Chapter 13, The Worlds of the fifteenth Century

Major developments during the fifteenth century
- The Ming Dynasty in China (1368-1644)
- Timur's invasion of India(1398)
- Expansion of the Ottoman Empire
- European Renaissance
- Songhay Empire in West Africa

Paleolithic Persistence: Despite millennia of agricultural advance, substantial areas of the world still hosted gathering and hunting societies. Australia still practiced the gatherer hunter lifestyle and manipulated their area.

Agricultural differences: Far more numerous than hunter gatherers were those many people who, though fully agricultural, had avoided incorporation into larger empires or civilizations.

Civilizations of the fifteenth century( china and Europe)
China and Europe were far more densely populated , more powerful and innovative, and much more unequal in terms of class and gender.
Ming Dynasty- Reestablished the civil service examination system that had been neglected under Mongolian rule. Power was concentrated in the hands of the emperor himself.

European comparisons
Shared a similar process of demographic recovery, political consolidation, cultural flowering, and overseas expansion. Began to regrow the population after the plague.
Politically too, Europe joined china in continuing earlier patterns of state building.
Learned to tax their citizens more efficiently.
Launching outward bound maritime expeditions. (Christopher Columbus).

The differences between European and Chinese                                                                                                                                                               in terms of size China had far more shipps compared to the Europeans.

The most striking differences in these two cases lay in the sharp contrast between China's decisive ending of its voyages and the continuing, indeed escalating, European effort, which soon brought the worlds ocean's and growing numbers of the worlds people under its controls.
- China's voyages led nowhere.

SIlk, Sea, and Sand

Silk roads

- For 2,000 years, goods, ideas, tech, and diseases made their way across Eurasia on the several routes of the Silk Roads.
China- Silk, bamboo, mirrors, paper, ginger, etc.
India- Cotton, Herbal meds, precious stones, spices.
Mediterranean basin- artworks, gold coins glassware, grapevines, wool and linen textiles.
Middle east- dates, nuts, almonds, dried fruit, swords.

- Silk came to symbolize this Eurasian exchange system. China had a monopoly on the silk producing technologies. It was used as a source of currency and a means of accumulating wealth.

Silk was for members of the elite and not everyone could where silk.

As buddhism spread the silk roads from India to Central Asia, China, and beyond, it aslo changed. Buddhist monastaries in the rich towns of the silk roads found themselves very much involved in secular affairs.

Disease within Eurasia
Beyond goods and wealth came diseases that began to spread through Eurasia.
People of the culture would become immune to the diseaese but when foriegners came in the diseases would continually spread.
534- 750 C.E outbreaks of the bubonic plague spread through the coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea.

Sea Roads

- Exchange across the Indian Ocean.
Sea-based trade routes connected distant peoples all across the Eastern hemisphere.
The Indian Oceanafter 1500's was the largest sea based system of communication and exchange. Stretched from southern China to Eastern Africa. The trade was different from the sand and Silk roads because these resources could only be brought by boat.

Med. Basin- Ceramics, glassware, wine, gold, olive oil
East Africa- Ivroy, gold, iron goods, slaves, leopord skins.
Arabia- Frankincense, perfumes.
China- Silks, porcelain, tea

Sand Roads- Exchange across the Sahara

- Long distant trade had an impact, stimulating and enriching west African civilization.
- Gold, Salt, and slaves were being traded on the Sand Roads.
- Used camels and slaves to carry goods for trade across the desert land.
- Sahara became a major international trade route that fostered new relationships with distant people.

The Worlds Of Islam

The Homeland of Islam and the spread of its Empire

The central region of the Arabian Peninsula had long been inhabited by nomadic Arabs known as Bedouins.
Mecca was the site of the Kaaba and was the most prominent religious shrine in Arabia.
Allah- was the supreme god
Yahrven- Jewish higher god
The revelations that were recorded in the Quran became the sacred script of Islam.
The Muslims everywhere regard as the very words of God and the core faith.

Following the law of god: a set of five requirements known as the Pillars of Islam.
1.) Absolute monotheism and the final revelation.
2.) Prayer five times a day.
3.) Requiring believers to generously give their wealth to maintain the community and to help the needy.
4.) Month of fasting-no food, drink, or sexual activity.
5.) Pilgrimage to Mecca

622 Muhammad and his small band of followers emigrated to the more welcoming town of Yathrid, also known as Medina.
- Supertribe.
All authority, both political and religious, was concentrated in the hands of Muhammad.

There was only belief in one god known as Allah.
Sharia: A path to water which was the only source.

Creating an Empire:
The new Arab state became a huge empire and stretched from Spain to India, and penetrated both Europe and China.
Defeated China in 751 and found military expansion a route to wealth and power.
"God gave us the victory over them."

- The Quran viewed Women as inferior and subordinate.

Personal achievement
  
Al-Khwarazim- mathematician, spead use of Arabic numerals in Islamic world.
Al-Biruni- Mathematician, astronomer, cartographer
Al-Razi- Discovered sulfuric acid.Ibn Sina- prolific in fields of science
Omar Khayyam- Mathematician using geometry
Ibn Rushd- Translated and commented widely on Aristotle
Nasir al Din Tusi- Founder of Maragha observatory in Persia
Ibn Khaldun- greatest Arab historian

The Classical Era in World History

What exactly is an empire? Often used for more aggressive states, those that conquer, rule, and extract resources from other states and peoples.

Civilizations have flourished without a single all-encompassing state or empire.
Ex: Greece, Maya, Mesopotamia.

Some empires and civilizations have the tendency to collide. The distant civilizations did not directly encounter one another, as each established its own political system while organizing society.

Ex: The Persians and the Greeks shared opposite beliefs while organizing their societies.

Persians in 500 b.c.e were the largest, most impressive of the world’s empires. (Kingship). The Greeks had a different approach and were much smaller in size.

-          Rome had changed from a City-State to an Empire.

Roman aristocrats around 509 b.c.e threw off the monarchy and established a republic in which the wealthy class dominated. The values of the republic rule the laws of the citizens and were known as the way of the ancestors.

Between 264 and 146 b.c.e Romans extended their control over the western Mediterranean and made Rome a powerful nation. Rome also extended in southern and western Europe.

China was growing into an empire

Emerged in 2200 b.c.e under the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. The Chinese process of empire formation war far more compressed than the centuries-long Roman effort, but it was no less dependent on military force and no less brutal.

Once the Romans and Chinese were established the two huge imperial systems shared a number of common features. They defined themselves in universal terms and invested heavily in public works. This was happening to built a stronger military bases to strengthen themselves. Romans had stronf beliefs in gods while the Chinese were, “strong under heaven.”

Crashing

What goes up must come down.

 For China the Han dynasty came to to an end in 220 b.c.e whereas the Roman fell in 476 b.c.e. The growth of large landowning families with huge estates enabled them to avoid paying taxes, turned free peasants to impoverished tenant farmers, and diminished the authority.

Eurasian Empires

China = Buddism.

Collapsing of empires
What is an Empie?
Reserved for larger and more aggressive states.
- Conquering rule
- extract resources from other states and people.

Civilizations have flourished without a single all-encompassing state or empire.
Civilizations were expressed in elements of a common culture rather then a political system.

Collision of Empires and civilizations
Classical era = witnessed the flowering of second-wave civiliazations in the Mediterranean World,Middle East, India, and China.

- distant civilizations did not directly encounter one another ( each established its own political system, cultural values, and learned how to organize their own civilizations.

Persian Empire: most impressive world empire in 500 B.C.E. Based on Iranian plataeu.
- Constructed imperial system- such as Babylonial and Assyrian cultures.
- Elaborate cult of Kingship (worshipping).

Greeks: 750 B.C.E as the new civilization and flourished for 400 years until incorperated into a succession of foriegn empires.
- Divided by steep mountains and Valleys.
- Greeks were expansive people like the Persians, but expansion took the form of settlement in distant places instead of conquest and empire.
- The greeks believed in citizenship. In the beginning only the wealthy and healthy had the right to full citizenship.

Greco-Persian Wars: The worlds largest empire grew out of their respective patterns of expantion.
Persians began to spread west as they began to class with Greek cities.
This resulted in the defeat of Persians from both land and sea.
- This was an enormous sence of pride for the Greeks.

Rome and how do Empires arise?

In rome, their empire took shape on the margins of the civilized world and began to become an enormous imperial state that encompassed the Med. Basin.
It also included parts of continental Europe, Britain, North Africa, and the middle east.

Values of republic, rule of law, rights, moral behavior were the ways of the ancestors.

China warring states to empire:

- Emerged as early as 2000 B.C.E.
Legalism- advocated clear rules and harsh punishments as a means of enforcing the authority of the state.
With this source, China had then launched a military campain to reunify themselves and create an eternal empire.
China and Rome shared a lot of common features and were defined as universal terms.
Both invested heavily on roads, aqueducts, canals, and protective walls ( this would stregthen their military).
Rome = Christianity

Collapse of Empires
- Empires may rise at certain points, but also have the tendency of falling.
China- the Hans dynasty came to an end in 220 C.E
Rome- 476 C.E

The states simply got to big, to overextended, and to expensive to be sustained by the available resources.
- People began to pay less taxes and diminish the authority of the central government.
- China had led to a major peseant revolt.
- Epidemic deseases began to spread killing many. Roman empire declined by 25 percent in the two     centuries following 250 C.E.

The first Civilizations

What does it mean to be civilized?


Historians commonly use the term, civilization represents a new and particular type of human society made possible by the immense productivity of the agricultural revolution.
Differences in economic function, skill, and wealth divide us in to different civilizations. Our actions and behavior within these separate cultures.
- 3500b.c-3000b.c = Cradle, middle Eastern civilization
- They gave rise to the early form of writing in the temples.

3000b.c a third civilization was being developed along the central coast of Peru.
- Norte Chico- archeologists have found monumental architecture in the form of eastern platform mounds.
- this was a huge part of urban life ( structure and stone buildings were constructed).
- There largest food source was in the water (fish).
- The Norte Chico were not as developed in subjects such as writing and the arts.

We may ask how did all this get started?

 Civilizations had their roots in the agricultural revolution. It was gradually an evolution process.
- Early water irrigations are discovered by archeologists which shows us their sense of survival.
- Not many opportunities for territorial expansion were already available.
- Relied on the natural suroundings as food was not man made.

The urban Lifestyle


First civilizations in the middle east built stepped pyramids for worship and keeping food.
-Teotihuacan culture housed nearly 200,000 people in the middle of the first millennium.
- They created broad avenues, dozens of temples, two huge pyramids, and much more.
- For a new visitor this would be seen as another highly developed world.

These cities were the center of productivity as culture such as art, architecture, literature, ritual, and ceremony took place. The people were always at work to keep creating more.

Social Role


Equality was a huge an played a huge role in the daily activities.

- Different hierarchies of class
- Many inequalities in wealth, class, status, and power took place.
  Upper class were able to dodge physical labor and were distinguished by the clothing they wore.
At the bottom of the social hierarchies were the slaves. (male and female).
- Women were involved with spinning, weaving, and making pots.
- Men were in charge of labor such as building and gathering food for the civilizations.
- As time went on, civilizations began to grow with their skills and knowledge.
- Writing became more efficient as language grew throughout the cultures.

The First Farmers

This  chapter is dealing with the Industrial Age.
-Becoming established within the agricultural revolutions and how this changed the future.

The industrial age was a dramatic decline in the number of people directly earning their livings as farmers.
Neolithic or agricultural era= cultivation of particular plants as well as herding animals.

• This provided the foundation for growing populations, settled villages, warfare, civilizations, writing and a bunch more.
• Farm lands now had boundaries, hillsides, irrigation ditches, and canals which would help control water sources. 
• Animals would be used as source of income- sheep wool, cow milk, chicken eggs, etc.
• These farmers became dependent on their farm land and animals for the future.

- Climate changes were playing a huge part in the agricultural revolution.

• Different crops were being grown due to different climates.

Fertile Crescent

• First people to experience a full agricultural revolution.
• Numerous amounts of plants and animal species gave them an advantage.
• This area in Egypt increased in settlement size and were using sun dried bricks, better tools, creating better homes, and proper burials. 
• They had to adapt to climate changes within the animals, homes, etc.

Globalizing agriculture

Diffusion: spread of agricultural techniques. 

                 Slow coloniazation or migration of agricultural people as growing populations and pressures       to expand had pushed outward.

The logic of farming was becoming global but at the same time it was hard to settle due to climate changes.

Cultural advantages were being learned by different group to grow farming skills.

This was also being used to rapidly increase human population. 

Negative side of farming

Although farming was benefiting these several cultures their was also negative outcomes.

- Life expectancy 

- New diseases

- Epidemics

- Drought

Living close to animals was a large reason for these diseases. 

Chiefdoms = Inheriting positions of power and privilege (kings) Seen in Tigris river called Mesopotamia. They were in charge of irrigation systems and nearby trade.

This chapter was interesting to learn and become familiar with ancient forms of agricultural. It helps us gain an understanding as to why we work the way we do today as technology improves over time. Certain cultures have an advantage due to technology, population, and climate changes.

First Farmers

The industrial age- A dramatic decline in the number of people directly earning their living as farmers.

Agricultural Revolution
- consisting of the growth of plants and breeding of animals.
- consciously directing the process of evolution.

Biological anthroplogy

• Hypothesis that the first homo sapiens were living in Africa over 2 million years ago.
• -evidence is found within research ancient fossils. (writing was not yet discovered). 

      First Stone tools

•   The Leakeys found Zinjanthropus in 1959 they found tools and fossils that was not a part of there creation.
• They believed that they tools were far to sophisticated for there kind.

      Physical features

• The different in looks between the Neandertals was not that extreme.
• Brow ridges were far more broad but much smaller then the h. erectus. 
• Indigenous people of Australia still carry features from past species.( Large brows and such).

Evolution Question: Did humans replace archaic populations in other areas or did we interbreed?

I seem to believe that we evolved through multiregional evolution. Existing populations of the h. genus exchanged genes throughout the world in different cultures. Genes flow as a result of migration. The three C's of history are connection, comparison, and change. These terms may not have been understood during that time period but the concept was happening. If a neandertal couldn't build a hunting tool correctly it would be a natural instinct to attempt to recreate it.