BIO-HISTORY-ENGLISH HOMEWORK

The second week of class covers ancient societies and civilizations in Africa and South Asia. Because of my error, I have included some questions from last week's conference, some of which I have rewritten. If you answered one of the questions last week, please do not answer the same one this week. My apologies to all of you for this mistake.

Please answer at least ONE of the following questions. Remember to answer as completely as possible, and explain using specific facts, events, and other points. Organize the answers and produce well-written efforts. Work to develop the answer beyond basic facts by explaining points fully. Work to post your main answer by Thursday to help your colleagues and to avoid the Sunday rush.

As a short cut, you may cite the text as "Bentley and Ziegler, 108" (noting authors and page numbers). Other sources should be cited fully using the University of Chicago Style (Turabian). When in doubt, cite and reference completely.

1. Discuss human societies and states in Africa. What develops and where? How do human migrations affect the regions of Africa? Who is involved and what results from these movements?

2. How does Egyptian civilization develop? How does it differ from Mesopotamian? How is it similar? Explain. How does it change over time and why? Explain Egyptian religion and compare it to other societies' beliefs.

3. Why is it said that Egyptian society is conservative? Do you agree or disagree? Why? Explain. Does the longevity of Egyptian society influence this outlook? Compare Egyptian stability with those Mesopotamian states we studied last week.

4. Who were the Bantu and what are the Bantu migrations? Explain, providing specifics as to location, dates, and the impact of these movements of people.

5. Compare the Egyptian-Nubian and Bantu-sub-Saharan societies. What is similar about them? What is different? In agriculture? Technology? Religion? Explain.

6. When and how does the Indus River Valley or Harrapan civilization develop? What specifics of its development are similar from the previous river civilizations we studied (Egypt and Mesopotamia)? How is Harrapan society different? Explain, providing examples.

7. Why is Indo-European migration important for the development of Indian civilization after 1500 B.C. (BCE)? Who are the Aryans? How do the Aryans influence this Indian civilization? Who are the Dravidians? How does their society change with these migrations? Discuss.

8. How does Indian society develop as a result of the movement of peoples? Discuss politics, religion, and society. How does this South Asian civilization compare with others we have studied? Discuss some differences. What similarities exist? Explain, using examples.

9. After answering one of the questions above, are there any other issues or questions you would like to your colleagues to consider. Please post here and discuss.