Marlene Marlowe 18/1/2013 03:54:04 1st Margin Question- In what ways did the gathering and hunting people of Australia differ from those of the northwest coast of North America? A few key differences might be that the Paleolithic societies of Australia were more manipulative of their environment, one example is "firestick farming", which is really just one or many deliberately set fires (controlled fires) which would destroy the underbrush and expose the animals that might have lived underneath it, and make hunting easier, and also encouraging plant growth of specific species. While the Australian people and the North American people both used hunting and gathering to collect the food necessary to sustain their societies, the American civilizations were placed in (not literally placed in) an environment of more abundant resources, and thus did not learn to manipulate the environment as well as the Australians had. Marlene Marlowe 18/1/2013 04:00:37 Another one is that the people of the northwest coast of America was the way their actual civilization was structured, they had permanent village settlements with large and sturdy houses, a society somewhat ranked by class, sometimes including slavery, and chiefdoms dominated by powerful clan leaders, and also an extensive amount of food storage. One can assume that because Strayer did not include the structure of the Australian societies, that they probably didn't have a notable or elaborate form of social or economic structure. Marlene Marlowe 21/1/2013 08:38:56 I'm not sure what you meant by giving up already, this isn't even my final form, Bingham. Bwwahh HAHAHA!!!!!!!!
Bingham 21/1/2013 02:45:06 Really? Giving up already? Fine, but you will pay the price. Christina Hong 21/1/2013 03:39:29 no Christina Hong 21/1/2013 03:39:35 In what different ways did the peoples of the fifteenth century interact with one another? Empires Religion Patterns of trade Bingham 21/1/2013 04:28:48 I knew I could count on you Christina! Everyone should note the way these webs align with our SPICE themes, specifically Political, Cultural and Economic. Steffannie Alter 21/1/2013 04:12:05 How did Aztec religious thinking support the empire? The Aztecs identified the sun with their deity, Huitzilopochtli, who they believed was losing energy in a constant battle against darkness. Therefore, the Aztec world was always seen as hovering on the edge of catastrophe. The Aztecs held frequent human sacrifices to replenish the energy of the sun/Huitzilopochtli since they thought that because the gods had shed blood while creating humankind, the reverse would please the gods. The victims were considered to have "died for the god." The growth of the Aztec Empire became a way to maintain cosmic order to prevent catastrophe. It also caused Aztecs to focus on capturing prisoners in war to sacrifice instead of killing them. Priests and rulers became mutually dependent because the human sacrifices were both religious and political. Steffannie Alter 21/1/2013 04:39:35 In what ways did European maritime voyaging in the fifteenth century differ from that of China? What accounts for these differences? Europe's Columbus had three ships with a crew of about 90 and Vasco de Gama's four ships crew was comprised of 170 sailors. Zheng He, meanwhile had hundreds of Chinese ships and a crew of thousands. Motivation differed between Europe and China as well- Europe sought the wealth of Africa and Asia, Christian converts and allies for its struggle against Muslims, and it tried to monopolize by force the Indian Ocean commerce and created colonies in America. By contrast, China had no equivalent struggle against Muslim powers, needed no military allies in the Indian Ocean, didn't need the materials these regions produced, and sought neither conquests nor colonies. China therefore decided to end its voyages following the death of Emperor Yorgle- many officials saw the voyages as a waste of time and resources, believing they were self-sufficient enough to attain what they needed. In contrast, Europe had no unified political authority with the power to end the expeditions, much of the elite were interested in overseas expansion, and unlike China, Europe wanted to seek out the greater riches of the East. Bingham 21/1/2013 04:47:24 I want to do the BPQ 1 in class, so I'll take 2. How does this chapter distinguish among the various kinds of societies that comprised the world of the fifteenth century? What other ways of categorizing the world’s peoples might work as well or better? This chapter organizes societies in two ways. First, it organizes them into Paleolithic peoples, agricultural village societies, herding peoples, AND established civilizations and empires. It then organizes those civilizations by region. There are alternatives, including organization by cultural region—Chinese, Indian, Islamic, Mesoamerican, and Christian. Another possibility would have been organization through webs of connections, starting with a single society and radiating out to a look at its nearer and more distant contacts. Christina Hong 22/1/2013 10:26:55 What distinguished the Aztec and Inca empires from each other? Aztec Inca Same Zoe Cagan 22/1/2013 13:24:08 Okay, I know it's kinda late, but this is my first post, so I
don't really care! At least you know I'm trying, Bingham! Here goes: The not-so-great thing: When the Chinese withdrew from the seas, they turned their backs on control over a large-scale maritime empire in the Indian Ocean. So that's all I got. How was that? Anything to add? Anything unnecessary? Christina Hong 22/1/2013 13:39:02 In terms of culture, I also added Camille Collins 22/1/2013 16:14:34 What role did Central Asian and West African pastoralists play in their respective regions? Pastoralists in Central Asia: -Timur (or Tamerlane), a respected Turkic soldier,
brought significant destruction to Russia, Persia, and India in an attempt to restore the Mongol Empire. Pastoralists in West Africa: -Pastoralists in Africa steered away from established empires. Marlene Marlowe 23/1/2013 10:50:42 How would you define the major achievements of Ming dynasty China? -China before the Ming Dynasty already had an effective form of government to begin with, a highly productive economy, produced major artistic achievements. Of course until it was disrupted by Mongol rule. (These are what I personally consider some of the greatest achievements of Ming Dynasty China) Marlene Marlowe 23/1/2013 12:30:54 What political and cultural differences stand out in the histories of fifteenth century China and Western Europe? What similarities are apparent? Similarity: While both Europe was making a recovery from it’s loss of population and economic damage by the plague (black death), China was making it’s rebound a similar way, although from a different source of infliction (Mongol rule). The demographic and economic revival of both civilizations was due to the durable infrastructure of both, and both joined in the common trait of the continuation of earlier patterns of state building. Difference: Although both engaged in the continuation of earlier patterns of state building, they were both expressed ways specific to each civilization. In China, it meant a centralized form of government that encompassed most of it’s civilization, while Europe possessed more of a fragmented system of many individual and highly competitive states, sharply divided by Christendom. Similarity: A well known “cultural blossoming”, known in European history as the Renaissance period, paralleled the rise of Confucianism in Ming dynasty China. Difference: England and France fought for more than a century in the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) over rival claims of a piece of territory in France, nothing of the sort disturbed the internal life of Ming dynasty China. Marlene Marlowe 23/1/2013 12:50:54 Zheng He-licious, fleet delicious, make Columbus crazy. Oh god what did I just do, Fergie. Marlene Marlowe 23/1/2013 13:04:57 In what ways did European maritime voyaging in the fifteenth century differ from that of China? What accounts for these differences? The Differences Stated and Mostly Explained: - The most prominent difference between Chinese oceangoing voyages and European ventures was the significant difference in size. Christopher Columbus captained three ships, each ship of about 90 men, Vasca da Gama had four ships, each manned with 170 or so men. Neither could compare in size to the fleet of Zheng He, possessing hundreds of ships notably larger than those of Columbus's, each ship carrying thousands of men. (Just to give you an idea of the difference in size in means of numbers) -European voyagers sailed out to sea to seek the wealth of foreign regions (ex. Africa and Asia) - gold, spices, silk, and not under the wealth category, Christian Converts (of whom to use in their struggle against threatening Muslim powers). By contrast, China did not find much in foreign countries useful to them, as far as material possessions go, and were faced with no equivalent military power, meaning most of the civilizations they came into contact with were no more powerful than they were, if not much less. China also did not possess an impulse to seek converts, or enforce their culture in any means. -Neither did China seek to build new empires, unlike Europe, carving out huge empires in the America’s and colonizing existing civilizations, although China’s fleet was much more powerful and overwhelming. -Another significant difference separating the two cases is the decisive ending of China’s voyages and then the rapid escalation of European efforts to bring growing numbers of the worlds people under it’s control. Then again, Europe had no unified political authority enough to put an end to it’s maritime outreach, not to say it was necessarily a bad thing. An end was put to Zheng-He’s journeys so quickly because approval and support for his voyages were little in official circles, and when emperor Yongle left the stage, those who opposed prevailed within the politics of the court. I really hope these are right. Marlene Marlowe 23/1/2013 13:06:19 If anyone wants me to go into more detail as to why these events took place, just let me know. It's seared into my brain. Natalia Kian 24/1/2013 14:15:37 Just an FYI to anyone making the chart that Bingham suggested: I recommend adding a West Africa section.... Bingham 24/1/2013 20:52:29 Yeah, and maybe an Australia /Oceania one too. sofia 15/11/2013 19:26:05 Your comment will be posted after it is approved. Leave a Reply. | AuthorBingham: This forum is for us to engage with each other publicly about where we are struggling with the coursework and to offer each other solutions for what works for us. Categories All
|