(what was generally taking place at beginning of period)
early stages of new wave of urban, centralized civilizations in Persia, China, India, eastern Med- iterranean, & Mesoamerica that created enduring religious, cultural, artistic, & political legacies
codification and strengthening of enduring religious and philosophical belief systems
nomadic cultures interactions w/ sedentary, agriculture based urban civilizations included: trade, diffusion/spread of ideas and technologies, and conflict
established regional grasslands, desert, and sea trade routes in the Eastern Hemisphere
Monotheistic Judaism
codification of Hebrew Scriptures
conquest of various Jewish states led to Jewish Diaspora (dispersal), forming often segregated, Jewish communities throughout Middle East and Mediterranean
Core beliefs in Sanskrit scriptures formed basis for Vedic religions (Hinduism later)
multiple manifestations of Brahma promoted teachings about reincarnation caste system established - based on economic, social, and political status
Core beliefs about desire, suffering and search for enlightenment preached by the historic Buddha a reaction, in part, to Vedic/Hindu beliefs and rituals Buddhism changed over time as it diffused/spread throughout Asia through efforts of Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, missionaries, merchants, Buddhist schools
Confucianism sought to promote social harmony by clarifying social relationships and proper rituals for all Chinese - including the rulers
Daoist core belief of balance between humans and nature assumed Chinese political system would be altered indirectly - One Required illustration of Daoist influence on Chinese culture: medical theories/practices, poetry, metallurgy OR architecture
Christian core beliefs of divinity of Jesus of Nazareth drew on Judaism, but rejected Roman influences - initial Roman imperial hostility, but efforts of missionaries and merchants eventually gained Roman support from Emperor Constantine
Greco-Roman core ideas of philosophy and science emphasized logic, empirical observation, and the nature of political power and hierarchy
Animism & shamanism daily reliance on natural world continued to shape lives of many within and outside of core civilizations
Ancestor veneration (respect and rituals) continued in many regions - One Required example from a region: Africa, Mediterranean, East Asia, OR Andes mountain region
Required Examples - know location and names:
Southwest Asia: Persian Empires (Achaemenid, Parthian, OR Sassanid empires)
East Asia: Qin Dynasty and Han Empire/Dynasty
South Asia: Maurya and Gupta empires
Mediterranean region: Phoenicia and colonies, Greek ciy-states and colonies, Hellenistic Empire, Roman Empire
Mesoamerica: Teotihuacan, Mayan city-states Andean South America: Moche
Imperial administrative systems created by rulers included:
centralized governments AND elaborate legal systems and bureaucracies
One example: China, Persia, Rome, OR South Asia
Imperial governments projected military and other power over larger areas using:
diplomacy
developing supply lines
building fortifications, defensive walls, and roads
drawing new soldiers and officers from local or conquered peoples
Promotion of trade and economic integration by building and maintaining roads and by issuing currencies helped strengthen success of empires
Cities were centers of trade, public performances of religious rituals, and political administration of imperial provinces
One Example: Persepolis, Chang’an, Pataliputra, Athens, Carthage, Rome, Alexandria, Constantinople, OR Teotihuacán
Social hierarchies (rigid socio-economic classes) included: farmers, laborers, slaves, artisans, merchants, elites - or caste groups
Imperial cultures used a range of methods to maintain production of food and provide rewards for the loyalties of the elites
One Example: corvee labor, slavery, rents and tributes, peasant communities, OR family and household production
Patriarchy continued to shape gender and family relations in all imperial societies.
Excessive exploitation of natural resources caused environmental damage and created social tensions and economic difficulties by concentrating wealth to elites
One Example: deforestation, desertification, soil erosion OR silted rivers
Threats to security from potential and real foreign invasions across frontier borders
One Example of external problems along frontiers: Han China and the Xiongnu, Gupta and White Huns OR the Romans and their northern and eastern neighbors
Climate and location of the routes, typical trade goods, and the ethnicity of the people involved shaped the distinctive characteristics of the following trade routes:
Eurasian Silk Roads
Trans-Saharan caravan routes
Indian Ocean sea lanes
Mediterranean sea lanes
New technologies enabled domesticated pack animal to transport goods longer distances
One Example: yokes, saddles, or stirrups One Example of domesticated pack animal: horses, oxen, camels, llamas
Maritime technologies innovations and advanced knowledge of monsoon winds stimulated Indian Ocean trade/exchanges from East Africa to East Asia
One Example: lateen (triangular) sail OR dhows
Spread of crops, including rice and cotton from South Asia to the Middle East encouraged changes in farming and irrigation techniques
Required example: qanat irrigation system
Diseases spread, decreased some urban populations, contributed to the decline of some empires
One Example: effects of disease on Roman OR Chinese empire
Religions and cultural transformed as they spread
Required examples: Christianity, Hinduism, AND Buddhism
(what generally stayed the same during much of the time period)
importance of religion or philosophical beliefs in various cultures
forced labor - slavery generally consequence of conquest, debts, or poverty (selling children into slavery) - not race/ethnicity based
patriarchy • interactions between settled and nomadic cultures - conflict and/or trade & exchanges
Chinese dynastic cycle