By Emily Wexler
Today during AP history, we discussed chapter 5 of the textbook. We talked about how trade played such an important role in the development of the Pheonecians, the Assyrian Empire, and the Greek culture. Trade was facilitated in different ways in each society. The Pheonecians were known for developing an alphabet which made communication easier which, in turn, makes trade with urban communities a lot easier. In the Assyrian Empire, mega structures facilitated trade because they brought different people and cultures together. In class, we established that the main question of this chapter is why some societies flourished in this time (between 1000 and 500 B.C.E) while others didn’t? We came to the conclusion that the amount a society flourished is dependent on their ability to maximize trade. The more trade, the more successful the society is.
By Philip Schmiege
Today in class we went over all of the questions in chapter 4. We discussed the features of the river vallies, and how those 5 features were spread in 3 different ways over Eurasia, especially the Hittite, Mycenean, Cretian, Harappan, Egytian, and Chinese civilizations. Aside form these features and how they spread, we also talked about how the environment influenced the societies and even helped some of them collapse. That a society needs to work in balance with nature, and with a changing environment they will either die, change, or survive. After going though the questions, we discussed how this period was a climacteric, and not a revolution.
By Molly Ratner
Today in class we talked about the four great river valleys and how these places developed differently than the rest of the world. Furthermore, we discussed the positive and negative effects of the environmental transformations caused by humans such as population increase, sex economic specialization, a new social ranking process, and heirarchy. In addition, we discussed the ecology of the four civilizations and how their environments allowed them to flourish. All four of the civilizations had different seasonal patterns which allowed them to exploit their environment. We also talked about political and state power in the valley societies and the power of the rulers. Then we discussed the advantages and drawbacks of writing.
By Adam Horowitz
Today in AP class we discussed agriculture. We started off with the disadvantages of agriculture, like vulnerability to natural disasters and lack of population control. We tried to answer where agriculture might have begun, and were tricked by the question because it began in different places at different times independently. We went over 7 theories of how agriculture might have begun and the problems with these theories. We ended the class discussing why the switch to agriculture was more of a climacteric than a revolution, slow and likely unintentional.
P.S. I only have three categories that I can post my blog under for some reason, so this is going under classroom.
