WORLD HISTORY

The document, "Germania" starts off by emphasizing the purity of the Germans and pointing out that they are not mixed by any means with other races. While reading this document I learnt many facts about the Germans and how they lived out their life. The first thing readers were told is that the Germans are purely their own race and they are all the same, blue eyed, red haired, and big framed. Some German characteristics were they couldn't bear as much labor as a different type of person, couldn't tolerate heat and thirst, and cold and hunger. The next fact told about the Germans was that kings were chosen by birth but did not have unlimited powers. One interesting fact that came soon after was their view on women and how they saw women with a certain sanctity and prescience. The next thing told about Germans and their lifestyle was about fighting. When the Germans entered into battle the chief must never pass the valor and his followers must equal the valor of the chi...

In the start of "State and Empire" the readers are posed with a question that asks "Is the United States the new Roman Empire?" An empire is simply a state, a political system that exercises coercive power. Before the chapter truly begins we are introduced to the second-wave era of the Eurasian Empire.  The first empires and civilizations to be addressed are the Persian and Greeks. The Persian empire began in 500 B.C.E and was the largest and most impressive out of all the World's empires. The Persians centered around an elaborate cult of kinship and had many distinctive ways. Their empire was more than conquest and royal decree. Something that made the Persian Empire standout was their development of satraps. Satraps were the eyes and ears of the king and and gave lower level officials the opportunity to be the imperial spies to the king. The Persian empire loved luxury and instantly made it their own.  The next empire was that of the Greeks. The Greeks ...

After reading "Caral, a city of Norte Chico", it sparks reconsideration of the Andean civilization. When archeologists published reports in 2001 it sparked major conversation. Caral was a city of amazing architecture, a city of plazas, temples, residential spaces, and amphitheaters. Caral was an amazing discovery that made people look back at the Andean civilization. Caral had an intricate irrigation system and found plants that enhanced sexual performance and hallucinogens that were thought to be used in religious ways. All of these findings by archeologists hinted at the religious ways of the Andean people, they had an etched drawing of a staff God and drugs were used in the ceremonial celebrations. Those findings made researchers review the religion of the Andean people. Another thing that made people review the Andean civilization was the lack of walls, fortresses, weapons, and signs of destruction. Caral had very little in terms of violence and left the archeologists thi...

This chapter was very interesting and started off by addressing the seven First Civilizations: the Sumerian civilization- most likely gave rise to written language Nubia-unified territorial state, cities were less prominent  Notre Chico-cities were smaller than those of Mesopotamia and show less evidence of economic specialization Indus- generated no palaces, temples, elaborate graves, kings, or warrior classes China- created a distinctive political ideology, Son of Heaven Oxus- distinctive cultural style expressed through its architecture, ceramics, burial techniques, seals, and more. Olmec-based on an agricultural economy and many ceremonial centers This chaptered questioned the rise of civilizations and wondered where they come from. It is believed to be that civilizations had their roots in the agricultural revolution. Civilizations created their cities from agricultural resources.  As civilizations developed, so did classes. People did work outside of agric...

This chapter was incredibly  interesting and was a way of noticing how far we have come. In the "Breakthroughs to Agriculture" section we learn about the unfolding of agriculture and the speed in which it all happened. Agriculture replaced the basic "gathering and hunting" and transformed it into a more complex system that cultivated plants and tamed animals. Agriculture created a new type of relationship between humankind and living things. Homo sapiens directed the progress of evolution and changed and tamed nature for the benefit of human kind. A lot was in perfect timing for evolution and agriculture became effective when the last ice age ended. This chapter showed us the variations of agriculture and regions turned fully agricultural within as few as 500 years. Agriculture spread globally and with the combination of diffusion and migration, agriculture jumped to each region and spread language by doing so. The agricultural revolution led to an increase in human...