1. Write a short paragraph describing culture and values during the Tang and Song dynasties.

2. Write a short paragraph describing the Mongols. Be sure to include information explaining how they lived and why they lived way they did.

3. Describe where the plague spread and name some of the places that it directly affected. How long did it take to spread to those areas?

4. In a short paragraph, describe the geographic features of the Asian steppe.

1. Culture and values in Tang and Song dynasty:

The era of Tang Dynasty’s rule (618 - 907) is known as the Golden Age of China, as this period was the period of cultural and political prosper. Chine achieved a great development of astronomy, medicine and printing technique. The most deserving people for this development were Monk Yixing, astronomer who was the first to successfully measure the length of the meridian line and Sun Simiao, the king of medicine who wrote a medical book "Qianjin Fang" (translated as "Thousand Golden Prescriptions"), which was considered the treasure of traditional Chinese medicine. The Tang Dynasty also contributed to the Chinese translation of the Diamond Sutra, which is nowadays recognized as the earliest engraved printing in the world. But, the prospect was achieved also in literature and art as the most famous poets (Li Bai and Du Fu) and painters (Han Gan, Zhang Xuan, and Zhou Fang) belonged to this age.

The period of the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) was considered for second Golden Age period, after Tang Dynasty. This period was culturally rich and sophisticated as there was blossoming of and advancements in the visual arts, music, literature, and philosophy. Officials of the ruling bureaucracy, who underwent a strict and extensive examination process, reached new heights of education in Chinese society, while general Chinese culture was enhanced by widespread printing, growing literacy, printing, paper money, porcelain, tea, restaurants, gunpowder and making if the compass.

2. Mongols are East-Central Asian ethnic group, a nomadic people from the steppes of Central Asia, which is bound together by a common heritage and ethnic identity. Mongol’s were nomads, which means that they have relied on their animals for survival and had to move their habitat several times a year in search of water and grass for their herds. Their lifestyle was precarious, as their constant migrations prevented them from transporting reserves of food or other necessities. They were united in a great empire under Genghis Khan and are known for their fierce horsemanship and warrior skills.

3. The Black Death (also known as Black Plague) was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, caused by bacterium Yersinia pestis in dry plains in Central Asia. The Black Death spread to various areas including Central Asia, Kurdistan, Western Asia, Northern India and Uganda and later to Europe (from Italy to France, Spain, Portugal and England) through Silk Road with Mongol armies and traders.

The Black Death was spreading rapidly from Asia through Europe and in the span of three years, the Black Death killed one third of all the people in Europe. The first outbreak was in Sicily, Italy in 1347, which spread to France, Spain, Portugal, Germany and finally in Scandinavia in 1350.

4. The Asian Steppe (also known as the Great Steppe or the steppes) is the natural geographical feature which represents vast steppe, area of flat unforested grassland, eco-region of Eurasia continent in the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome. Asian Steppe stretches from Romania and Moldova through Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Xinjiang, and Mongolia to Manchuria and is divided to Western Steppe, Pontic-Caspian Steppe, Ural-Caspian Narrowing, Central Steppe, The Kazakh Steppe, Dzungarian Narrowing and Eastern Steppe