Strayer 7, Classical Africa & Americas

18/9/2015

Here we go, one more to finish the Strayer's treatment of the Classical period.

Cathleen

20/9/2015 00:15:22

Let's get the ball rolling.
How did the history of Meroë and Axum reflect interaction with neighboring civilizations?
Meroë's history begins with its relations with Nubia. The decline of Nubian and Egyptian relations gave way to Nubia focusing on Meroe.The source of wealth and military power was from its long distance trade. Meroe had contact with the mediterranean and traded by camel caravan. Egyptian influence rubbed off and writing was eventually replaced by Meirotic script. -and then meroe was conquered by axum and swarmed by Christianity, (and then islam) which leads into-
Axum's state was due to participating in the red sea and indian ocean commerce and tax forway of revenue. The language of Geez (what i say after every strayer test) was from south arabia script. Christianity is a huge aspect. axum adopted it around the time Constantine did in Rome from egypt.

Anyone want to tidy it?

Bingham

20/9/2015 09:55:13

Hi Cathleen! Thanks for being brave. I hope all of you guys understand that when I come on here to critique your answers, it's not an indictment of you and your ability. You guys need to see someone who's "been there, done that" perform the same tasks you are attempting. That's why the peer tutorials on Thursdays are so important.
And, you need to respond to each other here. Why? Because that forces you to think deeply about this content so you can move from mere recall to application, to analysis. This class lives in analysis.
I liked your Nubia connection, I actually hadn't thought of it that way because I got distracted by both civs being listed in the questions. So nice job. You asked for someone to tidy it up, so here goes:
-Both Meroë and Axum traded extensively with neighboring civilizations. Meroë’s wealth and military power were in part derived from this trade. The formation of a substantial state in Axum was at least in part stimulated by Axum’s participation in Red Sea and Indian Ocean commerce and the taxes that flowed from this commerce. (You see, this is where I derailed because “interactions” sent me straight to trade. That will usually serve you well, but you can see that flaw here.)
-Both Meroë and Axum developed their own distinct writing scripts. A Meroitic script eventually took the place of Egyptian-style writing, while Axum’s script, Geez, was derived from South Arabian models.
-Axum adopted Christianity from the Roman world in the fourth century C.E., primarily through Egyptian influence, and the region once controlled by Meroë also adopted Christianity in the 340s C.E. following Meroë’s decline. (Notice, I’m being a bit more specific about religion.)

I hope this helps.

cathleen

20/9/2015 21:06:34

Thanks, Bingham! That IS tidy! Not going to lie, feeling pretty good about that nubia-egypt-meroe connection. Cathleen:1 Strayer: 3784789 points

I thought while I was at it, maybe I'd do margin 2.
How does the experience of the NigerValley challenge conventional notions of "civilizations"?
The cities of the Niger Valley did not have a corresponding state structure. Their urban centers were without an overarching imperial state or state authority, unlike conventional civilizations. It also had little evidence of warfare or deep social inequality, The Niger Valley was more closely similar to the one of the first civilizations, Indus River Valley.

This feels a little bare, because I didn't acknowledge the other part of the Niger Valley section which I thought would be "related, but not relevant". But if anyone feels otherwise, knock yourself out and please teach me your ways.

Bingham

21/9/2015 06:01:36

No, that's pretty much it - lack of a state/empirical structure. Extremely rare, though you could mention that it was similar to the Indus Valley folks in the previous period in a lack of government.

Bingham

20/9/2015 10:02:00

Since I’m here, I was thinking about the first BPQ, and the trouble you had with an earlier, similar one, so let me address it for you now.
“The histories of Africa and the Americas during the classical era largely resemble those of Eurasia.” Do you agree with this statement? Explain why or why not.
There is evidence to support both a yes or no answer to this question.
In support of the statement, you could point to the emergence of powerful states, especially in Axum and Teotihuacán, which sought to create empires.
You could also point to the parallels between the Maya civilization and classical Greece.
You could cite the spread of the Chavín cult as being in some ways a parallel development to the emergence of widespread religious traditions in Eurasia.

However, the Ancestral Pueblo and mound-building societies of North America and regional civilizations such as the Moche of South America more closely resemble the Neolithic villages and First Civilizations of Eurasia than they do their classical counterparts.

Tuesday Haynes

20/9/2015 20:59:28

I'm trying to answer the margin question "In what ways did Teotihuacan shape the history of Mesoamerica?" and this is what I came up with.

Although it is unknown exactly how it was governed, the city of Teotihuacan had a huge amount of influence in Mesoamerica. Tributes and taxes were collected from a region of about ten thousand square miles around the city and beyond. Teotihuacan's army conquered at least one Mayan city and appeared to have diplomatic relations with others. Long distance trade and migration from the Gulf of Mexico and Maya lowlands was present, and many Mesoamerican societies were inspired by Teotihuacan in their architecture and artistic styles. Even centuries later, Teotihuacan was still considered the "city of the gods" by the people of the Aztec Empire.

Did I forget anything?

Bingham

21/9/2015 05:57:18

"a huge amount" tsk tsk. Little Ms Vague, you need to break this habit!

It's all there, so well done. Consider organizing your answer in a more obvious way, that is explain it by highlighting the main parts of the answer. Look:
Its military conquests brought many regions into its political orbit and made Teotihuacán a presence in the Maya civilization.
Teotihuacán was at the center of a large trade network.
The architectural and artistic styles of the city were imitated across Mesoamerica.
Do you see?

Simone Hougham

23/9/2015 18:23:45

Do you suggest she take out the first sentence? Or should she just reword it to be more specific?

Morgan Levine

23/9/2015 17:21:11

Margin Question #3: In what ways did the arrival of Bantu-speaking peoples stimulate cross-cultural interaction?
The movement of Bantu peoples created some 400 Bantu languages, and even as they displaced the native hunter-gatherers, they absorbed parts of their culture, such as the distinctive "clicks" in their words. Bantu peoples created regional trading networks with native peoples like the Batwas, and often venerated/replicated native culture to draw closer to the spirits of the region. Bantu farmers spread crops and agricultural technologies through Bantu Africa, along with ironworking and ancestry-focused religion.

Thoughts? I don't know if all of my answer corresponds with the question - there may be some specific interactions I'm missing.

Bingham

23/9/2015 18:30:46

I think you're missing a few things. I found seven.

Morgan Levine

23/9/2015 19:09:16

7 Ways Bantu-speaking peoples stimulated cross-cultural interaction:
1. The creation of the Bantu language family, with features of native tongues (clicks)
2. The displacement/absorption of hunter-gatherer societies (a global phenomenon, as mentioned by Simone)
3. Iron technology replacing the stone age tech used by natives.
4. The creation of regional trade networks in which natives often became specialists due to their local knowledge (an example would be Batwa "forest specialists"
5. Veneration of native tradition, adoption of native ancestry
6. Bantu adoption of new agricultural technology and crops from natives and then spreading them (grains, Southeast Asian crops, cattle, sheep)
7. Geographically confined religion of "continuous revelation" was created from interaction with native peoples, changed with each locale

Okay, so I don't know if these are correct, and it's a lot of rephrasing (I took your comment to mean that there were 7 things in general, not 7 things I was missing, so if it's the latter there then yikes and I'll do some more work). Also, I think the 7th point is a bit of a reach, but there has to be some kind of religious thing created by the interaction...

Simone Hougham

23/9/2015 18:35:53

These are all so good. I think I didn't read for the answers as well. But I did find, to me, the most important one was the agricultural Bantu and the gathering and hunting people's encounters sparked a long term global phenomenon in which farmers largely replaced foragers as the dominant people on the planet. Correct me if I'm wrong, because like I said, I didn't read the question right.

cathleen freedman

23/9/2015 20:21:48

here's what I have in addition to what you and morgan said:
Bantu speaking people used their agriculture which enabled them to support a larger population in a more condensed area than hunter gatherers. Bantu farmers also brought diseases through the domesticated animals they were not prepared for. The Bantu also had iron weapons versus the hunter gatherers' stone age technology and weaponry. the bantu language's distinctive clicks were a result of their vanished predecessors. the Batwa "forest specialist" pygmies traded with the bantu. the batwa people adopted bantu language, but remained their own cultural identity, separate from the bantu agriculture. the bantu respected the batwa and considered them to be the next best thing to the ancestors and spirits that controlled the land's fertility. In the bantu chiefdoms, titles for the chief derived from the batwa title of being owners of the land. Bantus claimed ancestry with batwa and considered them to be the first civilizers of earth. the Bantu people also did some developing of their own and took up grain agriculture and domesticated cattle and sheep from previous peoples. bantu also took up imports like banana and coconut from Indonesian sailors and immigrants. The Bantu people utilized not only their culture and traditions, but also those they absorbed.

if anyone thinks this is too much or too little (yikes) say something :)

Thien-Tam

23/9/2015 20:00:42

So I'm going to take a stab at MQ4 which is "what Eurasian civilization might the Maya be compared".

Maya would be compared to Ancient Mesopotamia and classical Greece because Mayan civilizations, ancient Mesopotamia and classical Greece have similar political dimensions being lots of city states.

Hopefully I answered that right. I'm open to any suggestions or additions to the answer. (pls help me)

Sabrina Koseki

23/9/2015 21:26:01

I agree with your answer, but maybe you could change it a bit to make it a) less vague (lots of city states -> several competing city states) and b) say that it was different from the strong centralized governments of Persia, Rome, and China.

Maybe more like this:
The Mayan civilization would be closer to Ancient Mesopotamia and classical Greece, because they both were a group of several competing city states, rather than the strong centralized systems of Persia, Rome, and China.

Not sure if that's all there is but hopefully it was helpful to you!

Thien-Tam

23/9/2015 21:50:12

Thanks, Sabrina!

Kendal LeFlore

23/9/2015 23:00:54

Also, to add on, the Mayans had a sense of rationality, astronomy, mathematics, etc. similar to the Greeks. To contrast, the Mayans fell due to inner conflict and geography while Rome and China fell due to foreign conquest.

Diego Salazar

24/9/2015 03:05:18

You might also include that the Maya were comparable to the indus river valley civilization through they're elaborately planned cities, the social hierarchy that "shaman" kings and priests as they're most important figures (reminiscent of Brahman and ksatriya castes), their inability to form a large encompassing empire, and theiron rapid disappearance due to environmental degradation. Looks like everyone forgot about poor ol' indus Valley and became Eurocentric.

Jonathan Jalbert

23/9/2015 22:43:06

I agree with your answer as well. I thought that the Mayans could also be compared to classical Chinese civilization.
Both of these societies had:
1) a strong focus on intellectual pursuits
2) a pictographic language, and
3) agricultures that were productive enough to free up the labor force for building monuments/structures.

Would that count as another valid comparison?

Bingham

23/9/2015 22:08:13

I think Cathleen and Sabrina have it!

cathleen

24/9/2015 18:58:37

This is just a condensed version I did for all the regions brought up by strayer, sorry it's late in the game!

Meroe
nubia traded and argued with egypt, once egyp went into decline, nubia latched onto meroe and flourished
ruled by monarch who was occasionally a woman (!)
-economic specialties
-smelting of iron
-rainfall based agriculture, less dependent of irrigation
wealth and military power from long distance trading by camel caravan
-broke away from egyptian influence especially in religion
declined because of deforestation and kingdom conquest
conformed to christianity, but eventually
to islam -conquered by axum

axum
highly productive agriculture based on plow
stimulated by participation in red sea and indian ocean commerce
taxes as a source of revenue
huge royal graves
geez from south arabia
control over agaw speakers with tribute paymen
introduced through chrisitanity by egypt
campaigned for imperial expansion was stopped short by islam
environmental changing and islam altering trade routes and readily available revenue led to crumble

niger river valley
-started because people wanted the accessible water
-absence of state structure
-cities without citadels
-few signs of warfare
-resembled indus river valley
-economic specialization settlements in large towns
-iron smithing was reverent
-occupational castes
-jenne jeno
- traded out of scarce resources

bantu
Slow movement of peoples
-agriculture provided for larger population in area
-diseases killed off those not immune by domesticated animals
-iron weapons against the hunter gatherers'
-displaced, replaced, absorbed hunting gathering people
bantu language has distinctive clicks from predecessors
traded with forest specialists who spoke bantu, but stayed their own identity
-bantu respected them and considered them closest to ancestor spirit, claimed ancestry, gave chiefs batwa titles of "owners of land', and considered them first civilizers
-changed from yam based to grain based agriculture and sheep and cattle by adopting from previously established people
-crops from indonesian sailors and immigrants
-ironworking technique
-used lineages and kinships
focused on ancestors
-sacrifice
-charms
-witches
-predicated notion of continuous revelatio
-geographically confined and had no missionary impulse

Maya
priests as intellectuals with mathematical concept of zeros
-astronomers
-elaborate writing system with pictograms and syllabic element
-writing to record historical event, astronomical data, religious or mythical text
engineered landscape
-elaborate water system
-flourishing agriculture
-fragmented society and authority
-dropped in population : famine, drouhgt, fratricide warfare
-great cities were deserted
-demise due to ecological and political factors
-deforestation and erosion
-climate change (drought)

teotihuacan
-well planned
-largest american complex
-huge city
-street of dead with two pyramids
-pyramid of the sun considered birth of creatio
-burials featured sacrifiical victim
-resident compounds
-murals
-maybe writing
-specialists
-grid cities
-tribute from other cities
-armies gave prestige
-long distance trade

Andes
-bleak deserts along coastline
-drew in inhabitants for water of rivers, offering irrigation
-rich marine life
-Norte chico represent

Chavin
-U shaped ceremonial centers for irrigation projects and suggest religious authorities
-human trophy heads for raiding and warfare
chavin de huantar, focus of religious movement that swept peru
-located strategically by trade route
-clear elite distinction through housing
-little is known, but art shows religion drew on nature
-deities were crocodiles, jaguars, snakes
-shamans using hallucinogenic ritual for supernatural
-religion penetrated and architecture, sculptures
-pilgrimmage site
-training center for initiates
-other temples were remodeled after chavin influence
-religious imagery and practice paralleled in trade route
-no chain empire emerged, just cult

Moche
-replaced chavin cult as regional civilization
-250 mile land of north coast
-economy in irrigation system
-run by warrior priests on top of the mountains
-largest structure, pyramid of the sun, 143 million bricks
-more shamans with hallucinogenic goods, meditating between two spiritual worlds, ritual sacrificing of war prisoner
-ruler in magnificent headdress and on pyramid on pottery with naked prisoners
-war, ritual, and diplomacy
-elaborate burial
-artsy craftspeople
-not so much known about moch poor
-subject to doruhgts, earthquakes, and rain
-maybe this led to demise
-vulnerable to aggressive neighbors and invasion

North America
hunting gatherers thrived on
-semi sedentary
-agricultural society, but not as intense as others
-no large urban canters or empire
Ancestral Pueblo
-arid land
-farming was risky and maize had to be adapted to land
-pit houses with shrunk flooring
-kivas for ceremony and symbolized humankind emerging from below-
settlements were sometimes linked together for trading network
-the more d

cathleen

24/9/2015 18:59:33

it cut off...

Mound Builders
-eastern woodlands
-independent agricultural revolution
-domesticated plants, but not sufficient enoug
-large earthen mound for namesake
-earliest and most elaborate known as hopewell culture with burial mounds
-aligned with moon and lunar eclipse
-hopewell interaction sphere
-corn indirectly from mexico allowed larger population and socitey
-cahokia
-larger than chaco in urban presence
-both made possible by corn
-stratified societies
-replaced by nachez

cathleen

24/9/2015 19:01:33

okay, just because it's long does not mean it's golden. Take this as an outline, but please don't think it's end all be all. I even spelled egypt wrong. Don't trust me entirely.

Diego

30/9/2015 20:22:41

it might be a good idea if we get started on a blog for chapter 8

Strayer 7, Classical Africa & Americas

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