1. By: Sophia, Michael, and Aon

2.  Founder of Buddhism is Siddhartha Gupta(563-483 B.C.E.) also known as Buddha.  Grew up in a Kshatriya family of the Sakyas: Kshatriya, which is the second of the four caste levels, dealt with fighting during war time and governing during peace. Sakyas refers to the tribe that Buddha comes from.  Grew up rich, but became a traveling ascetic (gave up everything). On this journey he received spiritual insight, where he found the idea of moderation( Middle Path).  The Four Noble Truths is how Buddha sums up life. These are life is suffering, suffering comes from desire, the solution to suffering is curbing desire, and desire can be curbed if a person follows the Eightfold path (right views, aspirations, speech, conduct, livelihood, effort mindfulness, and meditation).  Doesn't center around a god(s)  Nirvana is heaven for Buddhists. This is achieved after receiving ultimate peace and done being reincarnated( person, animal, etc.)

3.  Spread through speaking, is a universalizing religion, trade (on silk road), and kingship (King Ashoka to unify India).  Buddhism stretched from India to Central, Southeast, and East Asia.  Monasteries which were educational institutions, was home to monks and nuns. Monasteries besides being housing, also educational institutions. Schools that would teach the religion of Buddhism. Women for the first time had an important to get a form of schooling.  Created stupas: Earthen mounds that represented universe.  Worshipped Buddha as god and bodhisattvas (people who are viewed with high religious statuses).  Greeks influenced religious art.  Separated into two branches Mahayana( embracing new features) and Theravada (old school Buddhism).

4.  Originated in East Zhou, during a time of political and social change.  Creator Kongzi also known as Confucius.  Many characteristics of Confucianism was related to early Chinese belief of folk religion and the rites of Zhou royals (respecting ancestors, elders, and worship of the heavenly god).  Confucius set hierarchy for state like in kinship where it went from king to publics officials to common people, who were not seen as individuals, but interlocked with one another. The people were to do anything they could to please the person higher then them.  Another concept of Confucianism is that people are naturally good.  Confucius also stressed the importance of being kind, avoiding violence, justice, being rational, loyal, and having self respect.  During his time, Confucianism wasn’t popular until later on when a follower of it named Mencius (Mengzi 371-289 B.C.E.) made it well known. He disagreed with the ideas of legalism and despotism. Popular during the imperial period.  In Confucianism it was not appropriate for women to participate in public life. Rich women were stressed to follow Confucian ruling even more than the poor.

5. Daoism was founded by Laozi in Eastern Zhou during the 6th century C.E. and has the belief that, we as humans should take the world as we find it. Being one of the major religions of China, Daoism believes that all nature is balanced (Yin and Yang), the idea of people living in harmony, and the Five Phases (water, fire,wind,earth,and metal.) Daoism also became the official religion of Tang Dynasty (618-906 CE), which socially affected the Chinese culture.

6. Daoism caused the society of China to create buildings for martial arts (Tai Chi and Qigong), monasteries, and temples for rituals and offerings. In1254, Wang Chongyang developed a school of Daoism. The most important structures of the temples were placed in the center as reverence, and the other ones were on the sides. These buildings were built in the center to be symmetrically balanced with nature and virtue just as they were.

7. Christianity began as a sect of Judaism that expanded to one of the major religions of the world. Jesus is the Deity of this religion and died to save the Jews and also the Gentiles. Recorded by his 12 disciples, the knowledge of Christianity spread rapidly through the Roman empire, which caused the decline of the Hellenistic culture. The popularity and dominance of this religion came about by missionaries, evangelists, and Emperor Constantine of the Roman Empire. He is credited with the spread of Christianity through Afro- Eurasia and eventually the whole world.

8.  Adaptation of both the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations ideas  Partially inspired by Egyptian thoughts and beliefs  By 900 B.C.E., most of the gods and goddesses had been developed and organized into deities and were currently being worshiped in ancient Greece

9.  Homer and Hesiod were the key writers of the religion who organized the gods of Greco-Roman Philosophy  Each god was believed to have an individual power and responsibility. A total of twelve gods have been raised by Homer  Each possess extremely human like features in order to be blend in with those apart of society

10.  This system of thinking was recognized in both Greece and Rome. It is a polytheistic religion.  Pantheon is the term referring to the twelve core deities. These twelve were known as the Olympian gods because they were housed in Mount Olympus