Time to liven "World History" up: one new country a week!

[Storico]

I decided to start a thread here because I can't stand to see this forum so dead any longer. I'm going to start going over the history of different countries, one each week, starting Monday January 29th. I'd REALLY like to get some discussion going on them, as well as give people a background on stuff they never knew about, or DO know about and want to talk about. Either way... I'd like to talk about the following places and their histories, especially the CULTURAL or political history, rather than the military or economic. It can't be exhaustive, but I feel like getting my nerd ensemble on, and talking about the places I read about and research anyways! PLEASE feel free to join me! Every monday a new culture begins until I run out or everyone begs me to stop. :yes:

- Chinese History
- Eastern European History
- Latin American History
- Oceanic History
- Current Greek and Roman History

Any other requests? Let me know. I'll start gabbing on Monday. :teeth:

[Raptor]

Cool.

[Rayado]

Very cool.

[Spinyn00bman]

I decided to start a thread here because I can't stand to see this forum so dead any longer. I'm going to start going over the history of different countries, one each week, starting Monday January 29th. I'd REALLY like to get some discussion going on them, as well as give people a background on stuff they never knew about, or DO know about and want to talk about. Either way... I'd like to talk about the following places and their histories, especially the CULTURAL or political history, rather than the military or economic. It can't be exhaustive, but I feel like getting my nerd ensemble on, and talking about the places I read about and research anyways! PLEASE feel free to join me! Every monday a new culture begins until I run out or everyone begs me to stop. :yes:

- Chinese History
- Eastern European History
- Latin American History
- Oceanic History
- Current Greek and Roman History

Any other requests? Let me know. I'll start gabbing on Monday. :teeth:

The history of the state of New Jersey.....YEAH BABY

that or a history of Antarctica

[James Peter]

Nothing in America has a history, its all far too new and young. The US is still a baby, only old geriatrics like Britain have histories...

I vote for a history of Cyprus.

[Storico]

Consider Antarctica and Cyprus tacked onto that list! :wink: (Yes. I, oddly enough, have researched SOME social history in both. *nerd wanders off*) :teeth:

[heretic12]

Now are these supposed to be modern? or can they be ancient as well?

[Storico]

Don't see why they can't be ancient, since 'World History' applies to just about ANY time. Any ideas for discussion topics? :teeth:

[heretic12]

Don't see why they can't be ancient, since 'World History' applies to just about ANY time. Any ideas for discussion topics? :teeth:

Most definetly ancient Greece, Mongolia, Romans, and the Vikings.

[Storico]

Okay.

So far, I've got China... a few Eastern European countries (Russia, Czechoslovakia, Poland)... a few Latin American countries (Brazil, Columbia, Peru)... Australasia *rather than Oceania* (Australia, New Zealand)... Current-day Greece... Current-day Italy (Rome)... Antarctica... Cyprus... Ancient Greece... Mongolia... Ancient Rome... and Scandinavia (or, the Vikings).

Okay. I'm set for a while. That gives me 17 weeks. :yes:

[Sevivon1913]

Nothing in America has a history, its all far too new and young. The US is still a baby, only old geriatrics like Britain have histories...

I vote for a history of Cyprus.

How about the very long history of North America BEFORE you got there; the 10 million (and further 90 million in South and Central America) natives must have done something to occupy their time.

Here's a few more countries for you:

Japan, India, WESTERN European countries (especially France, Britain, Holland and Germany), Egypt, Ethiopia, Arabia, Israel in the diaspora, and South Africa. :smile:


India and China are the most important countries' histories to know; as they are expected to become the future world-superpowers (if not already).

[Storico]

Sev, thanks for the ideas.

Due to my not having studied the bigger part of the second half of your list in any great detail, I'd be very happy to add Pre-colonial North America, Japan, France, England (Britain Proper is a larger territory so just England for now), and Germany, which gives me 22 weeks total, and I think that's a good cap for now. That'll be five and a half months. :wink:

South Africa is HUGE and needs to have a few areas within it decided on, but someone with a better knowledge of South African history will have to tackle it later if they'd like to. My goal was in no way to cover every country; I don't know that much history in every country. Same goes for Egypt, Ethiopia, Arabia, and Israel in the diaspora.

And, again, starting tomorrow, I'll happily jump into this series with a STRONG emphasis on cultural history, and a more mild emphasis on political history. I'll largely ignore economic and military history, unless it's very relevant to the discussion.

My hope for this entire thread is to get some good talking going between us all... anywhere from "I never knew that! Cool!" to "you're dead wrong!" to "Oh, did you know that..." -- that's what historians do. Nobody has to be a historian to post here at ALL, but it's still in our nature to debate and question and give examples and argue goodnaturedly every now and again. :wink:

[Storico]

Okay.

So far, I've got China... a few Eastern European countries (Russia, Czechoslovakia, Poland)... a few Latin American countries (Brazil, Columbia, Peru)... Australasia *rather than Oceania* (Australia, New Zealand)... Current-day Greece... Current-day Italy (Rome)... Antarctica... Cyprus... Ancient Greece... Mongolia... Ancient Rome... and Scandinavia (or, the Vikings).

Okay. I'm set for a while. That gives me 17 weeks. :yes:

Replying to myself here, with an addition I just realized. Scandinavian history will also be joined with Norway's history in the context of the Vikings.

So, final update before I dive in tomorrow:

- China
- Russia
- Czechoslovakia (prior to the split, and a bit after)
- Poland
- Brazil
- Columbia
- Peru
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Current day Greece
- Current day Italy (with focus on Rome)
- Antarctica
- Cyprus
- Ancient Greece
- Ancient Rome
- Mongolia (Ancient)
- Scandinavia/Norway (with focus on the Vikings)
- Pre Colonial North America (Native history)
- Japan
- France
- England
- Germany

:teeth:

[Kelp]

This is gonna be awesome!

How Zimbabwe and various other African countries before 1400?

[Kelp]

Ireland, Thailand and Tibet also come to mind.

[Kelp]

I'll pipe in whenever I can. I can't gurantee it will be often, however :sigh:

[Storico]

Replying to myself here, with an addition I just realized. Scandinavian history will also be joined with Norway's history in the context of the Vikings.

So, final update before I dive in tomorrow:

- China
- Russia
- Czechoslovakia (prior to the split, and a bit after)
- Poland
- Brazil
- Columbia
- Peru
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Current day Greece
- Current day Italy (with focus on Rome)
- Antarctica
- Cyprus
- Ancient Greece
- Ancient Rome
- Mongolia (Ancient)
- Scandinavia/Norway (with focus on the Vikings)
- Pre Colonial North America (Native history)
- Japan
- France
- England
- Germany
- Ireland
- Alaska
:teeth:

Kelp thanks for the additions! I have two more to add to this list, taking me up to 24 weeks, or 6 months. They're added in red. Would you help me with the last one, there? (We'll get to it by July. :tongue:)

[Kelp]

Yeah. As much as I can with schoolwork and all. You betcha.

[Storico]

:yes: thanks. Hopefully, you won't be doing much schoolwork by late June or early July anyhow. Or does your system go year-round?

[Kelp]

:yes: thanks. Hopefully, you won't be doing much schoolwork by late June or early July anyhow. Or does your system go year-round?
I would be off at that time. Except, this year, I anticipate taking a coupl of summer classes. I don't know, we'll see how what happens.

[Dave G]

Frank Zappa's dad wanted to write a world history based around Sicily.

[Sevivon1913]

Don't forget the history of Andorra :rasberry:

[Storico]

*note: tonight starts the history! At the end of each week, all information sources will be cited. All images are taken from the internet and are in the public domain.*


WELCOME TO CHINA!

Or... as those who speak Mandarin would know it, Zhongguo!

Tonight, we're headed back to Ancient China, which was one of the earliest locations civilization developed on earth. Actual evidence for human civilization in China comes from Guangxi Province, which was host to a human cranium dated 66-68,000 years ago. Although issues have arisen surrounding the accuracy of this sort of dating, it's certain that complicated political realms didn't even come about until much later, and actual human life had to develop and travel prior to any entrenched political systems formed.

The first, the Xia (pronounced Shia) Dynasty, emerged in 2,700 B.C. and it lasted until about 1,600 B.C., according to everything passed down through oral tradition and written about it much later.

(By comparison, the Book of Genesis in the Bible is thought to have been written by 1,450 to 1,410 B.C, or over a thousand years after we have evidence of the first Dynasty in China.)

By 2,700 B.C., a very well developed political system was in place: emperors, ministers, civil servants, and China's first known legal code. According to the information we've gleaned on the Xia Dynasty, it was the first known Chinese example of family rule, as the throne was passed down from father to son.

For years, modern scholars believed the Xia Dynasty to be mere myth; mere legend. Stories about it had been passed down through word of mouth alone. Official Chinese historian Sima Qian had finally written the Xia's history from oral tradition, but had not done so until just before 90 B.C. --- over 1,500 years after any of it supposedly existed. There was no satisfactory evidence for it, aside from this written record, and modern historians doubted the ability of oral tradition to be anywhere close to accurate historically. By the late 1950s, they were slowly proven wrong. Archaeologists began to hit on a good deal of evidence at exactly the site Qian had placed the Xia Dynasty and other smaller civilizations: bits and pieces of a very early culture that they began to put together were emerging following intensive excavations and analysis. Apparently word of mouth had been more accurate than expected. Old bronze tools, bronze weaponry, religious symbols, evidence of primitive urban life and many tombs were uncovered. They were tested, dated, and finally entered into the history books: Sima Qian's Xia Dynasty HAD existed.

Why should we care about the Xia Dynasty today?

It was the beginnings of an ancient culture. Those who peopled it were testing new ideas for the first time. There is evidence that starting with the Xia Dynasty, slavery was practiced. The Xia had the beginnings of bronze weaponry and tools, made pottery, were agrarian, communicated with spirits, and lived in large familial groups or tribes, which were headed up by the emperor, his ministers and their civil servants, according to legend.

We have very, very little left from the period from ANYWHERE in the world. That we've retained what we still have today is particularly remarkable. Below are two maps, as well as a few samples of what we've found in the decades since the late 1950s coming out of what was once the Xia Dynasty. You'll see a few pots and one small cup, all of which look very neat.

The Xia is a testament to the advancements we've made in science, in technology, and in keeping an open enough mind to refuse the dismissal of the people we once called mythological.

[Storico]

*note*

For anyone who cares about this thread progressing (hah! :wink:) I'm sick at the moment, I'm tired and I've been dealing with some other stuff, so when I feel more into it I'll hop back into Chinese/the other history and get going again. Should be that a few more days'll suffice.