HISTORY RECAP QUESTIONS. [:

(PG 155)
1. the ancient china faced internal threats such as floods, famines and civil wars occurred.
(PG 158)
1. the people of Southeast Asia faced internal threats such a volcanic eruptions, succession disputes, warfare rebellion and piracy.

(PG 161)
1. in all three civilisations, all faced civil wars and rebellion as people were unhappy about their lives. they also had natural disasters.

(PG 174)
1. the ancient chinese form a tribute system , build physical barriers and armies, and they developed advanced weapons.

(PG 177)
1. they faced rivalry and foreign invasion between kingdoms.

(PG 181)
1. it was important as it was to protect themselves against invaders.

Mauryan dynasty

. What inference can you make from study the map about Mauryan dynasty? and what were the result of these interactions?
The Mauryan dynasty ruled most of the land in India, while the other dynasties did not rule most of the land in India. this can be seen from "it was during the mauryan dynasty that the whole of northen Inda was unified under one rule for the first time." The Mauryan dynasty was unified by Chandragupta Maurya.

Religion and philosophy

(Impacts of Religion and How did Hindumsim and Buddhism spread to SouthEast Asia?)

Ans: Three religions that had a great impact on life in the three civilisatons were Hindusim, Buddhism and Islam.
Hindumsim came to Southeast Asia around the 1st century Ce. it is believed that Hindu priests fro India were invited to the courts of ancient SEA rulers to teach Indian culture.

Buddhism came to SEA c.300CE. it was brought by INdian and chinese traders as well as the Buddhist missionaries who travelled with them.

India: maritime trade

Que: what was the result of this interaction?

Ans: As a result of this interaction between the indus people and the Mesopotamians, some archaeologists think that the indus people might have borrowed the idea of using seals to mark their goods from the Mesopotamians, an older civilisation. this is because their seals were found to be similar.

INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION(occupations)

1) builders- they build houses, roads, and many more.



2) farmers- they grew crops such as wheat, barley and dates.

INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION(WHAT HAPPENED C.1500BCE)

[ What happened c. 15OO BCE]
(answer to the repid end to the indus valley civilisation)

Around 1900 BC, signs of a gradual decline begin to emerge. People started to leave the cities. Those who remained were poorly nourished. By around 1800 BC, most of the cities were abandoned.

In the aftermath of the Indus civilization's collapse, regional cultures emerged, to varying degrees showing the influence of the Indus civilization. In the formerly great city of Harappa, burials have been found that correspond to a regional culture called the Cemetery H culture. At the same time, the Ochre Coloured Pottery culture expands from Rajasthan into the Gangetic Plain.

It is in this context of the aftermath of a civilization's collapse that the Indo-Aryan migration hypothesis into northern India is discussed. In the early twentieth century, this migration was forwarded in the guise of an "Aryan invasion", and when the civilization was discovered in the 1920s, its collapse at precisely the time of the conjectured invasion was seen as an independent confirmation.

Similarly, several Shiv Lingum type structures have been found at several IVC sites. Both the Swastika and Shiv Lingum have been symbols closely related to the Hindu religion (even to the present day), indicating continuity of the IVC civilization rather than a complete collapse or destruction. The discovery of Swastikas have put to question the theory of an Aryan invasion of Indian subcontinent.A possible natural reason of the IVC's decline is connected with climate change.

In 2600 BC, the Indus Valley was verdant, forested, and teeming with wildlife. It was wetter, too; floods were a problem and appear, on more than one occasion, to have overwhelmed certain settlements. As a result, Indus civilization people supplemented their diet with hunting. By 1800 BC, the climate is known to have changed. It became significantly cooler and drier.

The crucial factor may have been the disappearance of substantial portions of the Ghaggar-Hakra river system. A tectonic event may have diverted the system's sources toward the Ganges Plain, though there is some uncertainty about the date of this event. Such a statement may seem dubious if one does not realize that the transition between the Indus and Gangetic plains amounts to a matter of inches.

The region in which the river's waters formerly arose is known to be geologically active, and there is evidence of major tectonic events at the time the Indus civilization collapsed. Although this particular factor is speculative, and not generally accepted, the decline of the IVC, as with any other civilization, will have been due to a combination of a variety of reasons.

Still, there is some evidence of external cultures mixing in the IVC culture. The IVC people buried the dead, whereas the dead were cremated in the Vedic time, suggesting influence of external cultures over time. It may be hypothized that such a transition could have resulted from shortage of land.

In the course of the 2nd millennium BC, remnants of the IVC's culture will have amalgamated with that of other peoples, likely contributing to what eventually resulted in the rise of historical Hinduism. Judging from the abundant figurines depicting female fertility that they left behind, indicate worship of a Mother goddess (compare Shakti and Kali). IVC seals depict animals, perhaps as the object of veneration, comparable to the zoomorphic aspects of some Hindu gods.

WRITINGS( INDUS VALLEY CIVILIASTION)

[Writings]
(Evidence of communication)
It has long been claimed that the Indus Valley was the home of a literate civilization, but this has recently been challenged on linguistic and archaeological grounds. Well over 400 Indus symbols have been found on seals or ceramic pots and over a dozen other materials, including a 'signboard' that apparently once hung over the gate of the inner citadel of the Indus city of Dholavira. Typical Indus inscriptions are no more than four or five characters in length, most of which (aside from the Dholavira 'signboard') are exquisitely tiny; the longest on a single surface, which is less than 1 inch (2.54 cm) square, is 17 signs long; the longest on any object (found on three different faces of a mass-produced object) carries only 26 symbols. It has been recently pointed out that the brevity of the inscriptions is unparalleled in any known premodern literate society, including those that wrote extensively on leaves, bark, wood, cloth, wax, animal skins, and other perishable materials.
Based partly on this evidence, a controversial recent paper by Farmer, Sproat, and Witzel (2004), argues that the Indus system did not encode language, but was related instead to a variety of non-linguistic sign systems used extensively in the Near East. It has also been claimed on occasion that the symbols were exclusively used for economic transactions, but this claim leaves unexplained the appearance of Indus symbols on many ritual objects, many of which were mass produced in molds. No parallels to these mass-produced inscriptions are known in any other early ancient civilizations.

Photos of many of the thousands of extant inscriptions are published in the Corpus of Indus Seals and Inscriptions (1987, 1991), edited by A. Parpola and his colleagues. Publication of a final third volume, which will reportedly republish photos taken in the 20s and 30s of hundreds of lost or stolen inscriptions, along with many discovered in the last few decades, has been announced for several years, but has not yet found its way into print. For now, researchers must supplement the materials in the Corpus by study of the tiny photos in the excavation reports of Marshall (1931), Mackay (1938, 1943), Wheeler (1947), or reproductions in more recent scattered sources.

The term Indus script refers to short strings of symbols associated with the Harappan civilization of ancient India (most of the Indus sites are distributed in present day North West India and Pakistan) used between 2600?900 BC, which evolved from an earlier form of the Indus script attested from around 3300 BC. They are most commonly associated with flat, rectangular stone tablets called seals, but they are also found on at least a dozen other materials.

The first publication of a Harappan seal dates to 1875, in the form of a drawing by Alexander Cunningham. Since then, well over 4000 symbol-bearing objects have been discovered, some as far afield as Mesopotamia. After 1900 BC, use of the symbols ends, together with the final stage of Harappan civilization. Some early scholars, starting with Cunningham in 1877, thought that the script was the archetype of the Brahmi script used by Ashoka. Today Cunningham's claims are rejected by nearly all researchers, but a minority of mostly Indian scholars continues to argue for the Indus script as the predecessor of the Brahmic family. There are over 400 different signs, but many are thought to be slight modifications or combinations of perhaps 200 'basic' signs.

shang civilisation

[What happened c. 1150 BCE?]
Originally a tribe living in the lower regions of the Yellow River during the Xia Dynasty (21st - 16th century BC), the Shang Dynasty was established by King Tang in 1675 BC after overthrowing the tyrannical rule of Jie, (the last emperor of the Xia Dynasty). The Shang Dynasty lasted over 600 years and was led by 30 different emperors. As the capital of the Shang was always based in Yin (the now Xiaotun Village, in Anyang City of Henan Province), the dynasty is also known as 'Yin Shang'.
Political HistoryDrawing from the 'lessons' of Jie, Tang implemented a series of innovative measures with the help of his two ministers. He is best known for abolishing the persecution and oppression of the people carried out by Jie, and for governing his people with benevolence and compassion. During his reign, conflicts eased, people lived happy lives, and the country prospered. In all areas, from economy to culture, there were great achievements.
The dynasty flourished through the reign of the ninth emperor. During the rule of the tenth emperor however, conditions began to deteriorate and there were multiple attempts by the emperor's own family to overthrow him and take command of the kingdom. Social problems began to emerge and the emperor's power gradually declined.
During the final period of the dynasty, the country was in turmoil and vassals from other countries began to rebel. Despite the turmoil and the impending uprising, Emperor Zhou (the last emperor of Shang Dynasty) led a luxurious life and tortured both his ministers and his people. This intensified conflicts across the kingdom and the Shang Dynasty was finally overthrown by Wu (chief of Zhou tribe), ending the long reign of the Shang Dynasty in Chinese history.
EconomyThe rulers of Shang Dynasty attached great importance to agriculture. Fishing began to grow as an industry as the people fished in the fresh waters.
In the handicraft industry, the work was subtly allotted to many different workers and crafts were made in large quantities and varieties, showcasing the different techniques used during this time. The bronze wares in particular reached a high level of artistry that signified the advanced civilization of Shang Dynasty. The most famous bronze work from this time is the Simuwu Quadripod, weighing 832.84 kg (about 1836 pounds) it is the largest and heaviest Chinese bronze vessel. Porcelain wares were also invented during this time, the jade carving techniques were of the highest quality and the woven silk fabrics displayed the great skill and capabilities of the artisans.
With the grown of the agriculture and handicraft industries, the commodity exchange was promoted and the role of the commodity exchange dealer began to appear in the late Shang Dynasty.
Culture and ArtsIn the field of music, there was also great progress. The improvements in the bronze casting techniques allowed for delicate musical instruments to be made. In Yin Xu (Yin Yuins) in Xiao Tun Village of Anyang City, archeologists discovered musical instruments of the Shang Dynasty including: Xun (Ocarina made of baked clay), drums, and copper cymbals.
Great advancements can also be seen in the written characters of Shang Dynasty which are considered the oldest Chinese written form for communication. The characters were usually carved on tortoise shells, animal bones, bronze wares or some other utensils. Many Oracle Script pieces that have been found in the Yin Ruins offer us many important events happened during that period.
The sculpture produced during this time was also superb. Various kinds of patterns were carved on bronze, jade, and pottery wares. On other goods, like stones, animal bones, and horns, fine pictures can also be seen.
In terms of beliefs, the people of the Shang Dynasty believed that God dominates the world. They also worshipped their ancestors, the sun, the moon, the river, and the earth and sacrifice ceremonies were typically grand events. In addition, the art of fortune telling was popular during this time.

[RELIGION]

Few works of art are as remote or alien to western eyes as ancient Chinese bronzes. Nevertheless these beautiful ritual vessels constituted the mainstream of Chinese art for nearly 1500 years. Spanning both the Shang (1523-1028 B.C.) and Chou dynasties (1027-256 B.C.), these ceremonial utensils, often of unsurpassed technical refinement and varied decor, define the very essence of early Chinese art.
Ancestors and ceremonial conduct have always been of great importance to the Chinese and the majority of bronzes were originally used in the offering of wine and foods to the spirits in ancestral rites, state ceremonies, and various ritual sacrifices.
Bronze is primarily an alloy of copper, tin, and lead, and it was traditionally cast by the ancient Chinese in ceramic piece molds, a difficult process which allowed for the exceptionally fine details seen in the decor of these vessels. The metal was cast in a variety of functional shapes, and most of these ornaments, animal forms, weapons and vessels, some of which bear ancient inscriptions, were excavated from tombs where they had first been interred with the deceased in elaborate funerals.

HISTORY WS (:

[Featuers of the Indus Valley Civilisation]


(Pillared Hall, L area)

this place could be used by people in the olden days for religious purposes. it could also be used as a place for gatherings.




(Ferry boat on the Indus River near Mohenjodaro)

this could be used as a transportation for people in the olden days as technology was not advance d yet.



(Public well, HR Area)

Although most wells were located inside private buildings, the city planners of Mohenjo Daro provided some public wells that could be accessed directly from the main street. This well and nearby walls have been covered with mud brick to protect them from salt crystallization.
this well provided people water to drink, and for many puroses like cooking, bathing and many more.

RECAP QUESTIONS [:

1) Primary sources are information provided by people who witnessed an event, eg. written evidence, pictorial evidence, oral evidence and aretefacts. secondary sources are the records of people who did not participate in or witness the event, eg. letters, photographs and articles.
2) historians will go through the 3'C' test, credibility, corroboration and consistency
3)Historian revise their interpretations of past events as other historians may have different explanation of the same past events , so they could compare and see whose has the correct explanations.
GREAT BYES (:

RECAP QUESTIONS(:

1. What do we learn when we study history?
We learn about the record and the study of past humans events that have shaped the way the world is today, such as the India, China and Southeast Asia of thousands of years ago, we will find that wars sometimes lasted for hundred of years.
2. Name four good reasons for studying history.
To understand change and how our society came to be, to learn from past successes and failures, to understand and respect one another, to develop our critical thinking skills.

Im done, Great byes[: