Primary Source 1
"Thule (Shetland?) was merely sighted, as their orders took them only thus far, and winter was approaching. But they declared the waves sluggish, resistant to the oar, and likewise unresponsive to the wind, presumably because mountainous land, the cause and origin of storms, is scarcer, and the unbroken mass of deeper water is harder to set in motion. It is not for this work to seek out the nature of the ocean and its tides, besides many have recorded them: I would only add that nowhere has the sea greater power: many currents set in all directions, the tides not merely washing the shore then ebbing, but penetrating the coastline and drowning it, even piercing the mountain chains as though deep in their own element."
What is this source?
Agricola.
"And I put this throne which I have raised under the protection of the Lord of Heaven, who has made me king, and that of the Earth (Meder) which bears it. And if anyone is found to root it up, deface it or displace it, let him and his race be rooted up and extirpated. They shall be cast out of the country. And I have raised this throne by the power of the Lord of Heaven."
What is this source?
The Ezana stone.
"All the other Greeks
Who had survived the brutal sack of Troy
Sailed safely home to their own wives–except
This man alone. Calypso, a great goddess,
Had trapped him in her cave; she wanted him
To be her husband. When the year rolled round
In which the gods decreed he should go home
To Ithaca, his troubles still went on."
What is this source?
The Odyssey.
"The world is a deep pit wherein wander the ignorant and the blind: would that I could light the lamp of knowledge, would that I could remove the film that hides the light of wisdom! The world has raised the wrong banner, it has raised the banner of pride: would that I could pull it down, would that I could tear to pieces the banner of pride! The world is troubled, the world is in a turmoil, the world is a wheel of fire: would that I could, with the true law, bring peace to all men!"
What is this primary source?
The Life of the Buddha.
"It is the custom of the Xiongnu to support themselves in ordinary times by following their flocks and hunting, but in times of hardship they take up arms to raid. This would appear to be their nature. Bows and arrows are the weapons they use for distant targets; swords and spears the ones they use at close range. When it is to their advantage, they advance; when not they retreat, as they see no shame in retreat. Concern for propriety or duty does not inhibit their pursuit of advantage. Everyone, from the ruler on down, eats meat and dresses in leather or felt."
What is this text?
The Records of the Grand Historian.
""Thule (Shetland?) was merely sighted, as their orders took them only thus far, and winter was approaching. But they declared the waves sluggish, resistant to the oar, and likewise unresponsive to the wind, presumably because mountainous land, the cause and origin of storms, is scarcer, and the unbroken mass of deeper water is harder to set in motion. It is not for this work to seek out the nature of the ocean and its tides, besides many have recorded them: I would only add that nowhere has the sea greater power: many currents set in all directions, the tides not merely washing the shore then ebbing, but penetrating the coastline and drowning it, even piercing the mountain chains as though deep in their own element."
Who wrote this source?
Tacitus.
"And I put this throne which I have raised under the protection of the Lord of Heaven, who has made me king, and that of the Earth (Meder) which bears it. And if anyone is found to root it up, deface it or displace it, let him and his race be rooted up and extirpated. They shall be cast out of the country. And I have raised this throne by the power of the Lord of Heaven.”
Who is the "I" quoted above? (Give me name and who they were.)
Ezana, the leader of the Kingdom of Aksum.
"All the other Greeks
Who had survived the brutal sack of Troy
Sailed safely home to their own wives–except
This man alone. Calypso, a great goddess,
Had trapped him in her cave; she wanted him
To be her husband. When the year rolled round
In which the gods decreed he should go home
To Ithaca, his troubles still went on."
Who wrote this source?
Homer.
"The world is a deep pit wherein wander the ignorant and the blind: would that I could light the lamp of knowledge, would that I could remove the film that hides the light of wisdom! The world has raised the wrong banner, it has raised the banner of pride: would that I could pull it down, would that I could tear to pieces the banner of pride! The world is troubled, the world is in a turmoil, the world is a wheel of fire: would that I could, with the true law, bring peace to all men!"
Who is this text about?
The historical Buddha/Siddhartha Gautama.
"It is the custom of the Xiongnu to support themselves in ordinary times by following their flocks and hunting, but in times of hardship they take up arms to raid. This would appear to be their nature. Bows and arrows are the weapons they use for distant targets; swords and spears the ones they use at close range. When it is to their advantage, they advance; when not they retreat, as they see no shame in retreat. Concern for propriety or duty does not inhibit their pursuit of advantage. Everyone, from the ruler on down, eats meat and dresses in leather or felt."
Who wrote this?
Sima Qian, a Chinese official historian.
""Thule (Shetland?) was merely sighted, as their orders took them only thus far, and winter was approaching. But they declared the waves sluggish, resistant to the oar, and likewise unresponsive to the wind, presumably because mountainous land, the cause and origin of storms, is scarcer, and the unbroken mass of deeper water is harder to set in motion. It is not for this work to seek out the nature of the ocean and its tides, besides many have recorded them: I would only add that nowhere has the sea greater power: many currents set in all directions, the tides not merely washing the shore then ebbing, but penetrating the coastline and drowning it, even piercing the mountain chains as though deep in their own element."
When was this source written?
98 C.E.
"And I put this throne which I have raised under the protection of the Lord of Heaven, who has made me king, and that of the Earth (Meder) which bears it. And if anyone is found to root it up, deface it or displace it, let him and his race be rooted up and extirpated. They shall be cast out of the country. And I have raised this throne by the power of the Lord of Heaven.”
When was this written?
4th century C.E.
"All the other Greeks
Who had survived the brutal sack of Troy
Sailed safely home to their own wives–except
This man alone. Calypso, a great goddess,
Had trapped him in her cave; she wanted him
To be her husband. When the year rolled round
In which the gods decreed he should go home
To Ithaca, his troubles still went on."
When was this written?
"The world is a deep pit wherein wander the ignorant and the blind: would that I could light the lamp of knowledge, would that I could remove the film that hides the light of wisdom! The world has raised the wrong banner, it has raised the banner of pride: would that I could pull it down, would that I could tear to pieces the banner of pride! The world is troubled, the world is in a turmoil, the world is a wheel of fire: would that I could, with the true law, bring peace to all men!"
Where in the world are we? (Present-day country/countries.)
India/Nepal.
"It is the custom of the Xiongnu to support themselves in ordinary times by following their flocks and hunting, but in times of hardship they take up arms to raid. This would appear to be their nature. Bows and arrows are the weapons they use for distant targets; swords and spears the ones they use at close range. When it is to their advantage, they advance; when not they retreat, as they see no shame in retreat. Concern for propriety or duty does not inhibit their pursuit of advantage. Everyone, from the ruler on down, eats meat and dresses in leather or felt."
When was this written?
c. 1st century B.C.E.
"Thule (Shetland?) was merely sighted, as their orders took them only thus far, and winter was approaching. But they declared the waves sluggish, resistant to the oar, and likewise unresponsive to the wind, presumably because mountainous land, the cause and origin of storms, is scarcer, and the unbroken mass of deeper water is harder to set in motion. It is not for this work to seek out the nature of the ocean and its tides, besides many have recorded them: I would only add that nowhere has the sea greater power: many currents set in all directions, the tides not merely washing the shore then ebbing, but penetrating the coastline and drowning it, even piercing the mountain chains as though deep in their own element."
What place is being written about?
The British Isles/Britain.
"And I put this throne which I have raised under the protection of the Lord of Heaven, who has made me king, and that of the Earth (Meder) which bears it. And if anyone is found to root it up, deface it or displace it, let him and his race be rooted up and extirpated. They shall be cast out of the country. And I have raised this throne by the power of the Lord of Heaven.”
Where in the world are we? (Present-day country and region of continent.)
Ethiopia, in northeast Africa.
"All the other Greeks
Who had survived the brutal sack of Troy
Sailed safely home to their own wives–except
This man alone. Calypso, a great goddess,
Had trapped him in her cave; she wanted him
To be her husband. When the year rolled round
In which the gods decreed he should go home
To Ithaca, his troubles still went on."
What culture does this come from, and what other cultures/peoples/places does it talk about?
Ancient Greece, various peoples around the ancient Mediterranean world.
"The world is a deep pit wherein wander the ignorant and the blind: would that I could light the lamp of knowledge, would that I could remove the film that hides the light of wisdom! The world has raised the wrong banner, it has raised the banner of pride: would that I could pull it down, would that I could tear to pieces the banner of pride! The world is troubled, the world is in a turmoil, the world is a wheel of fire: would that I could, with the true law, bring peace to all men!"
When was this written?
1st/2nd century C.E.
"It is the custom of the Xiongnu to support themselves in ordinary times by following their flocks and hunting, but in times of hardship they take up arms to raid. This would appear to be their nature. Bows and arrows are the weapons they use for distant targets; swords and spears the ones they use at close range. When it is to their advantage, they advance; when not they retreat, as they see no shame in retreat. Concern for propriety or duty does not inhibit their pursuit of advantage. Everyone, from the ruler on down, eats meat and dresses in leather or felt."
From what culture/country did the author hail?
Ancient China/Han-dynasty China.
"Thule (Shetland?) was merely sighted, as their orders took them only thus far, and winter was approaching. But they declared the waves sluggish, resistant to the oar, and likewise unresponsive to the wind, presumably because mountainous land, the cause and origin of storms, is scarcer, and the unbroken mass of deeper water is harder to set in motion. It is not for this work to seek out the nature of the ocean and its tides, besides many have recorded them: I would only add that nowhere has the sea greater power: many currents set in all directions, the tides not merely washing the shore then ebbing, but penetrating the coastline and drowning it, even piercing the mountain chains as though deep in their own element."
Why was this source written, what event/events was it describing, and why is it talking about the waves?
The text is a biography of the author's father-in-law, Agricola, who was the first Roman to conquer the British isles, which is what this part of the text is about (the relevant events). It's talking about waves because the text is describing (for Roman readers) this place, the climate, the people, etc. These are also sea people, so on the one hand, this is a world familiar to them (part of their daily lives), but these particular waters seem rather inhospitable to Romans.
"And I put this throne which I have raised under the protection of the Lord of Heaven, who has made me king, and that of the Earth (Meder) which bears it. And if anyone is found to root it up, deface it or displace it, let him and his race be rooted up and extirpated. They shall be cast out of the country. And I have raised this throne by the power of the Lord of Heaven."
What is going on in this text? What's it talking about, what's the main story? And how is it a story of travel?
This tells of Ezana and his men conquering neighboring peoples. Crucially, Ezana and the Aksumites were then Christians. Ezana attributes their success to their religion, thus, this can be seen as an early example of holy war, or people of different religions fighting. War, including holy war, is a story of travel because these men traveled from the Kingdom of Aksum to other lands to conquer the people.
"All the other Greeks
Who had survived the brutal sack of Troy
Sailed safely home to their own wives–except
This man alone. Calypso, a great goddess,
Had trapped him in her cave; she wanted him
To be her husband. When the year rolled round
In which the gods decreed he should go home
To Ithaca, his troubles still went on."
Who's the main character of this source, why were they traveling, and what was their travel experience like?
Odysseus, trying to get home after the Trojan War, and terrible! The original "it's about the journey, not about the destination" story, except in a bad way. It took Odysseus ten years to get home! It was a very difficult and unpleasant travel experience.
"The world is a deep pit wherein wander the ignorant and the blind: would that I could light the lamp of knowledge, would that I could remove the film that hides the light of wisdom! The world has raised the wrong banner, it has raised the banner of pride: would that I could pull it down, would that I could tear to pieces the banner of pride! The world is troubled, the world is in a turmoil, the world is a wheel of fire: would that I could, with the true law, bring peace to all men!"
How is this text a travel story?
Three ways: leaves the palace four times and learns of the world/the reality of the world, which is suffering; fourth time, meets an itinerant monk and realizes he needs to leave his life and become a monk (or something like that); (later), he does so! And eventually figures it all out, becomes the Buddha, and reaches nirvana (enlightenment).
"It is the custom of the Xiongnu to support themselves in ordinary times by following their flocks and hunting, but in times of hardship they take up arms to raid. This would appear to be their nature. Bows and arrows are the weapons they use for distant targets; swords and spears the ones they use at close range. When it is to their advantage, they advance; when not they retreat, as they see no shame in retreat. Concern for propriety or duty does not inhibit their pursuit of advantage. Everyone, from the ruler on down, eats meat and dresses in leather or felt."
How is this text an example of ethnographic writing in the ancient world?
Ethnography is the study of different cultures. Sima Qian makes observations about/describes things about the cultures of different peoples on its borders. Here, he's talking about how the Xiongnu fight and what they wear, seemingly contrasting it with the ways of China. This also includes degrees of judgement (e.g., "Concern for propriety or duty does not inhibit their pursuit of advantage.").