Chapter 5: Society and Inequality in Eurasia/North Africa

In the opening of Chapter 5 it describes about how the hierarchies and patriarchy’s remain more or less unchanged from the Classical Era until the Modern era despite the efforts of the social inequalities. Hierarchies and patriarchies of the Classical era varied in different second wave civilizations. Just like the First Civilizations The second wave was also divided into social classes. In the society and state of China, there were three different social hierarchy; elite of officials, peasants, and merchants. Wealth happens to be the very “key” in this chapter.

3 Social Classes

Elite Officials

Having enough wealth can move a person up in this ranking of class and it also meant land. Most elite officials were the ones with the money. Landlords of large estates, “were often able to avoid paying taxes, thus decreasing state revenues and increasing the tax burden for the remaining peasants” (Strayer 194). This quotation happens to be an example of how much privilege the ones with money are. 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 peasants owned enough land to support their family and maybe sell at the local market. Not all the peasants had enough land to support however. Some peasants were desperate so they sold to “...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). This quotation basically states that not all people were as lucky as the peasants who’ve own a house for three generations. In India the social class for a peasant is much lower.

Merchants

“Merchants… did not enjoy such a favorable reputation on the eyes of China’s cultural elite” (198). Merchants were stereotyped (greedy, luxury loving, and materialistic) and looked down to. In the Han Dynasty merchants were unable to wear silk clothing, ride horses, carry weapons. Some families tried to achieve to have more of a presentable title by buying land estates or educating the sons for the civil service exam. There were backdoor relationships with state officials and landlords who were found the merchants useful.   

Overall, in the chapter, I was more interested in learning about the Caste System and how it differs from India. The Caste System is a term that comes from the Portuguese word “casta,” which means “race” or purity of blood.” The Caste System 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. The stages of life happened to be the most interesting of all. It stood out the ost because of the roles the men, women, boys, and girls played. The men practiced caste-based occupations and wandered around, while the women stayed at home. Boys were the only ones to learn obedience, respect, celibacy, etc., but girls, didn’t have much of a role.

Chaoter 3 Documents

Source 3.1: A Greek Historian on Persia and Egypt.

What cultural difference does Herodotus notice between Greek ways

Persians	Egypt
Does not They do not have images of the gods and they do not have temples or alters They see it as “foolishness” The reason for seeing it as foolish is because the Persians don’t believe in the gods. They don’t believe in the gods because they suspect of them not having the same nature as human beings. Does They offer sacrifice to Zeus by climbing to the top of the highest mountain. Persians also sacrifice to the sun, moon, earth, fire, water ,and the winds The sacrificer can’t pray to themselves, instead they have to pray for the welfare of the king and the whole Persian people.	Women do most of the works They participate in trade while the men stay at home weaving. Women carry loads on shoulders while the men carry the mon their heads Women can’t be priests but men can Food is eaten outside, restrooms can be used in the room Egyptians live with animals which is unlikely because people usually live far from them Greeks solved math and wrote left to right but Egyptians write right to left
The most celebrated event is birthdays. For the Persian’s that are rich they eat roasted animals (ox, horse, camel, donkey) For the poor they have courses of meals  (Few at a time).	Egyptians shaved their heads when choosing to be a priest, but other countries they have long hair. Egyptians grows out their hair and beards when a relative passes.
When Persians meet it is obvious to tell if it is equal in status. Kiss on the lips  instead of speak One that is more inferior to the other they are kissed on the cheek Farther away other people live means that they have very little respect. Father’s influences their sons how to speak the truth, ride horses, and shoot arrows. Can’t come to sight of the father till 5 years old
Persians adopts foreign customs They wear Medes (Superior than their own) In war they wear Egyptian Armor on chests.

Chaoter 2 First Civilizations

First Civilizations-

Something New: The Emergence of Civilization:

Civilization was global phenomenon much like agriculture, showing up in 7 different location around the world, which slowly extended across the world. In human history the civilizations gradually absorbed or displaced others that practiced other living environments. 5,000 years later the human community grew larger of people and larger territories.

Introducing the First Civilization:

The first civilizations emerged from 3500 B.C.E.-3000 B.C.E. in present day Iraq (Mesopotamia), Egypt, and Norte Chico (N. Central Peru). Later on 3 other civilizations appeared: Indus Valley, China, and Olmec.

• The Sumerian civilization gave rise to the world’s earliest written language which officials used to record the goods received by many temples. The Egyptian civilization is famous for the pharaohs and pyramids. Egyptian civilization took shape as unified territorial state where cities were less prominent.

• Norte Chico is the coast of Peru that developed urban culture as early as 2500 B.C.E. The cities were smaller than this of Mesopotamia and showed less evidence of specialization. Norte Chico is characterized by massive stepped pyramids and extensive use of cotton. There’s less evidence of economic specialization based on fishing. Because of that it shows why they were less advanced than Mesopotamia and Egypt.

• The Indus Valley civilization generated no places, temples, elaborate graves, kings, or warrior classes. They did however, had a lot of land, no political hierarchy, was abandoned because of mass deforestation, low crop yields, famine, and environmental deterioration. This is important because it depicts how we developed in our economy and cities.

• The China Civilization dates to 2200 B.C.E. This was also part of the Xia dynasty dating from 2070 -1600 B.C.E. The Xia Dynasty is known for one legendary monarch known as Wu. He was known for “Master the waters and made the mflow through in great channels.” Other dynasty’s such as the shang and the Zhou substantially enlarge the chinese state. For each monarch people erected lavished tombs for their leaders with thousands of human sacrifices. During the Zhou dynasty political ideology emerged creating the “son of heaven.” This made the monarch look like he was chosen by the heavens to govern China. As long as the Son of Heaven remained in power there is to be social harmony among the people.

• Olmec is a civilization that took shape in the South of Mexico in 1200 B.C.E. The Olmec cities rose from competing chiefdoms and became ceremonial centers filled with decorated temples, altars, pyramids, and tombs of rulers.  It is said to be known as the mother of civilization of mesoamerica. The cultural patterns they have then spread to Maya and Teotihuacan.

The Question of Origins

It is clear that agriculture was essential to the rise of the civilizations, it is also the case that not all agricultural societies developed into civilizations. Demographic changes are better understood increased population growth led to increased population. Not all agricultural societies and Chiefdoms developed into civilizations which leaves other questions. Large scale irrigation projects might have been stimulants for early civilizations. Warfare, trade, and population density are other possible contributing factors. There was dense population that had increased for competition. First civilizations represented something much different than societies that came before.

An Urban Revolution

Resources that came from agriculture that made one of the distinctive features of the First Civilization. Uruk had the population of 50,000 in the third millenium B.C.E.  Teotihuacan housed 200,000 people. The urban society was impersonal because it wasn’t possible to know anyone. The social class was just as important when it came to relationships; it was more important than village loyalty. So then, heavy degree of inequality began to develop.

The Erosion of Equality

The wealth status and power brought inequalities. As technology grew so did the inequalities. The greater wealth that was assembled didn’t spread it instead it clumped together. Commoners was represented more as lower level officials, soldiers, police, servants, farmers, as well as artisans. The upper class rather, enjoyed a wealthy lifestyle with very little physical labour. The ones at the bottom of the social hierarchy was mainly slaves, which was all the first civilizations.

Hierarchies of Gender

The women was more involved in secondary tasks and was identified as home makers and nature meaning that they were more associated with inferior dimension of human life. The female sexuality became limited to the men. Men also had the rights over the women. The females were either slaves, concubines, or exchanged.

Patriarchy in Practice

In this section it talks about some consequences that women have to go through if they were to to do anything that betray or upsets their husband. “A wife caught sleeping with another man might be drowned at her husband’s discretion, where as he was permitted to enjoy to sexual relations with his female servants.” It was easier for men to get divorced than the women because of the male superiority. Being a female goddess may sound nice but in reality they were still less significant; wherefore the male creation gods was more important. However, patriarchy was not the same in Egypt or anywhere else. In egypt women had better opportunities than most. They were also equal to men, they could sign there own marriage contracts, get divorces, sell land, own property and have some political power.  

The Rise of the State

The state solved many problems among the population, but it also served to protect the privileges of the upper class and the commoners were demanded to work on big projects. The state has the power to force obedience. Symbols of kingship associated with “divine power” and the kings of Egypt, China, and Mesopotamia held that power. Further support of state authority was the invention of writing.Writing was major arena for social and political conflict. Being able to write was served to be a method of organization , accounting, and communication. It also shined on to literature, philosophy, astronomy, math and history. The upper class lived in luxury and was served by endless servants. The monuments palaces, burials, and pyramids conveyed the powers of the elite.

Comparing Mesopotamia and Egypt

There are some similarities between Mesopotamia and Egypt. Both of these civilizations grew in river valleys, and they tended to depend on the rivers to sustain their lands. Culture was very reflective of their environment. The difference between them would be that mesopotamia was more vulnerable to invasion while Egypt was protected by the surrounding land and enjoyed a free security.

While reading this chapter I learned more about the civilizations and the roles of the men and women. I felt like that the patriarchy was a little less focused in the chapter and instead the chapter was very detailed on the civilizations and how they were set up. Overall, knowing the civilizations and where they are located now was exciting.

Chapter 2 (Documents)

Document: 2.2 The Man

What specific features of the statue can you point out?

In the image of "The Man," there are multiple significant features. The statue is 7 inches tall and portrays some elite men. The clothing on the man is designed with flowers. He is wearing what looks like a crown, his arm is missing or has broke off, and his head is held high.

Prologue, Chapter 1: Out of Africa & The Ways We Were

The Prologue:

When reading the prologue, I was amazed. I was amazed that the universe existed 13.7 billion years ago, but the human race occupied earth for only 250,000 years. Also, seeing the timeline of how the universe came to be, was really interesting because it represents what came first and how many years it was.

Out of Africa:

The earliest homo sapiens first started out in Africa 250,000 years ago but then started to migrate out between 100,000 to 60,000 years ago. When leaving Africa the homo sapiens then migrated to Eurasia, Australia, Americas, and the Pacific. As our species started to migrate we also learned to live virtually in every environmental setting on earth. When in Eurasia, the Ice Age ended to move most of the people to the warmer regions. Being in the warmer regions meant more advanced hunting technology such as, bow and arrow, spear throwers, and other stone tools. Then in the Australia, boats became more sufficient. Australia had also developed about 250 languages, started to gather more lights bulbs, seeds, and roots, as well as becoming much more better hunters. And yet just like the early Europe; Paleolithic Australia "was both many separate worlds and... a loosely connected world." The Pacific's is the last place of where the migration has happened. Because there was plenty of open water, navigating skills was a great advantage. Since the occupation of New Zealand and Easter Island the human settlement was complete.

Reading this content made me surprised. I was surprised because of how much time it took to migrate onto different areas of the world and how the human race developed more ways of hunting, fishing, going around the world with boats, crossing the land bridges, etc.

The Ways We Were: 

The Paleolithic societies were small and since there wasn't much people around in the community, they had to be involved with each other intimately to keep expanding the population. Having not much advanced technology led to not having a huge population along with having slow population and ensured a slow population growth. Some scholars believe that the reason for the low population has to do with the eruption of a volcano 70,000 years ago. The human population dropped to 10,000 or below because of the cooler and drier climate. Paleolithic bands would always move depending on the seasons which led to not much productions of surplus. There were some areas where men and women share responsibilities. The women would gather 70 % of the food and cooked it; while the men collected white meat but worked only 30%. This is considered to be an equal partnership because hunting takes much more work than cooking and gathering plants. More than 15 % of the deaths in this era has to do with the death of hands. In 1955 the community would conduct an execution of disruptive individuals.

In all, after closely reading this section, I became fascinated with the Paleolithic Era. My interest in the Paleolithic Era started to expand because of the new information I'm starting to gain knowledge of. The actions that were happening back in the day compared to now can be somewhat different. Yes, the men are still considered to be superior while women are expected to cook and clean; however, the roles in some partnership is reversed and equally shared. Overall, I can't wait to dig deeper in this particular era.

Finished

Yay-I'm Done