Notes From Class on June 12, 2013

June 12, 2013 – Notes from Class

The Golden Age of China doesn’t fit the classical empire structure because:

·         They didn’t go far geographically in their conquering

·         They didn’t force people to adopt their culture

·         The conquered groups became more homogenous, one huge China

·         It resulted in a big, strong, stable country

Split of the Roman Empire

                Eastern portion was Byzantium

·         Kept the Roman Empire going

·         Retained knowledge of the Romans

·         Brought Eastern Orthodox religion to Russia

Conquered by the Ottoman Turks

Classical Era Empires

·         Persians                                560 – 480 BC

·         Greeks                                 480 – 150 BC

·         Romans                                300 BC – 180 AD

·         Mayans                                250 AD – 900 AD

·         Teotihuacan                          300 – 600 AD

·         Byzantium                             330 – 1453 AD

·         China                                    600 – 1200 AD

·         Islam                                     600 – 1200 AD

·         Mongols                              1200 – 1500 AD

Islamic Empire

                India

·         disillusioned Buddhists & low caste Hindus found Islam attractive

·         conversion to Islam allowed people to avoid non-Muslim taxes

Anatolia

·         Population was depleted by massacres, famine & enslavement

·         Church property and monasteries confiscated and destroyed

·         Christians had to wear special clothing, pay taxes, and couldn’t carry swords

·         Turks offered easy conversion to Islam

·         Sufis established schools, mills, orchards, hospices, and replaced destroyed churches

Paragraph from in-class group project on Islam and Cultural Encounter (from chapter 11)

                When the Turks invaded Anatolia, they created a classical empire situation.  They came into Anatolia while the Byzantine Empire was weak, they massacred or enslaved a large portion of the population, and they destroyed the Christian churches and monasteries.  Christians were forced to wear special clothing, were prohibited from riding saddled horses and carrying swords, and were forced to pay extra taxes.  Many chose to convert to Islam in order to fit in and live a decent life, and the Turks made it easy for them to do so.  Once Islam was firmly established in the population, the Sufis built schools, hospices, mills, orchards, rest areas, and places of worship, much as the other classical empires had done.  The culture began to build as a strong Islamic culture and was able to thrive.

Other Topics:

Birth of a New Religion

·         Desirable religion

·         5 pillars of Islam gave strong structure

·         Provided a set of behaviors

·         Was very spiritual

·         Spread across a vast empire

·         Created large armies

·         Welcomed all

Making of an Arab Empire

·         Faith spread widely

·         Birth of a golden age

·         Tremendous influence on Asia

·         Religious division within

World of Islam as a New Civilization

·         Invention of algebra

·         Discovery of sulfuric acid

·         New discoveries in medicine

·         Learning to diagnose illnesses

·         Use of mercury ointments for medical purposes

·         First hospitals

Other facts about Islam:

·         Indonesia has the greatest population of Muslims

·         Mohammed was a trader, so trade became an acceptable occupation

·         Jihad = struggle

·         There were better social positions for people in the empire if they were Muslim

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Notes from in-class debate:

Topic:  The 15^th century marked a period of rebirth in China that was just as significant as the Renaissance in Europe.  (Agree or disagree?) - Disagree

·         

       China had a huge maritime fleet which they withdrew completely in 1433

·         They went back to the earlier Confucian teachings

·         They re-established the service examinations

·         The government believed that China was the self-sufficient middle kingdom requiring little from the outside world.

·         In Europe there were lots of city-states, in China it was all one big empire

·         China was not looking for religious converts in new territories or military allies

·         China was not seeking conquests like the Europeans

·         Europe was actively seeking new culture and encouraging new kinds of thinking

·         China was reverting to its old traditional ways

·         The Renaissance was significant because it spread culture outwardly in a way never before

·         The Renaissance is still affecting our lives today

·         China in the 15^th century became much stronger because of its stability and tradition

·         China in the 15^th century is not talked about like the European Renaissance is

·         China in the 15^th century was not as influential on the rest of the world as the Renaissance

Other debate topic:  The Mongols as described meet the criteria of a “civilization” and they should be respected as a historically significant civilization.  (Agree or disagree?) - Agree 

·         Had a successful army

·         Built roads and canals

·         Had a postal system

·         Had some agriculture

·         Promoted trade

·         Had a census

·         Absorbed Chinese culture

·         Definitely a civilization

Quiz next week!!!