Unit #2- Classical Period Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies c. 600 BCE to c. 600 CE
Period #2: 600 BCE to 600 CE Large empires appear in Eurasia & Americas These empires would grow in this time period They developed powerful armies and governments Eventually they would have difficulty holding their empires together Long-distance trade routes developed in this time period In your exam preparation always know trade routes, migrations, and empire expansions/collapses
Key Concepts in this time period Key Concept 2.1 The Development and Codification of Religious and Cultural Traditions Key Concept 2.2 The Development of States and Empires Key Concept 2.3 Emergence of Transregional Networks of Communication and Exchange
Important defining dates for this time period c.600 BCE to c.600 CE c.800 BCE: the rise of Greek city-states c.320 BCE: the rise of the Mauryan dynasty c.250 CE: beginning of Mesoamerican Classical Era
Civilizations of Influence c.600 BCE to c.600 CE Southwest Asia: Hellenism & Parthian West Africa: none East Africa: Bantus North Africa: Hellenism Mediterranean: Greek, Roman South Asia: Mauryan & Gupta East Asia: Qin & Han Central Asia: Persian Americas: Mayan, Teotihuacan, & Moche
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE Mediterranean Phoenician city-states and their colonies around the Mediterranean (c.1000 - c.200 BCE)
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE Mediterranean Greek city-states and their colonies around the Mediterranean (c.600-c.330 BCE)
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE Mediterranean Alexander s Hellenistic empires (c.330-c.30 BCE)
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE East Asia Qin Dynasty (c.220 BCE-c.206 BCE)
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE East Asia Han Dynasty (c.206 BCE-c.220 CE)
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE South Asia Mauryan Empire (c.321 BCE-c.185 CE)
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE South Asia Gupta Empire (c.320 CE- c.550 CE)
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE Mediterranean Roman Republic (c.500-c.30 BCE)
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE Mediterranean Roman Empire (c.30 BCE-c.476 CE)
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE Mediterranean Byzantine Empire (c.476 CE-c.1453 CE)
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE Southwest Asia Persian (Achaemenid) Empire (c.550 BCE-c.330 BCE)
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE Southwest Asia Parthian Empire (c.250 BCE-c.220 BCE)
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE Mesoamerica Teotihuacan city-state (c.100 - c.700 CE)
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE Mesoamerica Mayan city-states (c.250 - c.900 CE)
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE Andean South America Chavin (c.900 BCE - c.250 BCE)
New Empires 600 BCE to 600 CE Andean South America Moche Empire (c.100 - c. 800 CE)
Looking Back at 8000 BCE to 600 BCE Development of Agriculture & Early Agricultural Communities ( c.8000 BCE to c.3500 BCE) Earliest Civilizations (c.3500 BCE to c.600 BCE) Ancient Mesopotamia Babylonians, Hittites, Assyrians, & New Babylonians Ancient Egypt Egypt & Kush Indus Valley Ancient China Shang Meso and South America Olmec & Chavin
How do the new civilizations in Period #2 differ from Period #1? New civilizations differed from previous period Size and political strength new systems of government, larger states, expansive territory Think of Roman Empire & Gupta Empires Han in China not much larger, but had more centralized control More complex cultures great world religions develop: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, & Christianity; Confucianism emerges in China More numerous and better written records all developed sophisticated forms of writing & some with simplified alphabets; literacy increased
How do the new civilizations in Period #2 differ from Period #1? New civilizations differed from previous period More complex long-distance trade trade routes connect the civilizations by land (Silk Road trade) and by sea (Indian Ocean trade) These trade routes increased prosperity of empires and spread ideas, belief systems, and material goods More contacts between nomads & sedentary people core areas came in contact with periphery areas Central Asian nomads became major facilitators of trade along the Silk Road Some nomads became settled in key Silk Road trade cities
How do the new civilizations in Period #2 differ from Period #1? New civilizations differed from previous period More direct influence on modern civilizations many modern practices and belief systems can be traced to this era than the era before Think of impact of the belief systems that came from this era on today s world Law heritage today is from the Roman law system, not Hammurabi s Code of early Mesopotamia
Belief Systems to Come from this Era Judaism (Monotheism) Hebrew Bible written c.1000 BCE; modern version c.500 BCE Zoroastrianism From Zoroaster born 7 th century BCE & recorded in 3 rd century BCE Christianity 30 CE Missionary works of Paul accounts for 10% of Roman Empire was Christian by 4 th century CE Hinduism Doctrines come from Vedas Foundation developed during 500 BCE and 300 CE
Belief Systems to Come from this Era Buddhism Began sometime between the 6 th & 4 th centuries BCE with Siddhartha Gautama Ashoka spread Buddhism 263 BCE in Mauryan Empire Confucianism 551-479 BCE Lasting impact on Chinese society Daoism Laozi 6 th century BCE
Don t Forget Animism & Shamanism Outside of core classical civilization animism and shamanism remained popular Animism belief that the natural world has powers Shamanism belief that human spirit guides (shamans) are contacts between this world and the spirit world In this era much of Africa, Andean region, & some parts of East Asia As religion or culture spread remember the term syncretism or the amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought.
Trade During the Classical Era (600 BCE to 600 CE) Think about trade in general Climate and topography determine what can be grown and what raw materials are available Merchants have incentives to trade when high profit exists Today we think about goods and food as primary trade items, but then the preservation of food was the high priority: SALT Some traveled from Southwest Asia and Central Africa to get salt Afro-Eurasia trade network allowed wealthy Romans to buy silk made in China The trade network was one of multiple transactions; silk, tea, spices, or salt was relayed from town to town until it reached its final destination
Trade During the Classical Era (600 BCE to 600 CE)- Silk Road
Trade During the Classical Era (600 BCE to 600 CE)- Silk Road
Trade During the Classical Era (600 BCE to 600 CE)- Silk Road Silk Road For centuries, only China was able to produce silk Other items traded From East Asia to points west Horses, spices, furs, ivory perfumes, lacquered boxes, furniture, rice, wool, tea, and porcelain From South Asia to points east and west Cotton, spices, & sandalwood From Central Asia to points east, west, and south Horses, camels, dates, fruit, and almonds From points west (Black Sea & Mediterranean regions) to east and south Glass, gold, furs, amber, cattle, olives, oil, perfumes
Trade During the Classical Era (600 BCE to 600 CE)- Silk Road Silk Road Exchange of grains across Eurasia due to Silk Road changed farming techniques; crops grew in new regions Qanat system, underground irrigation, in arid regions allowed new crops for regions previously devoid of crops Merchants and missionaries on Silk Road introduced Buddhism, which impacted East and Southeast Asia When Han Empire collapsed many Chinese converted to Buddhism
Trade During the Classical Era (600 BCE to 600 CE)- Silk Road Silk Road Disease was transported along Silk Road Bubonic plague frequently crossed Afro-Eurasia Bubonic plague perhaps contributed to fall of Han Dynasty Tea and horse caravan roads extended from southern China to South Asia Ancient Tea Route was a trade link from Yunnan, one of the first tea-producing regions: to Bengal via Burma; to Tibet; and to central China via Sichuan Province
Ancient Tea Route was a trade link from Yunnan, one of the first tea-producing regions: to Bengal via Burma; to Tibet; and to central China via Sichuan Province
Trade During the Classical Era (600 BCE to 600 CE)- Sahara Caravan Routes Sahara Caravan Routes Commerce across North Africa Along the Mediterranean coast were coastal cities and ports, rich in vegetation & resources Commodities like dates, cotton, dyes, cloth, leather goods, and glass were supplied from these city ports South of the rim of Mediterranean Africa is the Sahara Desert. Merchants carries out gold, salt, ivory, animal hides & slaves connecting it to the Silk Road network
Sahara Caravan Routes c.600 BCE-c.600 CE
Trade During the Classical Era (600 BCE to 600 CE)- Sahara Caravan Routes Sahara Caravan Routes Introduction of the camel Around the change from BCE to CE the camel was introduced as a way to transport goods This led to an increase in trade between West Africa and Southwest Asia
Trade During the Classical Era (600 BCE to 600 CE)- North-South Eurasian routes Silk Roads ran east and west for the most part Connected to the east/west Silk Roads were more networks of trade running north and south These linked Central Asia to South and Southwest Asia Along these routes merchants carried: From South Asia: cotton, spices, & rice From Southeast Asia: spices To and from Central Asia: horses and textiles These routes connected edges of the Baltic Sea in Europe, involving Russia and the Black Sea trade Constantinople-key center linked these routes
Sea Networks of Africa, Europe, and Asia Developed Extensive Trade Networks by Sea Indian Ocean Trading Network This was the largest trading network in the world until Europeans began crossing the Atlantic in the late 1400s Indian Ocean connected Southeast Asia and China to Africa, the Middle East and South Asia Indian Ocean major conduit for the spread of Buddhism from South Asia to Southeast Asia in the next era c.600 to c.1450 Many items carried on Silk Road also exchanged in Indian Ocean: silk, cotton, rice, spices, horses, gold, porcelain, & people
Sea Networks of Africa, Europe, and Asia Developed Extensive Trade Networks by Sea Indian Ocean Trading Network This network was all dependent on successful navigation of ocean currents and wind Monsoon winds blow along the East African coast toward South Asia in the summer and down the East African coast in the winter Merchants planned their shipments accordingly Highly active trading routes for all these regions East Asia, South Asia, East African Swahilis, Arabs from Southwest Asia, Malays from Southeast Asia, Turks, Greeks, & Russians
Arab merchants used the dhows and a triangular lateen sail to follow the winds
Mediterranean & Black Sea Trading Areas Mediterranean Sea network was vast and long-lasting Started with the Egyptians and Phoenicians followed by the Greeks, Romans, & Byzantines Items traded in the Mediterranean world olives, pottery, glass, woodwork, leather, & wool textiles Out of Africa gold, ivory, salt, copper, and slaves During 1 st century CE Christianity was carried to western Europe and Africa on foot, but especially by boats that carried cargo Black Sea Through the Black Sea merchants carried goods from the Silk roads, Mediterranean and Russia
Mediterranean Sea Trade During Roman Empire
Mediterranean & Black Sea Trade
Exchanging Goods in the Americas Americas exchanged goods, but on a much smaller scale than Afro-Eurasia (Why?) Fewer people in the Americas of an estimated 250 million people on the earth in 1 st century, only 12 million lived in the Americas Wheel not developed the Americas until 15 th century CE (few large domesticated animals in Americas) Llama and alpaca used as pack animals in Andes & dogs pulled sheds in other parts of America Trade from South America to Central and North America difficult because of narrow Isthmus of Panama
Exchanging Goods in the Americas Some evidence of exchange in the Amerces with plants, tobacco, corn, and manufactured goods such as pottery, jewelry (made with gold, turquoise, or turtle shells) and clothing made from animal skins American corn first developed in Mesoamerica and it then spreads to regions north and south along trade connections Largest areas of trade in the Americas was with the Maya and Teotihuacan in Mesoamerica and with the Moche in the Andes
Important Migrations c.600 BCE to c.600 CE Central Asia into Europe (Huns) Attila the Hun (c.406 453 CE)
Important Migrations c.600 BCE to c.600 CE Germanic peoples within Europe (e.g., Goths and Vandals)
Important Migrations c.600 BCE to c.600 CE Continued Bantu Migration Bantu people today make up about 2/3 of Africa Bantu people known as a language group
Bantu people known as a language group
Bantu Language Most widely spoken is Swahili spoken on east coast of Africa 50 million speakers of Swahili today Remember that the lingua franca is an Arabic Swahili
History of Bantu Migration Bantu migrated from Congo or Niger Basin This migration is one of largest in history of humans Today China s interior to exterior largest Migration took place around 1500 BCE and continued to 1800 CE
History of Bantu Migration No clear reason why it took place Overpopulation? Search of fertile land? Internal conflicts? External conflicts?
History of Bantu Migration Three phases of Bantu Migration 1. 1500 BCE to 1000 CE East & southward 2. 1200 CE to 1600s CE Bantu speaking state formations Great Zimbabwe 3. 18 th & 19 th centuries 1. Zulu state formed
Effects of Bantu Migration Development of novel methods of agriculture and metalworking Bantu speakers adopted livestock husbandry and passed this on to others Spread and interchange of diverse cultures
Key Terms & Concepts c.600 BCE to c.600 CE Classical Era Maurya/Gupta Empires Hinduism Bantu Migrations Buddhism Silk Roads Confucianism Indian Ocean Trade Christianity Fall of Classical Empires Han Empire Mandate of Heaven Chinese Examination System Mediterranean Civilizations Hellenism