Chapter 12

I learned that Gatherers and hunters changed over time, but there are no written records of this. Egalitarian kinship were highly sophisticated in regards to economics and the society. They did not use a political system, but rather they focused on kinship. I also learned that in order to wipe out the Mongol legacy, Yongle and others promoted Confucianism and an exam system. This was to construct a new China. In Europe, the continent was divided into many smaller states that were always in conflict. One example is the Hundred Years War between France and England. We then move on to the Ottoman Empire. It was related to China. This is because of the scale of power and age of both empires. In India, The Mughals brought a moment of political unity. They were very tolerant of non-muslims and prompted diversity through cultures. The last thing I learned was in the Americas. The Inca Empire were about 10 million people with its territory being 2500 miles long. One thing that fascinated me was how the Incas had gender parallelism. Unlike gender equality, gender parallelism focused on the roles of each gender. Every role that everyone had was valued no matter what sex one was.

Chapter 11

Pastoral societies Lived of of meat, milk, and blood. This is all because pastoralists were less productive than agriculturalists. There was a high level of gender equality.  The population was small, Therefore, the people in these societies were extremely social. Women also did the same tasks as men like raising the herd and riding. Pastoralists were always on the go. So they lived off of their animals and traded animal products for goods with the agriculturalists. Temujin built a powerful force by having alliances based on loyalty. He was generous to his friends and ruthless to his enemies. He obtained a reputation for destroying his enemies but rewarding those who are loyal to him. One small thing he did as well was taking in warriors who lost battles with him. In 1209, Temujin wanted more power but still keeping together the Mongol alliance. He went of to China and central Asia. He could not get to Europe and got checked on their power. The Mongols contributed security to the Silk Roads which increased trade in Central Asia. They also had an unprecedented level of International communications because of the communication between China and Persia. Every empire eventually dies, and that is what happened to the Mongol Empire. The Black Death was the Mongol Empire itself. They were like suicide bomber. The hurt others but also hurt themselves. This decreased the empire's wealth and increased rebellions.

Chapter 8

As Rome and the Han Dynasty were collapsing, China was "reunified" under the rule of the Sui. The dynasty was harsh and had warlike rhetoric. The Sui Dynasty did not last long because of this harsh rule. One thing that the Sui Dynasty achieved was the expansion of canals. After the Dynasty lost power, the Tang and Song Dynasty came into power. These dynasties created a system that lasted for over one thousand years. China's exam system was made so anyone can take it regardless of class. The wealthy had and advantage because they could pay for tutors and school. Schools grew in great numbers throughout China and the system became a success. Because of the investments into the canals, the transportation for rice and wheat became inexpensive. This caused an economic boom. This boom produced more food which meant more people. This growth in food production caused the Chinese population tho double. Elite women in the Tang Dynasty had many freedoms, while under the Song Dynasty they had to follow a more conservative practice. Under the Song Dynasty, men were supposed to be scholars and administrators, while women were weak and distracting.

Chapter 9

In this chapter of the textbook we learn about Islam. Islam originated in the cities and desserts of the Arabian Peninsula. Bedouins inhibited the central region of the Arabian Peninsula. Mecca was a very significant location because the Kaba and and people from all aorta of clans and tribes could be found. The amount of people in Mecca made it a wealthy location. Muhammad Ibn Adbullah was born in Mecca and seen as "the only God" in a religion sense. He had to move because the wealthy were getting annoyed with all the change that Muhammad wanted to create. Because of this he and his followers moved to Medina. Unlike other religious figures, Muhammad exiled, enslaved and killed his enemies. Non-Muslims became muslims to not be taxed. The Quran mentions how men and women are seem as equal but in marriages women were seen as inferior. The weird thing is that men were allowed to have multiple wives.

Chapter 10

Something that I found in the reading is that Nestorian Christians were found in the Middle East and China. People that followed the ways of this practice in Iraq and Persia, did not preach to Muslims to accommodate Islamic leaders. In China, these particular Christians adapted to Chinese culture, but was then diminished when the dynasty at the time moved to remove all foreign faiths. At the time, Western Europe was in an intense competition between political and religious authority. In the east, the Byzantine emperor was in charge of the church and state. The Roman Empire was falling apart due to it getting too big. Christianity was made the official religion of the Roman Empire. When Christianity was being controlled by the Empire, some problems arose. One was told what to think by the government of the time. The Western Roman Empire was falling apart, while the eastern part was thriving for about one thousand years. The Roman Empire in the west "moved" to Constantinople. As the Roman Empire was fell, the Vatican became the unifying entity and a strong and influential force. The term "Christendom" became common because the religion became an empirical force.

Chapter 7

One thing that I learned about was the Silk Roads. I learned about the "inner" and "outer" Eurasia. China, The Middle East, and the Mediterranean, had urban centers, states, and empires that were known as "outer" Eurasia. Between these areas of particular land was considered "inner" Eurasia. One religion that was mentioned was Buddhism. Buddhism was on the spread along the Silk Roads. The Silk Road had some diseases that included smallpox and measles. There was also the Bubonic plague that occurred between 534 and 750 C.E. This plague could killed thousands of people in a single day. We then move to the West Africa. We see caravans of camels that carried gold and salt. Camels had a big influence on how products were transported. Men were satisfied with positions of "patriarchal" power, while women were involved in agricultural and crafting work. Lastly, wealthy western African cities made trade centers, and structures of culture, education and religion.

Chapter 6

Something that I learned from this chapter was about Agricultural revolutions and complex societies. The fact that new products  were emerging through agriculture made complex societies become possible. I also learned about Egypt and Nubia. The Nile river made connections with Egypt and Nubia last long. Both of these cultures were influential to one another. At one point Nubia conquered Egypt. I found fascinating how obelisks were as high one hundred feet and how the Romans recognized Axum as a powerful empire. I also found interesting how people with skills in crafting with iron were considered important. Then we moved on to the Maya. The Maya had a flourishing empire between 250 and 900 C.E. Staying in the region, I learned about Teotihuacan. I learned that this city had impressive and sophisticated architecture, and how it mysteriously collapsed in 650 C.E.