Chapter Five: The Classical Period Directions, Diversities and Declines by 600 CE AP World History

Common Themes in Classical Civilizations  1) Territorial expansion  2) Efforts to integrate new territories (Rome, Mauryans, Han) A) Requires territorial and social cohesion, each civilization has social distinctions  3) Unification A) China (centralization) B) India (religious values) C) Mediterranean world (cultural achievements)  4) Decline

Major Trends with Classical Trade  Indian Ocean Trade East Africa to Southern China Items traded: Chinese pottery, Indian spices, and Indian/African ivory  Silk Road Trade China to Mediterranean Exchange of Western/Eastern goods, religions, technology, disease  Trans-Saharan Trade Across the Sahara: camels Items traded: salt, palm oil, olives, wheat, wild animals

Expansion, Integration, Decline: India  Used localized governments in new territories  Used Hinduism to expand (Buddhism unappealing)  Used the caste system to create social distinctions  Mauryans – centralized government  Guptas – divided into regions  Decline By 600, White Huns destroy Guptas Simultaneously, regions become stronger and independent, which weakens the Gupta rulers After 600, Islam enters India

Expansion and Integration: China  Expand west and south, try to integrate regions through common culture  Promote one language (written and spoken)  Greater political centralization  Zhou – feudalism (regional princes and noblemen)  Qin – eliminate feudalism, strong centralized gov  Han – educated bureaucracy, strong centralized gov

Decline: China  Decline begins around 100 CE Heavy taxes on peasants Poor harvests Decline of interest in Confucianism Weak emperors and influence of army generals Nomadic invasions by Huns (Xiongnu or Hsiung-nu) and other nomadic tribes  Yellow Turban Rebellion, 184 CE Daoist revolutionaries led peasant revolt and promised an era of success and prosperity which would be initiated by magic.  Three Kindgoms Era (disorder and political decentralization), then Sui dynasty by 589 CE

Expansion, Integration, Decline: Greece  Use of common language  Persian War helped to integrate city-states, unite against common enemy  Ultimately default to city-state identity, geographic unity is challenging  Peloponnesian War is detrimental to strength of city-states  Decline Taken by Macedonian Empire Greek culture (Hellenism) continues

Expansion, Integration, Decline: Rome  Use of tolerance, common law for conquered peoples  Citizenship for all  Allow regional diversity  Used a trade network that relied on everyone  Golden Age ends 180 CE  Decline Complex (economy, plague, leadership) Self-sufficiency of latifundia (large estates) lessens need for central authority (emperor) Germanic tribes invade in 400s Split of East and West

Religion during Classical Decline  Rapid expansion of Buddhism into Southeast and East Asia  Rapid emergence and expansion of Christianity into Mediterranean and Europe  Edict of Milan, issued by Constantine to permit the practice of Christianity in Rome  Islam appears and spreads (622 BCE)  Hinduism spreads rapidly across South Asia

Other Civilizations During the Classical Period  Kush: originate around 1,000 BCE south of Egypt.  At 750 BCE, Kushites conquered Egypt.  Adapted many Egyptian advancements  Advanced in iron smelting and agriculture  Kush was defeated by Christian kingdom Axum in 300 CE  Axum was conquered by its rival, Ethiopia, shortly after.

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Other Civilizations  Japanese - successful around 200 CE  Migrations to Japan for 200,000 years  Advanced in ironworking (skip bronze and copper)  Rely on agriculture  Regional states  Shintoism – indigenous and national religion in 700 CE  Worship of political rulers and spirits of nature  Simple religion of individual worship  Connect Japan to its ancient and mythical past

Mesoamerican Civilizations  Olmecs  First major civilization in Mexico  Central Mexican river valley around 800 BCE  Very advanced in agriculture (corn, potatoes)  Domesticated few animals  Religious statues, art forms  Completely disappeared in 400 BCE

Mesoamerican Civilizations  Maya, Mexican peninsula around 400 CE  Maybe most advanced culture in region  Pyramid shaped temples  Only writing system of Meso-America  Religion was very complex  Inca, modern day Peru, arise early 13 th c.  Emperor with absolute power  Built fortresses and irrigation systems  Used llamas to carry goods

Oceanic Civilizations  Polynesians  migrated to islands (Fiji, Samoa) in 1000 BCE  Eventually move to Hawaii in 400 CE (giant canoes)  Isolated development  Highly stratified class system under powerful kings (esp. Hawaii)  Expansion of agriculture