The Worlds of Islam

During the Classical Era (sometimes called the post-Classical) which took place from 500 AD to 1500 AD, Islam was spreading and being worshipped by people all over the world. Arabs, Persians and Turks were major carriers of Islam during this period. Places that are considered to be part of the Classical Era have seminal thinkers, cosmopolitan areas, and  an empire. Islam straddled more than one continent- specifically on Europe, Africa, and Asia, the only major continents of the time. Islam had converted people who had a different faith at first and became the main religion of previous civilizations. In West Africa and Spain, there were thriving cosmopolitan centers. In West Africa, Timbuktu was the Islamic epicenter of the region. This city had over 150 level Quarnic schools and several major centers of higher education with thousands of students from all over West Africa. Timbuktu also had libraries that held tens of thousands of books and manuscripts. What Spain unique was that the people who lived there who had either a Jewish, Islam, and Christian background and relationships between them were good without any conflict for a short period of time. They all made brilliant contributions in astronomy, medicine, the arts, architecture, and literature flourished.This changed under the rule of al-Mansur in 981. At this period, the only group being persecuted in this region were Christians. As Islam trekked into India, it was being resisted by people who had a strong Hindu faith - the main faith of the previous civilization. Muslims aggressively attacked both the Hindus and Buddhists by smashing their temples, then carried off mass quantities of Indian treasure. Hundreds of years later, people the more egalitarian Islam attractive by dis-illusioned Buddhists and low-caste Hindus. Also people who converted to Islam in India benefitted by being free of taxes imposed on non-Muslims.

Classical China Renaissance

The Renaissance Era in China was just as significant as the one in Europe. The third wave civilization of China had many innovations ranging from agriculture, politics, manufacturing and education which started with the Sui Dynasty between the years 589-618. The emperors created a major extension of the nation’s canal system and stretched about 1200 miles. It was described by one scholar as “an engineering feat without parallel in the world of its time” in the textbook. This system was crucial because it connected the north and south part of the country. After the collapse of the Sui Dynasty the Tang took over between 618-907 and the Song during 960 and 1279.

This time was referred to the “golden age” of arts and literature setting standards of excellence in poetry, landscape painting, and ceramics, while setting standards in poetry, landscape painting and ceramics. And the revival of Confucianism took place which incorporated some insights of Buddhism and Daoism. Both dynasties also made changes to their government that was maintained for a thousand years. The Censorate was an agency that looked over the rest of the government by checking the character and competence of public officials and six major ministries: personnel, finance, rites, army, justice, and public works. The printing press was also invented, which helped the ability to print books for the first time in world history. Classical China began to choosing officials based on merit rather than picking sons of established aristocratic families.

The Song dynasty was referred as “by far the richest, most skilled, and populous country on earth” due to its economic revolution. One major aspect of China’s prosperity was its rapid population growth. By 1200, its population doubled from 50 million to 120 million as the people adopted a fast-ripening and drought-resistant strain of rice from Vietnam. Hangzhou, which was the capital at the time had  specialized markets for meat, herbs, vegetables, books, rice, and more while actors entertained shoppers. Also clubs were available for poets, fisherman, Buddhists, physical fitness enthusiast, horse lovers and other interests. Even famous Italian explorer Marco Polo raved that the capital as "beyond dispute the finest and noblest [city] in the world." One of the major reasons why major cities in China experienced such population growth was because they had an immense network of internal waterways: canals, rivers and lakes. It allowed China to have cheap transportation and tied the country together economically.  At the same time, industrial production skyrocketed between large-scale enterprises and small family-owned businesses.

The iron industry especially increased its output dramatically and starting in the 11th century, it was providing the government with 32,000 suits of armor and 16 million iron arrowheads annually along with metal for coins, tools, construction and bells in Buddhist monasteries.  By the year 1000, inventions in printing made books very cheap and available to everyone and people could learn more about religion, agriculture, medical, and math topics. Additionally, the Chinese were leading the world in navigational and shipbuilding technologies. They were also a commercialized society- producing for the world market rather than just the locals. As they were using paper money more and more, financial instruments such as letters of credit and promissory notes contributed to the commercialization of this civilization. Overall, China set many precedents for the rest of the world and highly influenced other nations in the process. From the idea that people should be given things based on merit rather than lineage was crucial. Also, being able to produce books on all sorts of subjects allowed people all over China to gain knowledge through reading. Also it's economy was booming because all its new innovations making it one of the best in the world. China's Classical Era was just as important if not more important than the one in Europe.

Chapter 7 World's Collide

Between the years 500 and 1500, we see that the Eastern and Western hemisphere consistently interact with each other. At this point the world was moving into the modern age. As large civilizations crumbled, small city states took their place, new civilizations emerged and cultural borrowing and influences were found all over the world.  What made the third-wave civilizations distinct was their culture, as well as the specialization economic roles, sharp class and gender inequalities. Out of all the cultures, the largest, most expansive, and most widely influential was Islam which expanded from Spain, Northern Africa, to India. On every continent besides the North and South poles were multiple, local cosmopolitan regions sprang up were trade and migration brought people from different backgrounds, and these were even considered "mini globalizations". Those who controlled trade often became extremely wealthy which excited and made others envy who didn't. Many people learned about new products along with technologies via trade routes. Also, large nations began to incorporate many cultures to create a political system and because of their size and stability was able to provide security that encouraged travelers and traders to journey far distances. Since this part of history focuses on cross cultural relationships and traveling, merchants, missionaries, migrants, soldiers and administrations were a crucial part of shaping world history at this time.

There were three major trade routes that effected the majority of the world: Silk, Sea and Sand Roads.  The Silk Roads was a route that went as far west as Europe and east to China and went up to Turkenstan then south into west coast of India. People who traveled on these roads went by camel caravan and horse. There wasn't a particular start and end point so goods and people traveled all sorts of directions. Silk and dye came from China, medicine and herbs came from India, livestock from the Middle East, fruits and nuts from Siberia and disease from Europe. Almost of these goods were small and were purchased by the wealthy. The Sand Roads were of course more a route than an actual road. The people who traveled across the Sand route used the stars and astrology to navigate. Goods such as animals, their hides, slaves, gold, precious stones and salt were traded along this path. Like the Silk road, people traveled by camel. Also, instead of stopping at major cosmopolitan areas, travelers would make stop in towns or villages. The Sand Roads paths were found in Africa in present-day Arab states. Lastly, the Sea Route expanded from the East African to China and people made stops on islands south of the mainland on boats and ships. Tangible goods like textiles, pepper, sugar and wheat were being traded. Lots of goods were able to be traded because ships were so huge and people who owned these ships were able to make a lot of money. It was the world's largest sea-based system. Luxury goods such as ivory and gold came from East Africa, while porcelain came from China. Both luxury and everyday goods were traded all along the Sea Route.

Second Wave Civilizations of Africa

During the second era of history, Sub-Sahara Africa was home to several civilizations. Surprisingly, only 11 percent of the world's population lived on the continent even though the first people migrated out of there. Similar to the America's the continent of lacked domesticated animals at first to help with agriculture, but because its proximity to Eurasia, they became widely available to African peoples. For the Berber people of the western region, domesticated camels allowed them to live a nomadic life during the first three centuries C.E. Iron tools and weapons have developed here and they played a large role in economics and in the military. Africa is also has the most environmental diversity and culture. Small areas in the north experience Mediterranean climate, huge deserts are located in the Sahara and Kalahari desert, along with grasslands, mountain ranges, and rain forests. African interacted with Mediterranean people- specially ancient Egypt with Crete, the Roman Empire which spread Christianity, and Arabia.




A Nile Valley civilization that appeared south of Egypt of was Nubia. For hundreds of years both civilizations traded and fought, and on one occasion the Nubian kingdom of Kush ruled Egypt for a century Nubia's center then became the city of Meroe between 300 BCE and 100 BCE as Egypt increasingly fell under foreign control. Meroe was governed by an all-powerful and sacred monarch, which was a position held by a woman at least 10 times, and these queens had the same power as males whether she ruled alone or alongside him. Occupations that people had during this time was being merchants, weavers, potters, and masons as well as servants, and laborers. They smelted iron and manufacturing iron tools and weapons were especially prominent industries. Outside of Meroe, rural people practiced herding and farming, and rain-based agriculture was possible because farmers were less dependent on irrigation, which was not common in a lot of civilizations during this time. Mere's wealth and military power came mostly form its extensive long-distance trading connections of camel caravans north of the of the Nile. They also had their own style of writing, a script, which is still deciphered. After 100 CE, the kingdom declined due to deforestation for the need of wood to make charcoal to smelt iron, and completely fell apart when it was conquered by the kingdom of Axum in 340 BCE. One thing that I found the most fascinating about Meroe was how diversed it was culturally for a city. For almost a thousand years it was a Christian civilization, using the Greek language and constructing churches in Coptic of Byzantine fashion.


As Meroe declined, a new kingdom emerged called Axum that was located in present-day northern Ethiopia and Eritrea. Axum's economics relied heavily on agriculture. One thing that makes the way they farmed different from other places is that the people used a hoe or digging stick instead of a plow. The community grew great amounts of wheat, barley, millet and teff which is a grain unique to that region. As the Roman's demanded Indian pearls, textiles, and pepper, Axum's state grew immensely in 50 CE. Also, merchants who flocked to Adulis, the largest port in on the East Africa, wanting to purchase animal hides, rhino horns, ivory, and tortoiseshells. Taxes that were put on trading these goods were a major source of revenue. The capital city of Axum was the  center or monumental building and royal patronage of the arts, having huge stone buildings over 100 feet tall and obelisks. The expansion of Christianity was also seen in this kingdom as well. During King Ezana's rule, Axum's coins had southern Arabia gods on them and towards the end it had the Christian cross. By the 4th and 6th century the civilization tried to expand imperially by invading Meroe and South Arabia.


In the Niger Valley in West Africa, a extremely long dry period after 500 BCE in the south Sahara had people migrate to the middle of Niger. This area was occupied by clusters of cities or urban centers that sprang up near the city of Jenne-jeno where over 40,000 people lived at one point. Just like the Indus River Valley,  this civilization didn't have a distinct state structure which makes it unique. Archeologists have found very little evidence of domestic power, warfare or social inequalities, although these cities developed a caste system later on. One of the most prestigious occupations at this time was iron smithing, while villages of cotton weavers, potters leather workers, and griots emerged as well. By the second millennium CE, Ghana, Mali, and Songhay amongst other empires or large states appeared in West Africa. Camel-borne trans-Saharan commerce was becoming larger and this region became more connected to North Africa and the Mediterranean and Islam expanded here. The history of the African continent is very unique history compared to other parts of the world and I hope we get to learn about it in class, since most history classes do not talk about it enough.

Intro to Part 2 and Chapter 3

During the second and third wave of civilizations, you see the rise, expansion, and the collapse of empires. These empires included Persia, Greece, Rome, China, and India and patriarchy, some form of slavery, a sharp divide of social classes existed almost everywhere and much blood was shed during their  conquest of other states.  Although, there was some fluctuation in the way women were treated compared to men. Buddhist and Christian women for example found some degree of opportunities for leadership and learning. But during the initial phases of civilizations One thing that I found interesting about the second wave of civilizations is that during this era, there was no technological or economic breakthrough like previously in the Agricultural Revolution. Researchers believe that it's because people had little incentive to innovate something new because of social hierarchy. Landowning elites benefited from expropriating the surplus that peasant farmers produced, while lower class citizens new there wasn't any point to create anything because any gains that they made would be seized by the upper class. But there were important inventions that played a big role in like gunpowder, magnetic compass, firearms, printing, wheelbarrow, crossbow, and paper. Also with the new waves of civilizations, philosophical/ religious systems of Confucianism and Daoism in China, Hinduism and Buddhism in India amongst others that answered questions contemplating life and death.

Out of all the empires that were talked about in this chapter, the Persian empire intrigued me the most because I have never learned much about in my previous history classes and I liked how it was a blend of European and Indo culture and additionally, the Prince of Persia is one of my favorite movies. In 500 BCE, Perisa was the largest empire in the world, located on the Iranian plateau north of the Persian Gulf. Persia's' most famous monarchs were Cyrus and Darius and under their leadership, the empire expanded from Egypt to India. They encompassed 30 to 35 million people and had much diversity between people, languages, and cultures which is impressive. Persia was also centered around an elaborate cult of kingship were people would cut their hair and set fires across the land when the king died, and when he was alive could only be approached in a certain type of ritual. One thing that always comes to my mind when I see these massive civilizations is how are they able to control it for long periods of time? Well for Persia, they had a highly effective administrative system that placed satraps (Persian governors) in each of 23 provinces, along with officials were that plucked locally, and even spies known as the "eyes and ears of the King". Persia made a canal to connect the Nile to the Red Sea and had expanded its commerce by having caravans of merchants for 1700 miles. Persia also had some intricate imperial centers which included: palaces, monuments, audience halls, that showed the wealth and power of the Persian empire like Persepolis which was the biggest center.

The Occupations of Old Egypt: Be a Scribe- Reflection

Out of all the passages I read about first civilizations, the "Be a Scribe" section interested me and related to me the most. The introductory questions that resonated with me was "What does learning to write offer to a young Egyptian? What advantages of a scribal position are suggested in the document?"     

In the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, a social hierarchy did exist, especially when it came to someone's job occupation. At the time, being a scribe in the palace of an Egyptian king was a highly praised career. It was probably the equivalent of being a politician or doctor in today's society. Students interested in being a scribe will go to school and would have to copy texts in order to train for administrative positions. At the beginning of "Be a Scribe" I'm inferring that an instructor is saying this," Apply yourself to [this] noble profession.... You will find it useful.... You will be advanced by your superiors." The instructors also says to focus on your studies more and "shun dancing" which I think means spends your days having less leisure time and maybe even partying. The teacher additionally says "... By day write with your fingers; recite by night". I can very much relate to this statement because I believe it means to not only to work in the classroom, but to definitely spend time outside to focus on your studies. Both my parents and instructors that I've had in the past both emphasized this so I, along with the rest of the students in my class, can excel.

During the time of the Middle Kingdom, other jobs people had were being a washerman, making pottery, a cobbler, soldier for Egypt and merchants. Every job that I listed beside merchants was very hard on the person doing it physically, difficult and not very rewarding. However if someone became a scribe, that person has access to treasury and granary which is a storehouse for grain. Scribes even own horses, extravagant clothing, given a mansion, invited to grand feasts, have servants, get a "powerful" office, and lastly a boat full of workers. Whereas, most other jobs available in Egypt but much stress on the people who perform them, and their well-being and health is at risk because of it. I think that this excerpt is so important relates so much to today because it has the message of working hard in school and to study hard and well so later on in life you have a great job that allows you to live comfortably, and not to have stress about surviving everyday. Another reason that being a scribe was a highly praised job was that the Egyptians were obsessed with the after life, so if someone who was a scribe, their writings would live on after they have passed.

First Civilizations

There were many intricate first civilizations that emerged into the world. We have all have heard of Sumer or Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Indus Valley. But other civilizations that appeared were Nubia that was just south of Egypt, Norte Chico located on the central coast of Peru, early Chinese dynasties, and the Oxus  that was located nearby a river valley in the Middle East thrived during some of the earliest times of history. Scholars typically use the word civilization to represent a new and specific type of human society which was made possible by tremendous productivity of the Agricultural Revolution.

Notre Chico appeared in 3000 BCE was actually a desert region that received little rainfall that has many snowmelt rivers from the Andes that led to the Pacific Ocean. I'm sure the people that inhabited this area used the rivers to travel to other city-states. There were 25 urban centers that sprang up and the largest one was Caral in the Supe River valley. Unlike Mesopotamia, Notre Chico's cities were much smaller and evidence shows they didn't have much of economic specialization. Knowing that now, it makes me believe that there weren't much people that lived in Notre Chico and there wasn't much need for the people to have money or trade. One of the things that made this civilization unique is that they relied heavily on their fishing industry that exchanged anchovies and sardines for cotton, squash, beans, and guava.

Another group of early civilized people were the first Chinese dynasties: the first were the Xia that appeared in 2070 BCE, Shang in 1600 BCE, and Zhou 1046 BCE. Just like the Egyptians, the Chinese built elaborated tombs for their rulers and even buried thousands of human sacrifice victims to accompany them in their next life. I thought this was very extreme. The only other early civilization that I'm aware that did human sacrifices in the past were the Mayans. The thing that fascinated me the most about the Chinese is that a ruler known as the Son of Heaven and he served as the intermediary between heaven and earth, ruled by the Mandate of Heaven who's job was to keep social harmony between the people.

An additional "first" civilization that existed were the Oxus in Central Asia which I have never heard before. These people lived also lived by desert oases. I think that is remarkable since living in the desert, especially before a lot of modern technology, is very difficult because it is heard to find water and come up with ways to store it without it evaporating. It is also hard to grow crops since the soil in the desert is very tough and not fertile. The Oxus civilization was actually constructed very quickly and very distinct. In 200 years they built many fortified centers, temples, and artist compounds that were surrounded by intricate walls and gates. The Oxus culture had specific that is shown in their architecture, ceramics, burial techniques and seals along with an aristocratical hierarchy. Their economic system was also based on irrigation and stock raising, which is different from a lot of other civilizations at this time who relied on agriculture for their economy.

Claudius of Rome and Xinchen of China

I think that Claudius and Xinchen were both decent leaders. They both pushed for and executed building water canals to better their communities. The people in both their nations asked for a water system and they gave it to them, which I think is commendable. It is crucial for people in power should to listen to people and give them something that can benefit everyone.

After reading the stories of the two leaders, I strongly believe that Xinchen was the better leader. From his actions, it's no question that he wanted the best for his people and their well being. Even in Xinchen's position of power, he still worked alongside the people in his community to help build canals, ditches and water gates. These new additions where in several places in his kingdom to expand irrigated land. Because of this, people had a surplus of crops that they can possibly later sell or trade. Xinchen also regulated equitable distribution of water in his community to prevent disputes between the people. Claudius wasn't as involved and didn't prioritize the people of his community like Xinchen. At one point he had put off the people requests for water systems before he finally did it. Although he lacked multiple water systems, his kingdom had canals, drainage channels, fountains and a lake and the quality of them were "great and essential". But he created a lake in order to gain glory, not only for the sole purpose of  bettering his community.

Evidence of the Pre-Literate Past and Nisa's Story

During the Paleolithic period, early people didn't have journals to document what they did or saw at that time. So in order to know what they did in the past, today researchers study artifacts such as pottery and clothing, cave drawings, and remains of people such as bones, corpses and burial grounds to understand more what was going on back then. After reading Nisa's story, I can infer things that may have been very common for some Paleolithic people- particularly women. Nisa mentioned that when she was a young girl, her and mother would stay at home while her father went out to hunt for food, whether it was game meat or honey from bees. Nisa said she always looked forward to what her dad brought home. I thought was extremely interesting because when she goes on to talk about her marriage, it seemed she was very apprehensive about her marriage at the beginning, but her family told her that a man " kills animals and gives you things to eat" she felt better about the situation. This makes me believe that women at this time are taught at a young age to always be excited when their brothers, fathers, or possibly any other male in their family brings home food or goods while they're gone. Nisa mourned her first husband's death just like people do today when a loved one dies. She was distraught and upset exactly like people are today. One thing that I thought was really interesting was that Nisa had 3 other husbands as well as lovers after Tashay's death, which makes me believe that during this era, it was perfectly okay to have intimate relationships over the course of one's lifetime. Nisa stated that "having affairs is a gift God gave us. Women didn't leave their huts often back in those times, so when they had multiple suitors, they can receive all kinds of gifts from them such as meant, jewelry, and money that they can look forward to at the end of the day.

Introduction to the World's First People

After reading the sections Out of Africa and The Ways We Were, I thought it was very interesting to learn how hominids and early homo sapiens were able to travel to different places all over the world. It's amazing how far homo sapiens were able to travel without modern technology: no maps, compass, or ships. Traveling across large land masses and oceans was impressive, but the fact that these early people adapted and thrived in different types of places for quite some time is mind-blowing as well. The world's first people inhabited any climate that they discovered. Starting from the continent of Africa, they migrated into the Middle East, Eurasia, Australia and islands in the Pacific. Knowing this, I can assume humans even back then were highly intelligent. I was surprised to learn that early people gathered food much more than they hunted. "Gender roles" were pretty much non-existent back then as well. It was also interesting that scholars and historians were able to learn so much from early homo sapiens from interpreting caves, cave drawings, their bones, and artifacts like clothing, pottery, statues and tools. Being in school when I was younger, I was taught that the first people ever to grace our planet were not very intelligent. Even though these human are no where near as advanced as today's humans, they were pretty smart in their own right with all that they had accomplished. Today we depend on so much technology in order to survive, and before early homo sapiens were able to survive without it. We can learn a thing or a two from them.

First Post!

I was able to create my first post! Yay!