Classical Civilizations
Classical Civilizations
Overview of the world at the time
❖ China, India & Mediterranean civilizations all create well developed Empires
❖ Mediterranean culture – 1st cultures that developed without having a river next to it
➢ But did NOT dominate the classical period as many believe in the west
➢ Was an amazing time period for certain cultures worldwide
❖ Social mobility was tough in most societies – couldn’t move from poor to rich
Section 1
The Persian Empire
The Persian Empire (Greek term) – an amazingly powerful Empire from Iran
❖ Achaemenid dynasty (648-330 BCE) – golden age of the Persian Empire
➢ Created by Cyrus the Great (576-529 BCE) – 1st person to get the title “the great”
▪ Unified the 2 great Iranian tribes (Medes & Persians) into 1 Empire through conquest
▪ Took over lots of territory – often bloodless victories – largest empire to this point
• Very tolerant to conquered people – allowed them to have near total autonomy
□ Freed the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity – let them go back to Israel
□ Gave Babylonians the 1st human rights charter ever (the Cyrus Cylinder)
➢ Religious tolerance & freedom of choice of profession
▪ Really into Zoroastrianism – religion of the Kings family, not big with the people
❖ Government created by Cyrus – creates the most well developed Empire in the west
➢ Organized HUGE amount of land into provinces/states called satrapies
➢ Would influence Greeks & Romans – lots of ideas that were used later (even America)
❖ Other Great leaders of Persia – centralized state leads to great & horrible Kings
➢ Darius the Great (r. 521-485 BCE) – 1 of the greatest leaders in Persian history
▪ 1 of most organized leaders EVER – revised lots of administration (20 satrapies)
• Standardized money (Golden Daric), length (royal cubit)
▪ Great military strategist – conquered in all directions – India, Egypt, Greece (fails)
• Done through military reforms – conscription, pay for soldiers & military training
▪ Building projects – Persepolis (60 ft. walls, 33 ft. thick) & huge road system
▪ Outlawed slavery in Persia – still VERY popular in the rest of the world
▪ Not all changes positive – forced the religion of Zoroastrianism on the people
➢ Xerxes (r. 485-465 BCE) – the son of Darius who continued most of his father’s work
▪ Spent most of his life trying to avenge his father’s loss in Greece
▪ 1 of the greatest military planners of all time – shown in invasion of Greece
• Invasion of Greece with 250,000 people rivals the planning of the pyramids
• Constructs 2 bridges across the Hellespont – 100’s of ships – 7 days to cross
▪ Slowly loses power after loss against Greece – eventually murdered by his Vizier
Later Persian Empire
❖ Seleucid Dynasty (330-150 BC) – Dynasty under Greek rule
➢ This Hellenistic Empire re-established trade through Empires that didn’t trade before
▪ Major spread of Buddhism into the West during this time – influenced Judaism
➢ Declined quickly – Greek leaders after Alexander didn’t have the same power he did
▪ Would eventually be conquered by Parthia & Rome
❖ Parthian Empire (150 BCE-226 CE) – Iranians take land back (share border with Rome)
➢ Huge jump in Persian culture – re-establishing their own culture over Greek (Seleucid)
➢ Big rival of Rome – share border (Euphrates) – Rome tries, but never conquers
▪ Their cavalry stopped Rome every time
➢ Empire lacked political unity – governors had more power than King (feudal)
❖ Sassanid Empire (226-650 CE) – overtook Parthians in a large scale rebellion
➢ Wanted to restart greatness of Achaemenid’s – successors to Darius & Cyrus?
➢ Highly centralized state – didn’t want to fall the same way the Parthians did
▪ Organized into caste system – priests, soldiers, scribes, & commoners
▪ Zoroastrianism official state religion – but persecuted other religions
➢ Tried to conquer too much – areas revolted – Muslims would take over
Section 2
The Greek Culture
Early Greek History
❖ Minoans (2600- 1450 BCE)(Crete) – 1st major culture
➢ Migrated from N. Africa when the Sahara got way too dry to live there
▪ Might have stopped at Egypt 1st – a HUGE amount of Egyptian influence
➢ Women have rights – actually worshipped many Goddesses (hard to be sexist)
➢ Best plumbing in the world – wouldn’t see better plumbing until the 1800’s
➢ Built economy on the trading of Bronze – lost power while people went to Iron
➢ Collapse – due to Iron trading & the eruption of the Thera volcano
❖ Mycenae Kingdom (1400-1100 BCE) – takes most of Greece from capital Knossos
➢ Very powerful society that becomes most well-known for the Trojan War
➢ The Trojan War (1194-1184 BCE??)(Achaeans vs. Trojans)
▪ Probably fought over trade – Troy controlled Dardanelles (best trade location)
• Helen of Troy probably not true – had to have another reason for attack?
▪ A unified Mycenae Greece attacks the Trojans – known from Homers Iliad
• May have taken 10 years – but it also could be a figure of speech
• Great story (from the Iliad) – Achilles love, Patroclus dies, Hector vs. Achilles
□ Achilles dies from blow to Achilles tendon – only spot he wasn’t invincible
▪ Heinrich Schliemann proves the war happened by finding the actual city of Troy
• Complete jerk of history – tried to plant evidence to prove he found Troy
□ He actually did – just didn’t know it – they found out later
❖ Life after the Mycenaean’s – slow collapse followed by attack by the Dorian’s
➢ Indo-Europeans (Dorian’s) take over – launch a mini Dark Ages in Greece (illiterate)
➢ Would take 100’s of years before they got out of the dark ages
Classical Greek Culture
❖ Politics – city-states with separate gov’ts divided by very rocky geography
➢ They are grouped by a common culture by historians – almost never actually united
➢ Very diverse in terms of gov’t – usually monarchies (but tyrants hurt this)
➢ Democracy – concept attempted in city-state of Athens
▪ Often called the 1st direct democracy – everyone votes on every issue
• Only about ¼ voted though – women, slaves, foreigners excluded from voting
▪ Leaders chosen randomly – similar to the way we run jury duty now
❖ Culture – very similar in each city-state but there were differences in each city-state
➢ Olympics – athletic competition – only time Greeks came together totally
▪ In times of war all athletes were allowed safe passage to the games
➢ Education – was private (except in Sparta) – only rich men could afford it
▪ Studied philosophy (moral guide in life) & rhetoric (persuasive speeches)
▪ Women only get home ec – read, write, do math only for this
▪ Good education started their golden age – from Phoenician alphabet
➢ Slavery (600 BCE) – 1/3rd population in most polis – Athens the worst
▪ No revolts – too different/scattered to organize
❖ Military – very similar – use Phalanx (defensive formation, great for terrain)
➢ 1st used by Sumerians (Stele) – then copied by Egyptians & Greeks
➢ Made of Hoplites – 4 deep – protect man on left – spear thru hole
▪ Became a pushing match if both sides using – deeper 1 wins
➢ Weakness – not offensive, guy on end (flanking?) – worked best in Greece
❖ Religion (Greco-Roman religion) – polytheistic Gods & goddesses of nature
➢ Gods had human emotions & fought often – explains reasons for war
❖ Art & literature – tried to make things look & sound real (very important to Europe)
➢ Well known for plays (drama, comedy & tragedy) – focused on human flaws
Athens in the Golden Age
❖ Athens – most well-known city-state (due to the rise of Democracy)
❖ Ancient Athens – had been a minor settlement for 1000’s of years
➢ The only city not taken over by the Dorian’s – different ethnicity than other Greeks?
❖ Law systems – the Greeks would create law systems that inspired many (including US)
➢ Draco (700’s BCE) – a king of Athens known as the lawgiver for his law code
▪ Punishment for ALL offenses were death – shouldn’t have broken the law
▪ This is why we call harsh laws Draconian now
➢ Solon (638-558 BCE) – made other laws due to a moral decline in Athens
▪ His laws would lay the foundations for Athenian Democracy
❖ The slow rise of democracy – didn’t truly become a democracy until well later
➢ Sparta took over Athens (510 BCE) – would back off later when revolts started
▪ After they left Cleisthenes came up with democratic reforms to Athens
▪ Was a response to Spartan invasion & the harsh rule of Draco
➢ Pericles (495-429 BCE) – had no official position but amazingly influential
▪ Officially pushes for start of democracy in Athens – fully developed
▪ His life starts the “golden age” of Athens – known as the “Age of Pericles”
➢ Democracy? – not a true democracy – only male land owners in gov’t (10-20%)
▪ Direct Democracy – every person in the society votes on every issue
• The problem with this style is that quick decisions are hard to make
❖ Women in Athens – 1 of the worst places in the world to be a women
➢ Not allowed to leave the house without male accompany – like Middle East?
▪ Woman is held liable if they do leave & something happens (even if raped)
➢ Aspasia (470-400 BCE) – 1 of the few women who were viewed positively
▪ 1 of Pericles women – but not from Athens so he couldn’t marry her
▪ VERY smart – even Socrates made commented on how smart she was
Sparta During The Golden Age
❖ Sparta – Civ. built around military!!!!!! – set up by Lycurgus (700-630 BCE)
❖ EVERYTHING THEY DID WAS TO BECOME BETTER WARRIORS
➢ Helots (slaves) taken over to make food – so Spartans can concentrate on military
➢ Made no city walls on purpose – forced people to be a better warrior
➢ Individuals didn’t matter (only state) – selfless warriors are better
➢ Horrible food on purpose – makes sure that no 1 overeats
▪ 1 Athenian had some & said “now I know why they don’t fear death”
➢ Only large babies were allowed to live – no reason to feed wimpy kids
▪ Everyone had to be good in a phalanx or else they would all die
▪ Small, sickly, deformed kids left to die or thrown off a cliff
▪ Made some men ask their friends to impregnate their wives (keep the baby)
➢ Tombstone – only way to get name on tombstone is to die in battle/childbirth
❖ Agoge (Spartan military school) – trained to be phalanx warrior from ages of 7-30
➢ Helped by older boy (inspirer) through process – responsible for getting kid ready
▪ Punished if you screamed in battle – beaten by leaders until you passed out
▪ Inspirer got beat too if the kid screamed during the beating
➢ Set up to weed out the weak kids – make sure every Spartan warrior was great
▪ Not fed enough to live – encouraging stealing (survival of the fittest)
▪ But stealing was against the rules – force them to be sneaky too
➢ Not allowed to marry until they were 20 – but can’t leave barracks until 30
▪ Forced them to marry in secret (sneaky) – get their wife pregnant soon
❖ Government – most stable gov’t in the history of ancient Greece (oligarchy)
➢ Everyone was given an equal share of food (no $) – original version of communism?
➢ Dual monarchy – 2 kings were created so that no 1 person had too much power
➢ Council – 28 nobles of over 60 who had retired from the military (big deal)
▪ Led by the Ephorate – 5 men that controlled the assembly
➢ Democratic assembly – decisions made by all free males over the age of 30
❖ Culture – very strong culture that had no connection to others on purpose
➢ If Spartans traveled they might decide they like other city-states more
➢ Crazy respect for elders – makes perfect sense in a military society
▪ Story about all Spartans offering an old man their seat at the Olympics
➢ Women had way more rights than most places – & were taught to fight too
▪ Gorga – influenced politics in a big way by pushing the men to do stuff
▪ Cynisca – beat the men to win gold metal at chariot racing in the Olympics
• May seem easy but chariot racing was VERY dangerous at the time
The Persian Wars (500-448 BCE) – series of wars between Greece & Persia
❖ Knowledge of this comes from Herodotus (father of history)
➢ Don’t have as much history from the other side – Persian sources were burnt way later
❖ Cause – Greeks tried to help a group they thought were like them
➢ Ionian revolts (502 BCE) – Athens helped the city-state of Naxos against the Persians
▪ Was a city-state within the Persian Empire that wanted to break away
▪ The Athenians believed this city-state (in western Turkey) was ethnically Greek
▪ They burnt down a few Zoroastrian temples during the rebellion
▪ King Darius wants to punish Athens for getting involved in Persian issues
❖ Battle of Marathon (490 BCE) – Darius’ attempt to get revenge against Athens
➢ Done during Spartan holy month on purpose – so they wouldn’t help the Athenians
▪ Had a former King from Sparta (that had been kicked out) advising them
➢ Athens attacks when cavalry away – the only way they can win is without the cavalry
▪ Used double envelopment to beat them – great tactic that people still use
▪ Persians retreat – hacked to pieces during retreat by the Athenians
➢ UNBELIEVABLE win – quite possibly the greatest upset victory ever
▪ 1st defeat of Persians since Cyrus – & Athenians only lose 192 men total
▪ Pheidippides ran to Athens to tell the people – dies after 24 miles (marathon?)
▪ Athenians create Parthenon to commemorate the win at Marathon
❖ Preparation for the next war – both sides knew there would be another war soon
➢ Everyone knew Greeks were in trouble – mostly because of the great Persian navy
▪ Themistocles lies to the Athenian people to get them to create a naval fleet
▪ Huge fleet was built with the $100 million he got from this
➢ Darius planned another invasion – paid a servant to remind him daily – died too soon
➢ Xerxes eventually invaded – taking conscripts from a country of 70 million people
▪ Most amazing invasion in history – 250,000 soldiers (plus more courtiers/slaves)
• Go back & look at section on Xerxes for more info
▪ Sent messengers to every city-state in Greece – expecting them to surrender
• The VAST majority back the Persians in the invasion – playing the odds
• Athenians & Spartans refuse – Spartans too cocky to back out
➢ Spartan issues – the Persians again plan to attack during the Spartan holy festival
▪ Ask the Oracle at Delphi what to do – say a Spartan King must die to win
▪ Leonidas chooses to lead a suicide mission – was a way out of trouble he was in
• Chooses 300 men that all had kids to keep their family going
• Sent to PROVE they would die down the very last man – suicide mission!
2nd Half of the Persian Wars
❖ The Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC) – the 1st battle between the Persians & Greeks
➢ Greek army (led by Leonidas) picked a narrow pass to defend – cut down on #’s
▪ Wanted to slow the Persian advance – let the Greeks prepare for bigger war
▪ Ends up being 250,000 Persians against 7,000 Greeks (led by 300 Spartans)
➢ Greeks massacre Persians in fighting – piles of bodies with rivers of blood flowing
▪ Greek armor was FAR superior to Persian – Persian army built for speed
▪ By 2nd day Persian army is too scared to go into battle – being forced with whips
▪ Xerxes sends Immortals into battle (10,000 best warriors) to raise the spirits
• Immortals do better but still lose to the Spartan army
• Would fake a retreat if things were going bad – then regroup quickly
▪ Now who is going to fight this battle? – would you go if the Immortals just lost
➢ Local farmer (Ephialtes) sells out the Greeks to keep his family protected
▪ Informs the Persians of a pass that would allow them to go around the Greeks
▪ Leonidas had sent a group to protect this pass – but they ran away
➢ Greeks now know the battle is over – Spartans sent everyone else home (cover retreat)
▪ Thespians decide to stay because they are the closest city – protect their home
• Spartans & Thespians make oaths to be allies for eternity
➢ Last Stand – Greeks defend to the last man (Thespians back off right near the end)
▪ Major fight over Leonidas’ body – then last few Spartans fight to the death
▪ Persians so afraid of Greeks they stand back & shoot arrows at the last few
➢ Aftermath – Xerxes VERY worried about the moral of his troops (after losing so many)
▪ Had the 20,000 dead Persians buried so his men only saw the dead Greeks
▪ But the troops heard the stories – this would cause problems later
❖ The Battle of Salamis (Sep 480 BCE) – naval battle at same time as Thermopylae
➢ Greeks not known for naval war at all – the Persians had the best navy in the world
➢ 1207 Persian ships find & attack the 371 Greeks in the strait of Salamis
▪ Greeks use similar tactics as they did at Thermopylae – using the straits
▪ Persian navy was too large to maneuver in the strait – Greeks left themselves room
• Greeks massacre the Persians & win – bodies wash up during Thermopylae
• Set it up to get Persians stuck & have the wind at their backs
➢ Egyptian ship that allied with Persians was the only 1 to do well – led by a woman
➢ Major turning point – invasion real tough without Navy 2 back them up
▪ Harder to get supplies if your navy is at the bottom of the ocean
▪ Historians often say this is the most important battle in history
❖ Xerxes returns to Persia after the loss at Salamis – too much of a chance they might lose
➢ Gen. Maronius was put in charge when Xerxes left
❖ The Battle of Plataea (479 BCE) – final big battle of the war (with 45,000 Spartans total)
➢ The Greeks were outnumbered 3-1 – but again used good strategy to get around that
➢ Used the mountains to protect themselves from the cavalry – too rocky for horses
➢ Persians retreat after Gen. Maronius dies – slaughtered during the retreat
▪ Persian lost 200,000 in the battle & only 1,000 Greeks die in it
After The Persian Wars
❖ Counter-attack against the Persians – Greeks chase Persians back to Asia
➢ Spartan King Pausanias (new King after Leonidas) led the Greeks in counterattack
▪ Falls in love with Persian culture & makes side deals to switch sides
▪ Sent back to Sparta in shame – Spartans stop helping in counterattack
➢ Themistocles also switches sides – would eventually become a Persian Satrap
❖ The Peloponnesian War (431 BCE) – 27 year civil war in Greece between Athens & Sparta
➢ Most city-states aligned with 1 of the 2 power houses – didn’t want others to be powerful
▪ Delian League (Athens) vs. Peloponnesian league (Sparta)
➢ Different militaries – Sparta were the land warriors & Athens was the great navy
▪ So they never actually fought a decisive battle – each wanted it on their own terms
➢ Wouldn’t actually fight the whole time – many of these people would go back to farm
▪ The longest continuous stretch of fighting during the war was 40 days
▪ Athens tried to get helots to revolt – didn’t work
➢ Bubonic Plague breaks out in Athens from boats carrying grains & supplies (rats)
▪ 20% of Athens population died (20,000 people) – piles of body in the streets
• All law & order broke down
➢ Both sides resort to serious violence by 425 BCE – murdering whole cities
➢ Athens would eventually be forced to surrender after years of fighting
❖ The Tyranny of the 30 – Athens was taken over after the war & run by 30 Spartans
➢ 1,500 people were killed under their short rule & more than 5,000 left the city
➢ They would eventually leave – allowing democracy to return to Athens
❖ Decline of Sparta & Athens – the length of the Peloponnesian War caused a major decline
➢ Thebes beats Sparta at the Battle of Leuctra (371 BCE) – becomes the new powerhouse
▪ Changed the phalanx to include longer spears – keep people further away
➢ Demosthenes (384-322 BCE) – the most well-known orator in Athenian history
▪ Developed his speaking skills despite his major stuttering problem as a child
▪ Warned Athens about the rise of Macedon – worried they might take over Athens
Rise of the Macedonians
❖ King Phillip II of Macedon (382-36 BCE) – starts to conquer Greece from Macedon
➢ Changes the military – elongates spears (20 ft.) & gives them straps to make them usable
▪ Also paid his army so they could only concentrate on military – made Sparta great
▪ & created different positions within army – started to use archers
➢ Takes over all of Greece & plans a Greek takeover of Persia – led by him
▪ Was assassinated at his daughter’s wedding (336 BCE) – interesting stories surround
❖ Alexander III (the Great)(356-23 BCE) – took over Greek confederation from his Dad
➢ Only conqueror who never lost a battle – really crazy since he LED his men in battle
➢ Educated by Aristotle as a young man – inspired him to take over the world
▪ Started to believe that he wasn’t Phillip’s son but was the son of Zeus (invincible)
➢ City-states revolt against the 19 year old Alexander when he becomes Greek leader
▪ Alexander takes over Thebes (main culprit) – burnt it down & killed everyone
• Why? – he has to make a statement that rebelling against him will be dealt with
➢ Conquers Egypt – actually pretty easy due to the slow decline of Egypt
▪ The Egyptians make him the Pharaoh & call him a God – Alexander eats it up
• Took to the idea of being a God way too far – truly believed he was invincible
▪ Built amazing preplanned city in N. Africa called Alexandria – SO well built
• Had roads lined with trees & lamps with water & food storage underground
• Created lighthouse (could be seen from 30-miles away) – more on this later
• Had AMAZING library with books taken from all over the world
□ With universities inside that did great things – Julian calendar made there
• & Alexander was eventually laid to rest in Alexandria
➢ Gordian Knot (Excalibur like story) – if you could untie it you will become King of Asia
▪ Alexander cut it when he couldn’t untie it – believed that was good enough
➢ Conquest of Persia – invades with 42,000 troops total (after visiting Troy & praying)
▪ Beats Persians with great strategy after 3 battles – truly LED his men into battle
• Battles of Granicus, Issus, Tyre, Gaugamela (334-1 BCE)
▪ King Darius III runs from last battle field – kicking family off chariot
• Would be killed by his protectors before Greeks track him down
• Founded the city of Kandahar Afghanistan while tracking Darius down
□ Major city & military base for the US troops in Afghanistan
➢ Conquest of India – attacks India right after finding the body of Darius III
▪ Had MAJOR battle against King Porus at the Battle of Hydaspes (326 BC)
• Nearly loses this battle due to war elephants & Alexander almost dies himself
The Fall & Impact of Greek Dominance
❖ Death of Alexander – he loses popularity with his troops because of some decisions
➢ Fell in love with Persian culture once he took the city of Babylon – pisses others off
▪ Married a “barbarian” named Roxana – friends thought he should marry Macedonian
▪ Many start to believe he is pushing away from Macedonian culture for others
➢ Mutiny – his men tire of trying to take over the world (been away for 10 years)
▪ King Porus told them they weren’t near the end of the world
• & that the Greeks would never take over India or especially China
▪ Army has total mutiny – refuses to go further into India – Alexander backs off
• He & the army go back to Babylon to plan another trip (into Russia)
➢ Death – dies of mysterious illness (Jun 11, 323 BCE) – no 1 knows why (murder?)
▪ Asked on his deathbed who should be King – he said the strongest should be
▪ Would lead to civil war between the 4 powerful Generals of Greece – OR!
• They decide to split the empire into 4 pieces to avoid a civil war
□ Cassander was given Macedon & Greece
□ Ptolemy was given Egypt
□ Antigonus was given the Persian Empire
□ Seleucus was given India
❖ Hellenistic Culture – the conquests of Alexander had a HUGE impact on the world
➢ Conquests connected lands much more clearly & they begin to share ideas
▪ This blend of culture & knowledge becomes known as Hellenistic Civilization
• Blend of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Persian & Indian cultures
❖ The Fall of Greece as a powerhouse – there was a long decline after the death of Alexander
➢ Each separate country given to Alexander’s Generals would eventually fall
▪ India was won back only a few years after the death of Alexander
▪ Greece would fall to the Romans by 86 BCE – Athens was the last to fall
• Would continue to be under foreign control until 1832 CE (Ottomans)
▪ Egypt would last until the death of Cleopatra (31 CE) – taken over by the Romans
• Library at Alexandria was burnt by Julius Caesar (48 BCE) – lost amazing history
□ Later burnt again by Christian Monks (389 CE) – not Christian enough?
➢ Was a time when free thinking was not embraced by Christianity
▪ Persia would fall to revolts by the Persian people – would start Parthian Empire
• Jews in Israel revolt under priest named Mattathias & Maccabaeus (167-64 BCE)
□ Their victory is celebrated every year as the celebration of Hanukkah
Section 3
The Roman Empire
Early Roman History
❖ Monarchy (800-509 BCE) – good times for a while – overthrown when Kings abused power
➢ Lots of legends surround the beginning – most of them pretty ridiculous
▪ Aeneas & Julus (from Troy) & Romulus & Remus (raised by wolves)
➢ Needed heroes of their own to keep up with Greek – Horatius (ridiculous story)
❖ Republic (509-45 BCE) – gov’t run by group of elites in the Senate
➢ Senate (started as Council of Elders) – 300 members (at 1st) who held position for life
▪ The only way to lose a position on the senate was to do something deemed immoral
▪ Could only be in the senate as a Patrician (the aristocrats of Rome)
• The Plebeians (regular people) received no representation until well later
• Positions were based on jobs of ancestors during early monarchy
➢ Consuls – elected leaders of the senate/military – similar to 2 kings of Sparta
▪ 1 consul led Senate & 1 led the military – would switch positions & be re-elected
▪ Became emergency dictator in times of war – need quick decisions
➢ Tribune – position created later to serve the Plebeians – had veto power on any law
▪ Still elected from Patrician class – usually bought off by other senators
▪ Only 2 Tribunes really used power correctly – both were killed for doing it
• Tiberius & Gaius Gracchus made many changes to help the regular people
• Eventually led to major protests in Rome – senate calls it a revolution
□ Kills the Gracchus brothers for inciting revolution (separate time periods)
• This was a large part of the reason regular people backed Emperors later
❖ Military – changed the Greek phalanx to make different jobs within it
➢ Made up of legions (5,000 men) – created the 1st modernized army
▪ Standardized, organized, disciplined army
➢ Not much of a navy – 1st few naval battles were total disasters
➢ Treated conquered people well – allowed to keep leaders & religion – add Roman Gods
➢ Citizenship was used as a tool to make people do the things that the Republic needed
▪ Needed to be earned if you were not born in Rome – helps Romanize conquered
• Believed outsiders were barbarians – & that there was nothing to learn from them
▪ Became a citizen through joining the military – often given land afterwards
❖ Law – amazing feat in history – but lacked specific individual rights for the people
➢ Had 2 separate types of law – 1 for citizens & another for everyone else under Rome
▪ Civil law (for citizens)/Criminal law (everyone else under Roman rule)
➢ Developed ideas of: Innocent till proven guilty, face your accuser, equal under law, clearer than daylight evidence,
❖ Slavery – Roman Empire was the largest slave holding Empire ever
➢ Spartacus (73-71 BCE) – the leader of the largest slave revolt in Roman history
▪ Started at a Gladiator training camp – but slaves join the cause from all over
▪ Army balloons to 70,000 slaves & beats a few Roman armies in battle
• Has battle where they were stuck on a mountain when Romans show up
• Part of the army repels down a cliff face to surprise Romans from behind
▪ Had a chance to leave Rome & decided against it – no 1 really knows why
▪ Have a battle with Crassus & lose badly – would he be a hero for this?
• No! – Pompey catches the last fleeing people & crucifies them
• Claims he ended the war & not Crassus – the 2 hate each other after this
❖ Had lots of adversaries with really interesting stories
➢ Pyrrhus – great general – pyrrhic victory (victory at too much cost – lose war)
➢ Mithridates VI – took out 3 Roman generals
➢ Boudica – Celtic queen – smarter than all the men – made Nero leave Britain
Culture of Rome
❖ Stole nearly everything from the Greeks – wanted to have a great history like theirs
➢ This is the reason that historians refer to this culture as Greco-Roman
➢ Greek Gods were taken & renamed – Zeus=Jupiter, Poseidon=Neptune
➢ Stole Greek art – wanted to make their history heroic like Greeks
➢ Roman Pantheon was created to be similar to Greek Parthenon – same in front
➢ Virgil wrote Aeneid – a Roman version of the Odyssey (need Roman heroes too)
❖ Women had very little rights – put them on par with Chinese for treatment of women
➢ Could own property but that’s it – under the rule of men for their whole lives
❖ Entertainment – was a huge deal to the Romans (lots of $ spent on it)
➢ Chariot races were by far the most popular – regular people of Rome were allowed to go
▪ VERY dangerous – allowed to beat each other from the chariots
➢ Gladiators – recreated bloody wars for the amusement of the people (not even battles)
▪ Gladiators were taken from Christians, slaves, POW’s & criminals
▪ Christians got it the worst – 90% odds of being killed (10% was the avg.)
❖ Advancements – Roman society made HUGE leaps in learning/inventions in Europe
➢ Pythagoras (Greek) – known for his algebraic theory (India had it 300 years before)
➢ Euclid (Greek) – wrote “the elements” & became known as the “father of Geometry”
➢ Aristarchus (Greek) – an astronomer who proposed the heliocentric model to Europe
▪ Already known in most of the world – Europe would deny for another 2,000 years
➢ Archimedes (Greek) – physicist, mathematician, war inventor
▪ Caught ships on fire in a battle using mirrors to start the fire (2nd Punic War)
▪ Figured out laws of density & buoyancy while in the bath
• Great story where he cries out “Eureka” & then ran around naked
▪ Believed could move anything using a lever & a pulley – no matter how big
➢ Hippocrates (Greek) – a physician who later became known as the Father of medicine
▪ Tried to move passed the magical side of medicine & make it more scientific
▪ Also outlined how to deal with patients – a major part of the Hippocratic Oath
➢ Galen (Roman) – a doctor who made a medical encyclopedia – used for 1000 years
➢ Romans built aqueducts to bring water into the city – too many people without it
The Punic Wars (264-146 BCE) – a set of wars with the Phoenicians (& city of Carthage)
❖ 1st Punic War (264-41 BCE) – Rome & Carthage come to help allies & fight each other
➢ Rome believed N. Africans were barbarians – even though they were more advanced
▪ Still thought they were barbarians because they were a matriarchal society
➢ Carthage was winning big time – mostly behind their Gen. Hamilcar Barca
▪ Carthaginian politicians get tired of war & make a lopsided treaty – don’t get enough
▪ Barca gets really upset that his win was taken away from him by politicians
➢ HUGE deal for Rome that started a period of expansion for Rome
❖ 2nd Punic War (218-01 BCE) – tempers fire up again between Rome & Carthage
➢ Hannibal (247-182 BCE) – Hamilcar Barca’s son who was brought up to hate Rome
▪ He invades through the Alps (not expected) – but loses many men because of it
▪ Starts a campaign of guerrilla warfare in Rome – too smart to get caught
➢ Roman consuls are scared of him – he beats them over & over again
▪ Lose horrible battle at Cannae – 70,000 Roman troops die in the battle
▪ They back off & start a war of attrition – hoping to outlast him by delaying battle
➢ Carthage gov’t abandons war – stops sending supplies & screws Hannibal
▪ Rome attacks Carthage – knowing Hannibal would go back to defend his home
▪ Gov’t still gives Hannibal no help – sends him no supplies & only a few troops
• Hannibal loses the Battle of Zama (202 BCE) – goes into hiding
• Eventually found & drank poison instead of getting caught by Romans
❖ 3rd Punic War (149-46 BCE) – final fight between the 2 (not much of a war)
➢ Senator Cato kept pushing Romans to finish off the city-state of Carthage
▪ Still pissed about Hannibal – had become the boogey man to Roman kids
➢ Other N. African cities sold out Carthage – hoping to end their domination of Africa
➢ Rome surrounded Carthage & didn’t attack – waiting for the people to starve to death
▪ Carthaginians gave up but Romans wouldn’t let them – wanted them to starve
• Eventually invaded & killed or enslaved every person in Carthage
▪ Burnt down the city – taking out an amazing library during this
• Legend is they spread salt there – probably not true (too much $ to do this)
❖ Legacy – by the 3rd war Rome had taken over the entire Mediterranean
➢ Start calling the Mediterranean “Mare Nostrum” – Latin for “our sea”
A Powerful Man Emerges
❖ 2 major problems in the Roman Republic lead to change from Republic to Empire
➢ Military more connected to their Consuls & Generals than to Rome
▪ 1 consul (Sulla) actually took over Rome for a short time using this idea
▪ Makes a few changes & then gives his power back – hoping to help
➢ Plebeians (majority) were cut out of politics & really wanted that to change
❖ Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE) – guy who came from nothing to make a name for himself
➢ Saves a few people & made a name for himself in the military for this
➢ Able to make a treaty with Bithynia (HUGE deal) – no 1 thought he would be able to
▪ Some people believed he had a romantic relationship with the kings to do it
➢ He was later captured by pirates – who ransomed him for the $ (has them raise the $ too)
▪ Got to be friendly with them – told them 1 night he would hunt them down (haha)
▪ Actually did hunt them down & crucified them – slitting their throats to be nice
❖ 1st Triumvirate – 3 leaders come together to effectively run Rome (very powerful)
➢ Caesar talks Pompey & Crassus into joining forces – he keeps them together (hate)
▪ Got Pompey to marry his daughter to seal the political connection
▪ Keeping these 2 together was a HUGE political boost to Caesar
➢ Triumvirate falls apart due to deaths – dissolves because of this
▪ Crassus was killed while trying to take over Parthia – would make him rich
• Parthians were pissed at him – poured molten lead/gold in his mouth to kill him
▪ Caesars daughter (Julia) dies in child birth – no more family connection to Pompey
➢ Pompey was jealous of Caesars popularity – young handsome man with power
▪ Tells the Senate that his true goal is to take over the Republic & become King
▪ So Pompey accuses Caesar of war crimes in Gaul – get him out of power
• Caesar has 2 choices – rock & a hard place (jail or break the law)
The Fall of the Republic
❖ Invasion! – Caesar chooses to break the law by invading his own country
➢ His troops choose to back Caesar instead of Rome – normal for Rome
➢ Army crosses Rubicon (45 BCE) – was made against the law to cross after Sulla
▪ Caesar says “the die is cast” – now we broke the law so we have to finish it
➢ Pompey & the Senators ran away from Rome – were not prepared for invasion
▪ Numerous wars ensued after these men met up with their personal armies
▪ Pompey nearly beat Caesar at 1 point but wasn’t able to finish him off
➢ Caesar gave his men the equivalent of 26 years pay in 1 lump sum – for having his back
❖ Egypt – Pompey loses the war & escapes to Egypt instead of surrendering to Caesar
➢ The young Egyptian King Ptolemy has him killed – believing Caesar would appreciate it
▪ When Caesar arrives he is handed a basket with Pompey’s head in it (& more)
▪ Caesar gets upset instead – mad that a former friend was killed by barbarians
▪ Is given a nice apartment for the night while he tries to decide what to do about this
➢ Cleopatra (69-30 BCE) – had been banished by her brother for trying to take over
▪ Cleopatra has herself smuggled into the city to see Caesar – rolled in a carpet
▪ Caesar replaces Ptolemy with Cleopatra as Pharaoh – after a romantic night
• She would soon have a son by Caesar – named Caesarian (little Caesar)
• But Caesar refused to marry her being that she is a “barbarian” non-Roman
▪ He would finally leave Egypt (after months) to handle a minor rebellion in Turkey
• Showed up, led the victorious battle & left saying “I came, I saw, I conquered”
❖ Becomes very popular – had to become popular to Plebeians (majority) to keep his power
➢ Had to find a way to keep king-like power without making the people think he was a king
▪ So he kept the Senate & claimed they were still in power – troops kept them in line
▪ He made himself Consul for life – had to come up with a name other than King
• He also made sure that he could hold any other office he wanted
• Believing this would give him the power to slowly take more power
➢ Made changes to the gov’t to help the Plebeians – things the Gracchus Bro’s wanted
▪ Regulating grain output to help the poor
▪ Gave jobs & land to the poor & unemployed
▪ Created a shopping mall for the people in the heart of Rome (Caesars Forum)
▪ Started using what he called the Julian Calendar – made things easier
❖ Death of Caesar – warned by a soothsayer to beware of the Ides of March (March 15th)
➢ Brutus comes to get him for senate business on March 15th – Caesar sees him as a son
▪ He leaves with Brutus even though his wife was worried – had a bad dream
▪ Handed a paper on the way that he doesn’t look at – trying to tell him he’s in danger
➢ Gets to Pompey’s theater (ironic?) & sits down to hear what the Senators want
▪ Starts with normal conversation until a senator stabs him with a small concealed knife
▪ 60 senators surround him & stab him to death – leaving him under Pompey’s statue
▪ Only thing he says is “you too Brutus, my son” – hurt that his “son” was involved
➢ Mark Antony (Caesars best friend) had been trying to warn Caesar but couldn’t find him
▪ Forced to make friends with the assassins after the death – or they would get him too
❖ Funeral – 1 of the biggest funerals in history – amazing number of Plebeians show up
➢ Anthony gives a speech where he tells the crowd which senators killed Caesar
➢ Senators flee the city in fear as the crowds try to hunt them down
➢ Caesars 2 top generals (Antony & Lepidus) chase the senators & their armies
▪ Would have numerous battles over this but the senators lose to the Generals
The Start of the Empire
❖ Inheritance – leaders read Caesar’s will to see who inherited his power after his death
➢ Power falls to Caesar’s 19 year old grandnephew Octavian
▪ Interestingly enough, the next person on the list was Brutus (who killed him)
❖ Rise & fall of the 2nd Triumvirate – was a time of serious uncertainty in Rome
➢ The Senate tries to talk Octavian into giving power back – which he agrees to
▪ But he has to have ceremony to get the power 1st – then give it back to the Senators
• Senate makes him Consul for life under the agreement that he would give it up
▪ Instead he takes the power & then uses the military to show he will keep the power
• Caesar’s personal army backs him due to the fact that he was Caesars choice
➢ Antony & Lepidus not having the 19 year old take over – they bring their armies back
▪ What they both lack is the political clout to rule Rome – which Octavian has
▪ He talks them into making another triumvirate – they all really need each other
➢ Octavian finds ways to kick many senators out for moral violations – really powerful
▪ Lepidus makes a bad political move which Octavian uses to get him out of power
▪ Then he reads Antony’s will to the people of Rome – infuriates the crowd!!!!!!
• He had chosen to give his $ to his kids with Cleopatra instead of his Roman wife
□ Roman people think he chose a barbarian over a Roman – not good
□ Especially since his wife had died while he was in Egypt
• He is kicked out of the triumvirate & Rome attacks Antony in Egypt
❖ End of Antony & Cleopatra – the 2 had fallen in love soon after Caesar’s death
➢ Cleopatra needed the help from Roman leaders to keep herself on the throne in Egypt
▪ Now Rome is invading because of her relationship with Antony
➢ Battle Of Actium (31 BCE) – Naval battle between Rome & Egypt (with Antony)
▪ Egyptians lose badly & Antony is killed in the lighthouse of Alexandria
➢ Cleopatra is captured – the Romans decide to make her a slave in her own country
▪ She kills herself with a poisonous snake instead of dealing with this
❖ Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BCE) – really important philosopher & politician
➢ Rags to riches story – started out as a Plebeian & would eventually become a Consul
▪ Rose due to his knowledge & writing in philosophy (completely unheard of in Rome)
➢ Was asked to be in the 1st Triumvirate – but was worried it would lead to a dictatorship
▪ Played both sides in the civil war – pardoned by Caesar because he needed him
▪ Was the politician who tried to play Octavian after Caesars death (most powerful)
➢ Really hated Mark Antony – would eventually be assassinated because of these issues
▪ Not unheard of – Antony was a gambler & a huge womanizer
➢ Legacy – his republican philosophy greatly influenced the Founding Fathers of the US
▪ John Adams talked about him like he was a political god
Rise of the Roman Empire – Octavian takes slow steps to create an Empire
❖ Had to slowly work his way to Emperor & disguise his real power so the people were ok
➢ People always believed Senate was still in control – but he controlled the Senate
❖ Octavian shows how politically savvy he is as he takes over more power
➢ Started to ask for more positions he wanted – giving him more power
▪ The Senators were obviously not going to go along with this & said no
➢ So Octavian quit his position! – the senate rejoices due to having their power back
▪ But the Plebeians revolt – Octavian was the only 1 who looked out for them
▪ Becomes major revolt & the senate is worried for their safety
➢ Senators beg Octavian to come back & end the riots – which he knew would happen
▪ Octavian of course adds even more positions to his list & gets what he wants
➢ He would continue to pull this trick 2 more times during his life
▪ & this is the principle move that allowed him to become Emperor
❖ New positions – Octavian took many new positions – but 2 that were really important
➢ Princeps (1st citizen of Rome) – used this title instead of Emperor to mask his power
➢ Augustus (spiritual leader of Rome) – gave him power over religion (huge deal)
▪ This is the reason history books refer to him as Octavian Augustus
❖ Creates the Praetorian Guard – military men whose job it was to protect the Emperor
➢ Prior to this military wasn’t allowed in Rome – crossing the Rubicon?
▪ But the presence of this military is what kept Octavian in power
➢ Later in history they would participate in the downfall of many Emperors too
❖ Pax Romana (27 BCE-180 CE) – a period of Roman peace started by Augustus
➢ Would end with the death of the great Marcus Aurelius (180 AD)
Great & Crazy Emperors
❖ Trajan (53-117 CE) – Greatest conqueror in Roman history
➢ Was Emperor at the time that the Roman Empire was at its greatest extent
❖ Hadrian (76-138 CE) – most well known for making Hadrian’s Wall in England
➢ The wall divided the country between Roman Territory & ancient English territory
➢ Was also the 1st Roman Emperor to wear a beard – would become popular later
❖ Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE) – 1 of the greatest Emperors in the history of the world
➢ A philosopher Emperor who was well known for the great things he did for Rome
➢ His son (Commodus) would signal the beginning of the end for Rome – crazy
❖ Nero (37-68 CE) – youngest Emperor ever (17) – but was REALLY crazy
➢ Matricide – tried many times to kill his mother (poison, rigged ceiling, collapsible boat)
▪ Finally had her executed on a charge of conspiracy (beaten to death with a club)
➢ Not a great husband – killed his 1st wife because she didn’t give him a son
▪ Kicked the next 1 to death because she complained when he came home too late
• Really horrible because she was actually pregnant at the time
➢ Actor & singer (unheard of) – not allowed to leave while he performed
▪ Even the woman who gave birth – 1 guy faked his own death & got out of it
➢ Great Fire of Rome (64 CE) – many believe he set the fire – caught singing during it
▪ Built a garden for himself in the area of the city that was burnt down
➢ The 1st Anti-Christ – named this by the Catholic Church for what he did to Christians
▪ Known for crucifying Christians – even killing St. Peter
▪ Burnt Christians to serve as lighting for the grand opening of his garden
➢ Forced to commit suicide by his own Praetorian Guard – really tired of him
▪ His last words were “what an artist dies in me”
❖ Caligula (12-41 CE) – took craziness to a whole new level
➢ Soothsayer said he couldn’t be Emperor – as much chance as riding horse on water
▪ So he built a floating bridge & did it (in Alexander the Greats armor)
➢ Family man – banished his mother & impregnated his sister (then disemboweled her)
➢ Had relationships with the senators wives – then sold them as prostitutes to others
▪ Obviously the senators hated him more than any other Emperor
➢ Loved his horse – gave it a seat on the senate & made him his military Consul
➢ Would roam the halls of the palace at night ordering the sun to rise
➢ Shut down granaries to watch people starve – & watched executions while he ate
➢ loved to watch the people of Rome starve because of this
➢ Attack on Britain – went to take more land in England – changed his mind
▪ Had the entire army collect sea shells on the beach when he got there
• Believing it was spoils of war in his victory against Neptune
▪ Had a parade through the streets of Rome holding up the sea shells
➢ Eventually murdered by own Praetorian Guard – for embarrassing the military
Long Decline Of Rome
❖ Crisis of the 3rd Century (235-84 CE) – central power in Rome declines
➢ Major succession issues – who would be the next Emperor was always an issue
▪ Go through 25 Emperor’s in 50 years – with only 2 of them dying naturally
▪ Leaders have less power – can’t control military & gov’t structures as well
➢ Economies crumble – trade was really dangerous – lots of thief’s on the road
▪ Farmers go to work with landlords & trade starts to fall off
❖ Emperors try reforms to save Rome – postpones the fall for another 200 years
➢ Diocletian (r. 284-305 CE) – quit acting like the Senate had power
▪ Had the gov’t start calling him “your majesty” – a new term at this point
▪ Focused on religious authority – in order to take away from the power of the military
• Forced people to worship him (the Emperor) as God – & persecuted Christians
▪ Tetrarchy – Diocletian’s reform to solve succession issues – make things better
• Divided the Empire in 4 – creating 2 Emperors & 2 junior Emperors
□ Making the succession very well managed
• Improved administration of the gov’t – tax collection & regulation was better
▪ He abdicated afterwards – showing that he really didn’t care about being the Emperor
• Died of old age instead of being killed like so many Emperors were
➢ Constantine I (The Great)(272-337 CE) – known as the 1st Christian Emperor (sort of?)
▪ A junior Emperor who killed the other leaders in the Tetrarchy to take over Rome
• Really lucky – a bridge collapsed while the other army was crossing it
• Explained what happened through a dream – seeing a Chi Rho (Christianity?)
□ Painted crosses on their shields before the battle because of the dream
▪ Edict of Milan (313 CE) – the law he made to give religious tolerance to Rome
• Partially done because his mother was Christian – very bad to be in Rome
• Christian Emperor? – some say he was baptized on his death bed (not sure)
□ The story of his baptism wouldn’t pop up until well after his death
▪ Constantinople (330 CE) – a city created by Constantine at the spot of Byzantium
• Wanted to attack Parthia – made more sense to have the capital closer
□ Created a new capital of Rome & called it new Rome (didn’t stick)
• WELL planned city – city walls & location made it REALLY hard to conquer
□ Wouldn’t fall for 100’s of years – when gunpowder use allowed cannons
• Constantine died on his way to conquer Parthia (was in Israel at the time)
❖ Importance of Constantinople – the city literally split the Empire into 2 parts
➢ ½ of the country wanted to keep Constantinople as the capital & the other ½ didn’t
▪ 2 possible Emperors arise to claim power – each in a different capital
➢ The argument would split the country – Eastern Roman Empire & Western
▪ Many lasting effects of this move – including the eventual split of the Catholic church
▪ The Eastern Roman Empire would later be renamed the Byzantine Empire
The Fall of The Western Roman Empire (395-476 CE)
❖ Many reasons for the fall of the Empire – all revolve around loss of central power
➢ Weak leaders become corrupt (party instead) – lose support of the people
➢ Trade system breaking down was a HUGE part of this – economy completely collapses
▪ Thief’s roam the roads & steal from people – people stop trading completely
▪ Plagues start to spread through trade also – even more of a reason to stay at home
▪ Loss of trading leads to MAJOR inflation - $ becomes worthless
• The people move away from using $ & instead go back to a barter system
➢ Military lost discipline & training – the Emperors are forced to hire mercenaries instead
▪ Taxes go through the roof due (in part) to the payment to mercenaries
➢ Division made by Constantine weakened Rome (divide & conquer) – wasn’t intended
➢ Reliance on slave labor discouraged creativity & invention – what reason to invent?
➢ Health decline – diseases spread from water in lead pipes & waste in street
▪ People stopped having kids & instead focused on pleasure seeking activities
▪ HUGE amount of prostitutes in Rome – spreads diseases even more
➢ Invasion of the “Barbarians” – everyone & their mother invades Rome
▪ Many groups try to take over Rome (Visigoth’s, Goths, Huns, ect)
• Most just take things & leave – allowing Rome to continue for a while
▪ Odoacer (435-93 CE) – a Goth (we think) who took over Rome as Emperor
• Only invader who actually stays to rule the Empire
• Would later be killed by the man who he appointed as Emperor (Zeno)
❖ Invasion of the Huns – most well-known invasion of Rome
➢ Little is known of them before this – some say the attacked China 1st (& lost)
➢ Europeans called them the “Scourge of God” – attacked many places in Europe
▪ Great military due to the cavalry – whole military on horseback
➢ Led by Attila the Hun (405-53 CE) – short, stocky, scary leader
▪ Had over 400 wives – but was so scary that no 1 looked him in the eye
▪ Some say he was a cannibal – story said his wife fed him his own son
➢ Took over lots of the Eastern Roman Empire – they finally paid him off to leave
➢ Attack on Western Rome – Romans stand on top of a mountain in the battle
▪ This made the Huns get off their horses – gave up their biggest advantage
▪ Lost because of this – went back to regroup for another war
➢ Death of Attila – died on his wedding day (to another wife)
▪ Was so intoxicated he actually died of a nosebleed – drown in his sleep
❖ Legacy of the Roman Empire – a shining empire at 1st – then turns Europe into Dark Ages
➢ Turns into crude small cities – sense of inferiority to classical Rome – then forgotten
▪ Literacy falls – people forget about glorious past – Arabs keep information for later
➢ Everyone later says they are successor to Roman Empire – Byzantine, Russia, ect
➢ Invented form of gov’t that would last for years – US steals ideas almost completely
▪ Most of the Western world takes its intellectual history from the Greeks
• But took its methods of living, ruling, & governing from the Romans
Section 4
Classical Chinese Civilization
The Fall of the Qin Empire
❖ 2nd Emperor conspiracy – PM Li Si plants the younger brother he liked on the throne
➢ Was worried about his role if Fusu took over – so he forged a letter to change that
▪ The younger brother (Huhai) became the 2nd Emperor – under the name of Qin Er Shi
❖ Qin Er Shi – wasn’t a strong leader – screwed up everything his father had done
➢ Always punished the wrong people (even his closest ministers) – letting others go
▪ At 1 point called a horse a deer – & killed anyone who tried to correct him
➢ Raised taxes to huge levels to pay for his army & building projects
➢ Revolts started right away – people were tired of all the persecutions of civilians
▪ Officials from old states revolted – calling themselves Kings again
• Most claiming that Fusu was the rightful King – gave them justification
• Unhappy soldiers, prisoners & peasants all joined in the revolts against the state
▪ The Daze Village Uprising (209 BC) – 2 generals who rebelled against the king
• They showed up late on a mission due to flooding – was punishable by execution
□ They would die fighting for their freedom rather than by execution
• Peasants from all over China joined them – but they lost to the mighty Qin Army
❖ Chu Rebellion – finally able to beat the Qin after numerous other rebellions weakened them
➢ The Battle of Julu (207 BCE) – battle between the Qin & Chu rebels led by Xiang Yu
▪ Xiang Yu killed his commanding officer when he wouldn’t be aggressive enough
▪ Then sunk his ships after crossing the river – so that no 1 could retreat from battle
• Cut off the Qin supply lines & then won a major battle – outnumbered greatly
▪ Aftermath – many switched to Xiang Yu’s side due to his heroics in this battle
• But he would bury 200,000 alive due to fears of them revolting
□ This made the rest of the battles tough – Qin forces refused to surrender
➢ Qin Er Shi was blamed for the loss – & the people refused to be led by him
▪ So the chief eunuch Zhao Gao forced him to commit suicide to save the country
❖ Ziying (AKA Qin San Shi or 3rd Emperor)(?-206 BCE) – made the new Emperor
➢ Was done to energize the people but didn’t work – was too much like Qin Er Shi
➢ Liu Bang took the unguarded city of Guanzhong while Xiang Yu was fighting battles
▪ This complicated the issue – due to a promise to whoever took the city
• King Yi (of Chu) said whoever took the city would become the King
▪ Ziying killed his advisors & surrendered to Liu Bang – knowing he would lose
• His people were much happier with that since he was much more reasonable
□ Liu ordered his troops to not kill civilians or loot cities captured
Chu-Han Contention (206–202 BCE)
❖ Fight between the 2 major Generals for the rule of China (Liu Bang & Xiang Yu)
➢ Most leaders wanted China to be separate states again – except for these 2
▪ But the people were hoping that a unified China would end the constant warfare
➢ Xiang Yu was 1 of the best warrior-commanders in Chinese history
▪ But in most battles he rarely paid sufficient attention to resource logistics
▪ Was cocky from a young age – wouldn’t listen to his uncle, teachers or other leaders
• Never had enough humility to learn from his mistakes
❖ Problems between the 2 – Xiang Yu didn’t trust Liu Bang
➢ Xiang Yu separated China into 18 states – putting his friends in as leaders
▪ But gave Liu Bang a small position in the Han state – made him mad
• He & other Generals who were shut out started rebellions
▪ Xiang Yu became wildly unpopular with the people – the burying of soldiers
• He made King Yi the Emperor of Chu – but would kill him later & take over
❖ War – Liu Bang decided to reclaim his rightful territory (Guanzhong)(206 BCE)
➢ Many rallied behind him – justifying it with the killing of Emperor Yi of Chu
➢ Xiang Yu nearly captured Liu Bang on more than 1 occasion – with a few lucky escapes
➢ Liu Bang was popular but not a great military leader – lost nearly every battle
▪ But was smart enough to exploit Xiang Yu’s weak spot (his cockiness)
▪ Liu Bang had his generals attack Xiang Yu’s supply lines – & kept at it
• The loss of supplies would eventually cause the loss
• But Xiang Yu was too bold to realize he was wrong – didn’t believe it
▪ Wasn’t a saint himself – once abandoned his family to get away from a loss
➢ Once dammed a river until the Chu army crossed it – then they collapsed the dam
▪ Which drowned the majority of the troops in the flood waters
• Was 1 of the last major losses for Xiang Yu – who was running out of soldiers
❖ Use of Treaties – Liu Bang offered a few treaties during the war – which were accepted
➢ But they were always used for him to regroup – then attack later
➢ Was once used to get his family back – after a ploy by Xiang Yu failed
▪ He threatened to murder & eat Liu Bang’s family to get him to stop
▪ Liu Bang asked him to save him a bowl – knowing he would never do it
❖ End of the War – Xiang Yu tried to force a final decisive battle with Liu Bang
➢ Xiang Yu & the Chu army were running out of supplies – without a decisive battle
➢ The Battle of Gaixia (202 BCE) – Xiang Yu was attacked by a coalition of Kings
▪ Lost this major battle – & decided to bring his men back to the capital
• But was ambushed all the way back – with his wife being taken in 1 attack
• He took troops to retrieve her & fell into a trap in a deep canyon - surrounded
▪ He escaped the trap & committed suicide before being caught – slit his throat
➢ Xiang Yu lost a battle of attrition in the end – Bang never took the decisive battle
Han Dynasty (202 BCE–220 CE)
❖ Considered a golden age in Chinese history – 4 centuries
➢ China’s majority ethnic group refers to itself as the “Han people” still today
❖ Liu Bang proclaims himself Emp. Gao (or Gaozu)(202 BCE) – starts the Dynasty
➢ 1 of the few Emp. that was a peasant – faked refusal of the position a few times
▪ Increased his power by ending the war – Generals go home & don’t push for power
➢ Reign – tried to differentiate his dynasty from the Qin – not be so tough
▪ Built a new capital at Luoyang & immediately lowered taxes – making him popular
▪ Made lighter punishments in the law system – not hard after crazy Qin laws
▪ Freed those who had been sold into slavery to avoid hunger during the war
➢ Military campaigns – known for fighting Xiongnu & losing badly
▪ Started with a trade embargo – to keep them from learning how to make iron weapons
▪ The Battle of Baideng (200 BCE) – major loss against Xiongnu
• Had to bribe the Xiongnu to save his life – signed Heqin treaty
▪ Heqin treaty (198 BCE) – China gave 1 princess & money each year to the Xiongnu
• 1 of the few times in history China takes a subservient roll to anyone
□ Takes subservient roll to Xiongnu – giving them money (& a princess)
➢ Personal life & attitude – always trying to justify his low birth (many disliked the idea)
▪ There were stories of his mother & a virgin birth – impregnated by a dragon?
• Quite possibly his way to justify the position – part God
▪ Charismatic but shrewd leader – manipulated people but acted like a righteous king
❖ Society & culture – very different society than most
➢ The 1st dynasty to embrace Confucianism – became basis for all later dynasties
▪ Dong Zhongshu (179–04 BCE) – united Confucianism with older Chinese beliefs
• Made them more popular – would later be basis for whole culture
• Partially because it justified the power of the Emperor & men in general
▪ Imperial Univ (124 BCE) - would pave the way for Civil Service Exam (big deal)
• Started with 50 students – would be 30,000 by the end of the Dynasty
➢ Gender – highly patrilineal society with arranged marriages being the norm
▪ Women expected to obey their father, then husband, then son when he grew up
➢ Marriages – arranged between 2 clans – parents made the decision for you
➢ Law & order – talked bad about the harsh laws of the Qin – but were pretty tough too
➢ Taxation & property – could pay with money or crops depending on who you were
▪ Had to work for gov’t in building proj (1 month) & military (when needed)
▪ Could buy your way out of service if you had enough money
➢ Economy – well known for extreme prosperity most of the time
▪ The coins minted (119 BCE) remained the standard until the Tang Dynasty
▪ Occasionally nationalized the private salt & iron industries (117 BCE)
❖ Scientific Improvements – great time for science – came up with many things independently
➢ Had developments in metallurgy, mining, seismometers, pipelines, math, ect
➢ Sailing – the invention of the junk ship with steering rudder allowed serious sea travel
➢ Writing – formally introduced paper (Cai Lun 105 CE) – been used before that though
▪ Would spread to the Middle East & then to Europe through war (Crusades last step)
▪ Written vertically still because they had used vertical strips of bamboo before
➢ Agriculture – they used the spade, shovel, pick, & plow to till the soil
▪ Rice paddies – grown in the water to keep the weeds away & provide for water
❖ History – Sima Qian is well known for writing The Records of the Grand Historian
➢ The 1st systematic Chinese historical text – similar to Herodotus in Greece
▪ Recording history from the Yellow Emperor to his own time
❖ The Silk Road – an extensive network of trade routes across the Asian continent
➢ Opened up again by the conquest of Emp. Wu – pushing back the Xiongnu
➢ Used from ancient times on – named after the most popular product (silk)
▪ Became so popular in Rome they tried to outlaw it – losing money to China
➢ Very few travelled the whole route (4,000 miles) – traded at markets on the way
▪ This created important market towns along the way – middle men got rich
Political Power in Han China
❖ The Lü Clan Disturbance (180 BC) – a break in the line of Emp’s by Emp. Gao’s wife
➢ Grand Empress Dowager Lü starts to control the gov’t over her kids & grandkids
▪ Empress Dowager (widow of old Emp.) – Grand Empress is mother of dead Emp.
▪ Good administrator of gov’t but pretty cruel – executed anyone in her way
➢ Finally tries to place her family in charge – clan from before her marriage to Emp. Gao
▪ Han leaders thought she was trying to take over Dynasty with her clan
▪ They killed the entire Lü clan & her – warning for later Empress Dowagers
➢ The Han clan placed Emp. Gao’s grandson on the throne (Emperor Wen)
❖ Golden Age – many arguable great leaders of the Dynasty
➢ Emperor Wu (Liu Che)(156-87 BCE) – 1 of the greatest Emp in Chinese history
▪ Grandson of Emp Wen – although mother claimed to be impregnated by a God
• Would sneak out of the palace in early years to hunt or see the sights
▪ Expansion – great military leader! – doubled the size of China during his time
• Conquered roughly 1.7 million mi2 of new land – largest in Chinese history
• Taking most of his land in fights with the Xiongnu – sending colonists
□ Long tough war – needed horses – could get out of war if you gave a horse
• Land taken to the south would be a problem for years (Korea especially)
▪ Witchcraft – 10’s of 1000’s were executed for witchcraft (false accusations)
• But he allowed magic when it was for him – looking for an immortality drug
▪ Abusing his power – adopted tougher (Legalist-like) laws & wasted money
• Killed a minister for moving his lips – thinking he meant to say something bad
• Actually publicly apologized for his mistakes (Repenting Edict of Luntai)
▪ Legacy – created an Empire larger than that of the Roman Empire
• But also created a very centralized & organized Confucius state
□ Arguably making China the most powerful state in the world at the time
❖ Problems start to arise – eunuchs & Empress Dowagers gain power & make a mess
➢ Eunuchs start to wield more power – even making decisions on succession later on
➢ Rebellion of 7 States (154 BCE) – actually started with an argument over a board game
▪ Emp. Gao had put his family in semi-independent states after taking over
▪ Emp. Jing threw the bored at his cousin & killed him – rebellion done for revenge
▪ 7 semi-independent states revolt against Han – & lose badly in the end
▪ The Han take power away from independent states – under the Han now
• Princes from areas could no longer appoint their own ministers
➢ Economic problems – huge population growth made growth & problems too
▪ Monopolies used when needed – but they were really unpopular
• The Reformist Party tried to go back to fiscal responsibility – didn’t change much
▪ The rich eventually got richer & the poor got poorer – started problems
The Xin & the Eastern Han Dynasties
❖ The Xin (“New”) Dynasty (9-23 CE) – short lived dynasty that cut Han Dynasty in 2
➢ Not even technically a dynasty – since it only had 1 Emperor
➢ Started by Wang Mang (45 BCE-23 CE) – An official who took the throne
▪ Was regent for a few young Emp’s – who died at really young ages
▪ Started saying the Han Dynasty had lost its Mandate of Heaven
• He had a fake decree written by Emp. Gaozu saying he should be Emperor
• So he took the throne and declared the Xin Dynasty (9 CE)
➢ Government – he was a competent administrator but didn’t have people skills
▪ Rebellions started against him (Chimei, or Red Eyebrow Rebellion)
▪ Instituted a land redistribution system (wangtian) – super rich gave to the poor
▪ Made 28 types of coins – confused people & hurt the economy bad
▪ Burdens from the wars & the corruption eventually led to revolts
• Rebels took pieces of the country for themselves – gov’t couldn’t stop it
➢ End of the Dynasty – the whole country turned on him eventually
▪ Massive floods – hurt 1000’s of peasant farmers who revolted
▪ The Battle of Kunyang (23 CE) – army quit on him against the Han forces
▪ The people stormed the palace & killed Wang Mang before the Han got to him
• Actually cut his body into pieces & played soccer with the head
❖ Eastern Han (25 CE) – the name historians give the new Han dynasty (old 1 is Western)
➢ Emp. Guangwu restarts the Han Dynasty – moving the capital to the East
▪ Had the help of the aristocrats in uniting the country – better than redistribution
▪ It helped that he was a great military strategist – didn’t need to listen to Generals
▪ Also dealt with the Trưng sisters in Vietnam (40 CE) – more on that later
❖ Problems with eunuchs – court officials who gained WAY too much political power
➢ Get way more into politics (after 92 CE) – fight with Emp, clans, & Empress Dowagers
➢ They would change alliances between different groups – & depose rulers a few times
➢ Emp. Ling (156-189 CE) – gave eunuchs full power cause he wanted to party
▪ The corruption that followed lead to the fall of the Dynasty
▪ Between eunuchs decisions & his policy of selling offices for money
▪ His reign left the Eastern Han Dynasty weak and ready to crumble
The End of The Han Dynasty
❖ Problems that led to decline – mostly about money & power
➢ Gap between rich & poor grew – taxes easier for rich to pay due to more land
▪ Poor couldn’t keep up so rich bought more land – think of Wal-Mart
▪ This led to less taxes for the gov’t & the need to raise them to make $
➢ Fighting between clans & eunuchs for who would be in power – major corruption
❖ The Yellow Turban Rebellion (184 CE) – peasant rebellion under Emp. Ling
➢ Started from secret Taoist societies the sprung up after floods displaced people
▪ Named after color of scarves the rebels wore on their heads
▪ Was a semi-religious group based loosely on Taoist ideas
➢ Mad at corrupt eunuchs & landowner who made money taking advantage of workers
▪ But flood showed people that the Dynasty had lost their Mandate of Heaven
➢ Fighting – small skirmishes were won by Han due to lack of leadership
▪ The Han had assassinated rebel leaders after locals turned them in for $
➢ Impact – they destroyed large sections of the country & killed leaders in many areas
▪ The economy was in shambles & 100’s of 1000’s were dead
▪ The gov’t was forced to give local leaders more power to deal with small uprisings
• This led China right back into a period of important warlords
❖ Power struggle after Emp. Ling died (189 CE) – eunuchs vs. He Jin over power
➢ Gen. He Jin plotted to kill the eunuchs to end their corruption – asked the Empress
▪ Eunuchs had him killed instead – which united the people against the eunuchs
▪ He Jin’s friends (Yuan Shu & Dong Zhou) massacred the eunuchs in the palace
➢ Dong Zhou uses his military to force an Emperor change – making a puppet king
▪ He then kills the Empress Dowager & the former Emp. – solidifying his power
▪ Other officials backed Yuan Shu – thinking Dong Zhou was trying to take over
▪ Zhou got worried & moved his capital to Chang’an (the Western Han capital)
• Burning down the old capital of Luoyang – making it a ruined city
▪ Dong Zhou was finally killed by his adopted son (Lü Bu) who had tired of him
• He was killed in the streets & they left his body there for days
➢ The Empire was carved into 8 spheres of influence – each ruled by warlords
▪ They still claimed loyalty to the Han – need to keep the position to takeover
❖ The rise of Cao Cao (155–220 CE) – a commander of cavalry during the Yellow Turban Reb
➢ A brilliant ruler & military genius who really listened to subordinates
▪ But he is often portrayed as a cruel & merciless tyrant
➢ Used Emp. Xian who was too weak to protect himself – makes him a puppet Emp.
▪ Then starts taking over the other warlords using the Imperial army & his
▪ Other leaders could have beat him but they couldn’t work together against him
➢ The Battle of Guandu (200 CE) – a victory for Cao Cao over warlord Yuan Shao
▪ Cao Cao was really outnumbered & was dealing with rebellions in the capital
▪ He attacked Yuan Shao’s supply line while the Shao attacked his main troops
• Hurt them so bad they had to retreat – many soldiers switched to his side
▪ Legacy – probably the greatest win of his career – against huge odds
➢ The Battle of Red Cliffs (208-09 CE) – VERY important battle in Chinese history
▪ Cao Cao surrounded the last 3 warlords – who were forced to work together
▪ Zhou Yu acted like he was surrendering his navy – was a trap to lure Cao Cao in
• He set fire to his ships & rammed Cao Cao’s – burning the majority of the fleet
• A plague was also weakening Cao Cao’s forces at the same time
▪ Cao Cao tried to retreat on land & ran into another army – fighting in mud
• His forces were routed (even drowning in the mud) - death rate over 50%
▪ Legacy – would end Cao Cao’s ability to unify the country
• & lead directly to the later 3 Kingdoms Period
➢ Emp. Xian would abdicate to Cao Cao’s son (Cao Pi)(220 CE) – forced to do it
▪ Cao Pi created the state of Cao Wei – thinking it would be the new Chinese dynasty
▪ But other leaders instead created their own kingdoms
• Liu Bei made himself Emperor of the Shu Han province (221 CE)
• Sun Quan broke away from Cao Wei & created Eastern Wu (222 CE)
Long Era of Instability
❖ 6 Dynasties – the chaotic period after the fall of the Han
➢ Historians name it after the 6 major dynasties – but there were LOTS of others
➢ The following are periods & dynasties that all fall into this era
❖ The 3 Kingdoms period (Wei, Shu, & Wu) – all claimed they were legitimate Emperors
➢ 1 of the bloodiest eras in Chinese history – losing well over ½ their population
▪ But is still romanticized in history – much like the middle ages in Europe
➢ The Wei State was the most powerful – under Cao Wei & others
▪ But never quite able to take the others over completely
▪ Cao Huan was eventually forced to abdicate to Sima Yan – in a coup
• He would end the Wei Dynasty & create the Jin Dynasty
• The Jin would eventually take over the rest of China
➢ Romance of the 3 Kingdoms – written by Luo Guanzhong (1321 CE)
▪ A novel partially based on history of the 3 Kingdoms period
▪ Combined themes of legend, magic, & morality to appeal to the peasant class
• Some say the novel consists of 70% history & 30% non-history
❖ The Jìn Dynasty (265–420) – founded by Sima Yan (later called Emp. Wu)
➢ The Western Jìn Dynasty (265–316 CE) – provided a brief period of unity
▪ United the people after conquering the state of Eastern Wu (280 CE)
▪ Emp. Wǔ (236-290 CE) – the 1st Emperor of Jìn
• Extravagant man – 10,000 concubines & only drank HUMAN milk
• Left his empire to his developmentally disabled son – couldn’t rule
□ & his family were all corrupt & pushing for more power
▪ War of 8 Princes (301-305 CE) – major civil war within the dynasty
• Emp Wu placed relatives in states as princes – thinking he could trust their loyalty
□ This backfired after he died – princes all fought for control of the country
▪ Wu Hu uprising (304-316 CE) – revolt of northern nomads
• Decided to revolt after seeing turmoil from the War of 8 princes – unstable China
• The Jin forces were completely overwhelmed by their forces
□ Capital of Luoyang was sacked – killing over 30,000 in the process
□ The next capital (Chang’an) was sacked later – executing another Emp.
• The remaining court fled to the southeast to restart the dynasty
➢ Eastern Jìn Dynasty (317- 420 CE) – the new Empire under Emp. Yuan
▪ Was limited to territory in the Southeast after losing to the Wu Hu
▪ Emp. Yuan was picked due to lack of options – didn’t have support of all nobles
• This led to MAJOR problems – everyone & their mother revolted
• Many new dynasties were eventually started due to these conflicts
▪ Liu Yu gained power & placed Emp. An on the throne – had severe down syndrome
• Would eventually become powerful enough to take over
□ Had Emp. An strangled & forced the new Emp. Gong to abdicate to him
❖ Southern & Northern Dynasties (420–589 CE)
➢ Extremely unstable period with many dynasties – many different cultural aspects arise
▪ Generals would take over through military power – but dynasties were often short
• Couldn’t find a replacement that was as powerful as they were
➢ N. China was ruled by 16 Kingdoms – many were founded by non-Chinese people
▪ Many ethnic groups were involved – ancestors of the Turks, Mongolians, & Tibetans
➢ Also a time of flourishing in the arts, culture, & advancement in technology
▪ Most important invention was the stirrup – helped cavalry big time
Sui Dynasty (589–618 CE) – reunited China after centuries of Civil War
❖ Was able to unify China – but didn’t last long because of its tough policies
➢ Sometimes a ruthless dynasty – often compared with the Qin
❖ Well known for using conscription to build the Grand Canal & expand the Great Wall
➢ But the people resented the gov’t for the amount of work that people did on these
❖ Fully established Imperial examinations – determined who could get gov’t positions
➢ Now anyone could take the test – had to be selected before this
▪ Usually rich people passed though – the only 1’s who could pay for the tutors
➢ Helped stabilize the country – less possibility of regions breaking off
➢ Only about 5% who tried were able to pass the exam & get a position
▪ There were other positions for those who failed – like teacher
➢ The examinations lasted 24-72 hours in 1370 – had 2 boards to make a bed, desk or chair
▪ Lasted 1300 years – until 1905
❖ The Grand Canal in China – the longest canal or river in the world
➢ Finished at this time to connect the 2 major waterways of China
➢ It worked as a road way for military & postal movements
❖ The Equal-field system – a system of land ownership & distribution in China
➢ All land was owned by the gov’t – which assigned it to the people
▪ The system was created to make sure all land was used
▪ & was set to make reduce the rich-poor social gap
➢ Aristocratic families bought more land – paid peasants to work small parts of it
▪ This led to less taxable land & rebellions based on jealousy
❖ Wars – was a good military but lost a lot of money attacking Vietnam
➢ Linyi-Champa Campaign (602-605 CE) – attacked the Champa people of Vietnam
▪ Beat war elephants by trapping them or shooting arrows at them
▪ Elephants turned & ran – trampling their own troops in the process
▪ Sui troops had issues with disease – not immune to tropical diseases (malaria)
➢ The Goguryeo-Sui Wars (598-614 CE) – major loss of Sui against Korea
▪ Sui tried many times but lost millions of soldiers on land & at sea
• At 1 point attacking with over a million troops (maybe?)
□ 3,000 warships, 50,000 cavalry, 5,000 artillery
□ Some say it took 30 days for all troops to leave 1 city – that big
▪ Aftermath – losses led to the unhappiness that led to the end of the dynasty
❖ The Sui dynasty fell due to the losses in Southern Manchuria & North Korea
➢ Rebels would eventually take control of the govt
Section 5
Classical Indian Civilizations
Patterns in Classical India
❖ Different than other cultures – HUGE focus on religion instead of politics
➢ Religion provided stability for the society – had no real need for harsh politics to do it
❖ Culture of India (Golden Age) – amazing time for the civilization
➢ Governments of India – various types (monarchies, republics, ect)
▪ Hard to unite due to diversity – usually dominated by warriors/priests
• Shifted between empires & network of smaller kingdoms
▪ Not really big into political theory though – not valued by the people at all
• Life was regulated through strict religious organization – which was valued
➢ Advancements & Art – not well known in common culture – but important to history
▪ Great scientific society – often covered astronomy & medical ideas
• Concepts of surgery & sterilization even though religion prevented dissection
□ Ideas would take 100’s of years to reach the US
▪ Literature revolved around life & love (Romantic Adventure)
• Kamasutra (Laws of love) – covered the basics of male/female relationships
▪ Art wasn’t focused on realism – they were made to look stylized & interesting
• See the rise of Stupas (spherical shrines to Buddha) during this era
➢ Trade – no civilization was more open to others (right in the middle of a trade system)
▪ Buddhism spread around the world using the trade system around the Indian ocean
❖ Mauryan Dynasty (321-181 BCE) – military dynasty that unified India
➢ Chandragupta Maurya (340-298 BCE) – created the largest army in the world
▪ Unified the subcontinent with his army (322 BCE) – kicking Greeks out too
▪ A smart leader who was educated in the 1st university in India – valued education
▪ Divided his empire into 4 states & ruled from his new capital at Pataliputra
• Led by powerful Autocratic military leaders – used army to keep their power
• Developed bureaucracy – but not as crazy as other places (like China)
▪ Was the 1st leader in India to convert to the religion of Jainism – gains popularity
• Would later give up the throne to be a wondering ascetic
➢ Ashoka the Great (r. 273-32 BCE) – Chandragupta’s grandson
▪ Lived an amazingly lavish lifestyle – using taxes from all the territories he conquered
▪ Very bloodthirsty at 1st – expanded the civilization even more than his grandfather
• Creating roads in the areas he took over – which improved trade greatly
• Eventually influenced by Buddhism – changed peoples opinion of him
□ Spread Buddhism throughout empire but honored Hinduism – precedent
▪ Improved trade/ road network & built a lot of major buildings
❖ The Gupta Empire (240-550 CE) – the Golden age of Indian society
➢ Didn’t have the powerful leaders of the Mauyran Dynasty – but greater impact on history
➢ Expanded influence peacefully through trade & negotiation – like Pax Romana
▪ Areas that became a part of the Empire were given autonomy (like Rome did)
➢ Still had a great military in the few times it was used – sheer #’s were higher than most
▪ Had war elephants & composite bow (well before Europe)
The Decline of Classical India
❖ Not drastic like Rome – Emperors just lost control of local leaders (everyone separates)
➢ Local princes (Rajput) gain more power & stop listening to the Emperor
❖ Invaders – the Hun’s penetrate deeper into India than others did
➢ Hinduism wins out over Buddhism due to the Huns lack of patience for Buddhism
▪ Buddhist focus on calm, contemplation was too much for the Huns
Section 6
Other Civilizations
Beyond the Classical Civilizations
❖ Many other civilizations developing at the time – some entirely independent
❖ Japan (200 CE) – extensive agriculture – migrated from Korea over 200,000 year period
➢ Tribal chiefs – each tribe had own god – had tattoos to separate social classes
➢ Shintoism – worship political rulers & spirits of nature – eventually nationalized
➢ 1 regional ruler took over surrounding territories (400 CE)
▪ Began trading/interacting with Chinese civilization by 600 CE
❖ Northern Europe – lagged behind Japan – most backward areas in the world
➢ Had regional kingdoms with no written language – except Latin imports
▪ Primitive agriculture & hunting
➢ Gods & rituals to deal with nature – Christianity wasn’t really established until 1000 CE
❖ Polynesian peoples spread throughout the Pacific – Fiji by 1000 BCE, Hawaii 400 CE
➢ Great travelers/explorers – used a sort of caste system when they settled
➢ Adapted local plants, brought in new animals
❖ Central Asia – played central role in trade – middleman between major civilizations
➢ Major place for horses (invented stirrup) – groups sometimes invaded civilizations[pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic][pic]
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