CHAPTER 7/8/10

Please note that these are my previous post that were posted it in the wrong blogger account.

COMMERCE AND CULTURE, 500-1500

Reading chapter seven provided me with many insights from on how commercial exchange and religion helped change human societies for the better or the worst. From across the inner and outer Eurasia to the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, the Sahara, and the Western Hemisphere the trade became the economic trade of the century. I almost felt I was there. 

I really enjoyed Strayer introduction to chapter seven when he elaborates how commercial exchange has changed over the years.  Even today as new technology is being developed so is our products and transportation mode. Although we know from previous chapter the trade industry may not have been so developed as it was during the third millennium BCE In the early centuries of the Common Era the silk industry was on the rise. While the landmass of Eurasian was becoming one of the greatest industry of trade silk was being exchange amongst the various continent across Eurasia.  Several routes were created so that silk would be transported to the various inner and out skirts of Eurasia, Mongol Empire, west of Persian, Indian, Africa, and beyond China.

To my surprise little did I knew where silk actually came from. It was interesting to learn that silk was actually extracted from mulberry trees where silk worms would fed and leave their cocoons  As Silk Road industry prospered there were many people from different cultural background who took advantage of this great trade industry.  

Most labor was done by women, which they were depended on in order to tax the peasant, and proper from their labor. Due to high demand silk textile was heavily depended on.  Through the chapter in certain parts of the Eurasian industry, Southeast Asia, Indian ocean, Eastern Africa, and the middle east women were use as slaves, but to my astonished I learn that very few women were considered powerful in certain parts of the region such as Angkor Wat were they served as gladiators, warriors, initiated divorce, able to own property with their spouse, and they were more concerned with commerce. Although today we see women rising in our century it was amazing to know that women were consider warrior in other parts of the world as they were consider in the Amazon.

 Religion was another role in the outlet of cultural. Buddhism while on the road became quite a preferred religion. While monks were on the road it brought new religion to the trans Eurasian, Central Asia took Buddhism as part of their religion. Muslim was another preferred religion across East Africa, India; Catholicism was not as preferred amongst these regions.

The Plague

Disease was a huge factor, which was caused by the trade industry. The plague such as smallpox, measles, bubonic plague caused many deaths.  Byzantium and the Mongols were affected the most which caused a high rise of death and weaken them from military reveries or revenues. It took many years before human became acclimated to such disease and be able to fight off what was once consider a deadly disease.  Now we have to worry about new one that keep arising in our century such as cancer, malaria, and HIV.

Sea Road

Just as the Silk Road industry prospered so did the sea road it too had the same effect of transporting good, with the only differences of high capacity due to the ships. The sea world provided a new technology by traveling to distance places across the Eastern Hemisphere.  Transportation was cheaper due to the bulk of products they were able to transport as compare to the Silk Road who were only able to transport smaller amount of good.  For instance the Indian Ocean represented the world’s largest trade stretching from China to the far east of Africa.  Even today our trade is highly dependent over the sea roads.  What took perhaps a week to travel by horse, donkey, and camels it now only took a few days to transport goods.  Let’s not forget the train industry, Airplanes; postal service has brought about a new ways of transportation within each region.

Well, this brings some of the interesting topic from chapter 7. I will be addressing chapter 8 and 10 soon. Have a great day!

 

CHAPTER 9/11/12

THE WORLD OF PASTORAL SOCIETIES AND WOMEN

            After reading religion for a while I finally found something interesting. The Pastoral Societies, which was very interesting to read regarding Pastoral Society and women.

I found it interesting that pastoral people were less productive and I could say a little layback. While other societies around them were more advance in living a luxury life; Pastoral people were in many way very different. They lived in huts rather than in villages, town, and cities such as the agrarian civilization. Pastoral economy was very poor and agricultural was less productive due to the dry weather.  Although pastoral people economy was poor they found other alternative and began to raise livestock.  Livestock enabled the construction of pastoral society that helped them herd a better economy. Women mainly performed most of the work. Who had to do all the labor?  The women of course; after reading more about pastoral women, not only were they responsible in the productive labor of livestock, they were responsible in providing the nourishment by producing cheese, blood, wool, hides, and meat in order to provide to the growing population. Yes, men had their part too, but women had a huge responsibility.

 Although they had domestic responsibility for food and taking care of their children Pastoral women had higher status, and less restriction.  My kind of world!  Women also were able to own or control their livestock. Remarriage of widows carried no negative connotation as it did in China.  But get this! Mongol women frequently served as political advisers and served in the military.  Wow! You can either love this place for the freedom or hate it for the heat. Hmmm!  Freedom!

Although women were responsible in the domestic aspect they also made clothing, shoes, leggings by using animal skins. Pretty much everything was made of leather.  Women drove carts and repair them how bad can this be? Yeah! Women liberty! Where did it go? 

Then I read the story of “Khutulun, A Mongol Wrestler Princes” (pg. 530) Interesting! To learn how a royal princess named Khutulun who excelled in riding, archery, and wrestling and generally outperform her own brother. She sure earned her respect, but what gets more interesting to learn was that she was a very young women who joined her father on the battlefield and was awarded a medallion of office, which is normally reserved for men.  Right on!  As she became of age to marry, trouble began and she would not marry just any man. She would only marry someone who would defeat her in wrestling, does this not remind you of one of Walt Disney movie, and I believe it was called Mulan? The only differences in this movie the daughter take the place of the father as a warrior.  Although many suitors tried to defeat Khutulun, and all of them failed, eventually she marries her father’s follower. This was her decision, which demonstrates that women were free to make choices. 

            

Reading Analysis 1

                                          

Ways of the World: Brief Global History

Patricia Cartagena

History:  

Instructor: Patricia Andrews

May 18, 2014

            In reading the first two chapters of the book “Ways of the world,” I found it to be very interesting and educational. Although, reading history has not been one of my forte I find this book to be historical, biblical, and scientific. Some say our life on earth is like a journey. The journey begins from the day the earth is created from the day that we are born or created. Nevertheless, I find this a bit daunting and yet exciting to explore and learn history in such an exquisite way. Robert W. Strayer takes us from the day the earth is created to our present, and even perhaps toward our future.

As time slowly progress we soon emerge in the making of humankind. According to archeologist and anthropologists believed that, the lines of our ancestry or descent, which led to Homo sapiens and chimpanzees, evolved sometime around 5 or 6 million years ago in eastern and southern Africa. Even though many believe in the theory of evolution, some are skeptical to believe this theory. In my opinion, I am one who finds this a bit difficult to believe that humankind was created in the second largest continent known as Africa. Although there seems to be not enough evidences to show where we actually came from, I will take each page as a learning mechanism in order to understand our world history today. According to R.W. Strayer if we were to explore and share our world with others what better way to learn history by taking something in common like the “Russian nested dolls in which a series of carved figures fit inside one another.” “In much the same fashion, all historical accounts take place within some larger context, as stories within stories unfold.” (Pg. Iiv, second edition 2013)

In the first two chapter of the book he slowly unfolds each stage in which humankind existed by going through the three Cs of World History known as changes, comparison, and connection of each event.

During the evolution human began to go through constant changes as well as our planet. According to history, hominid family emerged in eastern and southern Africa, leading too perhaps twenty or thirty different species that had emerged. All of these species all share something in common they all walked on two legs known as the bipedalism. Overtime these species (humankind) began to change such as their  brain size increased, they begin to use tools, learn how to use fire, eventually these early hominid species died out, and only Homo sapiens survived. How fascinating is that we went from not being able to speak or write to eventually learning how to use a tool, use fire, eat meat and many other interesting factors. Initially humankind begins to migrate from Africa that took place in the Paleolithic era.

The Paleolithic Era where know as gatherers and hunters which account for over 90 percent of human time on earth. They slowly developed technology, and slowly carry out meaning through art, ritual, and perhaps even religion. The Paleolithic era was interesting to learn because it was era where men and women had equal equality. No one ruled, everyone worked together as a community. Although technology was simple at the time, it was enough for them to defend and protect their families. Art is still yet to be understood because art was either portable or stationary and according to archeologist, their paintings were limited to interpretation and understanding. Yet it is interesting to discover such eloquent and extraordinary description of who they were and most of their art took shape of “The Willendorf Venus,” which is known for the famous art of females of child bearing. As for their religion, it is not clear, but in the distant caves and far from their living space they may have created a ceremonial space. On the other hand, perhaps the sun may have been one of their greatest virtues as it has been over the course of history in many regions of the world. As the book begins to unfold, we begin to see how history starts to develop and how humankind begins to transform to a more domesticated era known as the Neolithic era. This era was known as the revolution of farming and herding. I was so disappointed because animal and plants become more domesticated and human were no longer gathering or hunting as they use too, and lost those useful skills. What was known as a surviving tool has now led human beings become more dependent in domesticating animals and plants. I can compare this in our world today because as time goes by so does the world of technology (computer era) for instance has become a reliable and dependent tool in our society today. In our society, we are starting to diminish the importance of writing in cursive, adding, counting, and keeping major and important events in our mind, that our world today has become so dependent on new technology. I am not against technology, but it is important to remember the various tools, which we learned throughout history. I feel that it is important for us to instil in our future generation these various tools because what would happen when we no longer have electricity, water, or any other surviving tools. Our future generation will be lost.

As we continue to unfold each of these other eras, we soon find ourselves migrating into the middle east, into Australia, the Americas, Pacific, and throughout many region of the world. Just as we rove so doe’s technology, religion, art, language, human behavior, and most important society, hierarchies, kinship begin to emerge in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Inequality gradually diminish, living condition became more elaborated, agriculture coincided with the various changes of the earth such as the end of the last Ice Age, global warming cycle, extinction of some large mammals, warmer weather allowed more wild plants to flourish and made life much easier. Homo sapiens, was now given the growing power over animals, plants, and to dominate others.

As we can see throughout our pass history, there are many similarities in which our world today is presently confronted with such as global warming, extinction of various creatures and water supply are just a few of the similarities that  I see and we are  experiencing. Although our world and technology continues to evolve, there are still many factors that must be considered in order for our species to survive in today world.

From 3500 to 586 a new civilizations began to emerge, and era well known for its history, art, language, science and religion. A historic fact, which I thought was fascinating to learned was that the first written peace treaty had occurred during this time. These were exciting times for mankind. Civilizations were developing and accomplishing extraordinary achievement. Some society as Mesopotamian, Egyptians, and Norte Chico civilization, Nubian kingdom of Ta-Seti, the independent Sumerian cities, old kingdom of Egypt, the era of China civilization, the Babylonia Empire, there was so many societies developing throughout the world during this period in history. Cities began to transform, kinship was at the height, and new civilization was beginning to emerge a topic, which will be discussed at a later time.

                       

R. W. Strayer (2013) Ways of the World, second edition, A Brief Global History with Sources

"yay - I'm done!"

Testing  I hope i did this right.

Chapter One

      It was interesting to see how Agriculture changed over the years. Agriculture has changed so much from the Neolithic age ane even over the years.   What I found so interesting to see is how domestication and taming had change humankind to the point that many domesticated animals and plants depended on them for survival and the Neolithic lost thier skills of hunting and gathering.

       What have we done?  Should it not been better that Neolithic kept thier old tradition of hunting and gathering.  Even today as we move into the world of computer we left so many old tradition behind and we now depend on many of our electronics, computers, IPhone, etc.