Eliana Abboud's World History Blog

Mecca was the sight of the Kaaba, which is the most prominent religious shrine and housed representations of 360 deities. Muhammad Ibn Abdullah 9570-632 C.E) was born in Mecca to a Quraysh family. He married a prosperous merchant by the name Khadija and fathered six children. Some people fled their hometowns to avoid Muslim rule, while others like 80% of the Persians converted to Islam. The Quran preaches that women are inferior to men and men have authority over women because Allah made one gender superior. The practice of women marrying multiple men which had been practiced in pre-Islamic arabs was prohibited. Even though this may be true, the practice of polygyny (the practice of having multiple wives) was permitted. Men were limited to four wives and required to treat all of them equally.

China dominated the Indian Ocean trade network. It would not be surprising if China becomes the next superpower for several reasons America's military is eventually going to start leaving their bases in foreign countries, since the focus is becoming more on improving circumstances in America rather than foreign countries. This will give China the perfect opportunity to send their military to countries where the citizens will become dependent on them. They will slowly become integrated in the world. China's "golden age" was a renaissance for multiple reasons. Cosmopolitan Urban Centers: trade is thriving people are coming and going to these cities bringing language, food, and religions with them. China was wealthy Revival or rebirth of Confucian ideas Examination System: During that time once you get a job, you keep it for your entire life. For this reason boys were encouraged to get good jobs from a young age. Only wealthy people were able to...

The sea roads impacted Europe the most. Products that traveled along the sea roads included: Buddhism black death/germs spices silk incense walrus tusks ivory Impact: spread of goods spread of Buddhism spread of Black death Who used the products: merchants  China Buddhists People traveled on the sea roads by donkey, camel or carts being pulled or carried Sand roads impacted Africa the most Products that traveled along the sea roads included: Islam gold salt slaves ivory horses clothes trade across the Saharan carried new political structures People traveled on donkeys and camels Who benefited: wealthy people  merchants slaves The sand roads helped with the development of West African civilizations Sea Roads products (in bulk): textiles pepper timber rice sugar porcelain cotton ivory Islam Who benefited: merchants sailors everyday people Port towns surrounded by markets developed...

What I found most interesting about the Mongolian Empire is that they sent Mongols to China and Chinese people went to Mongolia. I did not know that such an exchange of ideas ever occurred in such a way. Mongolians brought the concept of astrology and the study of the sky to China. On the other hand, Chinese people brought the concept of acupuncture to the Mongolians. This was not accepted by the Mongolians due to the fact that it involves a lot of physical contact. Many Mongolians followed the Muslim religion, so it was against their religious beliefs for there to be so much contact between people, especially between unmarried men and women. Although this may be true, I still found this method of exchanging ideas and concepts very effective and interesting to learn about.

I found it really interesting that this chapter introduced new civilizations that I have not heard of before. I have learned about ancient civilizations, but never the Nubian civilization which was located in the Nile Valley. It is nice to learn about how different religions affected the continents. This chapter spoke about how Nubia, a civilization that could be found in Egypt, was a Christian civilization for almost a thousand years until Arab immigration began. That's when Islam became the dominant religion in that region. I liked how this book addresses all these topics that are very rarely taught in high school and middle school. I enjoyed reading about the Maya civilization as well. I learned that mathematics developed greatly during this period of time, which is something I was not aware of. They were able to use these new mathematical abilities they gained to expand their knowledge on astrology. Overall, I liked learning more about civilizations which I knew little or noth...

This chapter taught me a lot of things, but one thing that stood out was the section on slavery and civilization. I learned that India didn't treat their slaves like many people in other countries did. In India, slaves had some form of limited protection. First, owners were not allowed to abandon their slaves no matter how old they get. This means that regardless of age, they still have to take care of them or provide for them. Another thing that was very surprising was that slaves could inherit land and own property which is something I've never heard of before. Lastly, the one part I think will stick with me is if a slave gets raped and she births a child the owner has to set her free and pay compensation for the child. Chapter five increased my knowledge about slavery in India, by providing these interesting and surprising facts.

This article introduced a topic I have not thought about before. I enjoyed reading that article as it opened my eyes to what helping really means. It has proven to me that people should learn how to serve their communities and loved ones, instead of helping them. I never realized that helping creates a sense of inequality until I read this article. Some people often tend to feel the urge to fix others, which I now know means they have this unconscious belief that the other person is broken. Mother Theresa's message should be spread more, so that society can become more educated on the way they are treating others and how they want to be treated. This message really helped me become aware of the way I have helped people rather than served them. 

It was very interesting to read about how all these religions spread across the world. Several religions such as: Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Greek rationalism,  and Christianity all spread around the world very quickly. This chapter taught me new things about some religions. I learned that even though confucianism and Daoism both originated in China, they have very different perspectives towards the concept of gender. Confucianism teaches that women are inferior and they should serve their husbands until death. Education for women was stressed in this religion, but only so that women could be prepared to serve their husbands. On the other hand, Daoism teaches that women and men are both equal. It also emphasizes the concept of yin and yang which encourages the unity of opposites. When looking at these two religions, it is odd to see how they are completely different in terms of gender. Overall this chapter was very interesting and it taught ...

What caught my attention the most while reading chapter 3 was the part about Athens and their democracy. A leader named Solon pushed towards democracy in 594 B.C.E.. This is when more men were able to participate in politics. What surprised me the most was the fact that the book states that all men were allowed to take part in assembly, but continues to say that women, slaves and foreigners were not allowed to participate. This made me feel as if the writers were contradicting themselves. It's also sad to hear that the people who made up more than half of the population were not allowed to participate in the assembly which became the center of political life.

One thing that caught my attention in chapter 2 was the section about hierarchies of gender. It starts off by talking about the inferiority of women in society. Then it continues to talk about how the women were limited to their homes and managing housework. It saddens me that very few women defied these gender roles and the majority accepted their roles. They also lost hope in ever reaching gender equality. Many women were pushed out of the world of agriculture as it progressed and moved on to doing things like weaving. I wonder why societies let this happen, since during Paleolithic times there was gender equality.

I was surprised when I read that after the Ice Age people started settling down and creating permanent homes for themselves. Also, how quickly they were able to adapt and find new ways to survive. They were motivated to create new tools and methods of finding food since their population was rapidly increasing. These people began domesticating which led to a larger food supply. Later they started the agricultural revolution, introducing farming, which was led by females since they were the gatherers of these crops. This makes me wonder how quickly we would have been able to adapt, given the amount of technology we have now and how reliant we are on it. Something that amazes me is how both domestication and the agricultural revolution were spreading all over the world, yet there was absolutely no communication between these people. Everyone was trying to figure out what crops work best in the areas their areas, but no one was aware that this was going on all around the world simultaneou...

Prologue: The prologue explains that the Hadza, a group of people located in Northern Tanzania, will no longer exist very soon. These people have continued leading their lives the only way humans knew was possible 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. The 1,300 Hadza who still exist today live in huts, hunt and gather to survive and keep up with animal migrations. It is evident that they will soon disappear due to farmers, cattle herders, governments, missionaries and tourists all contribute to their extinction. Introduction of chapter: The introduction explains that around 12,000 years ago the Neolithic era began. This took place in Eurasia, Africa and the Americas. This revolution happened when cultivation of plants and domestication of animals started to spread. The intro mentions how many history courses skip the first 20,000 years of human life known as the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras. Some say it's because they connect "real history" to writing and people of those eras...