Trade, Culture and Societal Standards

I found the importance of the Silk Roads, Sea Roads, Sands Roads and the means of international trade to be significant in their ties to establishing civilizations with strong social hierarchies of gender and class. For example, silk was a marker of the elite class and due to supply and demand many farmers gave up producing food in exchange to produce more in demand items. This idea of supply and demand still exists in our economy today, and it is interesting that even today the wealthy often times still purchase expensive clothing, accessories, cars, etc. as symbols of their social status.

I find it ironic that during China’s “golden age” (Strayer, 371) of achievement with its growth in population, agricultural and industrial production, Confucian followers and their writings supported a growing patriarchy, gender inequality and tightened control over women. It was shocking to see an image of the deformed feet of women who were forced to practice foot binding. In many ways, this is a visual metaphor for how women were forced to conform to standards of beauty set by the society, regardless of how painful and outrageous they were. In many ways this societal influence still exists today, where many Chinese women will undergo plastic surgery to create the “double eyelid” that is viewed as beautiful by Western standards. In addition, there are beauty standards for men as well, who undergo painful limb lengthening surgery to fit certain standards; there are even certain job positions in China which routinely list height requirements that do not need them. So while foot binding may not be largely still in practice, there are new standards of beauty which people are judged by.

I was not aware that China had such a strong influence in other developing civilizations such as Korea, Vietnam and even Japan, and yet these civilizations also were able to distinguish themselves and discard beliefs and practices they did not agree with. For example, in Vietnam despite efforts to push more Confucian gender practices, “female deities and a female Buddha” reflected a society that allowed women the right to choose their husbands. In Korea however, Confucian values became strongly enforced and led to a role for women that was even more restrictive than China. It is interesting that for Japan, China’s influence arose from the Tang dynasty when Chinese women had more freedom. As a result, Japanese women were allowed to marry and divorce, as well as inherit property.

It is interesting to look back and recognize the religious and technological influences China has made through trade and exchanges with other civilizations. In addition, it is interesting to see how Western society, in particular the United States influences China today. Many East Asian standards of beauty are now in relation to Western society, and with their large skyscrapers in cities like Shanghai, one can see how with technology and trade how quickly a society can be influenced.

From Civilizations to Empires

The role of empires in the second wave era reveals a shift in emphasis towards ruling political parties, distinguished hierarchies, predominantly patriarchal values emboldened with masculinity, and for some empires an exchange and embracing of differing cultural ideologies. One of the empires that I found intriguing was that of Rome. Many aspects of the Roman Empire can be found in popular culture. For example, in researching how a Republic transforms in to an Empire, George Lucas studied the Roman Empire and this influence can be seen in his Star Wars films; Lucas establishes a Republic and ruling Senate similar to patricians along with a Jedi council acting as an advisory board. Once power is handed over to Senator Palpatine, due to war the Republic is pushed to expand and police farther regions which in turn leads to the transformation of Senator Palpatine to Emperor Palpatine. This is similar to the power granted to Augustus in Rome, who would become the emperor to what once was a Republic. The intriguing notion is that many viewers today see parallels between the events in Star Wars to political events occurring today, even though the political backdrop of the films were influenced by the Roman Empire amongst others.

Furthermore, it is interesting to compare Rome to China regarding cultural assimilation. In China, non-Chinese or “barbarians” (Strayer, 2013) were actively assimilated in to society through the adoption of China’s culture, language and intermarriage. The Roman Empire in contrast did not force cultural assimilation, but allowed for citizenship status for those who “provided service to the empire or in recognition of their adoption of Roman culture.” (Strayer, 2013). Rather than force a citizen of Greek or Egyptian origin to assimilate culturally, Rome displayed respect for other cultures and in many ways was influenced for example by Greek literature and art. This concept is further conveyed in a formal speech which Aelius Aristides delivers during the pax Romana where he proclaims “there has arisen a single harmonious government which has embraced all men.”(Strayer, 149). While his speech could be considered a primary source, one should also question how much exposure did Aristides have to the numerous non-Roman citizens and their experiences, or was he simply attempting to gain leverage by showering emperor Antonius with compliments?

In addition to the concept of societal cultural identity, second wave civilizations also introduced the concept of religion. With its “mandate of heaven” (Strayer, 2013), China’s initial philosophy of Legalism and its rigid approach along with Confucianism reveal that religion was directly used as a political means in understanding how to govern. And while Daoism in many ways “urged a withdrawal into the world of nature,” Confucianism was associated with the elite ruling body. In contrast with Legalism and Confucianism, other religions established such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity in many ways sought to understand the meaning behind life and suffering, referencing higher powers and states of being. In a portrait account, an upper class Roman citizen named Perpetua was executed for her refusal to denounce her Christian belief, which gave “expression to Egyptian resistance against Roman or Byzantine oppression” (Strayer, 2013).

Along with the concept of religion, social inequality was further developed through not just a caste and class system, but also with gender. A more patriarchal society was established for example in China, where women were defined by the “three obediences”(Strayer, 2013) to the father, husband and son. In Athens, women were not allowed to be involved in political assemblies and were referred to as an “infertile male” (Strayer, 2013). There were some civilizations such as Sparta, which allowed women to participate in sporting events and did not enforce segregation. So while the formation of certain empires allowed for the creation of cultural and religious ideals, and a strong cultural identity, they also led to the establishment of more social inequality with an emphasis on the patriarchal role.

Strayer, W. (2013). State and Empire in Eurasia/North Africa, Culture and Religion in Eurasia/North Africa, Society and Inequality in Eurasia/North Africa, Commonalities and Variations, 19-141, 167-183, 233-240.

Rise of the First Civilizations

In understanding the transition from the Paleolithic Era to the Neolithic Era, I found the societal shifts which occurred as a result of the Agricultural Revolution to be extremely fascinating.  The notion that the Paleolithic Era makes up ninety five percent of the human evolution timeline brings up the question regarding how much our current society has changed and affected the planet Earth in its current era. This ties back to the Agricultural Revolution and how civilizations came to be.

The reasons upon which the Agricultural Revolution took place from a gatherer hunter practice is also intriguing in that it particularly involved the end of the Ice Age and climate conditions. The initial egalitarian approach which was established in gatherer hunter Paleolithic societies created a certain level of equality between men and women and rules upon which to share goods. These societies were "lacking the many inequalities of wealth and power...with agricultural and urban life" (Strayer, 2013). While Agricultural village societies retained many similar approaches, the new societal structure led to political organization with Chiefdoms. Despite retaining many of the societal rules established in the Paleolithic Era, the Agricultural Revolution marked a significant change regarding livestock, farming and technological innovation.

One of the accounts from descendants of the Paleolithic Era of gatherer hunters reveals a shift in societal values and goals. One of the descendants named Ishi, was the last of the Yahi gatherer hunters. With the rise of settlers, many Yahi were killed off. This reveals that with the Agricultural Revolution, a shift in values to possession of private property and personal goods took precedence over a more egalitarian value system. The fact that American surveyors came and "took away every moveable item"(Strayer, 2013) that Ishi’s mother possessed paints a starkly contrasting approach to the initial ways of the gatherer hunters who shared their food and goods.

Another account involving a Paleolithic woman named Nisa reveals the few possessions that gatherer hunters would carry with them, and furthermore the lifestyle of the gatherer hunters. In the account, gatherer hunters would share meat and possessions and treat others equally. The account also reveals how marriages were arranged, the established roles of husbands and wives, as well as the central role of family and the significance of each family member. In many ways these accounts from gatherer hunters reveal a value system in which greed is forsaken in favor of mutual respect and sympathy. So while the Agricultural Revolution paved the way for "more productive technologies" (Strayer, 2013), as well the mass production of crops (which was limited given the region one settled in), the value system of the gatherer hunters was in many ways lost, and this shift in many ways is still reflected in our society today.

This shift in values is further established in the societies or civilizations which arose from the Agricultural Revolution. One of the interesting parallels stated is "slavery and civilization...emerged together" (Strayer, 2013). In contrast to the Paleolithic Era, unequal distribution of wealth, war and political interests paved the way for a class hierarchy. The changes in farming techniques also contributed to gender inequality as well, leading to a more emphasized patriarchal society and doing away with the more gender equality based Paleolithic Era hunter gatherers. So while the new first civilizations provided many new innovations involving farming, irrigation, written language, artistic expression, etc. the values regarding human equality and treatment both class and gender wise has been compromised. It is interesting to note that many of the contributions that the first civilizations have brought are mainly material based and incentivized: meaning that they all reflect a shift in core values from human equality and the sharing of goods, to the desire for the acquisition of more power and control over one’s environment. The fascinating observation is this value system in many ways continues to be perpetuated today in society. So the question then remains, to what end?

Strayer, W. (2013). First Peoples; First Farmers, First Civilizations, Cities, States,  and Unequal                     Societies, 20-22, 36-37, 72-78, 89-90.

Yay - I'm done!

Yay - I'm done!