Theology Island

Dedicated to Unification
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 Table of Contents

Egypt…3

Iraq…4-5

Israel…6

China…7

Mexico…8

India…9

Rationale…10

Cites...11

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 Egypt ​(Grant)

-​ Ancient Egypt was a polytheistic culture in which rituals were big part of life. The Pharaoh
was the ultimate ruler of Ancient Egypt. Holding a godlike position, the people treated the
Pharaoh as if they were just that; a god.

- The economy of Ancient Egypt has been referred to as an ancient command economy.
This describes ​a system where the government decides what kind and how many goods should
be produced and what price they should be offered at. In more modern terms, a command society
is a key feature of a communist society. Ancient Egypt was divided into three kingdoms, Old,
Middle, and New, and the pharaohs “godlike” status faded out as the Middle Kingdom came
around. He was then a ruler like comparable to a shepherd to his people and civilization, making
sure they were safe and alive.

- The art in all of Ancient Egypt played a big role in their society. All Egyptian art was
based on perfect balance because it reflected the ideal world of the gods. Most art was
constructed to serve as a home for a god or spirit, rather than purely for admiration of it. Tomb
paintings were a major source or art for the Egyptians, and it makes sense considering their
belief in the gods and the afterlife. In all of their art, function was more important than how it
looked.

- ​Ancient Egypt’s geography was thought to be divided into two lands; the red land and the
black land. Black land refers to the fertile land on the banks of the Nile. This was, of course, the
area used for farming. The red land was the bare deserts that surrounded Egypt on to sides. They
separated Egypt from its neighbors and protected against invading armies. Along with that, the
deserts provided a chance to find precious and semi-precious metals.

- Egyptian was, unsurprisingly, the main language spoken in Egypt. It’s a branch of the
Afroasiatic language family. There are six major chronological divisions: Archaic
Egyptian(~2600BC), Old Egyptian(2600 – 2000BC), Middle Egyptian(2000 – 1300BC), Late
Egyptian(1300 – 700BC), Demotic(7​th​CenturyBC - 5​th​AD), and Coptic(4​th​ – 14​th​AD)

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 Iraq ​(Colin)

- ​ - Some of the great empires that started in Iraq include the ancient Sumerians, Babylonians
and Assyrians. Most of the groups that inhabited this area were found between the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers. One of the first leaders of this region was the Abbasid rulers. This ruling was
from 750-1285. The second major ruling was the Ottoman Empire which ruled from 1534-1918.
In 1917 Britain seized Baghdad during the first World War. Britain had control of the land from
1920-1932. Iraq then became an Independent Constitutional Monarchy under King Faisal the
first.

- This region has been very Islam based all throughout its history starting with the Ottoman
Empire. Through that time, it has continued to grow and is now 97.52% Islam. Baghdad which is
Iraq’s biggest city is the hotspot for the Islam Religion in their country. There is two different
types of Islam Shia or Sunni Muslims. 36 Million citizens in Iraq are one of those two.

- In Iraq oil has been there main source of income for most of their recent history. Services are a
main part of the economy with over 50 percent of the people in their country working in
Government and Banking. Communication in their country is severely monitored by the
Government in their country. They have 6 daily newspapers and limited television and radio
networks that are all controlled by the government. Farming is a main part of Iraq’s history. Used
to be located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers because of fertile land with the waterways
even in the current day it is important for their people.

- Iraq’s art is painted on Camel bone or Ivory. Rugs are common in the Art world in Iraq and
copper and brass are the most common utensils that they use. A unique artwork that is found in
Iraq is there silverware that are produced by the Mandaeans. They are a small religious group
whose beliefs require that they live close to running water.

- Iraq is split up into four land regions. The lower Tigris and Euphrates valleys, the upper
Tigris-Euphrates valleys the mountains and hills of the Northeast and the desert upland of the
Southwest and west. The lower Tigris-Euphrates Valley is an area which is known as not being
able to drain properly. It has large lakes and marsh areas in the south part of the region. The
upper Tigris-Euphrates is a largely hilly area.

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 Iraq (continued)

- The four major languages of Iraq are Arabi Syrian Kurdish and Armenian. Those are some of
the most commonly used across the four different regions of Iraq.

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 Israel ​(Colin)

- Israel art was originated in 1906 by Boris Schatz. Then later on a school was created called the
Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts in Jerusalem but it was closed down 23 years later. Many
people consider Jewish art as a series of variations of art styles that is local.

- Israel is a country that is around the size of New Jersey. It is located on the edge of the
Mediterranean Sea. It is connected with Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. 8 million people live
in Israel and most of them are Jewish.

- The most commonly used language in Israel is Hebrew. This is because of the Jewish people
which is their native language. Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages of Israel by law.

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 China ​(Grace)

- Ancient China had three major religions: Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism. Taoism
focused on how each person should be “one with nature” and how each living thing has a
universal force within it. They didn’t believe in strong governments or rules. They founded Yin
Yang idea, or the idea that each force has an opposite, balanced force. Confucianism was nearly
opposite, with strong governmental ideals. They focused on respect, politeness, fairness, honor,
and morality. Family was very important. Buddhism was from Nepal, just south of China. They
believe in a rebirth cycle. The cycle will stop once a person lives an ideal life, at which point
their soul would enter Nirvana.

- There were also three types of government throughout the duration of Ancient Chinese
empires. These three were called Despotic Leadership (King was an unsurpassing leader, there
were few rules and one may have been fearful of the government), Enlightened Leadership (A
leader with full control, but less fear-inducing), and Military (Military was extremely important
due to how often China was in battles)

- Art was very important in Ancient China. Religion had a huge influence on the art being
created. The Chinese were especially fond of using landscapes, flowers, nature, and birds as
subjects for their paintings. This has something to do with how their religions keep the theme of
“becoming one with nature” The Chinese actually developed many forms of art: painting,
calligraphy, sculpting, pottery, folk arts, paper cuts, and metal art.

- Ancient China was isolated from most of the outside world by dry deserts to the North and
West, the Pacific ocean at the East, and impassable mountains at the south. Rivers were vital to
Ancient Chinese civilizations as they provided food, water, fertile land, and transportation. The
Chinese had the Yellow river and Yangtze river to the North and South, respectively. The
Himalayan Mountains were considered sacred by these civilizations.

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- Mandarin was the primary language spoken in Ancient China, though there are several different
dialects and variations.

Mexico ​(Lily)

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 India ​(Lily)

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 Rationale

Rules and Regulations

● Respect others and their property. Stealing, vandalism and any other acts of defacing will
result in fines.

● Serious offenses/crimes (murder, gang activity, etc) will result in immediate arrest and
ban from the island.

● Smaller crimes will be fined accordingly.

● Disrespecting another culture will result in a temporary banishment from the town. The
offender will be sent into the woods to live in solitude for a period of time according to
the offense.

Currency
US Dollars

Government
Democracy

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 Cites

China Sites:
https://www.ducksters.com/history/china/religion.php
https://mmsamee.weebly.com/ancient-chinas-government.html
https://quatr.us/china/ancient-chinas-economy-silk-rice.htm
https://mmsamee.weebly.com/ancient-chinas-art.html
https://www.ducksters.com/history/china/geography_of_ancient_china.php
http://www.ancientchina.co.uk/staff/resources/background/bg8/home.html
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Egypt Sites:
​http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptreligion.html
​https://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/civil/egypt/egcgov1e.shtml
​http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/economy/index.html
https://www.ancient.eu/article/1077/a-brief-history-of-egyptian-art/
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/geography/home.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptlanguage.html
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Iraq Sites
http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/iraq/iraq_history.htm
http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/reviews/davis/davis7-14-08.asp
http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/iraq.htm
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14546763
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Israel Sites
https://www.history.com/topics/history-of-israel
https://www.science.co.il/israel-history/
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/israel-studies-an-anthology-art-in-israel

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