Week 2 Portfolio
7. The Inca's
2. Central Asia & West Africa
The blood thirsty Indigenous peoples of the Americas, 2014, image, Godfather Politics, October 14, viewed 15 July 2016, http://godfatherpolitics.com/blood-thirsty-indigenous-peoples-americas/
This image is a cartoon representation of the human sacrifice ritual carried out by the Aztecs. The image demonstrates the priest lifting the heart towards the sun, to present the fumes to rise up to their god.
The body is then carried away and distributed through society as a celebration of the feast.
- Pastoral peoples such as the Mongol's of Central Asia carried out a nomadic lifestyle that sometimes raided stationary societies such as the invasion of China.
- The Mongol empire fell under the leadership of Timur, a Turkic warrior, who's conquest was named one of the greatest military successes of nomadic peoples from Central Asia.
- The African pastoral peoples continued their independent empires for much longer than those of Central Asia.
- The Incas are known for building one of the worlds largest imperial states on top of the difficult terrain of the Andes Mountains.
- The Inca Empire was much larger than the Aztecs, encompassing almost the entire Andean civilisation in the fifteenth century.
- The Incas, politically had more of a bureaucratic system in place. Where the emperor reigned and was worshiped as it was believed the emperor was a descendent of the gods.
- Different to the Aztecs as well, the Inca Empire not only required people to have produce at home for self sufficiency, but also work for the state in the form of labor.
6. The Aztecs
- The empire of the Aztec state was a semi-nomadic group from Northern Mexico that migrated downwards to establish themselves on a small island in Lake Texcoco.
- The laws of the Aztec empire focused highly on a hierarchical stand point, outlining rules about the King, Prime Minister, Lords, Soldiers and making its way down to commoners.
- Trade, buying and selling to the markets of the land strengthened the Aztec peoples social position with obtaining wealth. There were very strict laws set in place to ensure people would not trade or sell goods outside the market place. Where punishment was to become a slave.
- One large aspect of Aztec religious belief and practice was the sacrifice of human life to their god. This could be prisoners of war, criminals or slaves. The sacrifices would be a tribute to their deity and shared among the community in celebration.
1. North America & Australia
- Similar to North America, Australia too has access to an abundance of food, in particular animal meats.
- Therefore, it was natural that a hunting and gathering lifestyle took place.
- This Paleolithic way of life had a large presence throughout the fifteenth century in both North America and Australia.
- Despite the absence of Agriculture in Australia throughout the 15th Century, the Australian people mastered and manipulated the land to help with hunting.
- To differ the Australians and the North Americans hunting and gathering lifestyle is that the North American societies had created permanent dwellings, forming villages where the Australians followed a more nomadic way of life.
3. Ming Dynasty China
What political and cultural differences stand out in the histories of fifteenth-century China and Western Europe? What similarities are apparent? - Page 569
- The Ming Dynasty in China is when the society seemed to recover from the ruins the Mongol Empire had left behind.
- Emperor Yongle invested in one of the largest and very impressing maritime expeditions that at this point the world had ever seen.
- Having established such a large fleet, several rulers from other parts of the world such as Indonesia, India and Arabia accompanied the fleets to China and offered a tribute ritual in return for luxury gifts, titles etc.
- China under the ruling of Emperor Youngle, never sought to bring people to China, but gain dominance otherwise.
Politically, Europe and China both believed in continuing state building, however in two different government concepts. China had a very centralised government overseeing the entire civilisation. Whilst Europe had many separate states under different ruling, which created a level of competitiveness.
Culturally, the European societies led an era of newness called the Renaissance, where an openness in the areas of art and literature were key to their development after Mongol ruling. However in China, there was a high sense of need for the revival of a previously known concept of a Confucius form of ethics such as ancestor worship, respect for parents etc.
One major similarity between Europe and China in the fifteenth-century was the launching of maritime expeditions. Portugal initiated this era of expedition, sailing down the west coast of Africa. Then Spain with Christopher Columbus stumbling upon the Americas during an expedition to find India.
5. The Islamic Empire
- The Ottomon Empire was a state of substantial significance as one of the most impressive and enduring of the Islamic states.
- The aspects that made the Ottomon Empire so significant was a combination of large land mass, diverse peoples and a certain sophistication in commerce and culture unlike any of the other Islamic empires.
- Another Islamic empire to gain significance in the 15th Century was the Safavid Empire located in Persia.
- Neighboring the Ottomon Empire and following the same Turkic form of leadership, however differing with the establishment of a religious order called Sufi and enforced a Shia version of Islam which gained popularity over time. Creating a divide between Islam where almost all of Persia's surrounding states practiced Sunni form of faith.
World Map
4. Europe During the
Renaissance
Primary Source - Document 12.1 pages 593-596
- Western Europe had too escaped Mongol conquest and began it's recovery in the second half of the 15th Century.
- Throughout Europe at this time, the era of Renaissance had begun a new focus on art and literature.
- The Europeand Renaissance held some of the greatest artists of all time such as Leonardo Di Vinci and Michelangelo who began representing the human body in a far more natural way than previously in medieval times.
This primary source, written by Diego Duran on the Aztecs sheds additional light on another form of society relevant in the 15th Century.
Religious beliefs and trade were the significant aspects of this society. The market system strengthened the Aztec peoples social position by obtaining wealth, to engage with enough power to have slaves. There were very strict laws set in place to ensure people would not trade or sell goods outside the market place. Also making it very easy to become a slave.
Slaves were known to be used as human sacrifices to the Aztec deity.This shows that the Aztecs had a strong religious belief, unlike any of those of European or Asian societies. Also proving that the laws and regulations in the Aztec society were also distant from the other societies of the time. The King was highly represented in the laws of the Aztec society, also consisting of barbaric rules that would not have been necessary in other points in the world.