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 7th 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.