WW Chapter 12: The Worlds of the Fifteenth Century

     The chapter starts out with a quote from Winona LaDuke. In this quote, she criticizes Columbus and the fact that we honor him in a form of a holiday. In my opinion, she makes some very valid points from her personal point of view. She refers to Columbus as a "perpetrator of genocide". She makes the claim that he is not a hero.
     However, although Columbus may indeed have been the catalyst for the genocide that would ensue, due to his arrival, the fact that he did come across the sea makes everything today possible. He was the one who started the colonization of the Americas and without him, our history might have been slightly altered.
     As we progress through the chapter, we quickly learn that by the Fifteenth Century most of the populations around the world lived amongst a big civilization.
     The Chinese had been through many road bumps. The two major ones being getting through the agonizing Mongol rule and trying to fight against the plague. The recovery from all this begun during the Ming Dynasty. The main goal of the Ming Dynasty was to attempt to eliminate any form of foreign rule over the Chinese. The Chinese at the time really promoted Confucianism. The Ming Dynasty was one of the best governed and successful civilizations throughout the Fifteenth Century.
     On the other hand, Europe was experiencing its own form of reconstruction at the sam time that the Chinese were. The European population began to recover after the Plague had hit them hard. One of the biggest differences between the way that Europe was reconstructing itself, as opposed to Asia, was that the Europeans tended to be more competitive and independent, as opposed to how unified Asia seemed to be.  
     However, Europe was were the Renaissance originated from. The Renaissance is said to have begun in Florence Italy from around 1350-1500. The big emphasis during the Renaissance was realism. This is when artists began to make things, such as artwork, begin to look a lot more realistic than previous paintings done by people. The belief in Humanism was really strong at the time.
     Many voyagers explored the world throughout this frame of time. The biggest voyage was the voyage in which Columbus discovered the Americas. However, he was not the first to venture into the unknown. Several decades before Columbus discovered the Americas, Portuguese voyages had already been taken place. However, in comparison, European voyages were not as big as the Asian voyages. Each continent had different motives. The Europeans simply sought out wealth. The Europeans were also very violent. Eventually Chinese voyages ceased; however, European voyages grew more and more popular.

                       

WW Chapter 11: Pastoral Peoples on the Global Stage : Pastoral Societies

     The chapter starts out with the mention of Chinggis Khan is Mongolia and how his soul was lost after being dead for seven centuries. His soul was contained in a spirit banner, which was made of strands of hair from the best horses attached to a spear. The Communists at the time of 1937 destroyed his banner when the time came. In Mongolian tradition this means that Chinggis Khan's was destroyed with the banner. The intro goes on to state how 2006 marked eight-hundred years since the Mongol Empire was founded.
     The chapter goes on to talk of the economies that focused on livestock production. They emerged at around 4000 B.C.E. They were extremely dependent of livestock such as horses, camels goats, sheep, cattle, yaks, and reindeer. These sorts of pastoral societies developed in many various parts of the world such as Arabian and Saharan deserts, the Tibetan plateau, and across the Grasslands of Eurasia. However, this kind of lifestyle did not take shape in the Americas due to the fact there were not many large animals that they were capable of domesticating.
     Pastoral societies were, for the most part, less productive than agricultural societies. Since they were domesticating many large animals to use them in their advantage, they required very large grazing areas. In addition to this, Pastoral societies consisted of populations that were much smaller than the populations that took up space in agricultural societies. During this time clans emerged and they gathered as tribes. They were open to letting people into their clans. They were also very nomadic peoples and liked to travel.
     Women had a higher status than in other types of societies. They had fewer restrictions as to what they could and could not do. They had a much bigger role in public activities around their societies. The work that they did was a lot more productive than the work that women in other various societies were doing.
     Although they had cultural differences, Pastoral societies seemed to have good, strong connections with Agricultural societies. Forming nomadic states was difficult. I think this was partly due to the fact that they were nomads. It seems kind of hard to control people that keep moving. However, Chinggis Khan, for example, could create strong states and as a result, the entirety of the males and some females became warriors.
     As a result of the interaction with agricultural lands, many Eurasian nomads were exposed and adopted religions. They adopted Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Manichaeism.
     They also managed to survive in environments that were not suitable for agriculture.

WW Chapter 9: The Worlds of Islam - Afro-Eurasian Connections

     We start off with a neat quote from Malcolm X where he states how he had never seen, or expected to see, such a great unity of everyone around the world, regardless of color, race, backgrounds, etc. This was part of the Muslim pilgrimage to the Mecca.

     First of all, I'd like to say that it's nice to see a change once in a while where history is not necessarily always about fighting. The fact that every color was represented through this pilgrimage makes it that much more special. This is why we need history. To learn from the past and learn what we did right and what we did wrong.

     The introduction to the chapter goes on to explain how Islam, so far throughout the twenty-first century, has really begun to take form as part of the United States. This is kind of surprising to me. I thought that by now that, as a planet, we would be really diverse everywhere, in terms of religion and beliefs. Then again, we are reminded of the previous wars in the middle east and the attacks of September 11. This is a huge factor as to why Islam was not as huge as it would have been. 

     Islam really set its mark around the world back between 600 and 1600. It was spread throughout the world in places such as Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Islam resulted in the creation of new civilizations unlike anything ever seen before. It was arguably the largest third wave civilization, as well as the most influential. It has definitely stood the test of time as there were around 1.2 Billion Muslims in the world during the beginning of the twenty-first century.

     Islam originated from marginal error. The Arabian Peninsula served as the home for Bedouins. The people tended to be in tribes and sought to be independent most of the time. They believed in a huge variety of Gods.

     Arabia was located on many important trade routes that connected the East to the West. Mecca went on to become a really important trade center. The Quraysh tribe ended up being the ones that controlled local trade and pilgrimage.

     Arabia happened to be located at the edge of the Byzantine and Sassanid Empires. As a result, some of the people from Arabia were very much familiar with the way these Empires worked and what their customs were. In addition to that, Judaism, Christianity, among other religions, spread amongst the Arabian peoples.

                                 

WW Chapter 10: The Worlds of Christendom

     We start off by being told the story of Yao Hong, who was cheated on early on in her marriage at approximately the age of twenty. We later on discover that she has adopted Christianity and goes on to explain how she wishes that China was more like the United States and Europe, in terms of the condition of the religion. 

     We are told that Christianity is something that millions upon millions of people have adopted in China. Surrounding areas also have significant communities where Christianity is practiced. Considering the fact that Christianity has been around for such a long time, I find it mind-blowing that China, along with the rest of Asia, has only barely adopted it as a religion.

     Arabia was the first place where Christianity first started to disintegrate. This is completely understandable since Arabia is where Islam originated from. Arabia was not the only place affected by this downward spiral that Christianity was heading down towards. Many regions in the Middle East and African churches felt the impact that was created by Islam. In fact, the effect was so severe to Christian communities, that Christianity was "virtually extinct". 

     However, Egypt was one of the rare places where Christianity was still reaching its peak by the time the Islam invasion began. As time went by, tensions grew in Egypt. In order to practice Christianity in small undercover groups, special taxes were paid to Muslim rulers.  However, during the mid-fourteenth century, things got out of hand. Churches were burned and Christians were moved out of, what people at the time regarded as, the best land. As a result of this horrific turn of events, many Christians at time converted to Islam. Coptic virtually died out and many of the newly converted Islamic peoples adopted the use of Arabic. Although many people were forced to convert from Christianity to Islam, in the beginning of the twenty-first century, Christians still accounted for ten percent of the Egyptian population.

     However, Christianity managed to make its way down towards the South of Africa through the help of Egyptian traders and missionaries - particularly in Nubia. It was during this time that the bible was translated into various different languages such as Nubian, Greek, and Arabic.

     This all leads to later in the chapter where we compare Western Civilization with the likes of Byzantium, China, India, and the entire Islamic worldwide phenomena. Europe fell behind in many different aspects of civilization such as technological advances, smaller populations and cities, as well as economies that were far too inferior to the East.

WW Chapter 8: China and the World

     We start off by being told that China is the next superpower in today's world. This is more than a prediction. I believe this is an inevitable reality. Over the past couple years China has grown in every imaginable way. They have a stronger military, its economy is on a roll, its population grows exponentially, you name it. However, the most important aspect of their growth would probably go to their interaction with world affairs. They have, what seems to be, a really good relationship with the United States in terms of trading resources. They are well on their way to becoming one of, if not, the most powerful superpowers of the modern world.
     China was a huge part of the third wave civilizations. It was the central power that was composed of the majority of Eastern Asia, which had borders that spread as far as Central Asia. Being a wealthy civilization, it attracted many travelers. It was as if every civilization around China was focused on them and looked at them for guidance. China's economic and technological advancement spread through much of Eurasia.
     The Golden Age of China began with the Sui Dynasty. However, it did not last very long (589-618). This was due to the rulers of the Sui Dynasty' ruthlessness and the misuse of their resources. The rulers at the time expanded the canal system that was being used in China.
     The Tang and Song Dynasties would be the ones to follow the Sui Dynasty. These dynasties would implement a lifestyle that would last well into the twentieth century. This was coincidentally around when the Golden Age for arts and literature was around. Confucianism was revived, but this time it would incorporate elements of Daoism and Buddhism.
     There was a surplus in the population during this time period. China was very urbanized in comparison to other places in the world. As I mentioned before, it had a great canal system that also included lakes and rivers. Due to its huge size, people were given cheap ways of transporting from one place to another.
     Inventing was huge during this time period. Gunpowder was one of the inventions of the time. In addition to that, China was capable of the best navigation and had the luxury of having the best shipbuilding technology worldwide. This was also during the time that printing was invented.
     Although this was a very prosperous time for most people, it was not the same for women. With the exception of a couple "elite women" in the north, women were greatly oppressed. Things such as foot binding and being restricted to the house were a couple of the things that women had to face during these times. Many women found different roles in the cities. There was a spike in demand for concubines, entertainers, and prostitutes. However, there were a few benefits to women. Their property rights expanded and perhaps their biggest advancement was that they received a good education; even if it was only to help raise their sons as best they could.

 

WW Chapter 7: Commerce and Culture - The Significance of Trade

     The chapter starts out with us being told a story about someone who bought his son an iPod for his college graduation. The story goes on to explain how the iPod was going to be shipped from China. It makes us sit down and really think about this. You order an iPod. You receive it (not even two days after you placed the order). This is what we, as humans, are capable of. Back in the day it would take a lifetime to travel such a distance. Nowadays we can travel across the globe in a matter of hours.

     Thinking back when there were no planes, cars, or any technological means of transportation, trade was extremely significant. One thing it was significant for was that it encouraged specialization. People had to become good at one thing. maybe if was harvesting a certain crop and having a product so that someone who specializes in trading and traveling could go to other places and get the product out to the masses. 

     Another thing that made trading significant was that many societies became less dependent of the products they were capable of producing. For example, if the area where you lived in didn't have a certain crop or resource, you could trade one of your best resources in exchange for another good that another society or region may provide. This also allowed people who received goods to have a taste of what other people had to their disposal in their natural resources.

     One major reason that trade was so significant was that it helped spread many things; good and bad. Among those things that were spread was religion. This makes total sense. You had people from different cultures, locations, and belief systems come together and interact with one another. It only makes sense that among the topics that they may have communicated about that religion was one of them. Another thing that was spread were animals and plants. Like religion, this must have come up pretty frequently when people were trading. Given the fact that Eurasia is so diverse in settings, many people could have thought that the animals in another part of the continent would be an extreme use to them in whatever they may need them. In addition to all this, an unfortunate thing that was able to spread was disease and understandably so. Traveling long distances really wore people out. They traveled for months on end and may not have had the privilege to bathe or take care of themselves. I imagine that a major factor they had to get used to was the weather. You could be from a desert area and be used to the heat, yet you travel across the continent and up into the mountains where it is extremely cold and you may not have expected that; thus, you did not come prepared and you didn't pack the appropriate attire.

WW Chapter 6: Commonalities and Variations

     The first major point of conversation in this chapter is the major comparison between the three major supercontinents: The Americas, Africa, and Eurasia.
     The first major difference we stumble upon was the huge difference in population among the three. It doesn't surprise me that most of the human population resided in Eurasia. Assuming the estimates are correct, Eurasia accounted for more than eighty percent of the world population. Africa consisted of eleven percent and the Americas between five and seven percent. This doesn't surprise me because most of the future civilizations we learn about, such as ancient Rome, Greece,medieval England and so forth, are all located in Europe. In addition, there were a bunch of different dynasties in Asia.
     The Americas were different from Eurasia and Africa because they lacked animals that could be domesticated. People in the Americas were, as Strayer says, Hunter-gatherers. Even when Agriculture seemed like it was going to overtake the Americas, many people were against changing a lifestyle that they had grown accustomed to. In other words, why fix something when it's not broken.
     The Americas were also much more secluded from Eurasia and Africa. Since Africa was located much closer to the Eurasia regions than the Americas, they had the fortune to interact with Europe, especially northern parts of Africa, such as Egypt.
     We then move on to learn about the Meroë, the city south of Egypt, which became the center of the Nubian civilization. The Nubian civilization was governed by a very powerful monarch. It also consisted of people with many different roles- merchants, weavers, potters, and of course servants. Women were also portrayed as having equal status as men in sculpture's.
     Axum is considered the emergence of a brand new civilization, unlike Meroë. Axum was located on the Horn of Africa (modern day Eritrea and Ethiopia). Their agriculture methods were primarily based on plowing. Axum was a very artistic place. If you were an artist, this would be where you would live. I would definitely live here. People would construct huge obelisks primarily for graves for royalty. This civilization is very much under-recognized...It is not mentioned a lot when you talk about major civilizations; however, the Romans considered it to be the third largest civilization at the time, behind them and the Persian Empire. Thanks to connections, Axum later in the fourth century, was introduced to Christianity and adopted it.

   

WW Chapter 5: Society and Inequality in Eurasia/North Africa

     Caste. To me, this word represents the economic division between people. Usually it's the barrier dividing the rich and the poor. In some cases, like in ancient civilizations, caste was divided up into categories such as: peasant, merchant, knight, royalty, etc. However, nowadays it's the low income, the middle class, and the wealthy (to me anyway). The reason I bring this up is because the chapter starts out with a quote that states "Caste has no impact on life today". The man who said this was Chezi K. Ganesan. 

     Personally, I completely disagree with this. Caste has had a major impact since it first originated. To this day, castes are one of the major influences on our societies. Can people move up in the world? ABSOLUTELY! Is it easy? ABSOLUTELY NOT. People are still born into a family that is part of whatever class they're a part of. Some are just luckier than others. However, just because you're born into a wealthy family doesn't necessarily make you a good person. On the contrary, people with more power usually tend to abuse of the poor and not help them at all. For example, I saw an independent film about the economic crisis going on. It was a film by Michael Moore. He went around asking powerful people in the government to have their children enlist to the army. The majority of them never even glanced his way. Those that did take the time to speak to him simply took the brochure, nodded awkwardly and walked away. This, along with various other reasons, is why I believe caste has always had a major impact on our societies.

     Going back to the content of the chapter, the first society we look at is China. China consisted of a government with state officials that were all men. These men represented the best of men who were willing to put the government first. The government was much more important to them than their own families and their religion. 

     In China wealth meant land...and land meant power, or at least a bit of power. The more powerful Landlord you were in China, the more things you could get away with, such as not paying your taxes. This would only make it worse for peasants. Speaking of peasants...

     Peasants are always the lowest class in any society. This represented most of the Chinese populations. However, China is a rare case in which Merchants were the most oppressed peoples. They were forbidden to do things like wear silk clothing, ride horses, or carry weapons.

     The next place we take a look at is India. We're talking about Caste as Varna. It originated from an encounter between Aryan invaders and the darker native people.

     This type of caste system consisted of four different caste levels. The top being Brahmins, which consisted of priests who helped the world function. The next were the Kshatriya. They were warriors in charge of protecting society. The Vaisya, commoners who cultivated the land. At the very bottom were Sudras. They were primarily servants to the upper class. There was a completely different set of caste system in urban areas know as the jatis.

     The third civilization we looked at was Rome. They had an incorporation of slavery. They had a huge portion of their population that were slaves and people that were considered horrible human beings. The usual forms of rebellion and resistance were present. People would work poorly, fake illness, run away, you name it. I would probably do the same.

Chapter 4: Culture and Religion

     The introduction to chapter four recalls a story of someone returning home to China and having a celebration in tribute to an ancestor's birthday. During 500 BCE, all of Eurasia came up with some certain form of cultural traditions that became well known throughout all of Eurasia.

     China, as one of the first civilizations, was, also, one of the first to come up with Mandate of Heaven. Mandate of Heaven was essentially this belief that people were appointed rulers by whatever God it is that they believed in. THey believed God allowed them to be the leader to the Empire and that people had to follow and do whatever it is that leader told them to. Unfortunately, the Chinese fell to an era of war and destruction.

     In response to this violence, many people, Legalist thinkers, believed that the only sensible way to resolve all the violence consuming their Empire was writing down and following laws. They would also try and come up with ways to enforce these written laws. Along with this, they would add a punishment and reward system.

     On the contrary, Confucius' answer was to treat everyone with a sense of kindness. Unlike enforcing punishments or rewards, he compared the many relationships that people may have. He then went on to say that, for example, a father should treat his children nicely and instead of commanding them in a harsh way, to be polite. In return, Confucius believed this would result in more obedience on the part of the kid. 

     Confucius believed that the only way that this was going to work was if people were much well more educated.

     Another solution that arose during this time was the belief of Daoism. Daoists essentially believed that one's actions had to be a result of the spur of the moment. They had to be natural and not planned out. Compared to how Confucius was more focused on society, Daoism was a bit more far fetched and was applied to things such as exploring and wandering the unknown. They believed that people should stray from society and social interaction with rulers and citizenship, and that they should "align themselves with the way of nature".

     The chapter goes on ahead to talk about how Christianity and Buddhism spread. We are told that neither Jesus Christ nor Buddha ever intended on creating a worldwide religion. They believed that they were humans just like everyone else and that any one who believed in the religion strong enough could replicate what they had accomplished.

Chapter 3 Reflections

     The second part in our textbooks begins with the introduction to second wave civilizations. Immediately we are shown a graph of the human race and its population at the time. From 3000 BCE to 1500 CE, the population grew to a maximum of around four hundred million.
     The third chapter begins by asking the question, "Are we Rome?" I immediately think, of course not. How could we be Rome? Then after a thought or two, I begin to wonder, if the Romans had one of the biggest empires in history, then I guess today the United States would be an example of that. While the Romans did eventually fall, we haven't fallen just yet. Sure, it seems like this country is slowly falling apart with crisis looming around every corner, but it is definitely not as drastic as the Roman Empire's demise. So I guess in a way, the past really is part of the present as well.
      The first Empire we take a close look at is the Persian Empire. At their best, the Persians were the biggest Empire in the world and dominated everything around them. They placed governor-like people in power in each of their provinces.
      Next were the Greeks. They appeared at around 750 BCE. For being such an iconic ancient civilization, the Greeks had a smaller population compared to the Persian Empire. Their population estimated at around two and a half million. Unlike Persia, the Greeks had hundreds of small city-states. They were particularly smaller in size in comparison to the provinces of the Persian Empire. These city-states would often have many conflicts with one another. I personally believe that this seems like they had small fights over things people in this day and age wouldn't put much thought into. After all, they did believe in the same Gods and spoke the same language. It intrigues me and I still wonder why they used to bicker at one another all the time.
     However, this bickering would stop every four years. This was all thanks to the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games first emerged in 776 BCE. As we all know, these games had a huge impact on the world, since we still have different cities host the event every four years. Unfortunately, some city-states were too big to give up their fighting. I think they felt as if they had a sense of power, or position above every other city-state. These included Athens, Sparta, and Corinth.
     Perhaps the most astonishing thing that we have discovered about the ancient Greeks, is the fact that people were granted citizenship. Along with citizenship, gave, in a way, a right to vote and have a voice politically. Maybe they didn't vote like we do in this day and age, but they could make decisions for themselves.
     The next empire that came along was the Chinese Empire. Unlike a sense of unification, like the Greeks, the Chinese Empire emerged as a result of waring states in the Chinese regions. Qin Shihuangdi (means first emperor) was a leader of a state and had set up a very promising government. His mission was clear, he was going to wage one last giant war against the other states in order to unify China. What amazes me is that he accomplished his goal in just ten years.
     The final major empire mentioned in the chapter is India. It first emerged as a small collection of towns and cities. However, as time went on they had one of the strongest militaries around. With a population of approximately fifty million, it's not hard to understand why.
     Overall, I think each civilization had a pretty good run, unfortunately some empires, like the Indian Empire, weren't given the opportunity to last longer than they really did.

Chapter 2: First Civilizations (Reflections)

     We are introduced to this chapter with the following question: Where could one go if one wanted to escape civilization? I thought this was a pretty ironic question, considering the fact that the chapter is about the first civilizations and how they emerged.

     We are told that one of the earliest of civilizations emerged around present day Iraq was the Sumerian civilization, known at the time as southern Mesopotamia. This civilization is one that was thought to be one of the earliest civilizations that incorporated written language into their societies. Another similar civilization arising at the time was the Egyptian civilization, famously know for its pyramids and pharaohs. The third civilization emerging was in Peru. It was believed to have emerged at around 3000 BCE, which coincided with the emergence of the Egyptian and Sumerian civilizations.

     How did civilizations emerge in the first place? Historians have come to believe that civilizations came about thanks to the Agricultural developments that took place before. I think that this is particularly true because, in my opinion, that is when people really started to act and take a step towards humanity as it is today. People started to get a sense of property. By that I mean that people took ownership and claimed what was rightfully theirs.
     The chapter goes on to state that people were naturally placed into classes and that their societies somehow became unequal without any one noticing. It was as if they had know that they belonged in a certain class all their life. You had the rich and the poor.
     I think that in that aspect, things are pretty much the same even now to this very day. You have the wealthy people, the people who run this country, or people who strived to work hard and earned the wealth they have. Then you have you average citizen, who in this day and age, struggles for the majority of his life and can't seem to get rid of their usual patterns and make a living as easy. You even have people working multiple jobs to even provide food on the table for their families. In comparison to ancient societies, that can be connected to the physical labors that people had to endure back then. For example, the pyramids in Egypt didn't build themselves. The lower class of Egypt ended up building those massive structures for their rulers.
     Another similarity between both time periods is the distinction between the classes. I think clothing really can show the difference, however, I do believe this was a lot clearer to identify in the ancient times. Nowadays you can buy similar looking clothes, but the only difference may be that the wealthy shopped at a really expensive store while you shopped at a thrift shop.
     Writing became a catalyst that sparked the beginning of the new age. In my opinion, whoever knew how to write and read had an immense amount of power. However, I find it strange that I think that. How would illiterate people know what was written and what was not? How could they just accept the fact that because some scribble was written on a wall and whatever the scribes said it meant, that they should follow and obey. Why didn't they demand to be taught how to read and write? I think that regardless of your class, you should be able to have the right to learn to read and write.
     In closing, I don't really think that there was much of a difference in approach as to how these civilizations should be run. In both time periods you have the high class, the middle class, and the low class. Gender, age, and wealth play a huge role as to how you are seen in your civilization. The only difference being the technology. We have a completely way of life and technology that was maybe during the ancient times, not even dreamt of. If we were to go back in time, we'd seem like aliens to them. Not only in appearance, but the way of life. 

WW: Out of Africa & The Ways We Were

     Out of the entire world, we, as homo sapiens, first appeared in Africa. Although much of the history these first forms of modern life is now gone due to time and climate change, people are certain that homo sapiens originated from Africa. If you think about it, it makes sense. Africa is one of the places many people go to in order to investigate and learn about wildlife. For example, monkeys, our close yet distant relatives, are commonly found in Africa. 

     What surprised me was the fact that homo sapiens were the first to start exploring different environments. The fact that multiple different forms of homo sapiens didn't explore much outside of their comfort zones is pretty strange to me. Maybe they weren't as mentally capable or intrigued to explore but then again, how could they not explore? Homo sapiens were the first to explore dramatically different environments from deserts to forests. 

     Homo sapiens improved what past beings had done. For example, they upgraded to stone blades and were the first to start fishing. In addition, they improved their hunting methods. They had better weapons and knew when was the right time to go hunting. 

     The fact that homo sapiens expanded out of Africa is astonishing. They first expanded towards the Middle East and then made their way into Europe. Since the Ice Age was in full effect at the time, many people who were living in the north southward, in order to live in a warmer climate.

     The people who moved to the south adapted to their new home and focused on horses and reindeer. However, I think that the most fascinating thing they left were their cave paintings. Their cave paintings demonstrated what animals they would encounter such as, bulls and horses. 

     Immigration into Australia by these people was thanks to the power of boats. People eventually settled across the vast continent. Much after settling in Australia, people would eventually make their way to the Americas. The final place in which people settled in was the Pacific.  

     All this expansion could lead to one thing. Civilization. People in different areas developed their own languages, rituals, stories, routines, and history among other things. 

     It is said that ancient societies were very small and consisted of as many as fifty people. I can totally understand this since they did not have medicine and were not aware of disease or anything that was harmful to them. 

     I think that the fact that they had no formal government is intriguing. Paleolithic people tended to be a lot more free than the people who ended up living under kings and queens. I also find it very interesting that women and men had equal responsibilities. The men were the hunters, but women were also very important food gatherers. 

     These people were also not aware of rape and sexual interactions. Thus, they even had teenagers having sex. I think that may also have had a factor as to why the populations were so small compared to later dates. Maybe the females got impregnated and could not deliver the baby because she was too young. I'm not quite sure what to say about that but I definitely think that may have been a factor to the population being so small. 

     It is not easy to interpret whether or not Paleolithic people believed in God or had any religion at all. People would come up as shaman and be there when any occasion arose that needed someone to be there.

     

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