#4e - Religion Review: Zoroastrianism

Tell about the history of Zoroastrianism.

by Sam Green

Begun by the prophet Zoroaster, Zoroastrianism began in ancient Iran 3500 years ago. For about 1000 years, it was the main religion of Persia, which is now modern Iran, from 600 BCE to 650 BCE; now, it is one of the world's smallest religions, having only around 190000 followers today. Cyrus the Great was the first Zoroaster to lead Persia after taking control of western Persia. He, along with his successor, showed much religious tolerance for other faiths. Later on, Persia is dominated by Alexander the Great's army, and many of their religious leaders and texts were destroyed. The Sassanians rose up from the Greek rule in 224 CE, basing the rule of the empire of Zoroastrianism.  Eventually, that rule ended at the hands of Islams and their conquests of the 7th century.

#4d - Religion Review: Judaism

Tell about the history of Judaism.

by Sam Green

Rounding out the Abraham religions (e.g., Christian, Islam), is Judaism. It is expected to have began in the Middle East over 3500 BCE. This is usually said to have started w/ Moses, but Jews sometimes trace the beginning back to Abraham. One can find the full history of the Jewish people in the Old Testament of the Bible and, more specifically, the Torah, or the first five books of it. Jews were known for building up a good society and either getting taken down by themselves or another group of people (e.g., Romans, Islams, Christians).

#4c - Religion Review: Hinduism

Tell about the history of Hinduism.

by Sam Green

Originally starting in the Indus River Valley, Hinduism can be called the oldest religion in the world. No one knows the original origins of it, partially due to it being a mash up of many different traditions together, partially due to the idea of it not existing before modern times, and partially due to it having no definite starting point. One should know of their caste system which dictated life during classical India there were four levels to it. The Caste System determines your occupation and lifestyle. (First Rank) If you are a Brahman, you worked as a priest or other religious leader. (Second Rank) If you were a Kshatriya, you worked as either a ruler or warrior. (Third Rank) If you were a Vaishya, you worked as a merchant or agriculturalist. (Fourth Rank) If you were a Shudra, you were a servant or something similar. Beyond Shudras lie the Untouchables. Untouchables were seen as so lowly that they were not even part of the Caste System. Untouchables were given the worst jobs (e.g., sewage management).

#4b - Religion Review: Christianity

Tell about the History of Christianity.

by Sam Green

Jesus of Nazareth was supposedly born as the Son of God to the Virgin Mary. With that, he went around, spreading the word of his heavenly Father. Jewish authorities did not like the then-radical message Jesus was preaching, so he was betrayed by a member of his inner circle. He was put to death and rose from the dead three days later. Later, he ascended to Heaven. Paul, the apostle passed on his teachings to the classical world, spreading Jesus's teachings. Soon enough, he formed a headquarters for his spreading of the message, which became in the church. Eventually, the Roman emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, which made certain that the religion would stay forever due to its being rooted in the Western world.

#4a - Religion Review: Buddhism

Tell about the history of Buddhism.

by Sam Green

Buddhism began in 6th century BCE. Started by Siddhartha Gautama, Buddhism is now about 2500 years old and has around 376 million followers. Siddhartha was born and raised in a royal family in present day Nepal. He lived in luxury and leisure, but one day, curious of the outside world, he went outside on a search for new findings. On this expedition, he had his first encounter with an old man, a sick man, and a corpse. Disturbed by this, he became a monk, but that didn't work the way he wanted it to; therefore, he tried Indian asceticism, but that didn't fly either. He created something called the "Middle Way", a life without luxury OR poverty. One day, after much meditating, he became enlightened in regards to the meaning of life. These are the Four Noble Truths. After his deaths, his teachings spread on through the followers of his teachings, Buddhists. Following his death, the views on his level of being was debated. Some (the Theravada Buddhists) viewed Buddha as just a man while others (the Mahayanas) thought he was god.

#3 - Buddhism and the Silk Road

What does Buddhism have to do with Silk Road?

by Sam Green

Buddhism began thanks to Gautama Siddhartha, the Buddha. He denounced the good life he possessed and went out, received enlightenment after much meditation, and went on to share his discoveries with the world. The grandson of the founder of the Mauryan Empire, Ashoka, spread the religion throughout India via establishing it as the main religion in the area. Followers of Buddhism continued to spread it throughout the region on their own, eventually filling much of India with Buddhist. Furthermore, trade with the Kushans assisted in this too, seeing as how they traded with Chinese, Romans, and Parthians.

Buddhism then spread to the people of the Tarim Basin. There, it was taught through Sanskrit, which then became the language of the religion. Further along, the first signs of Buddhism first showed in China around the second century BC. On top of that, they were found to have existed in the steppe area near China. There, barbarians converted to Buddhism, altering their life forever. When they adopted the faith, they tended to lose many of their warrior-like, barbaric qualities. Eventually, their nomadic identity would be lost, and they would integrate into society. Later on though, some barbarians relapsed and reverted to their old way of nomadic, aggressive life and such.

With the Silk Road's creation, China has easier access to the Western world. When Emperor Mingdi of the Han dynasty had a vision of the Buddha, he made it his goal to learn of this new religion. Monks were brought into China and eventually spread their beliefs. This went on and on, causing new developments to occur. The Buddhist texts were translated into Chinese, and the Buddha was finally depicted in their art. In the end, the Buddhist rein fell. After the Tang Dynasty collapsed, Arabs of the West came in and started conquering much of the land. Because of this, Islam was introduced to the area. Islam disagreed with most Buddhist views, so they tended to destroy whatever Buddhist works they found. How typical.

1. What was the impact of Buddhist beliefs on nomads in the steppes?

It mellowed them out, making them become civilized folk.

2. What was Kumarajiva's role in spreading Buddhism in China?

He translated many works of the Buddhists into Chinese and distributed them among the common folk.

3. How did Buddhist art change in the 200s?

They began to physically represent the Buddha through imagery and such.

4. What caused Buddhism along the Silk Road to decline?

The Tang Dynasty in China collapsed, taking away its base. Then, Islams came in and started converting everyone.

#2 - Tour of Classic Rome

What was Ancient Rome like?

by Sam Green

It's hard to tell exactly how the ancient ruins of Rome fit together, but through much research, people have begun to figure out where certain buildings sat in relation to others and whatnot. For example, we know where the Pantheon and Colosseum sit and what they probably looked like, but they are a mile apart; therefore, we barely know what the land between the two was like. Bear in mind that the Tiber River separates the city into two parts. On one bank, you have the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus. It sat on top of the Capitoline Hill, which was basically the center of Rome. This layout of Rome is c. 320 AD, the peak of Rome's development in regards to architecture. The current leader of Rome is Constantine, and soon after this time, he moves the capitol to Constantinople. Past Capitoline Hill is Palatine Hill. This is where all the palaces and such lie. Further down the river lies Circus Maximus, and next to that is the Imperial Palace. The Circus Maximus was an arena area that held chariot races, animal hunts, parades, and religious processions. The Imperial Palace was the dwelling of the emperor. If ever so choose to do so, he could walk right down to Circus Maximus and enjoy whatever events were happening that day, due to the two establishments being connected.

Traveling toward X on the map, one comes across the aqueducts system. They existed throughout the city and were basically water highways. Without them, Rome wouldn't have been what it was. The water was brought in from 20 to 30 miles away, from nearby mountain ranges. These aqueducts usually emptied out into great fountains or bath houses. Further down the street lies the Arch of Constantine and the Meta Sudans. To the northwest of those lies the Baths of Trajan. This was simply a public bath house for all. In between the Baths and the Arch of Constantine sat the Colosseum (a.k.a. the Flavian amphitheater). At the Colosseum, they would either have gladiator battles, animal hunts, or prisoner executions. Northwest of that lies the Temple of Venus and Rome, and further past that lies the forum. The Forum was about business. It consisted of courts, monuments, temples, etc. One could compare the Forum to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. One of those important buildings was the Basilica of Maxentius, which was originally used as a court but turned into a church when Christians came into power.

Going back toward the Capitoline and past it, you reach Campus Martius (the plane of Mars). The Pantheon lies here. What looks like a temple from the outside actually appears to hold the Rotunda on the inside.

#1 - Alexander the Great

Tell about the Persians, Alexander the Great, and their relationship.

by Sam Green

"Reading some Western history books, one might be forgiven for thinking that the Persians existed to be conquered by Alexander." Specifically, the Persians viewed him as an accursed man. One of the causes for him being viewed as evil is his drunken destroying of Persepolis after some goading by his friends. The Greek would call it the first of many invasions and crusades to bring civilization and culture to the Barbaric East. Funny enough, the Persians weren't really worth conquering. Even though it was the greatest empire at the time, it was uncivilized. On top of that, during the Pelopenisian War, they were smart enough to turn Athens and Sparta on each other, making Greece destroy itself. To the Persians, Alexander was a horrible man that ruined what they could have been.

Q1. What is the basic Western perception of Alexander the Great?

"Reading some Western history books, one might be forgiven for thinking that the Persians existed to be conquered by Alexander."

Q2. Why did he destroy Persepolis?

It was at his friends' suggestion while he was drunk.

Q3. What is the "Greek version" of Alexander's conquest of Persia?

The cover up was that it was part of crusades.

Q4. What was Persia's actual standing in the world like?

They were an uncivilized empire.

Q5. How did the Persians gain advantage in the Peloponnesian War?

They turned the Spartans on the Athens through payments. They also used Greek mercenaries.

Q6. How do the Persians portray Alexander?
They see him as a peice of filth on the face of the Earth.