History leads to Now.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Shang Dynasty
What happened c. 1150 BCE?

Discuss and write down why, how and what had happened to have caused an end to the Shang Dynasty. Support your conclusion with evidence (primary or/and secondary).

Why?
The Shang king was evil and that heaven no longer wanted him to rule. They blamed the Shang’s downfall on its king’s excessive drinking, indulgent lifestyle, and immoral behavior.

What?
Conquerors from the state of Zhou invaded the capital and successfully toppled the Shang Dynasty.

How?
Conquerors from the state of Zhou invaded the capital.

Evidence
The Shang Dynasty ended in about 1050 BCE, when conquerors from the state of Zhou invaded the capital and successfully toppled the Shang Dynasty. The Zhou conquerors claimed to overthrow the Shang Dynasty for moral reasons. They said that the Shang king was evil and that heaven no longer wanted him to rule. They blamed the Shang’s downfall on its king’s excessive drinking, indulgent lifestyle, and immoral behavior. The downfall remained a cautionary tale to kings and emperors for years to come.

Info taken from spice.stanford.edu

♥ 3:46 AM

Shang Dynasty
Religion

The Shang worshipped a figure they called "Shang Ti," or "Lord on High." This supreme god ruled over lesser gods of the sun, the moon, the wind, the rain, and other natural forces and places. Shang-Ti also regulated human affairs as well as ruling over the material universe. This dual function would, in the Chou dynasty, be attributed to a more abstract figure, "t'ien," or "Heaven." The Shang also believed that their ancestors dwelled in heaven after their death and continued to show an interest in their family and descendants. The obligations within the family included, therefore, the ancestors. Failing in one's duties to the ancestors could bring all sorts of disaster on a family. All of these divine and semi-divine figures, from Shang-Ti to a family's ancestors, were sacrificed to. However, we know little of the nature or the frequency of these sacrifices. We do know, however, that in the Chou dynasty only the king could sacrifice to Shang-Ti; it is highly likely that Shang-Ti was the "local god" of the Shang kings who was subsequently elevated in order to elevate the Shang themselves. The one disturbing fact of Shang sacrifice is that it certainly involved humans; slaves and prisoners of war were often sacrificed by the hundreds when a king died. Lesser numbers were sacrificed at the founding of a palace or temple.

Info taken from www.wsu.edu

♥ 2:19 AM

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Art Exhibition..

Its HARD to choose my favourite portrait.. For me, ALL artworks were done very well for a primary school student..Even ME, a secondary school student, weren't be able to do such portraits..I COULDN'T choose my favourite between these 2..So I've decided to talk about both of them..

Harmony

This portrait is done by a Chongfu primary school student. What i like about this portrait is that it is made from aluminium which makes it different from the rest and also i like it where they combined music and nature into a piece of work. This also shows that music and nature makes a difference in our lives. This portrait lives a message to all people that we must preserve nature from man destroying it as it leaves an inspiration to mankind so that future generations will be able to enjoy it.

Energico E Espressivo

Close up preview..

It is made by CHIJ The Lady of Good student. What i like about this portrait is that many things are squeezed into one portrait. By only looking at this portrait, we already know the message that the artiste delivers to us. This work shows the energy and expression of youth in sports.

♥ 12:37 AM

Friday, July 17, 2009

What happened c. 1500 BCE?

Write down why, how and what had happened to have caused a rapid end to the Indus Valley Civilisation.

It ended with Mohenjo-daro being abandoned around 1200 BCE and Harappa soon after. Archaeological evidence, such as signs of constant rebuilding of walls and foundations of houses, suggests that floods could have caused the decline of the Indus Valley Civilisation. These floods would also have destroyed the irrigation systems that the people depended on for their farming. Some scholars think that the floods might have bred mosquitoes which led to outbreaks of malaria. Whatever the reason, the decline was almost certainly speeded up by the invasion of the Indus Valley by a group of people called the Aryans.

♥ 10:56 PM

Has there been evidence of artifacts found which would indicate that the people of the Indus Valley Civilisation had a system of communication?

Unicorn Seal

A square steatite unicorn seal with a unique inscription was found in the street debris on the inside of the city wall. The two sets of signs on the right hand side of the seal would appear in reverse, i.e. be on the left, when it was pressed into clay. Harappan Period, c. 2300 BC.

Long rectangular seal with no animal motif

This type of seal is only found in the last part of the Harappan Phase, Period 3C. A similar rectangular seal was found on Mound F in the 1998 excavations of the circular platforms (Trench 43).

♥ 10:44 PM

Find at least 3 more possible occupation and support your findings with images and explanation.

Farmer

Granary was used to store grains such as barley, wheat and oat.

Priest

It was believed by the archaelogists that it was
used for religious bathing.

Plumber

This image shows a drainage system.

Taken from www.harappa.com

♥ 9:53 PM

You are to gather at least 3 more images taken by historians/archaelogists of buildings/structures/artifacts found in the Indus Valley Civilisation. Name them and explain its' possible usage by the people in that civilisation.

Well

This well was associated with a finely constructed bathing platform. A stairway leads up to the well and platform from a lower room. The walls and well have been covered with mud brick and sprayed with clay slurry to protect them from salt crystallization.

HR area, large courtyard (room 70)

In some neighborhoods, large courtyards were connected to numerous smaller buildings built at different levels. The pilastered wall on the left supported houses at a higher level. A large corbelled arch drain that was later blocked is seen emerging from a wall in the background.

Drain Outlets

The ground floor drain of the bathing platform empties out into the street next to tapered chute from a roof drain or a second storey bathing area.

Photos and Information taken from www.harappa.com

♥ 9:04 PM

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

1) What are primary and secondary sources?
- The examples of primary sources are written, oral, pictorial evidence and artefacts.
- The examples of secondary sources are like a legend and a myth.

2) How do historians make sure that their sources are reliable?
- They make sure it by testing the three C's which are credibility, consistency and corroboration.

3) Why and when is it necessary for historians to revise their interpretations of past events?
- It is necessary for historians to do so when archaeologists discovered new artefacts because such evidence can provide new ways of looking at the past.

♥ 4:04 AM

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

1)What do we learn when we study history?

We learn how the people in the past lived and also we could differentiate the environment in the past and today.

2) Name 4 good reasons for studying history.

1. Inventions that was invented today are all from the ideas from the past.
2.We learn to understand and respect others who did things differently.
3.We get to learn the mistakes that past people had made and also to avoid doing the same mistakes from them.
4.We will come across many hardworking, courageous and creative people so that we could look them as role model.

♥ 2:23 AM

1.What are my history that meant a lot to me and what are the benefits?

My history that meant a lot to me is my computer, handphone, mp3 player and TV.

1) Computer
My computer meant a lot to me because it has internet, which allows me to watch video, hear music, chat,play games and also make friends. Internet also can help me do some research rather than going to the library. I didn't say library is useless as library also is a place where we could study in peace and also it is air-conditioned rather than at home which is noisy and also hot. In another way also, internet is a good use, especially when school closes down, like the outbreak of H1N1, we can do E-learning so that we would not miss any lesson.

2)Handphone
Handphone allows me to call a person when in emergencies and also free time. It also allows me to text to my friend on homeworks e.g. rather than calling that person. And also in other way is that it can play music and also videos/

3)Mp3 player
Mp3 player allows me to relax a little bit and also accompany me when I'm alone. It entertains me. Music helps me to relax.

4)TV
TV also is an another source that helps me to relax. And TV also allows us to watch the latest news on what is happening around us.

♥ 1:52 AM