Questions
Question 2
The Paleolithic people lived in an egalitarian society where no member of their tribe was more or less important than another. Both men and women were equally important to the survival of their people. This is because while men would hunt. The women were the ones that provided the tribe with its real sustenance. The people depended more on the nuts and berries that the women could forage then they did on the meat that the men could obtain. This is because hunts were not always successful and when they were it did not guarantee that all members of the tribe would get a portion. The women were not only responsible with providing the tribe with fruits, nuts and vegetation, they were also responsible for children. Archeologists and Anthropologists have found a number of fertility dolls similar to the Venus of Wittenden. These figures indicate that women were honored for their ability to bear children. This would have been important at the time because it would help to guarantee the survival of the tribe.
This changed once society became more dependent on agriculture rather than hunting-gathering. This is because once society had shifted to agriculture tribes became stationary. This led to the establishment of kin relations, which eventually led to a patriarchal society. The reason for this change is because as society became more stable the contribution of women’s labor became less important, while at the same time the ownership of land meant that there was an inheritance. The desire for men to be able to pass their property down to biological heirs led to men treating women as their sexual property and subjugating them.
Question 4
It is unknown exactly when Hinduism emerged in south Asia. However, many scholars trace the origins of Hinduism to either Indus Valley sometime between 3000-2000 BCE or the Aryans, who are believed to have traveled into India from the north around 2000 BCE. They are associated with the Vedas. The Vedas were stories that gave moral lessons that are still imparted by Hinduism today. Nevertheless, Hinduism was derived from a combination of many different cultures and traditions in India. Hinduism seems to have borrowed different gods from other religions. One such religion incorporated the worship of a male god. This god can be seen as the predecessor to Shiva
Judaism through South West Asia
According to Biblical scripture mankind began in the now lost Garden of Eden, which existed between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. This location would be important when it came to spreading the belief in Judaism. This is because the many of the civilizations like Persia (Iran) and Mesopotamia (Iraq) that grew up around the rivers conquered Israel at some point in history. Even though the Jews did not actively seek to convert people. Choosing instead to remain separate from other groups and religions. Nonetheless, the intermingling of societies helped to spread their idea of a monotheistic god. For some people such as the Persians, many of who practiced Zoroastrianism, which was a monotheistic religion, the change of religion was essentially painless. Egypt also played an important role as the Israelites migrate there during a time of famine and with them they brought their faith. However, the Egyptians had already been shifting over from their polytheistic beliefs to that of one god. This showed in one of their myths which had the god Ptah create everything that is. There was also King Tut’s father who identified himself not just as the representation of the sun god but, the sun god himself.
Works Cited
Melton, J. Gordon. Faiths across Time: 5,000 Years of Religious History. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2014. Print.
Sterling, Kathleen. "Man the Hunter, Woman the Gatherer? The Impact of Gender Studies on Hunter-Gatherer Research (A Retrospective)." Oxford Handbooks Online (2014). Web. 2 June 2016.
