Comparison of Important Civilizations in Europe

The book found was Encyclopedia of the Ancient World by Shona Grimbly, specifically, chapter 2 that discusses important civilizations in Europe.

C. How the Source Relates to this Week’s Assigned Reading

The book discusses some of Europe’s most important civilizations that came to shape the present life in the continent and beyond. Just as the week’s assigned reading, the source concentrates on the Thule people, ancestors of the Inuit, and their interactions with the Norse, ancestors of the Vikings. It discusses the Thule people and their social life, including their retrospective belief systems. It is evident that the source relates to the week’s assigned reading regarding the understanding of the important civilizations in Europe.

D. Addressing the Prompts

The comparison of two of the most important groups that settled at Greenland, the Thule (Inuit) and the Norse (Vikings) should revolve around technology. It is through technology that the Inuit conquered the Vikings (Brown). Despite settling in uninhabited Greenland and establishing several settlements on the land, the Vikings could not defend themselves against the sophisticated weaponry used by the Inuit who were technologically advanced (Grimbly 104). The Inuit people used their sophisticated technology to spread across different regions. They also identified new opportunities such as whale hunting and the use of dogs for transportation.

The experiences of the Thule (Inuit) and the Norse (Vikings) show that isolation played a vital role in the success of civilizations during the period of history. If not for the Norse people’s advancement into Greenland, the civilization would have been successful. However, the advancement made them encounter the Thule people who were also interested in the land, and this led to a clash of interests.

Works Cited

Brown, Dale, M. “The Fate of Greenland's Vikings.” Archaeology, 28 Feb. 2000, archive.archaeology.org/online/features/greenland/. Accessed 5 October 2018.

Grimbly, Shona. Encyclopedia of the Ancient World. Taylor & Francis, 2000.