As I read chapter seven on the variations of the Classical Era outside of the Eurasia Empires, I again was struck with a sense of awe, as it is quite unbelievable to fathom how complex civilizations have become since the beginning of time. It is interesting to note that while Eurasia was growing into a bustling world center clear on the other side of the globe the same was taking place in Mesoamerica and the Americas. Africa had its own host of obstacles – geographical and environmental - to contend with; however, it did become a center of growth and expansion. Maybe Africa, Mesoamerica and the Americas did not expand with as much fanfare as Eurasia, or perhaps there is not as much to go on, as far as writing samples and other artifacts, but the archeological remains are pretty extensive. None the less, the people of the Classical Era used their ingenuity, love of knowledge, sheer strength and fortitude to strive forward to improve, and took whatever the environment and geography offered and built incredible civilizations.
When my group met on Sunday to discuss the chapters that we had read, I was the last to present because I had read chapter seven. Through my teammates, I learned about the Eurasian history of civilization including the big empires: Persian, Greek, Roman and China. I distinctly remember telling Abdul, who was responsible for chapter four and the Eurasian empires, and everyone else that I had never taken a World History course, and was ignorant of the big civilizations and the dramatic impact that they had in shaping the course of history. (I obviously have not been a history buff in my previous life before becoming a student.) Laura taught us about chapter five, which dealt with spiritual direction within the empires. I have taken World Religions at NDNU, which was taught by Dr. Maxwell. His ability to weave stories and his personal accounts of religions all over the world helped me sift through the information given in this chapter. Gretchen told us about chapter six and this brought the circle on Eurasian cultures to a close. Social hierarchies and issues that were covered in chapter six gave me the historical perspective on some of the most controversial topics. These topics are still at the forefront of our history and we must realize that this is the ugly side of civilization.
I enjoyed reading chapter seven. How inspiring it was to read that Mayan civilization was intellectual and advanced. When I took the Indigenous Cultures of Latin America course, we covered Tikal, Teotihuacan and Mayan civilizations. Their intellectual advances in math and science are astounding. Their observation skills allowed for the tracking of the moon, sun, and stars helping them develop a calendar system. Place notation, complex mathematical calculations and the concept of zero are all grounded in the Maya culture. The Mayan people had a complex writing system of pictographs and syllabic writing. None of this is or can be ignored. We can go even further back now with Norte Chico and the Olmec. These are the very foundations of civilizations in the Americas. And to think, that some people still, and some students are taught that Columbus “founded” America. It was already here with a flourishing, complex society and inhabited by people who loved and were one with the land.
I have one concern as I read through chapter seven on the civilizations of Mesoamerica and the Americas. Civilizations are fragile. Many of the civilizations simply perished because of the over-taxing of the available resources. As populations grew, more and more land was needed to feed and house people. Coupled with this burden was the drought that affected the regions too. All proved too much for people to survive and civilizations could no longer be sustained. This is something we must learn from today. It is critical to our survival.
Our history books, because of our Centro-European background, do not give the proper time and perspective about these critical developments of past civilizations. We cannot ignore these facts. We must embrace the knowledge they have given us.
When my group met on Sunday to discuss the chapters that we had read, I was the last to present because I had read chapter seven. Through my teammates, I learned about the Eurasian history of civilization including the big empires: Persian, Greek, Roman and China. I distinctly remember telling Abdul, who was responsible for chapter four and the Eurasian empires, and everyone else that I had never taken a World History course, and was ignorant of the big civilizations and the dramatic impact that they had in shaping the course of history. (I obviously have not been a history buff in my previous life before becoming a student.) Laura taught us about chapter five, which dealt with spiritual direction within the empires. I have taken World Religions at NDNU, which was taught by Dr. Maxwell. His ability to weave stories and his personal accounts of religions all over the world helped me sift through the information given in this chapter. Gretchen told us about chapter six and this brought the circle on Eurasian cultures to a close. Social hierarchies and issues that were covered in chapter six gave me the historical perspective on some of the most controversial topics. These topics are still at the forefront of our history and we must realize that this is the ugly side of civilization.
I enjoyed reading chapter seven. How inspiring it was to read that Mayan civilization was intellectual and advanced. When I took the Indigenous Cultures of Latin America course, we covered Tikal, Teotihuacan and Mayan civilizations. Their intellectual advances in math and science are astounding. Their observation skills allowed for the tracking of the moon, sun, and stars helping them develop a calendar system. Place notation, complex mathematical calculations and the concept of zero are all grounded in the Maya culture. The Mayan people had a complex writing system of pictographs and syllabic writing. None of this is or can be ignored. We can go even further back now with Norte Chico and the Olmec. These are the very foundations of civilizations in the Americas. And to think, that some people still, and some students are taught that Columbus “founded” America. It was already here with a flourishing, complex society and inhabited by people who loved and were one with the land.
I have one concern as I read through chapter seven on the civilizations of Mesoamerica and the Americas. Civilizations are fragile. Many of the civilizations simply perished because of the over-taxing of the available resources. As populations grew, more and more land was needed to feed and house people. Coupled with this burden was the drought that affected the regions too. All proved too much for people to survive and civilizations could no longer be sustained. This is something we must learn from today. It is critical to our survival.
Our history books, because of our Centro-European background, do not give the proper time and perspective about these critical developments of past civilizations. We cannot ignore these facts. We must embrace the knowledge they have given us.
Very nice Lisa, I too had chapter 7 and I think you did a great job of summarizing what was said. It really is amazing that at the time when Paris had 80Kish people and London only had 40-60K people that some of the soceities in the Americas had over 200K people living in their cities.
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