1. The Han and Mauryan & Gupta Empires While Greek and Roman empires were becoming powerful in the west, two other powerful empires developed in the east – the Han in China and the Mauryan in India, which would be replaced by the Gupta Empire.

2. China was comprised of several warring states that faced constant fear of invasion by hostile groups from the west and north. The short- lived Qin dynasty (221-206 BC) managed to unify the warring states and began the first major construction on the Great Wall to protect its empire from invasion and clarify China’s boundary. ~ China ~

3. Great Wall constructed under Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC)

4. Emperor Qin Shi Huang (Shi Huangdi) was the first emperor under a unified China. He had a massive army built out of clay- fired terracotta, which resembled his real army.

5. The Terracotta army was intended to protect Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife. More than 1600 have been unearthed with an estimated 6000 still buried. The Terracotta Army

6. Han Dynasty The Han toppled the Qin in 206 BC and would rule China for most of the next 400 years, establishing what would become traditional Chinese culture. 206 BC – 220 AD

7. The Han Dynasty pursued a couple key goals: Keep China united and stable Enlarge the Empire Han Dynasty

8. Government officials were put in power to manage the empire, especially in the outlying areas. Training centers were established to educate these scholar-officials based on Confucian ideals. Confucian ideals emphasized proper behavior and aimed to maintain traditional customs and values. Stabilizing the Empire

9. Expanding the Empire Aided by new weaponry, such as the crossbow, the Han Empire expanded, eventually growing to match the Roman Empire in size. The expansion of the empire led to greater trade with neighboring peoples.

10. Silk The main export of China was silk, which comes from the silkworm. The Chinese kept the origin a secret for over a thousand years. The punishment for revealing this secret was death.

11. Growth of the empire and the trading of silk set up routes that carried goods and ideas to and from China. Unknowingly, China was spreading its culture with others, while also being influenced by other cultures. Cultural Diffusion The Silk Road

12. Buddhism Buddhism is a religion that arrived from India during the Han Dynasty.

13. Under the Han Dynasty, China’s population grew and expanded with advances in iron-works and irrigation, which boosted agriculture. Today, when the Chinese refer to traditional Chinese culture, they mean the way of life that developed under the Han Dynasty.

14. ~ India ~ India’s classical age began with the Mauryan Empire, whose most admired leader was Ashoka. Ashoka set out to expand his empire through conquest, but the slaughter, by his own troops, of thousands of people from another kingdom had a profound effect on him.

15. Ashoka the Great 304 - 232 BC Ashoka converted to Buddhism and vowed to conquer not through military force but through moral teachings of dharma.

16. A shoka sent Buddhist missionaries throughout the empire to spread his beliefs, but he also instituted religious tolerance. By doing so, he helped to unify different peoples of his empire.

17. After Ashoka’s reign, his empire fell apart and would later be replaced by the Gupta Empire. The Guptas did, however, rely on military force to conquer to gain territory. The Gupta Empire

18. The Gupta army, made up of archers, an elephant corps, and foot soldiers, was very successful in battle. The Gupta Empire

19. Agriculture and trade also helped the Guptas build an empire that enjoyed peace and prosperity. Gupta emperors supported the arts and sciences, as well as spread their religious beliefs.

20. Religious art and literature spread wide throughout the Gupta Empire.

21. Gupta mathematicians were aware of the concept of zero and used the decimal system. They also calculated pi and determined that the world was round and rotated around the sun. 3.1415926535897932384626433832 795028841971693993751058209 749445923078164062862089986 280348253421170679821480865 132823066470938446095505822 317253594081284811174502841 027019385211055596446229489 549303819644288109756659334 461284756482337867831652712 019091456485669234603486104 543266482133936072602491412 737245870066063155881748815 209209628292540917153643678 925903600113305305488204665 213841469519415116094330572 703657595919530921861173819 326117931051185480744623799 627495673518857527248912279 381830119491298336733624406 566430860213949463952247371 907021798609437027705392171 762931767523846748184676694

22. The End