I found chapter one fascinating. At moments it was hard for me to wrap my head around the millions of years it has taken for civilization to evolve into the society we now live in. I especially liked the commentaries about the equality men and women had during the paleolithic times. It was interesting to read about societies who cared about all of their members and were able to support and feed one another. No one was left behind. It is interesting how the agricultural revolution began to isolate people into groups. However, it would be impossible for a group or tribe that was growing in number to function effectively if only a few were always hunting and gathering. I found myself feeling angry when I read what tourist did to Ishi's family. It reminded me of how angry I felt when I was in grade school, and the same atrocities were done to the American Indians. Chapter 2 clearly states how divided the people were in the new civilization compared to the Paleolithic era. I did not understand how the first civilizations functioned without having a state or people in charge of controlling the citizens of the village. It was fascinating reading on how the first civilization developed irrigation system, homes, trading without a government. I understand they had the men who were gifted with spirits, but they did not have the power or knowledge to run a village or city as large as the ones mentioned in chapter two. I was also fascinated be the emergence of many other civilization surfacing at the same time, without having any connection to one another. The disturbing facts about the growing populations and civilizations is that there is a common thread of people owning other people. I don’t remember reading ownership or slavery during the paleolithic era. It is inevitable how civilizations must grow and change will always have positives and negatives. I found myself wondering if we have learned from the past, or if we are continuing to do the same errors that previous civilizations made. They also caused detriment to the land and to themselves. We continue to do the same. There is so much in these 2 chapters, I am sure we can spend the rest of the semester trying to capture the intense depths of the amazing people who developed the towns, villages, civilization and who lived in them. I would love to visually see how their daily lives must have evolves. The chapters gave me inspiration in adding many places to see in my bucket list.
Chapter 3,4,5,6 Before reading this chapter, I thought of empires as a powerful government and did not realize that the empires were built up by so much brutality and force. The most interesting information was how the Greek civilization allowed the citizens to participate in making decisions of government matters. “it was the idea of “citizenship” of free people managing the affairs of state, of equality for all citizens before the law, that was so unique. A foreign king observed the operations of the public assembly in Athens, as amazed that male citizens as a whole voted on matters of policies: “I find it astonishing,” he noted, “that here wise men speak on public affairs, while fools decide them.” (Strayer page 112). The chapter goes further and explains who were allowed to vote and who were not. Women, slaves, and foreigners were not allowed to vote. It makes me sick to think that less than a hundred years ago we were doing the same; women, slaves and foreigners were not allowed to vote. The freedom Greece presented to their citizens was foreign to the other empires. The map on page 111, of classical Greece was interesting. It talked about how the greeks planted their influences on the coasts, but what jumped out at me was how they traveled by sea. I tried to imagine the port in Alexandria with 1200 ships and all of the diverse cultures living there. It must have been amazing. This reminded of the class lecture, how did the Paleolithic people travel? By sea around the edges of the land. “Plato declared that the area around Athens had become, “a mere relic of the original country….all the rich soil has melted away leaving a country of skin and bone.” (strayer 111) This reminded me of how we are also doing the same thing to our environment. It was interesting how the Romans also adopted, “the way of the ancestors,” giving citizens a voice. But it appears that everything changed once an emperor was appointed. He was the absolute rule. Religions and mysticism played a big part with some rulers. Some religions were then forgotten and then resurfaced. Daoism, Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism has lasted and spread to the ends of the earth, but each country used their religion according to what worked for their society and era. Slavery was disturbing to read, and I cannot believe that it was still being practiced 100 years ago. The women during the evolution of civilization have been the heroes as far as I am concerned. Women have had to fight for their rights then and they still do. One of the passages said that women were not to be seen. I cannot imagine living in a society where women were treated less than their animals. I would be screwed by this because I am a female, and I have six daughters.
It was interesting reading about the Olmec and the Maya civilizations, but how did they build their temples and learn mathematics and astronomy. It appears that all of the collapsed empires and civilizations have a common theme of overexpansion. However the Maya people survived. I don’t know how I am ever going to remember everything in these chapters…..so much information. But in the end, I don’t think we have changed much. We still have tyrants and slumlords, broken classes, broken government, and our environment is being ruined by current civilization too.
The Silk Road evoked a different meaning before I read chapter 7. I knew the silk road was used for trade, however the chapter on how the trades took place gave me a better understanding. It was interesting to learn that only small luxury valuables were being traded. Silk was the finest item produced by peasant yet purchased by only the elite. Fine china, spices, gold and fruits made their way through the ancient roads. Page 286 has a great snapshot of the regions as well as what they exchanged on the silk road. I thoroughly enjoyed the storytelling of how the production and secret of making silk reached other places. As the growth of trade evolved, by harnessing the strength of animals, the silk road introduced larger items into the trade industry for trade, it was no longer just luxury goods. New trade allowed for ordinary people to have a piece of something that was produced in a faraway place. Not only did people buy goods, they also started to buy a new concept of religion. The merchants that traveled also displayed their beliefs, or the beliefs of others, they also described the people of other lands. Buddhism was introduced, but no one was forced to adopt the new religion, it was a voluntary desire from anyone who wanted to convert. Other religions were introduced, and some were accepted, and others rejected, it appears that some were accepted because they did not have so much restrictions. The silk road connected people from different parts of the world and enriched everyone by culture, religion and trade. However, it also connected them in a negative way; unknown diseases. The Silk road was the gateway for terrible plagues and disease. “an early example involved the Greek city-state of Athens…the disease that had entered Greece via seaborne trade from Egypt, killing perhaps 25 percent of its army and permanently weakening the city-state” (Strayer page 290). “Constantinople, another disease was killing thousands of people per day, lasting during a 40-day period in 534c.e. “(Strayer page 290). I cannot imagine such devastation. There were also sea roads. The sea roads allowed for even larger commerce. The understanding of how the monsoons worked allowed for precision of ships to sail at the right time. A most interesting fact, “Seaborne trade via the Persian gulf between ancient Mesopotamia and the Indus valley civilization is reflected in archeological finds in both places, “(Strayer page 293). Its interesting to read how women’s roles are always fluctuating. The roles depend on the religion of the time and the beliefs men have over women. The influx is interesting to see, because I notice we go up and down and it is yet to stabilize.
I was at a loss when the debate about China and Europe was being discussed in class. I finally figured out most of the answers after reading chapter 9,11,12. Again, so much information. Chapter nine introduced Mohhamad and the powerful and beautiful messages he received from God. His childhood sounds sad. However, he grew up to be a man who was not only in tune with his spirituality but also in tune with the suffering of the poor and the social disconnect of people with power and money. It was interesting to read; how he was ostracised out of his hometown because of his beliefs and his attempts to make his message accepted by his own culture. But he continued to hear the word of Allah and thus began the widespread of Islam. The religion required, acceptance of Allah, daily prayers five times a day facing toward Mecca, charity, fasting during Ramadan, and a Pilgrimage to Mecca. It was interesting to know what the greater and lesser Jihads were, I had no idea what it meant, the greater is the struggle within oneself, combating greed and sinful desires, and the lesser one is the sword- to protect the community. The passage, “As, “the Messenger of God,” Muhammad presented himself in the line of earlier prophets-Abrahan, Moses, Jesus, and many others. He was the last, “the seal of the prophets,” bearing Gods final revelation to humankind. It was not so much a call to a new faith as an invitation to return to the old and pure religion of Abraham from which Jews, Christians, and Arabs alike had deviated. Jews had wrongly conceived themselves as a uniquely “chosen people”, Christians had made their prophet into a god: and Arabs had become wildly polytheistic. To all of this, the message of the Quran was a corrective.” (Strayer page 367-368) I found this profound.
I find it impossible remembering so much information. But what I do remember is the constant thread of people concurring others and making the weak become servants and slaves. Europe's expansion into the Americas and the treatmentsof the people is just as bad as the Mongols. They killed for land and gold and had no mercy. The dark-skinned people were treated like animals as if they had no right to live. I found Dona Maria intriguing. It was heartbreaking to read that she was sold into slavery, just like many millions of others. However, it was interesting how her life played such a key role in Cortes conquering many other people. Her story is exactly like josephs in the bible. it was horrifying to read how after all of her submission and service to Cortes, he then turns and gives her away as if she were a piece of garbage. This made me so angry, just like so many other parts of this book. I appreciate all the new material but it is sad to read how so many people and civilizations were completely razored to the ground because someone else wanted to control and seize for profit. As Maclovia mentioned in her post, reading the material in the book is heartbreaking and it does make you cry. Yet, history keeps repeating itself. The castration of the boys and men makes me want to cry too, yet the ones who did this felt they had rights over the young men and that it was for the best interest of their empire. this is so disturbing.
Chapter 16,17,18 was filled with information on how the revolutions made dramatic impacts around the world. The revolutions included social, political and cultural changes. The pieces that were interesting and appalling to read were, again the common thread of concurring the poor, abusing the minorities and the people of color. One of the passages said that some of the Europeans were welcomed and allowed to do whatever they wanted because the simple virtue of their light skin color (cant find page, but it hit a cord in my spine) the reason this bothered me so much is because I still see this. I hate to admit it, but my grandmother was fair, and she always made nasty comments about anyone who had dark skin color. The passages of the abuses done to the people of the congo were also disturbing. Slavery was the core of economic exploitation by the influential people. However, some of the people exploiting were also of color. It took a long time for the abolition of slavery and of the horrible abuses that took place. The interesting fact that I was not aware of is how the united states had to have a civil war to end slavery. Brittain stopped slavery in 1807, russia in 1861, but the southern states of the united states were the only nations that resisted, what a shame.
done whewww
ReplyDeleteChapter 1,2
ReplyDeleteI found chapter one fascinating. At moments it was hard for me to wrap my head around the millions of years it has taken for civilization to evolve into the society we now live in. I especially liked the commentaries about the equality men and women had during the paleolithic times. It was interesting to read about societies who cared about all of their members and were able to support and feed one another. No one was left behind. It is interesting how the agricultural revolution began to isolate people into groups. However, it would be impossible for a group or tribe that was growing in number to function effectively if only a few were always hunting and gathering. I found myself feeling angry when I read what tourist did to Ishi's family. It reminded me of how angry I felt when I was in grade school, and the same atrocities were done to the American Indians. Chapter 2 clearly states how divided the people were in the new civilization compared to the Paleolithic era. I did not understand how the first civilizations functioned without having a state or people in charge of controlling the citizens of the village. It was fascinating reading on how the first civilization developed irrigation system, homes, trading without a government. I understand they had the men who were gifted with spirits, but they did not have the power or knowledge to run a village or city as large as the ones mentioned in chapter two. I was also fascinated be the emergence of many other civilization surfacing at the same time, without having any connection to one another. The disturbing facts about the growing populations and civilizations is that there is a common thread of people owning other people. I don’t remember reading ownership or slavery during the paleolithic era. It is inevitable how civilizations must grow and change will always have positives and negatives. I found myself wondering if we have learned from the past, or if we are continuing to do the same errors that previous civilizations made. They also caused detriment to the land and to themselves. We continue to do the same. There is so much in these 2 chapters, I am sure we can spend the rest of the semester trying to capture the intense depths of the amazing people who developed the towns, villages, civilization and who lived in them. I would love to visually see how their daily lives must have evolves. The chapters gave me inspiration in adding many places to see in my bucket list.
5/21/18
ReplyDeleteChapter 3,4,5,6
Before reading this chapter, I thought of empires as a powerful government and did not realize that the empires were built up by so much brutality and force. The most interesting information was how the Greek civilization allowed the citizens to participate in making decisions of government matters. “it was the idea of “citizenship” of free people managing the affairs of state, of equality for all citizens before the law, that was so unique. A foreign king observed the operations of the public assembly in Athens, as amazed that male citizens as a whole voted on matters of policies: “I find it astonishing,” he noted, “that here wise men speak on public affairs, while fools decide them.” (Strayer page 112). The chapter goes further and explains who were allowed to vote and who were not. Women, slaves, and foreigners were not allowed to vote. It makes me sick to think that less than a hundred years ago we were doing the same; women, slaves and foreigners were not allowed to vote. The freedom Greece presented to their citizens was foreign to the other empires. The map on page 111, of classical Greece was interesting. It talked about how the greeks planted their influences on the coasts, but what jumped out at me was how they traveled by sea. I tried to imagine the port in Alexandria with 1200 ships and all of the diverse cultures living there. It must have been amazing. This reminded of the class lecture, how did the Paleolithic people travel? By sea around the edges of the land.
“Plato declared that the area around Athens had become, “a mere relic of the original country….all the rich soil has melted away leaving a country of skin and bone.” (strayer 111) This reminded me of how we are also doing the same thing to our environment.
It was interesting how the Romans also adopted, “the way of the ancestors,” giving citizens a voice. But it appears that everything changed once an emperor was appointed. He was the absolute rule.
Religions and mysticism played a big part with some rulers. Some religions were then forgotten and then resurfaced. Daoism, Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism has lasted and spread to the ends of the earth, but each country used their religion according to what worked for their society and era.
Slavery was disturbing to read, and I cannot believe that it was still being practiced 100 years ago. The women during the evolution of civilization have been the heroes as far as I am concerned. Women have had to fight for their rights then and they still do. One of the passages said that women were not to be seen. I cannot imagine living in a society where women were treated less than their animals. I would be screwed by this because I am a female, and I have six daughters.
It was interesting reading about the Olmec and the Maya civilizations, but how did they build their temples and learn mathematics and astronomy. It appears that all of the collapsed empires and civilizations have a common theme of overexpansion. However the Maya people survived.
I don’t know how I am ever going to remember everything in these chapters…..so much information. But in the end, I don’t think we have changed much. We still have tyrants and slumlords, broken classes, broken government, and our environment is being ruined by current civilization too.
The Silk Road evoked a different meaning before I read chapter 7. I knew the silk road was used for trade, however the chapter on how the trades took place gave me a better understanding. It was interesting to learn that only small luxury valuables were being traded. Silk was the finest item produced by peasant yet purchased by only the elite. Fine china, spices, gold and fruits made their way through the ancient roads. Page 286 has a great snapshot of the regions as well as what they exchanged on the silk road. I thoroughly enjoyed the storytelling of how the production and secret of making silk reached other places. As the growth of trade evolved, by harnessing the strength of animals, the silk road introduced larger items into the trade industry for trade, it was no longer just luxury goods. New trade allowed for ordinary people to have a piece of something that was produced in a faraway place. Not only did people buy goods, they also started to buy a new concept of religion. The merchants that traveled also displayed their beliefs, or the beliefs of others, they also described the people of other lands. Buddhism was introduced, but no one was forced to adopt the new religion, it was a voluntary desire from anyone who wanted to convert. Other religions were introduced, and some were accepted, and others rejected, it appears that some were accepted because they did not have so much restrictions. The silk road connected people from different parts of the world and enriched everyone by culture, religion and trade. However, it also connected them in a negative way; unknown diseases. The Silk road was the gateway for terrible plagues and disease. “an early example involved the Greek city-state of Athens…the disease that had entered Greece via seaborne trade from Egypt, killing perhaps 25 percent of its army and permanently weakening the city-state” (Strayer page 290). “Constantinople, another disease was killing thousands of people per day, lasting during a 40-day period in 534c.e. “(Strayer page 290). I cannot imagine such devastation. There were also sea roads. The sea roads allowed for even larger commerce. The understanding of how the monsoons worked allowed for precision of ships to sail at the right time. A most interesting fact, “Seaborne trade via the Persian gulf between ancient Mesopotamia and the Indus valley civilization is reflected in archeological finds in both places, “(Strayer page 293). Its interesting to read how women’s roles are always fluctuating. The roles depend on the religion of the time and the beliefs men have over women. The influx is interesting to see, because I notice we go up and down and it is yet to stabilize.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI was at a loss when the debate about China and Europe was being discussed in class. I finally figured out most of the answers after reading chapter 9,11,12. Again, so much information. Chapter nine introduced Mohhamad and the powerful and beautiful messages he received from God. His childhood sounds sad. However, he grew up to be a man who was not only in tune with his spirituality but also in tune with the suffering of the poor and the social disconnect of people with power and money. It was interesting to read; how he was ostracised out of his hometown because of his beliefs and his attempts to make his message accepted by his own culture. But he continued to hear the word of Allah and thus began the widespread of Islam. The religion required, acceptance of Allah, daily prayers five times a day facing toward Mecca, charity, fasting during Ramadan, and a Pilgrimage to Mecca. It was interesting to know what the greater and lesser Jihads were, I had no idea what it meant, the greater is the struggle within oneself, combating greed and sinful desires, and the lesser one is the sword- to protect the community. The passage, “As, “the Messenger of God,” Muhammad presented himself in the line of earlier prophets-Abrahan, Moses, Jesus, and many others. He was the last, “the seal of the prophets,” bearing Gods final revelation to humankind. It was not so much a call to a new faith as an invitation to return to the old and pure religion of Abraham from which Jews, Christians, and Arabs alike had deviated. Jews had wrongly conceived themselves as a uniquely “chosen people”, Christians had made their prophet into a god: and Arabs had become wildly polytheistic. To all of this, the message of the Quran was a corrective.” (Strayer page 367-368) I found this profound.
ReplyDeleteI find it impossible remembering so much information. But what I do remember is the constant thread of people concurring others and making the weak become servants and slaves. Europe's expansion into the Americas and the treatmentsof the people is just as bad as the Mongols. They killed for land and gold and had no mercy. The dark-skinned people were treated like animals as if they had no right to live. I found Dona Maria intriguing. It was heartbreaking to read that she was sold into slavery, just like many millions of others. However, it was interesting how her life played such a key role in Cortes conquering many other people. Her story is exactly like josephs in the bible. it was horrifying to read how after all of her submission and service to Cortes, he then turns and gives her away as if she were a piece of garbage. This made me so angry, just like so many other parts of this book. I appreciate all the new material but it is sad to read how so many people and civilizations were completely razored to the ground because someone else wanted to control and seize for profit. As Maclovia mentioned in her post, reading the material in the book is heartbreaking and it does make you cry. Yet, history keeps repeating itself. The castration of the boys and men makes me want to cry too, yet the ones who did this felt they had rights over the young men and that it was for the best interest of their empire. this is so disturbing.
ReplyDeleteChapter 16,17,18 was filled with information on how the revolutions made dramatic impacts around the world. The revolutions included social, political and cultural changes. The pieces that were interesting and appalling to read were, again the common thread of concurring the poor, abusing the minorities and the people of color. One of the passages said that some of the Europeans were welcomed and allowed to do whatever they wanted because the simple virtue of their light skin color (cant find page, but it hit a cord in my spine) the reason this bothered me so much is because I still see this. I hate to admit it, but my grandmother was fair, and she always made nasty comments about anyone who had dark skin color. The passages of the abuses done to the people of the congo were also disturbing. Slavery was the core of economic exploitation by the influential people. However, some of the people exploiting were also of color. It took a long time for the abolition of slavery and of the horrible abuses that took place. The interesting fact that I was not aware of is how the united states had to have a civil war to end slavery. Brittain stopped slavery in 1807, russia in 1861, but the southern states of the united states were the only nations that resisted, what a shame.
ReplyDelete