philosophy - mrwoodapworldhistory.files.wordpress.com · web view02.09.2017 · the parthenon is...
TRANSCRIPT
Name: ______________________________AP World History Classical Period 600 BCE – 600 CE – KEY CONCEPT 2.1: The DEVELOPMENT & CODIFICATION of RELIGIOUS & CULTURAL TRADITIONS Part III – Other Belief systems of the Classical Era
Standard 4.0 3.5 Not a 3.5 yet
3.10.2 Create a system of organization to sequence ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions
50 – 43 points
42- 34 points Less than 34 points
Take complete notes of the packet _______/10 pointsShort Answer Question (SAQ) Test _____/40 points
Step one – in a group of three use your phone(s) to look up the following word and write a definition in your own words.
Tough Test Terms
Interregional- ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Integration- ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
General History TermsCosmopolitan:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Indigenous ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Greco-Roman Philosophy1. PHILOSOPHY
Definition-
Historical significance-
2. SOCRATES Definition-
Historical significance-
3. SOCRATIC METHOD Definition-
Historical significance-
4. PLATO Definition-
Historical significance-
5. The ALLEGORY of the CAVE Definition-
Historical significance-
6. ARISTOTLE Definition-
Historical significance-
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7. SCIENTIFIC METHOD Definition-
Historical significance-
Go to the following website that is linked to Mr. Wood’s website – FreemanPedia – 2.1 – Greek Philosophy - http://www.freeman-pedia.com/philosophy
Draw in and outline how far the Greco-Roman World spread
This is how far many Greek philiosphical ideas and culture were able to spread in the Classica Era!!
- We can thank Alexander the Great for this!!
Go to APWorldipedia Key Concept 2.1 - http://apworldipedia.com/index.php?title=Key_Concept_2.1_The_Development_and_Codification_of_Religious_and_Cultural_Traditions
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II. New belief systems and cultural traditions emerged and spread, often asserting universal truths.
E. Hellenism is the culture of ancient Greece as spread across the ancient world by Alexander of Macedonia (the
Great). Alexander’s father, Phillip of Macedonia, sent his son to Greece where he was a student of Aristotle. There
he learned the Hellenistic culture. Although there was much religion in Athens, there was generally no religious
caste or priestly order to decide what the official version of any body of knowledge was.
As a result, Athens placed a higher premium on individual inquiry than any of the other classical civilizations.
Because they believed the world to be rational and symmetrical, the Greeks stressed logic and systematic thinking;
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western philosophy was born. They were curious about the nature of the world and were not hindered in their
attempt to formulate theories about it. The Greeks never did establish a veritable science; they placed too much
emphasis on theories without ever subjecting those theories to physical experiments. In other words, they would
hold to a hypothesis about the physical world if no logical argument could be found to contradict it; they would never
test the hypothesis experimentally. They came up with half of the scientific method.
This culture placed a high regard on symmetry, proportion, and the pursuit of the ideal. Greek statues do not so
much depict an individual person as they do celebrate an ideal. (See an excellent video on this HERE.) Most all
Greek statues have identical proportions (the height six times the length of the foot; hence our modern
measurements). The Parthenon is a model of symmetry and proportionality.
As these elements of Greek culture became more cosmopolitan with the expanding empire of Alexander the Greek,
the resulting culture was called Hellenism. Alexander purposefully attempted to spread this culture (after defeating
Persia he ordered ten thousand of his troops to remain in Persia and marry Persian women in order to establish
Greek families there.) Hellenism influenced India for a short time as well. But when cultural contact with India
ceased, the Greek influence soon disappeared.
E. Write notes here
Take notes on the following video from Mr. Wood’s website Ancient Greek Philosophy- -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmHAdgDkcCw
Focus your notes on philosophy, Socrates, and Plato
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Take notes on the following video from Mr. Wood’s website - Plato’s Allegory of the Cave - Alex Gendler - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RWOpQXTltATake notes on the main points of The Allegory of the Cave –
Use the SCAP steps to interpet and analyze the following primary source
Plato's Allegory of the cave
" And now, I said (Plato), let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened: --Behold! human beings living in a underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets.
I see.
And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall? Some of them are talking, others silent.
You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners.
S- Speaker
What’s the speaker’s POV?
C- Context
Does this fit in an “age” or an “era”?
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A- Audience
Who is the speaker writing for? Does the audience “side” with the speaker?
P- Purpose
Can you summarize in one sentence, the main idea, argument, or persuasion in the doc?
Part II: Artistic Expression and Architecture Vocabulary
1. Dionysus
Definition-
Historical significance-
2. Alexander the Great Definition-
Historical significance-
3. Bactria – Definition-
Historical significance-
4. Koine- Definition-
Historical significance- 6
Greek Art and Arcitecture
Take notes on the following video from Mr. Wood’s website - Greek Sculpture (BBC: How Art Made The World) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-nMtUrmsVI
What were the goals of Greek Sculpture?
How did he divide the body? (feel free to draw a picture if you want) - the goal was to be “more human than human”
How did they exaggerate their sculputres?
Take notes on the following Reading
- ANCIENT GREEK ART - http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/ancient-greek-art/print
In around 450 B.C., the Athenian general Pericles tried to consolidate his power by using public money, the dues paid to Athens by its allies in the Delian League coalition, to support the city-state’s artists and thinkers. Most of all, Pericles paid artisans to build temples and other public buildings in the city of Athens. He reasoned that this way he could win the support of the Athenian people by doling out plenty of construction jobs; at the same time, by building public monuments so grand that people would come from far and wide to see them, he could increase Athens’ prestige as well as his own.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF CLASSICAL GREECEThe most noteworthy result of Pericles’ public-works campaign was the magnificent Parthenon, a temple in honor of the city’s patron goddess Athena. The architects Iktinos and Kallikrates and the sculptor Pheidias began work on the temple in the middle of the 5th century B.C. The Parthenon was
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built atop the Acropolis, a natural pedestal made of rock that was the site of the earliest settlements in Athens, and Pericles invited other people to build there as well: In 437 B.C., for example, the architect Mnesikles started to build a grand gateway known as the Propylaia at its western end, and at the end of the century, artisans added a smaller temple for Athena—this one in honor of her role as the goddess of victory, Athena Nike—along with one for Athena and Erechtheus, an Athenian king. Still, the Parthenon remained the site’s main attraction.
TEMPLE ARCHITECTUREWith its rectangular stone platform, front and back porches (the pronaos and the opisthodomos) and rows of columns, the Parthenon was a commanding example of Greek temple architecture. Typically, the people of ancient Greece did not worship inside their temples as we do today. Instead, the interior room (the naos or the cella) was relatively small, housing just a statue of the deity the temple was built to honor. Worshippers gathered outside, entering only to bring offerings to the statue.
The temples of classical Greece all shared the same general form: Rows of columns supporting a horizontal entablature (a kind of decorative molding) and a triangular roof. At each end of the roof, above the entablature, was a triangular space known as the pediment, into which sculptors squeezed elaborate scenes. On the Parthenon, for example, the pediment sculptures show the birth of Athena on one end and a battle between Athena and Poseidon on the other.So that people standing on the ground could see them, these pediment sculptures were usually painted bright colors and were arrayed on a solid blue or red background. This paint has faded with age; as a result, the pieces of classical temples that survive today appear to be made of white marble aloneWrite notes here
Take notes on the following video from Mr. Wood’s website - Greece: Engineering an Empire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5d2-BmEa_YI
Watch from 36:40 - 39:10 – take a few notes on the style of the Partheon and Athena
Use the following the OPTIC steps for the following two images below
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Greeks sought cultural and philosophical ideals such as symmetry and rationalityOverview Look at the entire visual image- write 2-3 details that explains what is in this image. This is “big picture,” and
not a small detail in part of the image.
Parts Focus on the parts of the visual (read labels, look for symbols, study the details). Write 2-3 details about what the individual parts/symbols mean or represent?
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Title Write the title and 2-3 details about what the title tells you about the image.
I learned that Name 2-3 major ideas or concepts that you learned from this map
Context Use the clues in the visual image to establish when the document was created. Provide 2-3 examples that show this (if the year is listed that counts as one).
Go to APWorldipedia Key Concept 2.1 - http://apworldipedia.com/index.php?title=Key_Concept_2.1_The_Development_and_Codification_of_Religious_and_Cultural_Traditions
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V. Artistic expressions, including literature and drama, architecture, and sculpture, show distinctive cultural developments.
A. As major religions solidified and matured during this classical age, so did forms of artistic expression. Literary
traditions continued to be codified. Some areas developed distinctive forms of art, such as drama. Indeed, for the
gift of theater we owe a debt to the ancient Greeks. Today's spectator based activities, from modern Broadway
shows, to stadium sports, to religious services, illustrate the influence of Greek theater.
Theater was born out of the religious festivals of the Greek god Dionysus. The worship of Dionysus, which involved
erratic, intoxicated dancing under the influence of wine, seems to have been influenced by Central Asian
shamanism. The festivals became so sensational that they later drew spectators, and the participants--soon to be
called actors--began consciously performing for their audiences. The performances evolved into dramatic
recreations of historical situations, comedic portrayals of the human condition, satires of current politicians, and
explorations of the tragedies of fate.
Theatrical competitions--probably created to bring cultural unity to the city-states of ancient Greece--reinforced this
form of art across the region of Attica (a region of Greece that included Athens.) Even when the cult of Dionysus
was made illegal, this form of art continued and produced many well known actors and playwrights. Amphitheaters
across the Greco-Roman world attest to the popularity of drama.
A.
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Take notes on the following Reading
Greek Tragedyhttp://www.ancient.eu/Greek_Tragedy/by Mark Cartwright published on 16 March 2013
Greek tragedy was a popular and influential form of drama performed in theatres across ancient Greece from the late 6th century BCE. The most famous playwrights of the genre were Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides and many of their works were still performed centuries after their initial premiere. Greek tragedy led to Greek comedy and, together, these genres formed the foundation upon which all modern theatre is based.
THE ORIGINS OF TRAGEDY
The exact origins of tragedy (tragōida) are debated amongst scholars. Some have linked the rise of the genre, which began in Athens, to the earlier art form, the lyrical performance of epic poetry. Others suggest a strong link with the rituals performed in the worship of Dionysos such as the sacrifice of goats - a song ritual called trag-ōdia - and the wearing of masks. Indeed, Dionysos became known as the god of theatre and perhaps there is another connection - the drinking rites which resulted in the worshipper losing full control of their emotions and in effect becoming another person, much as actors (hupokritai) hope to do when performing. The music and dance of Dionysiac ritual was most evident in the role of the chorus and the music provided by an aulos player, but rhythmic elements were also preserved in the use of first, trochaic tetrameter and then iambic trimeter in the delivery of the spoken words.
A TRAGEDY PLAY
Performed in an open-air theatre (theatron) such as that of Dionysos in Athens and seemingly open to all of the male populace (the presence of women is contested), the plot of a tragedy was almost always inspired by episodes from Greek mythology,
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which we must remember were often a part of Greek religion. As a consequence of this serious subject matter, which often dealt with moral right and wrongs, no violence was permitted on the stage and the death of a character had to be heard from offstage and not seen. Similarly, at least in the early stages of the genre, the poet could not make comments or political statements through the play, and the more direct treatment of contemporary events had to wait for the arrival of the less austere and conventional genre, Greek comedy.
THE WRITERS OF TRAGEDY
The last of the classic tragedy poets was Euripides (c. 484-407 BCE), known for his clever dialogues, fine choral lyrics and a certain realism in his text and stage presentation. He liked to pose awkward questions and unsettle the audience with his thought-provoking treatment of common themes. This is probably why, although he was popular with the public, he won only a few festival competitions. Of around 90 plays, 19 survive, amongst the most famous being Medeia - where Jason, of the Golden Fleece fame, abandons the title character for the daughter of the King of Corinth with the consequence that Medeia kills her own children in revenge.
THE LEGACY OF TRAGEDY
Although plays were specifically commissioned for competition during religious and other types of festivals, many were re-performed and copied into scripts for ‘mass’ publication. Those scripts regarded as classics, particularly by the three great Tragedians, were even kept by the state as official and unalterable state documents. Also, the study of the ‘classic’ plays became an important part of the school curriculum.
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There were, however, new plays continuously being written and performed, and with the formation of actors’ guilds in the 3rd century BCE and the mobility of professional troupes, the genre continued to spread across the Greek world with theatres becoming a common feature of the urban landscape from Magna Graecia to Asia Minor.
In the Roman world, tragedy plays were translated and imitated in Latin, and the genre gave rise to a new art form from the 1st century BCE, pantomime, which drew inspiration from the presentation and subject matter of Greek tragedy.
Take notes on the following video from Mr. Wood’s webpage: An Introduction to Greek Theatre- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSRLK7SogvE
- Watch and take a few notes – 5-6 would be alright.
Ancient Roman AqueductsAn aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose. In a more restricted use, aqueduct (occasionally water bridge) applies to any bridge or viaduct that transports water - instead of a path, road or railway - across a gap. Large navigable aqueducts are used as transport links for boats or ships. Aqueducts must span a crossing at the same level as the watercourses on each end. The word is derived from the Latin aqua ("water") and ducere ("to lead").
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The Romans constructed aqueducts to bring a constant flow of water from distant sources into cities and towns, supplying public baths, latrines, fountains and private households. Waste water was removed by the sewage systems and released into nearby bodies of water, keeping the towns clean and free from noxious waste. Some aqueducts also served water for mining, processing, manufacturing, and agriculture.
Aqueducts moved water through gravity alone, along a slight downward gradient within conduits of stone, brick or concrete. Most were buried beneath the ground, and followed its contours; obstructing peaks were circumvented or less often, tunneled through. Where valleys or lowlands intervened, the conduit was carried on bridgework, or its contents fed into high-pressure lead, ceramic or stone pipes and siphoned across. Most aqueduct systems included sedimentation tanks, sluices and distribution tanks to regulate the supply at need.
Rome's first aqueduct supplied a water-fountain sited at the city's cattle-market. By the 3rd century AD, the city had eleven aqueducts, to sustain a population of over 1,000,000 in a water-extravagant economy; most of the water supplied the city's many public baths. Cities and municipalities throughout the Roman Empire emulated this model, and funded aqueducts as objects of public interest and civic pride, "an expensive yet necessary luxury to which all could, and did, aspire."
Most Roman aqueducts proved reliable, and durable; some were maintained into the early modern era, and a few are still partly in use. Methods of aqueduct surveying and construction are given by Vitruvius in his work De Architectura (1st century BC). The general Frontinus gives more detail, in his official report on the problems, uses and abuses of Imperial Rome's public water supply. Notable examples of aqueduct architecture include the supporting piers of the Aqueduct of Segovia, and the aqueduct-fed cisterns of Constantinople.
BackgroundBefore their development of aqueduct technology, Romans, like most of their contemporaries in the ancient world, relied on local water sources such as springs and streams, supplemented by groundwater from privately or publicly owned wells, and by seasonal rain-water drained from rooftops into storage jars and cisterns. The reliance of ancient communities of such water resources restricted their potential growth. Rome's aqueducts were not strictly Roman inventions Ð their engineers would have been familiar with the ancient, tried and tested water-management technologies of Etruscan neighbors and Greek allies Ð but they proved conspicuously successful. By the early Imperial era, the city's aqueducts supported a population of over a million, and an extravagant water supply for public amenities such as baths, fountains and latrines had become a fundamental requirement for a civilized, Roman life.
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This may surprise you, but Romans often thought they were the best thing to ever happen. They liked to mock the Ziggurats and Pyramids for serving no purpose. Enter the Aqueduct. Aqueducts carry water from fresh springs to areas without water. This one is in France. It is the highest and one of the best preserved. I'm amazed living in the Southern US and seeing Civil War battlefields. I think to myself, "Wow. This is so historic." This is about 2,000 years older. Amazing. After Rome fell, you would think that this would have been taken apart to build huts (or some other medieval junk). But, after the mineral deposits caused it to no longer carry water, it became a toll bridge. Talk about a demotion. ROMAN USE: Water to fountains, baths, homes, farms. MEDIEVAL USE: We can walk on it. This is still one of France's biggest tourist attractions.
Overview Look at the entire visual image- write 2-3 details that explains what is in this image. This is “big picture,” and not a small detail in part of the image.
Parts Focus on the parts of the visual (read labels, look for symbols, study the details). Write 2-3 details about what the individual parts/symbols mean or represent?
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Title Write the title and 2-3 details about what the title tells you about the image.
I learned that Name 2-3 major ideas or concepts that you learned from this map
Context Use the clues in the visual image to establish when the document was created. Provide 2-3 examples that show this (if the year is listed that counts as one).
Hindu Architecture
Go to APWorldipedia Key Concept 2.1 - http://apworldipedia.com/index.php?title=Key_Concept_2.1_The_Development_and_Codification_of_Religious_and_Cultural_Traditions
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V. Artistic expressions, including literature and drama, architecture, and sculpture, show distinctive cultural developments.
B. As literature and other forms of artistic expression were forming, architectural styles were being codified. The
Greeks produced distinctive forms of architecture which reflected their values of symmetry, rationalism, and
proportionality.
Classical Indian architecture reflected the religious and cultural values of Hindu society. The plan of the temple was
representative of the order of the cosmos. Although the entire temple is a sacred place, not all rooms are afforded
the same level of reverence. The temple complex usually has a courtyard or anteroom though which worshipers first
enter. Then, as one enters the temple itself, there are small congregational rooms. Finally,the center, or "womb
chamber", is almost always a square and houses the image or representation of the god. This main chamber is the
holiest place in the temple and requires quiet reverence and prayer. Thus the temple design reflects spacial
hierarchies similar to the hierarchies of the Hindu caste system. B.
Use the OPTIC steps for the following series of pictures
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Overview Look at the entire visual image- write 2-3 details that explains what is in this image. This is “big picture,” and not a small detail in part of the image.
Parts Focus on the parts of the visual (read labels, look for symbols, study the details). Write 2-3 details about what the individual parts/symbols mean or represent?
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Indian temple architecture reflects the religious cosmology of Hinduism
Title Write the title and 2-3 details about what the title tells you about the image.
I learned that Name 2-3 major ideas or concepts that you learned from this map
Context Use the clues in the visual image to establish when the document was created. Provide 2-3 examples that show this (if the year is listed that counts as one).
Buddhist Architectre Take notes on the following reading:
The stupa- https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/beginners-guide-asian-culture/buddhist-art-culture/a/the-stupa
Can a mound of dirt represent the Buddha, the path to Enlightenment, a mountain and the universe all at the same time? It can if it is a stupa. The stupa (“stupa” is Sanskrit for heap) is an important form of Buddhist architecture, though it predates Buddhism. It is generally considered to be a sepulchral monument—a place of burial or a receptacle for religious objects. At its simplest, a stupa is a dirt burial mound faced with stone. In Buddhism, the earliest stupas contained portions of the Buddha’s ashes, and as a result, the stupa began to be associated with the body of the Buddha. Adding the Buddha’s ashes to the mound of dirt activated it with the energy of the Buddha himself.
Early stupasBefore Buddhism, great teachers were buried in mounds. Some were cremated, but sometimes they were buried in a seated, meditative position. The mound of earth covered them up. Thus, the domed shape of the stupa came to represent a person seated in meditation much as the Buddha was when he achieved Enlightenment and knowledge of the Four Noble Truths. The base of the stupa represents his crossed legs as he sat in a meditative pose (called padmasana or the lotus position). The middle portion is the Buddha’s body and the top of the mound, where a pole rises from the apex surrounded by a small fence, represents his head. Before images of the human Buddha were created, reliefs often depicted practitioners demonstrating devotion to a stupa.
The ashes of the Buddha were buried in stupas built at locations associated with important events in the Buddha’s life including Lumbini (where he was born), Bodh Gaya (where he achieved Enlightenment), Deer Park at Sarnath (where he
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preached his first sermon sharing the Four Noble Truths (also called the dharma or the law), and Kushingara (where he died). The choice of these sites and others were based on both real and legendary events.
“Calm and glad"According to legend, King Ashoka, who was the first king to embrace Buddhism (he ruled over most of the Indian subcontinent from c. 269 - 232 B.C.E.), created 84,000 stupas and divided the Buddha’s ashes among them all. While this is an exaggeration (and the stupas were built by Ashoka some 250 years after the Buddha’s death), it is clear that Ashoka was responsible for building many stupas all over northern India and the other territories under the Mauryan Dynasty in areas now known as Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
One of Ashoka's goals was to provide new converts with the tools to help with their new faith. In this, Ashoka was following the directions of the Buddha who, prior to his death (parinirvana), directed that stupas should be erected in places other than those associated with key moments of his life so that “the hearts of many shall be made calm and glad.” Ashoka also built stupas in regions where the people might have difficulty reaching the stupas that contained the Buddha’s ashes.
One of the most famous stupas, The Great Stupa (Mahastupa) was built at the birthplace of Ashoka’s wife, Devi, daughter of a local merchant. in the village of Sanchi located on an important trade route in the state of Madya Pradesh, India (photo: Nagarjun Kandukuru, CC: BY 2.0)
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Overview Look at the entire visual image- write 2-3 details that explains what is in this image. This is “big picture,” and not a small detail in part of the image.
Parts Focus on the parts of the visual (read labels, look for symbols, study the details). Write 2-3 details about what the individual parts/symbols mean or represent?
Title Write the title and 2-3 details about what the title tells you about the image.
I learned that Name 2-3 major ideas or concepts that you learned from this map
Context Use the clues in the visual image to establish when the document was created. Provide 2-3 examples that show this (if the year is listed that counts as one).
http://apworldipedia.com/index.php?title=Key_Concept_2.1_The_Development_and_Codification_of_Religious_and_Cultural_Traditions
Greco-Buddhist Archtecture _ Influence of Alexander the Great V. Artistic expressions, including literature and drama, architecture, and sculpture, show distinctive cultural developments.
C. There were key interactions during the classical age between societies and these contacts brought significant cultural exchanges. Many of these occurred on the trade routes between civilizations. But invasion also brought cultures in contact and blended important styles and beliefs. After Alexander the Great invaded and then withdrew from Central Asia, Greek and Buddhist cultures blended into a unique mixture. In the Hellenistic kingdoms Alexander established in present day Afghanistan and Pakistan (such as Bactria), this hybrid culture can be seen clearly.C.
Watch the following video linked to Mr. Wood’s Website and take notes: Age of Alexander: Engineering an Empire- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdpYtF7V5Eg18:05 – 27:45Focus your notes on the following – Hellenism/Hellenistic culture, Agora, Theatre
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Watch the following video linked to Mr. Wood’s Website and take notes: Impact of Alexander the Great - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsB2pF63AL4
Watch from 7:00 – 9:20, 10:40 – 14:15, 22:25- 23:40
Part III – Shamanism, Animism and Ancestor Worship
Vocabulary1. Shamanism Definition-
Historical significance-
2. Animism Definition-
Historical significance-
3. Ancestor WorshipDefinition-
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Historical significance-
4. Oracle BonesDefinition-
Historical significance-
Take notes on the following reading from AP Worldipedia -.
IV. Other religious and cultural traditions, including shamanism, animism, and ancestor veneration, persisted.
A. As the foundations were being laid for what would become the major world religions, other less codified beliefs
thrived. Some of these beliefs were not religions per se, but rather orientations and practices concerned with
spiritual things. Shamanism, for example, is not a religion, but a set of practices geared toward manipulating the
natural world through rites and ceremonies performed by a shaman, an individual thought to have connections with
the supernatural forces of the universe.
Closely related to Shamanism is Animism which holds that objects in the material world are inhabited by spirits. In
actuality, animism does not generally make a distinction between the physical and spiritual realms. The practice of
animism varies widely in different parts of the world.
Both Shamanism and Animism were primarily found outside the areas in which religious traditions were being
codified, However, elements of both could be found in major civilizations, particularly among those who did not learn
to read.
A.
Take notes on the following website link
Shamanism- http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/shamanism
"Because it is not an organized religion as such, but rather a spiritual practice, shamanism cuts across all faiths and creeds, reaching deep levels of ancestral memory. As a primal
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belief system, which precedes established religion, it has its own symbolism and cosmology, inhabited by beings, gods, and totems, who display similar characteristics although they appear in various forms, depending upon their places of origin."
~John Matthews, The Celtic Shaman
What is shamanism?Shamanism is a spiritual practice found in cultures around the world from ancient times up to the present day. First and foremost, shamans' practices are practical and adaptable. These practices coexist over millennia with varying cultures, systems of government, and organized religious practices.
Many formalized religions, from Buddhism to Christianity, came from ancient shamanic roots and still bear the shamanic threads of deep connection to the divine in all things. But shamanism itself is not a formalized system of beliefs or an ideology. Rather, it is a group of activities and experiences shared by shamans in cultures around the world. These practices are adaptable and coexist with different cultures, systems of government, and organized religious practices.
What is a shaman?According to famed American psychologist and consciousness pioneer, Stanley Krippner, shamans are "community-assigned magico-religious professionals who deliberately alter their consciousness in order to obtain information from the 'spirit world.' They use this knowledge and power to help and to heal members of their community, as well as the community as a whole."
Krippner describes shamans as the first physicians, diagnosticians, psychotherapists, religious functionaries, magicians, performing artists, and storytellers.
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In shamanistic cultures, all adults are responsible for their relationships with spiritual energies, including those of their home environment (geography, animals, and plant life,) their ancestors, their own personal helping spirits, and Spirit, the creator force.
However, the shaman is unique in that he or she not only has increased facility for traveling in non-ordinary realms, but also uses their spirit relationships to create changes that will manifest in the physical world, for the healing of individuals or the community. This definition differentiates shamans from other types of practitioners. For example, mediums use altered states of consciousness, but they do not take action in those altered states. And sorcerers take action in altered states, but not necessarily to heal.
Abilities of shamansAccording to Christina Pratt in The Encyclopedia of Shamanism, a shaman is a practitioner who has gained mastery of:
Altered states of consciousness, possessing the ability to enter alternated states at will, and controlling themselves while moving in and out of those states.
Mediating between the needs of the spirit world and those of the physical world in a way that can be understood and used by the community.
Serving the needs of the community that cannot be met by practitioners of other disciplines, such as physicians, psychiatrists, priests, and leaders.
A shaman is therefore a specific type of healer who uses an alternate state of consciousness to enter the invisible world, which is made up of all unseen aspects of the world that affect us, including the spiritual, emotional, mental, mythical, archetypal, and dream worlds.
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IV. Other religious and cultural traditions continued parallel to the codified, written belief systems in core civilizations.
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B. Another belief system that existed outside the official codified religions of core civilizations was ancestor worship. In many cultures there is a profound sense of respect given to the elderly. Their many years of life have
endowed them with wisdom which they model and transmit to those less experienced. The movement from this
practice to the veneration of dead ancestors is only natural given the belief that their spirits live on after death.
The practice of ancestor worship, like that of shamanism and animism, varied widely across locations but largely
focused on receiving advice from the ancestors about everyday practical matters. In China the ancestors
communicated with the living through oracle bones. This process was relatively simple. Possible answers to
important questions were written on large bones or turtle plastrons. The cracks that ran through these answers
when heat was applied to the bone provided advice from the ancestors, providing they were properly interpreted by
a shaman or specially gifted person.
The use of oracle bones had several important results. First of all, they raised the importance of having a written
script and having people who could read and write. Secondly, the thousands of oracle bones that survive today (see
picture on the left) provide imporant information about early Chinese civilization. The entire dynastic succession of
the Shang Dynasty, China's river valley civilization, can be constructed through information found on extant oracle
bones.
B.
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Oracle Bones were used in Shang China (and probably before) to communicate with the gods (aka Divination). They would ask the gods a question and then heat the Oracle bones until they cracked. They would then analyze the cracks for messages from the gods. More importantly, these bones show that China had writing. Many of these bones were buried in pits like this one. The picture in the bottom right is a turtle shell.Overview Look at the entire visual image- write 2-3 details that explains what is in this image. This is “big picture,” and
not a small detail in part of the image.
Parts Focus on the parts of the visual (read labels, look for symbols, study the details). Write 2-3 details about what the individual parts/symbols mean or represent?
Title Write the title and 2-3 details about what the title tells you about the image.
I learned that Name 2-3 major ideas or concepts that you learned from this map
Context Use the clues in the visual image to establish when the document was created. Provide 2-3 examples that show this (if the year is listed that counts as one).
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Take notes on the following website linked to Mr. Wood’s Webpage- Inca/Pre-Inca cultures ancestor worship, mummification,trepanation- https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=8HwQTP7o9LI
Watch from the beginning until 3:50 and then you can stop.
Overview Look at the entire visual image- write 2-3 details that explains what is in this image. This is “big picture,” and not a small detail in part of the image.
Parts Focus on the parts of the visual (read labels, look for symbols, study the details). Write 2-3 details about what the individual parts/symbols mean or represent?
Title Write the title and 2-3 details about what the title tells you about the image.
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I learned that Name 2-3 major ideas or concepts that you learned from this map
Context Use the clues in the visual image to establish when the document was created. Provide 2-3 examples that show this (if the year is listed that counts as one).
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