Monday, August 13, 2012
AP Notes
Notes from AP World History will be posted at apwhistory.blogspot.com. Check this afternoon for notes from the summer reading assignment.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Summer / AP World History
Well, school's out, and Pre-AP can now be happily forgotten. Come next year I'll create a new blog for AP, and at that time I'll post a link to it here. But until then, I for one am enjoying my summer.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Vocab: a complete list
I know that this isn't quite complete; I've left out several of the definitions. That's because I've only started this today, and it's quite a daunting project. I'll certainly update this as I continue scouring my notes, however, if you have anything you would like to add, please email me at luxrayvillage@gmail.com. Help would be very much appreciated!
Vocab Review
South Asia
subcontinent: a large, distinguishable part of a continent
Khyber Pass: a pass through the mountains at the top of India which allowed for the passage of people and ideas, particularly the Aryans or Dravidians
Indo-Gangetic Plain: a huge fertile plain in the northern part of india
monsoon: a seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia, blowing from the southwest in the summer and from the northeast in winter
Harappan Civilization: early Indian civilization centered around the Indus River valley
Harappa:
Mohenjo-Daro:
decipher: to decode
Dravidians: also the Aryans, this name being derived from the language they spoke; they migrated into India bringing a portion of the Hindu religion with them, including the idea of castes
Indo-European: Europe, Southwest, and South Asia
Hittites:
Aryans: same as Dravidians
steppe: like a prairie, a large area of flat grassland (not a forest)
migrations: the movements of persons from one location to another
dasas: one who has surrendered to a god; can refer to a follower of a particular deity
Sanskrit: the language spoke by ancient Indians
raja/maharaja: the ruler of a particular group of land; a raja reported a maharaja, similar to English Duke and Marquis
varna: skin color or caste
jati: a sub-caste
caste system: a system of dividing the brahmins, kshatriyas, vaisyas, sudras, and untouchables which defined what each could do and what interactions each could have
Purusha: the person who in Vedic legend was sacrificed, his head becoming the brahmins, his hands the kshatriyas, his legs the vaisyas, and his feet the sudras
Brahmins: the highest caste, consisting of priests
Kshatriyas: the second-highest caste, consisting of warrior-kings
Vaisyas: the third-highest caste, consisting of merchants and artisans
Sudras: the lowest caste, consisting of farmers
Untouchables: the group below even the lowest caste, consisting of extremely impoverished people
Vedas: four books the Aryans brought with them, containing prayers, magical spells, and ritual instructions
Rigveda: the most important of the Vedas
Upanishads: Hindu religious texts where Hindu teachers attempted to interpret and explain the Vedic hymns, written as student/teacher dialogues and proclaiming the oneness of the individual and the universe, centering on the doctrine of Brahma, and introducing the idea of reincarnation allowing you to move up or down the caste system
Ramayana: an epic poem telling how Rama, Vishnu’s reincarnation, and his devotee Hanuman (a monkey god) recover Rama’s wife Sita from the demon king Ravana
Mahabharata: the Great Poem of the Bharatas, includes the Bhagavad-Gita and consists of 18 books and 90,000 stanzas
Bhagavad-Gita: the Song of God, part of the Mahabhrata, attempting to spread the basic messages of moksha, karma, samsara, hope for lower castes, dharma, etcetera: it summarizes these and in it Lord Krishna promises to help people who fulfill their dharma, and points the way towards moksha
brahman: the universal force that permeates everything
atman: an individual soul, a piece of the brahman
Hinduism: a polytheistic religion, believing in the caste system as well as reincarnation, with the object being moksha, or release from reincarnation
Brahma: the creator god
Vishnu: the protector god
Shiva (Siva): the destructive god
sects: a group of people with a particular religion faith (like a denomination)
reincarnation: the idea that when you die, your soul is reborn somewhere else
samsara: the cycle of rebirth
karma: everything you did (decides if you are reincarnated up or down in society)
dharma: your duty, the things you should do
moksha: release from the cycle of rebirth
guru: a spiritual teacher
Buddhism: a religion and way of life
Siddhartha Gautama: the founder of buddhism, the buddha himself
Four Noble Truths: life is suffering, the cause of suffering is desire, you can stop desire, you can stop desire through the Eightfold Path
nirvana: enlightenment, release from the cycle of rebirth
Eightfold Path: the path to nirvana: seeking right understanding, right motives, right speech, right action, right way to make money, right effort, right intellectual activity, and right contemplation
Three Baskets of Wisdom: a series of scriptures; what the Buddha said
Tripitaka:
Theraveda: type of Buddhism - sort of the original Buddhism
Mahayana: type of Buddhism - adding bodhisattvas, transfer of religious merit, nirvana as a series of heavens, the idea of the Maitreya Buddha who will return to save humanity, worship of Buddha as a god
Mahavira: founder of Jainism
Jainism: religion completely against hurting anything, to the point that they wear masks over their mouths to keep from breathing anything in and sweep the path in front of them to clear it of life: extreme nonviolence
Mauryan Empire (Dynasty): Chandragupta, Bindusara, Asoka, from Afghanistan to the Deccan plateau
Chandragupta Maurya: founder of the Mauryan empire
Pataliputra:
Asoka (Ashoka): Mauryan ruler who conquered a lot, saw a bloody battle’s aftermath, converted to Buddhism and worked to spread it
Kalinga: the battle that caused Asoka’s conversion
stupa:
Tamil:
Gupta Empire: empire begun through a lucky marriage; it's two hundred years of existence are India’s Golden Age
Chandra Gupta I (Chandragupta I): founder of the Gupta empire, originally a nobody who married into a famous family and changed his name to gain legitimacy, his son was one of India's greatest military conquerors
Kalidasa: a poet who wrote the epic poems Meghaduta and
pastoral: farming
Magadha:
political fragmentation: being made up of multiple small divisions or fragments instead of having one ruler to unify all of them
rock and pillar edicts:
Puranas: stories of legend and myth
Artha-sastra: manual of statecraft written by Kautilya
Kautilya: wrote the Artha-sastra
the Deccan plateau:
guilds:
Gandharan Art: a combination of artistic styles from Greece, Persia, and India - Buddha in a toga
Shakas: a group of people pushed to invade India by the Hunas (branch of the Xiongnu)
Kushanas (Kushans): see above
Gujarat: a modern Indian state taking its and from the Gujaras who came to India with the Hunas and settled there permanently
"golden age": the height of cultural richness
Hunas: a branch of the Hunas who invaded India and brought about the fall of the Gupta empire
Harsha-vardhana (Harsha): a Gupta guy who made the last attempt to re-unify the Gupta empire
East Asia:
arable:
Ring of Fire: a ring of volcanoes
archipelago:
Middle Kingdom: the Xiang dynasty’s name for themselves
Wade-Giles: old system of romanizing Chinese characters
pinyin: new system of romanization
postal system:
Chinese heartland: the north china plain
Manchuria:
Mongolia:
Xinjiang: Turkestan
Xizang:
loess: nutrient-rich soil blown in from deserts in the west and north
"River of Sorrow": also the yellow river and Huang He, so called because of its unpredictable and deadly floods
Three Gorges Dam:
Ban Po: site of early chinese river valley civilization
Xia Dynasty: a legendary dynasty, supposedly the first to combine cows and plows, write, fertilize the land, and such, though there is no archaeological evidence for their existence
Shang Dynasty: another dynasty that was legendary, however we found oracle bones to prove their existence
Son of Heaven:
feudalism: pledging loyalty to a lord and landlord
oracle bones: bones covered in pictographic writing used to communicate with the ancestors, who then talked to the gods. It went from god to ancestor to oracle to bone
Anyang: capital of the Shang dynasty
Zhou dynasty: introduction of the dynastic cycle, building of roads and canals, coin money, ended in warring states (war between feudal lords or warlords)
Mandate of Heaven: the idea that a ruler has the right to rule because the ancestors have given him the mandate of heaven
dynastic cycle: get mandate of heaven, rule for a long time, natural disaster happens or people riot, another person claims that they now have the mandate of heaven, rinse and repeat
Confucianism: belief in family descendants and filial piety
Confucius (Kongfuzi): founder of confucianism, tried to spread ideology while alive but failed, became popular after his death
five relationships: ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, older brother and younger brother, friend and friend
Analects:
Mencius:
filial piety:
Laodzi: founder of Daoism
Daoism (Taoism): belief in harmony with nature
Daodejing (Tao Te Ching):
I Ching:
yin and yang: symbols of overall harmony
wuwei: actionless activity - "It does nothing, for the sake of doing it, and so there is nothing which it does not do."
Legalism: belief in harmony of a well-regulated state
Han Feizi:
Warring States Period: after the collapse of the western zhou, much politicking, invention of the cavalry, iron weapons, and the crossbow
warlords: feudal lords who warred
Luoyang: new location of Han capital after the move from Chang’an
gentry: nobles
veneration of ancestors: worshipping your ancestors, such as your father, grandfather, and so on and so forth
Qin Dynasty: extremely short dynasty with the crazy Legalist guy Shi Huangdi
(Qin) Shi Huangdi: leader of the Qin dynasty, made the terra cotta soldiers, high taxes, standardization of writing system, elaborate tomb with flowing mercury and such, division into districts and prefectures, obsessed with the number six, the color black, and water, built packed-earth great wall, forced labor system, facilitation of trade, development of money, wagon axles, and roads
Xianyang:
Han Dynasty: centralized government, commanderies, lower taxes, softer punishments, combination of legalism and confucianism, expansion through conquest and encouraged intermarriage, stratified, civil service and Confucian academy, paper, collar harness, two-bladed plow, monopolies, rise of farmers, writing down of history, lessons and admonitions for women, both Former Han and Later Han
Chang'an: original capital
civil service: required service used to make roads and such
Silk Road: a series of trade routes linking China to western asia
Xiongnu: also the Mongols, a group of Mongolians who constantly caused problems for the early Chinese
(Han) wudi: Liu Bang’a great grandson, most prolific ruler
Sima Qian: the Grand Historian
public works: projects where people were forced to work on walls and canals, mostly for the military
Liu Bang: founder of the han dynasty
Bactria: Somewhere in the middle east, supplied China with horses which were in great demand
Parthians: Iranians
Sinicization: much like assimilation, the process of absorbing other cultures into one large culture, but only applying to China
Wang Mang: guy who overthrew the han in the space between Former and Later han
Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties Period: time after the Han dynasty
Admonitions for Women and Biographies of Heroic Women: urged women to be self-sacrificing, serving others, humble, obedient, and industrious
Europe:
Minoans:
Arthur Evans:
Knossos:
fresco: a form of art where pictures are painted on wet plaster; once the plaster dries, the fresco will last a long time
Myceneans:
Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos:
Troy:
Heinrich Schliemann:
Dorians: early Greeks
Homer: wandering bard who wrote the Illiad and the Odyssey
Illiad:
Odyssey: follows the journey of Odysseus, mostly as he returns from the Trojan war
epic:
myths:
polis: a city-state
acropolis:
agora: a vase
tyrant/tyranny: someone who takes power by force
Athens: a Greek city-state
Draco:
Cleisthenes:
Council of 500:
Sparta: a Greek city-state
Council of Elders: a council consisting of old people who were part of the Spartan bureaucracy (since Sparta was highly militaristic, old people weren't common)
Messenia:
helots: Spartan slaves
Olympics:
hoplites: greek warriors
phalanx: a military formation that is roughly shaped like a triangle, with people along the outside of the triangle bearing shields to protect their neighbor and spears to attack their enemy, and people on the inside pushing against those on the outside to force their way into enemy lines
trireme:
Persian Wars: (Greece won)
Marathon:
Thermopylae:
Salamis:
Delian League: a league formed by Athens after the Persian wars, supposedly for protection; they were originally led by a group but Athens began to take over, not permitting anyone to leave, which started the Peloponnesian wars
Pericles:
direct democracy: where the people have a direct say regarding the government (not like ours, where we elect a representative, that is a representative democracy)
Parthenon: giant temple built in Athens
classical art:
tragedy:
Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides: three playwrights who pioneered tragedy and comedy
comedy:
Aristophanes:
Herodotus:
Thucydides:
Peloponnesian League: a league formed by Sparta to counter Athens' Delian League
Peloponnesian War: a war between Athens + the Delian League and Sparta + the Peloponnesian League (Sparta won)
philosophy/philosophers:
Socrates: taught people to question themselves, developed Socratic Method of learning through questioning, was killed
Plato:wrote the Republic, about the perfect society led by a philosopher-king, with stupid people kicked out
Aristotle: philosopher who taught Alexander the Great, focused on logic
Phillip II:
Macedonia:
Thebes:
Chaeronea:
Alexander the Great:
Hellespont:
Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela:
Antigonus:
Seleucus:
Ptolemy:
Hellenistic:
Alexandria:
Euclid:
Archimedes:
Stoicism:
Epicureanism: the idea of having pleasure in your life (rich food, fine wines, beautiful/handsome people), but in moderation
Latins:
Etruscans/Etruria:
republic:
patricians:
plebians:
Twelve Tables: the first publicly visible laws for Rome
tribunes:
consuls:
senate:
dictator: a person with absolute power
gravitas: the Roman ideal
Cincinnatus:
legion:
Carthage:
Punic Wars: a series of three wars between Rome and Carthage (Rome won)
Hannibal: a Carthaginian general who really hated Rome, with such conviction that he led an army (including war elephants) through the Alps to attack Rome. He was going to beat them (he had several important victories, particularly at the battle of Cannae), but had to give it up and return home to defend Carthage against a Roman counterattack
Numidia:
Dalmatia:
Scipio:
Zama:
Tiberius and Gaius Graccus: two brothers who tried to bring about a change in the social gap between plebians and patricians
Julius Caesar:
triumvirate:
"bread and circuses": a government policy of distracting the public from the problems within
Celts:people who lived in Gaul and the area of Germany
Gaul: the region of France
Pompey:
Mark Antony:
Octavian/Augustus:
Cleopatra:
Actium:
Pax Romana: the peace of Rome
the "good" emperors:
Trajan:
Hadrian:
Marcus Aurelius:
Christianity:
judea:
Messiah:
Jesus:
New Testament:
Gospels:
apostles:
Paul (of Tarsus):
martyrs: people who have died for their religion
Constantine:
Edict of Milan:
Theodosius:
bishop:
Peter:
pope:
Nicene Creed/Council of Nicaea: refinement of Christian beliefs
sacraments:
St. Augustine:
Inflation: the rise of prices and the lowering of monetary value (examples: gas used to be 75¢, now it's $3.89; one dollar used to get you dinner, now it gets you a bag of chips)
mercenaries: warriors for hire
Diocletian:
Byzantium/Constantinople:
Germanic peoples:
Huns:
Attila:
Greco-Roman culture:
mosaics: art consisting of small pieces of glass arranged to form patterns or pictures
Pompeii: Roman city preserved when Mt. Vesuvius erupted and covered it in volcanic ash, the source of much of our knowledge of Roman daily life Virgil: a Roman poet
Aeneid:
Western Civilization:
Livy:
Tacitus:
Romance languages: languages which developed from Latin, consisting of Spanish, French, Portugese, Romanian, and Italian
aqueducts: a system of transporting water
Colosseum: in general, an arena built to house gladiatorial games; specifically a colosseum built in Rome that still stands today
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa:
Nubia:
Kush:
Meroe:
tsetse fly: a fly carrying a deadly disease
savanna:
animism: worship of spirits
griots: similar to historians, people who passed down oral history
Nok:
Djenne-Djeno:
Bantu:
Bantu migrations:
Axum (Aksum):
Ezana:
camel: a pack animal
saddle: something people use to sit on animals
stirrup: part of a saddle where you place your feet
lateen sail: a special triangular sail that makes a ship more maneuverable and is itself easier to change
Indian Ocean Maritime System: the system of aquatic trade routes leading from the Red Sea to India and then to Southeast Asia
Parthians:
Silk Road: a series of trade routes, mostly over land, that link China to Western Asia and beyond
Latin America
pampas:
tropical wet:
tropical wet and dry:
semiarid:
steppe:
savanna:
rain shadow: the side of a mountain that does not get rain because the mountain blocks the rain clouds
tierra caliente:
tierra templada:
tierra fria:
Mesoamerica: Central or Middle America, from Mexico to Panama
maize: a crop very similar to corn
shaman:
chinampas: a technological development used to grow crops; a large mound of plants with irrigation and lined with stones that could be removed to allow drainage
Olmec(s):
La Venta:
obsidian: a volcanic rock used as a weapon instead of metal; very high trade value
Zapotec:
Monte Alban:
Teotihuacan:
Quetzalcoatl:
Pyramid of the Sun:
Avenue of the Dead:
Tikal:
Copan:
Palenque:
Maya(n):
stelae (stele):
Popul Vuh: a more recent book that gives a lot of insight into Mayan culture
Xibalba:
Long Count: the long calendar used by the Mayans that gives an account based on rulers
Uxmal:
Chichen Itza:
glyphs:
vertical trade: a type of trade where different regions of a mountain can produce different goods, and trade goes up and down the mountain
Chavin:
Chavin de Huantar:
Nazca:
Moche (Mochica):
Sipan:
khipu (quipu):
mit'a (mita):
ayllu:
llama: a pack animal that can carry thirty pounds more than a human; one person can control thirty of them
manioc:
quinoa: a protein-rich crop
Vocab Review
South Asia
subcontinent: a large, distinguishable part of a continent
Khyber Pass: a pass through the mountains at the top of India which allowed for the passage of people and ideas, particularly the Aryans or Dravidians
Indo-Gangetic Plain: a huge fertile plain in the northern part of india
monsoon: a seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia, blowing from the southwest in the summer and from the northeast in winter
Harappan Civilization: early Indian civilization centered around the Indus River valley
Harappa:
Mohenjo-Daro:
decipher: to decode
Dravidians: also the Aryans, this name being derived from the language they spoke; they migrated into India bringing a portion of the Hindu religion with them, including the idea of castes
Indo-European: Europe, Southwest, and South Asia
Hittites:
Aryans: same as Dravidians
steppe: like a prairie, a large area of flat grassland (not a forest)
migrations: the movements of persons from one location to another
dasas: one who has surrendered to a god; can refer to a follower of a particular deity
Sanskrit: the language spoke by ancient Indians
raja/maharaja: the ruler of a particular group of land; a raja reported a maharaja, similar to English Duke and Marquis
varna: skin color or caste
jati: a sub-caste
caste system: a system of dividing the brahmins, kshatriyas, vaisyas, sudras, and untouchables which defined what each could do and what interactions each could have
Purusha: the person who in Vedic legend was sacrificed, his head becoming the brahmins, his hands the kshatriyas, his legs the vaisyas, and his feet the sudras
Brahmins: the highest caste, consisting of priests
Kshatriyas: the second-highest caste, consisting of warrior-kings
Vaisyas: the third-highest caste, consisting of merchants and artisans
Sudras: the lowest caste, consisting of farmers
Untouchables: the group below even the lowest caste, consisting of extremely impoverished people
Vedas: four books the Aryans brought with them, containing prayers, magical spells, and ritual instructions
Rigveda: the most important of the Vedas
Upanishads: Hindu religious texts where Hindu teachers attempted to interpret and explain the Vedic hymns, written as student/teacher dialogues and proclaiming the oneness of the individual and the universe, centering on the doctrine of Brahma, and introducing the idea of reincarnation allowing you to move up or down the caste system
Ramayana: an epic poem telling how Rama, Vishnu’s reincarnation, and his devotee Hanuman (a monkey god) recover Rama’s wife Sita from the demon king Ravana
Mahabharata: the Great Poem of the Bharatas, includes the Bhagavad-Gita and consists of 18 books and 90,000 stanzas
Bhagavad-Gita: the Song of God, part of the Mahabhrata, attempting to spread the basic messages of moksha, karma, samsara, hope for lower castes, dharma, etcetera: it summarizes these and in it Lord Krishna promises to help people who fulfill their dharma, and points the way towards moksha
brahman: the universal force that permeates everything
atman: an individual soul, a piece of the brahman
Hinduism: a polytheistic religion, believing in the caste system as well as reincarnation, with the object being moksha, or release from reincarnation
Brahma: the creator god
Vishnu: the protector god
Shiva (Siva): the destructive god
sects: a group of people with a particular religion faith (like a denomination)
reincarnation: the idea that when you die, your soul is reborn somewhere else
samsara: the cycle of rebirth
karma: everything you did (decides if you are reincarnated up or down in society)
dharma: your duty, the things you should do
moksha: release from the cycle of rebirth
guru: a spiritual teacher
Buddhism: a religion and way of life
Siddhartha Gautama: the founder of buddhism, the buddha himself
Four Noble Truths: life is suffering, the cause of suffering is desire, you can stop desire, you can stop desire through the Eightfold Path
nirvana: enlightenment, release from the cycle of rebirth
Eightfold Path: the path to nirvana: seeking right understanding, right motives, right speech, right action, right way to make money, right effort, right intellectual activity, and right contemplation
Three Baskets of Wisdom: a series of scriptures; what the Buddha said
Tripitaka:
Theraveda: type of Buddhism - sort of the original Buddhism
Mahayana: type of Buddhism - adding bodhisattvas, transfer of religious merit, nirvana as a series of heavens, the idea of the Maitreya Buddha who will return to save humanity, worship of Buddha as a god
Mahavira: founder of Jainism
Jainism: religion completely against hurting anything, to the point that they wear masks over their mouths to keep from breathing anything in and sweep the path in front of them to clear it of life: extreme nonviolence
Mauryan Empire (Dynasty): Chandragupta, Bindusara, Asoka, from Afghanistan to the Deccan plateau
Chandragupta Maurya: founder of the Mauryan empire
Pataliputra:
Asoka (Ashoka): Mauryan ruler who conquered a lot, saw a bloody battle’s aftermath, converted to Buddhism and worked to spread it
Kalinga: the battle that caused Asoka’s conversion
stupa:
Tamil:
Gupta Empire: empire begun through a lucky marriage; it's two hundred years of existence are India’s Golden Age
Chandra Gupta I (Chandragupta I): founder of the Gupta empire, originally a nobody who married into a famous family and changed his name to gain legitimacy, his son was one of India's greatest military conquerors
Kalidasa: a poet who wrote the epic poems Meghaduta and
pastoral: farming
Magadha:
political fragmentation: being made up of multiple small divisions or fragments instead of having one ruler to unify all of them
rock and pillar edicts:
Puranas: stories of legend and myth
Artha-sastra: manual of statecraft written by Kautilya
Kautilya: wrote the Artha-sastra
the Deccan plateau:
guilds:
Gandharan Art: a combination of artistic styles from Greece, Persia, and India - Buddha in a toga
Shakas: a group of people pushed to invade India by the Hunas (branch of the Xiongnu)
Kushanas (Kushans): see above
Gujarat: a modern Indian state taking its and from the Gujaras who came to India with the Hunas and settled there permanently
"golden age": the height of cultural richness
Hunas: a branch of the Hunas who invaded India and brought about the fall of the Gupta empire
Harsha-vardhana (Harsha): a Gupta guy who made the last attempt to re-unify the Gupta empire
East Asia:
arable:
Ring of Fire: a ring of volcanoes
archipelago:
Middle Kingdom: the Xiang dynasty’s name for themselves
Wade-Giles: old system of romanizing Chinese characters
pinyin: new system of romanization
postal system:
Chinese heartland: the north china plain
Manchuria:
Mongolia:
Xinjiang: Turkestan
Xizang:
loess: nutrient-rich soil blown in from deserts in the west and north
"River of Sorrow": also the yellow river and Huang He, so called because of its unpredictable and deadly floods
Three Gorges Dam:
Ban Po: site of early chinese river valley civilization
Xia Dynasty: a legendary dynasty, supposedly the first to combine cows and plows, write, fertilize the land, and such, though there is no archaeological evidence for their existence
Shang Dynasty: another dynasty that was legendary, however we found oracle bones to prove their existence
Son of Heaven:
feudalism: pledging loyalty to a lord and landlord
oracle bones: bones covered in pictographic writing used to communicate with the ancestors, who then talked to the gods. It went from god to ancestor to oracle to bone
Anyang: capital of the Shang dynasty
Zhou dynasty: introduction of the dynastic cycle, building of roads and canals, coin money, ended in warring states (war between feudal lords or warlords)
Mandate of Heaven: the idea that a ruler has the right to rule because the ancestors have given him the mandate of heaven
dynastic cycle: get mandate of heaven, rule for a long time, natural disaster happens or people riot, another person claims that they now have the mandate of heaven, rinse and repeat
Confucianism: belief in family descendants and filial piety
Confucius (Kongfuzi): founder of confucianism, tried to spread ideology while alive but failed, became popular after his death
five relationships: ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, older brother and younger brother, friend and friend
Analects:
Mencius:
filial piety:
Laodzi: founder of Daoism
Daoism (Taoism): belief in harmony with nature
Daodejing (Tao Te Ching):
I Ching:
yin and yang: symbols of overall harmony
wuwei: actionless activity - "It does nothing, for the sake of doing it, and so there is nothing which it does not do."
Legalism: belief in harmony of a well-regulated state
Han Feizi:
Warring States Period: after the collapse of the western zhou, much politicking, invention of the cavalry, iron weapons, and the crossbow
warlords: feudal lords who warred
Luoyang: new location of Han capital after the move from Chang’an
gentry: nobles
veneration of ancestors: worshipping your ancestors, such as your father, grandfather, and so on and so forth
Qin Dynasty: extremely short dynasty with the crazy Legalist guy Shi Huangdi
(Qin) Shi Huangdi: leader of the Qin dynasty, made the terra cotta soldiers, high taxes, standardization of writing system, elaborate tomb with flowing mercury and such, division into districts and prefectures, obsessed with the number six, the color black, and water, built packed-earth great wall, forced labor system, facilitation of trade, development of money, wagon axles, and roads
Xianyang:
Han Dynasty: centralized government, commanderies, lower taxes, softer punishments, combination of legalism and confucianism, expansion through conquest and encouraged intermarriage, stratified, civil service and Confucian academy, paper, collar harness, two-bladed plow, monopolies, rise of farmers, writing down of history, lessons and admonitions for women, both Former Han and Later Han
Chang'an: original capital
civil service: required service used to make roads and such
Silk Road: a series of trade routes linking China to western asia
Xiongnu: also the Mongols, a group of Mongolians who constantly caused problems for the early Chinese
(Han) wudi: Liu Bang’a great grandson, most prolific ruler
Sima Qian: the Grand Historian
public works: projects where people were forced to work on walls and canals, mostly for the military
Liu Bang: founder of the han dynasty
Bactria: Somewhere in the middle east, supplied China with horses which were in great demand
Parthians: Iranians
Sinicization: much like assimilation, the process of absorbing other cultures into one large culture, but only applying to China
Wang Mang: guy who overthrew the han in the space between Former and Later han
Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties Period: time after the Han dynasty
Admonitions for Women and Biographies of Heroic Women: urged women to be self-sacrificing, serving others, humble, obedient, and industrious
Europe:
Minoans:
Arthur Evans:
Knossos:
fresco: a form of art where pictures are painted on wet plaster; once the plaster dries, the fresco will last a long time
Myceneans:
Mycenae, Tiryns, Pylos:
Troy:
Heinrich Schliemann:
Dorians: early Greeks
Homer: wandering bard who wrote the Illiad and the Odyssey
Illiad:
Odyssey: follows the journey of Odysseus, mostly as he returns from the Trojan war
epic:
myths:
polis: a city-state
acropolis:
agora: a vase
tyrant/tyranny: someone who takes power by force
Athens: a Greek city-state
Draco:
Cleisthenes:
Council of 500:
Sparta: a Greek city-state
Council of Elders: a council consisting of old people who were part of the Spartan bureaucracy (since Sparta was highly militaristic, old people weren't common)
Messenia:
helots: Spartan slaves
Olympics:
hoplites: greek warriors
phalanx: a military formation that is roughly shaped like a triangle, with people along the outside of the triangle bearing shields to protect their neighbor and spears to attack their enemy, and people on the inside pushing against those on the outside to force their way into enemy lines
trireme:
Persian Wars: (Greece won)
Marathon:
Thermopylae:
Salamis:
Delian League: a league formed by Athens after the Persian wars, supposedly for protection; they were originally led by a group but Athens began to take over, not permitting anyone to leave, which started the Peloponnesian wars
Pericles:
direct democracy: where the people have a direct say regarding the government (not like ours, where we elect a representative, that is a representative democracy)
Parthenon: giant temple built in Athens
classical art:
tragedy:
Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides: three playwrights who pioneered tragedy and comedy
comedy:
Aristophanes:
Herodotus:
Thucydides:
Peloponnesian League: a league formed by Sparta to counter Athens' Delian League
Peloponnesian War: a war between Athens + the Delian League and Sparta + the Peloponnesian League (Sparta won)
philosophy/philosophers:
Socrates: taught people to question themselves, developed Socratic Method of learning through questioning, was killed
Plato:wrote the Republic, about the perfect society led by a philosopher-king, with stupid people kicked out
Aristotle: philosopher who taught Alexander the Great, focused on logic
Phillip II:
Macedonia:
Thebes:
Chaeronea:
Alexander the Great:
Hellespont:
Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela:
Antigonus:
Seleucus:
Ptolemy:
Hellenistic:
Alexandria:
Euclid:
Archimedes:
Stoicism:
Epicureanism: the idea of having pleasure in your life (rich food, fine wines, beautiful/handsome people), but in moderation
Latins:
Etruscans/Etruria:
republic:
patricians:
plebians:
Twelve Tables: the first publicly visible laws for Rome
tribunes:
consuls:
senate:
dictator: a person with absolute power
gravitas: the Roman ideal
Cincinnatus:
legion:
Carthage:
Punic Wars: a series of three wars between Rome and Carthage (Rome won)
Hannibal: a Carthaginian general who really hated Rome, with such conviction that he led an army (including war elephants) through the Alps to attack Rome. He was going to beat them (he had several important victories, particularly at the battle of Cannae), but had to give it up and return home to defend Carthage against a Roman counterattack
Numidia:
Dalmatia:
Scipio:
Zama:
Tiberius and Gaius Graccus: two brothers who tried to bring about a change in the social gap between plebians and patricians
Julius Caesar:
triumvirate:
"bread and circuses": a government policy of distracting the public from the problems within
Celts:people who lived in Gaul and the area of Germany
Gaul: the region of France
Pompey:
Mark Antony:
Octavian/Augustus:
Cleopatra:
Actium:
Pax Romana: the peace of Rome
the "good" emperors:
Trajan:
Hadrian:
Marcus Aurelius:
Christianity:
judea:
Messiah:
Jesus:
New Testament:
Gospels:
apostles:
Paul (of Tarsus):
martyrs: people who have died for their religion
Constantine:
Edict of Milan:
Theodosius:
bishop:
Peter:
pope:
Nicene Creed/Council of Nicaea: refinement of Christian beliefs
sacraments:
St. Augustine:
Inflation: the rise of prices and the lowering of monetary value (examples: gas used to be 75¢, now it's $3.89; one dollar used to get you dinner, now it gets you a bag of chips)
mercenaries: warriors for hire
Diocletian:
Byzantium/Constantinople:
Germanic peoples:
Huns:
Attila:
Greco-Roman culture:
mosaics: art consisting of small pieces of glass arranged to form patterns or pictures
Pompeii: Roman city preserved when Mt. Vesuvius erupted and covered it in volcanic ash, the source of much of our knowledge of Roman daily life Virgil: a Roman poet
Aeneid:
Western Civilization:
Livy:
Tacitus:
Romance languages: languages which developed from Latin, consisting of Spanish, French, Portugese, Romanian, and Italian
aqueducts: a system of transporting water
Colosseum: in general, an arena built to house gladiatorial games; specifically a colosseum built in Rome that still stands today
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa:
Nubia:
Kush:
Meroe:
tsetse fly: a fly carrying a deadly disease
savanna:
animism: worship of spirits
griots: similar to historians, people who passed down oral history
Nok:
Djenne-Djeno:
Bantu:
Bantu migrations:
Axum (Aksum):
Ezana:
camel: a pack animal
saddle: something people use to sit on animals
stirrup: part of a saddle where you place your feet
lateen sail: a special triangular sail that makes a ship more maneuverable and is itself easier to change
Indian Ocean Maritime System: the system of aquatic trade routes leading from the Red Sea to India and then to Southeast Asia
Parthians:
Silk Road: a series of trade routes, mostly over land, that link China to Western Asia and beyond
Latin America
pampas:
tropical wet:
tropical wet and dry:
semiarid:
steppe:
savanna:
rain shadow: the side of a mountain that does not get rain because the mountain blocks the rain clouds
tierra caliente:
tierra templada:
tierra fria:
Mesoamerica: Central or Middle America, from Mexico to Panama
maize: a crop very similar to corn
shaman:
chinampas: a technological development used to grow crops; a large mound of plants with irrigation and lined with stones that could be removed to allow drainage
Olmec(s):
La Venta:
obsidian: a volcanic rock used as a weapon instead of metal; very high trade value
Zapotec:
Monte Alban:
Teotihuacan:
Quetzalcoatl:
Pyramid of the Sun:
Avenue of the Dead:
Tikal:
Copan:
Palenque:
Maya(n):
stelae (stele):
Popul Vuh: a more recent book that gives a lot of insight into Mayan culture
Xibalba:
Long Count: the long calendar used by the Mayans that gives an account based on rulers
Uxmal:
Chichen Itza:
glyphs:
vertical trade: a type of trade where different regions of a mountain can produce different goods, and trade goes up and down the mountain
Chavin:
Chavin de Huantar:
Nazca:
Moche (Mochica):
Sipan:
khipu (quipu):
mit'a (mita):
ayllu:
llama: a pack animal that can carry thirty pounds more than a human; one person can control thirty of them
manioc:
quinoa: a protein-rich crop
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Essay: things to write about (Maya/Greece)
Maya/Greece
Political:
city-states - same
religion/government relationship - divine/not religious
military - every man when not farming season, obsidian/chose to volunteer, buy own equipment, metal
Religious:
afterlife - underworld with hades, Cerberus, guy taking you there in a boat/Xibalba with farting gods, arrive there in a sinking canoe
gods - both polytheistic
rituals - sacrifice of food and money/people
Political:
city-states - same
religion/government relationship - divine/not religious
military - every man when not farming season, obsidian/chose to volunteer, buy own equipment, metal
Religious:
afterlife - underworld with hades, Cerberus, guy taking you there in a boat/Xibalba with farting gods, arrive there in a sinking canoe
gods - both polytheistic
rituals - sacrifice of food and money/people
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Islam (from reading)
Muhammad (according to Muslim belief)
- he was orphaned at 6 years old
- at 25 he became a trader/business manager for Khadijah, a wealthy business women about 40 years old
- The two married
- He was interested in religion and often spent time alone in prayer and meditation
- at 40 a voice called to him while he meditated in a cave. This was the angel Gabriel, and he told Muhammad he was a messenger of Allah
- Muhammad believed this and began to teach of the one god, telling people to abandon other gods
- Islam means submission to the will of Allah, and Muslim means one who has submitted
- Muhammad's wife and several close friends/relatives were his first followers
- After his followers were attacked, Muhammad left Mecca (622)
- He sent a small group of supporters ahead of him as he went to Yathrib (now Medina)
- This became known as the Hijrah
- During this he attracted many devoted followers
- He made an agreement that joined his people with the Arabs and Jews of Medina as a single community - they accepted him as a political leader
- as a religious leader he got a lot of converts
- he also became a military leader in the hostilities between Mecca and Medina
- In 630, Muhammad and 10k of his followers marched to Mecca, whose leaders surrendered. Muhammad entered the city and destroyed the idols in the Ka'aba, making a call to prayer from its roof
- Most Meccans pledged their loyalty to him, and many converted to Islam
- Umma: Muslim religious community
- He died two years later at the age of 62
- The Dome of the Rock: the earliest surviving Islamic monument, located in Jerusalem, completed in 691. It's part of a larger complex which is the third most holy place in Islam. It's actually on tom of Mount Moriah, where there was a Jewish temple (the Romans destroyed it in 70). There's a rock there on the spot where Muhammad ascended to heaven (he came back). Jewish people say that the rock is also where Abraham almost sacrificed his son Issac.
Belief and Practices
- One God: Allah
- There is good and evil, and each individual is responsible for the actions of their own life
- Five Pillars: these are five duties that all Muslims must do
- he was orphaned at 6 years old
- at 25 he became a trader/business manager for Khadijah, a wealthy business women about 40 years old
- The two married
- He was interested in religion and often spent time alone in prayer and meditation
- at 40 a voice called to him while he meditated in a cave. This was the angel Gabriel, and he told Muhammad he was a messenger of Allah
- Muhammad believed this and began to teach of the one god, telling people to abandon other gods
- Islam means submission to the will of Allah, and Muslim means one who has submitted
- Muhammad's wife and several close friends/relatives were his first followers
- After his followers were attacked, Muhammad left Mecca (622)
- He sent a small group of supporters ahead of him as he went to Yathrib (now Medina)
- This became known as the Hijrah
- During this he attracted many devoted followers
- He made an agreement that joined his people with the Arabs and Jews of Medina as a single community - they accepted him as a political leader
- as a religious leader he got a lot of converts
- he also became a military leader in the hostilities between Mecca and Medina
- In 630, Muhammad and 10k of his followers marched to Mecca, whose leaders surrendered. Muhammad entered the city and destroyed the idols in the Ka'aba, making a call to prayer from its roof
- Most Meccans pledged their loyalty to him, and many converted to Islam
- Umma: Muslim religious community
- He died two years later at the age of 62
- The Dome of the Rock: the earliest surviving Islamic monument, located in Jerusalem, completed in 691. It's part of a larger complex which is the third most holy place in Islam. It's actually on tom of Mount Moriah, where there was a Jewish temple (the Romans destroyed it in 70). There's a rock there on the spot where Muhammad ascended to heaven (he came back). Jewish people say that the rock is also where Abraham almost sacrificed his son Issac.
Belief and Practices
- One God: Allah
- There is good and evil, and each individual is responsible for the actions of their own life
- Five Pillars: these are five duties that all Muslims must do
- Faith: you have to testify this: "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah".
- Prayer: five times a day you must face towards Mecca and pray, either with an assembly at a mosque, or wherever you find yourself
- Alms: You have a responsibility to support the less fortunate, such as by giving alms (money for the poor)
- Fasting: During the holy month of Ramadan, you must fast between dawn and sunset. A simple meal is eaten at the end of the day. This is a reminder that your spiritual needs are greater than your physical needs.
- Pilgrimage: All Muslims must perform the hajj at least once if they are physically and financially able.
- Also, you are forbidden to eat pork or drink anything that makes you drunk
- Everybody goes and worships together on Friday afternoons
- There are no priests or central authorities, because you're supposed to worship Allah directly
- There is a scholar class called the ulama, which includes religious teacher who apply words and deeds of Muhammad to everyday life
- the original source of authority is Allah. But his angel Gabriel's revelations to Muhammad are recorded in the Islamic holy book, the Qur'an.
- The Qur'an is written in Arabic, and only Arabic is the true version of Allah, and only it can be used in worship
- Muhammad's mission as a prophet was to receive the Qur'an and demonstrate how to apply it to life
- Sunna: Muhammad's example, the best model for proper living for Muslims
- Shari'a: A body of law drawn from the Qur'an and Sunna, regulating family life, moral conduct, and business and community life of Muslims
- Allah is the same God of Jews and Christians, but Jesus was just a prophet
- the Qur'an is the word of Allah revealed to Muhammad, similar to Jews and the Torah to Moses, and Christians and the Gospels to the people who wrote them
- The Qur'an perfects earlier revisions, and it is the final book, like Muhammad, who was the final prophet
- There is heaven and hell and a day of judgement
- Muslims came from Abraham, like Jews and Christians
- Christians and Jews are "people of the book" because each of the religions have holy books with teachings similar to the Qur'an
- Shari'a law requires Muslim leaders to extend religious tolerance to people of the book
A Bit from Spread of Islam
- caliph: successor or deputy
- jihad: literally, striving; can mean inner struggle against evil, or an armed struggle against unbelievers
A Bit from Internal Conflict
- split between Shi'a and Sunni (and a small bit of Sufi)
- Sufi reject luxurious life and pursue a life of poverty and devotion to a spiritual path
- Sunni believe that the first four caliphs were "rightly guided", believe that Muslim leaders should follow the Sunna, and claim that the Shi'a have distorted the meaning of various passages in the Qur'an
- Shi'a believe that Ali, the Prophet's son-in-law, should have succeeded Muhammad, that all Muslim rulers should be descended from Muhammad (therefore they do not recognize the authority of the Sunni), and claim that the Sunni have distorted the meaning of various passages in the Qur'an
In-Class (video) 5/14
Notes from the Video (National Geographic: Inside Mecca)
- there are five pillars of Islam; one of them is the Hajj, which you must go if you are physically and financially capable
- at mecca, muslims circle the book and such
- the one god is worshipped, the god of abraham
- there is a particular season for the hajj
- the ka'aba is not worshipped, but what it represents is worshipped. it may have been built first by adam and later rebuilt by abraham after the flood
- the black stone may have fallen from heaven and been used by abraham
- Hajj rituals are very complex
- you must make Hajj in a group
- we're starting to get into stuff that Muslims say here
- Abraham instituted the pilgrimage and his story lies at the core
- for a while it became an idol worship place and people went to mecca for trade and then went to go look at the idols, but then a descendant of Abraham who lived in mecca threw out the idols: Muhammed, who saw himself as the restorer of Abraham's time
- new cover for the ka'aba was hand-sewn
- Hajj is a series of rituals performed at the end of the month
- pilgrims rest at a tent city
- pilgrims travel to the plains
- pilgrims take three days for a ritual stoning
- then they circle the ka-aba, which is the top priority
- the time for the hajj differs every year
- most pilgrims think it's essential to visit Medina, where Muhammed is buried
- men must wear two pieces of cloth similar to a funeral shroud
- circle the ka'aba seven times counterclockwise
- then Muslims speed-walk between two hilltops seven times, following the heroic desperation of Hagar, searching for water for her and her son Ishmael
- in the past, people came to mecca carrying goods to sell
- about 80% of Muslims today are non-Arabs
- once you're in a state of iram (something like that) you can't groom yourself and you can't argue
- then you go to the desert. woot?
- five miles east is the tent-city
- then you go to the plain of arafat
- arafat is where adam and eve met up again after being banished from the garden of eden, and the journey is a rehearsal for the day of judgement
- the mount of mercy is where Muhammed gave his last speech
- then you return to the tents and have a symbolic fight with the devil
- there are five pillars of Islam; one of them is the Hajj, which you must go if you are physically and financially capable
- at mecca, muslims circle the book and such
- the one god is worshipped, the god of abraham
- there is a particular season for the hajj
- the ka'aba is not worshipped, but what it represents is worshipped. it may have been built first by adam and later rebuilt by abraham after the flood
- the black stone may have fallen from heaven and been used by abraham
- Hajj rituals are very complex
- you must make Hajj in a group
- we're starting to get into stuff that Muslims say here
- Abraham instituted the pilgrimage and his story lies at the core
- for a while it became an idol worship place and people went to mecca for trade and then went to go look at the idols, but then a descendant of Abraham who lived in mecca threw out the idols: Muhammed, who saw himself as the restorer of Abraham's time
- new cover for the ka'aba was hand-sewn
- Hajj is a series of rituals performed at the end of the month
- pilgrims rest at a tent city
- pilgrims travel to the plains
- pilgrims take three days for a ritual stoning
- then they circle the ka-aba, which is the top priority
- the time for the hajj differs every year
- most pilgrims think it's essential to visit Medina, where Muhammed is buried
- men must wear two pieces of cloth similar to a funeral shroud
- circle the ka'aba seven times counterclockwise
- then Muslims speed-walk between two hilltops seven times, following the heroic desperation of Hagar, searching for water for her and her son Ishmael
- in the past, people came to mecca carrying goods to sell
- about 80% of Muslims today are non-Arabs
- once you're in a state of iram (something like that) you can't groom yourself and you can't argue
- then you go to the desert. woot?
- five miles east is the tent-city
- then you go to the plain of arafat
- arafat is where adam and eve met up again after being banished from the garden of eden, and the journey is a rehearsal for the day of judgement
- the mount of mercy is where Muhammed gave his last speech
- then you return to the tents and have a symbolic fight with the devil
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Notes from May 7th, 8th, and 9th
Maya
- not anthropomorphic gods
- one god is more like a cluster of gods - they can take on many characteristics
- other offerings (instead of blood) included flowers, food, and incense
- Popul Vah was like the Illiad or the Oddessy
- had amulets for good luck, prosperity, fertility, etc. you could put them in your home or have a small one around your neck
- corn, beans, squash! also, avocados, tomatoes, caoco
- South American geography is very important
- mountains in the middle of rainforest and desert
- the different elevations allowed for a variety of crops to be grown
- mountains were terraced and agricultural products were grown and then traded
- every thousand feet that you go up, the climate changes, so you have a whole new range of crops
- vertical trade: trading up and down the mountain
- desert provided fish and mollusks because it was close enough to the sea; that's the reason that the desert was so important
- tierra calienta: at the bottom there was tropical and coastal agriculture such as fruits, coca, fish, maize, cotton, and manioc
- tierra templada: the most populated zone, where you can grow quinoa and potatoes
- tierra fria: up to the treeline, you can grow hardy crops and a wide variety of potatoes
- tierra helada: tundra is excellent for grazing animals (llama and alpaca), and trees cannot grow there because of a layer of permafrost is constantly under the ground
- tierra nevada: ice from the top of the mountain was taken down and used for religious rituals
- manioc is a root
- quinoa is a grain that is high in protein, similar to couscous, with a nutty flavor
- the first metallurgy in the Americas: gold and gold alloy as well as copper
- first domestication of a pack animal: llamas
- terraced farming, irrigation, drainage, engineering
- buildings placed to form u-shaped figures
- people may have made pilgrimages to Chavin
- not anthropomorphic
- military may have worked in trade
- reciprocal labor: you have a clan and the clan is expected to give a certain amount of labor, and the distribution of such is not important. While some people are working on building a building, some of the others are taking care of those people's family. Then it switches. Sort of like, I owe you one. The clan takes care of everybody - the people who are going to work, their family, the people who want their labor, everything is great.
- fall: increase of war undermined government and disrupted trade
- king/priests, chiefs, artisans, peasants
- earthquakes and volcanoes
- thin air (mountains)
- peanuts, 200 types of potatoes
- straightened rivers, built canals, and terraced all the way up mountains
- humans evolved to have larger lungs and shorter, stronger legs
- the desert is at least now the driest on earth
- the sun as a creator
- Amazonian tribes caused problems
- mummification
- ancestral veneration
- elite of the p-something smooshed heads of babies into strange shapes
- these same people also drilled holes in skulls, and most people survived this...
- nazca worshipped sun, moon, and stars
- moche
- warrior-priests
- hallucinating potions
- buried surrounded by your friends in life, including your pets
- used gold, silver, and lapis lazuli
- ended through earthquakes and drought
- not anthropomorphic gods
- one god is more like a cluster of gods - they can take on many characteristics
- other offerings (instead of blood) included flowers, food, and incense
- Popul Vah was like the Illiad or the Oddessy
- had amulets for good luck, prosperity, fertility, etc. you could put them in your home or have a small one around your neck
- corn, beans, squash! also, avocados, tomatoes, caoco
- South American geography is very important
- mountains in the middle of rainforest and desert
- the different elevations allowed for a variety of crops to be grown
- mountains were terraced and agricultural products were grown and then traded
- every thousand feet that you go up, the climate changes, so you have a whole new range of crops
- vertical trade: trading up and down the mountain
- desert provided fish and mollusks because it was close enough to the sea; that's the reason that the desert was so important
- tierra calienta: at the bottom there was tropical and coastal agriculture such as fruits, coca, fish, maize, cotton, and manioc
- tierra templada: the most populated zone, where you can grow quinoa and potatoes
- tierra fria: up to the treeline, you can grow hardy crops and a wide variety of potatoes
- tierra helada: tundra is excellent for grazing animals (llama and alpaca), and trees cannot grow there because of a layer of permafrost is constantly under the ground
- tierra nevada: ice from the top of the mountain was taken down and used for religious rituals
- manioc is a root
- quinoa is a grain that is high in protein, similar to couscous, with a nutty flavor
- the first metallurgy in the Americas: gold and gold alloy as well as copper
- first domestication of a pack animal: llamas
- terraced farming, irrigation, drainage, engineering
- buildings placed to form u-shaped figures
- people may have made pilgrimages to Chavin
- not anthropomorphic
- military may have worked in trade
- reciprocal labor: you have a clan and the clan is expected to give a certain amount of labor, and the distribution of such is not important. While some people are working on building a building, some of the others are taking care of those people's family. Then it switches. Sort of like, I owe you one. The clan takes care of everybody - the people who are going to work, their family, the people who want their labor, everything is great.
- fall: increase of war undermined government and disrupted trade
- king/priests, chiefs, artisans, peasants
- earthquakes and volcanoes
- thin air (mountains)
- peanuts, 200 types of potatoes
- straightened rivers, built canals, and terraced all the way up mountains
- humans evolved to have larger lungs and shorter, stronger legs
- the desert is at least now the driest on earth
- the sun as a creator
- Amazonian tribes caused problems
- mummification
- ancestral veneration
- elite of the p-something smooshed heads of babies into strange shapes
- these same people also drilled holes in skulls, and most people survived this...
- nazca worshipped sun, moon, and stars
- moche
- warrior-priests
- hallucinating potions
- buried surrounded by your friends in life, including your pets
- used gold, silver, and lapis lazuli
- ended through earthquakes and drought
Chavin SPICE
Social
- clans were groups of people claiming descent from a common ancestor and sharing land; they thought of each other as siblings and helped each other, organizing labor and distributing goods based on that
- had an elite class with separate housing, they were the only ones who had fabric on a regular basis
- class of priests controlled religious life
- local chiefs and an overall chief or king controlled politics
- elites had better fabric, gold crowns, breastplates, and jewelry
Political
- led by local chiefs and an overall chief or king
- Capital at Chavín de Huántar, 10,300 feet high in the eastern Andes, north of Lima
- rulers controlled trade
- wide regional influence
- fell through increased warfare which disrupted trade and weakened the authority of the elite
Interaction
- the Andes
- mountainous core, arid coastal plain, and dense interior jungles
- encouraged development of specialized regional production, complex social institutions and cultural values that encouraged interregional exchanges and shared labor responsibilities
- located at the intersection of trade routes connecting the coast with populous mountain valleys
- metallurgy: 3-d gold and gold alloy ornaments
Culture
- distinctive pottery styles, religious motifs, and architectural forms
- most important religious symbol was a jaguar god
- textiles added to the reputation and prestige of the culture and helped project its power and influence
- construction of roads, bridges, temples, palaces, and large irrigation and drainage projects
- large complex of multilevel platforms made of packed earth or rubble faced with cut stone or adobe, sun-dried brick made of clay and straw
- small buildings for rituals or elite homes were built on these platforms
- platform buildings were decorated with carvings of serpents, condors, jaguars, and humans
- the largest was 250 feet on each side and 50 feet tall; about one third of its interior is hollow with narrow galleries and small rooms which may have held dead royal ancestors
- textiles: they improved in manufacture and decoration and were probably only for the elite or religious rituals
- artisans were highly skilled and made textiles, gold objects, jewelry, pottery, and the architecture
Economic
- traded pottery
- traded over a large area
- trade linked the coastal economy with the producers of a local grain, potatoes, and llamas in the high mountain valleys; also sort of with Amazonian producers of coca and fruits
- llamas were used to transport goods, they were like the camel in importance. They also provided meat and wool. A single driver could control from 10 to 30, and each of them could carry up to 70 pounds
- large amounts of fish and mollusks for food
- maize farming
- labor was an obligation; you had to maintain things
- clans were groups of people claiming descent from a common ancestor and sharing land; they thought of each other as siblings and helped each other, organizing labor and distributing goods based on that
- had an elite class with separate housing, they were the only ones who had fabric on a regular basis
- class of priests controlled religious life
- local chiefs and an overall chief or king controlled politics
- elites had better fabric, gold crowns, breastplates, and jewelry
Political
- led by local chiefs and an overall chief or king
- Capital at Chavín de Huántar, 10,300 feet high in the eastern Andes, north of Lima
- rulers controlled trade
- wide regional influence
- fell through increased warfare which disrupted trade and weakened the authority of the elite
Interaction
- the Andes
- mountainous core, arid coastal plain, and dense interior jungles
- encouraged development of specialized regional production, complex social institutions and cultural values that encouraged interregional exchanges and shared labor responsibilities
- located at the intersection of trade routes connecting the coast with populous mountain valleys
- metallurgy: 3-d gold and gold alloy ornaments
Culture
- distinctive pottery styles, religious motifs, and architectural forms
- most important religious symbol was a jaguar god
- textiles added to the reputation and prestige of the culture and helped project its power and influence
- construction of roads, bridges, temples, palaces, and large irrigation and drainage projects
- large complex of multilevel platforms made of packed earth or rubble faced with cut stone or adobe, sun-dried brick made of clay and straw
- small buildings for rituals or elite homes were built on these platforms
- platform buildings were decorated with carvings of serpents, condors, jaguars, and humans
- the largest was 250 feet on each side and 50 feet tall; about one third of its interior is hollow with narrow galleries and small rooms which may have held dead royal ancestors
- textiles: they improved in manufacture and decoration and were probably only for the elite or religious rituals
- artisans were highly skilled and made textiles, gold objects, jewelry, pottery, and the architecture
Economic
- traded pottery
- traded over a large area
- trade linked the coastal economy with the producers of a local grain, potatoes, and llamas in the high mountain valleys; also sort of with Amazonian producers of coca and fruits
- llamas were used to transport goods, they were like the camel in importance. They also provided meat and wool. A single driver could control from 10 to 30, and each of them could carry up to 70 pounds
- large amounts of fish and mollusks for food
- maize farming
- labor was an obligation; you had to maintain things
Maya - notes from the video
National Geographic: The Maya
- actually hundreds of city-states
- heartland in the south
- Tical was really a residential city, but Copan was artistic and beautiful
- gold wasn't very valuable at all
- we can read about half of the existing Maya glyphs, but it takes an expert
- predicted solar eclipses
- tobacco
- the ball game's ball was a metaphor for the movement of the sun, and they had to play the game to keep the sun going
- an origin myth included a ball game between twin heroes and the gods; the twins were forced to play, one's head was cut by bats and he had to use it to play with (the decapitated twin used a substitute head made from a squash while he was playing). When they win they resurrect their father the corn god. the Mayans sort of reenact this by playing, remember 70% of the Mayan diet is corn
- only kings talked to gods
- gods sustained the physical universe and expected humans to nourish them in return (with blood)
- blood meant something sacred... by letting it flow or whatever, they could use their Force (Star Wars)
- anyone could cut themselves
- the most important blood was the king's blood though
- this bloodletting literally allowed the sun to rise - the idea is that the gods spilt their blood to create human beings, so they were repaying it
- obviously, these people are very religious...
- the Christians took the importance of spilled blood and sort of incorporated it - Jesus' blood spilled for humanity
- possibly reduced their pain by drinking a corn beer
- textiles - Maya were weavers, they made a lot of advanced cotton textiles
- pyramids symbolize sacred mountains where the gods live and tunnels are passageways into the underworld
- the underworld was called shi-bo-ba (sounds like that) and was a place that regular people weren't likely to escape
- dead people were put in the family's basement, rich people got tombs
- temples were built right on top of each other - the top of the old one was taken down and another one was added on top
- flint was sacred - it made fire
- special blades were made of flint, possibly used in human sacrifices
- spring of 562, caracol attacked tical and won!
- they burned incense
- very warlike people, often fighting
- initially their warfare was ritualized and mostly for religious purposes
- but sometimes in the 8th century, it changed, starting with Dos Pilas: warfare was for conquest
- an arms race begins and attacking the cities became accepted
- lots of people were taken for sacrifice instead of work, and people were scared
- they decapitated people and put their heads on sticks
- Dos Pilas moved everyone into the center of the city and tried to hold out
- Copan, meanwhile, is losing faith in the divine kings, because their ruler has been captured and killed.
- Their forest and farmland was replaced by houses, and they couldn't farm as much
- the southern cities, the most advanced and with the most writing, are abandoned... but the northern ones last longer
- the city-states don't fall at the same time, they fell separately
- the northern ones aren't ruled by divine kings anymore though, and they begin to recede from the marks of civilization
- actually hundreds of city-states
- heartland in the south
- Tical was really a residential city, but Copan was artistic and beautiful
- gold wasn't very valuable at all
- we can read about half of the existing Maya glyphs, but it takes an expert
- predicted solar eclipses
- tobacco
- the ball game's ball was a metaphor for the movement of the sun, and they had to play the game to keep the sun going
- an origin myth included a ball game between twin heroes and the gods; the twins were forced to play, one's head was cut by bats and he had to use it to play with (the decapitated twin used a substitute head made from a squash while he was playing). When they win they resurrect their father the corn god. the Mayans sort of reenact this by playing, remember 70% of the Mayan diet is corn
- only kings talked to gods
- gods sustained the physical universe and expected humans to nourish them in return (with blood)
- blood meant something sacred... by letting it flow or whatever, they could use their Force (Star Wars)
- anyone could cut themselves
- the most important blood was the king's blood though
- this bloodletting literally allowed the sun to rise - the idea is that the gods spilt their blood to create human beings, so they were repaying it
- obviously, these people are very religious...
- the Christians took the importance of spilled blood and sort of incorporated it - Jesus' blood spilled for humanity
- possibly reduced their pain by drinking a corn beer
- textiles - Maya were weavers, they made a lot of advanced cotton textiles
- pyramids symbolize sacred mountains where the gods live and tunnels are passageways into the underworld
- the underworld was called shi-bo-ba (sounds like that) and was a place that regular people weren't likely to escape
- dead people were put in the family's basement, rich people got tombs
- temples were built right on top of each other - the top of the old one was taken down and another one was added on top
- flint was sacred - it made fire
- special blades were made of flint, possibly used in human sacrifices
- spring of 562, caracol attacked tical and won!
- they burned incense
- very warlike people, often fighting
- initially their warfare was ritualized and mostly for religious purposes
- but sometimes in the 8th century, it changed, starting with Dos Pilas: warfare was for conquest
- an arms race begins and attacking the cities became accepted
- lots of people were taken for sacrifice instead of work, and people were scared
- they decapitated people and put their heads on sticks
- Dos Pilas moved everyone into the center of the city and tried to hold out
- Copan, meanwhile, is losing faith in the divine kings, because their ruler has been captured and killed.
- Their forest and farmland was replaced by houses, and they couldn't farm as much
- the southern cities, the most advanced and with the most writing, are abandoned... but the northern ones last longer
- the city-states don't fall at the same time, they fell separately
- the northern ones aren't ruled by divine kings anymore though, and they begin to recede from the marks of civilization
Monday, April 30, 2012
Maya SPICE - notes from both readings
Maya (250-700)
Social
- very stratified society
- noble class included priests and leading warriors
- middle class was merchants and specialists such as
- lower class was peasants
Political
- king was divine, descended from gods
- the king was often male but sometimes female
- kingdom was hereditary - eldest son
- royal dynasties were supported by priests and warrior nobles
- had important, independantcity-states like Tikal (northern Guatemala), Copán, Palenque, Uxmal, and Chichén Itzá (a total of about 25)
- the largest city-states were Tikal and Copan with about 30,000 residents each
- each city had a number of towns and villages attached to it
- city-states warred with each other, but these were often ritualistic and intended to catch the other's ruler instead of destroy their city
- decline in 800s possibly due to horrid weather, lack of an effective government, increased war disrupting trade and causing economic problems, and population growth and overfarming damaging the environment and causing food shortages, famine, and disease such as plague
Interaction
- southern mexico into northern central america
- highland region and lowland region
- lowlands to the north include the dry scrub forest of the Yucatán Peninsula and the dense, steamy jungles of southeastern Mexico and northern Guatemala
- highlands further south are a range of cool, cloudy mountains from southern Mexico to el Salvador
- limestone, a material used for building, was in great supply
Culture
- blend of Olmec and local customs
- their king was divine and performed ceremonies that kept the visible and invisible order of the universe
- he bound together the nine levels of the underworld, the earth, and the three levels of heaven that made it possible for humans to talk to the gods and their ancestors
- when he died, there were big ceremonies to prepare him for his journey to the underworld as well as to mark the ascension of the new lord; the people of the city-state were in great danger until a new lord could maintain order
- a bit of ancestral veneration, polytheistic - around 160 gods
- gods represented things (like corn, death, rain, and war) and were associated with a cardinal direction and a color (white = north, black = west, yellow = south, red = east, green = center)
- gods could be good, evil, or both
- one god was the two-headed jaguar god of the underworld
- prayed to gods, offered food, flowers, and incense
- also pierced and cut their bodies and offered their blood as nourishment for the gods; the frequent shedding of royal blood was necessary to connect the people to the gods, and this was often painful
- the bloodletting enabled the bleeding guy to hallucinate, seeing a Vision Serpent which showed Venus warriors and ancestors, who in turn answered questions about the future; the hallucinations were another way to contact one's ancestors
- human sacrifices! usually of captured enemies
- at Chichén Itzá captives were thrown into a sinkhole lake called a cenote with gold, jade, and other offerings
- human sacrifice pleased the gods and kept the world in balance
- Venus warrior cult secured captives for sacrifice - their blood was an addition to their rituals. Some were tortured for years to give blood at many ceremonies; a captive of high standing was killed at the coronation of Maya rulers - king's other sons (not eldest who became the next king) often joined the priesthood
- playing of the ball game kept the sun and moon on their normal cycles and brought rain; players tried to move a solid rubber ball without using their hands or feet; members of the losing team might be sacrificed
- the ball game was more complicated and dangerous than that of the Olmecs: rulers played against captive rulers while wearing protective paddings, in a t-shaped court. When the captive leader lost he was tied to a rubber ball and dropped from the high temple walls or bounced down the stone steps
- pyramids were built as religious structures and could be used as tombs
- tombs contained murals, pottery, and jewelry; individual Maya rulers were shown realistically
- the afterlife was dangerous but survivable. Souls of living humans were transported in large dugout canoes across the water of life, paddled by the gods. As death approached, the boat sank, dropping the souls in to Xibalba, an underground place that stank of rotting corpses and disease and was home to demi-gods with nasty breath and horrid fart who wanted to kill human souls. If you made it through, you became an ancestor.
- time was a burden carried on the back of a god; at the end of a day, month, or year, one god would put it down and another would pick it up; a day could be lucky or unlucky depending on the nature of the god
- an accurate calendar was developed to know when the god would change, and what god needed to be honored that day - each day had two gods, one from the solar calendar and one from the ritual calendar
- to get safely through a day, a person had to know the names of the two gods controlling that day, their relations, and what had to be done to keep them happy; therefore the Maya were obsessed with good and bad days
- a 260-day religious calendar had 13 20-day months
- a 365-day solar calendar had 18 20-day months with a separate period of 5 days at the end
- these calendars were linked together so that you could find your day in both cycles and determine when to plant crops, attack enemies, and crown new rulers
- calendars were based on observation of planets, sun, and moon
- there was also the Long Count, a linear calendar; after several creations and destructions, a new creation occurred (August 13, 3,114 BCE). This could be destroyed after 4,772 CE or maybe 142,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (nonillion) years later
- astronomy and mathematics were so advanced that they were only .0002 off
- math system included zero and was base-20
- shell = zero, dots = 1 through 4, bar = five
- artwork included giant pyramids, temples, palaces, and elaborate stone carvings dedicated to the gods and important rulers
- pyramids were up to 212 feet high (and possibly more)
- steles were markers used to mark special dates or buildings
- architecture had ornamental detailing both on the interior and exterior
- Maya cities had ball courts, where a religious and political game was played
- huge tomb-pyramids were topped with tombs and palaces and surrounded by smaller mounds that were private dwellings; the tops were often connected by wide causeways used by royal and religious processions
- developed a paper from bark
- developed a writing system with about 800 glyphs, some of which were whole words and some of which were syllables
- recorded important historical events by carving in stone or writing in a bark-paper codex; only three survived
- we have deciphered Maya, in part thanks to Maya books after the Spanish conquest, including the Popol Vuh.
- 4,000,000 people speak Maya today
Economics
- trade linked the independent Maya city-states
- cities traded local products like salt, flint, feathers, shells, and honey
- manufactured good were also traded including cotton textiles and jade ornaments
- they didn't have a uniform currency but cacao beans sometimes acted as one
- agriculture-based
- growing of maize, beans, and squash
- utilized slash-and-burn agriculture as well as raised beds above swamps and on hillside terraces
- maize and vegetables grown in swamps were fertilized with swamp lilies
- the city-states traded with each other through a complex river system and roads built be forced labor
Social
- very stratified society
- noble class included priests and leading warriors
- middle class was merchants and specialists such as
- lower class was peasants
Political
- king was divine, descended from gods
- the king was often male but sometimes female
- kingdom was hereditary - eldest son
- royal dynasties were supported by priests and warrior nobles
- had important, independantcity-states like Tikal (northern Guatemala), Copán, Palenque, Uxmal, and Chichén Itzá (a total of about 25)
- the largest city-states were Tikal and Copan with about 30,000 residents each
- each city had a number of towns and villages attached to it
- city-states warred with each other, but these were often ritualistic and intended to catch the other's ruler instead of destroy their city
- decline in 800s possibly due to horrid weather, lack of an effective government, increased war disrupting trade and causing economic problems, and population growth and overfarming damaging the environment and causing food shortages, famine, and disease such as plague
Interaction
- southern mexico into northern central america
- highland region and lowland region
- lowlands to the north include the dry scrub forest of the Yucatán Peninsula and the dense, steamy jungles of southeastern Mexico and northern Guatemala
- highlands further south are a range of cool, cloudy mountains from southern Mexico to el Salvador
- limestone, a material used for building, was in great supply
Culture
- blend of Olmec and local customs
- their king was divine and performed ceremonies that kept the visible and invisible order of the universe
- he bound together the nine levels of the underworld, the earth, and the three levels of heaven that made it possible for humans to talk to the gods and their ancestors
- when he died, there were big ceremonies to prepare him for his journey to the underworld as well as to mark the ascension of the new lord; the people of the city-state were in great danger until a new lord could maintain order
- a bit of ancestral veneration, polytheistic - around 160 gods
- gods represented things (like corn, death, rain, and war) and were associated with a cardinal direction and a color (white = north, black = west, yellow = south, red = east, green = center)
- gods could be good, evil, or both
- one god was the two-headed jaguar god of the underworld
- prayed to gods, offered food, flowers, and incense
- also pierced and cut their bodies and offered their blood as nourishment for the gods; the frequent shedding of royal blood was necessary to connect the people to the gods, and this was often painful
- the bloodletting enabled the bleeding guy to hallucinate, seeing a Vision Serpent which showed Venus warriors and ancestors, who in turn answered questions about the future; the hallucinations were another way to contact one's ancestors
- human sacrifices! usually of captured enemies
- at Chichén Itzá captives were thrown into a sinkhole lake called a cenote with gold, jade, and other offerings
- human sacrifice pleased the gods and kept the world in balance
- Venus warrior cult secured captives for sacrifice - their blood was an addition to their rituals. Some were tortured for years to give blood at many ceremonies; a captive of high standing was killed at the coronation of Maya rulers - king's other sons (not eldest who became the next king) often joined the priesthood
- playing of the ball game kept the sun and moon on their normal cycles and brought rain; players tried to move a solid rubber ball without using their hands or feet; members of the losing team might be sacrificed
- the ball game was more complicated and dangerous than that of the Olmecs: rulers played against captive rulers while wearing protective paddings, in a t-shaped court. When the captive leader lost he was tied to a rubber ball and dropped from the high temple walls or bounced down the stone steps
- pyramids were built as religious structures and could be used as tombs
- tombs contained murals, pottery, and jewelry; individual Maya rulers were shown realistically
- the afterlife was dangerous but survivable. Souls of living humans were transported in large dugout canoes across the water of life, paddled by the gods. As death approached, the boat sank, dropping the souls in to Xibalba, an underground place that stank of rotting corpses and disease and was home to demi-gods with nasty breath and horrid fart who wanted to kill human souls. If you made it through, you became an ancestor.
- time was a burden carried on the back of a god; at the end of a day, month, or year, one god would put it down and another would pick it up; a day could be lucky or unlucky depending on the nature of the god
- an accurate calendar was developed to know when the god would change, and what god needed to be honored that day - each day had two gods, one from the solar calendar and one from the ritual calendar
- to get safely through a day, a person had to know the names of the two gods controlling that day, their relations, and what had to be done to keep them happy; therefore the Maya were obsessed with good and bad days
- a 260-day religious calendar had 13 20-day months
- a 365-day solar calendar had 18 20-day months with a separate period of 5 days at the end
- these calendars were linked together so that you could find your day in both cycles and determine when to plant crops, attack enemies, and crown new rulers
- calendars were based on observation of planets, sun, and moon
- there was also the Long Count, a linear calendar; after several creations and destructions, a new creation occurred (August 13, 3,114 BCE). This could be destroyed after 4,772 CE or maybe 142,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (nonillion) years later
- astronomy and mathematics were so advanced that they were only .0002 off
- math system included zero and was base-20
- shell = zero, dots = 1 through 4, bar = five
- artwork included giant pyramids, temples, palaces, and elaborate stone carvings dedicated to the gods and important rulers
- pyramids were up to 212 feet high (and possibly more)
- steles were markers used to mark special dates or buildings
- architecture had ornamental detailing both on the interior and exterior
- Maya cities had ball courts, where a religious and political game was played
- huge tomb-pyramids were topped with tombs and palaces and surrounded by smaller mounds that were private dwellings; the tops were often connected by wide causeways used by royal and religious processions
- developed a paper from bark
- developed a writing system with about 800 glyphs, some of which were whole words and some of which were syllables
- recorded important historical events by carving in stone or writing in a bark-paper codex; only three survived
- we have deciphered Maya, in part thanks to Maya books after the Spanish conquest, including the Popol Vuh.
- 4,000,000 people speak Maya today
Economics
- trade linked the independent Maya city-states
- cities traded local products like salt, flint, feathers, shells, and honey
- manufactured good were also traded including cotton textiles and jade ornaments
- they didn't have a uniform currency but cacao beans sometimes acted as one
- agriculture-based
- growing of maize, beans, and squash
- utilized slash-and-burn agriculture as well as raised beds above swamps and on hillside terraces
- maize and vegetables grown in swamps were fertilized with swamp lilies
- the city-states traded with each other through a complex river system and roads built be forced labor
Notes in-class 4/30
Taotihuacán (100 BCE - 750 CE)
- may have mined obsidian - the reason for their location in a place without much rain
- the elite had a great deal of power
- they probably didn't have kings; if they did, he was weak, and controlled by the elite
- elite probably got their wealth through trade
- there were apartment-type buildings and separate housing for the normal and the elites; the elites had fancier clothes and food
- about 2% were artisans and craftsmen - over 400 workshops in certain areas of the city
- the rest of the population were probably farmers or peasants who lived in the apartments in the city
- cities are not just ceremonial centers like the Olmecs, but an urban center also
- huge population plummet when they fell - 150,000-200,000 down to 40,000
- pyramids of the moon and sun, and the avenue of the dead also
- sacrificial victims were buried around the temple of Quetzalcoatl, around 60 graves
- the avenue of the dead is about a mile long and leads from the temple of Quetzalcoatl to the Pyramid of the Moon. The Pyramid of the Sun in between them. It's almost going north to south, but not quite. Basically the Avenue of the Dead is a bit like Main Street, or Peachtree.
- all around this setup, you have workshops, in certain concentrations
- houses were usually built on platforms
- the temple/pyramid of the sun takes up as much space at the base as the largest Egyptian pyramid, but it isn't as tall
- there was a crazy chicken associated with the underworld
- power wasn't really concentrated in one guy
- Teotihuacán was in the classical period
- lots of different ethnic groups were brought to the city for labor
- Chinampas were a big, big deal - you could make it watertight or you could drain it by taking away a couple of rocks
- engineering, geometry, and a bit of physics to build the pyramids
- possibly a theocratic government
- priest class very respected
- usually temples were painted
- a tourist attraction for both trade and religion
- trade went pretty much everywhere
- loads of people lived in the city and went to the outskirts to farm
- dominated obsidian market
- chopal, a tree resin from the coast, was used to manufacture items
- trading outposts reached 700 miles south
- upper class used labor forces to transform land
- so this is indicating forced labor instead of slaves, they didn't have slaves. Slightly like the Old Kingdom Egyptian labor, except without the benefits (that we know of)
- 400+ workshops found throughout the city in distinct locations: they manufactured!
- may have mined obsidian - the reason for their location in a place without much rain
- the elite had a great deal of power
- they probably didn't have kings; if they did, he was weak, and controlled by the elite
- elite probably got their wealth through trade
- there were apartment-type buildings and separate housing for the normal and the elites; the elites had fancier clothes and food
- about 2% were artisans and craftsmen - over 400 workshops in certain areas of the city
- the rest of the population were probably farmers or peasants who lived in the apartments in the city
- cities are not just ceremonial centers like the Olmecs, but an urban center also
- huge population plummet when they fell - 150,000-200,000 down to 40,000
- pyramids of the moon and sun, and the avenue of the dead also
- sacrificial victims were buried around the temple of Quetzalcoatl, around 60 graves
- the avenue of the dead is about a mile long and leads from the temple of Quetzalcoatl to the Pyramid of the Moon. The Pyramid of the Sun in between them. It's almost going north to south, but not quite. Basically the Avenue of the Dead is a bit like Main Street, or Peachtree.
- all around this setup, you have workshops, in certain concentrations
- houses were usually built on platforms
- the temple/pyramid of the sun takes up as much space at the base as the largest Egyptian pyramid, but it isn't as tall
- there was a crazy chicken associated with the underworld
- power wasn't really concentrated in one guy
- Teotihuacán was in the classical period
- lots of different ethnic groups were brought to the city for labor
- Chinampas were a big, big deal - you could make it watertight or you could drain it by taking away a couple of rocks
- engineering, geometry, and a bit of physics to build the pyramids
- possibly a theocratic government
- priest class very respected
- usually temples were painted
- a tourist attraction for both trade and religion
- trade went pretty much everywhere
- loads of people lived in the city and went to the outskirts to farm
- dominated obsidian market
- chopal, a tree resin from the coast, was used to manufacture items
- trading outposts reached 700 miles south
- upper class used labor forces to transform land
- so this is indicating forced labor instead of slaves, they didn't have slaves. Slightly like the Old Kingdom Egyptian labor, except without the benefits (that we know of)
- 400+ workshops found throughout the city in distinct locations: they manufactured!
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Teotihuacan SPICE
Teotihuacan (100 BCE - 750 CE)
Social
- stratified with an elite class which controlled the state bureaucracy, tax collection, and commerce; dressed and ate differently than the others. Possibly a priestly class.
- craftsmen, over 2% of the population, produced pottery and obsidian tools
- over 66% of the population worked in agriculture
Political
- the elite class used the city's labor resources to bring lands on the outside into production, draining swamps, building irrigation, building terraces into hills, and using chinampas, artificial islands
- elite, priestly class controlled bureaucracy, tax collection, and commerce
- they did not have one single ruler; the individual rulers or ruling dynasty did not have absolute power
- possibly ruled instead by alliances of elite families or their weak king puppets
- relatively peaceful; they had no defensive structures before 500 CE. However they had a military for long-distance trade protection and to collect peasants' agricultural surpluses. They may have also expanded trade relations
- in 500 CE the walls were built and population declined to 40,000, marking weakness. They finally collapsed in 650 CE
- people used to think that they were overwhelmed by a nearby city rival or nomadic warrior peoples from the north
- now, people thing that there was conflict among the elite families and mismanagement of resources, leading to class conflict and loss of public order, pulling down important temples, defacing religious images, burning elite palaces and killing their inhabitants.
Interaction
- they were about 30 miles northeast of Mexico City
- pilgrims came to the city for its religious significance, often becoming permanent residents
Culture
- they were polytheistic and animist, worshipping many gods (including the sun, the moon, a storm-god, and Quetzalcoatl) and lesser spirits
- Quetzalcoatl was a feathered serpent, believed to the the originator of agriculture and the arts
- human sacrifice was practiced as a sacred duty to the gods and an act essential to the well-being of human society
- priestly class shown in temple murals as well as palace murals
- a great religious center that attracted pilgrims, some of which became permanent residents
- around 200,000 inhabitants at the height
- religious architecture included large pyramids dedicated to the sun and moon, and smaller temples devoted to other gods (over 20 total). These pyramids were arranged along a central avenues
- housing changed as population grew, into apartment-like stone buildings
Economics
- more than two-thirds of the city's occupants worked in agriculture
- used chinampas, artificial islands anchored by trees and made by heaping lake muck and waste on top of reed beds.
These permitted year-round agriculture because they were sub-surface irrigated and resistant to frost
- traded pottery and obsidian tools throughout central mexico and into Maya Guatemala
Social
- stratified with an elite class which controlled the state bureaucracy, tax collection, and commerce; dressed and ate differently than the others. Possibly a priestly class.
- craftsmen, over 2% of the population, produced pottery and obsidian tools
- over 66% of the population worked in agriculture
Political
- the elite class used the city's labor resources to bring lands on the outside into production, draining swamps, building irrigation, building terraces into hills, and using chinampas, artificial islands
- elite, priestly class controlled bureaucracy, tax collection, and commerce
- they did not have one single ruler; the individual rulers or ruling dynasty did not have absolute power
- possibly ruled instead by alliances of elite families or their weak king puppets
- relatively peaceful; they had no defensive structures before 500 CE. However they had a military for long-distance trade protection and to collect peasants' agricultural surpluses. They may have also expanded trade relations
- in 500 CE the walls were built and population declined to 40,000, marking weakness. They finally collapsed in 650 CE
- people used to think that they were overwhelmed by a nearby city rival or nomadic warrior peoples from the north
- now, people thing that there was conflict among the elite families and mismanagement of resources, leading to class conflict and loss of public order, pulling down important temples, defacing religious images, burning elite palaces and killing their inhabitants.
Interaction
- they were about 30 miles northeast of Mexico City
- pilgrims came to the city for its religious significance, often becoming permanent residents
Culture
- they were polytheistic and animist, worshipping many gods (including the sun, the moon, a storm-god, and Quetzalcoatl) and lesser spirits
- Quetzalcoatl was a feathered serpent, believed to the the originator of agriculture and the arts
- human sacrifice was practiced as a sacred duty to the gods and an act essential to the well-being of human society
- priestly class shown in temple murals as well as palace murals
- a great religious center that attracted pilgrims, some of which became permanent residents
- around 200,000 inhabitants at the height
- religious architecture included large pyramids dedicated to the sun and moon, and smaller temples devoted to other gods (over 20 total). These pyramids were arranged along a central avenues
- housing changed as population grew, into apartment-like stone buildings
Economics
- more than two-thirds of the city's occupants worked in agriculture
- used chinampas, artificial islands anchored by trees and made by heaping lake muck and waste on top of reed beds.
These permitted year-round agriculture because they were sub-surface irrigated and resistant to frost
- traded pottery and obsidian tools throughout central mexico and into Maya Guatemala
Class Notes 4/27
Migration
- the americas were the last continents to be peopled
- we're not sure when it was
- since they were peopled later, they developed agriculture later
Olmecs
- most made a living from farming maize, corn, squash, and beans
- rotation of crops allowed for farming in the same area
- mesoamerica: mexico to panama - middle america.
- mesoamerica has two major climate regions. on the central mexican plateau, it's comfortably cool. further down, it's very rainy and tropical, warm and wet.
- olmecs were the first mesoamerican culture to develop
- obsidian was what they wanted - a hard black stone used to make weapons and decorative objects
- they did not have metallurgy: they used metal for decorative items (gold), but their weapons were made of obsidian. it can be extremely sharp.
- obsidian had to be traded for though, because they didn't have it naturally, so they developed extensive trading networks
- jade was more valuable than gold
- again, culture is spread through trade, like with sumer - these guys are the mother culture, they did everything first. everyone else copied.
- they worshiped a google-eyed god, and the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl
- developed first calendar, writing system, ceremonial centers, ball games. the only thing people didn't copy was the giant heads
- mexican plateau provided obsidian, and honduras had jade
- since they were along the shore, they also had access to shells and feathers
- obsidian, jade, and quarts were used to make necklaces, carvings, ceremonial knives and axes
- the olmec were also the first to practice human sacrifice
- because they did not fight using metal, their wars had lower death toll, so human sacrifices were probably a form of population control
- the only domesticated animals they had were dogs and guinea pigs, and that didn't go everywhere
- the ball game may have been a way to determine who was sacrificed - the losers (or possibly the winners) got killed
- they built mosaics in the pavement, and then buried - they weren't for everyone to see. it was somehow related to religion.
- they painted practically everything
- all the giant heads are unique, and probably heads of rulers
- in order to have built all of these religious buildings, the government must have been closely related
- olmec heads had blemishes and uneven teeth, but all of them were wearing headdress-type things which may have been helmets for the ball game (the ball was made of hard rubber and could have caused concussions), they all had slightly baby-ish faces
- there is a lot of artwork about baby/jaguar creatures; this goes back to the myth that the a jaguar and a woman mated and had a child, and the child ate the mother while it was nursing, and then became the first olmec ruler
- then there is quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, and it goes throughout the other civilizations, including the maya
- the americas were the last continents to be peopled
- we're not sure when it was
- since they were peopled later, they developed agriculture later
Olmecs
- most made a living from farming maize, corn, squash, and beans
- rotation of crops allowed for farming in the same area
- mesoamerica: mexico to panama - middle america.
- mesoamerica has two major climate regions. on the central mexican plateau, it's comfortably cool. further down, it's very rainy and tropical, warm and wet.
- olmecs were the first mesoamerican culture to develop
- obsidian was what they wanted - a hard black stone used to make weapons and decorative objects
- they did not have metallurgy: they used metal for decorative items (gold), but their weapons were made of obsidian. it can be extremely sharp.
- obsidian had to be traded for though, because they didn't have it naturally, so they developed extensive trading networks
- jade was more valuable than gold
- again, culture is spread through trade, like with sumer - these guys are the mother culture, they did everything first. everyone else copied.
- they worshiped a google-eyed god, and the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl
- developed first calendar, writing system, ceremonial centers, ball games. the only thing people didn't copy was the giant heads
- mexican plateau provided obsidian, and honduras had jade
- since they were along the shore, they also had access to shells and feathers
- obsidian, jade, and quarts were used to make necklaces, carvings, ceremonial knives and axes
- the olmec were also the first to practice human sacrifice
- because they did not fight using metal, their wars had lower death toll, so human sacrifices were probably a form of population control
- the only domesticated animals they had were dogs and guinea pigs, and that didn't go everywhere
- the ball game may have been a way to determine who was sacrificed - the losers (or possibly the winners) got killed
- they built mosaics in the pavement, and then buried - they weren't for everyone to see. it was somehow related to religion.
- they painted practically everything
- all the giant heads are unique, and probably heads of rulers
- in order to have built all of these religious buildings, the government must have been closely related
- olmec heads had blemishes and uneven teeth, but all of them were wearing headdress-type things which may have been helmets for the ball game (the ball was made of hard rubber and could have caused concussions), they all had slightly baby-ish faces
- there is a lot of artwork about baby/jaguar creatures; this goes back to the myth that the a jaguar and a woman mated and had a child, and the child ate the mother while it was nursing, and then became the first olmec ruler
- then there is quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent, and it goes throughout the other civilizations, including the maya
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Reading Notes on the Olmec
The Olmec
1200 BCE - 400 BCE
Social
Political
- had an elite ruling class
- declined for unknown reasons; possibly invaders, or the death of an important ruler
Interaction
- located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico
- hot and humid region covered with swamps and jungle, with little sunlight and much rainfall, which caused floods often
- lots of salt, tar, wood, rubber, hard stone, river transportation, fine clay, and most importantly flood plains of the rivers with fertile land
Cultural
- built tombs for their rulers in the vague shape of a pyramid
- animist - prayed to a variety of nature gods
- most important god was the jaguar spirit, half-human and half-jaguar, which may have been a rain god. There may have also been three jaguars, representing the earth, fertility, and maize
- had planned ceremonial centers
- had ritual ball games
- no clear evidence of writing, but possible
- art included realistic sculptures of giant heads with thick lips, flat noses, and large, oval eyes
- architecture included earthen mounds, courtyards, and pyramids with columns, altars, and more giant heads
- may have moved the giant heads by taking them over land using rolling logs, then rafting them along waterways
- art such as jaguar motifs is seen in later people's pottery and sculpture; urban design patterns were also copied
Economic
- large trading network throughout Mesoamerica
- north to Mexico City and south to Honduras
- imported raw goods from far away such as iron ore and various stones
1200 BCE - 400 BCE
Social
Political
- had an elite ruling class
- declined for unknown reasons; possibly invaders, or the death of an important ruler
Interaction
- located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico
- hot and humid region covered with swamps and jungle, with little sunlight and much rainfall, which caused floods often
- lots of salt, tar, wood, rubber, hard stone, river transportation, fine clay, and most importantly flood plains of the rivers with fertile land
Cultural
- built tombs for their rulers in the vague shape of a pyramid
- animist - prayed to a variety of nature gods
- most important god was the jaguar spirit, half-human and half-jaguar, which may have been a rain god. There may have also been three jaguars, representing the earth, fertility, and maize
- had planned ceremonial centers
- had ritual ball games
- no clear evidence of writing, but possible
- art included realistic sculptures of giant heads with thick lips, flat noses, and large, oval eyes
- architecture included earthen mounds, courtyards, and pyramids with columns, altars, and more giant heads
- may have moved the giant heads by taking them over land using rolling logs, then rafting them along waterways
- art such as jaguar motifs is seen in later people's pottery and sculpture; urban design patterns were also copied
Economic
- large trading network throughout Mesoamerica
- north to Mexico City and south to Honduras
- imported raw goods from far away such as iron ore and various stones
Monday, April 23, 2012
All Notes on Classical Trade Networks (about April 10-23)
Networks of Communication and Exchange
300 BCE - 600 CE
Bantu Migrations - impact:
- native sub-saharans hunting and gathering intermarried with the bantu and learned how to farm
- brought iron smelting to sub-saharans as well as iron weapons to replace wood, stone, and bone (since the bantu had iron, they had the advantage, and were the teaching group)
- brought their language to the click-speaking sub-saharans
Four Networks of Trade - interconnecting
Sub-Saharan Africa, Rome and the Mediterranean, China, and India.
What developments reduced the risks of long-distance trade and stimulated trade in classical times?
- Small empires had much ungoverned space between them, and brigands and such caused traveling issues. When empires grew larger, the areas of protection expanded until they bordered each other.
- Roads and bridges were built for mainly military purposes but stimulated trade as well. Rome, Han's corridor to Bactria, Persia's roads with rest stops, etcetera.
- Technology such as boats developed apace.
Alexander the Great's conquests brought Greek civilization into contact with eastern ideas. He conquered all the way to India, spreading the Hellenistic culture, and since he'd conquered everything that was anything except China, their ideas merged with the Hellenistic ones.
The Selucid empire, from the Mediterranean to Bactria, controlled the lands, linking from Bactria to the sea, and they are connected to India through Bactria. Also they are connected to Phonecian ports.
Ptolemaic empire, in Egypt watched over land trade and sea trade, in the Mediterranean and in the Red sea. They built a port on the Red Sea called Burnese, which was very important and connected Sub-Saharan Africa, Northern Africa, and India, and they observed the monsoons in order to know the right time to sail.
Major trade routes of the classical period: maritime silk road through the Indian ocean, silk road through Arabia, Persia, India, and China, down around the horn of Africa, throughout the mediterranean, and throughout sub-saharan africa.
Two major types of trade contacts:
Land routes (trans-saharan, silk road)
Sea routes (indian ocean, mediterranean sea)
Tran-Saharan Trade Contacts:
Weaving web of trade throughout the Sahara.
This is made possible through the domestication of the camel and development of a saddle.
Items from Sub-Saharan Africa first went to Eastern Africa, to Meroe and Axsum, where it then expanded.
Silent trade, as described earlier, was often utilized.
Desert salt was an important trading commodity.
They exported forest products, kola nuts, palm oil, rhinoceros horns, tortoise shells, ivory, emeralds, and gold. And salt.
They imported cloth, glass, olive oil, wine, brass, iron, and copper.
Sailing - Mediterranean versus Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean:
- strong seasonal winds made navigation difficult, so a triangular sail called a lateen sail was used
- this sail was more maneuverable
- boats were smaller than those used in the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea:
- very calm waters (normally)
- sails large and flat to pick up wind
- ships had rowers and stayed close to the shore
- ships were larger to house the numerous oarsmen
Mediterranean Sea Trade:
- sea lanes linked the port of Rome (Ostia) to Syria, Palestine, Spain, and north Africa
- Roman military and naval power kept the sea lanes largely free from pirates
- dominated by Roman mariners
Ideas, People, and Diseases:
- Buddhism to China and Southeast Asia by both land and sea
- Hinduism spreads to Southeast Asia through sea trade routes, across the bay of bengal
- Christianity becomes dominant and Rome and goes to Mesopotamia, Iran, Persia, Ethiopia (324 - early), Gaul, and India (Armenia, kings convert and Christianity shoots east)
- Zoroastrianism to India, influence on Christianity and Judaism
- Indian influence on Christianity, asceticism, return to West
- King's religion and conversions affect the entire populace
- Kings in southeast asia called themselves rajah, built indian-style temples and walls, and used sanskrit as an official language
- Southeast asia - cults of Shiva and Vishnu
Buddhism:
- by post-classical times it became the most popular religion in east Asia (Japan, Korea, China) though it was spreading in classical times
- brought its artistic styles and literature to these countries (especially China)
- Fuxian: Chinese official who traveled along the silk road, visited Buddhist monasteries, and was so interested he went to Sri Lanka for two years and studied it. Then he went home and spread it. He was gone for 15 years (he got stranded on Java for six months on the way back, he was taking the Indian Ocean system).
- Merchants from India with following monks also spread it. Rich merchants convert, give monks lots of money, and the begging bowls become just symbols.
- Evolution - Mahayana Buddhists now don't have to be monks. This is good for China because monks can't carry on the family name! The main goal becomes to be a bodhisattva. Confucius and Laodzi became bodhisattvas. Gods became bodhisattvas - similar to Hinduism, incorporating local gods. Buddhist beliefs about celibacy and monks changed to work with Confucian values. Buddhism and Hellenistic art styles.
- Buddhism doesn't become very popular in China until the Han fall.
Christianity:
- Asceticism in India influences monks and hermits - Europe, North Africa, Greek islands - hermits and monks who withdraw from everything. Meditation to praying. Vows of celibacy.
- Buddhism and Christianity: performance of miracles, virgin birth, heaven, three aspects of buddha (heaven, earth, spirit)
Disease:
Reading.
Smallpox, measles, bubonic plague
1/3 Roman population dies. Including Marcus Aurelius.
1/5 Chinese population dies.
Persia and India and Arabia were probably impacted also.
Brought fall of Roman empire and instability in others.
Trade declines worldwide, greater self-sufficiency.
Migration:
Bantus migrate gradually and over a long time.
Huns migrations to Persia, India, Rome
Germanic tribes migrate
Polynesians migrate from southeast asia outwards, gradually and over a long time. They used two hollowed-out canoes with a raft in-between and sails on the front and back of the raft.
300 BCE - 600 CE
Bantu Migrations - impact:
- native sub-saharans hunting and gathering intermarried with the bantu and learned how to farm
- brought iron smelting to sub-saharans as well as iron weapons to replace wood, stone, and bone (since the bantu had iron, they had the advantage, and were the teaching group)
- brought their language to the click-speaking sub-saharans
Four Networks of Trade - interconnecting
Sub-Saharan Africa, Rome and the Mediterranean, China, and India.
What developments reduced the risks of long-distance trade and stimulated trade in classical times?
- Small empires had much ungoverned space between them, and brigands and such caused traveling issues. When empires grew larger, the areas of protection expanded until they bordered each other.
- Roads and bridges were built for mainly military purposes but stimulated trade as well. Rome, Han's corridor to Bactria, Persia's roads with rest stops, etcetera.
- Technology such as boats developed apace.
Alexander the Great's conquests brought Greek civilization into contact with eastern ideas. He conquered all the way to India, spreading the Hellenistic culture, and since he'd conquered everything that was anything except China, their ideas merged with the Hellenistic ones.
The Selucid empire, from the Mediterranean to Bactria, controlled the lands, linking from Bactria to the sea, and they are connected to India through Bactria. Also they are connected to Phonecian ports.
Ptolemaic empire, in Egypt watched over land trade and sea trade, in the Mediterranean and in the Red sea. They built a port on the Red Sea called Burnese, which was very important and connected Sub-Saharan Africa, Northern Africa, and India, and they observed the monsoons in order to know the right time to sail.
Major trade routes of the classical period: maritime silk road through the Indian ocean, silk road through Arabia, Persia, India, and China, down around the horn of Africa, throughout the mediterranean, and throughout sub-saharan africa.
Two major types of trade contacts:
Land routes (trans-saharan, silk road)
Sea routes (indian ocean, mediterranean sea)
Tran-Saharan Trade Contacts:
Weaving web of trade throughout the Sahara.
This is made possible through the domestication of the camel and development of a saddle.
Items from Sub-Saharan Africa first went to Eastern Africa, to Meroe and Axsum, where it then expanded.
Silent trade, as described earlier, was often utilized.
Desert salt was an important trading commodity.
They exported forest products, kola nuts, palm oil, rhinoceros horns, tortoise shells, ivory, emeralds, and gold. And salt.
They imported cloth, glass, olive oil, wine, brass, iron, and copper.
Sailing - Mediterranean versus Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean:
- strong seasonal winds made navigation difficult, so a triangular sail called a lateen sail was used
- this sail was more maneuverable
- boats were smaller than those used in the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea:
- very calm waters (normally)
- sails large and flat to pick up wind
- ships had rowers and stayed close to the shore
- ships were larger to house the numerous oarsmen
Mediterranean Sea Trade:
- sea lanes linked the port of Rome (Ostia) to Syria, Palestine, Spain, and north Africa
- Roman military and naval power kept the sea lanes largely free from pirates
- dominated by Roman mariners
Ideas, People, and Diseases:
- Buddhism to China and Southeast Asia by both land and sea
- Hinduism spreads to Southeast Asia through sea trade routes, across the bay of bengal
- Christianity becomes dominant and Rome and goes to Mesopotamia, Iran, Persia, Ethiopia (324 - early), Gaul, and India (Armenia, kings convert and Christianity shoots east)
- Zoroastrianism to India, influence on Christianity and Judaism
- Indian influence on Christianity, asceticism, return to West
- King's religion and conversions affect the entire populace
- Kings in southeast asia called themselves rajah, built indian-style temples and walls, and used sanskrit as an official language
- Southeast asia - cults of Shiva and Vishnu
Buddhism:
- by post-classical times it became the most popular religion in east Asia (Japan, Korea, China) though it was spreading in classical times
- brought its artistic styles and literature to these countries (especially China)
- Fuxian: Chinese official who traveled along the silk road, visited Buddhist monasteries, and was so interested he went to Sri Lanka for two years and studied it. Then he went home and spread it. He was gone for 15 years (he got stranded on Java for six months on the way back, he was taking the Indian Ocean system).
- Merchants from India with following monks also spread it. Rich merchants convert, give monks lots of money, and the begging bowls become just symbols.
- Evolution - Mahayana Buddhists now don't have to be monks. This is good for China because monks can't carry on the family name! The main goal becomes to be a bodhisattva. Confucius and Laodzi became bodhisattvas. Gods became bodhisattvas - similar to Hinduism, incorporating local gods. Buddhist beliefs about celibacy and monks changed to work with Confucian values. Buddhism and Hellenistic art styles.
- Buddhism doesn't become very popular in China until the Han fall.
Christianity:
- Asceticism in India influences monks and hermits - Europe, North Africa, Greek islands - hermits and monks who withdraw from everything. Meditation to praying. Vows of celibacy.
- Buddhism and Christianity: performance of miracles, virgin birth, heaven, three aspects of buddha (heaven, earth, spirit)
Disease:
Reading.
Smallpox, measles, bubonic plague
1/3 Roman population dies. Including Marcus Aurelius.
1/5 Chinese population dies.
Persia and India and Arabia were probably impacted also.
Brought fall of Roman empire and instability in others.
Trade declines worldwide, greater self-sufficiency.
Migration:
Bantus migrate gradually and over a long time.
Huns migrations to Persia, India, Rome
Germanic tribes migrate
Polynesians migrate from southeast asia outwards, gradually and over a long time. They used two hollowed-out canoes with a raft in-between and sails on the front and back of the raft.
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