CH 6 COMMONALITIES AND VARIATIONS

CHAPTER 6: Commonalities and Variations: Africa, the Americas, and Pacific Oceania

Africa

• had no common cultural identity in the premodern era
• Meroe
• almost as old as the Egyptian civilization
• enormous
• most distinctive 
• pulled by monarch 
• sometimes a woman
• had craft specialization
• rural had herding and farming 
• long distance trade

Mesoamerica

• lack of interaction
• very diverse
• development without domesticated animals/ironworking
• Maya
• Present-day Guatemala and Yucatan
• cultural achievements 
• math system
• calendars
• writing system
• architecture
• Economy
• supported elite and artisan class
• politics
• city states 
• regional kingdoms
• densely populated urban /ceremonial centers
• frequent warfare 
• collapse
• Teotihuacan
• considered Americas greatest city
• much is unknown 
• gridlike pattern
• specialized artisans
• little evidence of rulers/traditions
• had deep influence to mesoamerica
• had diplomatic connections with other areas
• mysterious collapse 

Andes

• Chavin
• good location for trade
• did not become empire
• Moche
• agriculture based on complex irrigation system
• relied on fishing
• Wari and Tiwanaku
• centered on large urban capitals 
• Wars used traced agriculture and Tiw raised field systems

Bantu Africa

• most significant interaction: agricultural Bantu and gathering and hunting peoples
• creation of many distinct societies 
• less patriarchal 

North America

• pit houses and great houses
• est permanent villages 
• 2000BCE agricultural revolution
• not enough to be an agricultural society till later

(My thoughts...) What I enjoyed about this chapter is being able to see the similarities and differences of each place. Each place had different stages in development. For example, the agriculture movement in the Americas was much different than elsewhere because the Americas didn't have animals to domesticate and this affected their agricultural development. Same thing with how different places interacted. Other places were well versed in other parts of the world while others were not. For example, the Americas.

CH 5 SOCIETY AND INEQUALITY

CHAPTER 5: Society and Inequality in Eurasia/North America

China

• more shaped by star actions than other societies 
• Elite of Officials
• Had to take a series of exams to get you place in society
• if one failed to pass then they were shamed and brought on dishonor 
• favored wealthy 
• they were able to educate their sons
• this means their sons had a higher chance to pass the exam and become an Elite
• landlords
• prestige based on wealth and prestige of membership in bureaucracy 
• Peasants
• most of population
• rebellions
• Merchants
• disliked by elite
• able to purchase estates and educate sons
• worked with officials and landlords 

India

• Caste system
• only way to go up was to die and be reborn
• depends on karma
• made it easy for wealthy to exploit the poor

Roman Empire

• slavery=social death
• how one became a slave
• PoW
• Piracy
• trade
• natural reproduction
• abandoned/exposed children
• not associated with specific ethnic group
• did all sorts of work besides military 
• no legal rights

Patriarchies 

• gender systems change over time
• less restrictive in beginning but grew as time went on
• upperclass woman had greases restrictions 
• China
• elite was very patriarchal 
• got more rights after collapse of Han Dynasty by the Tang Dynasty 
• Empress Wu
• Daoism
• Athens & Sparta
• Athens
• women had a lot of limitations 
• restricted to home
• married old men 
• was ok with homosexuality 
• Sparta
• had a good amount of freedom
• not restricted to just homes but played a huge part in home life
• married men their age
• discouraged homosexuality 

Society still has many inequalities. Some of us fight for equality while other are stuck at this standstill. I would one day like to see a society with no inequalities but that is very unlikely in my lifetime. We as a society have made some progress but I feel like when we take a step in the right direction, we also take two steps back. People are afraid of change. Some people are afraid that if others have more rights, that means they have less. Society is fragile and can break at any moment. I just hope we keep moving forward and insight positive change.

CH 4 Culture & Religion

CH 4: Culture and Religion in
Eurasia/North Africa

China and the Search for Order

• EST 2000BCE-state building tradition
• Legalist Answer 
• Han Fei leasing Legalist philosopher 
• strict rules, that are clearly defined and heavily enforced are the answer to disorder
• Confucian Answer
• Confucius 
• moral example of superiors is answer to disorder
• improvement possible with education 
• history important
• nonreligious 
• Daoism Answer
• Laozi- author Daodejing (The Way and Its Power)
• dao: way of nature

Cultural Traditions of Classical India

• very spiritual 
• Hinduism
• developed with Indian civilization 
• social hierarchy
• caste system

Buddhist Challenge

• developed side by side with hinduism 
• life is suffering
• rebirth
• enlightenment 
• challenged caste system

Classical Greece

• intellectuals abandoned myth
• way of knowing
• changed way questions were asked
• Socrates---->Plato------>Aristotle 

Birth of Christianity with Comparison to Buddhism 

• Jesus' was jewish 
• single deity
• Jesus' teachings more social/political than buddhism 
• Jesus was only around for 3 years 
• jesus was executed while gautama died of old age
• started spreading with Paul

(My thoughts...) Culture and religion are very important aspects to society. They make and shape the world and it shapes us as people. Ancient cultures and religions still live on today and I just find that crazy. That we can be apart of something that our ancestors were apart of. I myself am not a religious person but I find religion to be a very interesting part of cultures and I respect others beliefs and how those beliefs tie into their own culture.