Chapters 3-6
In chapter three the beginning of stereotypes and the role of gender begins to take shape in a historical perspective. In Rome, being a warrior was glorified. Men who were strong and had money were glorified. They were allowed to shift their power from the military to their home life. In private, the man was able dominate his home life. He had total control over his wife, children and his slaves. The total domination was so extreme, he was able to kill them if he choose to, and the state would not intervene. The women would support their men by producing sons and teach them "warrior " values. The only exception to this mentality was for Upper-Class Roman women. These affluent women had almost total control of their property and marital status. This demonstrates early on the roles of women and men and the gender biases we see in today's society.
As both Rome and China empires had been established there were many similarities between two places opposite of each other. Both, thought of themselves universally. For example, Rome ruled "almost the entire world" and China ruled "all under heaven". Secondly, they invested in their community. They built roads, bridges and had advanced aqueducts for agriculture. Next, supernatural supported their rule. Both civilizations adapted to another religious tradition. In Rome, Christianity and in China Buddhism. Lastly, language had a huge impact on both empires. The basis of the Latin language in Rome is still used today and it was the beginning of other languages, such as, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian. In China, the characters that were established represented words and those words could be translated by all people who were literate. Both empires established political control over large populations. It was noted that Rome's strengths were they had good laws and in China they had good men.
The collapse of both empires in speculated to be because of size. Both empires grew rapidly and became overextended. It cost too much to thrive and resources were limited. Further, climate change and extreme weather conditions may have played a role in the deterioration of both empires.
Chapter 4 discusses the various religions and the impact they had in the past and the present. Many forms of religions are discussed: Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity. There is a noticeable shift from many gods to a monotheistic god (one god) and this point of view changes the dynamics of religion. It shapes Christianity and Islam. People begin to question faith and it begins to show a shift in religious practices. I also noticed that many of the religions in the chapter have overlapping core values and beliefs. For example, Judaism and Christianity and Hinduism and Buddhism. It was also interesting to see Jesus and Buddha were noted for having a huge impact on faith and history. They were both referred to as "wisdom teachers" and preached a similar message about the importance of kindness.
Chapter 5 discusses social issues that we are still facing today. There are many things that were unjust in History. For example, the caste system in India and what family you were born into in China. If you were born into a family with money or had land you were respected even if you were a woman. However, if you weren't lucky enough to have money or land your life wasn't easy as a servant, peasant or a slave. Today, two of these social injustices still exist in the form of slavery and gender inequality. Slavery is compared to human trafficking today. It exists and it is a growing epidemic. Gender inequality still exists especially in the work place and in sports. Many women with the same skill set as men are treated differently and the gender gap has not been closed. However, there are strides being made to close the gap but like the development of civilization and the shift from era to era it is taking a long time.
Chapter 6 discusses the alternative civilizations. These are civilizations that have evolved around the world but followed their own path. For example, Axum -It was a productive society and advanced for its time. It used a plow to farm instead of a hoe. Also, the location near the Red Sea made trade easier. In this time, Christianity was introduced and began to take shape. Environmental factors caused the decline of this civilization and most others discussed in this chapter. Maya is famous for its Math, Art and elaborate writing system. The collapse of Maya was caused by drought, famine and warfare. Again, many of these once thriving civilizations collapsed because of environmental conditions out of their control. These civilizations are important to study because they have left an impact on us today. Many people still study the advanced ruins in Maya and the archaeological advancements in Chavin and Mochhe. It is important to see that not all of the civilizations ruled the same way and many were thriving before the environment caused the total collapse of many civilizations.
As both Rome and China empires had been established there were many similarities between two places opposite of each other. Both, thought of themselves universally. For example, Rome ruled "almost the entire world" and China ruled "all under heaven". Secondly, they invested in their community. They built roads, bridges and had advanced aqueducts for agriculture. Next, supernatural supported their rule. Both civilizations adapted to another religious tradition. In Rome, Christianity and in China Buddhism. Lastly, language had a huge impact on both empires. The basis of the Latin language in Rome is still used today and it was the beginning of other languages, such as, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian. In China, the characters that were established represented words and those words could be translated by all people who were literate. Both empires established political control over large populations. It was noted that Rome's strengths were they had good laws and in China they had good men.
The collapse of both empires in speculated to be because of size. Both empires grew rapidly and became overextended. It cost too much to thrive and resources were limited. Further, climate change and extreme weather conditions may have played a role in the deterioration of both empires.
Chapter 4 discusses the various religions and the impact they had in the past and the present. Many forms of religions are discussed: Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity. There is a noticeable shift from many gods to a monotheistic god (one god) and this point of view changes the dynamics of religion. It shapes Christianity and Islam. People begin to question faith and it begins to show a shift in religious practices. I also noticed that many of the religions in the chapter have overlapping core values and beliefs. For example, Judaism and Christianity and Hinduism and Buddhism. It was also interesting to see Jesus and Buddha were noted for having a huge impact on faith and history. They were both referred to as "wisdom teachers" and preached a similar message about the importance of kindness.
Chapter 5 discusses social issues that we are still facing today. There are many things that were unjust in History. For example, the caste system in India and what family you were born into in China. If you were born into a family with money or had land you were respected even if you were a woman. However, if you weren't lucky enough to have money or land your life wasn't easy as a servant, peasant or a slave. Today, two of these social injustices still exist in the form of slavery and gender inequality. Slavery is compared to human trafficking today. It exists and it is a growing epidemic. Gender inequality still exists especially in the work place and in sports. Many women with the same skill set as men are treated differently and the gender gap has not been closed. However, there are strides being made to close the gap but like the development of civilization and the shift from era to era it is taking a long time.
Chapter 6 discusses the alternative civilizations. These are civilizations that have evolved around the world but followed their own path. For example, Axum -It was a productive society and advanced for its time. It used a plow to farm instead of a hoe. Also, the location near the Red Sea made trade easier. In this time, Christianity was introduced and began to take shape. Environmental factors caused the decline of this civilization and most others discussed in this chapter. Maya is famous for its Math, Art and elaborate writing system. The collapse of Maya was caused by drought, famine and warfare. Again, many of these once thriving civilizations collapsed because of environmental conditions out of their control. These civilizations are important to study because they have left an impact on us today. Many people still study the advanced ruins in Maya and the archaeological advancements in Chavin and Mochhe. It is important to see that not all of the civilizations ruled the same way and many were thriving before the environment caused the total collapse of many civilizations.
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