One of the most famous trading routes in history, the Silk Road connected Asia with their western counterparts. Starting around 100 B.C, the trade of silk flourished in China. The trade soon spread as merchants from China and areas such as Rome and India soon begin trading items such a pepper, spices, porcelain, gun powder, paper, precious stones and furs on the Silk Road. Ideas and philosophies was also traded on the silk road. Being that the road started from the trade of silk, the name Silk Road stuck. The name is misleading though. There was not just one road that the merchants used, but a network of roads.
Trade on the Silk Road particularly flourished during the Han Dynasty, in which the demand of silk increased. Countries such as Rome had a huge demand for silk. In the beginning China was the only country to know how to create silk. It is said silk and the process of making silk was discovered by Leizu, wife of Huangdi. Soon other countries such a Rome found out how to create silk which was around the decline of the silk road. The decline of the Silk Road came with the popularity of trade among sea. There has yet to be another trading route as popular and influential than that of the silk road.
Information came from:
http://www.silkroad-hotels.com/history.html
http://www.the-silk-road.com/journal1.html#a02
http://library.thinkquest.org/13406/sr/
http://www.the-silk-road.com/journal1.html#a02
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Roman Republic
The other day in class I thought it was interesting how Rome went from a small city state barely able to support itself to a vast empire controlling a huge amount of territory. When Rome was a small city state they had to kidnap neighboring women to reproduce. This is when the Etruscans came and started to rule over the Romans. Under the Etruscans rule Rome expanded, but many were unhappy with the King, so in 509 BCE the Roman’s overthrew the king and created a republic.
The organizing principles behind the republic were an anti-monarchy feeling, and the idea of a controlled distribution of power. Roman society was had two classes, the patricians or the wealthy class, and the plebeians or the poorer classes. The patricians held most of the power in the early days of this empire, but gradually the plebeians were able to penetrate the political sphere and serve on assembles.
The Roman Republic had set up executive and legislative branches as well as a system of checks and balances. I thought this was a particularly interesting piece of information because of how this resembles the United States government. The Roman political structure was set up into a counsel, assemblies, and the senate. The counsel was made up of a group of men who were elected yearly. The senate was made up of 300-600 aristocrats who were appointed for life, and dealt with trials, and had advisory powers. The assemblies are where plebeians had a say in what was going on in roman society. They also had the initial power to elect people for the senate.
Reference
Ways of the World: A Brief Global History by Robert W. Strayer
The organizing principles behind the republic were an anti-monarchy feeling, and the idea of a controlled distribution of power. Roman society was had two classes, the patricians or the wealthy class, and the plebeians or the poorer classes. The patricians held most of the power in the early days of this empire, but gradually the plebeians were able to penetrate the political sphere and serve on assembles.
The Roman Republic had set up executive and legislative branches as well as a system of checks and balances. I thought this was a particularly interesting piece of information because of how this resembles the United States government. The Roman political structure was set up into a counsel, assemblies, and the senate. The counsel was made up of a group of men who were elected yearly. The senate was made up of 300-600 aristocrats who were appointed for life, and dealt with trials, and had advisory powers. The assemblies are where plebeians had a say in what was going on in roman society. They also had the initial power to elect people for the senate.
Reference
Ways of the World: A Brief Global History by Robert W. Strayer
Varna: The Caste System in Verdic India
In modern day India they have a caste system; it had been like that for a long time. A few things have evolved and differ now than they did in Vedic India. In India they now have the untouchables and things aren’t has strict has they were back then.
In Vedic India they had a system called the Varna. Varna has two different meanings. The word means “color” and “veil”. In this case color means the energies of human nature and veil represents the different ways the divine self was hidden in humans. Varna consisted of 4 different classes and the classes were believed to represent different parts of the body.
The Brahmins originated from the mouth and they were the priests. They were highly respected and kind of lead everyone in the direction they believed the gods wanted them to go. They were at the top of the social hierarchy and were advisors to the royal courts. They were highly respected until after the Vedic Age, then they were exploited and misguided. The next class was the Kshatriyas; the warriors. They were ranked second in Varna and were believed to come from the arms. The Kshatriyas were courageous and intelligent, making then the protectors of the society. The 3rd class was the merchants known as the Vaishyas. They originated from the thighs and contributed to the economic growth of India. The Vaishyas were liked by the Brahmins because of their role in making temples and other structures in the society. The lowest social class in the caste system is known today as the untouchables. Back in the Vedic Age they were known as the Sudras. They originated from the feet and were social outcasts. They did menial jobs in the society.
All of the classes were mainly based on occupation. In a way it is kind of like our system, but ours is not as harsh. Everyone has a chance in our society to change the social class they are in. Like the caste system in the Vedic Age; our system needs everyone’s contributions to have a successful society.
Some of the information in my blog came from http://www.hindunet.org/varna/ and http://www.indianetzone.com/21/varna_system_ancient_india.htm.
In Vedic India they had a system called the Varna. Varna has two different meanings. The word means “color” and “veil”. In this case color means the energies of human nature and veil represents the different ways the divine self was hidden in humans. Varna consisted of 4 different classes and the classes were believed to represent different parts of the body.
The Brahmins originated from the mouth and they were the priests. They were highly respected and kind of lead everyone in the direction they believed the gods wanted them to go. They were at the top of the social hierarchy and were advisors to the royal courts. They were highly respected until after the Vedic Age, then they were exploited and misguided. The next class was the Kshatriyas; the warriors. They were ranked second in Varna and were believed to come from the arms. The Kshatriyas were courageous and intelligent, making then the protectors of the society. The 3rd class was the merchants known as the Vaishyas. They originated from the thighs and contributed to the economic growth of India. The Vaishyas were liked by the Brahmins because of their role in making temples and other structures in the society. The lowest social class in the caste system is known today as the untouchables. Back in the Vedic Age they were known as the Sudras. They originated from the feet and were social outcasts. They did menial jobs in the society.
All of the classes were mainly based on occupation. In a way it is kind of like our system, but ours is not as harsh. Everyone has a chance in our society to change the social class they are in. Like the caste system in the Vedic Age; our system needs everyone’s contributions to have a successful society.
Some of the information in my blog came from http://www.hindunet.org/varna/ and http://www.indianetzone.com/21/varna_system_ancient_india.htm.
Mummification : Egyptian Burial Process
Ancient Egyptians believed that when a person died, their soul split into many parts that continued on separately in the after life. Three parts that are commonly talked about are the ba, akh, and ka. The most important of the three for the purpose of this writing is the ka which is defined as the life force, or what we would refer to as the soul.
It was believed that this part of the soul would live for eternity in the tomb where the body was buried, but in order for it to survive, the body of the deceased needed to be preserved in order for the ka to inhabit it and live eternally. If the body was not preserved well, the ka would have no body to live in and the soul would not be reborn in the afterlife.
In order to preserve the bodies of the dead, Ancient Egyptians used the process which is known as mummification. The process, from start to finish, lasted for 70 days. After death, the body was taken to an embalming workshop where the process would begin. First, the body was purified by the washing of the body and removal of hair. Then, the organs would be taken out, except for the heart which was the seat of the soul which must remain in the body for judgment purposes, dried, and placed in special canopic jars. The brain was also removed by pulling it out through the nose.
After removal of the organs, the body was covered with a powder that helped to dry it out and later wrapped in linen strips and covered with a linen shroud, which was sort of like a blanket or cloak. When the body was ready to be buried, it was placed in a coffin, usually stone or wood, that were decorated. When the funeral was about to take place, a priest would perform the Opening of the Mouth ritual which was intended to open up the senses for the afterlife.
Before the tomb was closed for the last time, items of significance were placed in the tomb for the enjoyment of consumption of the deceased in the afterlife. Food, clothing, jewels, furniture, dishes, and other items the deceased would need in the after life were some of the things left for the dead.
Although our culture, depending on religious beliefs and other variables, has some sort of burial ritual, I find it fascinating how much emphasis was based on the preservation of the body for the afterlife. The Egyptians believed that if the body was not recognizable by the ka because it had decayed even slightly, the soul would not recognize its own body and subsequently would be unable to live in the afterlife. Today, we may bury our loved ones with some of their most valued possessions, such as jewelry or other mementos of the past, but we do not necessarily do it because we believe they will need them in the afterlife.
My information was obtained from the following sites:
www.encarta.msn.com
www.neferchichi.com/mummies.html
www.egyptologyonline.com/mummification.htm
It was believed that this part of the soul would live for eternity in the tomb where the body was buried, but in order for it to survive, the body of the deceased needed to be preserved in order for the ka to inhabit it and live eternally. If the body was not preserved well, the ka would have no body to live in and the soul would not be reborn in the afterlife.
In order to preserve the bodies of the dead, Ancient Egyptians used the process which is known as mummification. The process, from start to finish, lasted for 70 days. After death, the body was taken to an embalming workshop where the process would begin. First, the body was purified by the washing of the body and removal of hair. Then, the organs would be taken out, except for the heart which was the seat of the soul which must remain in the body for judgment purposes, dried, and placed in special canopic jars. The brain was also removed by pulling it out through the nose.
After removal of the organs, the body was covered with a powder that helped to dry it out and later wrapped in linen strips and covered with a linen shroud, which was sort of like a blanket or cloak. When the body was ready to be buried, it was placed in a coffin, usually stone or wood, that were decorated. When the funeral was about to take place, a priest would perform the Opening of the Mouth ritual which was intended to open up the senses for the afterlife.
Before the tomb was closed for the last time, items of significance were placed in the tomb for the enjoyment of consumption of the deceased in the afterlife. Food, clothing, jewels, furniture, dishes, and other items the deceased would need in the after life were some of the things left for the dead.
Although our culture, depending on religious beliefs and other variables, has some sort of burial ritual, I find it fascinating how much emphasis was based on the preservation of the body for the afterlife. The Egyptians believed that if the body was not recognizable by the ka because it had decayed even slightly, the soul would not recognize its own body and subsequently would be unable to live in the afterlife. Today, we may bury our loved ones with some of their most valued possessions, such as jewelry or other mementos of the past, but we do not necessarily do it because we believe they will need them in the afterlife.
My information was obtained from the following sites:
www.encarta.msn.com
www.neferchichi.com/mummies.html
www.egyptologyonline.com/mummification.htm
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Intro to the Crusades
If I were to participate in any war before 1500, I would have to say that being a part of the crusades would probably be the most intriguing option for me. I think that the whole prospect of the crusades is a very interesting one, waging a holy war on a people for simply taking over one of your cities? That is a faith to reckon with. In 1076 the Muslims captured Jerusalem, which caused a bit of a rising with the predominately Christian Europe. Over a period of about 200 years there were a total of 8 DIFFERENT crusades. What could possibly be more intense than waging a holy war? Well you guessed it, and Medieval Europe carried it out, MULTIPLE holy wars.
Now, to be fair we need to look at this from the standpoint of the Muslims, because let’s face it, the world isn’t Christian. The Muslims equally wanted to maintain their hold on Jerusalem because surprisingly enough, it is a holy place for them as well. A high school history lesson might show, that interestingly, Muhammad had also been to this holy land, soo, that being said, both Muslims and Christians’ had a distinct reason for wanting this land to be theirs, and they were prepared to go to war about it…or, go to eight wars about it.
The most well known of the crusades, is perhaps the first. Fearing that the Muslims might get power hungry and invade his lands, one brave soldier stood up and asked the pope, pope Urban II for help. This man’s name was Alexius I of Constantinople. Now the pope spoke and asked for volunteers, the website history learning site UK quotes Urban II of having said, “Christians, hasten to help your brothers in the East, for they are being attacked. Arm for the rescue of Jerusalem under your captain Christ. Wear his cross as your badge. If you are killed your sins will be pardoned.[1]" This plea for help gathered many able bodied men to the cause. After taking out the Muslim defenses the Europeans eventually overtook them at Jerusalem. This was not without casualty however, many men died at the hands of the Muslims as well as to sickness. With the first of the eight wars down, there would be many more deaths to follow.
[1] The History Learning Site UK. “The First Crusade,” 2000-2009 historylearningsite.co.uk, http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/cru2.htm
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