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HistoryClass 11CBSE

Go through the chapter carefully and pick out some basic features of Roman society and economy which you think make it look quite modem.

We found that in Roman society women were quite financially independent in spite of getting married but got share of property from her natal house. It was the main feature of Roman society. This feature shows us that women were holding a strong status in the society. Another modem feature, we found from Roman economy was that there were very strong trading relations from across the Roman empire’s provinces, which shows that Roman economy was also very strong and provided the revenue to its government.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

Suppose the emperor Trajan had actually managed to conquer India and the Romans had held on to the country for several centuries. In what ways do you think India might be different today?

Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presided over the greatest military expansion in Roman history, leading the empire to attain its maximum territorial extent by the time of his death. He is also known for his philanthropic rule, overseeing extensive public building programmes and implementing social welfare policies, which earned him his enduring reputation as the second of the Five Good Emperors who presided over an era of peace and prosperity in the Mediterranean world. As per the above passage, we can conclude if India had been conquered by Trajan, he would have been the greatest ruler and extended philanthropic rule all over India. There must be absence of democratic ideas and democratic rights in India. The division of society will be on the basis of Roman society.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

Why do you think the Roman government stopped coining in silver? And which metal did it begin to use for the production of coinage?

The Roman government stopped coining in silver because the Spanish silver mine became empty, thus causing dearth of silver in the Roman empire. Now the Roman government began to use gold for the production of coinage.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

Imagine that you are a Roman housewife preparing a shopping list for household requirements. What would be on the list?

As a Roman housewife, I would like to include the following items in my list, while preparing a shopping list for household requirements-Roman glass painting, curtains, kitchen appliances, bed sheet, cushion cover, toys, furniture and other modem appliances of daily life.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

Compile a list of some of the towns, cities, rivers, seas and provinces mentioned in this chapter, and then try and find them on the maps. Can you say something about any three of the items in the list you have compiled?

Continents: Europe, North Africa. Island: Sicily Rivers: Nile, Rhine, Danube, Sind Sea: Mediterranean, Caspian, Black sea, Aegean sea. Provinces: Gaul, Numidia, Tunisia, Macedonia, etc. Towns and Cities: Constantinople, Naples, Damascus, Alexandria and Rome. (See

HistoryClass 11CBSE

If you had lived in the Roman Empire, where would you rather have lived—in the towns or in the countryside? Explain why?

I would have liked to live in towns of the Roman empire as it had better sources of earning and facility to fight with natural calamities that occurred frequently. In Roman city, there was such a structure which was quite strong to fight with the daily lives problems. Because towns were coming under the territory of city and they had been aided by the people who belonged to the political and business related fields.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

How does the following account enlarge upon the character of the Pax Mongolica created by the Mongols by the middle of the thirteenth century? The Franciscan monk, William of Rubruck, was sent by Louis IX of France on an embassy to the great Khan Mongke’s court. He reached Karakorum, the capital of Mongke, in 1254 and came upon a woman from Lorraine (in France) called Paquette, who had been brought from Hungary and was in the service of one of the prince’s wives who was a Nestorian Christian. At the court he came across a Parisian goldsmith named Guillaume Boucher, ‘whose brother dwelt on the Grand Pont in Paris’. This man was first employed by the Queen Sorghaqtani and then by Mongke’s younger brother. Rubruck found that at the great court festivals the Nestorian priests were admitted first, with their regalia, to bless the Grand Khan’s cup, and were followed by the Muslim clergy and Buddhist and Taoist monks.

Answer: The above account depicts the character of the Pax Mongolica by the middle of the 13th century: It became clear from the above incident that the French Monarch Louis IX had sent his ambassador William of Rubruck to Karakorum, the capital of Mongke in 1254. This depicts that Mongol rulers had established a well-knit relation with their neighbours. Guillaume Boucher proved that Mongol rulers lived with great pomp and show and they had brought servants to serve them from different parts of the world. They were paid good salaries. That is why they reached to serve Mongol court from far away. Mongol rulers were not fanatics and anxious to get the blessings of all the people. They recruited administrators and armed forces from people of all ethnic groups and religions. There was a multilingual, multi-religious regime that did not feel threatened by its pluralistic constitution. The above descriptions display the best aspect of Pax-Mongolica. It is said that in a vast empire, the Mongols had established such a rule that one could walk freely without the fear of robbery.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

Keeping the nomadic element of the Mongol and Bedouin societies in mind, how, in your opinion, did their respective historical experiences differ? What explanations would you suggest account for these differences?

Mongols were tribes in the steppes of central Asia, a diverse body of people linked by similarity in language to Tatars, Khitan and Manchus in east and Turkic tribes to the west. Bedouins were Arab tribes moving from dry to green desert in search of food and fodder for cattle. Some Mongols were pastoralists while others were hunter-gatherers. On the other hand, Bedouins were pastoralists, agriculturists and traders because of central Islamic lands surrounded by seas from four sides. The steppes inhabitants usually produced no literature , so our knowledge of nomadic societies under Mongols are quite different and the Italian and Latin versions of Marco- Polo’s Travels to the Mongol Court do not match.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

“If history relies upon written records produced by city-based literati, nomadic societies will always receive a hostile representation.” Would you agree with this statement ? Does it explain the reason why Persian chronicles produced such inflated figures of casualties resulting from Mongol campaigns? (HOTS)

Answer: Yes, I agree with the statement. I give the following reasons for my view. There were vast differences between The Secret Society of Mongols and Marco Polo’s Travelogues in terms of events and their descriptions. Being the transcontinental span of the Mongol empire, the sources were written in different languages. Persian chronicles produced inflated figures of casualties resulting from Mongol campaigns to prove their cruelty or to prove them as cruel assassins

HistoryClass 11CBSE

How do later Mongol reflections on the Yasa bring out the uneasy relationship they had with the memory of Genghis Khan?

Yasa were the rules and regulations. These were approved by Quritali during Genghis Khan’s reign. These rules were mainly concerned with Mongol army, hunting, postage system, social ladder, etc. They were compilation of traditions and customs that prevailed in Mongol tribal society itself.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

Why did Genghis Khan feel the need to fragment the Mongol tribes into new social and military groupings?

The following reasons forced Genghis Khan to fragment the Mongol tribes into new social and military groupings: Mongols were the inhabitants of the steppe region. They had their own separate identities. So in order to bring them in touch with other tribes, Genghis Khan took this step. Mongols were courageous people. Because of this nature, Genghis Khan organized them into military groups and established a formidable army. A sound military organization could be very helpful in trade also . Childhood experiences of Genghis Khan were also responsible for the fragmentation of Mongol tribes. Genghis Khan himself had to suffer a lot during his childhood.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

Why was trade so significant to the Mongols?

The region which was occupied by Mongols lacked natural resources. The steppe region of Central Asia had extreme climate. Cultivation of food was not possible there, only trade could help their survival. The Mongols were forced to trade as the scanty resources of the steppes did not help cultivation. So the Mongols traded with neighboring countries and it was beneficial for both the countries.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

Choose any two developments each from Timelines 1 and 2 at the end of the chapter and indicate why these are significant. Timeline 1 (mya) 36-24 mya Primates; Monkeys in Asia and Africa 24 mya (Superfamily) Hominoids; Gibbons, Asian orang-utan and African apes (gorilla, chimpanzee and bonobo or ‘pygmy’ chimpanzee) 6.4 mya Branching out of hominoids and hominids 5.6 mya Australopithecus 2.6-2.5 mya Earliest stone tools 2.5-2.0 mya Cooling and drying of Africa, resulting in decrease in woodlands and increase in grassland 2.5-2.0 mya Homo 2.2 mya Homo habilis 1.8 mya Homo erectus 1.3 mya Extinction of Australopithecus 0.8 mya ‘Archaic’ sapiens, Homo heidelbergensis 0.19-0.16 mya Homo sapiens (Modern humans) Timeline 2 (years ago) Earliest evidence of burials 300,000 Extinction of Homo erectus 200,000 Development of voice box 200,000 Archaic Homo sapiens skull in the Narmada valley, India 200,000¬ 130,000 Emergence of modern humans 195,000¬ 160,000 Emergence of Neanderthals 130,000 Earliest evidence of hearths 125,000 Extinction of Neanderthals 35,000 Earliest evidence of figurines made of fired clay 27,000 Invention of sewing needles 21,000

Answer: Developments from Timeline-1 The evidence of the first Hominids was found about 5.6 mya. The Hominids evolved from Hominoids. They had some common features. Hominids had larger brain than Hominoids. Hominids had an upright posture and bipedal locomotion. There was a marked difference in regard to hand. It helped them in use of tools. Around 2.5 mya, large parts of the earth were covered with snow. There were major changes in the environment. It led to expansion of grassland. Developments from Timeline-2 Around 200,000 years ago, the evolution of the voice box took place. After the evolution of voice box, now the man was about to speak and express his views. About 27,000 years ago, the earliest evidence of figurines made of fired clay was also found. The invention of sewing machines made the life of people more comfortable.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

Discuss the extent to which: (a) hunting and (b) constructing shelters would have been facilitated by the use of language. What other modes of communication could have been used for these activities?

(a) Use of language helped hunting activities of human beings in numerous ways: Now people are in a position of organizing and managing hunting expeditions They are now free to exchange their ideas about different animals in different regions. They could now discuss the nature and behavior of animals. They could now discuss regarding the types of tools to be used. (b) Language helped in constructing shelters for early humans in the following ways: Now people could discuss regarding secure and safe places for the construction of shelters. Now people could gather information about the materials used in the construction of shelter. Information regarding resources in and around their surroundings can be easily obtained. They were now in a position to discuss the means to protect their shelters in severe conditions. Other modes: Signs, symbols, cave paintings, engraving on walls and on the ceilings of caves were the other modes of communication used for various activities

HistoryClass 11CBSE

Which of the following do you think is best documented in the archaeological record: (a) gathering, (b) tool making and (c) use of fire?

Tool making is documented in the archaeological record.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

Discuss the arguments advanced in favor of the regional continuity model of human origins. Do you think it provides a convincing explanation of the archaeological evidence? Give reasons for your answer.

According to the Regional Continuity Model, the Homo sapiens evolved in different regions at different rates into modern humans. So there was a variation in the first appearance of modern humans in different parts of the world. It was based on the regional differences in the features of present day humans. The advocates of this view found that the dissimilarities are due to the differences between the Homo erectus and Homo heidelbergensis populations of the same regions. The Regional Continuity Model does not give a convincing explanation of the archaeological evidence.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

Humans and mammals such as monkeys and apes have certain similarities in behaviour and anatomy. This indicates that humans have possibly evolved from the . apes. List these resemblances in two columns under the headings of (a) behaviour and (b) anatomy. Are there any differences that are noteworthy?

Answer: Similarities (a) Behaviour: Humans Monkeys and Apes 1. Humans can climb on trees. Monkeys and apes can also climb on trees. 2. Mothers give birth to their young ones. Monkeys also give birth to their young ones. 3. They can walk long distances. They can also walk long distances. (b) Anatomy: Humans Monkeys and Apes 1. Humans are vertebrates. 1. They are also vertebrates. 2. Humans have two feet and two hands. 2. Monkeys and apes are also quadrupeds.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

What do ancient stories tell us about the civilization of Mesopotamia?

Ancient stories of Mesopotamia are valuable sources of information. As per the stories, Mesopotamia is situated between two rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates. Mesopotamia was one of the advanced civilizations of its time. Its society was divided into three classes, i.e. The upper class The middle class and The lower class People belonging to upper classes led a life full of comforts and luxury and enjoyed special privileges. Agriculture was the main occupation of the people. Their life was normally prosperous. Religion was an important part of their life and people worshiped many gods and goddesses. Shamas was their main God. It was the Sun. Ziggurat was the name given to Sumerian temples. Another description from the Bible: According to the Bible, the flood was meant to destroy all forms of life on the earth. However, God chose a man, Noah, to ensure that life could continue after devastating flood on the earth. Noah, built a huge boat, an ark. He took a pair each of all known species of animals and birds on the board, the arks which survived the flood. When other things were destroyed by the flood, his boat remained safe along with all the species. Thus began a new life on the earth. There was a similar striking story in Mesopotamian tradition, where the principal character was called Ziusudra or Utnapishtim.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

Of the new institutions that came into being once city life had begun, which would have depended on the initiative of the king?

Temple, trade, seal making , sculpture and the art of writing were the new institutions that came into being with the beginning of the city life. These institutions depended on the initiative of the king.

HistoryClass 11CBSE

Why would the early temple have been much like a house?

Early settlers began to build temples at selected spots in their villages. The earliest known temple was a small shrine made of unbaked bricks. These early temples were much like a house because they were small in size. There used to be an open courtyard around which rooms were constructed. Temples were the residence of various gods. Temples also had their outer wall going in and out at regular intervals, which no ordinary building ever had.

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