Sunken Ottoman Ship Found

     An Ottoman ship with Dutch cargo is found off the coast from Uria in Izmir. This merchant ship is believed to be transporting plates from the Netherlands. The excavation is led by Professor Haya Erkanal with twenty underwater archeologists. It is coordinated by the Ankara University Underwater Research and Application Center. The excavation is taking place in Limantepe, a site of prehistoric settlements from being hunter-gatherers to farmers. The Ottoman ship is determined that it was from the seventeenth century.

     Erkanal reported that the ship had sunken along with more than a thousand plates. Because the remains are not fully-embedded below the sea floor, Erkanal and the team needs to desalinate (take out the salt), or else they will break easily. Though, the teams lacks of equipment and system to remove the remains from underwater. Since the new center will open next year, the team began removing some of  remains, and next year they anticipate to remove the plates and the parts of the ship and they will start the restoration and conservation processes. Finally, they plan to exhibit the shipwreck with the plates, the way they were originally. This excavation will be the third in Turkish history. After all the processes, Erkanal plans to make a proposal to the Culture and Tourism Ministry to present the ship at an archeological park near the excavation site. If permitted, the shipwreck will be in a monitored room. Erkanal added, the excavation site attracted attention from the public, and the team aims to excavate the entire pier of Limantepe.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/sunken-ottoman-ship-ready-to-surrender-cargo-for-exhibition.aspx?pageID=238&nID=52970&NewsCatID=375

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/images/news/201308/n_52970_4.jpg

Artifacts Found in a Drainage Channel

My blog post is based on the scoopit! page entitled, “Artifacts breathe new life into the destruction of the Temple.” This article grabbed my attention because it represents the Rome’s power taking over other cities.

     During the course of work of the drainage channel between the David’s city and the Jerusalem Archeological Garden, the Israel Antiquities Authority found a sword in a scabbard, a case for sword, and a stone engraved with the Temple’s menorah, a handle for more than one candle. The sewerage was believed to be in existed 2,000 years ago. During the destruction of the second Temple, the people in Jerusalem used the drainage channel as their hiding place from the Romans.

     The preservation of the sword surprised the excavation director Eli Shukron and Ronny Reich, a professor of the University of Haifa. The 60 cm iron sword has traces of the leather scabbard and some decoration. The sword was believed that once owned by an infantryman stationed in Israel. The sword, then, “breathe new life into the story of the destruction of the second Temple.”1 Another artifact was , an engraving of the Temple’s menorah was also found. The stone, though, was discovered in the road on the side of the sewerage. According to Eli Shukron and Ronny Reich, the menorah’s image has only five branches, which contradicts to their depiction of seven-branched candelabrum. The base strongly supports the original menorah having a tripod-shaped base. What is interesting is the stone was found near the Temple Mount, and researchers believed that a person saw the stone and just threw it, not knowing that the piece would be found 2,000 years later.

1. ” Artifacts breathe new life into the destruction of the Temple” August 8, 2011

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ” Artifacts breathe new life into the destruction of the Temple.” Last modified August 8,      2011. Accessed November 2, 2013. http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/israelexperience/history/pages/artifacts_destruction_temple_8-  aug-2011.aspx.

Mount Vesuvius and the Two Cities

          One of the greatest natural disaster in the southern Italy was the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Its eruption threw up thick lava and ash. The volcanic ash avalanche is said to be 30 ft high. Pompeii and Herculaneum, two cities that mostly affected, were buried in just 24 hours, and “communities around Bay of Naples were submerged beneath a mud flow.” 1 Many families ran to their houses and closed their doors, but the ash was too heavy. Herculaneum, a small city, was buried first; its temperature was 400C which burnt the people. The bones, fingertips and brain of the people were carbonized because of the heat. Also, wooden objects and foods like onions, figs and pomegranates were carbonized. For example, a remain of carbonized baby’s crib survived and can still rock. Subsequently, Pompeii was buried. The temperature was 100 degrees lower than Herculaneum. The ash formed hard coatings which preserved the bodies and their clothes. The toxic fumes from the eruption killed many people in those two cities. The heat from the hot gas caused their tendons contract, which gave the impression of boxer pose in many of the remains. A body is found in suburb of Oplontis near Pompeii which is considered to be in her 30s and is believed to be desperately trying to escape from the the heavy ash. She is known as Resin Lady; her position shows she was grabbing something from her purse.2  Because of its devastating effects, Mount Vesuvius is now considered to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes due to the large population in Naples.

1. Duiker William, and Spielvogel Jackson, World History: Seventh Edition, (Boston, MA: Wadsworth:Cengage Learning, 2013), 163.

2. (Jane March 3, 2013)

Bibliography

Jane, Clinton. Express, “EXPRESS.” Last modified March 3, 2013. Accessed October 26, 2013. http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/381414/Major-show-reveals-life-in-Pompeii-and-Herculaneum.

William, Duiker, and Spielvogel Jackson. World History: Seventh Edition. Boston, MA: Wadsworth:Cengage Learning, 2013.

Code of Hammurabi

     Hammurabi controlled Sumer and Akkad, and he created a new kingdom of Mesopotamia. He is believed the man of war because he disciplined his army force to fight in battles using axes, spears and copper. Also, he is considered the man of peace because of his law code. His code reflected himself as the source of justice to his people. It detailed the punishments for criminal offenses. The penalties are based according to the victim’s social class. If a lower class individual had done wrong against an upper class, he or she was punished more severe than other lower class people. The basis for this system was the principle of “eye for an eye; tooth for a tooth.” Whatever a person has sinned, he or she is punished equivalent to what he or she did. This is emphasized in code no. 196, if an aristocracy’s eye is destroyed by a freeman, his eye shall also be destroyed.

     Marriage is the largest focus of the law code. Parents arranged marriages. A signed contract is very important to consider marriages legal. A husband must provide a bridal payment, while the parents of the wife were responsible to give dowry to the husband this could be money or goods. Wives stayed in their homes, and they were responsible for the household chores. A husband can seek for divorce if the wife is not good enough and if she cannot bear children. In addition, sexual relation is strictly organized during this time. Husbands can commit sexual intercourse, but not the wives. If the wife committed adultery even if husbands had forgiven her sin, the wife and guilty man are thrown into the river. Sexual intercourse between close related person are also prohibited. If a father and a daughter had intercourse, they are ostracized; a mother and a son are both burned. The law code gives us an idea of Mesopotamian society during Hammurabi’s time.1

1. Duiker William, and Jackson Spielvogel, World History, (Boston, MA: Wadsworth:Cengage Learning, 2013), 17-19.

Bibliography

William, Duiker, and Jackson Spielvogel. World History. Boston, MA: Wadsworth:Cengage Learning, 2013.

Chinese Written Language

     Writing is noted as one of the most important components of the early civilization. It is a way for the early people to communicate ideas with one another. An important writing in ancient civilization that grabbed my attention is the Chinese written language. The Chinese people developed a simple, yet functional way of writing after it started in Shang dynasty. They used ideographic and pictographic form which commonly called “characters.” It denoted idea or message of what was being represented. Although the characters had phonetic sound when pronounced, the idea of ideographic was never forgotten. This became an important part of each character which made Chinese written language unique in society.

      In was believed that earlier or during Qin dynasty, the written language was seen as an art form and a way of communication. The people in different parts of China differed in pronunciation, vocabulary and syntax. In order to comprehend with one another, the Chinese implemented a writing system to all the spoken languages in various regions. Although they were pronounced in different ways, they share one the same writing. Also, “It became the language of the bureaucracy and the vehicle for the transmission of Chinese culture from the Great Wall to the southern border and beyond.”1  However, most Chinese later developed their own vocabulary and grammar structure which the written language and the spoken form was not identical. For this reason, people who used the written Chinese needed to attend a special training.2

1. William, Duiker, and Spielvogel William. World History. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2013.

2. Ibid., 105.

Ancient Chinese Family

     Family is a social unit where we are disciplined, trained, and educated. Also it guides us to have personal values and to develop good interpersonal relationship. The concept of close family relationship is displayed in the ancient Chinese civilization. During the Zhou dynasty, the cooperation inside the family unit was very much needed. It was because rice became the primary crop in China along the Yangtze river. Starting on early age, children are taught to be cooperative in the work; it was important to the family’s survival. It became an expectation for them to provide for their families later in life. They established a more loyal environment among the members in the family than to the larger community. As what Confucius said that the son should and must protect his father even if he committed crime against the community.1

     In addition to keep the social structure properly, most Chinese family learned five relationships : “the son was subordinate to the father, the wife to her husband, the younger brother to the older brother, all subject to their king, good relationship between friend and friend.”2 For the society to work effectively, the members of the family and the community were expected to act accordingly with the five relationships. Being obedient and loyal to the family, though, created a threat to a strengthening monarch . For that reason, Qin dynasty tried to wipe out the family system. To those family with two or more adult sons were required to pay heavy taxes to eradicate the concept of the clan system. However, after the Qin dynasty, the clan system was brought back during Han dynasty because the breaking of clan system means breaking the Chinese tradition.3 The clan system that started in ancient China is carried on to the modern days.

 

1) William Duiker, and Jackson Spielvogel, World History, (Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2013), 99-100.

2) Ibid., 99.

3) Ibid., 100.

Bibliography

Duiker, William, and Jackson Spielvogel. World History. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, 2013.

Roman Aqueducts

     Aqueducts are referred to as an advanced artificial channel or passage to transport water from another. This could be across a valley or over a river. It is exceptionally impressive because of the engineering and the process of how it is made. In historical perspective, it is believed that Assyrians started building aqueducts even before the Romans. They dug tunnels and called these “qanats.” This technique is then spread by the Assyrian ruler Sargon II in 800 BC. It supplied water in the ancient cities of Medes and Persia. Consequently, through North Africa, this technique proliferated to Spain then America. The building of Roman aqueducts is governed by Sextus Julius Frontinus, the water commissioner, in 97 C.E. He was a zealous public servant of Rome. He worked hard to know every details in building the aqueducts. The building of aqueducts is a sign of Romes increasing power and advancing technically. It is claimed that wherever Rome went, aqueducts went with them.

     Indeed, Roman Aqueducts are made up of combination of stones, bricks and volcanic cement. The waterway ran below ground. They dug channels where it is possible and convenient. Gravity plays a big role in maintaining the continuous flow of the aqueducts. This is the reason why the path of water is carefully calculated; they built a steady gradient aqueducts. It is neither too steep or too shallow for the steady flow to be maintained. If it is steep, the water will flow too fast, while if it is shallow, the deposits will build up and it will not flow properly. The idea of aqueducts fulfill the needs of the growing city. They built these waterways to supply drinking water, for sanitary purposes, public fountains, and baths.

The Egyptian Civilization

   

      The longest river flows from south to north and is responsible for creating fertile soil, which we all know, the Nile River. It floods in the late spring which deposits of silts that enhances the soil. This land is later called the “Black land” because of its dark silt color. In this land, crops grow very rich that produce generous harvest. The Nile River splits into two branches: Upper and Lower Egypt. The Upper Egypt is in the south, and the Lower Egypt which forms the delta, a triangular-shaped, is in the north. The flooding of Nile impacts the life of many in Egypt. It gives a surplus of food to them. The Nile River ,not only enriches crops, but it serves as barrier which protects from invasion and provides security. This also grants a way of trade between Egypt and Mesopotamia.

     During the Old Kingdom in 2575- 2134 BC, there is a centralized government. The two branches are ruled by one king. The Upper and Lower Egypt are made into a single kingdom. The king is expected to rule with Ma’at, it means to rule with truth and justice. It is believed that the kings are divine beings sent from the gods to rule the earth, so the people in Egypt act in harmony with the orders of the kings. The kings’ tasks are: to maintain unity of the two branches, to control trade, and to operate food distribution. The Nile River, then, is an important key to the development of Egyptian civilization.

The Development of Writing

My goal since I was growing up is to acquire learning and writing is part of it. Writing provides me a form of expression, communication, and education. Ever since the development of writing, all humankind have been benefited from it. Writing is developed in 3,000 B.C and is believed to have started in Mesopotamia. According to Dr. James Clarkson, senior lecturer in Classics at the University of Cambridge, the early people in Mesopotamia used clay because it was easy to form, to shape, and to mark on. They, also, used it for counting purposes. In 5,000 B.C, they started using cuneiform, distinguished by its “wedge-shaped” marks. It was a more advanced way of writing using clay because of the use of basalt. In ancient Egypt hieroglyphs, the combination of logo graphics and alphabetic sets, has evolved. They used papyrus, a plant which brought to us the idea of paper, brush and ink. Hieroglyphs is said to be “a simplified form to form the basis of alphabet; the origin of Hebrew and a lots of different alphabets” (Clarkson). Another alphabet is the Greek. It is consisted of different vowels or signs. It is argued that Greek alphabet to be the closest alphabet to the modern one, yet it stops on letter “T.”  The Greek alphabet is borrowed by the Romans and translated it to Latin letters; all in capital letters which eventually refined to a modern alphabet.

The development of writing gave the early people the opportunity to keep records which is carried through generation to generation. It is interesting to know the history of writing because it gives information on how it was discovered. Because of writing, it enables me to acquire knowledge, to record information, most especially, to share this blog to you.

Work Cited:
Clarkson, James. “The Story of How We Got Our Alphabets.” BBC News. BBC, 18 Aug. 2011. Web. 14 Sept. 2013.

Emergence of Civilization

Not too long ago after the Neolithic revolution, civilization emerged. As the population became complex, many cultures came into being and cities were settled. There are three main components that make up civilization these are: cities, monumental architecture, and writing. At least 10,000 people make up a city. In that city political, social, cultural, etc. were established. Monumental architectures was also sign that civilization was emerging. It was a form of cultural expression and proved that the early people were innovative. And lastly, writing. This was used mostly by the individuals who were in the hierarchy such as kings, priests, and merchants to keep records. This was developed through taxation. But why did civilization occur?

Many people tried to identify the causes of civilization, but they have different studies about why it occurred. Some scholars claimed material forces like gathering food which gave way of specializing labor and development of larger communities. This led to creation of  bureaucratic control to civilization. Also, historians asserted religious forces moved people to work together on organizing activities. While other scholars doubted that early people were incapable of discovering early civilization. The reasons to why it occurred may left unclear, but what is important is that early civilization explains how things came to be.