender roles.) There were also laws on regulation of female sexuality.Woman-Submission to authority of men while giving paternalistic protection. 

 7) Religion- Their beliefs were polytheistic (aka they believed in many gods, i.e. Osiris the god of the dead) and in the afterlife, and also believing that if they were buried with their riches that they would carry them with them into the afterlife. (Only pharaohs or other high ranking officials could make the journey to the afterlife)


8) Trade- They drew upon wheat and barley from Mesopotamia; gourds, watermelon, domesticated donkeys and cattle from Sudan. Egypt also traded their resources within the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Africa. not only were goods traded, but so was cultural influences.


9) Literature- They wrote important stuff down in scrolls. Their writing was Hieroglyphs which were series of signs to denote words or consonants. 


10) Gender Roles- Woman had greater opportunities than other first civilizations. Legally, they were equal to men, they were able to own their own properties and slaves, they could administer and sell land, make their own wills, sign their own marriage contracts, and initiate divorces. Royal Woman could act as regents for their young sons, occasionally they had significant power, and rarrely but still happened, a woman could queen in her own right. The most famous queen was Hatshepsut, although sometimes her statues were as a man. Married woman were not veiled. Statues and paintings showed both genders as equals. Marriage was arranged by parents.


Because i chose to talk about Egypt, I decided to put a video about Mesopotamia up instead.

Never mind, there's an Egypt video, i'll toss it in anyways :)

                                         

The Neolithic Revolution (Ch2)

1    The Neolithic Revolution

         Diet- People that lived in Agricultural societies had easier access to food, they had food around them rather than having to go out hunting and gathering. the grew plants in abundance, enough that they stored some for winter. They kept animals with them rather than having to find and hunt them. food was around more so the people didn't spend as much time searching for food as they did harvesting/growing plants and taking care of their own personal animals.

         Population- The Agricultural (Neolithic) Revolution brought the population to a new time high because more food was being grown, therefore more babies were being born which expanded cities and had a repeat effect (more food = more babies).
        
         Specialization of Labor- Different people had different jobs, so they specialized in that certain work. Woman were the innovators of farming and men domesticated animals. Some specializations were metallurgy, farming, domesticating animals, 


         Social Classes- There were no kings or rulers so in many African societies people, through the lineage system (people traced their descent through either male or female line to some common ancestor), there was some framework so people could make/enforce rules and maintain order/settle disputes. Villages based on lineage brought social and economic inequalities. Lineages expanded numbers by war captives and migrants. In Chiefdoms one inherits power, but seldom used force to rule over their subjects. Rather they relied on gift  giving /generosity,, ritual status, and personal charisma, They collected tribute which was often redistributed  to others where the chief kept a prestigious and imposing lifestyle.Elite and commoner distinction took root.

         Technology- Metallurgy: working of gold, copper, then bronze, and later iron. This became jewelry/tools/weapons. Pots. Weaving textiles. Looms. New uses for animals besides their meat and hides. They learned to milk animals, harvest wool, and enrich soil with manure in agricultural parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Eastern Hemisphere there was horse/camel riding and hitching animals to plows/carts (in this area because this is where the large animals were found).

         Gender Roles- Men and Woman were equal during the hunting and gathering age, so for the most part that equality was carried over, but varied a little with what tasks were preformed, which is how the genders became unequal in later years. The work the men did was more laborious, working with the animals and herding, as well as farming. The woman did lighter work such as weaving.

         Living Conditions- Settled down and lived in communities. Large communities brought epidemics for the first time and living so near to animals brought diseases.Farming itself brought deterioration in their general health. Farming and herding deliberately altered the environment; removed natural ground cover, irrigation, & grazing.

         Animal Husbandry is the reliance on meat, milk, and blood of animals where farming was difficult or impossible. 

(4:03, important to the transition between paleolithic to neolithic. 8:30, important to relation to present)

And the one shown in Class...