The Post Classical Post
All Dates Simultaneously, A.D.
Est. 389B.C.E.
Raucous Revolt
Language Im-print
The Fallen
January XIII, DXCII
655 C.E.
1227 C.E.
Today, citizens participating in
the newly named “Nika” revolt
continue to run rampant in the
streets, and have assembled in
the Hippodrome, chanting
“nika,” for victory. They have
laid siege to the palace. It is
reported that Justinian has
considered fleeing the palace.
More will be added as this
story develops, but it seems as
if the protesters will storm the
castle...
Woodblock printing has
become a revolution in
the way texts are
distributed. Texts can be
mass produced in a rate of
hours to days, compared
to weeks to months per
copy (depending on
length).
Pre-assembled woodblocks
are pressed onto paper,
leaving the text behind.
This paper could of been
printed with woodblocks
(though this isn’t the
case…)
Today, the great Mongol leader Genghis Khan
has fallen, though no one knows the true cause of
death. It is speculated that he died from battle
wounds, or illness. It seems no one witnessed him
on his death bed. With the leader of the Mongols
gone, many worry about the future of the empire.
So far, it seems his son, Ogedei Khan, will lead in
his father’s stead.
Hodie, cives, quae in novo
nomine "Nika" defectionem
continuentur erectus in plateis
ejus, et collecti in hippodromo,
decantans "nika," ad victoriam.
Obsidionem
posuerunt
in
regiam.
Fertur
respexit
Iustinianus palatio fugiens. Hoc
magis accedit quod progreditur,
sed tanquam ad expugnandum
castrum cessoribus ...
Member of the Asscoiated Press
cuncta
commune
reservamus
雕版印刷已成為文本方式分
配的革命。文本可以批量生
產以小時的速率向天，相比
週向每個副本（取決於長
度）。
預裝配木版被壓在紙上，背
後留下的文字。本文可能的
是印有木版（雖然這是不是
這樣的...）
Нэг ч хүн нас барсан нь үнэн шалтгааныг
мэддэг боловч Өнөөдөр Их Монгол
удирдагч Чингис хаан, унасан юм. Энэ
нь тэр тулаан шарх, эсвэл өвчнөөр нас
барсан гэсэн таамаглал байна. Энэ нь
хэн ч түүнийг нас барсан орон дээр
түүнийг харсан шиг байгаа юм. Явсан
монголчуудын удирдагч нь олон эзэнт
гүрний ирээдүйн талаар санаа зовдог.
Одоогоор энэ нь түүний хүү Өгэдэй хаан
эцгийнхээ оронд хүргэх болно шиг
байна.
Price: 6d
The Flight
622 C.E.
Muhammad, the man that has
shaken up the community lately
with his tellings of ‘Islam’ fled
from Mecca today. It is reported
that an assassination was due for
the said individual, and perhaps
him learning of it caused him to
flee. Rumor has it that
Muhammad has gone to an oasis
town somewhere nearby….
‫ اﻟﺮﺟﻞ اﻟﺬي ھﺰت اﻟﻤﺠﺘﻤﻊ ﻓﻲ‬،‫ھﺮب ﻣﺤﻤﺪ‬
‫اﻵوﻧﺔ اﻷﺧﯿﺮة ﻣﻊ وﻋﻈﮫ ﻣﻦ "اﻹﺳﻼم" ﻣﻦ ﻣﻜﺔ‬
‫ وﺗﻔﯿﺪ اﻟﺘﻘﺎرﯾﺮ أن ﻋﻤﻠﯿﺔ اﻏﺘﯿﺎل ﻛﺎن ﻣﻦ‬.‫اﻟﯿﻮم‬
‫ ورﺑﻤﺎ ﻟﮫ اﻟﺘﻌﻠﻢ ﻣﻦ‬،‫اﻟﻤﻘﺮر ﺑﺎﻟﻨﺴﺒﺔ ﻟﻠﻔﺮد وﻗﺎل‬
‫ ﯾﺘﺮدد أن ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﻗﺪ‬.‫أﻧﮭﺎ ﺳﺒﺒﺖ ﻟﮫ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻔﺮار‬
‫ ذھﺐ إﻟﻰ واﺣﺔ ﻓﻲ ﻣﻜﺎن ﻣﺎ ﻗﺮﯾﺐ‬....
Put it into Perspective!!!
Feudalism-
a political system that existed during the middle ages in
which a lord granted land (fiefs) to his subjects (vassals) in exchange for
their loyalty. A lord would help and support his vassals as long as they
provided some sort of military service for him. Many world civilizations
across history have used feudalistic elements, although the only true
examples of feudalism were achieved in Europe and Japan.
European Feudalism:
Used contracts for a more permanent declaration of allegiance. All the
parties involved would agree upon terms before the contract was set in stone
as a way to be certain of the advantages they would get out of the
agreement. These agreements were mostly for self-gain, and often led to
betrayal, disobedience, and other infractions and invalidations of their
contracts. However, feudalism in Europe was not unsuccessful. It eventually
led to parliamentary organizations and governments that helped advance
and stabilize its civilizations. This helped Europe to grow and become the
world super power it has become today.
Japanese Feudalism:
Relied upon less strict group and individual loyalties to each other. The
parties involved instead had to act upon a stronger sense of ethics, morals, and
trust (otherwise known as bushido) than their european counterparts. This is
why samurai warriors in Japan are held in such high honor and regard
compared to knights, their european counterparts. The bond made between
social classes created by this bushido in feudalistic agreements helped
encourage later collaboration and cooperation in government, corporate, and
other official institutions in Japan which lead to its current industrial and
economic success.
Put it into Perspective!!!
The Shi’a - Sunni SplitA schism that occurred in the Islamic faith when the prophet
Muhammad died in 632 and the islamic culture was thrown in chaos over
who would succeed him as Caliph. In this chaos two groups were formed
over who they thought should succeed Muhammad (the Shi’a and Sunni).
These two groups oppose each other and this division in Islam still exists
today. Their division grows ever wider as differences in belief, ritual, and
Islamic law have also occurred throughout time.
Shi’aThe Shi’a are a group of muslims that make up about 12% of today’s
Islamic population. When Muhammad died, the Shi’as supported Ali, who
was a good friend and follower of Muhammad as well as the fourth
Caliph. Shi’as do not recognize the early Caliphs besides Ali because they
believe that the line of Caliphs should be passed on through the descendants
of Ali. They believed that Muhammad should be succeeded by a loyal
friend rather than his early enemies, the Umayyads.
SunniThe Sunni are the other group of muslims who make up about 88% of
today’s Islamic population. The Sunnis support the Umayyad Clan who
originally opposed Muhammad, but came to respect him and his beliefs.
The Sunnis believe that the right to be Caliph should be available to any
righteous muslim. When the Umayyad Era rose in the Islamic Empire
many muslim including new converts to the Islamic faith, became sunnis
which is why they are a so much larger cultural group than the Shi’as.
SPREAD THE
WORD
When the Black Death swept Europe in 1348-1351 it left about 30% of the
population dead. This greatly affected the English peasants because there was a
labor shortage and food was scarce. Even thirty years later, life had not returned
to normal -the settled and structured country life of the Middle Ages was
disrupted, and discontent was rife amongst the poor. Prices had risen since the Black
Death. . Wages had not risen as fast, so the peasants suffered from hunger and
shortages. All of the causes led to tons of rebellions, murders and kidnapping all
over Europe. This led tp executions, death of the poll tax, lords treating peasants
with more respect and the breakdown of the federal system.
Christianity and Buddhism are two different religions that developed and spread
rapidly during the clasical period. These two religions spread in times of chaos, in
which citizens of their own territories were looking forward to achieve salvation of
any kind. Even though these two religions did’nt have the same concept, they
spread in the same societies. In Buddhism, they started spreading in the Indian
society and for Christianity in the Mediterranean society conquered by Rome. Both
of these religions were the most influential and important religions which spread
during the classical period.
Serfs who occupied a plot of land were required to work for the Lord of the Manor
who owned the land, and in return were given protection, justice and the right to
exploit certain fields within the manor. Serfs were often required not only to work
on the lord’s field but, also his mines, forests and roads. The manor formed the basic
unit of feudal society and the Lord of the Manor and his serfs were bound legally,
economically and socially. Serfs formed the lowest social class of feudal society. The
decline of serfdom in Western Europe has sometimes been attributed to the Black
Death, which reached Europe in 1347, although the decline had begun before that
date. Serfdom became increasingly rare in most of Western Europe after the
Renaissance conversely, it grew stronger in Central and Eastern Europe.
Major League Siege
The MLS’s newest line of gear!
Trebuchet
A machine used to launch a
projectile using a counter weight.
Onager
A machine used to launch a
projectile using torsional force.
Ballista
A extremely large crossbow-like
object used to launch spears.
Battering Ram
A heavy beam swung against a
castle’s doors to break them open.
Siege Tower
A tower used to breach a castle’s
wall and protect the people and
ladders inside.
In Memoriam
Sir Bartholomew Cornelius Rufus
Wolfrig Demitri Vincent Fredrick
Gabriel Harrington XIV
--------------------------A French knight, died at the age of 28
on June 17, 1349. He was infected with the
bubonic plague 3 days earlier and grew large
buboes on his neck and thighs as well as
having immense headaches. He will be
missed dearly by his wife and their two
children. May he rest in peace.
Friar Anthony Norris
------------------A holy man from Germany, died at the
age of 53 on July 6, 1349. He contracted the
black death a few days earlier while caring
for the sick in his monastery. He had a high
fever, stomach aches and his skin on his
fingers began to die and turn black. We are
thankful that his suffering has ended and
hope that he now is in a better place.
May God have mercy on his soul.
Local News
In the late 13th century, Marco Polo left his home in Venice and traveled in Asia. His father and
uncle, Niccolo and Maffeo were merchants anxious to stimulate trade along the trade routes east of
Venice, had taught Polo mercantile trade and accompanied him on his travels. Polo met the Chinese
ruler Kublai Khan, whom the elder Polos befriended on a previous trip, who was interested in his
travel stories and convinced him to stay as an envoy to represent him in different parts of China. He
served the khan for 17 years before returning home, where he was captured by Genoans at war with
Venice. While in prison, he entertained his cellmates with stories about China. Fellow prisoner,
Rustichello da Pisa compiled the stories into a book called Livres des merveilles du monde or The
Travels of Marco Polo, which became wildly popular in Europe, even though many did not believe
the legitimacy Polo's stories. The book introduced Europeans to Cenral Asia and China and widened
knowledge of other cultures.
Weather Report
The Medieval Warm Period, named due to the higher than average temperatures,
occurred from about AD 950-1250, during the European Middle Ages and affected areas
from Greenland, eastward through Europe, as well as also some parts of Asia. The
temperature change was from about 1.8-3.6 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than early 20thconditions in Europe.
The Medieval Warm Period has known causes which will explain both the scale of the
warmth and pattern. It has now become clear to scientists that the Medieval Warm
Period occurred during a time which had higher than average solar radiation and less
volcanic activity. New evidence also suggests that changes in ocean circulation patterns
played a very important role in bringing warmer seawater into the North Atlantic. This
explains much of the excessive warmth in that region. However, rudimentary tools and
equipment have limited information, therefore hindering a complete understanding
about the causes of this anomalous climate shift.
The Medieval Warm Period allowed the
farms of Northern Europe to out produce their
Mediterranean counterparts. This, in turn,
resulted in a shift of power and importance
away from the Mediterranean basin, which
no longer enjoyed its old surpluses, and to the
untapped fertile lands of Northern Europe.
BUBONIC
PLAGUE
POLITICAL
CARTOON
The Bubonic
Plague (AKA
Black Death)
spreads through
the bites of
fleas and
rodents…
BEWARE OF
THE DANGERS
OF THE
PLAGUE!
the silk road: best trade route in the world
perfumes
spices
silk
chinaware, gunpowder, grains, paper, medical
advances, intellectual knowledge (math & sciences),
but beware of diseases!
KEY PLACES: Constantinople (Byzantine), China,
India, Baghdad (Islamic Caliphates), and be sure to
visit the cozy caravanserai!
Importance of Items:
Arabic Numerals- easy to work with & increased in
popularity among other empires
Telescopes, Microscopes- scientific research
Compass & Astrolabe- promotes sea traveling because
of their ease of use in aiding navigation. Travels at sea
become less dangerous!
Gunpowder- Revolutionizes warfare and also creates
brilliant light displays in the form of fireworks
Bubonic Plague AKA Black Death- kills millions
Diffusion of Ideas:
CHINA: paper money, guilds -> Islamic
Caliphates, Eastern Europe, and India
ISLAMIC CALIPHATES: Islam, bank notes
(checks), trigonometry, algebra, medicinal
knowledge -> India, Eastern Europe, China
MONGOLS: Bubonic Plague, nationalism,
relocation of artisans, military techiniques and
strategies -> Islamic Caliphates, Eastern Europe,
China
INDIA: Buddhism, Hinduism -> China, SE Asia
the indian ocean trade routes
IVORY
SPICES
SILK
WHEAT, SLAVES, BUDDHISM,, HINDUISM, JEWELS,
PORCELAIN, AND MUCH MORE!
KEY PLACES: Eastern Africa, Arabia/Islamic
Caliphates, Mozambique, Somalia, Calicut (India),
QuanZhou and GuangZhou (China)
Importance of Items:
Fine Porcelain & Silk: high demand by traders and
merchants for the wealthy who wish to purchase
luxury items such as these.
Compass and Advances in Shipbuilding
technology: improves travels at sea! Increases
communications between countries separated by
oceans/seas.
Slaves and Slave Labor: helps the labor in various
countries such as China, Arabia, and South East
Asia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------Many port cities growing wealthy due to trade!
Diffusion of Ideas:
ISLAMIC CALIPHATES:
Islam, Algebra, Trigonometry
->
India and East African (Swahilli) societies
INDIA:
Hinduism, Buddhism
->
East Africa, China, Southeast Asia