1. Introduction
Period 2

2. Connecting Periods 1 & 2
Even w/ their indiv. faults there was no turning back from the First Civ.
In the approx years between 500 BCE & 500 CE new or enlarged urban centered and state based societies emerged to replace the First Civ.
This “second wave” will eventually collapse
“Third wave” will emerge 500 to 1500 CE

3. Strayer and Period 2 It’s not always about empires
This section of the book will occas. point out cont. historical dev. of gathering and hunting peoples, agr. cultural societies based around kinship principles and village life, emerging chiefdoms, & pastoral peoples.

4. What changed?
Not much

5. What didn’t change? Monarch cont. to rule Men dominate women
Sharp divide b/w elite & everyone else
Practice of slavery
No technological or economic breakthrough

6. Zoom Lens
Significant changes did occur, but they didn’t result in major transformations (hence our earlier answer).
But if we look closely we can see some minor changes.

7. Some of these changes: Population grew
Growing size of states or empires
Impt. innovations
The most impt. perhaps – philosophical and religious systems
Modest innovations increased human ability to manipulate environment
Emergence of much more elaborate, widespread and dense networks of communication and exchange that connected people
Long distance trade routes = transregional interaction = cultural diffusion

8. Name It “classical era”
Tend to highlight the enduring traditions that cont. into modern times
Religion
Current country/civilization identities link to this era
Ch 4-6 focus on the Eurasian peoples
Ch 7 looks at Africa & Americas – do their histories during the classical era parallel Eurasian patterns or do they explore alternative possibilities?