First Civilizations

The development of Silk Roads began with large civilizations and specialized agriculture.  The Silk Road was the network of the trades made in Eurasia.  Part of Eurasia were China, India, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, the Eastern Russia, and Central Asia.  These were the pastoral people, with animals. They exchanged and traded items such as furs, livestock, wool, and amber.   Later in history, this area was stretched out even more with Persian Empire's invasions, Alexander the Great's empire growth, and Han dynasty taking authority westward.  The  Silk Road became very large and powerful with many merchants and travelers. China offered its silk, bamboo, mirrors, gunpowder, paper, rhubarb, ginger, lacquerware, and chrysanthemums. Siberia and Central Asia offered its furs, walrus tusks, amber, livestock, horses, falcons, hides, copper vessels, tents, saddles and slaves. India offered its cotton textiles, herbal medicine, precious stones, spices, ...

The Teotihuacan is known as the Americas' Greatest City.  It was built in the Valley of Mexico around 150 B.C.E.  Its population grew up from 100,000 to 200,000.  It was one of the six largest urban complexes in the world.  The city was very well developed.  It has wide streets, large marketplaces, temples, palaces, living complexes, waterways, drainage systems, colorful murals, and much more. According to Strayer on page 244-245, on the Street of the Dead there were huge homes built for authorities and elite.  There were also temples and two giant pyramids. One of them was the Pyramid of the Sun.  It was considered the birthplace of the sun and the moon.  And there was the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, where the victims were sacrificed in order to keep company for the high-ranking individuals going into afterlife.  There were sections of the city dedicated to foreigners.  Many of their buildings had mural art.  Some of it sh...

In this post I wanted to learn more about the Indus Valley Civilization.  From what I have learned so far, they were part of the Ancient Civilizations.  They had no social hierarchy. They used bricks to build their cities.  Their largest cities were Mohenjo Daro and Harappa. They had walls that were made from mud bricks.  Inside the walls they had public buildings, market areas, large and small houses, and crafts workshops according to Strayer (p. 91). The Indus Valley people had wide main streets and narrow side lanes.  Both had drains that were able to get rid of the polluted water and sewage.  "Laid pit systematically on a grid pattern and clearly planned...(p. 91)" They Indus Valley people used seals to imprint an image.  Some of the images that were found by archeologists showed an animal such a bull, an elephant, a crocodile, a buffalo, and even a unicorn. Unicorn was the most popular one.  Scholars speculated that the bull seal bel...

After reading the Prologue on page x and xi, I have discovered an interesting paragraph that I believe summarizes why we are so interested in learning about our world’s history.   The paragraph reads, “Moreover, we are aware as never before that our problems – whether they involve economic well-being, global warming, disease, or terrorism – respect no national boundaries.   To many thoughtful people, a global present seemed to call for a global past.”   By reading the preface, I have come to learn that history books have been adjusted to reflect full history of the world, and not just descriptions of wars or European victories.   World history should involve everything that happened on this planet, and not just superior or dominant parties.   It is good for us to know that our world history is not just about wars.   According to my notes, we will be studying different types of eras: Cosmic – the Big Bang,   Gaic – formation of Earth, Paleolithic – ...