Role of Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt Political System

Rules and Format: Each of the 4 questions is worth 30 points, the exam will be graded out of 100. There is no strict word count minimum or maximum for your answers, but I would recommend your answers be at least about 250 words. The deadline of midnight Saturday is strict, and late exams will be accepted for 60% of points earned.

1. How did the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt resemble, or differ from other major states or political systems we have studied, including European feudalism and Central Asian nomadic empires (such as the Mongol empire), China under the Tang and Song dynasties, and the Islamic Caliphate? Some criteria to consider include the identity of the rulers and the ruling class, the basis of their military power, their reliance on a commercial economy, and their agricultural system. (Hint: they were similar to all of the above examples in one way or another; they were also very different in at least one way.)

2. Around 4000 BC, agriculture was mostly limited to river valleys and nearby areas. Describe how farming and animal husbandry (herding, &c.), expanded or retreated, and where and why. What regions increased land under cultivation, what regions turned away from farming to some degree (and why)?

3. What do the narrative sources we have studied (travel accounts, geographical writing) tell us about differences in gender expectations in different regions of the world—this includes not just the degree of gender hierarchy, but behavioral norms, styles of dress, &c. for men and for women. What important aspects of gender norms and hierarchy do they not tell us? What documentary sources (direct evidence in primary sources) do we have about the lives and experiences of women? (Your answers will be evaluated partly on how well you identify relevant evidence in the primary source texts we have studied.)

4. Use secondary sources (mostly Reilly, maybe also class lectures) and a comparison between two or more of the maps to show how the eastern hemisphere was divided into different zones of circulation, or trade circuits. Pay close attention to the regions that seem to be the limits or borders of a zone of circulation—don’t just answer that a map has more detailed about a general region like Europe or East Asia.