Category: Great Civilizations
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Why is the Inca Civilization considered to be great?
The Incas were prominent among the Andean civilizations. The Inca Civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century. They built a powerful empire by defeating their neighbours and were the largest empire in pre-Columbian America, and possibly the largest empire in the world in the…
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Which were the great Maya cities?
The Maya lived in city states, each with its own ruler. The cities were well organized. The largest Maya city was Tikal, in today’s Guatemala. It was settled in around 900 BC. But it rose to become an important city state only around AD 200. Tikal was in constant…
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Why is it said that Maya villages maintained their culture even after the Spanish conquest?
The Spanish conquest stripped away most of the defining features of Maya Civilization. However, many Maya villages remained remote from Spanish colonial authority, and for the most part, continued to manage their own affairs. The basic Mesoamerican diet of maize…
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Why is it said that Spanish conquest led to the destruction of Maya culture?
The Maya city states were continuously at war with each other. By around AD 1240, most of the Maya territories disintegrated into small communities, battling against each other. All their wealth was destroyed by these frequent wars. This made their conquest by the Spanish easy. …
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Why is it said that the Maya art was unique?
The Maya made magnificent sculptures and paintings. Though the Maya art is unique, it has the influence of Olmec culture. The Maya are most famous for their great sculptures, made out of stone. They built tall pyramids and big palaces. …
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Why is it said that trade played an important role in the Maya Civilization?
As we know, trade is vital for the success of any civilization. Trade was a key component of Maya society too, and also in the development of the Maya Civilization. They had an advanced trading system consisting of short, medium, and long trade routes. Trade…
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Why was the Maya civilization a unique one?
The Maya Civilization of Central America was without doubt, one of the most dominant ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica. The Maya civilization was the longest lived, and the most widely spread of all the great cultures of Ancient America. The Maya lived in Mexico before 2000…
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Why is it said that the Olmecs were accomplished traders?
The Olmecs were good traders too. They had set up trade routes with other Mesoamerican cultures. From around 1200 BC, the Olmec city of San Lorenzo arose as a major trading centre. The city developed long distance trade networks with other regions. …
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Why is it said that the Olmecs were good at art?
Artistically, the Olmecs were far ahead of their contemporary civilizations. The most identified symbol of the Olmec Civilization is the colossal head. Archeologists have found huge stone heads at almost all Olmec sites. Most of them were carved in basalt. The heads could be nearly…
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Why is the construction of the Great Wall of China attributed to the Qin dynasty?
The Great Wall of China is a man-made marvel. The Great Wall took centuries to build. The history of the Great Wall begins during the period of Qin dynasty. The Great Wall was built across the northern border to keep out the hostile Huns, and…