The economy continued to rely on slave labor. Technological advances facilitated agricultural development and trade. Economic expansion produced large cities. The Sumerians developed a writing system, cuneiform, around 3500 B.C.E. to make possible records of trade and property.
The Aztec’s Fall From Greatness The Aztec people created a mighty empire in Mexico. The ingenious Aztec society possessed a powerful military. According to u.s.history.com, “They had to conquer powerful rivals to control the region and establish Tenochtitlan as their capital city.” (Aztecs) It was the beginning of the end for the Aztec people when Hernan Cortes, a Spanish conquistador, intruded on the east coast of Mexico. How did Cortes and his soldiers defeat the mighty Aztecs? Many factors influenced the conquering of the Aztec people by the Spaniards including the Aztec’s religion, Spain’s superior weapons, alliances, and disease.
People of high social class would were special clothing to set them apart from the other Maya. farmers were in the lowest Mayan social classes. Slaves, who were usually prisoners of war, were the bottom of Mayan society. Many Mayan cities had pyramids with temples on top that were used for religious ceremonies. The priests were powerful because the Mayans believed that only the priests could perform the religious ceremonies that were needed to please the Mayan gods.
Seasonal flooding fertilized the land for the next year's crops and Agriculture was essential for survival, growth, and economic success. The Mesopotamians Sumerian city-states was based on farming and trade.The people of Mesopotamia were known for their metalwork, woolen textiles, and pottery. Copper, tin, and timber were imported goods exchanged for dried fish, wool, wheat, and metal goods. The second difference is the social structure. In mesopotamia There were three major social groups in the Sumerian city-states, the nobles, commoners, and the slaves.
As with other ancient economies, agriculture was the basis of Roman economy. However, the Romans organized their economy in a way that was hitherto unprecedented in the Mediterranean. For once, agriculture became centered on large plantations called latifunda [3]., who employed hundreds of slave laborers and producing various crops for urban markets. Crops were produced regionally; vineyards sprung up in Gaul, olive oil was produced in North Africa and Spain, and wheat was imported from Egypt. Although agriculture was important, so was trade: An extensive road network, along with massive amounts of coinage, were issued to facilitate trade.
They also needed human sacrifice. The Aztecs had a monarch that had religious and secular powers. Around was the royal family who elects the next monarch. To advise him into doing the right thing were a small group of lords headed by a prime minister who was at the top of the government and a bureaucracy. Their power was limited past the capital.
They were also very religious and worshipped not just one God but various that were related to nature such as the God of the sun, the moon, rain and corn. The Mayans created many temples and palaces in the shape of pyramids. By doing this they were known as the great artists of Mesoamerica. They were very smart by the advances they made in mathematics and astronomy which we still use today such as the 365 day calendar. It was believed that the Mayan’s were priests and scribes and very peaceful but not all of the Maya culture was due to the Mayan war between city-states and the torture and human sacrifice in their religious rituals.
The Senate of Rome had most control over the citizens. Han China did not allow lower class citizens to have a say on how the empire was ruled; while, Imperial Rome had a senate to represent their plebeian’s or ordinary people. Another difference between the Han China and Imperial Rome was that the emperor of Han China had been chosen through the family and the citizens of Imperial Rome chose their ruler. Han China and Imperial Rome emphasized territorial expansion in both of their societies. They perceived threats to security; this led to war and then increased the length of border.
The Maya and Shang relied on similar agricultural methods and political structures with small kingdoms and one ruler; however, they differed culturally since the Shang had no religion and the Mayans did. Both civilizations organized into hierarchies of power, although the Mayan small city-kingdom system worked better than the Shang decentralized states. Unlike the Mayans, the Shang had many governors and trusted them to carry out the orders. However, the governors were not hundred percent loyal to their king and rebelled a lot. The only reason they stayed in power for a certain time was that they could monopolize their bronze.
Egyptians traded grain and linen for Kush`s gold, ivory, leather, and timber. They were also forced to pay tribute to Egypt in forms of gifts. Kushites gave gold, cattle, ebony, ostrich feathers and slaves. Kush`s location and natural resources made it an important trading center. They tried to work out trade agreements with Egypt that would allow them free access to the Mediterranean via the Nile River.