Central watchtower

Central watchtower
This glazed ceramic model of a watchtower shows all the essential features of Han architecture. The basic unit is an enclosure defined by four corner piers with a widely overhanging tile roof supported by a system of cantilevered brackets. In addition, the house has a second roof over the first story, which is elevated on a stepped platform; an exterior staircase; elaborate latticework screens that shield the third story; and a circular central window on the top floor.

The Cave Beasts

When archaeologists make a discovery of such a magnitude it is amazing. This discovery dates back 8,000 years ago before the rise of Egyptian civilization and hunter and gatherers had not domesticated animals. To see the Sahara Desert today, it is crazy to think it was once a fertile, tropical forest. This is an interesting article.

http://ancienthistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/the-cave-beasts





Sunday, May 30, 2010

Chapters 1-3

The agricultural age was accompanied by dominance. This dominance was over nature, men of the lower-caste, femininity, and animals. I believe this was inevitable because when there are economical surpluses, people, who have the means to govern either by wealth or heredity, create a pyramidal society and the top hierarchy promote inequality. It is unfortunate that the creation of the agricultural revolution generated such a detrimental way of life.

I enjoyed reading about the agricultural village societies and chiefdoms. It is amusing to speculate why and how the people of the time built and defended their homes and also to imagine how they managed their daily lives.

I recently visited the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, and I was astonished to see beauty of the ancient artifacts. The craftsmanship was amazing and how they created their art with such primitive tools.

I enjoyed reading about how the different civilizations developed around the world and the reason why the settlement occurred in a particular location. There were many similarities but many differences as well. In each case, it was the river valley and geography that dictated outcomes affecting agricultural prosperity, religious formation, and government structures.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Welcome to my World History Blog! This is the first time I have Blogged, and I am having some difficulties but I should be a pro after 10 weeks!