12/21 Update

At this point, finished all of chapter 18. Learned a lot more about Mongols and what they did. Also looking for a book to read for the project.

Genghis Khan Movie Reflection

Based on what I have seen in the biography, I believe that Genghis Khan was merely a leader trying to acheive his goals. The Mongols were the last of the nomadic people and were normally assimilated via clans. Because of this, I inferred that they most likely had little exposure to the norms of civilizations such as the Byzantine, which had a code of law. This meant that they did not know the significance of human life and what's considered "right" and "wrong". Some of the things Genghis Khan did was a little insane, like leaving his wife behind to get captured by the invaders (not sure what they're called exactly, but sounded like mercants). But overall, I believe that Genghis Khan was merely a leader trying to acheive his goals, and acted out of the norm because of a lack of law code and civilization.  

"Capitulary de Villis" Passage response (page 448)

On the basis of the "Capitulary de Villis," how would you characterize conditions of material life in the Carolingian countryside?

On the basis of the "Capitulary de Villis", it is evident that material life had favorable conditions. In the passage, it mentions how stewards had to provide the "greatest care" when preparing food for the lord, and with the "greatest cleanliness". Next, the steward even did math for the lord: "Each steward shall make an annual statement of all our income", which means the lords did not even have to count their profits - other people did it for them. Charlemagne goes on to list all the things they made an annual statement of...which was plentiful, indicated by the amount given in the passage. Lords also received "cushions, pillows, bed clothes, coverings for tables" which just shows how luxurious their lifestyle must have been back then. Finally, Charlemagne mentioned how lords get to keep a large portion of the food available. In conclusion, based on the passage, it can be concluded that material life was luxurious in the Carolingian countryside.    

My awesome maps of postclassical India and Western Europe

Deliverance from Error

In what ways are al-Ghazali's work like Plato's Allegory of the Cave, and where do they diverge?

Al-Ghazali's works are similar to Plato's since they both involve discovering the real reality. For example, Al-Ghazali mentioned "The thirst for grasping the real meaning of things was indeed my habit" to show his curiosity in the subject. Similarly, Plato was skeptical in everything as well. However, the two works differed in that Al-Ghazali's work involved religion, and Plato's did not. Al-Ghazali's work revolved around Islamic faith, since he believed that the truth would be uncovered after death. Whereas Plato did not mention of any religious deity or faith as a method to grasping reality.

Al-Ghazzali - On the Separation of Mathematics and Religion

1. What do the selections on mathematics and the scientific description of smallpox tell you about Islamic values?

The selection states that mathematics has no connection with religious science, and it does not prove nor disprove religion. In addition, the selection goes to illustrate the issues with mathematics. The first issue being that mathematics causes people to think that everything should be as clear or subtle as math, which causes them to incline toward philosophy as opposed to religion. Next, mathematics leads people astray from religion, and promotes skepticism in religious beliefs. Overall, the selections tell me that Al-Ghazzali is trying to say how mathematics and religion should be separated.

2. According to Al-Ghazzali, should mathematics and religion be separated? Why or why not?

According to Al-Ghazzali, mathematics should be separated. In the selections, he mentions the two problems associated with mathematics, both of them causing people to detach from religion. Al-Ghazzali mentions how "Whoever studies this science admires the subtlety and clearness of its proofs", then goes on to say how people who study mathematics incline toward philosophy, and believe that every department should be as precise as mathematics.

Page 358, C&C Baghdad and Constantinople

Classical era Constantinople and Baghdad are similar in that they both are wealthy and have an religious ruler, but differ in that Baghdad is more generous where Constantinople is not.

Constantinople and Baghdod both were very wealthy cities. Benjamin of Tudela described Baghdad having "great buildings of marble and columns of silver and gold" to describe the great extent of wealth in Baghdad. He also mentioned in Constantinople, that there are pillars and lamps of "gold and silver" to also reinforce the opulence of the city. In addition, he also mentioned of an religious ruler in both areas. In Constantinople, he mentioned of an pope, who ruled the church and Rome. Similarily, Baghdad also had an absolute ruler - a caliph, who was the "head of the Muslim religion, and all kings of Islam obeys him". Constantinople and Baghdad were different in terms of generosity. In Baghdad, Benjamin mentioned that the caliph was a benevolent man, who built a hospital for the sick and provided charity for those who came to Baghdad, wether they were "sick or insane". However, Benjamin did not mention of any form of charity or kind acts in Constantinople, and only mentioned of tribute being delivered from the Byzantine to the emperor. But Benjamin did go on to mention how many merchants travelled to Constantinople, which was a busy city, and most likely important for trade. It can be concluded that during the time, Baghdad was most likely more attractive to commoners and poor people due to the charity, but Constantinople attracted more merchants. 

The Maps

I apologize for the lack of artistic ability

Map of expansion of the Dar-Al Islam

Expansion+Contraction of the Byzantine Empire

Page 350 Response

Compare the Quran's teachings on the relationship between Allah and human beings with the views of Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians discussed in earlier chapters.

The Quran's teachings are similar to Zoroastrianism in that there is judgement, but differ in terms of moderation. There is a belief in judgement in both religions, from Ahura Mazda in Zorosastrianism, and Allah in Islam. They are different in moderation, because Allah wants humans to be more moderate than Zoroastrianism. For example, the passage states "men and women who guard their private parts" which exemplifies sexual abstinence. Whereas in Zoroastrianism, the teachings tell followers to enjoy the world and its fruit, and sexual pleasure - which is less moderated than Islam. The Quran's teaching are similar to Jews in that they both believe in a superior deity. In the passage, it states, "There is no one comparable to Him..." which supports the idea that Allah is the supreme deity of the religion. Similarily, the Jews beleived in one supreme deity as well, Yahweh. The Quran's teaching are similar to Christianity because they both believe in charity. For example, the passage reads "men and women who gives alms" to exemplify charity, one of the five pillars of Islam. Similarily, in Christianity, Jesus taught people to be charitable as well. 

Justinian's Code

 1) What is the role of women in the Byzantine Empire? How do you know?

Judging by Justinian's code, the Byzantine empire was patriarchal and limited the rights of women during the time. First off, the women could not decide who they were going to marry, but rather the father or grandfather had the right to decide who she could marry. In addition, if a father were to set up a marriage where his son or daughter would not agree to, the marriage would still be valid. Yet, women did get some support from the laws. For example, men living with freewomen would imply a marriage, therefore, adultery would also merit punishment on the men. Also, women were allowed to remarry within five years if their husband were captured by an enemy. Overall, Justinian's laws gave much power to the males in the family, but still gave women some rights as opposed to none.

 2) Why does Justinian's background matter when reading this document?

Justinian's background is important when reading this document, because it reflects on the type of laws being implemented. First off, since he was a peasant, it can be inferred that he experienced what it was like to adhere to the lifestyle of the peasants--which was probably not very fair. By experiencing the lifestyle of the low class, then rising to the top, it can be concluded he would be biased and be in favor of the poor classes as opposed to further supporting the rich.

Decline of the Roman Empire

My group and I reached a consensus that the Theory of Transformation states that the Roman Empire did not collapse but rather combined with the barbarians to create a mixed culture/society. For example, the historian Lucien Musset states that the Roman Empire “just transformed…so did the Germanic populations which invaded it”, which supports a mixture of culture and society within the barbarians and Rome. Overall, I would agree with the idea that the Roman empire did not fall apart, but just transformed into a new empire with barbarians included in it.

* Absent on day of assignment, did not really do in group

Fall of Han Dynasty and Roman Empire Venn Diagram

Here is my diagram screenshot. 

Silk road simulation

On the meta level, I learned that the Silk Road was not an actual road...I believe it was both beneficial and not. First off, it did spread culture and goods, and helped distant lands proliferate and kept their economy stable.

However, My view on the road has altered after today. First off, as a banker, it was tempting to accept bribes from societies in order to 'raise' their currency above what it is really worth. Next, my society got robbed twice: the first time we asked for a refund and did not get one and the other time I was threatened. Next, I also noticed how the translators were trying to make some quick cash by abusing their power as the middle man. Take for example Aman, who deliberately charged more money for the price of goods in order to accumulate his own wealth. I believe this simulation gave me a good idea of how the silk road worked. The pros of the silk road was support for economic stability and the spread of culture and goods. However the cons were bribery, muggers, threats to the traders, and untrusted middlemen. I think this was an interesting way to learn about the Silk road since it seemed a little confusing while reading about it in the book. It helped me understand the history better. We should defiantly try this again. Credits to Mr. Whitten for coming up with a brilliant idea.

Roman City Video

b. What is the Forum and where is it located? Why is that symbolically significant? What other Classical Era society located politics in this way?

- The forum contains significant public buildings and can be found within the center of the city. The forum is symbolic in that many cities had it, which showed a sense of organization. It can also symbolize the nucleus of the city in a way, since it was almost like a major control center with its significant components. The Classical Greek Era had a similar component, known as the plateia, which was located in the center, and was where feasts, celebrations, and meetings would take place.

C. How does an aqueduct move water? How is this like or unlike the way a qanat worked in Persia?

- An aqueduct moves water by using gravity to its advantage via a downward slope. The acqueduct and qanat in Persia are similar in that both were used to carry water lengthly distances. The qanat also made use of slopes to carry water.

F. Why can’t Marcus Fabricius marry Aiden? How does this compare to attitudes about marriage in Classical Era India?

- Marcus could not marry Aiden because she was not a Roman citizen. This scenario is similar to Classical India because people were not allowed to marry someone that was a different caste. The attitude is similar in both societies because it was disallowed in both.

Roman Republic to Empire

The Roman Republic was far too weak and vulnerable to withstand conflicts from internal/external forces. The destruction of the Roman Republic eventually lead to a form of government which did had the ability to withstand conflicts. This government form was known as the Roman Empire.

Some questions I have are...

What factors caused the downfall of the Roman Republic, and how did the empire arise?

McNeil Article

1) McNeil's argument is that Indian and Greek societies developed differently due to many factors arising from culture.

2) McNeil's definition of a caste is a "group of persons who will eat together and intermarry", the book's definitions is an organized guild with an unchangeable status in a social hierarchy.

3)
a. "ceremonial purity"
b. Doctrine of Varna
3. Unification through caste system

4) I think these ideas seem convincing since these reasons make sense as to how caste systems were effective at the time.

5) The caste system caused the decentralization of state, and the make it very unlikely for a ruler to arrive, since people were most likely to just stick with their caste.

6) The desire for detailed prayer is what caused the shift, this ultimately ended up giving Brahmin more power since people were convinced that Brahmin's prayers could be answered by gods.

7) The Upanishads explained that priests were not necessary to achieve the goal of breaking free from the cycle of reincarnation and that it could be achieved through self discipline, meditation, asceticism, and letting go of ordinary concerns of daily life.

8) McNeil's definition of "Territorial Sovereignty" is that it is when the state has the right to govern its territory without external influences.

9) Greeks began to turn away from religion as an explanatory factor in the organization of society because individuals began looking toward logical inconsistencies of religion.

10) The consequence of the Greek's rigid adherence to the polis was that there was a difference in thought of how the universe functioned. Because laws governed people in the polis, natural laws governed the universe.

11) I buy McNeil's argument that the societies of India and Greece developed differently due to cultural differences because McNeil asserted that the caste system is what caused India to have no central government, and how Greeks began to look toward logic as opposed to religion. These two reasons support his claim.

Alexander the Great

I think Alexander of Macedon did not deserve the title "the Great" for his outstanding achievements. First off, he was a very young ruler(in his twenties) when he began to conquer the middle east. He was also a wise and strong leader for his army which is why he defeated the Persian army at such a young age as well. However, he was also a feared ruler, for example - he backstabbed some of his people, burned Persepolis, and often acted for his will without hesitation. He also consumed a lot of alcohol, which is similar to how he wanted revenge (at first). Although Alexander the Great was an outstanding military strategist who conquered much of the world, I do not think he deserves the title "the Great" mainly because in my opinion, a leader who is "Great" is able to listen to their people instead of instilling fear in them, not backstab others, try to practice peace instead of constant warfare for land, and not forcefully take over land. Because if I was living back then, and I might be living in fear of Alexander the Not so Great. 

Bhagavad Gita

The Bhagavad Gita's teachings are similar, but differ in some aspects when compared to Zarathustra or Confucius's teachings. Both teachings instruct someone to be generous, nice, kind, honest, selfless, etc. However the teachings are different in that Bhagavad Gita's ultimate goal is for someone to follow the duty required by their caste, whereas in Confucianism - loyalty to the father is required for an ideal life. In Zoroastrianism, the goal is to be judged "good" by Ahura Mazda. Overall, the three teachings are similar because they instruct humans to behave better morally, but differ because they each have seperate goals.

Arabic Numerals

Due to the invention of Arabic numerals, and the invention of zero (which was used for aiding place value notation) mathematics was greatly facilitates.

How to Save the Han Dynasty

Several factors lead to the destruction of the Han dynasty, many of which seemed like trivial issues in the eyes of the Han emperors. First off, both the Former Han and Later Han dynasties collapsed due to internal conflict.

The growing Xiongnu established a threat, and the Han Wudi made the right choice in attacking them after failing to pacifying them. However, this constituted an enormous economic strain, and Wudi had to tax his people heavily to compensate for loss. If I were to intervene, it would have had to been a long time ago. I would have suggested Wudi, or an earlier emperor to set aside a fraction of tax collected in an effort to prepare for future threat. This way, should a future threat arrive, such as the Xiongnu, there would be sufficient tax money set aside to afford warfare.

A mistake Wudi made was confiscating land and personal property from wealthy individuals in order to pay for warfare. This discouraged investment in manufacturing and trading enterprises, which caused damage to the economy. Another way I would intervene would be suggesting Emperor Wudi not to confiscate any land or personal property. This also goes back to the earlier suggestion, had the emperor saved enough tax - there would be no need to confiscate land.

Yet another problem that arose was the social difference between the higher class and the peasants. This social difference lead to peasants rebellions. One cause of this might be nutrient deficiency. Because the higher class had access to a variety of foods, rich in vegetables in meat - whereas the peasants had a minimal amount of vegetables and meat - peasants did not get all the nutrients they needed to complete the workload required by agriculture. The malnourishment of peasants can be considered as one of the factors that lead to rebellion. To decrease the possibility of rebellion, the emperor should have decreased the taxes placed on peasants.

Wang Mang the “socialist emperor” did not make the right decision in breaking up large estates - which lead to the downfall of the Former Han. I would have asked him to instead consider making a law that set a limit on how much an individual commoner can borrow, so that they do not accumulate a heavy debt. This would decrease the likelihood of people giving up their land, or selling their family. In the Later Han dynasty, emperors made the same mistake by disregarding the issue of land distribution. A series of rebellions also lead to the Later Han dynasty’s downfall.

 

Comment your thoughts

China Map

Here's the China map!

Daoism

Daoism focuses on living a simple lifestyle, to realize why things the way they are, not argue with others, and not to enjoy an excess of something.

Confucianism Response

1) Is this a religion or not?  Why do you think so?

- To me, it does not seem like a religion. I did not see any mention of a god or gods. It just seemed like a set of rules, similar to thar of Hammurabi's code of law.

2) Does this reading support the idea that people are born good/bad/neutral? Refer to three examples (using the book, section and line number as the citations) that support your point of view.

- This reading supports the idea that people are often born with mistakes, but they can be corrected.

Examples

1. "“When I walk along with two others, they may serve me as my teachers. I will select their good qualities and follow them, their bad qualities and avoid them" (Legge, Book VII, Chapter XXI).

- This interesting quote reinforces the idea that the people you are around often have bad and good qualities, majority of the times they are not perfect. They may also serve as your teachers since you can learn from their mistakes or imperfections.

2. "The Master said, 'I will not be afflicted at

men's not knowing me; I will be afflicted that I do not know

men" (Legge, Book I! “CHAP. XVI.")

- I believe this quote id trying to say, "I will not be affected if other men do not know me[see my mistakes], but I will be if I know others[see their mistakes].

3. “He who aims to be a man of complete virtue in his food does not seek to gratify his appetite, nor in his dwelling place does he seek the appliances of ease; he is earnest in what he is doing, and careful in his speech; he frequents the company of men of principle that he may be rectified: -- such a person may be said indeed to love to learn.”(Legge, Book I, Chapter XIV).

- This quote illustrates the perspective of Confucius, he believes that someone can turn good by doing good.

Persia Map (reuploaded)

Had to re-upload since it would not show up in the earlier post

Persia Map

Zarathustra on Good and Evil

“What assumptions does Zarathustra make about human nature and the capacity of humans beings to make morally good choices out of their own free will?”

Zarathustra creates an interesting assumption regarding human nature and human beings' abilities to make morally good choices. First off, around this time - the belief in moral values was confusing, but influential to many. Zarathustra asserts that those who do good will recieve good, and those who do evil and follow evil will be of the worst existence. Zarathustra's belief emphasized that people are able to make morally correct choices out of their free will, but can often make wrong choices. At the end of his song, Zarathustra mentions salvation and eternal bliss for those who do good and long punishment for those who do evil.

Comment on Peer's History Head

Hi,

I commented on Hiren's poster for the second part of the History Head assignment. Here is the link to his blog: http://hirenpatelapworld.blogspot.com/

Here is the post --

Hi Hiren,

I liked your project, so I decided to post on your blog.

First off, One thing that was very well done was the drawing that represented the Aryans and the Dravidians fighting against each other (the two castles and the barrage of arrows). I also noticed that you provided excellent examples for each theme.

Next, although the poster looked good to me, some things could be improved. For example, it could have been slightly more organized, maybe the internal/external connecting, layout more organized? Anyways, the next thing that could have been improved is some of the descriptions of your images, for example - number 3 could have been more descriptive.

One similarity that really struck out was the similarities in theme 4 between India and Latin America (what I was assigned). In Latin America, agriculture was extremely important to the development of societies (as it was in many other regions of the world). Your description of your image mentioned the farming of money. In Latin America, Agriculture helped the growth of society and trade, for example,  Cacao beans were used as a form of currency.

One difference I noted was that the growth of religion in India. In India, religion was strongly influential - and your picture showed people working on a community service project for karma. In Latin America, (since the time frame for the project was 8000 B.C.E. - 600 B.C.E.) religion was just  getting into its early stages. For example, the Olmec commoners would gather around ceremonial centers to watch priests perform rituals (not the bloodshed, that was after 600 B.C.E.) - however their motives were unknown.

My question to you is: Do you think the caste system is justified?

History-Head Assignment

Welcome to my History Head assignment! My group (Hammad, Harsha, and Prateek) and I have Latin America. I apologize for my below-average artistic ability, also for the key, the themes are in order (1-5).

Theme 1: This theme shows how humans interact with the environment. This first internal image representing the harvesting of various crops by an average commoner, especially maize which was a staple crop. The external image represents the population boom due to food surplus from agriculture (also resulting in overweight people as opposed to underweight).

Theme 2: The internal image is the building of the ruler's head using various tools made from obsidian and jade. This represents art and architecture (culture). In the external image is the ruler, who is being complimented from the art.

Theme 3: Theme 3 is based on conflict, for the Olmec society, they destroyed themselves through civil conflicts. The image inside the head shows a individual contemplating rebellion and destruction of the ceremonial centers, and possibly killing the rules, which is represented through the angry mob with pitchforks and swords. The outside image shows the ruler being killed.

Theme 4: This theme focuses on the interaction of economic systems. For the inside of the head, a metal smith is shown forging a sword (most likely made of obsidian or jade) The outside image is him trading that sword for a bag with a money symbol on it, to represent currency, which would be cacao beans during the time.

Theme 5: The last theme focuses on the social structure of the society. For Latin America, developments in society occurred mainly after 600 B.C.E., however before that, there was generally a higher class (rulers, nobles, elites, etc.) and a lower class (commoners) consisting of the majority of the population. The internal image is a commoner man building a head (similar to image 2) for a noble or ruler, how this represents a common task for the average person. The external image is the noble or ruler whom the art is dedicated to. This represents the wealth and luxury of the higher

class.

Test aftermath

 Test Reflection (Chapters 1-6) 

The test was relatively difficult. Most of the questions were pretty specific: some easy ones, some hard ones, and some in-between. I was expecting the test to be a bit easier, but my guess was a little off. Because I took the pleasure of saving the textbook work until the last week of summer, I had to go through a chapter a day, and the information was a lot - so I did not get a chance to study the material well. If I read maybe 8-10 pages a day, I would have been able to absorb the information better. Also, I had no idea what kind of questions to expect, or how to effectively study for the class. Hopefully, I can improve and do well on the future tests.