Greek Gods. Aztec Civilization. Aztec Civilization - The Aztecs and Their Region Most believe the Aztec civilization originated in the area of present day Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Colorado. Historic accounts commonly begin in the late 12th century as they migrated to what is now central Mexico. Modern day Mexicans are of mixed Spanish and indigenous ancestry, descendants of the Mexicas (Aztecs) or of other indigenous peoples of the Aztec Empire and Mesoamerica. Mexico City now stands on the site of the Aztec’s most elaborate and capitol city. The Aztecs were an advanced and prosperous civilization who built beautiful and sophisticated cities.
At their peak, the Aztec civilization had about 15 million people who lived in nearly 500 communities. The Aztecs were culturally developed in music, arts, crafts, and the sciences. Music played an important role in Aztec religious rituals for worshiping their many gods. The highly developed empire had an elaborate leadership and society that consisted of four classes. The Silk Road. On the eastern and western sides of the continent, the civilisations of China and the West developed.
The western end of the trade route appears to have developed earlier than the eastern end, principally because of the development of the the empires in the west, and the easier terrain of Persia and Syria. The Iranian empire of Persia was in control of a large area of the Middle East, extending as far as the Indian Kingdoms to the east. Trade between these two neighbours was already starting to influence the cultures of these regions.
This region was taken over by Alexander the Great of Macedon, who finally conquered the Iranian empire, and colonised the area in about 330 B.C., superimposing the culture of the Greeks. Although he only ruled the area until 325 B.C., the effect of the Greek invasion was quite considerable. The Greek language was brought to the area, and Greek mythology was introduced. The eastern end of the route developed rather more slowly. King Mansa Musa of Mali, Africa. When Mansa ("king of kings") Musa came to power (1312 AD), Mali already had firm control of the trade routes to the southern lands of gold and the northern lands of salt. Now Musa brought the lands of the Middle Niger under Mali's rule.
He enclosed the cities of Timbuktu and Gao within his empire. He imposed his rule on trans-desert trading towns such as Walata. He pushed his armies northward as far as the important salt-producing place called Taghaza, on the northern side of the great desert. He sent them eastward beyond Gao to the borders of Hausaland. He sent them westward into Takrur. So it came about that Musa enclosed a large part of the Western Sudan within a single system of law and order. The Dyula (Wangara) traders were greatly helped by all this. Like the Mali kings before him, Musa was a Muslim. Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca became famous. Mali was now a power of more than local or even regional significance. The Empire of Mali Reception at Court The Importance of Horses. Tang Taizong. Tang Taizong (599-649), named Li Shimin, was the second son of Li Yuan, the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
At the end of the Sui Dynasty (590-618), peasant uprisings rapidly swept throughout the country due to heavy taxation, successive wars and extravagance of the emperor. In the year 617 Li Yuan was dispatched to Tai Yuan by Sui Yangdi (the Sui emperor), to battle the rebellion by the peasants there. Li Shimin, the most capable among all of Li Yuan's sons, had his own plans as he was sure that Sui would not last long. He persuaded his father to raise troops and rebel against the Sui Dynasty. Li Shimin, who, at the age of sixteen, already showed his outstanding military ability, persuaded his father to borrow military power from a formal enemy country of the Sui Dynasty -- the Hun. Before long, Li Yuan left Jin Yang and headed for Chang'an together with 30,000 soldiers. Of these three sons, Li Shimin was the most ambitious and intelligent. History of Black Death. The Black Death – How the Black Death received its name The Black Death was so named due to its physical manifestation and its affect on society.
The total number of deaths attributable to this devastating pandemic was 75 million people. The Black Death was characterized by painful swelling in the lymph nodes known as buboes so it was generally considered to be an outbreak of the bubonic plague. It was caused by the organism,Yersinia pestis which was carried about from the bodies of black rats by fleas. Victims of the disease were covered with dark blotches due to damage to the underlying skin and tissue. This medical phenomenon known as acral necrosis or subdural hemorrhages gave rise to the term black death.
The term black also referred to glum or dreadful due to the devastating effect this disease had on society. History records the Black Death as having begun in the fourteenth century in southern Russian near the Crimea. Learn More! Like this information? Ancient Mesopotamia. Ancient Mesopotamia - Background Information The civilization of Ancient Mesopotamia has been inhabited since the dawn of man.
The word Mesopotamia comes from Greek origin, meaning the land between two rivers -- the Tigris and the Euphrates. Both the Tigris and the Euphrates start in the mountainous regions of Turkey and flow into the Persian Gulf. In about 3500 BC, an ancient Semitic group of people, called the Sumerians inhabited this land. The Sumerians, or Semites, were descendents of Shem, a son of Noah. After the Sumerian civilization fell, they were followed by the Assyrians, and later by the Babylonians.
Today most of this area is within the country of Iraq. By 3000 BC, the first city-state, Uruk, was built with Gilgamesh as its ruler. In 2600 BC, King Sargon I of Ur built the first Ziggurat. Ancient Mesopotamia - Notable people from this era There have been numerous notable people from the region of Ancient Mesopotamia. King Sargon I of Akkad ruled in Ur from 2334 to 2279 BC.