Chapter 12:

Chapter 12: The Worlds of the 15th Century:

The Shapes of Human Communities:

Australia and North America: 

They still had gatherers and hunter societies and interacred with neighboor civiliazations.

Igbo:

Population was based on trade and they rejected the kingship and state building. The igbo also relied on title societies and women associations. Igbo people were found east of the NIger River in the heabily forested regions of West Africa and the people rejected the kingship and state-building efforts of their neighbors. These people, however, did not live in isolated, self-contained societies. 

Central Asia and West Africa:

Turkic Warrior also known as Tamerlane, tried to restore the Mongol Empire in the 1400.

Around 1300, the Iroquois had amazing agricultual speakers and the warfare triggered the creation of their confederations. 

Civilizations of the Fifteenth Century: Comparing China and Europe:

This this century, majority of the world lived in civilizations, such as the Ming Dynasty in China. The Ming Dynasty's population started to rise and has a cultural renewal and state building. 

The Webs of Connections;

The large scale populations brought culturally different people together from around the world. They al learned alittle bit form each other such as religions like, Christendom (which divided into Roman Cathlicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, and Buddism linked people together. 

"Fire stick farming"- a pattern of deliberately setting fires, which they described as "cleaning up the country"

Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Pastoral Peoples on the GLobal Stage- The Mongol Moment:

The Mongols:

The population of the Mongols were about 700,000. They fromed the greatest land-based empire in history following their breakout from Mongolia in the thirteenth century. They did not push their ideas on those they took over and did not have major cultural impact.

The Mongol reputation was brutality and destructiness.

They unified a divided CHina, made many believe that the Mongols had been granted Mandate of Heaven.

In the 13th century, the breakfout from Mongolia was the rise of the Mongol Empire. The second grand civilization was the Islamic Perisa. They were conquered by the Mongols as well.

This chapter discussed the very small communities and the expansion of others.

Chapter 10:

Chapter 10: The Worlds of Christendom: Contraction, Expansion, and Division:

Asia and Africa:

Christianity almost unheard for in Arabia within the century of Muhammad's passing.

When nestorian Christians survived, the size of Syria, Iraq and Perisa shrank. The costal north African Christians largely converted to ISlam and the Egypt Coptic church survived.  In the Nuvian Kingdoms, christianity took chapte in 5th and 6th century. 

Building on the Roman Past:

The Byzantine Empire had no clear starting point and the continuation of the Roman Emppire flourished. The size of the Byzantine Empire reduced in size by the Islamic expansion. 

Russia: 

The moscow declared the "Third Rome" and the role of protector of Christianity after fall of Constantinople. 

Rebuilding in the Wake of Roman Collapse:

The Roman heritage continued to live on though the empire fell during this period. 

Greece attempted to continue to recreate the religion and beliefs of the Roman Empire after it fell. 

Western in Comparative Perspective:

By the 1500, Europe caught up with China and the Islamic World and evens surpassed them in some areas. 

Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Worlds of Islam: Afro-Eurasian Connections:

Religion:

The birth of religion was founded by Muhammad Adbulah. 610 CE, was the beginning revelations from Allah and were recorded in Quran.

It stated with a small following and quickly expanded throughout Arabia.

When the Arabic conquests came into play, it was a continuation of long-term raiding patterns. The conquest wasn't that destructive and the initial conversion for many was "social conversion".

The Sharia was the Islamic Law.

The Quran viewed men and women as equals.

Islam gave new religious outlets for women. Religious toleration started breaking down by the late 10th century.

New Civilizations:

During the 1500, Islamic world embraced at least parts of nearly every Afro-Eurasian civilization. And the Islamic world was an immense arena of exchange of goods, techonology, and new ideas.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8: China and the World:

During the Ancient Era, China has been a major civilization and continued to flourish into what they also call the "The Golden Age".  We can all agree that there was major economic growth and this growth came from trade, technology, engineering developments, other inventions, and Vietnamese drought proof rice which supported the growing populations around China. 

To select political leaders, China utilized a merit system called, "The examination system". 

The examination system was mostly based on the people's performance, and it no longer mattered what your family lineage was if you performed well. 

The examination system highlighted the unspoken relationship of power between people. Many countries wanted to be Chinese, except Vietnam. While China wanted to claim Vietnam, they were set on becoming part of the Roman Empire. 

During the Golden Age:

China was reunified, Tang and Song dynasty was built off of Sui. 

The Golden Age was based up of art and literature. They were of rapid growth. The Song dynasty wasn't golden for women. It was tightening of patriarchal restrictions on women. As for the Tang dynasty, they had elite women who had more freedom and were well educated. 

China needed the nomads for horses, goods, and the Silk Road. 

The "Tribute System", was a non-Chinese authority must acknowledge Chinese Superiority. 

For the tribute System, they would receive trading privileges and bestowals and the Nomads adopted Chinese ways. 

Comparing Kora, Vietnam, and Japan:

For Korea, they had temporary conquest during the Han Dynasty period. They also accepted Chinese culture. As for Vietnam, they adopted much of the Chinese ways including their way of running the government. They also provided rice to other cultures. Last but not least, Japan ever invaded or conquered by China. 

Chapter 7

Commerce and Culture:

Silk was significant during this time, especially for China and the Byzantine Empire.

Silk had the highest desire in Eurasia. Eurasia associated with the sacristy in the exapanding world religions of Buddism and Christianity.

Most importantly, silk was used for trade and aquired wealth.

The Silk Road had the continued support from later states and continued its demand for hard to find luxury goods.

Classical civilizations took over the terriroty of pastoral peoples and securing sections of the silk road of the inner forest of Eurasia.

Also, during this time, peasants gave up cultivation of foods crops, choosing to focus instead on producing silk, apper, porecelain, lacquerware, or iron tools and some merchants accumulated considerable fortunes.

The Silk Roads commerce included long-distance trade propounding affected the lives of peasant farmers.

Chapter 6

Commonalities and Variations: African and the Americas 500-1200

An agricultural revolution at this time involving complex societies

There was unevenly distributed o humans and an animal

Even though the Nile provided water for irrigation rain was still important, this wallowed them to

spread out and not be so close to the Nile as the Egyptians were.

According to strayer in terms of religion, their practice places less emphasis on a high or creator god,

who was viewed as remote and largely uninvolved in ordinary life, and focused instead on ancestral

or nature spirits.

The Nile provided a trade route between Egypt and Nubia to the south for several years. Both these

civilizations influence one another

Women touched their breats which is a gesture that signifies devotion, respect and the holding of

secret knowlege.

Chapter 5: Society and Inequality in Eurasia/North Africa

Society and Inequality in Eurasia/North Africa

• 500 B.C.E-500 C.E. 
• "Gain is pure joy"-an expression the entrepreneurial spirit of the town
• Chinese civilizatinos took shape during the Han dynasty(elite thinking)
• Women learned to "lowly and weak",  "humble herself before others", and "her primary duty was to be industrious"
• The women of the houes was subordinate as a wife and daughter-in-law
• The mom was able to exercise the importance of authority a mother-in-law needed when her son married. 
• Women got leverage in the marriage-dowry
• Womens job was to produce textiles to pay taxed or sell commercially
• Womens lives were more complex during confusious 
• “Merchants… did not enjoy such a favorable reputation on the eyes of China’s cultural elite” (198)
• 3 social classes, Elite Officials, Peasants, and Merchants
• Elite officials: had wealth and moved up in rankings of social classes. "Landlords of large estates were often bale to avoid paying taxes, thus decreasing state revanues and increasing the tax burden for the remaining peasants" (strayer 194). THey could, "mount their own military forces that might challenge the authority of the emperor.
• Peasants: In china a majority of the population happened to be peasants. Some of the peasants owned enough land to support their family and maybe sell at the local market. "...large landlords and work as tenants or sharecroppers on their estates, where rents could run as high as one-half to two-thirds of the crop (196). In India the social class for a peasant is much lower.
• Merchants: "Merchants...did not enjoy such a faborable reupation on the eye of CHina's cultural elite" (198). Merchants were stereotyped and looked down upon.
• Overall, in the chapter, I was more interested in learning about the Caste Ststem and how it differs from India. The Caste system is a term that comes from the Portuguese word "casta", wich means race or purity of blood. The caste ststem was another way to determine the social status in both civilizations. The social life in India starts from priests, warriors, farmers merchants, and outcasts. The class you are put into will be it for the rest of your life.