History Essay

Instructions: Answer one question from section one and then one of the questions in section two. Each answer will be worth 50 points and should be 650-900 words. These are essay questions. You should write an essay that answers the question (s) asked completely, and support your answer with evidence from the textbook, the sourcebook reader, the various power point presentations, the films, and the discussion forum. You should not need to use any sources other than these for this exam.

Your answers should be essay arguments with an introduction, body of evidence and explanation, and conclusion. Proofread your writing carefully! None of your answers should contain more than 100 words of quoted material. Your answers should be substantially in your own words. If you do quote, you must cite the source of your quote in either an in-text note or a footnote.

Section I: Answer one question below:

1. Discuss the new ideas that emerged from the Great Schools of the Axial Age. Compare and contrast the ideas of China’s sages with the ideas emerging in the same period in India and Greece. Why do we tend to divide the new philosophies between “natural philosophy” and “moral” or “political” philosophy? Give an example of each. Why do we tend to call the teachings of Chinese and Greek scholars “philosophy” whereas we tend to think of the teachings emerging in India as “religious”? (Hint: To answer this question, you will have to read the Armesto chapter posted on the website AS WELL AS the textbook chapters.)

2. Define a “territorial state.” How did territorial states differ from city-states? Compare and contrast the ways in which territorial states formed across Afro-Eurasia and how they interacted with each other (Map 3.2 will be helpful here). Why does your textbook contend that these territorial states pioneered “international diplomacy.”

3. From 3500-2000 BCE, as civilizations developed in the river basins of Mesopotamia, Egypt, South Asia and East Asia, more intensive cultivation brought agricultural surpluses that ushered in a wide range of impacts. Explain with examples from at least two of the river-basin civilizations how food surpluses led to the rise of complex societies and states. (To answer this question, you must define “complex society” and discuss the types of states developed in the societies you are discussing.)

650-900 words – 50% of your grade.

Section II: Answer one of the questions below:

1. Discuss the evidence for technological innovation in the ancient world and the impact of these innovations on ancient societies, including its uses in peace or in war. Why did ancient peoples innovate, and how did these innovations spread and undergo processes of adaption as other societies adopted new technologies? Discuss at least two DIFFERENT societies and two DIFFERENT technologies to support your answer.

2. Discuss the impact of climate change at the end of the 3rd millennium BCE on world history. How did climate change cause the collapse of many established states, force technological innovations, and lead to population shifts? Discuss at least two specific societies/regions of the world as evidence to support your answer.

3. How did empires differ from territorial states? Compare and contrast two different early empires discussed in Chapter Four. How and why did the societies that built early empires employ different strategies to create and maintain their empires? What role did art, religion, and language/writing play in helping societies integrate their empires?

650-900 words: 50% of your grade.