Keegan+H

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He was a Renaissance man. He was a master orator, and a wonderful general that, if trusted, might have won Athens the Pelopennesian War. Furthermore he thought outside of the box through all of his campaigns, that's why people hated him. =====

Plutarch of Athens should be in the picture Why? -SW

Primary Source quarter 2: "Views in Springtime"
====“Views  in  Springtime”  ====  by Du Fu (712-770) ==== The  country  is  smashed:  hills  and  rivers remain. ==== ==== The  city  turns  to  spring:  plants  and  trees  grow deep. ====

==== Moved  by  the  moment,  flowers  splash  tears;  ==== Resentful  of  parting,  birds  startle  the heart.

==== Beacon  fires  have  lasted  for  three  months  now; ==== ==== Letters  from  home  are  worth  10,000  in gold. ====

==== I’ve  scratched  my  white  hairs  even  scarcer, ==== ==== until  none  will  be  left  to  hold  hair pin  to head. ====

==== This poem was written by Du Fu during his imprisonment by rebels in Chang-an. This is definitely an example of the nationalism of the post classical Chinese. Du Fu aligns Springtime with a rebellion. This metaphor creates a picture of rebellions happening systematically in China, the Mandate of Heaven definitely comes to mind. This man mentions in the first stanza that even though the country is broken, China still has its' fertile land. The next stanza talks about how the flowers (most likely women) cry, and the birds (most likely the men) are upset. Later it talks about the worth of a letter from home, and it's nigh on limitless, this is an example of the effects of Confucianism on post classical China. This man is so dedicated to his emperor that he's lost all of his hair from anxiety, that definitely sounds like loyalty to an emperor, a relationship in Confucianism. ====

Primary Source quarter 1: Arthashastra
The Arthashastra is an ancient Indian text written by Kautilya. What he wrote was a guide for Chandragupta Maurya and his advisers. These are the kind of things that you would find in the Arthashastra:



"Is there any other book that talks so openly about when using violence is justified? When assassinating an enemy is useful? When killing domestic opponents is wise? How one uses secret agents? When one needs to sacrifice one's own secret agent? How the king can use women and children as spies and even assassins? When a nation should violate a treaty and invade its neighbor? Kautilya — and to my knowledge only Kautilya — addresses all those questions. In what cases must a king spy on his own people? How should a king test his ministers, even his own family members, to see if they are worthy of trust? When must a king kill a prince, his own son, who is heir to the throne? How does one protect a king from poison? What precautions must a king take against assassination by one's own wife? When is it appropriate to arrest a troublemaker on suspicion alone? When is torture justified? At some point, every reader wonders: Is there not one question that Kautilya found immoral, too terrible to ask in a book? No, not one. And this is what brings a frightful chill. But this is also why Kautilya was the first great, unrelenting political realist."- Boesche

Kautilya wrote this book to help with the governing of his country and for the well-being of his king. This book is undoubtedly significant because it helped the Chandragupta make the decisions that he made, which shaped the history of the Indian subcontinent. The origin is surprisingly unknown for how known this book is. It's estimated that it was written between the 4th century BCE and the 2nd century CE and it was influential until the 12th century when it disappeared.

The fifteen books inside the Arthashastra are:
 * 1) Concerning Discipline
 * 2) The Duties of Government Superintendents
 * 3) Concerning Law
 * 4) The Removal of Thorns
 * 5) The Conduct of Courtiers
 * 6) The Source of Sovereign States
 * 7) The End of the Six-Fold Policy
 * 8) Concerning Vices and Calamities
 * 9) The Work of an Invader
 * 10) Relating to War
 * 11) The Conduct of Corporations
 * 12) Concerning a Powerful Enemy
 * 13) Strategic Means to Capture a Fortress
 * 14) Secret Means
 * 15) The Plan of a Treatise

Its very interesting that they don't know when the book was written even though they have so many other details about it. Interesting topic! -SJ

Great information and topic! Do you think other rulers would have been as successful if they had a book to guide them and provide them with as much information as the Arthashastra did? Would Chandragupta have been able to successfully unify India if he had not had this book written for him? Well done! -Leilani Maher

Class Starter: Genghis Khan
He was captured by an enemy camp, broke out, took control of all neighboring clans through war and diplomacy, all within the span of a couple years. 0.5% of all people are related to Genghis Khan. This is because when Genghis Khan took over a city, it was raped and pillaged, with a Khan getting the first pick. The Mongol Empire broke downdue to a secession issue. Genghis Khan separated the huge empire into districts ruled by his relatives, and named his son Ogedei as his secesor, but his other sons wanted it too and they fought against him. Genghis Khan's conquests caused wholesale destruction on an unprecedented scale in certain geographical regions, and therefore led to some changes in the demographics of Asia, such as the mass migration of the Iranian tribes of Central Asia into modern-day Iran. The Islamic world was also subject to massive changes as a result of Mongol invasions. The population of the Iranian plateau suffered from widespread disease and famine, resulting in the deaths of up to three-quarters of its population, possibly 10 to 15 million people. Iran's population did not again reach its pre-Mongol levels until the mid-20th century.