Comprasion of The Ancient Chinese and the Ancient Minoan Cultures

The Ancient China and the Ancient Minoans lifestyle lets us learn about the past and the way things were along time ago. They lived peacefully but at sometimes they needed to fight in wars or monsters (the Minotaur). Ancient China and the Ancient Minoans are two civilizations that have many similarities and differences regarding language, rulers, and people/daily life.

Kings

China’s ruler was a person named Qin Shihuang, he lived from 259-210 B.C.. The Crete king was Minos. The ruler Qin Shihuang of China lived from 259-210 B.C. , he wanted immortality and rule China forever. To live forever he drank mercury and ate powdered jade, which were a poison. The emperor’s potters made over 7500 terracotta solders. They were put under pressure and if they made a mistake they were killed. The terracotta solders were life-size, had horses, facial expressions, and ranks (showed through clothes/armor) to make the army appear real. When the emperor died he didn’t tell everybody, but his minister. His body was in his chariot. One summer day the body started to smell so the minister brought a cart of smelly salted fish so they could think it wasn’t the body. He died at the age forty-nine. His tomb was bigger than his largest palace. It had a domed ceiling inlaid with clusters of pearls to represent the sun, moon, and stars. Below was a gigantic relief of the world map, made from bronze. He didn’t want any robbers to loot treasures of the tomb. So he had machines put inside the tomb that produced the rumble of thunder and crossbow at the entrance were set to fire arrows automatically to trespassers.

The emperor didn’t want the workers to tell the spot of the tomb so a stone door comes crashing down at them. Qin Shihuang had another name, which was Ying Zheng. He use his power and influence to standardize Chinese customs, teachings, and political practices. He was the son of Yiren. The king after Qin Shihuang was his son Qin Er Shi.

The king Minos of Crete was so powerful and so greatly feared that he was able to demand and get whatever he wished, not only from the people of his island-state but also from the people of nearby Athens on the Greek mainland. According to the myth, Minos kept a fierce monster called the Minotaur, a beast half bull and half man that ate human flesh. The word Minotaur came from the kings name Mino and Tauros meant bull in Greek. It was supposedly kept in a laybyrinth, a great maze. It was impossible to get out with out help. From time to time, Minos demanded that the king of Athens send him seven handsomest young men and the seven most beautiful maidens of the land. They were led in the maze and one by one found by the Minotaur and devoured by it. When the son of the king of Athens, Theseus, was the age to go, he went to Crete. King Minos daughter Ariadne saw Theseus, she fell in love with him. She managed to see him before he went in the maze and gave him a small sward and a ball of thread. Minos’s parents were Zeus and Europa. He had eight kids, Ariadne, Androgeus, Deucalion, Phaedra, Glaucus, Catreus, Acacllis, and Xenodice.

The king Minos and the emperor Qin Shihuang are both similar kings/emperor because they both didn’t treat there people badly. Minos killed people by letting the Minotaur eat them. The emperor killed the potters when they made a mistake on the terracotta solders.

Language(s) and Cultures

The ancient China had several different languages because China was separated in seven different kingdoms. Each had its own language and culture. They had three main religion, Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. Taoism believes that people should be one with nature and that all living things have a universal force flowing through them. Confucianism’s teaching is about politeness, kindness, and fairness. Buddhism is based on the teaching of Buddha. The ancient Minoans language is the language Cretan hieroglyph. Cretan hieroglyphs are undeciphered hieroglyph found on artifacts of early Bronze Age. It predates Linear A by about a century but the two writing systems continued to be used in parallel for most of their history. They used to use a scrip called Linear A but know they use Linear B.

The Minoans and Chinese language(s) are different because the Chinese they believe in a god, so dose the Minoans and the Minoans language is also written, the Chinese language is spoken but not written. Both the languages and religion are both ancient. The Crete hieroglyphs are not deciphered. Some of the Chinese cultures are practiced today. The Minoans and the Chinese languages are old and not used. People are deciphering the Minoans writing right now. China now has one main language because Qin Shi Huang wanted China to only have one main language when he lived. China has a main language today. The Minoans might have had different kinds of culture. Crete had island near it. The Minoans use to trade. The Minoans script is not used today.

People & Daily Life

The people of ancient China were peasant farmers. The typical farmer lived in a small village of around 100 families. They worked small family farms. Although they had plows and sometimes used animals like dogs and oxen to do the work, most of the work was done by hand. The farmers had to work for the government one month each year.The people in the army were fearless. If you look at the terracotta soldiers you can see they aren’t wearing any armor. They were bareheaded and wore heavy knee –length tunics. They were fearless.

The people of ancient Crete were called Minoans. The bulls were important to them because three young acrobats would jump over a bull running towards them. The people love sports with bulls. We know this because Sir Arthur Evans found king Minos’s palace and inside it had a large fresco of people watching the contest in the bullring. The people were craftsmen. They were a peace –loving people and were wealthy. Both China and Crete’s people are different and alike because the people work hard to achieve their goals. They all help each other but the Minoans people like bulls because they play an important part for them. The Chinese people were farmers and lived in small villages. The Minoans were wealthy. The Chinese people use to be good potters.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both civilizations are alike because they both have a ruler, the languages, and the people. They both have gods and there own cultures. China has seven kingdoms and in Crete it’s in island. They also differ by there trade, Minoans traded and the Chinese didn’t. They also have some differences like the way their people live and how the kings and emperor lived long ago.