Archaic Society: Basic Patterns By Kojiki

Emperor K’ang-hsi was one of the greatest Chinese emperors of all time. Ruling from 1662 to 1722 he was also one of the longest ruling emperors in Chinese history and for that matter the world. K’ang-hsi brought China to long-term stability and relative wealth after years of war and chaos. Jonathan Spence writes from the eyes of K’ang-hsi getting his information from K’ang-hsi’s own writings. Though a little biased towards himself this book still provides important insight into his mind. Emperor of China is divided into six parts; In Motion, Ruling, Thinking, Growing Old, Sons, and Valedictory.

Ancient civilizations have had profound effects of what we know as the modern world today. The primary purpose for anything that lives is to survive. Throughout history animals, plants and humans have adapted to their surroundings. All living things have changed throughout time. The thing that differs humans from rest is, humans are more cognitively advanced. Over the course of time the shape and size of the human skull has changed. The size of the human brain has increased, which has allowed humans to adapt more to their surroundings. To survive, humans were making tools for hunting and to cut with. The closer you lived to the equator the darker your skin may have been, so you could adapt to the intensity of the sun’s rays. If you lived further

An interesting question to ask oneself about ancient civilizations is “How did the various governments keep their respective populations under control?” By taking a look at some of the literature and forms of art, one can get an idea of the crafty techniques used by leaders to control the populace. The concept of social control has been around as long as civilizations have been. This can be seen in the Roman stoic ideals portrayed in the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, the Four Noble Truth’s teachings in India, and the emphasis on harmony in China with the Chinese Bronze Bell. It’s interesting to see the ways works of art and even religious texts were used to control the common people.

These rulers were most likely unfit to be emperor or unjust during their reign. Based on the four emperors that were killed in battle, it is safe to assume that conflicts were prevalent in this time period. With an

One of the many reasons why Japan invaded China wars for land. In (Doc B) it shows that Japan was trying to gain more land for their nation. When the New World Order is created Japan I will try to take over many countries. In fact the New World Order in favor for Japan and Japan Emperor would be in charge of everything. In (Doc A) in the last bullet point it says said the imperial throne sis what the heaven and the earth. What this is saying is that the Emperor would be in charge of the whole entire world if this new world order was to go all the way

Augustus, the first Roman emperor, justified his rule by declaring himself as a dictator and taking the title of princeps, who was a man that stood first among a group of equal citizens. This gave the illusion that he and his people were equal, and that he stood out among them as their leader. The Han Dynasty followed the Mandate of Heaven which were used by previous Chinese dynasties. The Mandate of Heaven stated that rulers ruled with a divine right. If a person rose to the position of emperor it was because the gods wanted it, and if someone else succeeded him or her it was also the will of the gods.

    Imperial Rome and Han China were both governed by a dominant figurehead. In Rome the republic leader commanded the society, and in Han the emperor was in charge. The role of the leader was similar in both empires because the leaders would use political theologies to explain and justify their rise to power. In Han China, the concept of “The Mandate of Heaven” explained that an emperor and his ancestors could stay in power as long as he kept the kingdom prosperous and stable. In Imperial Rome, the leader used the Principate to hide his fraudulent rise to power and to justify his rule. The emperor's policies were also indistinguishable in a different way, both leaders established roles in the government for territorial

The Han Dynasty strived to further Confucianism as a means of teaching certain values in the elite, and if possible, other social classes. (Ch. 8 pg. 160) The emperors stressed a tradition of emphasizing their divine royal power through a Mandate of Heaven. Mandate of Heaven stated that a dynasty could only rule if approved by the God. They used this mandate to prove to the people they were the favorites and could do no wrong, and if failed he would be overthrown.

The Archaic Era was the beginning of many new discoveries in prehistory. Agriculture was the most significant event in this time period, because it made life for the Native Americans easier and more sustainable. Agriculture was the first source of natural resources for the Native Americans, and it gave the people more time for relaxing rather than watching over their herds. Another milestone for the Native American people was the invention of maize. Maize is what we call corn today. “Maize is not something Native Americans found-they genetically engineered it.” The new invention, not only provided the Natives with more food, but it also provided more nutritional value opposed to the wheat and barley. Because the food supply was increasing,

Imperial Cult- this was another part of the Roman State religion. This would consist of referring to emperors as gods along with there families too. This was not always approved for example in Rome and Italy, it was not right to worship a living emperor. This helped bring the focus to these emperors.

To give entertainment to those of alternate classes. Some of these were to amuse the emperor himself.

Even though the Qin Dynasty deprived the civilization of education, it created a strong bureaucratic system that limited feudal power and developed a cooperative population. Each Warring state followed a different political system, before it was conquered by Qin. The First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, felt it was necessary to legitimize his power to unify the city states and for a cooperative population. In the Qin Dynasty, “the institution of emperor had a special meaning in China as the repository of imperial legitimacy” (Feng 2013, 249). In other words, the first emperor was given the title of being a “mythical ruler” that had godly powers and is the righteous leader of the empire based on the Mandate of Heaven

Transitioning into the classical era, an extremely important ruler in regard to diffusion of Chinese culture into Japanese society was Prince Shotoku, who ruled as regent from 593 to 622. Shotoku sought to transform Japan from a loose-knit society of Ujis, into that of a centralized state based on Chinese governmental institutions. Shotoku ordered that all history was to be recorded – much like the Chinese did – to aid in the legitimacy of the throne. The most significant contribution of Chinese assimilation of Shotoku can be seen in his drafting of the, “Seventeen Article Constitution.” The constitution infused elements of Buddhism, and Confucianism which William Beasley makes clear when he describes, “It begins with a quotation from the Confucian Analects, asserting that 'harmony is to be valued.' It then enjoins reverence for 'the three treasures': that is, the Buddha, the Buddhist Law and the Buddhist priesthood.” (Beasley, 22).

Emperor gained control of the government and shogun and daimyos lost their power. Also, emperor were seen became the commander of the military and head of shintoism. He was seen as a god-figure.

Gluck, Carol. Japan’s Modern Myths: Ideology in the Late Meiji Period. (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1985), 73.>> The emperor, “as an embodiment of Japan’s sense of national identity, as a bridge linking traditional sources of legitimacy to the new state authority, as the father figure which justified his subjects’ self-discipline and sarifice [became] both a rallying point for his people and a means of concentrating authority behind the emerging national leadership; the emperor came to symbolize all the forces of self-control and enforced stability which combined to channel the prime energies of the Japanese toward meeting the foreign challenge and toward adopting essential social and economic reforms.” <<5