I suppose that's right, I just fear there isn't the money to honor the deal... pretty yes, good Uni town, but the crime rate has risen dramatically since I left over a decade ago....
of course theres enough money. the beneficiaries of the broken contracts have it all. and its up to the courts to pry it loose. you cant sign a contract promising certain things in return for millions of acres of prime land and then go back on the deal once you have the land. and of course the crime rate has risen. its the price we are beginning to pay for the contract breaches of our forefathers.
Could anyone explain to me why the Vikings in Newfoundland did not start the great plagues that are credited to Columbus? I am not disputing the Vikings were there, archaeology seems clear that they were, but that being the case why didn't they leave their diseases? Columbus' diseases. were so devastating that most historians now credit the horrific smallpox plague that had decimated the Inca just before Pizarro's arrival with largely facilitating his victory over them, yet Columbus had landed only a few people less than 20 years before and some thousands of miles away. Why didn't the early colonists find a resistant grouping of American natives with a legend of a great plague 500 years before? instead of the people they did, who had apparently never faced European plagues at any time
Nobody knows ? Don't be afraid of embarrassing me if it seems blindingly obvious. I am beyond shame or wouldn't be on this board in the first place.
I'm not sure, but if I was to hazard a guess, the Vikings were just healthier. The Vikings that came to America were from Greenland and Iceland and were fairly isolated. Columbus' men on the other hand were living at a time where international trade was common place and disease was rampant. Also, except for some skirmishes, the Vikings didn't interact much with the natives while Columbus and his men set up trade, captured slaves and started colonies.
It definitely was. It really does make you rethink the medieval world, that the Vikings and the Arab's were known to each other and were trade partners. I tended to think of the past civilizations as geographically anchored groups in continuous cultural zones, but the travel, trade, and communication between them spanned across the entire continents of Asia and Europe. Sad though, that the Arab contribution to history is so understated. I always found it odd how they could go on and on about Greece when Persia was an older, larger, far more impressive civilization right next to them.
Interesting question. In responding I'm going to speculate. The Vikings did not seek contact with the natives they called Skraelings. They avoided them. The Iberians, on the other hand, sought intimate contact with the aboriginal peoples of the lands they conquered. Intimate contact facilitates incubation and communication of diseases.
In antiquity Greek civilization was the original portal of culture into Europe and the Western world, just as Chinese civilization was the portal of culture into Korea and Japan. Actually Greek civilization goes back before the unification of Persia.
I doubt Greek culture goes back farther than Perisa considering Persia is a mature empire at this time, and it's location was the site of older empires and older cultures. Perhaps it Greek culture is the one we are more familiar with and so we see it as older, nobler, and such. And to add, there are also the more eastern civilizations that have existed at this time- like the civilizations of the Indian sub-continent...or, as you say, China. Far more impressive. But little known because we focus on the Greeks, the Romans, and then the various European super-states and empires. Rome certainly was a civilization that could hold weight against anyone, but Greece...I don't see it so.
The "civilization" in China and India existed mostly amongst the upper class. The masses of people, just like they are today, are pretty uncivilized.
Maybe that explains why countries such as Switzerland and Sweden never really had a cultural "Renaissance", because there was never really much of an aristocracy.
Well...I think they did have an aristocracy or a cultural hierarchy. It may be that their version of aristocracy was not the same was the rest of western Europe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_nobility#Medieval_nobility:_Fr.C3.A4lse This is just me googling the subject for a second so I really can't put it into context so I guess you may be right. I know Vikings didn't have as strong a division of classes among them, but it existed and that's probably the most I know about the situation.
Well yes, I agree that the history is Persia has been greatly underrated in the West, but at the same time, to try to compare Greek civilization to Persian civilization and say the Persians were far more ancient and advanced, I really do not think that is true either. One of the elements of Persian culture that often gets lost on scholars is the far reaching influence of Zoroastrianism, even though that religion has almost disappeared today. The Romans were never able to advance as far as Persia, or rather Persia was just a little too far beyond their reach, and they were more preoccupied with Western Europe.
The Arab world stopped contributing worthwhile things once Islam began. I think the ancient Persians did help with some math, stargazing and the alphabet---but for the last 1000+ years----there has been nothing significant to make the world a better place coming out of there. I don't include: terrorism, suicide bombings, illiteracy, slavery, wife beating, and especially, the Koran.
Pictures or it didn't happen. - - - Updated - - - Actually, the contributions attributed to Muslims came from the conquered land inhabitants under Islamic rule.
That --- all? I was hoping for something like: the steam engine....the printing press....the light bulb....air conditioning.....modern medicines (any).....democracy. Oh well.
Most of the contributions from other parts of the world have been botanical. Take away all those exotic and useful plants and creatures, and there is really not much left of any real tangible value.