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Sunday, February 1, 2009
INTRODUCTION
What is a civilisation?
It is when a group of people come to live together and their own way of life.
What are kingdoms and empires?
A kingdom is an area ruled by a king while an empire is a combined land ruled by a king who had defeated his weaker rivals.
What is a civilisation?
It is when a group of people come to live together and their own way of life.
What are kingdoms and empires?
A kingdom is an area ruled by a king while an empire is a combined land ruled by a king who had defeated his weaker rivals.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
China
Birth of Civilisation in China
The Chinese civilisation first appeared in a fertile river valley- the valley of the Yellow River(Huang River) in north China. Plains around the river have fertile soil that is good for farming.
However, it can be dangerous to live there as flood happens frequently.People learned how to control the flood and transport water.
The Chinese civilisation first appeared in a fertile river valley- the valley of the Yellow River(Huang River) in north China. Plains around the river have fertile soil that is good for farming.
However, it can be dangerous to live there as flood happens frequently.People learned how to control the flood and transport water.
The Yangshao and Longshan villages
The Yangshao People
A group of villages, called Yangshao villages, appeared on the Yellow River c. 3000 BCE. Evidences, from the 1950, show that people grew millet and kept dogs and pigs. The people use hunting tools,which are made from stone and bone, like bows and arrow.
The Longshao People
The Longshan people are much more advance than the Yangshao people as they live in walled communities, grew rice and millet and raised cattle, sheep, dogs and pigs. They made pottery of fine quality with the help of potters' wheel. The Longshan are remembered for their polished black pottery today.
Shang Civilisation
Government
Shang civilisation was ruled by kings, according to ancient records. A dynasty is formed when kings came from the same family line. Kings live in the capital city where there are palaces, temples and storage houses to store food in the capital.
Occupations
The Shang people were mostly farmers, traders, priests and craftsmen. Shang craftsmen made intricate bronze objects which as weapons, wine jars and cups. Modern craftsmen find it difficult to make exact copies of such objects even with the help of latest technologies.The craftsmen also made beautiful silk clothes and jade ornaments for kings and families.
Writing
One of the greatest contributions of the Shang Civilisation towards the Chinese culture was a writing system or script which formed the basis of Chinese script today. Shang writing consist of more than 3000 characters which looks like pictures of the things or idea they represented. This writing is called pictographic writing and the characters are called pictograms. Chinese characters that are used today are from pictographic writing. Such writing can be found on bronze objects and thousands of oracle bones.
Oracle bones
Oracle bones were used by priests to tell the future. The priest would interpret cracks as giving answers to questions. Both questions and answers were carved onto the bones, which were usually the shoulder of sheeps or cows or sometimes turtle shell. The bones were also used to record the name of rulers, family histories and events like eclipses of the sun and moons.
The fall of the Shang Dynasty
The last Shang king was killed c. 1150 BCE. The next dynasty was the Western Zhou dynasty(1027-771 BCE). The Zhou kings and Shang kings have similar cultures thus the change in dynasty did not result in the end of the Shang Civilisation. Around 771 BCE, a group of people killed the king and his son move his capital towards east. His dynasty was known as the Eastern Zhou dynasty(771-221BCE). Fighting between the people continued and the last of the 232 years of the Eastern Zhou dynasty was known as the Period of the Warring States. During this period, the northern part of China was broken into several kingdoms. In 221 BCE, a prince managed to unite these kingdomsto form the first Chinese empire under the Qin dynasty(221-206 BCE)
INDIAN CIVILISATION
India's civilisation birth
Indian civilisation began as early as 2500 BCE. People, during the c. 3000 BCE live in the hills but moved to the Indus Plain as there were fertile soil there. The Indus people soon learned how to control and redirect water by building dams in the Indus River.
Government
Historians think that there must have been a system of efficient government as Mohenjo-daro was well planned. The Mohenjo-daro was build c. 2600 BCE and abandoned around 1900 BCE. It was rediscovered in 1922 by Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay, an officer of the Archaeological Survey of India. It is located in the Sindh province on a Pleistocene ridge in the middle of the flood plain of the Indus River. Such examples are the Citadel, Drainage System , Granary and The Great Bath.
Artefacts of the Mohenj
o-daro
The "Dancing girl", found in 1926 from a house in Mohenjo-daro, was about 4500 years old. It is a 10.8 cm long bronze statue.
India's civilisation birth
Indian civilisation began as early as 2500 BCE. People, during the c. 3000 BCE live in the hills but moved to the Indus Plain as there were fertile soil there. The Indus people soon learned how to control and redirect water by building dams in the Indus River.
Government
Historians think that there must have been a system of efficient government as Mohenjo-daro was well planned. The Mohenjo-daro was build c. 2600 BCE and abandoned around 1900 BCE. It was rediscovered in 1922 by Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay, an officer of the Archaeological Survey of India. It is located in the Sindh province on a Pleistocene ridge in the middle of the flood plain of the Indus River. Such examples are the Citadel, Drainage System , Granary and The Great Bath.
Artefacts of the Mohenj
o-daroThe "Dancing girl", found in 1926 from a house in Mohenjo-daro, was about 4500 years old. It is a 10.8 cm long bronze statue.
Occupations
Most of the people were farmers who grow crops.
Some of them become priests,who conducted religious ceremonies for religious bathing. (The Great Bath)
Writing
Thousands of stone seals were found in Indus, 
which might be a form of identification for the Indus people.
So far, nobody can understand what is written on the stone seals.
Decline of the Indus Valley Civilisation
C. 1500 BCE, the Indus Valley Civilisation rapidly declined. Mohenjo-daro and Harappa were soon abandoned. The causes of its decline are not certain. However, Archaeologits have noticed progressive deterioration in the construction of buildings nearer the surface. This indicates the decline might be due to Indus floods. Irrigation systems were destroyed and mosquitoe's breeding could have caused malaria.
Aryans
About 1500 BC, India was invaded by Indo-European people. These people came from the area between the Black Sea and the Caspian sea. The Aryans first settled along the Indus River, in the same place where the Harappa people had lived. They settled down and mixed with the local Indian people. They lived there from about 1500 BC to about 800 BC. About 800 BC, the Aryans learned how to use iron for weapons and tools. Once the Aryans learned how to use iron, they used their new weapons to conquer more of India, and moved to the south and east into the Ganges river valley. They settled there not long after 800 BC.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Birth of Civilisations in Southeast Asia
The study of Southeast Asia starts at a much later time than India and China - from c.200BCE onwards. The records about the region began to be kept only from this time, starting by Indian and Chinese traders and later, by local people.
Southeast Asia consists of two distinct areas. Firstly, it is the mainland Southeast Asia, which has several great rivers like the Irrawaddy and Mekong. These rivers flow through present-day Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. Mainland Southeast Asia also has many mountains and jungles. Secondly, it is island Southeast Asia, which consists of thousands of islands separated by seas.
Such environments made travel and large-scale farming difficult for people. Therefore, in Southeast Asia, civilisations started with small groups of people and they did not have much contact with each other.
Artefacts like clay pottery, beads and cave wall paintings have led historians to conclude that as early as c. 6000 BCE, culture in Southeast Asia began in different parts of the region. During that time, people lived in small villagers near the sea and they gathered food in the jungles. They also ate fish they caught and animals they hunt.
Development of Maritime Kingdoms
Over the centuries, the first few Southeast Asian villagers were transformed into cities, thus leading to the rise of maritime kingdoms or kingdoms near the sea. The main factors that led to the rise of these kingdoms were rice and trade.
Rice
The people of Southeast Asia might have been among the first in the whole world to grow rice. Certainly, they were the first to use water buffalo to plough rice fields. As rice is a source of food, rice farmers made profits when they sell their rice. The growing of rice allowed ancient Southeast Asia to prosper and the homes they stay to grow into cities.
Trade
By c.200 BCE, the people of ancient Southeast Asia were skilled in building boats. The boats could allow people to sail across the oceans to trade with each other. Their goods would be carried by boats and the boats would sail from one village to another for trading. At the same time, new goods for the traders would be loaded to bring back to their own villagers. Thus, the villagers on the coast acted as small ports. Goods included ivory, coconut, rice, bronze tools, bracelets and big ceremonial drums.
The coastal villages in Southeast Asia developed rapidly as maritime trade or sea trade between China and India increased after 200 BCE. The coastal villagers became resting places for traders sailing between China and India. These villagers offered unique Southeast Aisan products like coral and dried fish for traders to bring back to China or India. Thus, some of the coastal villagers developed into port cities.
Earliest maritime kingdoms in Southeast Asia
In Southeast Asia, between the 1st century CE and the 13th century CE, Funan and Srivijaya were the two major maritime kingdoms.
Features of Early Southeast Asian Civilisations
Historians are able to trace the features of early civilisations in Southeast Asia from the records of Chinese visitors to Funan and other Southeast Asian port cities.
Government
As early Southeast Asia was ruled by kings, religion was important to the kings and at every Southeast Asian port city, there was a religious building (made of stone). The king's palace, houses of officials, rich traders and common people were made from wood. Those houses haven not survived till today because wood rots when it is exposed to the sun and rain for long periods of time.
Occupations
Apart from craftsmen, fishermen, sailors and local foreign traders, there were priests, officials from foreign countries too. There were also people who built and repaired ships, officials who were primarily responsible for bringing in trade and protecting foreign traders. Thus, there were people from different countries and different cultures at the port cities.
Writing
By around 200 CE, many Southeast Asian rulers and officials had begun to keep written records of important events. Only those on carved stone have survived till today. Sanskrit, a language brought by Indian traders and priests, were initially used to write records. After the 6th century CE, Southeast Asian kingdoms began to develop their own writing scripts. One of these was the Jawi script (Malay script using the Arabic alphabet) that is still used today.
Birth of Civilisations in Southeast Asia
The study of Southeast Asia starts at a much later time than India and China - from c.200BCE onwards. The records about the region began to be kept only from this time, starting by Indian and Chinese traders and later, by local people.
Southeast Asia consists of two distinct areas. Firstly, it is the mainland Southeast Asia, which has several great rivers like the Irrawaddy and Mekong. These rivers flow through present-day Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. Mainland Southeast Asia also has many mountains and jungles. Secondly, it is island Southeast Asia, which consists of thousands of islands separated by seas.
Such environments made travel and large-scale farming difficult for people. Therefore, in Southeast Asia, civilisations started with small groups of people and they did not have much contact with each other.
Artefacts like clay pottery, beads and cave wall paintings have led historians to conclude that as early as c. 6000 BCE, culture in Southeast Asia began in different parts of the region. During that time, people lived in small villagers near the sea and they gathered food in the jungles. They also ate fish they caught and animals they hunt.
Development of Maritime Kingdoms
Over the centuries, the first few Southeast Asian villagers were transformed into cities, thus leading to the rise of maritime kingdoms or kingdoms near the sea. The main factors that led to the rise of these kingdoms were rice and trade.
Rice
The people of Southeast Asia might have been among the first in the whole world to grow rice. Certainly, they were the first to use water buffalo to plough rice fields. As rice is a source of food, rice farmers made profits when they sell their rice. The growing of rice allowed ancient Southeast Asia to prosper and the homes they stay to grow into cities.
Trade
By c.200 BCE, the people of ancient Southeast Asia were skilled in building boats. The boats could allow people to sail across the oceans to trade with each other. Their goods would be carried by boats and the boats would sail from one village to another for trading. At the same time, new goods for the traders would be loaded to bring back to their own villagers. Thus, the villagers on the coast acted as small ports. Goods included ivory, coconut, rice, bronze tools, bracelets and big ceremonial drums.
The coastal villages in Southeast Asia developed rapidly as maritime trade or sea trade between China and India increased after 200 BCE. The coastal villagers became resting places for traders sailing between China and India. These villagers offered unique Southeast Aisan products like coral and dried fish for traders to bring back to China or India. Thus, some of the coastal villagers developed into port cities.
Earliest maritime kingdoms in Southeast Asia
In Southeast Asia, between the 1st century CE and the 13th century CE, Funan and Srivijaya were the two major maritime kingdoms.
Features of Early Southeast Asian Civilisations
Historians are able to trace the features of early civilisations in Southeast Asia from the records of Chinese visitors to Funan and other Southeast Asian port cities.
Government
As early Southeast Asia was ruled by kings, religion was important to the kings and at every Southeast Asian port city, there was a religious building (made of stone). The king's palace, houses of officials, rich traders and common people were made from wood. Those houses haven not survived till today because wood rots when it is exposed to the sun and rain for long periods of time.
Occupations
Apart from craftsmen, fishermen, sailors and local foreign traders, there were priests, officials from foreign countries too. There were also people who built and repaired ships, officials who were primarily responsible for bringing in trade and protecting foreign traders. Thus, there were people from different countries and different cultures at the port cities.
Writing
By around 200 CE, many Southeast Asian rulers and officials had begun to keep written records of important events. Only those on carved stone have survived till today. Sanskrit, a language brought by Indian traders and priests, were initially used to write records. After the 6th century CE, Southeast Asian kingdoms began to develop their own writing scripts. One of these was the Jawi script (Malay script using the Arabic alphabet) that is still used today.
Civilizations in Ancient India, China and Southeast Asia Began Near Rivers and Seas
Civilizations rise when the right conditions exist.One of them is the right natural environment. In ancient China and India, the environment consisted of large and fertile river valleys. In Southeast Asia, the environment consisted of suitable conditions for rice-planting while the surrounding seas brought trade, which transformed the the Southeast Asian coastal villages to port cities like Singapore.
Ancient Civilizations had Governments
All civilizations had governments who governed the cities and the surrounding places. The leaders would be known as kings or emperors. They had to keep peace by ensuring that food was equally distributed to the citizens and that there was law and order.
Ancient People had different Occupations
While the leader ruled. the common people had different occupations. As the common people were specialized in a certain occupation, they started thinking of new ways to do things. This led to the development in Science and the Arts. Farmers, for example, used bronze farming tools. Those who became traders then brought and sold these products to other civilizations.
Ancient People had Complex Beliefs
As civilizations developed, people led a more comfortable life. They had time to think about issues like life and death and the existence of gods. Sometime, these thoughts and ideas would develop into religion and philosophies, such as Buddhism and Confucianism, which are still practiced today.
Ancient people had a Writing System
All civilizations had a way to record their thoughts and actions. The development or the writing system allow people to communicate with one another. In today's world, historians rely on writing records left by the people of ancient India. China and Southeast Asia to know more about the past.
Civilizations rise when the right conditions exist.One of them is the right natural environment. In ancient China and India, the environment consisted of large and fertile river valleys. In Southeast Asia, the environment consisted of suitable conditions for rice-planting while the surrounding seas brought trade, which transformed the the Southeast Asian coastal villages to port cities like Singapore.
Ancient Civilizations had Governments
All civilizations had governments who governed the cities and the surrounding places. The leaders would be known as kings or emperors. They had to keep peace by ensuring that food was equally distributed to the citizens and that there was law and order.
Ancient People had different Occupations
While the leader ruled. the common people had different occupations. As the common people were specialized in a certain occupation, they started thinking of new ways to do things. This led to the development in Science and the Arts. Farmers, for example, used bronze farming tools. Those who became traders then brought and sold these products to other civilizations.
Ancient People had Complex Beliefs
As civilizations developed, people led a more comfortable life. They had time to think about issues like life and death and the existence of gods. Sometime, these thoughts and ideas would develop into religion and philosophies, such as Buddhism and Confucianism, which are still practiced today.
Ancient people had a Writing System
All civilizations had a way to record their thoughts and actions. The development or the writing system allow people to communicate with one another. In today's world, historians rely on writing records left by the people of ancient India. China and Southeast Asia to know more about the past.