Hinduism

Hinduism was a religion originating in India and evolved from the Vedic religion during the Vedic Age. Hinduism was predominant in India for sometime until Buddhism and Jainism revolved. Due to this religion, Brahmin priests were able to hold a high social status since they knew lots of the sacred texts or Vedas which are the main texts of Hinduism. In Hinduism, although millions of gods are worshipped, the main ones are Vishnu, the creator and preserver, Shiva, the destroyer and Devi, the female goddess of fertility, procreation and tolerant of violence. Hinduism offered many ways to approach god. This could be achieved through having knowledge of sacred texts, mental and physical discipline and devotion to the deity. Also, performing puja or services to a deity may gain the person divine favor. The ultimate goal for Hindu's was to reach moksha. Moksha is the release from the cycle of reincarnations and a concept of reaching God, the ultimate power. This idea is in contrast to the Buddhist concept of Nirvana. For most Hindu's, the Ganges River was a very sacred place. It was a sacred place because Hindu's believed that rivers or natural features had religious natures. Also, the goddess Ganga (Goddess of Water) sprouted out of the head of Shiva. Hence, the Ganges River. Another reason for this river to be sacred would be that Shiva statues are believed to be made of natural rocks/minerals. As rocks are transported through these rivers, due to erosion the rocks change shape and sometimes, turn into shapes that are used to represent Shiva. Hinduism was a religion that spread throughout the Silk Road and is still practiced in India and many other parts of the world. It was a unique religion to the Dravidians and Aryans.

This is the ultimate god Shiva with his wife Parvati, son Ganesh, vehicle Kamadenu or cow. They are on Mt. Kailash and at the top of Shiva's head, you can see Ganga. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/history/history_1.shtml#section_3

Roman Aqueducts

Roman Aqueduct

The ancient civilization of Rome was one of the first to build aqueducts. These were underground conduits that carried water from a source to an urban center. The aqueducts accomplished this by using the force of gravity. A special feature of these aqueducts is that they have arches in them. This is a major architectural development/feature. These arches in structures were used by Romans to equally distribute the weight of the structure evenly. Other than the aqueducts, Romans had many other features and developments that are still used around the world today.


 http://www.unrv.com/culture/roman-aqueducts.php

Important Buildings in Greece

The Greeks believed in many gods and goddesses. In fact, the Greek culture is famous for its Greek Mythology. In 546 B.C.E, a man named Pisistratus rose to power in the city of Athens. To strengthen his power, he began constructing many monumental buildings. In Athens, he built a Parthenon. A Parthenon was a shrine or temple as the Romans called it. This particular Parthenon was built for the goddess of wisdom, Athena. This temple was built on top of the Acropolis. The Acropolis it sat on was built many years before. An acropolis is another term for on top of the city. During the time the acropolis was built, an agora was built as well. This agora was used as a marketplace for people to sell their goods. It was also used as a court area where administrators made important decisions. When the Greeks built these buildings, they used three types of columns. They are: Doric, Ionian, and Corinthian. Greek buildings teach us about their culture and their lifestyles. These buildings still exist today and have been a reason for other civilizations to come about.

Parthenon of Athens.

   http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/grarc/hd_grarc.htm

Israel

Israel was located in between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River with people who called themselves Israelites. A main document found in their culture is the Hebrew Bible. During a point in their civilization, Israel was under Egypt's control. The Israelites were then led out of captivity by a man named Moses. Israel's main temple was called the First Temple and the people worshiped Yahweh the most causing their religion to be monotheistic. Women in Israel had certain rights such as they could have certain political powers. Due to the re settlements of Israelites, the concept of diaspora was created. To this day, Israel still uses most of its traditions and beliefs from the past.
http://www.science.co.il/israel-history.php

Chapter 2 - Olmecs

The Olmecs were one of the earliest civilizations of South America. They had many political and religious beliefs. One concept developed by the Olmecs were the Olmec heads. These were large stone structures built by the commoners of the Olmec society. These carved heads were the heads of political leaders to show how much power a leader had. Many of these heads were found by urban centers in the capital, San Lorenzo. Many things about the Olmecs are still being discovered since there aren't many written texts from their time to teach us about their culture, lifestyle and beliefs.


This is an image of an Olmec head.

Here is a link for additional information:  

Example of the Sumerian Script.

As I was reading about the Mesopotamians, I learned about people called the Sumerians. The Sumerians are believed to have created the basic foundation of the Mesopotamian civilization. Mesopotamians are believed to have also created the writing system of cuneiform used by ancient Mesopotamians. Sumerians also came up with the basic ideas and concepts of a religion which was later followed by Mesopotamians. Then in 2900 B.C.E. people named Semitics were found on the land of the Sumerians. From then on, Semitics slowly invaded the land of the Sumerians. Although Semitics adapted to many beliefs and ideas of the Sumerians, Sumerians were very little in population since the dominating people were those of the Semitic culture. http://history-world.org/sumeria,%20dress.htm