Chapter 12 summary

In chapter 12, we learn about the worlds of the 15th and 16th centuries, which include the invasion and beginning of the Americas with Christopher Columbus. In other parts of the world, we have the founding of the Safavid Empire in Persia and the founding of The Mughal Empire in India, the spread of Islam in Southeast Asia, a Civil war among Japanese warlords, the Rise of  the Hindu state of Vijayanagara in southern India, the European renaissance, and flourishing African states of Ethiopia, Kongo, Benin, Zimbabwe. just before that, in the 13th century, the Aztec Empire in Mesoamerica, and the rise of the Ming dynasty in China. This is a period where humanity is still learning how to maintain a steady and long lasting civilization or empire.

chapter 10 summary

The beginning of the third wave civilizations had brought christianity to become widely present throughout the world. Asia and Africa experienced a change from Christianity to Islam with the increasingly powerful Arab Empire. Christianity, however, still remained present with a small band of followers. Syria and Persia had concentrated populations of Christians that accommodated policies that generally prevailed. Christians depended on the attitudes of local Muslim rulers. Churches were burned to the ground, villages plundered, fields burned and christians forced to wear distinctive clothing. Nestorian Christian communities of Syria, Iraq, and Persia, sometimes called the Church of the East, survived the assault of Islam, but they did so as shrinking communities of second-class subjects regulated minorities forbidden from propagating their message to Muslims. Christianity as a religion was jeopardized by different religions. Christianity eventually became most known through out Europe and America. A lot of the world at the time of the Byzantine empire was being conquered and divided; these conquering civilizations brought their religion with them. Religion was a way for people to be categorized and grew equality a part from neighboring civilizations. Religion helped established rules and regulations, which would make empires more stabilizing. At this time, there were other religions besides christianity or islam that people could turn to in hopes of bettering their lives. The tenth century was a time where The Holy Roman Empire had christianity or Catholicism and The Byzantine Empire brought Eastern Orthodox Christianity, while the Arab Empire had Islam. Despite their vast differences in culture and religion,this isn't to say that these empires didn't globalize, because they did. Each empire brought technological inventions that were used in other empires. Empires traded with each other goods and services.

chapter 9

The world we know today as the "middle-east" has a one group of people who believe in one religion, but view that one religion in two different ways. The people who who believe in Islam are called Muslim. People who are Muslim either are Shia or Sunni, their differences in Islam have grown further and further apart. The Sunni Muslims believe "the  caliphs were rightful political and military leaders, selected by the Islamic community." the Shia Muslims believe "leadership in the Islamic world should derive from the line of Ali and his son Husayn, blood relatives of Muhammad". It seems very childish for people to have different beliefs based on who should have power. Caliphs are the people who say things about the religion for people to believe in, they are monarchs in their empire. Today this religion turned out to be a huge mistake and its unfortunate that children of believers are born into the religion and it is practiced from such an early age that it becomes ingrained in them; when a person from the opposition of the religion speaks, it creates arguments and it has now led to many many wars.

#9

China may have experienced a period in time where it can be similar to a renaissance, however, it wasn't. China experienced a reform, and some good ideas and inventions came out of it. It is completely different than the renaissance Europe experienced and cannot be compared. In a system such as china, there were inventions born during their so called renaissance period and are great inventions that are still used even to this day. The Renaissance in Europe, for its time, extraordinarily exceeded expectations ranging from its philosophers and seminal thinkers, to its sculptors and artists. Europe has a lot to show for its work during its time. China had seminal thinkers, but didn't show anything outstanding besides a couple of its inventions. Since china never had a period of time considered today as a renaissance, then how could there even be a comparison?

Africa, the birth place of human kind, has had civilizations that have been neglected of being taught in the American education system that I have grown up in. It is now that I have been fortunate enough to learn about some of these civilizations. The hub of these civilizations were sustained by rivers which made trade a valuable revenue source as well as the sustainability that trees could provide. A city in Africa derived from a civilization called Nubia, was called Meroe. Meroe flourished between 300 B.C.E and 100 C.E. it was governed by a monarch, which consisted of prodominantly woman. The power given to woman during this time on earth makes this civilization very unique in terms of gender equality; however, it isn't unique in the fact that there is inequality through a hierarchy system of government. Meroe was located along the Nile River, and used Egypt as a trading partner, but they fought on numerous occasions and at one point, well for nearly a century, Meroe,the Nubian based civilization over threw  Egypt. Meroe was a city where people practiced economic specialties; "producing merchants, weavers, potters, and masons, as well as servants, laborers, and slaves"; while the surrounding "rural areas were populated by peoples who practiced some combination of herding and farming and paid tribute to the ruler". Meroe even though was strong and successful, had declined due to the lack of one very incumbent resource, trees; the trees were used for "wood to make charcoal for smelting iron".while this City was declining, another one was merging not so for away from each other, called Axum. Axum had very similar cultural traditions and it seems to have been differentiated from Meroe by its improvement of agricultural farming system. Axum was the civilization that taxed the people it traded with, allowing for additional wealth which would then benefit the civilization as a whole; this helped it become very successful in that area of reason. The Axum people had large monumental buildings and a huge cemetary for cherishing its people who have passed away. They adopted christianity as their religion, which later deteriorated due to the teachings of islam and there, islam became its new religion. This civilization is a well established one, leaving a mark as one that is going to be remember by people of the Ethiopia for a long time. There were many other civilizations in Africa, some that were small and not ruled by a centralized hierarchical system of government, similar to the indus valley civilization, which doesn't show any remnants of that in their society. These African civilizations weren't too different from others, at the same period of time, around the world. However there was a mass influx of differentials of different societies at the time, located around eurasia, due to the massive population which it housed, but in terms of areas with a similar population size as Africa, they were similar.

Blog #5

In the Intro of part II in the WW text, we see what has changed from the human races first and second waves of civilizations to its third. The answer is, not much, but at least it has changed in a progressive way. We can see how rise and fall of empires have influenced the population rate and how the overall population has managed to increase from the end of the ancient era and beginning of classical era. Chapter 3 covers the many systems of government in ancient and classical eras that effected each civilization. We learn about the development of empires and those from different regions of the earth. The western and eastern civilization and or empires' relations to each other and how they grew distinctively different and similar was insightfully covered. Chapter 3 takes the way of each empire into detail regarding political, religious, economical, geographical, and social aspects that determined its faith.

document question blog post 4

What philosophy of life comes across in the Gilgamesh story?


The Gilgamesh story is one that exemplifies the uncertainty and characteristics that one might feel who is living in the time that it was first written. People who read the story connect with it because it displays a character who wants to live forever, but can't, so he tries to give justification to ultimately be strong and live a meaningful life. It also tells readers that there is something to live for and just like how Gilgamesh went on a journey to find the answers he was looking for, the reader needs to act like a Gilgamesh and find the answers that he or she is searching for. People are expected to face challenges, but you fight through the challenges in order to find what you are looking for; this is what Gilgamesh exemplifies. The story of Gilgamesh can tell people a lot about what to do with their life.