AnnieRooMorgan: Blog 5

This week I read Chapter 3 in Ways of the World written by Robert W. Strayer. This chapter was about the first civilizations in the years 3500 B.C.E.- 500 B.C.E., that were established. All together there are six first societies, they include: Olmec Civilization, Norte Chico Civilization, Mesopotamia, Indus Valley Civilization, Chinese Civilization, known as the Shang Dynasty, and Egyptian Civilization. It is shown that human behavior started this early because of the nature of wanting to explore the lands.

Something that I found fascinating was the discovery of the Norte Chico Civilization in South Americas. Norte Chico had the least economic specialization because of the vast distance from other civilizations. Archeologists believe that is why they lacked communications with other lands. Recently, it was found that the people of Norte Chico used “Quipo” a kind of writing utensils to exchange words with each other. This was very appealing to me, because I started thinking of how people back then could have even thought of that idea of using “Quipo” to communicate. It was a string with knots in it, probably separated from each other with some knots being larger and smaller than other ones. It is just like human kind to try to make the best out of what they had.

Archeologists really look into how exactly the different origins started. They believe that the Agricultural Revolution started it because of the role of animals, people, and technology. It was a gradual process to develop the civilizations and took time to expand. At first there were several small cities that eventually were dominated by the bigger cities causing the six main civilizations to increase in land, power, and agriculture. People wanted to explore their neighboring lands making the lasting civilizations spread throughout the world.

At this early point in history, the civilizations started creating hierarchies between genders, power, and status. The role of males already had the domination over women in some civilizations because of the increasing agriculture. Women had less to do in the field because they were known for reproduction. This was significant with the Greeks in Athens and the Romans. I thought this was significant because that was the first sign of life with Adam and Eve. Also, social power created hierarchies. The authorities in the societies had slaves, which were the prisoners of war, criminals, and debtors. Their role was to keep the irrigation steady. This also had the result of human rights. The pyramids that were being built in Egypt had the essence of power. The people used a special technique called “ziggurat,” which was stepped pyramids. These ziggurats were on top of the temples in the pyramids. Towns were built in them and they also were used as tombs, which created the rights of humans. Clothing already had the representation of status. For example, the fabric the people used such as silk, and certain patterns, textures, and colors served as hierarchies. Kings and rulers wore the more decorous clothing because of their status they grew within the civilizations. The characteristics of the societies had a long lasting imprint on the world. You can see this in the way we are still follow the trends.

Blog 2

Last night I read Ways of the World- chapter one, and surprisingly, it grabbed my attention. Like most history books it lists facts and facts and well more facts; however, this book was different. This book has facts but it tells a story within it. For some odd reason I found it interesting. For instance, I liked how the book has graphs to show the differences between the life expectancies like on page 23. The organization of the sections made more sense to me because it formed a way for me to compare the other continents to each other: from Africa then Eurasia to Australia to America then Pacific.

History is, well let’s say not one of my strengths. I am majoring in Fine art but for some reason it is impossible for me to remember dates and names. So when I read a history book I usually dread it, but for Ways of the World it seems as this scenario is not the case. Ways of the World has pictures, graphs, and short questions to help bring all the information together, which for me helps a lot. In the chapter, it talks about how the different eras varied from each other. It seemed as if each one differed from the other. The book also went into great detail about how the art varied in different continents such as the Eurasia specialized in cave paintings representing reindeers, horses, bulls, and humans. Also in Australia, I earned that they were the first to use boats. Maybe that is why they are the known as the beach country.  They also created Dreamtime, a way of networks for migration, communication, and exchange between the continents.  Then the book talked about America and how they created Clovis point, Clovis point are people who camp near rivers, waterholes, and springs. They are people who hunt for large mammals, for example, mammoths and bison. What I found interesting is how the book taught me that since Clovis people did hunt for large mammals, is that why these animals are extinct- due to the hunting or was it because the climate changed due from the ice Age? This is when the book made me think; I felt as if I actually understood what a history book was discussing about.

I later realized that as the book mentions the different continents they listed it in order from the first civilized to the last, which I thought was even cleverer. The last one that is discussed is the Pacific Ocean, near New Guinea and islands of the Philippines. In this era they were fighting with technology times. Soon after being settled animals started becoming extinct because of the technology demolishing the forests.

When discussing religion, many Paleolithic cultures referred to their ancestors, such as Venus. One of the most famous female figures that are listed in the book is the Venus figurine found in Austria. The picture of this magnificent Venus figurine made me giggle because it is a stone with curves and bumps. This stood out to me because it shows how different our society is now, compared to how it was back then. They look at beauty by the voluptuous lumps a women has rather then the tightness the women’s body is. It makes me wish our society still were in that mindset. Throughout my time that I spent reading, I learned a great amount of how our world got brought to be, and how I appreciate the difficulties it was to get our world started.

Blog 3

During the mid-afternoon on Sunday, I read chapter two in Ways of the World, called First Farmers. At first, when I glanced at the title of the chapter it made me feel extremely tired, as it most likely would anyone; however, I pushed my thoughts to the side and read the first paragraph about Elsie Eiler. Elsie Eiler was the introduction the book used to tie in the topic of the chapter: the Neolithic Era or in other words the Agriculture Revolution. This was a time when farming over took the beginning of the world; this action formed how we humans live our lives. There are two types of agriculture. One being domestication, which means a change in the environment for humankind such as less wildlife but more human resources for the people, and the other intensification: the making of more resources on less land. These are what I call the bittersweet characteristics of agriculture. Some see it is better for humankind to use the earth to keep improving their resources; yet, others find it immortal for us to destroy the world from its natural environment.

       One of the many things that stood out to me was how the global warming from the Ice Age sparked the Agricultural Era. The first actively lived areas were the Middle East, Australia, and the Amazon. I thought this was extremely ironic how the Middle East was one of the first to have agriculture. I thought this because it gives a reason for archeologists to believe in God since the first humans were from the Middle East, example- Adam and Eve. From an archeologist’s standpoint, I don't understand how one cannot believe in the Bible. There are facts that show the first human existence being in the Middle East coming from the area of Africa right where all of the Israelites lived. Throughout all the different interpretations of how our world started the Bible makes the most logical sense, but who am I to say what is right and wrong.

       Another fascinating fact that was brought to my attention is how agriculture spread throughout the world. For instance, it made me chuckle how the book proposed the idea of how the early societies developed were by copying their neighbors for ideas to grow and prosper their land. It made me re-think of how our society is now with the way we imitate each other for recipes, clothing, housing ideas, and many many more that I feel like I do not need to clarify. They looked at each other for ideas and thought they could better it by replicating it but changing a few things about it, just like how we do. Also, by this gradual change of agricultures that the early societies produced, came the vast differences in languages. This is why some languages sound the same but differing in minor ways. Because the environment kept transforming, most went along with it but the gatherers and hunters refused to give into the new ways. This is when characteristics of humankind come in: open minded and willing to try new things verse stubbornness and thinking one is always right; the key characteristics in humans shown in early history. This chapter has made me think a lot of how our world would be different if we still followed the ways of the gatherers and hunters instead of the new societies ways.

Blog 4

This week in history, we read Discovering the Global Past chapter 2. In this chapter, it was discussing how the world developed the skills of writing and how historians can gather information about the writers and their lifestyles. Specifically, the chapter mentioned five civilizations and described each of their first writings in precise detail.  The five evidence include: Experts from Atra-hasis, Experts from Book 10 of the Rig Veda, From the First Book of Moses, called Genesis, From Yijinga Commentary on the Appended Judgements, and From Popol Vuh, “ The Book of the People.” In my bog this week I want to discuss two of these civilizations. The two are “From the First Book of Moses, called Genesis” and “From Popol Vuh, ‘The Book of the People.’ ” I picked these two to converse about because out of the five they seem the most realistic evidence of the beginning. In “From the First Book of Moses, called Genesis,” it is the first chapter in the worldwide known book, the Bible. When historians read the scriptures from this piece, they get a real sense of how the Isrealites believed their life’s began. For instance, God, the creator of the world, first created the heavens and the earth. He did this by speaking out Lord. He had power to direct everything, since he is the one who spoke it into existence. Like many of the other evidences, they all had a Holy One or a Mighty One (one who was above all), for this purpose I think it was because they all knew they were not perfect. We, humans, all are sinful, and we need a leader or a higher one to keep us on track. The Isrealites were alike with the Mayans by believing that God created the world.

            One fascinating fact I read about was how the Mayans believed that the Creator and serpent discussed how they would design a world out of nothing. I found this amusing because why would a great so called, Creator, and a serpent (someone who resembles evil) converse about creating a world together. Maybe it was because in their civilization, everyone was equal. Each person had the same opportunity- just like how the Creator and serpent did. Usually a sinner (serpent) has the last choice, but for them, they had the same chance as a righteous man. I thought this would be odd because how can one ever improve them selves if they had no one to look up too, since the Holy one would be in the same boat as a sinner. We all need one who can save or forgive us- just like how the Israelites had God to tell them how to live their lives’. We see an example of this when God directed Adam to name each one of the animals. He gave Adam an order and he followed through with it. Just like every human, we also have evidence of selfishness. It is here where the first example sin. Happens.  It is when Adam ate of the tree, which he knew he was not aloud to, but did anyway. This was the first human sin, and upsetting the start of it all.  The two civilizations have several similarities but also very different ways of life, or so I interpreted it. However the case, each society just like each human all live in a unique way, none of which have exactly the same view in life. This is what I love about our world- Diversity, the ever-changing world.