Category Great Civilizations

          The Qin dynasty was one of the greatest empires in Chinese history. In around 300 BC, seven different states in China fought each other. The Qin state emerged as the most powerful of the warring states. King Zhen of the Qin state defeated the other six states. King Zhen took the name of Qin Shih Huang Di, and became the first emperor of China.

          As a part of its centralization, the Qin connected the northern border walls of the states it defeated, making the first Great Wall of China. 

                 During its rule, the dynasty built a powerful army, and increased trade across China. The contributions of the Qin dynasty also include the unification of the legal code. They laid down standards for writing, money, weights and measures. Civil servants were appointed by the Emperor to handle daily governance. The changes made by Qin dynasty helped the later dynasties like Han, to rule effectively. 

             

 

                The period of the ‘Hundred Schools of Thought’ was of great intellectual expansion in China. Regional rulers rose during the period between 476 and 221 BC. They waged bitter wars. So, this period is known as the period of warring states. Thinkers and teachers offered their services to the new rulers. Hence, this period is also called the ‘Period of the Hundred Schools of Thought’. Taoism arose at this time. Great philosopher Lao- tze was the founder of Taoism. 

Continue reading “What was the role played by the ‘Hundred Schools of Thought’ in Chinese society?”

If we look at Chinese history, we will find that it was mostly ruled by powerful families called dynasties.

The earliest one was Shang dynasty. They began to rule in around 1600 BC. The Shang dynasty ruled for more than 500 years, until they were conquered by the Zhou, in 11th century BC. The Zhou dynasty ruled for around 800 years. From 1027 to 256 BC, the kingdom was divided into many states and the local lords looked after their areas. However, the local lords began to fight each other. Thus, the Zhou dynasty ended, and the period called the Warring States period, began.

Shang dynasty led to numerous cultural advances, and was famous for silk weaving and agriculture. The basics of the Chinese Language were also developed during this period.

The Zhou dynasty was the longest ruling dynasty in Chinese history. This was a period of economic growth, with Chinese silk and porcelain being traded abroad.

               A civilization that grew up thousands of years ago quite separately from the rest of the world – this is probably an ideal description of the great Chinese Civilization.

               There are three great river valleys in China. They are the Hwang- Ho or Yellow River, the Yangtze, and the Hsi. Ancient Chinese Civilization emerged more than 3000 years ago in the Yellow River valley. From there it extended southwards gradually. It had reached the Yangtze valley by the 6th century BC. Hence, the Hwang- Ho or Yellow River is also known as the mother river of China.

               The valley of the Yellow River was very fertile. For thousands of years, the Chinese grew millet, rice and wheat there. They also domesticated cattle, dogs, and sheep.

               The Shang, the earliest dynasty of China, built their major cities like Erlitou, Zhengzhou and Anyang in the Yellow River valley. Anyang was their capital city. Luoyang, the capital city of the Zhou dynasty, who took over the power from the Shang, also was in the plains of Yellow River.

               The Yellow River helped farmers with water to irrigate their crops. And, it became the centre of social life. In short, Chinese civilization was a gift of the Yellow River. 

 

              Unlike many other civilizations, Egypt gave prominence to women. Women of all classes in Ancient Egypt had many rights, compared to women later in history. Many of them were skilled in professions like mid-wifery, some of them were priestesses, and some even held important positions in court.

             

              Ancient Egypt also gave birth to some very famous queens. One such queen was Hatshepsut. She was the first great woman in recorded history. She remained in power for twenty years and expanded trade relations, built magnificent temples, and restored many temples as well. 

 

 

                 Another famous queen was Nefertiti. She was the wife of the New Kingdom Pharaoh Akhenaten. She ruled with her husband.

               The last ruler of independent Ancient Egypt, Queen Cleopatra VII, too was very famous. After her death in 30 BC, Egypt became part of the huge Roman Empire. 

            Egypt is known for its magnificent monuments and its history, but have you ever thought about the kings who were behind these extraordinary constructions?

            Ramses II was one among them. He was the third pharaoh of the nineteenth dynasty of Egypt. He is often regarded as the greatest and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire who ruled over the kingdom for nearly 66 years, taking the civilization to new heights.

            His successors called him the ‘Great Ancestor’. Ramses II led several military expeditions into the Levant. By entering into peace treaties with these empires, Ramses helped to solidify Egypt’s borders on all sides, allowing for increased internal stability.

            The early part of his reign was focused on building cities, temples, and monuments. He established the city of Pi-Ramesses in the Nile Delta as his new capital and used it as the main base for his campaigns in Syria.