Shang Dynasty

Dear everyone

I would like to tell you more about my expedition to China. It is not easily noticed by the tourists but only historians and arcchaeologists. Despite the fact that I had only one day to complete this assignment , I tried my very best to crack down the past history of the Shang Civilisation. On that day itself, I went back to the hotel to get my laptop back. I must have a laptop to do the research. I surfed in the Internet to get more info. I discovered that the Shang Civilisation is very old. It is c. 1523-1027 BCE. I was also curious about their religion that the people of the Shang Civilisation.

As soon as I scrolled down the page, I discovered that the Shang worshipped a figure they called "Shang Ti," or "Lord on High" who ruled over lesser gods of the sun, the moon, the wind, the rain, and other natural forces and places. Shang-Ti also regulated human affairs as well as ruling over the material universe. This dual function would, in the Chou dynasty, be attributed to a more abstract figure, "t'ien," or "Heaven." The Shang also believed that their ancestors dwelled in heaven after their death and continued to show an interest in their family and descendants. Failing in one's duties to the ancestors could bring all sorts of disaster on a family. All of these divine and semi-divine figures, from Shang-Ti to a family's ancestors, were sacrificed to. However, we know little of the nature or the frequency of these sacrifices. We do know, however, that in that dynasty, only the king could sacrifice to Shang-Ti; it is highly likely that Shang-Ti was the "local god" of the Shang kings. The one troubling fact of Shang sacrifice is that it certainly involved humans; slaves and prisoners of war were often oblated by the hundreds when a king died.

Sorry, I am afraid I got to go. I will tell you what happened during the expedition.

Regards
Firdaus

Decline of Indus Valley Civilisation

Dear everyone

What happened c. 1500 BCE? Lets ask that question to ourselves first before asking others. That, you need not worry as I have the answer to your solution.
The Indus Civilization was at its peak for about 500 years. They lived in the same kind of houses, used the same tools and ate the same food. The city (Mohenjo-daro) was destroyed for a number of times and it was built again and again. The exact causes for the destruction of this great civilization are not known. The cities might have been destroyed by natural disasters like earthquakes, floods or a change in the course of the Indus. The cities declined owing to Aryan invasions also. Deforestation was another cause for the destruction of this civilization. It was difficult during that time to bulid houses. They need to bulid houses repeatedly again and again, due to the natural disasters.

I will classify it as a primary source. The reason is because there are artifacts found in the civilisation.

Regards
Firdaus

Writing Excavations

Dear everyone

Indus Script Most of the inscriptions were engraved on seals They contain only a few words They developed picture writing (Pictographs,,). Altogether about 250 to 400 pictographs were discovered. It is interesting to note that the Indus script has not yet been deciphered. Isnt it wierd, is it? Some of the other civilisations from China use picthographs to communicte with one another.

I tried to search for the artifacts but it was futile. Wheras the pictographs are still not decoded yet after a few thousand years.

Regards

Firdaus

Jobs In the Past

Dear everyone

I would like to focus on the jobs of people during the Indus Valley Civilisation.
The Indus people were farmers, weavers, potters, metal workers, toy makers, jewelers, stone cutters and traders. Agriculture was the most important occupation In the fertile soils, farmers cultivated two crops a year They were the first who had grown paddy They knew different methods of irrigation. They used ploughs and sickles Pottery was a popular industry. They were skilled in the use of potter’s wheel.

1) Some of the people are weavers because the Indus people were skilled in the art of spinning and weaving. They manufactured woollen cloth from sheep and goats’ hair.

2)Part of the villagers are toy makers as manufacture of terracotta (burnt clay) was a major industry of the people. The figures of toys, animals and figurines were manufactured. A miniature toy-cart with a driver pulled by oxen is praiseworthy. Figures of animals such as sacred bull and dove were discovered. The figures of Mother Goddesses were used for religious purposes.

3)The people ther know how to seal make as a large number of seals numbering more than 2000 have been discovered. They carry short inscriptions with carved pictures of animals. The seals were made of terracotta or satellite. They were used for trade. They have provided lot of information about the daily life of the people, their religion, occupations, customs and trade.

Thats is my knowledge that I can share it to all of you first. I will focus more on that later.

Regards
Firdaus

Indus Valley Civilisation Part 3

Dear everyone

This picture is about a drainage system during the civilisation at that time.

The kitchen and the bathroom had drains leading out. The main drain was running alongside the main roads. The drains were lined with bricks. Most of them were covered. There were flights of steps leading to drains. The drains were cleaned periodically. So we can say that the technology was slightly advanced. Thats all the pictures that I have.

Regards

Firdaus

Indus Valley Civilisaton Part 2

Hello everyone





Welcome back. Nice to meet you again. Today I am going to talk to you about a citadel located at the top most of Harappa. It was the raised part of the city. It has often been described as a fort or administrative block. People might have lived here. The ruling classes included priests and wealthy merchants. The citadel had massive walls. Those walls provided protection against the floods of the Indus river. The citadel consisted of important buildings like the Granary and the Assembly or Town Halls, We also come across the Great Bath here. This is the picture.

It is also believed that the citadel is used as a protection for the villagers of Harappa. It is to protect themselves in case if an enemy attacks the city.

Regards
Firdaus

Indus Valley Civilisation Part 1

Dear everyone

Today I am going to talk to you about the experiences that I went through during the holidays. I went to Harappa, Pakistan and Mohenjo-daro, India. It was a thrilling experience for me. I took some pictures of the place, which was once a civilisaton. It has existed more than 2600 years old. I wonder how the civilisation was built. Lets find out.

The picture on the top is an eroded part of a granary. From the picture, we can deduce that the granary is there for quite a long time. It is believed that the granary is used for storage of grains such as barley, oat and wheat. During that time, the advancement of technology was low and life was not easy during that time. Thats all for Part 1.

Regards

Firdaus

Recape Question

Dear everybody,

I will generously share the knowledge that I have regarding history.Lets ask these questions to ourselves before answering them. The questions are:

1)What are primary and secondary sources?

2)How do historians make sure that their sources are reliable?

3)Why and when is it necessary for historians to revise their interpretations of the past?

Answers:
1)a) A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event.
b) A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources in them.

2) Historians go through the three 'C's which are Credibility, Consistency and Corroboration. I will explain it to you after I post this blog.

3) Historians also revise earlier explanations of the past, .... to organize them into a thoughtful interpretation of the past to answer the question. ... not on the events themselves—it is on how scholars have interpreted those events. .... Many students complain when their history papers are marked down because of ...

Regards,
Firdaus