India map

Chinese Influence in East Asia

Harun al-Rashid

         This is a mediocre quality source. The organization of the page is simple though it is not evenly written. It appears that the writer or writers were negatively biased towards the life of Harun al-Rashid. The anecdotes given that have details are negatives against al-Rashid. His life is portrayed as a man who makes stupid decisions like marrying his sister to his friend and expecting them to act unmarried. Then al-Rashid's brutality is shown when he kills and displays Ja'far publicly.

          After reading this entry, I'm intrigued by the stories that surround him. How did he manage to rule his empire? And have a prosperous reign? The Wikipedia page answers the basic questions about who he is, but for more details I would google his name along with different key words like Ja'far or Bayt al-Hikma to find out the role he played in different aspects of his lifetime.

          Lastly, Harun al-Rashid sparks imagination because of the wild stories that surround his life. The variety of experiences he had leads to a wide variety of references that add to his fame. I think the Wikipedia page does not do justice to the largeness of his presence.

Benjamin of Tudela's on Bagdad

          Benjamin of Tudela's description of Bagdad is biased. As a Spanish rabbi who has visited many cities, I think he has the ethos to discuss these cities, but he lets his viewpoint affect his descriptions. He describes the different ways that the city is prosperous, like the place, the riches and the caliph's lifestyle. Benjamin seems to be dazzled and enchanted by the city and writes a biased description. He likes Constantinople better because he does not mention any negatives in that description; in his description of Bagdad, he mentions the hospital for sick people and he shows a negative side to the city.

Expansion of Dar-Al-Islam Map

The Quran on Allah and His Expectations of Humankind

          Compare the Quran's teachings on the relationship between Allah and human beings with the views of Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians discussed in earlier chapters.

          Zoroastrian teachings in the Gathas recognize both Ahura Mazda as a supreme deity who is the creator of all good things and six lesser beings who represented the forces of evil. Ahura Mazda's teachings allowed human beings to enjoy the world in moderation. The Jews' Hebrew scriptures recognized Yahweh as the single supreme deity. The Christians' Old and New Testaments recognize the trinity as their single deity. The Muslim's Quran recognize Allah as the single supreme deity who created the world. Human beings who obeyed Allah would receive mercy and blessing, but those who rejected Allah would suffer eternal punishment.
          All four beliefs have the concept of an after life in which there is either blessing and rewards or eternal suffering. The Jews, Christians and the Muslims believe that their god is the one deciding who gets what. This is different in Zoroastrianism where the amount of good and bad in a person determine their fate and the gods are only rooting for good or evil. Also they share the general idea that there is one good god. Once again, Zoroastrianism is the outlier where there are also six lesser gods who are evil. The Christians can also be considered different because of their belief in the trinity which is made up of three beings, rather than only one god.

Foltz on Bentley's 3 Patterns of Conversion

Richard C. Foltz's discussion on the expansion of Islam helps prove Bentley's three patterns of voluntary association, syncretism, and pressure to spread religions. Foltz explains the three patterns though another example, Islam. He says that that "Arab Muslims had strong reason not to want non-Arabs to join the faith"(228) due to economic reasons, yet the domination of Muslim domination in commercial activity led non-Muslims to voluntarily convert. People also converted to Islam due to assimilation like the incorporation of the religion into "succeeding generation[s]"(231) where the converts will have seen the way of "the father's new community" and not "his original one"(231). This suggests that the "new community" is more applicable to the new generations and therefore is accepted more widely. This change of religion from original to improved is the spreading of Islam by assimilation. Lastly "Muslim rule over the western half of the Silk Road"(230) gave them the power to impose their religion on others. Foltz uses the same three patterns as Bentley to describe the spread of Islam.

Constantinople

Article 1) Ibn Battuta
          Mr. Ibn Battuta has a negative view of Constantinople especially because of the religion practiced there. I think that Battuta dislikes the new Christianity and the prominence of it in Constantinople turns him off. "[O]ne of the greatest churches of the Greeks" stands in the city, but Buttata thinks that "[t]heir churches too are filthy and mean." Despite his dislike, I think his account is reliable. The details and specifics lead me to believe he was accurate in his descriptions. When he describes the Hagia Shophia, he states that he "can only describe the exterior, for [he]did not see its interior"; this implies that Buttata only wrote down what he observed, and did not make up information.

Article 2) Benjamin of Tudela
          Mr. Benjamin seems to be positive. He emphasizes the uniqueness of Constantinople though mentioning repeatedly that wealth and entertainment are "not to be found in the whole world." He sees the difference between the declining Byzantine Empire and the flourishing Constantinople. He doesn't add his own opinions to the account, but has a generally positive look on the city. I think his account can not be trusted because of the exaggerations and the vagueness.

Article 3) Liudprand of Cremona, Embassy to Constantinople
          Mr. Liudprand of Cremona had a negative view of Constantinople due to previous experiences. He represents the Roman Empire and seeks to "stir up strife" according to Leo the bother of the Emperor Nicephorus. Mr. Liudprad's negativity is a mutual feeling as displayed which is displayed through an unflattering description of being "disfigured", "disgraced", "old, foul smelling." Through the tone of the account, it seems are though there have been tense unresolved issues that lay unspoken between the two empires, of which neither would like to address, and both would rather "resolve" by insulting the other. This festering problem gives Mr. Luidprad a negative view of Constantinople and taints his account with contempt which results in an unreliable account.

The Post Classical Era

I expect that the Post Classical Era will be a repeated cycle of what happened in the Classical Era, except with slightly different conditions. In the Classical Era, empires were formed with centralized governments, then through internal and external causes, those large empires collapsed. New ideas had formed and religions sprouted out of the Classical Era. In the Post Classical Era, I expect that from the turmoil, people will try to take control and create governments and that they might create something that will only collapse like all other empires. Also the religions that were newly created in the Classical Era will probably flourish and or get modified.

If I Were Emperor...

          In the account "The Peoples of the West" from the Weilue 魏略 by Yu Huan 魚豢 Rome and its products are described for the Han Emperor's sake. If I were the emperor, I would regard Rome as a potential friend, though more like an acquaintance, and I would keep vigilant. Rome appears to be organized through a strange system with minor kings under the king. The people of their country are talented and the common people are literate. Some of their traditions seem strange, but they could be a good trading partner since they have so many products. Even though no military is described, Rome is large enough to become a threat, so I would proceed with caution.

The Silk Road

          Drawing a map of the Silk Road doesn't sound like a difficult task. In reality, my unfamiliarity with the app I was using combined with technology issues and research incapabilities, made this task more challenging than anticipated. At first I began in an app that could not zoom in... mistake number one. I found it too difficult to draw the points on the map accurately, so I switched to a new app that I had not used before... this unfamiliarity meant that I had to figure things out by trial and error... too bad I had more errors than successes. In addition to these complications some points of interest on my map were difficult to find correctly on the Internet. Over all, I prefer paper and writing utensil as opposed to my iPad.

The Roman Empire

          I think that the Roman Empire shaped the world to be what it is today. With that in mind, I still have a negative image of the Roman Empire. It used force to suppress its people. Through my exposure to the Roman Empire, I have seen how they mercilessly kill innocent people, how they disregard the plebeians and the manner in which they run their empire. In class, Mr. Whitten talked about how the Roman soldiers just killed anyone who didn't do what was required without listening. In the book, the political structure is introduced as a hierarchy where the plebeians appear to have power, but they do not. This manner of maintaining the big Roman Empire worked well, but the people it ruled had many negative feelings. The reading about marriage and divorce further exemplifies the power and control the Romans had. For example, the Augustan Marriage Laws along with many other of his laws were created to help Augustus to maintain control of his empire.

Republic to Empire

          Rome's path from #RepublicToEmpire began with strict class biased laws, which triggered a desire for justice, then a conquest of land and a power struggle and finally an assassination and a new leader and a new style of ruling. The 12 Tables outlined rules with obvious inequities between classes, the patricians and the plebeians. Inevitably someone, this time it was Tiberius, who will strive for justice. He attempts to redistribute land that will give the plebeians a fair say in government... well... the patricians like their power and want to keep it, so they murder Tiberius. Social unrest continues and even among the political power heads there are rivalries going on. The Civil War of Marius and Sulla lead to the Caesarean Civil War which leads to the collapse of the Roman Republic. Julius Caesar is assassinated, Augustus takes power and the Roman Empire is formed. Thus the Romans go from #RepublicToEmpire.

Alexander the Great for POTUS

          If you haven't already figured it out... POTUS stands for President Of The United States. If Alexander the Great were running for President of the United States today, I think he would be electable... except that he would show up drunk and lose the election. He has the motivation and the charisma to be electable, but his fatal flaw would be alcohol. Alexander the Great showed that if he wanted something, he would get it. He had motivation; he conquered an empire that spanned from Macedonia almost to India. He has charism; he got legions of people to follow him in his conquests. Alexander the Great had the skills to be president, but his electability would depend on if he wanted it enough to abstain from alcohol. Track record says "No"; he would fall to alcohol once again.

King Abdullah II of Jordan

          King Abdullah II of Jordan is trying to peacefully change from a constitutional monarchy to a democracy. I think he can succeed. King Abdullah II has a different strategy than most of the other Middle East nations to achieve a peaceful transition  to democracy. Most of the other nations have elected a leader that is constrained by the old laws, but King Abdullah's plan is to change the constitution first then elect a ruler. This means that the law changes first then the ruler can use the new law to run a democracy.

Democracy

          Democracy, a ruling style where every citizen has an equal vote, is best used in small societies and can not be successfully implemented in large complex societies. It sounds like a good idea where everyone gets equal say, but when its further explored, it's not so good after all. It works in a small society because there are less people to account for and less people to disagree. In a large complex society, the problems of democracy are magnified. Having everyone vote on everything would become a tedious time consuming chore every time anyone disagreed or wanted a change.

Ashoka according to the Ashokavadana

          This story from the Ashokavadana may have appealed to various groups of early Buddhists because of the respect Ashoka demonstrates for all classes and the manner in which he teaches his way to his minister. The Buddhists believed that all the members of all the caste are equal and since Ashoka treats the different classes equally, the Buddhists would like the story from the Ashokavadana. Ashoka teaches his minister by demonstrating his point that his head was not worth anything. Buddhists like the teach by demonstration, so they can relate to the story.

Map of China

Dynasties: China vs. India

                   Political systems in classical Chinese and Indian Dynasties had the common goal of control over an empire, but the imperial Chinese Dynasties (Qin and Han) were much more effective and successful than the Indian Dynasties (Mauryan and Gupta). This was probably because of the strictness of the Chinese empire versus the loosely watched Indian empire.
                   The Chinese imperial dynasties were based on intricate bureaucracies that kept the empire strong and unified. One example of their strength and unification is the standardization of weight & measurements, coins, and writing in the Qin dynasty within a short period of time through force. Another example is during the Han dynasty, when people were educated based on Confucianism. These strict centralized dynasties flourished and increased in size and power. On the other hand in India, the dynasties that barely lasted were relatively loose with their policies. The Mauryan dynasty was based on a simple bureaucracy derived from Kautalya's political handbook, the Arthashastra. This method worked reasonably well when a diligent ruler, like Ashoka, was in charge, but once he died, the empire collapsed because his policies did not carry on. Later on, the Gupta dynasty, slightly smaller than the Mauryan dynasty, tried to maintain control. Their method was more laid back than that of the Mauryan dynasty; failure to unify the empire to defend itself, left them vulnerable to attacks from foreigners like the White Huns. The Gupta's loosely managed empire falls as well. Ultimately the organization and effectiveness of the political structure determined the stability of the dynasties. China had that strictness, India did not.

Mencius vs. Xun Zi

          Mencius believes that in is human nature to be pleased when others treat you well. He also believes that "[a]ll men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others"(Book 2, Part 1, Ch. 6) implying that everyone is naturally compassionate and kind, good.
           Xun  Zi believes that "[h]uman nature is bad." He thinks that humans are given, by Heaven, a natural desire to be selfish, like eating when hungry or resting when tired and that good is learned through rituals of letting elders eat first or not resting because it is not time yet. He believes that humans are born bad and learn to be good.
            Of these two men's theories on the nature of human beings, I "line up" with Xun Zi. I think that Xun Zi's thoughts on human nature being naturally bad is more correct. I think that people are selfish until they learn to be "good" though teachers or others examples.

Confucian Analects

                    I think that religion includes a deity and a dimension of faith. The Chinese Classics--Volume 1: Confucian Analects has neither, therefore I do not think it is a religion. This reading implies and supports the idea people are born good. It starts off with "Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?"(Book 1, Ch. 1) that implies that a person is born good with the desire to learn. It is through the way the analects advise and instruct people that I can infer that the reading supports the idea that people are born good. Later on in book one chapter eight, it tells you what to do and not what to refrain from:
          "2. Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.
          3. Have no friends not equal to yourself.
          4. When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them."
This supports the idea that people are born good and can do these things to maintain the goodness. If the reading were to support the idea that people were born bad, it would state what to refrain from, not what to do. If the reading were to support the idea that people were born neutral, it would state more about the choice of becoming good versus bad. In book two chapter fourteen assumes a person is born good and has the natural ability "[t]o see what is right". Also in book four chapter ten, "what is right [the superior man] will follow". This implies that he knows what is right internally, which means he was born that way, good.

Map of Persia

Zarathustra on Good and Evil

Zarathustra makes the assumption that it is in human nature to make a choice; the choice to be good or evil. He assumes that humans have the capability to make morally good choices out of free will.

History Head Comments

Hi Cecilia. Nice job drawing the pictures (especially Africa) and I think the map of the Egypt area is informative. Your key for the map is great, but where is your key for the poster? You should add in a key to mark the five themes. Both Egypt and India have a river, the Nile and the Indus respectively, that influenced agriculture. In Egypt, the pharaohs were at the top of the hierarchy; in India the Brahmans were at the top of the hierarchy. Could you clarify why you drew a house?
- Sam Lee =)



Hey Holly! I like how your title and timeline are clear and easy to understand. Red, a color associated with China, might not have been the best color to use on an orange poster. I saw how on your poster, you used a blue triangle to represent the social hierarchy; very creative. Both in China and in India, social hierarchies are present to influence the person's daily life. I did notice that the levels within the hierarchy were a bit different in China versus in India. The pictures inside the head seem to be a bit unclear; could you explain them?
- Sam Lee =)

History Head

Test and Essay Reflection

          The test and essay on the second and third day of school went reasonably well. I felt prepared walking into the test, but found myself second guessing my answers. For the essay, time pressure was one of the pressing issues constantly on my mind. Next time I think I should review the chapters more thoroughly and what happened where (like where chickens were originally domesticated...). I'm happy with how I did, but not satisfied.

There is always room for improvement!