Art history essay 200-300 words
THE MEDIEVAL LIFE AND MIND A GOLDEN AGE IN ASIA • China reunified under the Sui Dynasty, expanded under the Tang Dynasty, and devoted itself to cultural endeavors under the Song. • Japan’s Imperial Court reached a high -point culturally in literature and architecture during the Heian Period. SOCIAL STRUCTURE IN IMPERIAL CHINA Emperor and Imperial Court were at the top of society Scholar -gentry followed in status but not in wealth Nobility held wealth and land but not the same status as those who earned their place through merit Peasants provided food and labor Merchants held lowest post because their contributions did not benefit society. This relaxed briefly during the Tang Dynasty. HIGHLY CENTRALIZED SOCIETY Centralized Rule meant centralized wealth Construction of Grand Canal Construction of Palace Complexes Construction on Great Wall Commissions for Music Commissions for Art NEO - C ONFUCIANISM With the rise of the Song, China re -instated the Imperial Academy and the exam system for officials. The Imperial Academy trained people for government service. In theory, it created a meritocracy – those with merit ruled. Three level of exams determined level of service:
local, regional, imperial. TRADE ON SEA AND LAND Advances in ship building allowed the Chinese to expand trade into the Indian Ocean.
Technologies like the compass, rudder, maps, etc.
will make their way to the Mediterranean. Luxury goods make China a destination for trade Silk, herbs, tea, spices, porcelain HEIAN JAPAN Often compared to Europe as a Feudal Society.
Power -struggle between Shogun and Emperor. Territory divided into many holdings – but a different system of ownership Cultural unity forged through language and religion Nara Period (710 -784 CE) adopted Chinese Central Rule based in Nara Nara Period replaced by Heian Period when the Fujiwara Family dominated.
794 -1185 CE Capital moved to Kyoto Refinement of court and aesthetic practices COURTLY REFINEMENT Cultural Achievement Literary Accomplishments Emphasis on Poetry Reflection on natural world and impermanence Exemplified by Tale of Genji A GOLDEN AGE IN THE MIDDLE EAST • Baghdad was established as a center of learning in the 700s and flourished into the 1200s. • Significant contributions to philosophy, mathematics, and medicine were made alongside achievements in literature. A CENTER OF TRADE Umayyad Expansion • 750 CE – controlled land on three sides of the Mediterranean • Expanded along silk roads toward India – halting at Samarkand • Merchants made in - roads in the Indian Ocean trade • Brought an abundance of crops, luxury items, etc. back to the Mediterranean. A CENTER OF LEARNING Baghdad • Under the rule of the Abbasid Caliphate • Caliph Harun al -Rashid commissioned the construction of a center of learning. • Gathered books from the Mediterranean to Persia • Scholars studied humanities, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, alchemy, chemistry, zoology, geography, and cartography. WE CAN MEASURE THE INFLUENCE IN WORDS:
English words borrowed from Arabic:
Adobe, alcohol, alcove, alfalfa, algebra, algorithm, almanac, apricot, arsenal, artichoke, calico, camphor, candy, carafe, check, checkmate, chemistry, chess, coffee, cork, cotton, crimson, elixir, gazelle, genie, giraffe, hazard, hookah, jar, jasmine, julep, kabob, lilac, lemon, lime, loofah, magazine, mask, mattress, monsoon, orange, ottoman, racket, ream, safari, sash, satin, scarlet, sequin, sherbet, shrub, sofa, spinach, sugar, syrup, tariff, tell, zenith, zero… How many do you use each day? CRASH COURSE VIDEO: TRADE A DARK AGE IN THE WEST • Europe worked to reconcile Roman and Germanic traditions. • Learning was centered in monasteries. • Trade was localized. • Travel and pilgrimage was common. RECONCILING ROOTS Germanic Germanic peoples well established in Roman Empire by 200CE 500CE – German kings replaced Roman Empire Kin -based society Germanic warrior caste dominates Familial law Roman Collapse of Empire meant loss of Greek language (language of the elite) Bureaucratic structures preserved in the Church Civil Law remains in the hands of the Church Plantation system reverts to manors. THE DIFFERENCES WILL MERGE… Local Languages persist while Latin is the language of the educated. Family Bond structured society and patriarchy ordered gender relations and roles albeit at the level of the household. Law was personal and familial. Harm to an individual was harm to the family.
Feuds were normal and could last generations. Wergeld (payment), ordeals (torture), jousting (chivalric fights) were a way to control the violence. Society organized around the plantations/manors. They became insular units. FEUDALISM – A SYNTHESIS Invasions from the Vikings (North), Magyars (East), and Muslims (South) will force a process of centralization. Manors become refuges and Feudalism cements the bond between town, country, and lord. VIKING SHIP HOW FEUDALISM WORKED HOW DOES THIS SHAPE MEDIEVAL EUROPE?
No central state to defend subjects Kings were elected (initially – this established birth right) or appointed to direct protection, and were crowned by the Pope. Local lord received land from the King and gave protection in exchange for service/labor.
Lords swore loyalty to the King and received land which they then divided among their vassals/knights. Knights were the warriors and pledged protection and soldiers to the lord Knights were loyal to the lord and protected while overseeing the peasants who worked the land. Peasants did not own land and worked for protection and trade THE MEDIEVAL MANOR FEUDALISM CHANGES WITH… Power -struggles Kings and Popes challenge each other for access to resources, military, and labor. Crusades Start as an attempt to raise a papal army but enrich, instead, the monarchs of Europe. Renewed Long -distance Trade Travel and trade are renewed with footholds in the Eastern Mediterranean. We can trace the change through the literature, architecture, and art. CRASH COURSE VIDEO: DARK AGES IN CONCLUSION Middle Ages is a more apt description than Dark Ages. Great accomplishments are taking place across Eurasia Our measure must take in the whole of the continent and not simply the West.
