Persia Chart 3 Classical Civs

CIVILIZATION: Classical Civilization China
Time period
Zhou Dynasty- 1029-221 BCE
Qin Dynasty- 221-202 BCE
Han Dynasty- 202 BCE- 220 CE

Geographic Description
Located on the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers.
Expanding dynasties.

Moved beyond Yellow and Yangtze River
Moved beyond Yellow and Yangtze River; extended westward along Silk road during Emperor Wudi’s reign.

P
Used the Mandate of Heaven and dynastic cycle for the rise and fall of dynasties.
Government was feudalism where local lords governed; given land and in return provided military service to their leader.
Confucius theorized on the structure of the gov’t but his teachings were not widely accepted until Han; Laozi also criticized chaos
Shi Huangdi a strong, autocratic leader.
Abolished feudalism by taking land away from aristocrats
Created 1st empire (centralized) and formed bureaucracy but based on inheritance
Further territory expansion.
Harsh laws and forced labor for the Great Wall; followed Legalism
Wudi was the most famous ruler.
Made bureaucracy more sophisticated by starting civil service examination using Confucian ideology; those who passed the test were known as scholar gentry- merit based although some aristocrats got into court without exam

E
Use of iron working in 500 BCE.
Iron axes and ox drawn plows replaced stone, wood, and bronze tools.
Grew soybeans
Merchants benefited from roads and canals which increased the population.
Peasants paid high taxes.
Standardization of weights and measures.
Coined money.
Repaired roads and canals for trade.

Silk road- cultural diffusion.
Trading posts, improved canals and roads.
Iron and station granaries.
Overseas trade developed in southeast Asia

R
Legalism, Confucianism, and Daoism were created
Stopped human sacrifice but polytheism still practiced.
Confucianism was banned
Practiced legalism- harsh laws.
Legalism faded; Confucianism was brought back and Daoism continued to be practiced
Buddhism enters China during decline and becomes an influential religion during the era of division between Han and Sui since people wanted to end suffering

S
King and nobles on top.
Military.
Merchants and farmers.
2% of pop was gentry/aristocrats.
Women were not treated equally; patriarchal; used corvee slavery throughout classical age
Everyone was below Shi and nobles lost power.
Some gentry women would become educated.
Emperor, nobility, scholars, , farmers, artisans, peasants and slaves; social mobility could occur if one could afford education and pass civil service exam; merchants are looked down upon due to Confucian beliefs as seeing them as parasitic

I
Bronze and iron working.
Recorded eclipses, seismographs, bells, flutes and mirrors.
Analects- book of Confucian sayings.
Standardized weights and measures.
Books still produced like medicine and agricultural ones.
Great Wall.
Continued the silk making.
Astronomy, herbal remedies, paper, ship building, compass, zoology and fishing reels, boat rudders, seismograph, paper
GOLDEN AGE

A
Animals in most art and dragon pendants.
Jade to make pottery and statues.
Artisans crafted.
Calligraphy.
Life size army made of terra cotta that was placed in Shi’s tomb not found until the 1970s
Ceramic figures.
Bronze, silk, jade, and ivory used to carve and for palaces.

Decline
Internal corruption.
Natural disasters occurred causing an end in the dynasty.
New ruling family.
Internal corruption.
Natural disasters occurred causing an end in the dynasty.
New ruling family.
Internal corruption.
Natural disasters occurred causing an end in the dynasty.
New ruling family.
External forces…Hun invasions

Global connection/interaction
Chinese civilization was the longest in world history and one of the most creative and influential. Dynastic Cycle ensures more consistent civilization when compared to places outside China
1st Chinese empire: rulers are truly “Sons of Heaven”
Absolutism remains part of Chinese history until 1911
The bureaucracy was very effective and their technological innovations were very advanced. ….China was the source of the world’s largest overland trade network; the Silk Roads. It established global trading patterns. In the late classical era, China had contact with Korea, Vietnam and central Asian nomads. During the decline, the Silk road wasn’t used as much because safety wasn’t ensured.

CIVILIZATION: Classical India
Time period
Vedic and Epic Ages 1500-500BCE(Formative)
Maurya- 321-185 BCE
Gupta- 320-535 CE
Geographic Description
Northern India along Indus and across to Ganges
Due to varied geography, the Subcontinent has been difficult to unite
Developed 6 years after Alexander the Great pushed into northwest India
Largest Empire of India; next time it will occur is under the Islamic Empire of the Mughal in the 15000s CE Covers most of India except the southern tip (Tamil Kingdom)
500 year gap between the Maurya and Gupta; regional kingdoms existed in between
Smaller in size.
No territory in south; centered around Ganges river
P
Regionalism developed because of the geography of India; the plains were divided into sixteen regional states ruled my monarchies and aristocratic assemblies; warfare common; since original Aryans were nomadic it is a time of development caste system help keep order
Territory expansion.
Maintained large armies.
Bureaucracy.
Works of info structure.
Chandragupta was the first to unite by expanding in the north to the Ganges then Asoka continued expansion down towards the Southern Tip
Gupta family was a Dynasty but had an aristocratic assembly.
Gave power to villages; gov’t wasn’t as centralized compared to Maurya; used regionalism
E
Herding; once Aryans became accustomed to farming, iron tools were used; agriculture was dependent on Monsoons; caste system determined people’s jobs
Goods shipped to Rome from India; received lots of gold and silver from the Romans!
Agriculturally based.
Pataliputra was the capital.
Golden Age.
Prospered economy.
Harvested crops like wheat, rice, and sugarcane.
Artisans made cotton, cloth, pottery, and metal ware for markets and for export.
R
Development of Hinduism and religious writings such as the Vedas and Upanishads; toward the end of the Epic Age, Siddartha Gautama developed Buddhism
Hinduism.
Dharma and karma used to base upon next life.
Caste system.
Buddhism followed especially after Ashoka converts; sent missionaries to east Asia
Hinduism more practiced than Buddhism, when White Huns assimilated, they had more of a use for Hinduism because they were warriors (they became Kshatriyas)
Had very little use for the peaceful nature of Buddhism

S
Tight village organization; patriarchal society; joint family; caste system developed; women seen as wives and mothers
Strict caste system with no mobility.
Patriarchal society but consulted with wife and property shared.
Arranged marriages.
Caste system with 300 different sections due to job specialization.
Patriarchal, arranged marriages and no rights gained for women.
I
Sanskrit was developed; literary epics were created Vedas and Upanishads
Pataliputra- the capital with great architecture and info structure.
Schools, libraries, palaces, temples, and parks.
Many inventions.
Vaccination for small pox.
Number system. 0-10, concept of zero, decimals
Plastic surgery.
Sailing technology and sophisticated architecture.
A
Temples, palaces, epic poems
Asoka created pillars with Sanskrit about Buddhism- 50ft.
Temples- Stupas or Buddhists temples.
Murals were colorful and vivid.
Decline
The end of the Epic Age is marked by the influence of Siddartha; India remained conflicted with regionalism until Maurya empire approximately 300 years later
Internal forces; difficult to keep area united due to death of Asoka and terrian
Overturned by the White Huns in 535 as well as internal decay
Global connection/interaction
India had an extensive trade network and Indian cultural influences spread to southeast Asia . Buddhism was a leading cultural export and Indian merchants married into royal families elsewhere. India had a hard time asserting political dominance….
Indian merchants played a greater role in society than other classical civs. Classical India was open to outside influences because of trade. Could use Indian Ocean Trade Network as well as hook up to Silk Road once created Indian Merchants had contact with East Africa, Middle East, southeast Asia. Hindi Numeric system would eventually get spread off of subcontinent because of trade.
CIVILIZATION: Classical Mediterranean
Time period
Greece
800-430 BCE
Hellenistic Age
303 BCE- 1 CE
Roman Republic
509-27 BCE
Roman Empire
27BCE-476 CE
Geographic Description
Peninsula with several islands; also valleys and mountains ; caused city-states
Greek culture spread to Persia, India, and Egypt
Italian Peninsula and surrounding expansion due to Julius Caesar’s conquests
Italian Peninsula, Greece, Spain, Gaul (France), Britain, North Africa, Asia Minor
P
City-states were caused by geography. Had a direct democracy (Athens); Sparta was militaristic
Had an aristocratic assembly and chose chief officials (Athens); other types gov’t were present in other city-states.
After death of Alexander. Autocracy was common through the regions! Gov’t was not united; many empires and kingdoms emerged
Temples, palaces and buildings.

Rule by the Senate (300 elected members) originally from the patrician class – type of indirect democracy – know how it differed from Athens!
Had two consuls.
In war would have a dictator; Punic Wars.
Julius Caesar was a famous dictator.
Law of the 12 Tables gave plebeians rights and they were given tribunes in the senate over time
Armies expanded power across well beyond Italy
Pax Romana (27BCE-180CE)
Treated conquered as if they were their own.
Pay taxes and supply soldiers.
E
Economy prospered.
Overseas trade and trade based.
Agriculture and grew olive trees and grapes
Busy trade routes; during Empire Silk Road emptied out into eastern section of Empire
The Peninsula contributed to lots of overseas trade.
Trade based but plebeians were mainly farmers.
North Africa was bread basket of the empire
Romans would make to coast of India trading gold and silver coins for cotton and spices

R
Polytheistic with gods and goddesses exhibiting human like traits

The Greco-Roman religion never became a world class religion unlike the other religions formed during the classical period
Polytheistic similar to Greece
Emperor had religious importance
Jewish Diaspora
Christians initially persecuted (belief in Christ contradicted role of Emperor) but in 313 CE Edict of Milan grants religious freedom; issued by Constantine.

S
Philosophers- Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.
Children would grow up to become part of the military (Sparta) city-states. Women had limited rights, more so in Athens than Sparta
Source of unity (language, religion, Olympics and views of non-Greeks. Use of slaves;

Patricians- upper class.
Plebeians- lower class.
Women did not have equal rights although treated better in Roman world than any other classical civ.
Relied on Slave labor
I
Philosophers- Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.
Homer was famous poetry; Poems and comic and tragic plays.
Greek language.
Columns
HELLENISTIC AGE:Important advances in math and science and created the Pythagorean theorem; Euclid
Astronomy and lots of medicine.
Public works program.
New calendar called Julian Calendar.
Aqueducts used to get water from the mountains.
Excellent engineering (arched and domes)
Language was Latin.
Preserved Greek traditions. Incorporated columns into their architecture
Roman law and engineering was their legacy
A
Parthenon- temples devoted to Gods.
Contributed to arts, literature and philosophy.
Arches.
Roman coliseum.
Had great architecture.
Pantheon- a building devoted to Gods.
Columns.
Preserved Greek traditions
Decline
GREECE:Internal and external problems occurred causing it to collapse (Invasion by Philip of Macedonian and his son Alexander the Great)

Alexander the Great dies and thus begin Hellenistic Age
Internal problems with external pressures (invasions)
Western half was overthrown by external forces whereas the east was protected by geography. Eastern portion lives on and becomes Byzantine Empire (Rome “lives” on for another 1,000 yrs)Western half resorted to decentralized feudalism
Global connection/interaction
The Greeks set-up colonies and a trading network. Alexander the Great help to spread Greek influences well beyond the Mediterranean…. The Romans became well aware of the Asians, African and Northern Europeans
Chinese goods during the Roman empire were found in the city of Rome and throughout the empire. Interest in China was more so out of material needs rather than interest in technological innovations of the Han Dynasty. The Romans also showed no interest in China’s gov’t structure; Axum and later Ethiopia were influenced by Rome through trade networks