Agrarian societies in history - Essay Example

Agrarian Societies in History The Agrarian period witnessed a lot of economic, cultural and political activity among various societies in the ancient societies. The differences in activity were inclined to a number of factors and this largely depended on the geographical habitat of a given society. To outline the uniqueness identified with each society during the agrarian period, comparing a number of traditional societies is of ultimate benefit. Societies such as the traditional China, Aztecs, ancient Mesopotamia and the medieval Europe explicitly outline the various aspects of the Agrarian period. The three fundamental questions that are tackled in this instance include, if there was any social structure in that society and how it was constructed, what was the diet of that particular society and lastly, what was important for the people of that society’s survival. The Tang dynasty in the Agrarian society was characterized by the caste system just like most of the earlier traditional Agrarian societies. There existed the rulers who were at the apex of the social structure and this caste went down to the laborers who were at the bottom of the social structure. It had a stable government with intellectuals being highly regarded. History of Tang dynasty majorly emphasizes only the mandarins and the nobles, the clergy and the intellectuals who were at the top of the social system (Benn 56-59). Furthermore, the group of mentioned elite in the Tang society had little or no time for the artisans, merchants, traders and slaves. It is only the elite that left some of the writings that were found in the Chinese library many years later. On the contrary, the lower in the class system did not leave any writings behind. The Tang society was patriarchal in nature as no major recognition was given to women in the Tang society. However, women from the elite class such as mothers, daughters and in-laws of the intellectuals were highly regarded though they formed a minimum percentage of women in Tang society. To focus on their dietetics composition, tea was a household commodity and the favorite of many in the Tang dynasty. The intellectuals and the entire elite held tea with high regard and it was the staple among Chinese households. In some instances, tea was taken with traditional Chinese bread which was mainly baked by women in Traditional Tang society. The Tang together with its sister, Chinese dynasty the Ming, gave great reverence to trade in gunpowder which was a very important economic activity. It was during this period that the gun powder was invented. Gun powder was one of the most important activities in the day to day lives of the people in the Tang dynasty. Lastly in regard to the Tang, religion played an essential role in the lives of the people. The Tang societies were very religious with Buddhism being the main religion of the entire dynasty. Buddhism attracted the largest number of adherents and it’s on the basis of Buddhism religion through which court decisions were influenced or made (Benn 94-97). Just like the Tang dynasty, the Aztec society was also a socially stratified society in the sense that there existed several classes among the Aztec people. There were the nobles and also the commoners. The king or ruler the Tlatoani was considered sacred together with his lineage and had great influence among the Aztec people. The Tlatoani was the voice of the Aztec and his word was given preeminence as sacred. He had his royal who served the main purpose of paving his way of the normal people. His words were taken to be the word of the gods and nobody in the Aztec society would go contrary to this. A child born in Aztec society grew up and eventually died on the class or caste that his family belonged to. They believed that the cosmos had its way of classifying people in classes and this was the will of the gods, for this reason they embraced the fit in system where one inherited his social strata by the mere virtue of birth. On their food preferences, animal meat was a favorite meal to the Aztec and this is evident during rituals. The animal meat is roasted and then shared as a community to signify the commencement or end of a ritual. Tomatoes are also captured as to have been widely used as a fruit in the Aztec society and that is where the English word of tomato could have probably originated from. Of great importance for the people of the Aztec was that which is divine in nature. For instance, their ruler had absolute influence on them since his word was taken as the word and the wishes of the gods. Rituals were also highly regarded in the Aztec society as subsequent rituals were done after death and even during birth (Carrascp and Scott 45-49). On the other hand, the main feature of the medial Europe was the feudal society. It was not restricted to specifically one geographical sphere of Europe but stretched among several countries which include the modern Germany and Britain. The governments that existed during this period were not as established and strong as they thought they were during that time. The monarchy dominated all the spheres of influence in the society and most of the writings during this time were done by the church. In the medieval period, most of the European countries had adopted the kingdom systems. Most of these kingdoms were based on the roman traditions of governance. Additionally, in the Agrarian aspect, the people who owned land, mostly the lords exploited the landless who worked in their farms in exchange for a place to stay. The caste system blocked the casual labors from acquiring land in order for them to be constant providers of labor in the fields owned by the landlords. A great shift of control is witnessed in the later part of the medieval period as the kings begin to be more critical of the church which sees the church lose its grip in controlling the increasingly emerging secular societies (Singman104 -107). What emerges as important to medieval societies is freedom from the church and this is highlighted by increased cases of church defiance and development of secularization attitude towards life. Roman Empire which rule is majorly inclined to religion is invaded and eventually defeated. The church also loses the power to influence societal decisions and monarchs take over this role. In regard to food and diet, most food crops cultivated in this period were for subsistence use and varied from one country to another. However, food crops such as banana and Irish potatoes are outstanding in most parts of medieval European countries. On the other hand, the cities in Mesopotamia functioned as political units. There existed city states and cities. The cities were more complex than the city states in that the cities had got a strong economic structure which under it had several economic activities that took place. City states were tribal based in nature as they were mainly occupied by people of a particular area and were not metropolitan in nature. Mesopotamia just like other ancient dynasties was also caste oriented though in a rather different manner compared to the Tang dynasty, Aztec, and medieval Europe. People received favors depending on the towns from which they came. People of certain cities were exempted from paying taxes and trade tariffs unlike other states that were forced to do so. At the apex of the political structure were the king and then the temple personnel. The king was rich and only granted favors to respective cities and city states after victory from war. The king built fortified administrative places to protect himself against his perceived enemies and the temple was also decorated using expensive mineral products (Rhea 88-91). Each city in Mesopotamia had a unique architectural design. Some had walls built in a rectangular shape while others were square or circular. The major consideration during the building of the states was its size and the probable direction which the enemy would strike from. Towers were built in order to have a clear view of the enemy when still at a distance. This gave them adequate time to reorganize themselves and counter attack immediately after the enemy strikes. Agriculturally, the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers were the main source of food as most food products were grown along their banks. Food crops grown were bananas, sorghum and potatoes. The Sumerians displayed a great technological advancement compared to other ancient states. The invention of the wheel made cultivation much easier as they were now able to use oxen to plough their fields. The wheel technique was also used in making pot designs which were essential for storing and boiling of food. Excess clay products such as pots were sold in the busy cities of Mesopotamia. They also invented dykes which were of major help during irrigation of food crops and also during flood control. Complementing other dynasties such as Aztec, Tang and medieval Europe, religion emerges as an important aspect of the people of Mesopotamia. This is evident in the architectural designs employed in the temple structures. Carvings of images depicting god is a clear indicator of their belief in the divine. The Mesopotamians believed in life after death and this made them desist from what is called sin that would in any way prevent them from living in the after world. There existed personal close relationship between one person and god. This is captured in the family units in which every family had a carving of a family god. It was a common belief that an individual’s good luck or bad luck was closely attached to either the happiness or the wrath of his personal god. Good fortunes such as land and wealth were greatly attributed as a blessing from a personal god. The people of Mesopotamia had got strong belief in prayers, offerings and sacrifices. In extreme cases, human beings were offered as sacrifices depending on the magnitude of the calamity a country is facing. This practice is a common similarity between the people of Mesopotamia and the Aztec society. Division of labor is another aspect which made the people of Mesopotamia stand out from other agrarian societies. Duties and chores were delegated depending on one’s sex and age. In agricultural aspect, men contributed in ploughing land using oxen. After ploughing, women planted the seeds and also participated during harvest seasons. Children assisted their parents with the harvesting or herding of the oxen and this, too, depended on the sex of a particular child. Culturally, the female spent more time with their mothers and assisted in house chores whereas the male took up roles done by their fathers. Technology duties were also delegated based on gender. The male contributed in the making of wheels that were useful for transporting agricultural products during periods of harvest. They also made wheels used in shaping the pots made by women. The pottery industry was entirely women oriented. In the political sphere, only men were allowed to be leaders in various states though women related to these leaders were also highly regarded by other members of the Mesopotamian society not from the ruling families. In conclusion, a number of similarities and differences can be derived from the various groups in agrarian societies. These similarities and differences are social, cultural religious, political and economic in nature. However, some practices are predisposed by geographical location occupied a particular society. These practices can be farming method, political structure and culture and religious practices such as worshiping while facing Rivers Euphrates and Tigris. Works Cited Benn, Charles. Daily Life in Traditional China: The Tang Dynasty. 2001. Web. 18 March 2012. Carrascp, David, and Scott Sessions. Daily Life of the Aztecs.1999. Web. 18 March 2012. Rhea, Karen, and Nemet Nejat. Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. 1998. Web. 18 March 2012. Singman, Jeffrey. Daily Life in Medieval Europe. 1999. Web. 18 March 2012. Read More