Chapter 1: The Need For Water In Ancient Societies

The world has many natural resources, but none are more important and crucial than water.  It's a simple resource, but at the same time it is as rich as gold.  Ancient Societies depended a lot on this natural resource, societies like the ancient Mesopotamia which was located next to two river valleys: the Tigris, and Euphrates.  Water was needed in order to grow crops.In Mesopotamia the farmers used several types of irrigation (which was a way of supplying dry land with water through the use of ditches, etc.).  For instance farmers leveled land and built dikes which would allow fresh water and soil to come through, that is called basin irrigation.  It is very useful when it comes to growing crops.  Without the growth of crops then there would be no food, and if there is no food then people starve and if people starve, then they die.  Technology has been highly influenced since the use of water, the technology has evolved and it is still used today.  The Egyptians even built water ways and water-lifting machines for perennial irrigation.  Water can even be used to make a profit.  Take the Chinese and the Yellow River for instance, they built canals so they can transport goods to other nations and get some goods from other nations.  At the same time, the competing armies even used water as a weapon by flooding the land of rivals by building or destroying dikes.  The Romans to me were the ones who created the best technology for the use of water.  They build the aqueducts which is similar to modern day pipes, except the aqueducts were much more bigger than the pipes.  The aqueducts would bring clean water form nearby pristine lakes and rivers.  The very 1st one that they built was around 150 feet high and it was built around 150 c.e.  Did I mention that it was 30 miles?  It's like I said before, water is a natural resource, but it is as rich as gold.  Technology for water systems have evolved over the years all due to the creations from the Ancient Societies.  Pipe systems and purification machines, we have come a long way.  It is safe to say that water is a crucial need for the world when you think about it.  Without water no crops can be grown and crops are eaten by humans, meaning we would starve.  Not to mention that animals eat crops as well and without the proper water, the crops would never grow meaning that the animals would die as well; as a result we lose another source of food.  Not to mention that water is used to clean our selves from bacteria and to keep us hydrated.  Life would be hard without water.

Chapter 5: Eurasion Cultural Traditions

Every culture has it's own traditions that differs from other cultures.  These beliefs and values have been around for thousands of years and are still around today.  In China there was the teachings of Kong Fuzi (Confucius) and Laozi which brought up the ideas of Confucianism and Daoism.  While in India there was the teachings of Hinduism which had many Gods and Godesses.  Later Buddishm, which included peace and spirtual quests, would be introduced by a guy named Siddhartha Gautama.  Then there is the Middle East where a Persain named Zarathustra taught monotheistic religious traditions which would eventually be recognized as Zoroastrianism.  The Greeks were more focused on traditional forms of writings like: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, etc.  It is very evident that these cultures had different ideas and beliefs, yet some are very similar.  Take cultures like China and Greece, they focused more on the world affairs like writings and social sturcture.  While cultures like India and Persia focused more on Religion.  Even though some traditions have died out, some are still used til this day.

The Superior Man

XV. 20: The Master said, "The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions."

This quote is significant to me because it is similar to "actions speak louder than words."  There are people in the world who say that they are going to do something like win a game or out due another person at doing pull ups, but most of the time they can't back up their claim.  To me if a person says that they are going to do something then they better back up their claim.  It is better to be the person who does not want attention and just does something without bragging about it or showing off to people.  That is how a person should be. 

Chapter 4: Eurasian Empires 5oo B.C.E- 500 C.E.

The following chapter discusses the rise of empires mostly revovling around the Greeks and Persians.  Going to detail about their similarities and differences and eventually the collision between the 2 empires in the Greco-Persian wars.  Not to mention the rise of Alexander the Great and his dominant rule during the time.  It the fast forwards about the Roman and Chinese Empires and how they are both similar and different.  Both empires were very protective about their empires by building walls and organizing their army.  In time the empires would collapse mainly because of constant fighting over power two empires are united eventually one of them is going to want to be number one.  In the End empires prove to be bad mainly because of the constat struggle for power.

Chapter 3 First Civilizations Cities, States, and Unequal Societies

As a kid I remembered when my uncle told me about the story of Teotihuacan and the origins of our homeland of Mexico.  The Aztecs were told by the Gods to keep walking until they find a small little island with a rock and on the rock a cactus is on top with an eagle perched devouring a snake.   That famous site not only became the symbol of the Mexican flag, but where the 1st civilization of Teotihuacan originated and is now modern day Mexico city.  The point is that all modern day Countries like China, India, and Latin America for instance had started with just one civilization and as time progressed the civilization in each country evolved into civilizations.  Except that life back then was way more different than it is now.  In some places today there are still hierarchies, but back then it was a normal thing.  You had your Rulers, artists/writers, servants, farmers, etc.  You could tell who was in a certain class by looking at the cloths that were worn.  There were certain restrictions for certain classes, for instance a farmer can't marry a servant it has to be farmer and farmer or servant and servant.  One can only image the problems that hierarchies caused with all the hate and distrust between all the classes which will only ensue chaos.  This still happens today, in order to be a stable civilization, everyone needs to be together and have equality.

DGP Chapter 2 Writing And Power: Defining World-Views

Do you know what I am doing right now at this exact moment, I am writing.  No one seems to realize how much of big deal writing really is.  The chapter talks about the impact writing has had in the human race and how it was highly praised during ancient times.  Back in those times any person who knew how to read or write were considered more important than others since they made the laws and interpret them.  Early humans used cave drawings as a form of writing it was around six thousand years ago when more complex forms of writing were being created.  There are two systems that writings can be divided in: ideographic which comes form pictures that represent thoughts, and Phonetic which uses signs of the Roman alphabet.  According to historians it is believed that Sumerians from Mesopotamia  was where civilization began and developed the worlds first writing system.  Since then writing has evolved and become extremely useful in our society.  With out writing, laws would never have been created, meaning there would be no order in society and if there are no rules then there will be chaos.  When religion eventually came into play, writing was used to tell a story and give faith to the world, all through writing.  Writing is what we use to express ourselves into fine art, we are telling a story for future and past generations to hear. 

Chapter 13: The Worlds Of The Fifteenth Century

Chapter 13 revolves around societies of the fifteenth century which consisted of city-centered and also state-based.  Which meant that the societies were way more populated, but at the same time people became separated according to gender and ranks in society.  Take the Chinese for instance, which during this time the Ming dynasty came into play and became a very large and powerful dynasty.  Their whole trading system grew due to one of their biggest and expensive expeditions on sea.  Lead by Zheng He, the Chinese were exposed to new things like: spices, plants, and animals.  During the fifteenth century, the plague was introduced to Europe, which decimated the population.  The disease was spread due to rats who came from other nations and boarded on trade ships that were going to Europe.  The good people were dieing which made people at the time look at life differently, and eventually the renaissance came into play.  The Renaissance brought back seminal ideas like: music, poetry, art, etc.  It began in Italy around 1350 and 1500   

Chapter 12: Pastoral Peoples on the Global Stage

This chapter mainly focuses on the Mongols whole played a big role in Eurasia during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.  The Mongols were also known as Pastoral Nomads, who were people that lived by animals and their migration depended on where the heard of animals moved during the seasons.  The Mongol societies had a less productive economy than other societies.  They had a ranking of nobility which was determined by wealth and who owned the biggest flock of herd.  The Mongols made their own empire, which was known as the Mongol Empire.  What was different about this empire was that when they conquered another society, they didn't influence them with their religion and culture.  Instead the Mongols had them work and they made sure who were the ones that defeated and conquered them.  1209 was the beginning of the Mongol conquest.  They conquered many regions like: China, Baghdad, Russia, etc.  Most people would look at Nomads as uncivilized  people since they did not have written languages.   

CHapter 9: China and the World

The following chapter revolves around China and their achievements and the culture.  With the fall of the Han Dynasty in 220 C.E. came the rise of powerful aristocratic families.  During this time, the Chinese migration happened which gave southern China an increase of population by 60%.  With the end of Han Dynasty, a new dynasty came up known as the Sui dynasty which was around 589-618.  With the new dynasty came literature, paintings, ceramics, etc.  The Chinese depended on their Canal system which linked both northern and southern China.  The canal stretched about 1,200 miles.  It was a way to provide the Chinese with food and supplies, so the canal made it easier for trading and providing food for the people.  Plus it was a better way of transportation.  Because of the large population in China, came the growth of agriculture.  The chapter also talked about the role of women, how during the Song dynasty the elite woman lived a free live and did whatever they wanted while during the classical times women had very little freedom.  When it came to religion China followed the ideas of Buddhism, which was introduced by India thorough the use of the Silk roads.  China is a country that has evolved a lot during the centuries.

DGP Chapter 6 Vikings and The Polynesians: Exploring New Worlds

When it comes to history, we learn form the past from writings that have been written.  When it comes to the Vikings and the Polynesians however, finding history about these two cultures was difficult since there was hardly any written evidence.  There was only a limited amount of information about both cultures.  Both cultures developed ways to travel across the sea which would help them colonize and allow them to trade.  The Vikings traveled the sea through Europe, parts of Asia, and North America.  While the Polynesians traveled around the "Polynesian triangle" going from island to island, places like: Hawaii, Samoa, New Zealand, etc.  Plus even to Indonesia and even the Philippines.  The problem when it came to the Polynesians was that they did not have a writing system.  It wasn't until the 16th century when the Europeans came to Pacific and helped them write their history. 

Chapter 7: Classical Era Variations

The Classical era does not mostly revolve around the Greeks, Romans, and Eurasia, it also revolves around the Persians, Chinese, Indian, and South Asia.  Around this era there was migrations, people were leaving form one place and going to another.  The populations of theses societies were different.  For instance in Africa they had a population that grew about 4% while in Eurasia the population decreased by 6%.  While places like Australia and North America stayed the same.  It is evident that the populations that decreased were not developing anytime soon since most of the population had migrated to another.  While populations that increased were developing very well.  The migrations came new ideas, religions, and traditions.  For example the Bantu tribes from Africa that traveled South to spread their language and traditions across Africa.  As cultures grew the need for power began to come into play.  For instance the natives of Mesoamerica that lived in Teotihuacan had a big influence on regions around them since they were such a big civilization.  All societies developed the same, they just all took different approaches. 

Chapter 8: Commerence And Culture

In this chapter there were three main roads that were discussed: silk, sea, and sand roads.  The Silk road went all across Europe and Asia; mainly through Saudi Arabia, Persia, India, Turkestan, and China.  These countries went in a complete frenzy when it came to trading silk.  They traded: cotton, spices, gold, animals, oil oil, paper, wool, etc.  In Central Asia, silk was used to make currency and to determine a person's wealth.  Yet, despite that there was a new road to cross, new diseases came from other regions that destroyed many populations.  The Sea road, which was located in the Indian Ocean, between Africa and India.  People traded many things like: wine, gold, olive oil, ceramics, glassware, ivory, iron goods, slaves, quartz, rankincense, myrrh, perfumes, grain, cotton textile, etc.  Trading through sea roads has been dated all the way back to the first civilizations.  Then there are the sand roads which went through Africa, mainly the Sahara desert.  By far this is the most dangerous road because there is nothing, but sand and the hot blazing sun, not to mention poisonous creatures wandering around.  There was no roads, just sand that goes for miles.  Plus people had to be careful around bandits.  The one way to avoid the heat was by traveling at night when it got cold.  The major tool for travel through the desert was the camel, which could go for miles without water and made traveling through the Sahara a lot easier.   

Chapter 11: The Worlds Of Islam

The more that cultures began to advance, the more that religion began to come into play.  In Arabia for instance people began to focus on their religion more.  At the time the most well known religious shrine was called the Kaaba, which is located in the holy city of Mecca.  It is a very well known place where many things have happened.  The origins of Islam was created by Muhammed and quickly took over the and that the Jewish once had control of.  The Islamic community grew and Muhammed eventually became a symbol of authority, not just in religion, but in politics as well.  Then the muslim beliefs came into play.  People did not know which religion to follow and became divided.  It just shows how powerful religion is and how it can influence a society.

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Chapter 6: Eurasian And Social Hierarchies

The way that a Hierarchy works is that it categorizes all the citizens in different classes and each class stands for status and authority.  It is meant to create organization, but it is completely the opposite.  Rather than keeping things organized, the idea of creating hierarchies causes revolts and movements which creates a whole mess of problems.  It is a normal thing in societies.  Take India for instance, that had different rankings which is called a Caste System.  There was the Caste as Varna which was for people who had lighter skin.  Then there was the Caste as Jati was based around the type of jobs that a person had.  All civilizations have there ways of organizing their societies, but in the end with the structure of hierarchy comes disaster.