My awesome map of Postclassical India

China's Impact on Vietnam, Korea, and Japan

Harun al-Rashid

This source is an awful source. The source is somewhat of a quality source because it includes references to other works but includes significant faults. For example, it says that "Hārūn was strongly influenced by the will of Mike Ackerman in the governance of the empire until her death in 789". I don't think my classmate was alive back then. Although it is chock full of information, it is poorly organized. The information is unevenly written by stuffing everything under the heading "Life". I believe that the information can be split into sub headings about his life. Also, the article mentions things that Harun did even after the article mentioned his death. It is clearly an object source. For example, the romantic story of Harun has different versions which are mentioned in the article. The article also mentions the doubtfulness of the story by a historical figure named Ibn Khaldun.

Some questions I have are how was Harun regarded among his people and how was he engaged politically with places other than that of Charlemagne's and the Byzantines. Overall, the wikipedia page answers most of my questions. I would filter my Google search by entering in keywords about what I was looking for in him. If I wanted to know about his personal life, I would search "Harun al-Rashid personal life". Also, I would be specific in my search terms.

This wikipedia article tempers his popularity because the article does not mention why he is so prevalent in pop culture. However, I cannot imagine is so prevalent because I have never heard of him ever. The only thing the wikipedia article says is that the Thousand-and-One-Nights made him a legendary figure. Perhaps the legend hypes him up more than who he really was.

Benjamin of Tudela: Baghdad vs Constantinople

Benjamin of Tudela was a Spanish rabbi who travelled throughout Europe, north Africa, and southwest Asia. He is qualified to discuss these cities due to his extensive travel and exposure to different areas. He is presented as being knowledgable in religion and would most likely have an educational background. In his descriptions of the cities he clearly is unbiased. Because he is from Spain, he would have no natural bias towards Baghdad or Constantinople. Also, he speaks highly of both cities. Both cities are depicted as having magnificent wealth and benevolent leaders. The Hippodrome of the emperor is a place for entertainment in Constantinople and the Dar-al-Maristan in Baghdad houses the insane. Benjamin highlights the care given by the leaders of both cities.

My Awesome Map of Islamic Expansion

The Quran on Allah and His Expectations of Humankind

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 (page 350)

The Quran's teachings on the relationship between Allah and human beings are different in terms of moderation in Zoroastrianism but are similar in the concept of judgement. In terms of moderation, Allah wants humans to be more moderate than Zoroastrianism. For example, the passage mentions how God wants "men and women who guard their private parts" which exemplifies sexual abstinence. In contrast, the teachings of Ahura Mazda allowed human beings to enjoy the world and its fruits-including sexual pleasure. Both religions feature the concept of judgement. In Zoroastrianism, human souls would be judged and would experience reward or punishment based on the holiness of their thoughts, words, and deeds. Similarly  "God has forgiveness and a great reward" for those who observe and practice his teachings.The Quran's teachings on the relationship between Allah and human beings are similar to the views of Jews in their belief in a supreme deity. The passage portrays Allah as the supreme deity by saying "There is no one comparable to him". Similarly, the Jews believe in a supreme deity called Yahweh.  The Quran's teachings on the relationship between Allah and human beings are similar to the belief in charity in Christianity. The passage states that "men and women who give alms" will reach salvation. Similarly, Jesus preached about charity.

The Islamization of the Silk Road

Foltz's article clearly supports Bentley's arguement (well atleast it says so in the 'Thinking Historically' section). Pressure was a pattern of conversion featured in Foltz's passage. For example Muslims were pressuring non-Muslims by "inflicting damage on their former persecutors" through caravan raids (Foltz 227). Another pattern of conversion featured was voluntary association. For example, Foltz states that "many locations townspeople threw open the gates to the Arabs and welcomed them as liberators" due to the oppressive treatment from the Sasanian Persian and Byzantine Greek empires in Mesopotamia, Syria, and Egypt (Foltz 228). Assimiliation was the third pattern of conversion. For example, the children of a Muslim man would be rasied within the father's new community rather than his original one. Also, if a Muslim man marries a non-Muslim woman, the children are required to be raised as Muslims. However, there was a blend between Islam and pre-Islam tradition because "pre-Islamic religion survived through transmission by non-Muslim wives of Muslims" (Foltz 231).

Perspectives on Constantinople

Ibn Battuta

Battuta has an overall neutral image of Constantinople. He claims that "The bazaars in this part of the town are good but filthy, and a small and very dirty river runs through them. Their churches too are filthy and mean." His description of the church being filthy and mean also implies he thinks negatively towards Chrstianity. However, he still respects The City because he still says that they are good.

Benjamin of Tudela

Benjamin has an overall positive image of Constantinople, despite visiting the city during political decline. He remarks about the unique entertainment when he says that "No entertainment like this is to be found in any other land." He does not comment about the filthiness of the city and regards the church with awe when he says "there are pillars of gold and silver, and lamps of silver and gold more than a man can count". He idealizes Constantinople as the best place to live in the world when he says that "Wealth like that of Constantinople is not go be found in the whole world.  Here also are men learned in all the books of the Greeks, and they eat and drink, every man under his vine and his fig-tree."

Liudprand of Cremona

Liudprand has an overall negative image of Constantinople. He is forced to walk on foot after arriving on horse because he is treated as inferior. Nicephorus "did not think [them] worthy to use the horses. Also, the fact that it is raining and that the house is described as "hateful, waterless, draughty stone" shows how he dislikes the city. He even goes to mentioning how the emperor is a "monstrosity" of a person. He also says that only the emperor wore jewels while everyone else worse wore poor tunics with holes in them. 

Credibility

I believe that these descriptions should be taken with a grain of salt because of the wide range of perspective. Often times, people's opinions can influence their analysis on topics. Perhaps Nicephorus was having a bad day when Liudprand arrived.

What's going on in the Postclassical Era?

The postclassical era featured the restoration of political and social order. Islamic faith overcame the Sassanid empire. The Sui and Tang Dynasty overcame the regional kingdoms. But in India, central rule did not return. In Western Europe, centralized control returned briefly. The restoration allowed societies to engage in long-distance trade and exchange. Agriculture also improved as well. Increased trade and manufacturing led to new innovation.. Also, Islam and Christianity became religious foundations for empire.

Romans are Friends, not Food

I would regard Rome as a friend. They produce many products we can take advantage of and use our silk. They look and behave like us based on their "tall and virtuous" descriptions. Also, they originally came from China so they are one of us. In addition, they want to communicate with us although Anxi will not let them. They show no signs of hostility. They have a postal service with relay sheds and postal stations like the Middle Kingdom in China. 

My awesome map of the Silk Road

The activity was tiresome and tedious. Switching between Notability and "Lightspeed" was annoying. It was very difficult to map out cities based on the wording of the text without looking them up online. There were also ambiguities such as the path through Tashkent on which shore of the Caspian Sea does it go to. It is also difficult to read my own "handwriting". It would have been easier to have made the map with pen and paper. Also, it was difficult to look up places because usually there will not be a map that simply shows where that city or mountain pass is.

Marriage and Divorce in Ancient Rome

My image of the Roman Empire is negative. In Rome, love had nothing to do with marriage. Children were produced solely to be heirs to the father's property. For example, fourteen was the normal age for a women to marry but can be engaged at a low age of seven which makes people less likely to commit to a relationship. It seems that marriages and concubines were abused by both men and women during the time. Also, terms for divorce were not uniform throughout the empire. In the western empire, it was nearly impossible for women to get out of an unhappy marriage unless the husband agreed or was a murderer. In addition, Constantine's legislation imposed greater penalties on women than men. Discrimination against those born outside a legitimate marriage also reinforces the negative image on the Roman Empire because it really isn't one's fault that they were born outside a legitimate marriage. Also, while a concubine between slaves was possible with the permission of the slave owner, the only motive for a slave owner to allow "marriage" is to add the slaves's offspring into the workforce. Overall, marriage in the Roman Empire did not forge strong bonds between people and may have undermined the empire as well.

Republic to Empire Narrative

Rome's transition from a republic to an empire was of slow progression. To begin, the Twelve Tables laid out the foundation for laws and propriety. It reduced crime and created order in society through strict punishments. However, tensions arise between the patricians and plebeians. A tribune named Tiberius, who proposed land distributions was murdered by other members of the senate while attempting to initiate reforms for the lower class. The Roman Empire expanded along with the construction of roads which would facilitate the transportation of people, arms, and trade. Conflict between the patricians and plebeians increase further leading to Civil War of Marius and Sulla. Julius Caesar was assassinated by the Senate while Augustus comes to power effectively as a monarch. At this point, the transition from republic to empire was complete and the monarchy remained in power from then on. 

President Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great would not be electable. One reason is his motive for war is to avenge humility from hundreds of years ago. Today, no citizen would want their country to engage in a war with no clear objective or purpose because war is costly and people today want the president to focus more on fixing domestic issues rather than trying to police the world. Although such an example may parallel Bush's motive in starting a war in the Middle East. Considering his frequent drunken behavior, most Americans would deem his behavior as inapropriate. Also, Alexander the Great appears to be too fanatical with his belief of religion which might be too radical for some. Although some leaders are more big on religion than others in which religious beliefs influence legislation on issues such as abortion and gay marriage. Overall, he would not be electable.

(i don't know what happened with the right margin)

King Abdullah II of Jordan and Democracy

After pursuing my classmates' posts, I conclude that most of them agree that democracy would function the most effectively in smaller societies. King Abdullah II runs a constitutional monarchy in Jordan in the midst of a democratic Arab uprising. In Jordan, they have elections at the end of each year but they change the constitution before then. In Egypt, Libya and Tunis, they have new governments in power but are mandated to change the constitution within a year and then go to elections again but there has been a delay in changing the constitution in which it is not a managed transition. I believe King Abdullah II can succeed because he is doing things different from other countries who have faced revolution. The outbreaks in the Middle East are caused by people desiring political reform. Instead of waiting around to be ousted by his people, King Abdullah II is willing to peacefully transition towards democracy unlike other countries that have effectively failed. 

Democracy: Small vs Large Societies

     In class, we defined Democracy as a ruling style in which each citizen has a stay in the laws. In a small society, it would be a disadvantage because the small population could be swayed easier by a single person than a large society. Small societies will usually have similiar interests and roles in which it's citizens may be able to work together more when it comes down to voting yet could also be negative because a single person could sway the society in a negative direction. However, in large, complex socities, there are many different people with different jobs or beliefs than a smaller society. Therefore, it may be harder for such a democracy to get things done because more people would disagree. Large societies are also at a disadvantage because in order to give the citezens a say in laws, they would need to be educated. Funding education on a large scale would be cumbersome back in that time whereas a smaller society could support the education of its citizens easily. 
     A democracy would function best in small societies because it would be easier to educate the population and because a smaller group of people are more likely to agree on a subject rather than thousands or millions. Such a system would fail in a large society because most of the people would probably not recieve education and therefore would not be able to make proper decisions. 

Primary Source: Ashoka

In what ways and for what reasons might this story from the Ashokavadana have appealed to various groups of early Buddhists?

The story from the Ashokavadana appealed to various groups of early Buddhists because it taught that Buddhism did not discriminate based on caste. The king, Ashoka, would bow to any Buddhist monk even though they come from all four castes. Ashoka explains that caste should not determine the character of a person but rather preaches for equality and the qualities of the person should determine the character of a person. More specifically, this type of story would appeal to members of the lower castes (shudras and vaishyas) because to them, they would feel inferior since they cannot become monks and also think it is unfair how they are below the brahmins and kshatriyas. Another way how this story would have appealed to early Buddhists is because a story is easier to understand and can be taught to children as well because it is short and has a moral. In addition, because the story involves Ashoka, the king, and Yasas, the minister, people would feel safe in following a state-sanctioned religion.

My awesome map of Classical China

See picture below

Chinese Dynasties vs Indian Dynasties

Both dynasties functioned through a bureaucracy. In terms of success, Chinese centralization prevailed with unification while Indian centralization only led to a temporary unification. The Chinese dynasties were more successful imperially due to the absorption of northern Vietnam and Korea. The Chinese were also able to fend off their aggressors known as the Xiongnu by launching an invasion campaign. However, the Gupta Dynasty of India fell to the White Huns. The Qin and Han dynasties of China saw a large growth in landmass while the Mauryan and Gupta dynasty saw overall decline. The Qin and Han dynasties faced decline through internal rebellion while the Mauryan and Gupta dynasty saw decline through financial difficulties and invasions. In terms of political organization, China faced a centralized ruler while in India, local government and administration left in hands of allies of various regions.

Mencius vs Xun Zi

What does Mencius believe about human nature? What does Xun Zi believe about human nature? Who do you line up with? Why?

Mencius believes that human nature is inherently good. For example, in Book 2, part 1, chapter 6. Mencius claims that, "Men have these four principles just as they have their four limbs". He believed that all men had the qualities of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and knowledge.

Xun Zi expresses his belief that human nature is bad. He believes that humans are born with a love for profit in which they will struggle and snatch from each other. He believes that humans must be disciplined like a warped piece of wood.

I agree with Xun Zi because he believe that human nature is bad and can be corrected by education. Without educating people on good morals, they will not know anything good. Without discipline, people will not be forced to become better humans. In today's times, parents can give punishments to their child to fix their behavior by grounding them or taking something away from them. I believe Mencius's view is too optimistic and is giving the benevolence of human nature too much credit.

Confucian Analects

1. Confucianism is not a religion. It is a philosophy. It is not a religion because it lacks the prevalence of a godly figure found in most religions during the time. The philosophy instructs how human beings should live their lives but there is no explicit mention of a God looking over them.

2. The first two chapters of the Analects suggest that a person is not born good or bad and that a person has the choice to be good or bad. For example, The Master explains that "If for three years he does not alter from the way of his father, he may be called filial" (9-10). This quote shows that a person can be good by being not altering from the way of his father but can be bad if he does alter. The Master also claims that, "...you will have few occasions for repentance" (18). This shows that people of that time were given second chances to get their act together which implies that people are capable of change. Finally, The Master gives insight on how to get people to revere their ruler by telling Chi K'ang to "Let them advance the good and teach the incompetent;-- then they will eagerly seek to be virtuous" (19). This quote explains that a ruler can teach bad people and get to them to strive to be good.

My awesome map of Classical Persia

See picture below

Chapter 7: Primary Source

The assumptions that Zarathustra makes about human nature and the capacity of human beings to make morally good choices out of their own free will are that righteousness always prevails. The one who is truthful and honest will always succeed over one who is evil.

History Head Comments

Hello Xin!

I really like how you circle the number in sharpie so then it is clear what theme each image relates to and I admire how you were able to associate one picture with two themes. However, you could have been neater with the timeline perhaps by using a ruler. Mayan and Egyptian societies were similiar in architecture because they both built pyamid-like structures. They differed in organization because Egypt was a unified state with a pharoah as the supreme ruler while the Maya were organized in small city-kingdoms. Why did you choose not to have an outside picture for theme two?

-Amit Patel

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Hello Johnathon!

I really like the simplicity of your poster. The layout is also very organized. However, I believe it would have looked better if you had cut out the head. I see a picture of a river on your poster which reminds me of the differences between Mesopotamian and Mayan society because the emergence of Mesopotamian society revolved arond the Tigris and Euphrates river valley whereas Mayan society had no major river but instead settled on the Yucatan peninsula. Both societies had similiar organization. Mesopotamia had a decentralized rule with kings ruling over city-states similiar to how the Maya was organized in small city-kingdoms. For image #4 on the outside, what animal is being depicted?

-Amit Patel

Reply ↓

History Head: Mesoamerica

The First (and certainly not last) Test and Essay

      I was surprised about the choices you gave us (China, India, Mesopotamia, and Egypt) because I was expecting a prompt with two societies already given since that is how most AP World compare and contrast prompts are like (which I found out through some Internet research). Because I had to choose two societies, I feel I wasted too many minutes trying to pick which societies I would write about. For the next essay, I plan to create a chart for each society and list similarities and differences. I believe I did well on the essay because I tried to hit all the points from the rubric. But it was not so easy because we were not told specifically how to structure compare and contrast essays. I was a bit unsure what to add to my introduction after my thesis and after I rephrased my thesis in the conclusion without sounding redundant.  

      I feel I did worse on the test than the essay. Or perhaps the few questions I know I got wrong linger in my mind too much. Much of the phrasing of questions or answer choices I noticed came verbatim from the textbook. However, I feel that if I had given the chapters a good thorough reading instead of skimming the night before, then I would have performed better. For both the essay and test, I felt that I spent copious amounts of study time although perhaps I may not have studied the correct way to approach them.