1st century BC

Buddhism: (1 - 1750) Buddhism originated in N. India, and is traced back to Siddhartha Guatama’s search for an antidote to end suffering in the 5th century BCE. Early Buddhism was spread slowly along the trade routes by Buddhist merchants and monks. In the 3rd century CE, Ashoka, a ruler of the Mauryan Empire, converted to Buddhism. He did not forcefully convert his people, but he sent missionaries to East Asia and left edicts throughout the empire. Buddhism eventually made it’s way into places…

While the Great famine could not have happened without the failure of the potato crop – something beyond the control of the British Government- their subsequent response, or there lack of, to the crisis greatly contributed to the devastation caused by the blight. As evidenced by Tony Blair’s 1997 apology to the Irish people, the British Government’s policies during the Great Famine toward a country it was, on paper at least, in union with, were unforgivable. Although the Conservative government…

Buddhism, rooted in the 6th century BCE, originated from Siddhartha Gautama, a sage from Nepal. Known as “Buddha,” Gautama experienced a revelation one night, attaining a complete state of awakening, clairvoyant power, and the knowledge that his spiritual defilements had been eliminated. His teachings of enlightenment, karma, the Four Noble Truths, and the Eightfold Path spread quickly, covering much of southern Asia by the 8th century CE. Buddhism’s gain of followers can be attributed to the…

In the late seventh century a unified religious, political and social culture was established in Mesopotamia which fueled the growth of trade and industry. The acceptance of Muhammad as a prophet and the Quran as the word of God lead to the unification of a vast nation. The religious following paved the way for a new government which in turn paved the way for new industry and trade. Trade grew to new levels when the exchange of goods with China, by both land and sea, put Islamic people in touch…

as the spiritual ecstatic dancer. His dance is referred to as Tandavam or Nadanta, depending on the context of the dance. The classical form of shiva appears in stone reliefs, at the Ellora Caves and the Badami Caves, by around the 6th century. Around the 10th century, it emerged in Tamil Nadu in its most recognizable appearance of bronzes. Additionally, Shiva is presented at different heights however, it is typically less than five feet but some are over. The reliefs have been recognized in…

view of the surrounding area and a near bird’s eye view of the lake – one of China’s largest bodies of fresh water. The tower had already been through numerous reconstructions, most recently during the Song Dynasty in 1054, when Hsia Yung (mid 14th century) masterfully depicted an idyllic scene of life in Yueyang: scholars stroll about in the foreground amongst the trees and rocks, people enjoy a meal in the tower, and…

that time period. One of the most important changes in the course of developing the concept of childhood in the early 20th century was the reformation of education. Towards the beginning of the century, education replaced child-labor. In past centuries, parents needed their children to help contribute to family income, so they had them work long hours. In the early 20th century, society recognized…

modernity in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries with the rise of mass production in the wake of the industrial revolution and with the consolidation of populations in major urban centers that tookplace in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries throughout much of the industrialized world. In a consumer society, the individual is confronted with and surrounded by a vast assortment of goods. As urban centers expanded in the nineteenth century and systems of mass transit were built…

Writings most unique attribute is its ability to last centuries unaltered. Some documents are created for the present alone such as to do list and letters while some documents are created to last for centuries and are written to survive the trials of time. In general, durable writing materials required excessive time and labor to produce. Written eye witness testimonies became more reliable and trusted than recited oral history. Through deciphering and translation, writings from all times and…

18th Century to Current Time For as long as time immemorial, women have sought freedom from being regarded as second-class citizens as their male counterparts – namely, their husbands. In home and family life, women were expected to restrict their interests to the household and family matters, while the rest of the matters were handled by the husband. Women were not even able to own property, earn wages, sign a contract, or vote in politics. In more recent times, decades and even centuries after…