Analysis Of The Human Web

The Human Web

Introduction: Webs and History pg.3-pg.8 The authors of this book define a web as “a set of connections that link people to one another”. These connections are made in many ways through different interactions between people. Throughout history, many different webs were established between humans around the world. All of the different webs incorporate a balance of competition and cooperation, and continue to grow larger and fuse as time goes on, shaping human history as they go. The authors perhaps like this metaphor because of the imagery it creates. The use of the web makes complex connections between people easier to understand by allowing it to be pictured. I personally like this metaphor because it organizes different parts

All these civilizations were connected by coastal shipping, therefor creating the first large metropolitan web. China also had civilizations, but it remained isolated from the Nile-Indus corridor. In the Americas civilizations appeared mainly in Mesoamerica, although much later than in Eurasia, such as the Olmecs and Mayans. None of these civilizations merged, but their interactions created the first metropolitan web in the Americas. Decipherable written records seen in Mesopotamia (cuneiform) and Egypt (hieroglyphics) are lacked in both South America and the Indus Valley, preventing too much to be known about their civilizations. Sumerian cities in Mesopotamia were perhaps the most advanced of their time, and their religion played a major role in their everyday life. Temples were the most distinct parts of the city and pleasing the gods was always a priority until military rulers reduced their importance. Sumerian cities also were centers for new technology such as tools, cloths, and weapons. Urban dwellers had the advantage of these superior weapons and pastoralist groups had the advantage of mobility, leaving farming villages to submit to the powerful and organized warfare. In order to maintain their new power, rulers established tax collectors and military specialists. This initiated a social system with social classes based on rank and wealth (luxury goods). Developments that occurred in Egypt and Indus Valley were participants in the building of the metropolitan web around Sumer. The Nile was the bases for all life in Egypt, as it allowed transport by boat as well as a water source for irrigation and successful farming. The whole of Egypt was politically unites under one pharaoh, who was considered to be a divine ruler. Egypt’s geography kept them safe from external threats, and they found little interest in affairs outside of their borders. The