Step-by-step explanation:
1. Trade played a significant role in the development of early civilizations by facilitating the exchange of goods, ideas, and technologies. For instance, the trans-Saharan trade network enabled the Kingdom of Ghana to acquire salt and horses from North Africa, which were crucial for its economy and military. Similarly, the maritime trade routes along the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea allowed the Kingdom of Axum to trade ivory, gold, and slaves with India, Arabia, and the Roman Empire, boosting its wealth and influence.
2. A civilization is a complex society that has achieved significant progress in areas such as agriculture, architecture, art, writing, and government. In contrast, an empire is a political entity that extends its control over other territories and peoples through conquest or diplomacy. For instance, the Inca Empire was a vast territorial state that ruled over many diverse ethnic groups in the Andes Mountains of South America, while the Maya civilization was a network of city-states that shared a common culture and language in Mesoamerica.
3. One similarity between the cultural achievements of early South American civilizations and the Kingdom of Axum was their mastery of monumental architecture. For example, the Maya built impressive pyramids, palaces, and ball courts, while the Inca constructed massive stone walls, roads, and fortresses. Likewise, the Kingdom of Axum built monumental structures such as obelisks, stelae, and churches, using advanced techniques of stone carving and engineering. One difference between these cultures was their scriptand writing system. While the Maya and other Mesoamerican civilizations developed a hieroglyphic script to record their history, religion, and astronomy, the Kingdom of Axum used the Ge'ez script, which was based on the ancient South Arabian alphabet and used to write the Semitic languages of Ethiopia and Eritrea.
4. One factor that commonly led to the decline and fall of early civilizations was environmental degradation and resource depletion. For instance, the Mayan civilization in Central America experienced a severe drought and soil erosion that reduced its agricultural productivity and led to social unrest and political fragmentation. Similarly, the Aksumite civilization in East Africa suffered from deforestation, soil exhaustion, and climate change that weakened its economy and political power.
5. One major similarity between the ancient Egyptian and the ancient Chinese civilizations was their development of early writing systems. Both cultures invented scripts based on pictographs and ideographs, which were used to record their language, history, and religion. Additionally, both civilizations achieved significant progress in areas such as mathematics, astronomy, and medicine, which allowed them to develop sophisticated technologies and cultural practices.
6. One major difference between the ancient Greek and the ancient Indian civilizations was their political organization and philosophy. While the Greeks developed the idea of democracy and the concept of citizenship, which influenced the development of Western political thought, the Indians developed the caste system and the concept of dharma, which shaped their social and religious practices. Moreover, the Greeks emphasized reason, logic, and empiricalevidence in their philosophy, while the Indians emphasized spirituality, mysticism, and the pursuit of enlightenment through meditation and yoga.