Questions+to+Consider

=Questions to Consider from Ms. Stevens=

The following questions are intended to help you think about the "big picture" in terms that apply across cultures. They are listed in no particular order. Please feel free to add to the separate list below.


 * How smooth were transitions in leadership?
 * What factors might encourage or discourage creativity and innovation?
 * How hard would it be to rise (or fall) in social class, and what factors would be key?
 * What legal rights did women have?
 * Despite cultural restrictions, there are always a few exceptional women, but for what are they known?
 * What was the relationship between political and religious power/leadership? Are the same people in charge of both or not?
 * Who made art, and who paid for it?
 * What did they believe happened when you died?
 * What were the key military technologies of the time?
 * Did they and their enemies use the same weapons and tactics?
 * Who served in the military and for how long?
 * What decisive turning points can you identify?
 * Who controlled the military? How directly tied to political leadership was it?
 * Did the ruler command in battle or leave it up to a trusted general?
 * Were the leaders "above the law" or answerable to it (= rule of law)?

Other Questions to Consider

 * How were the people who were conquered treated?

=Notes/Answers to Questions to Consider=
 * posted by Kal Golde**
 * feel free to edit/add, some questions still need answers (China turning points, who made art/who bought it) and some could use more detail**

**How smooth were transitions in leadership?** · Hereditary dynasties made it pretty smooth: China & Egypt (smoother b/c coregency) · Legitimacy: o Egypt (who you were related to), o China (how virtuous you are – Mandate of Heaven), o Persia (related to/how you rose to power) · Importance to the people: o Egypt (Ma’at – Horus/Osiris cycle), o China (ruling clan doing fine=change scary, 1st of new dynasty would say last of old dynasty=evil), o Persia (not so much abt. transition as who came to power) · During good times w/strong leaders, transition was usually smoothest: all 3 · Ex. of unsmooth: o Egypt (interm. periods, Amenemhat, Akhenaten to Horemheb), o China (HuHai to Liu Bang), o Persia (Cambyses to Darius) **What factors might encourage or discourage creativity and innovation?** · Egypt: standards for art/hieroglyphs set by the priests · China: Legalism, Confucianism (stick to your place in society), tradition (esp. with family) impt. · Persia: looser about it/no spec. examples I could find · Religious: rulers who change=bad (Egypt: Akhenaten, Persia (New Babylonians): Nabonidus) How hard would it be to rise (or fall) in social class, and what factors would be key? · Egypt: o Old K (large gap btw up/low class – no/small middle class, not likely to move), o Mid K (education could boost you (scribes) but mostly for wealthy), o New K ? · China: o During Feudalism, basically impossible. o Later on, jobs more based on merit (so if you were good you could get higher job, Confucian entrance exams), o “marrying up” would only influence you & your descendants · Persia: ethnic Persians=better in every social class, so if you could marry to a Persian I guess you could move up What legal rights did women have? · Egypt: o Old/Mid K: unknown o New K: women could enter legal agreements, sue people, divorce their husband and had freedom to go places on their own free will; common women jobs: cloth shops, farming, craftsmen assistants, hairdressers, entertainers Women could even rule (Hatsheput) · China: o boys valued over girls b/c boys would marry and continue family name while girls would be married off to a male from a diff. family, continuing his family name. o “Precepts for Women” = humility, hard work, religious observance. o Women could work (weave, farm, cook etc.), o Concubines existed (?) · Persia: women stayed in the women’s quarters, couldn’t do any work b/c it was “degrading”, led boring lives · Women’s value/freedoms: Egypt (highest) à China à Persia (lowest) **Despite cultural restrictions, there are always a few exceptional women, but for what are they known?** · Egypt: o Hatshepsut: regent to Thutmose III, didn’t step down, was known for trade and building projects o Cleopatra: actually Greek (or just not Egyptian), but ruled Egypt · China: o Fu Hao: favorite wife of Wu Ding, led troops and has large tomb full of riches · Persia: o Artemesia: female navy captain who pretended to be on side of winning Greeks during battle of Salamis by ramming her own ship and then sailing away; Greeks found out and put price on her head, Xerxes saw and admired her **What was the relationship between political and religious power/leadership? Are the same people in charge of both or not?** · Egypt: o Old K: Political (Pharaoh à Vizier à 42 nomarchs), Religious (Pharaoh (Horus) à Priests) o Mid/New K: same except unsure if Vizier (or nomes) still existed and Pharaoh didn’t have as much religious imptnce so priests may have been leaders · China: o Shang: Political (King à Estate Holders à Allied Chieftans - only held power outside of heartland), Religious (King had connection to ancestors, led religion) o W Zhou: Political (King à Estate Holders), Religious (King still had unique connection to ancestors I think) o E Zhou: § Spr/Aut: Political ( *Hegemon à Lords) Religious (Zhou King led religion, but had no political power) § War/Sta: Political (7 kings led their Kingdoms), Religious unknown o Qin: Political (Shi Huangdi = emperor, had absolute power thru Legalism), Religious unknown o Han: Political (Emperor à Civil Servants – had huge bureaucracy), Religious unknown · Persia: o Political: Great King à 20 Satraps à Key officials – reported to Great King) o Religious: b4 empire Magi led polytheism, during empire either Magi led Zoroastrianism or the Great King led the Magi who “ “ “ “  **Who made art, and who paid for it**  **What did they believe happened when you died?**   · Egypt   · Old K: Pharoah became Osiris in afterlife, high officials could have afterlife by making tombs near his; as famine = Pharoah seen weak, nomarchs became powerful and built tombs in their own nomes b/c they thought they were powerful enough to have an afterlife (started democratization)   · Mid K: democratization continued: coffin texts and budget burials from people spending what they could to get an afterlife   · New K: negative confession; Book of the Dead/Weighing of the Heart Ceremony (may have existed earlier)   · Ba: human headed bird, represents your individuality, flies across sky w/ Ra and returns to tomb at night, in the real world; Ka: life force, yourself in white cloak, part that lives in afterlife; Akh: In real world, spirit that can affect living peoples’ lives · China: · Shang: ancestors of ruling clan and only them make up Heaven, govern what happens in the real world (sacrfices to them VERY often), oldest ancestors may bcome nature gods; secondary burials w/grave goods (ordinary people could have afterlife, they just would not be in heaven – I think) · W Zhou: everyone’s ancestors make up afterlife (i.e. everyone can have afterlife AND be a part of Heaven), Heaven cares about everyone, not sure if they were so impt. In affecting everyday life as Shang /if as many sacrifices · E Zhou: probably the same as above · Qin: same as above, obviously stuff buried w/ you came to life during afterlife b/c of 100,000s of terracotta soldiers, etc. in Shi Huangdi’s tomb · Han: probably the same as above, again obviously thought stuff came to life b/c some upper class were buried in fully-furnished underground rooms, jade suits to preserve bodies **What were the key military technologies of the time?** · Egypt: o Old/Mid K: soldiers had simple spear or a bow w/ a 30 foot range. No armor, just wooden shields covered with animal hide (puny technology but they didn’t need to fight much b/c of their fabulous natural barriers) o New K: light war chariots, composite bow, bronze, war helmet (all 4 of which they gained from the Hyksos I think) · China: o Shang: developed war chariots, bronze weapons, composite bows (notice the exact parallel to New K Egypt and the fact that Shang and New K happened at same time on our timeline); no swords o During War/Sta, Kings looked for every advantage over eachother incl. agricultural technology; there4 iron working came around in China in c. 6th century and an iron plow was made, so iron weapons prob were too o Since Shi Huangdi contains soldiers and military devices with no technology that’s too new, there may not have been any major advancements after iron; note: the soldiers in Shi’s tomb were terracotta but the weapons were real · Persia: o Borrowers: Assyrian siege tactics (sappers, siege tower, wall-karate-chopping battering ram), Median cavalry, Assyrian sparabara (added more archers to each shield) o Each satrap sent troops typical to their culture/skills, led to a very diverse army so the commanders had to know how to organize and deploy the troops well **Did they and their enemies use the same weapons and tactics?** o Egypt: most likely so, they just relied on enormous numbers of (untrained) soldiers to outnumber and defeat their enemies. Often when up against a militarily superior enemy (Hyksos had the bronze, war chariot, crossbow; Hittites may have had iron at the Battle of Kadesh) they would lose and then adopt these tactics for their own use (the three things the Hyksos had are the three new “advancements” in the New Kingdom, borrowing parallel to Persia) o China: of course spears and bows were commonly used but they did invent the crossbow during ….. a dynasty and the wheelbarrow (for military use) during the Han and I am sure there are more inventions (such as the kite I think, and paper if it was used militarily) o Persia: often yes because the Persians borrowed almost everything they incorporated into their military and also many things in their political system (i.e. provincial system (satrapies) from the Assyrians) **Who served in the military and for how long?** · Egypt: bunch of men from all over would be called up to fight o Old/Mid K: when needed o New K: standing army, unknown for how long · China: o Shang (unknown) o W Zhou (unknown) o E Zhou: § Spg/Aut (each estate had own little army) § War/Sta (7 armies of 7 kingdoms), o Qin (assumed that Shi had huge army b/c of terracotta soldiers), o Han (not too much fighting), o unknown who/how long overall but probably younger males (except Fu Hao who led troops) · Persia: compulsory service, male age 20-24, most official military out of the three **What decisive turning points can you identify?** · Egypt: o No outward expansion à Hyksos take Lower Egypt à Ahmose drives them out and begins era of imperialism o Afterlife for Pharaoh à decades of floods so nomarchs become more powerful à everyone can have afterlife · China: o Shi Huangdi unifying all of China o Wang Mang and and the increasingly less powerful rulers that followed
 * In most cases of all empires artisans made art (usually lower class).
 * China: Eastern Zhou- power measured by the amount of bronze bells you had- nobles bought art
 * Egypt: art in tombs.. (made by artisans or slaves?)
 * · Persia: I’m not sure if afterlife existed but once Ahuramazda prevailed, he would judge the living and the good people would be sent to the “House of Good Thought”

· Persia: o Strong à Artaxerxes I à Weak o Darius and Xerxes invade Greece à both fail à Persia will no longer expand and will travel downhill **Who controlled the military? How directly tied to political leadership was it?** · Egypt: Pharaoh commanded the troops, in New K Vizier was chosen for military ability so he may have helped · China: King controlled the military. During Spr/Aut each lord would govern own military/hegemon would rule all of them · Persia: Great King commanded, had key military officials in each satrapy (who were the ones who sent troops that had clothes/weapons consistent to the culture of their satrap, led to diverse army, when they were of age I think) who reported to Great King · Darius stripped satraps of their military power b/c they were too powerful and hired regional commanders who led the troops of 4/5 satrapies **Did the ruler command in battle or leave it up to a trusted general?** · Egypt: Pharoah commanded in battle (Ramses II @ Kadesh) · China: pretty sure King had generals who fought for him (Xiang Yu and Liu Bang fought in battle but neither was emperor yet) · Persia: relied on generals (Artaxerxes I and Megabyzus), King was present at battles but didn’t normally fight (exception: Cyrus Younger/Artaxerxes II – but empire was different at this point b/c it was weaker) **Were the leaders "above the law" or answerable to it (= rule of law)?**
 * Egypt: Pharaoh was above the law always (power restricted by ma'at)
 * China: ruler was probably above the law but expected to be virtuous or else people could justify a rebellion thru the Mandate. W/ Legalism, Shi Huangdi was absolutely above the law and didn’t have to be virtuous
 * Persia: not sure, but rulers who were virtuous/kind were admired most (Cyrus)