2.2 The Development of States and Empire

Period 2 – Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies, c. 600 BCE to c. 600 CE

As the early states and empires grew in number, size, and population, they frequently competed for resources and came into conflict with one another. In quest of land, wealth, and security, some empires expanded dramatically. In doing so, they built powerful military machines and administrative institutions that were capable of organizing human activities over long distances, and they created new groups of military and political elites to manage their affairs. As these empires expanded their boundaries, they also faced the need to develop policies and procedures to govern their relationships with ethnically and culturally diverse populations, sometimes to integrate them within an imperial society and sometimes to exclude them. In some cases, the successes of these empires created further problems. By expanding their boundaries too far, they created political, cultural, and administrative difficulties that they could not manage. They also experienced environmental, social, and economic problems when they over-utilized their lands and subjects and when disproportionate wealth became concentrated in the hands of privileged classes.

Key Concept 2.2.IV.A now includes erosion of established political institutions and economic changes as additional challenges to empires’ power.

Illustrative examples, Persian empires:

• Achaemenid
• Parthian
• Sassanian

Illustrative examples, imperial cities:

• Persepolis
• Chang’an
• Pataliputra
• Athens
• Carthage
• Rome
• Alexandria
• Constantinople
• Teotihuacan

Illustrative examples, methods of ensuring production and social hierarchy:

• Corvée labor
• Slavery
• Rents and tributes