WW Prologue, Chp1-2 Blog
Prologue –“Explosion of creation
emerged matter, energy, gravity, electromagnetism and the “”strong”” and
“”weak”” forces that govern the behavior of atomic nuclei” These words carry a
tremendous visual for the beginning of creation. “Every event, every historical
figure, every culture, society or civilization gains significance from its
inclusion in some larger context” We are all part of something much bigger than
we can imagine. The three C’s: Change-“ a focus on change provides an antidote
to a persistent tendency of human thinking.. or essentialism”;
Comparison-“comparative discipline seeking to identify similarities/differences
in the experience of the worlds’ peoples; Connection “cross-cultural connection
known as globalization, has been distinguishing feature of the modern era”.
These are features and questions the author will answer throughout the book for
the reader to get a better understanding of the material.
Ch1-pg14 Change – “What was the sequence of human migration across the Planet? “Human migration out of Africa led first to Middle East and from there westward into Europe about 45 years ago and eastward into Asia.” Known as the Paleolithic era, these people traveled throughout Europe, Asia, Australia as hunters and gatherers and leaving their mark in the words in the tools they used, the drawings they created as a way for future generations to know about them.
Ch1-pg14 Change – “What was the sequence of human migration across the Planet? “Human migration out of Africa led first to Middle East and from there westward into Europe about 45 years ago and eastward into Asia.” Known as the Paleolithic era, these people traveled throughout Europe, Asia, Australia as hunters and gatherers and leaving their mark in the words in the tools they used, the drawings they created as a way for future generations to know about them.
Pg34Connection-“In what way did
agriculture spread? Where and why was it sometimes resisted?” -It spread a diffusion” gradual spread of
agricultural technology and exchanging of ideas with other communities”
–Farmers’ growing population pushing out the hunters/gatherers. Resist due to
places not suitable for farming (desert or Artic); other regions having
“natural abundance”’ Paleo’s wanting to keep their own ways. Pg 39 Comparison-What different kinds of
societies emerged out of the Agricultural Revolutions?” –Herders, Pastoralists
or nomads in Central Aisa, Arabian Peninsula, the Sahara in parts of Africa
each with their own natural environments, traditions, beliefs and establishing
the own cultural.
Ch2-Pg 62 Change –“When and where
did the first civilizations emerge?” 3500 b.c.e to 3000 b.c.e Pg62-67 Mesopotamian (Iraq) –“cradle of the Middle
East” Egyptian (pharaohs/pyramids)and Norte Chico (smaller cities, less
economic specialization) were the first. “Sumerian civilization likely gave
rise to the world’s earliest written language”; then there were Chinese
(cultural communities), Indus Valley (early caste system) and Central Asian
(Oxus-ceramics, burial techniques) civilizations. Pg 68-73 Change “What
accounts for the initial breakthrough to civilization?” “Roots from the Agricultural Era” only this Era can be counted as able to
sustain the growing population of that time. The technique of irrigation helped
the people grow their crops, develop communities and settle into regions. By
settling into these regions they established a way of living thus a hierarchy
system evolved. Not everyone had the same. All the finest were for the top
positions “political, military and religious”. Here we start to see the
different clothing that people wore to identify their position in society. This
same custom happened throughout the civilizations. Even in the Upper class,
women throughout the civilizations were mostly treated less than men, they were
“limited to the home and management of servants.” A few women also operated in
roles defined as masculine, acting as rulers, priests, and scholars.. although
limited.” pg74-75 Comparison “How did Mesopotamian and Egyptian patriarchy
differ from each other?” Mesopotamian women had “written laws codified and
south to enforce a patriarchal family life that offered women a measure of
paternalistic protection while insisting on the submission to the unquestioned
authority of men.” Egyptian women were recognized as legal equals to men, able
to own property and slaves, to administer and sell land, to make tier own
wills, to sign their own marriage contracts, and to initiate divorce.” They
were also unveiled. “Royal women occasionally exercised significant political
power, acting as regents for the young sons, or more rarely, as queens in their
own right.” Pg80-Comparision Both Mesopotamia and Egypt “grew up in river
valleys.. dependent of water to sustain agriculture. Their difference was in
their vulnerability for invasion which Mesopotamia had and Egypt did not since
it was surrounded by desert.
