Genghis Khan: A Mastermind or a Member of the Loony Bin?

Genghis Khan does have some tendencies to do what people would normally not do.  An example of this would be when Genghis shot an arrow at his half-brother an killing him solely based upon his half-brother stealing on of his fishes.  Despite these abnormal behaviors, I believe that Genghis Khan was a great leader.  One argument made against Genghis Khan's sanity was the fact that he murdered a gigantic number of people.  Other Mongolian leaders are not looked at as being insane, yet they did the same thing on a smaller scale; their lifestyle was based upon raiding others to gain supplies and women.  Other great leaders are not innocent either; they had to have murdered a lot of people as well.  Genghis Khan was not a killing machine either.  He was a compassionate man who tried to rationalize the attacks and slaying of his victims.

Charlemagne's "Capitulary de Villis"

On the basis of the "Capitulary de Villis," how would you characterize the conditions of material life in the Carolingian countryside?

The "Capitulary de Villis" makes the life of ordinary people seem repetitive and tedious.  They work to build up their wealth and resources and maybe earn some extra money, but then they have to keep on giving a portion of their built up resources to their lords.  Food products was one thing that they could perhaps stockpile a small amount of, but, "two-thirds shall be sent each year," to the lords for their own use.  While the peasants were struggling, the lords observed a life filled with much more luxury.  Stewards would take care of the money and the accounts of the livestock and such from each peasant family.  Other stewards would be tasked to prepare grandiose meals for their lord or to clean the house.

al-Ghazzali and The Allegory of the Cave

1. This selection of mathematics is showcasing the relationship between religion and advancements through means that are naturally more on the irreligious side.  Mathematicians focus on results that have "clearness and solidity of truth" while religion relies on faith.  Because of this. mathematicians stray away from religion/Islamic values.  The Islamic faith does not condemn nor approve of this behavior, but it does allow mathematics to continue.  The Islamic faith embraces the subjects that will aid in the advancement of society and their people; the faith is not one where people are guided on a straight path to God, but a faith that is intended to support the growth of knowledge and guide people to God.

2. al-Ghazzali supports the idea that mathematics and religion should be separated.  Mathematics "proves nothing for or against religion."  Islamic faith does not condemn nor approve of mathematics either.  Because these two do not relate, it would be odd to combine them.  Religion is based on beliefs that do not have any clear evidence.  Mathematics has "clearness and solidity of proof".  Combining religion and mathematics would most likely lead to questioning of faith as they would be in direct contact.  By maintaining these as two separate entities, Mathematics and religion can coexist.

How do al-Ghazzali's works relate to The Allegory of the Cave?
al-Ghazzali's work Deliverance from Error, and Plato's The Allegory of the Cave both deal with the idea that truth is something that deceives us.  We think that they can see the reality of everything through their five senses as both works claim.  But there lies an issue with the use of senses; they often deceive us.  Plato says that the prisoner's of the den have become accustomed to the idea that the shadows are the ones that are speaking.  This is not true; the shadows are what appears of the actual being: the human.  And the sounds that these shadows make are nothing more than echoes that are emanating from the human.  al-Ghazzali says that we use our strongest sense, sight, to determine what is and isn't real.  But here lies the problem.  The stars adorning the sky are smaller than the size of the tip of our fingers, but in reality, their size dwarfs the size of the earth.  In addition, both of these writers emphasize the importance of helping others once you have found the truth.  The Apostle of God came to the people and answered their questions about how to achieve this enlightenment about reality, according to Deliverance from Error.  Socrates tells Glaucon about how once you have reached enlightenment, it is your role to return to the den in which the imprisoned men reside and make sure to help them see the light of reality.  It will be a struggle because they will deny what they are not accustomed to, but it is something that must be done according to Socrates.
The difference between these two works is that al-Ghazzali believes that the enlightenment is brought down from not only the human, but from God.  al-Ghazzali said that 'God Most High cured me of that sickness" which was his skepticism of religion.  Plato's work speaks of the importance of humans.  It is the humans that are in the light, and it is the human who plays the role that God plays in al-Ghazzali's work (this role is bringing enlightenment to those who are struggling to see reality).

Maps of Byzantine's Contraction and Islam's Expansion

Page 350: The Quran and Other Faiths

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.

The Quran sets some guidelines that establish it from other religions; there is a clear subservience to God.  Both Islam and Zoroastrianism share the idea that one has to please their God, but they different in the degree of their devotion.  Zoroastrianism is a more relaxed and moderate and allows indulgence in pleasures in moderation.  Islam is a lot more strict and intense; they have to fast during the daylight hours of Ramadan is one example.  Then there’s the whole “mean and women who guard their private parts.”  Islam is similar to Judaism in that both are monotheistic and have an all-powerful God.  The five pillars of Islam is similar to the Ten Commandments Present in Judaism and Christianity.  The Quran encourages people to be charitable to those less fortunate just like what Christianity encouraged.

Justinian's Code Document

1)    Women’s roles in Byzantine society involved them being subservient to the men.  Their purpose was to be a wife or concubine and a mother to their children.  The reason for these assumptions is that, despite this document being based upon the family life between males and females, the females are placed under a lot more restrictions and generally hold less power than the male.  For example, a son needs permission from his grandfather and father for marriage, whereas a daughter needs only the permission of her grandfather; the daughter is not as important because only one person is needed to determine her marriage.  Regarding concubines, the woman must remain with her patron so long as he desires it; the woman cannot act based on her desires, rather, she has to please the male.

I think it is important to note that these ideas do not seem to be based on religious texts nor previous events in the history of the empire.  Instead, these ideas are based on the opinions of Justinian and his lawyers.  Under the concubine section, the lawyers or Justinian use “I think” and “I agree” instead of something along the lines of “based upon….”

2)     As we discussed in class, Justinian’s background is important because it gives insight as to how Justinian feels towards certain groups of society.  Although we are not certain how Justinian felt towards the rich and the poor, we know that he was raised as a peasant and probably feels either resentment for the rich or disinterest in the poor.  Justinian also came to power through the military, so some of these laws are probably built with the military on the mind. 

Background of the empire is also important because the chaos in the states of Rome and Byzantine can at least partially be attributed to the contradictory laws.  To avoid loopholes, the lawyers would have had to research previous events and create laws based upon these events. 

Monocausal Decay

Monocausal decay in regards to the Roman Empire is an idea that states that the fall of the Roman Empire can be traced down to one cause.  On Wikipedia, the article has three different theories as to what was this one cause was: epidemics, deforestation, and lead poisoning.  I believe that the epidemic theory is plausible.  The Roman Empire was massive, and we discussed how there were bound to be issues even while the conditions of the empire were optimal.  Now imagine what would happen when half of the population within this empire were killed; there must have been intense paranoia coupled with the fact that people needed to be taxed twice as much to make up for the deaths of half of the population.  McNeill asserts that  "the severe fall in population left the state apparatus and army too large for the population to support, leading to further economic and social decline."

Would a sparser population of people even make a difference if epidemics were so widespread?

It would indeed make a difference.  The barbarians located across the Danube and Rhine River had population increases.  They lived in isolated villages that were not conducting as much trade, and they did not use public facilities.  This changing demographic lead to the fall of the Roman Empire because the Roman Empire got weaker as the barbarians grew stronger.

Environmental issues would affect the empire, but only specific portions of it.  If a certain portion of the empire could not feed themselves, their population would drop, leaving them weakened for others to conquer.  Environmental issues couldn't have plagued the entirety of the Roman Empire.

Lead poisoning also seems a bit far fetched.  Lead poisoning affected the entire empire and caused the decay of it because defrutum "was used to some degree to sweeten wine and food" after being boiled in lead pots.  

The Fall of the Han Dynasty and Roman Empire

The Silk Road Class Activity

From this classroom activity, I learned that the Silk Road was not a straight pathway from Rome to China, rather, it was a lengthy process of transporting goods riddled with deceit, fighting, thievery, and inability to communicate.  Oftentimes, as we experienced, morals were thrown aside in favor of greed.  The Silk Road seemed to be both an asset and detriment to the societies that were involved in it.  On one hand, the Silk Road brought merchants to their settlements were the merchants could buy goods from.  These societies received goods that probably would not have come there had it not been for the strong desire to trade between two large empires.  On the other hand, the Silk Road was a cesspool for deceit and thievery.  The currency converter had money stolen from him.  Also, our group increased the value of our money by telling him that we had less money than what we actually had.  Our translator seemed to be using his talents mainly for his own benefit.  We also had some pests trying to sway us from one source of horses to another.

I think this simulation worked well.  Apparently, we have not changed much from our ancestors of the Classical Era, which is a little disheartening.  Regardless of that, this was a fun and informative activity where we could see the reality behind the Silk Road.  The Silk Road was always regarded as a pinnacle of trade and interaction in years past, but this activity made the flaws of the Silk Road extremely apparent.  The pros of learning this way is that I do not tend to look more to pros of the Silk Roads than the cons.  I would have still thought of the Silk Road as being a great bridge between two different societies with crime sprinkled here and there.  This activity showed me that the Silk Road did allow trade between Rome and China, but it was nowhere near perfect.  We did not have enough time to finish this activity, so I would have liked to seen how military conquest would have come into play, as well as increased thievery.  I think we should do this activity again because it was both fun and informative, but I think that we should include even more circumstances that would affect the interactions between the societies (like trading and war).

Roman City Prompts

c. How does an aqueduct move water? How is this like or unlike the way a qanat worked in Persia?

Aquedeucts were built into mountains so that they could tap into its water supply.  These aqueducts would carry water through its structure for long distances using arches.  Multiple levels of arches were built when crossing a barricade like water.  The aqueducts would be built with a slight slant so that gravity could transport the water to its destination.  The qanats in Persia were similar in that gravity was used to transport water from a source of water located in a mountain.  However, the difference was that the aqueducts were built above ground, and qanats were built underground.

f. Why can’t Marcus Fabricius marry Aiden? How does this compare to attitudes about marriage in Classical Era India?

Fabricius cannot marry Aiden because Fabricius is a citizen of Rome, but Aiden is not.  This is similar to marriage in Classical Era India in that there were certain criteria that needed to be reached.  In India, the two people who wish to be wed needed to be in the same caste and jati, and in Rome both needed to be a Roman citizen.

g. What attitudes toward slavery are displayed by the characters in the film? Are slaves the same in Rome as they were in Classical Greece?

Slaves are treated with more respect than what is accustomed.  The owners were lenient in their behavior towards slaves, and the slaves were allowed to be free.  Slaves were also allowed to be craftsmen.  The slaves were treated similarly in Greece as they were in Rome.  Slaves in Greece were given incentive to work hard because they were provided with shops and a portion of their earnings.  If they were skilled successful enough, they were able to win their freedom.

Roman Republic

Rome was able to change from a republic to empire because the fighting amongst the political higher-ups allowed for an easy takeover.

Greek and Indian Civilization

1. What’s McNeill’s argument?

McNeill is arguing about how India’s caste system and Greece’s territorial sovereignty had completely different effects on the development of society.

2. How does McNeill define Caste? Does this match up with the textbook’s definition?

McNeill describes a caste as being a group of people who eat with one another and intermarry; this group also excludes people of a different group from doing these tasks with them.  The textbook says that castes are the levels of a social hierarchy marked by inherited social distinctions.  Jati are subcastes that eat with one another and intermarry.  McNeill’s definition of caste aligns with the textbook’s definition of jati. 

3. What three feelings and thoughts helped to maintain the idea of caste:

            1. Ceremonial Purity: A person of a higher status would contaminate themselves if they came in contact with someone of a lower caste.

            2. Maintaining customs: Within a caste, certain groups were able to maintain their peculiar customs without having to be assimilated.

            3. Reincarnation: The castes that one was placed in were a reward or punishment for deeds done in a past life.

4. Are these convincing?

In these situations, it was convincing.  Brahmans were justified in their wealth, and they had the ability to limit association with lower castes.  In fact, nearly everyone had the ability to look down upon certain lower castes.  The caste system allowed newcomers to practice peculiar traditions.  The caste system also discouraged the paying of taxes (people identified strongly with a caste than the state).

5. Why did caste itself not cause strong political organization to form?

People of a certain caste associated themselves firstly with their caste.  These castes set rules as to avoid contact with other castes.  Kings and other rulers were unable to win loyalty from people who valued the caste more highly than the state.

6. What causes Indian religion to shift from deity pleasing to the act of worship itself?

The obsession with detail of the Vedas shifted the religion to worship.  Priests believed that mispronounced words during sacrifice would displease gods, so they dedicated themselves to correctness of detail.

7. How did the Upanishads change the nature of Indian religion and thus the goals of Indian society?

The Upanishads changed the goal from being rich and living long to focusing on the end of the reincarnation cycle.  This could be achieved by self-discipline and meditation.  Because this can only be achieved through one’s own body, people began to ignore priests and observance of ceremonies.

8. How does McNeill define “Territorial Sovereignty?”

Territorial sovereignty is the division of land into territorial states that, rather than focusing on religion, explained the world through laws of nature.

9. Why did Greeks turn away from religion as an explanatory factor in organizing society?

The Greeks realized that there were multiple theories as to why planets aligned or how the world was created.  Greek philosophers looked into it and found that the explanations were unsupported and conflicting.

10. What was the consequence of the Greeks’ rigid adherence to the polis?

Because of the polis and the way it was organized, there was hardly any value in introspection, salvation, or purification.  When Pythagoras found an order that would allow introspection, the Pythagorean Order was persecuted.

11. Do you buy his argument? Why or why not?

I do think that McNeill has a valid argument.  The Caste system encouraged interest in only those that would help you directly, thus leading to weak kings unable to obtain large amounts of power.  Greece adhered to territorial sovereignty, so they were encouraged to aid in the development of their state.  Greek civilization had a rich civilization that came into strife with other cities, but India had a self-interested society that led to less strife.

Alexander the Great or just Alexander?

Does Alexander deserve to be called "Alexander the Great"?  Why or why not?

Alexander fully deserves to have "The Great" as his title despite his few shortcomings.  Alexander managed to stave off the Darius's army despite having an army of about 48,000 at the Battle of Gaugamela.  Darius's forces retreated, and Babylon surrendered.  I would imagine that other leaders would not have the ability to discipline their army so well to fend for themselves against the Persian army.  Alexander the Great was also resourceful.  When his troops ran out of food, they relied on pack animals for their nutrition: raw pack animals.  His army would consume the raw meat, but they also consumed a plant juice (silphium) that would treat the flatulence and stomach pain brought about by the raw meat.  Alexander was also able to manipulate his men to retain their loyalty to him.  When he was brought water, he dumped it out because he wanted everyone to be able to have water instead of just one.

Alexander the Great did have some shortcomings.  He is easily persuaded.  Even though Alexander the Great was under the influence of alcohol, he should not have listened to the idea that Persepolis should be burned; this act of revenge was not necessary.  Alexander was also impulsive; there were bound to be people who bad-mouth him.  Alexander speared Calisthenes when Calisthenes said that Philip III was more successful.  Alexander also let his power get to his head; he declared that he should be worshiped as a god. These shortcomings are not enough to warrant the removal of "The Great".

Arabic Numerals and Bhagavad Gita

Arabic numerals were responsible for the development of place-values in mathematics; this was brought about by the introduction of 0.  Other mathematics systems were available at the time, but Arabic numerals is the most simplified.

Bhagavad Gita

• Humans are born neutral and have to prove their goodness.  Kshatriya for example were granted honor and life in heaven if they were to fight and die in battle; if they chose to cower, the Kshatriya would be belittled and lead a life of infamy.
• Those who focused and indulged in worldly pleasures would be unable to reach an afterlife in heaven.
• There is no fear of death; existence on earth is not given such a high value because once one dies, he or she is birthed again.

Zarathustra

• Zarathustra developed a religion that focused on Ahura Mazada (good) against Angra Mainu (evil).  After they lived their life on earth, they would be judged on whether they are sent to a paradise or hellish realm.
• People should enjoy the worldly pleasures that are available in moderation because the worldly life is a gift from Ahura Mazda.
• Humans are responsible for whether they are good or evil as indicated by the hymn from the Gathas on page 176 in the textbook.

Confucius

• Humans are born with ren; they are all capable of doing good.
• Confucius did not address religion because he believed human intelligence was too limited to understand it.

Map of China

            The Han Dynasty suffered from economic and social difficulties brought about by their greatest emperor, Han Wudi.  Han Wudi was responsible for some beneficial things such as the Confucian educational system which would help men prepare for government jobs.  Other actions of his weakened the Han Dynasty.  Expanding the empire into Korea and North Vietnam placed a lot of economic strain and consumed a lot of the empire’s excess wealth.  As a result, Han Wudi collected land from the wealthy, often illegally, and raised taxes to restore some wealth.  These two actions hurt their economy by discouraging investments in manufacturing and trading.

            Despite the fact that Han Wudi brought down the economic and political structure of China, the best place to intervene would be during the Later Han Dynasty.  Han Wudi helped with the survival of China; his conquests into central China conquered areas of the Xiongnu people.  These conquests sent the Xiongnu into disarray, thus ending the threat of Xiongnu army.  Taking over before Wang Mang comes to power does not seem to be the best place.  Tensions were already high from the degrading economy and development of social distinctions.  Taking over at this time would be problematic because of the insurrection against Wang Mang by irritated landlords and peasants.  The best place to take over would be the early Former Han dynasty.  The Han dynasty was in a weakened state, but they had the military to enforce boundaries against the Xiongnu.  I would take power during this time and distribute the land from landlords to peasants.  By learning from Wang Mang’s errors, I would take some of the military power to enforce distribution of land.  This distribution of land would hopefully destroy social distinctions.  This would be done by taxing the landlords to the point where they have to sell their land in order to pay them, and the peasants would be taxed so that they would have enough money to pay for food and a bit extra to save up to buy land from the landlords.  I would also unite factions by establishing a common enemy.  The enemy would probably be the Xiongnu because China had already been keeping the Xiongnu submissive and had been controlling the silk roads that supported the Xiongnu.  

Daoism

Daoism is the thought in which humans should relinquish their desires and live simplistically with nature by attending to comprehensible matters.

Confucianism

1)      According to Webster’s New World Dictionary and Thesaurus, religion is the belief in one or more gods.  I do not think that Confucianism is a religion.  Nowhere was it mentioned that people were supposed to worship or fear a higher spiritual being.  The reading focused on ethical behavior like filial piety.

2)      The reading supports the idea that people were born in the neutral zone and needed to embrace good behavior.  Following the ethical rules would lead people in the right direction; as philosopher Yu stated, “’In practising the rules of propriety, a natural ease is to be prized” (Book I. Chapter XII. Line 1-3).  Yu implies that following the rules of society allows humans to be more comfortable because it leads them from the path of evil.  Malicious behavior brings shame, so, “’When respect is shown according to what is proper, one keeps far from shame and disgrace’” (Book I. Chapter XIII. Line 1-5).  Attention to wording reveals that people are not born virtuous; humans, “’If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good’” (Book II. Chapter III. Line 8-12).  The use of the phrase “will become good” indicates that human beings have to find their way to the path of uprightness. 

Map of Persia

Blue = Water
Orange = Range of Achaemenid Empire
Purple = Royal Road

Zarathustra on Good and Evil

            Zarathustra founded Zoroastrianism after a ten year journey.  Zoroastrianism dealt with the clash of the supreme god, Ahura Mazda, against the pure evil spirit named Angra Mainu.  These two titans would judge humans based upon their life in the material world; if they were good, they went to paradise.  And if they behaved badly, then they were sent to a hellish world.  Zarathustra assumed that nearly everybody, if not everybody, constantly was aware of the afterlife.  Zoroastrianism emphasized the importance of the material world; it was a gift from Ahura Mazda that was created for humans to enjoy everything pleasurable in moderation.  This makes the physical appear as a temporary opportunity to experience pleasure; some could have indulged in the physical world because the afterlife could be lacking in these opportunities.

            Zarathustra assumed that the issue of right and wrong did not have a gray area.  There could be many situations in which a good deed for someone is a bad moral choice for another.  If a family is suffering, the son could take steal some food for the family; he would be doing a good deed for his family.  To others, the son was observing low moral standards.  Also, some things could seem negligible for some, but it could change the lives of others.  Raising taxes by the slightest amount might only yield small difference, but it could drive the payers to doing unethical things.  The higher-ups wouldn’t know what kind of issues they brought about and would not think if they committed a foul act, but the evil-doer would have had no other option.  

History Head Comment

I commented on Harsha's project located here http://harshachittoorworld.blogspot.com/2013/09/history-head-project.html#comment-form .

Hello Harsha!

Your artistic talent caught my eye, and I felt the need to comment on your project.

I like how you drew all of the pictures. I particularly like the external image for theme two. You can see the smugness of the ruler by the way he is slouching. In contrast to the ruler are the two laborers working to satisfy the desires of the wealthy. The drawing really conveys the idea that rulers held the power to get things they wanted. I was also pleased with the fact that you took the external image from theme two and split it into two to make an internal and external images. The inequality shows with how the laborers had to work for those who ranked higher than them, and they had to remain submissive to the rulers.
This poster could benefit from some colors. If maybe you just outlined some of the people or landscape with colored pencils or printed out some pictures, the poster would look even better. Organization is another thing that could use some work. The key could be condensed, and the pictures could be spread out across the construction paper. I think the poster would look much better if the pictures were much larger and scattered across the construction paper.
One similarity that really had me intrigued was the fact that laborers had no other option other than to serve the elites. The Caste system had people in the shudras Varna that had similar roles; shudras were composed of washers, sweepers, shoemakers, and more whose purpose was to serve others. The laborers of Latin America’s purpose were to serve the elites.
A difference that caught my eye was that the people of Latin America conquered in order to gain knowledge. India had many chiefdoms while the Aryans were there, and they often fell into conflict. The Aryans were able to develop kingdoms with a more complex political system through conquest. 

Why did you choose to show laborers building giant heads for rulers in theme two instead of talking about the temples that the Latin Americans built?
Why do you think that the Olmec were unable to maintain their control, but India was able to?

History Head Project: India

For this History Head Project, I worked with Anu, Aman, and Kevin.  India was the region that we were assigned.

Theme 1: Interaction between humans and the environment.
The image inside the head shows people farming in the Indus River valley.  The Indus River valley produced a lot of crops for India, but it was plagued by one issue: deforestation.  This leads the external picture.  The image shows trees in a desert; deforestation transformed the Indus River valley from a rich, fertile land into a barren desert.

Theme 2: Development of Religion
The external image shows a group of people working together on a community service project.  They performed good deeds in order to maintain a good karma.  Good karma led to their soul becoming one with Brahman.  This is the internal picture; the people are praying because they want to become one with Brahman and end their reincarnation cycle.

Theme 3: Expansion
During the Vedic Age, Aryans clashed with the Dravidians, hence the (crude) drawing of two groups fighting against one another.  These battles led to destruction of irrigation systems in the Indus River valley, and crops were destroyed because of this.

Theme 4: Interaction Between Economic Systems
The internal image shows the farming of money; the surplus led to development of cities and specialized labor.  Agriculture was important for India's trade too.  The external image shows a person travelling down the Indus River in order to claim a spot of land to farm.

Theme 5: Development of Social Structures
Aryans developed a Caste system in India as they expanded.  At first, the Caste system was determined by skin color, but it later changed.  The external image shows brahmin at the top, followed by kshatriya, then Vaishyas, and finally the shudras.  Although brahmin enjoyed a wealthy life while the shudras suffered, each tier of the system was crucial for the society of India.  The internal image shows the relationship between different levels of the Caste.  The brahmin enjoys the ability of ordering the shudras, and the shudra has to follow the orders.

AP World Test 1-6

                The history test we took today in AP World instilled fear into me.  I spent about two hours per chapter; I read it carefully and took notes of everything: dates, people, and geographic locations.  These notes were excessive, and there was too much for my own good.  The day before the test, I was scared of how difficult it was going to be.  Up until the moment of the test, I was afraid of the difficulty.  When the test was passed out, I looked at it with confidence.  The test was not as brutal as I thought it was going to be, but it was not a walk in the park.  I answered some of the questions with complete confidence; other questions had me doubting myself.  I particularly had difficult with the questions in which you had three options and had to choose the combination that was correct.  I also had a small bit of difficulty with maps and quotes, which was peculiar because I usually never have issues with those types of questions.  The test was a bit easier than I expected, and I felt that I did an okay job on the test; only when I see my grade can I say that I did a good job.  For the next test I will prepare by carefully reading over the textbook, and I will take notes that focus less on dates.