1. Common Characteristic of the Classical Age Empires
Han, Rome, Greece, Gupta

2. Political Administration
Institutions
Centralized Governments
Legal Systems and Law Codes
Bureaucracies
Chinese Dynasty
The “Caesar”
Most advanced in China
Local rule more important in Rome

3. Maintaining Military Power and Economic Success
Diplomacy
Maintaining Supply lines
Fortifications, Walls, Roads
Recruiting locals into military
Promotion of Trade Relationships

4. Importance of Cities Centers of Trade Religious Ceremonies
Location of political Institutions
Roman Senate
Chinese Grand Council

5. Economic centers Religious Centers Along key waterways Defense Systems
Examine the characteristics
of the Classical Cities:
Identify at least
2 similarities
Economic centers
Religious Centers
Along key waterways
Defense Systems

6. Chang’an (Xian) Center of Trade (starting point of Silk Roads)
Center of two converging rivers (Wei and Feng)
Imperial capital for Han
Burned, rivived, then center of Buddhist learning

7. Pataliputra Location at conjunction of three rivers – trade
Seat of Mauryan Dynasty and Guptas
Ashoka built Buddhist monasteries there
Surrounded by wooden walls

8. Persepolis Seat of Achaemenid government under Darius
Palace references importance of Ahuramazda
Three walls and ramparts, fortified towers

9. Constantinople Capital of Byzantine Empire
Crossroads of Trade (Silk Roads Med. Sea Routes)
Hagia Sophia
Fortifications and defensive walls

10. Athens
Central location on Aegean Sea import what they need b/c of poor soil
Temples
City-State

11. Alexandria
Lighthouse was a beacon for merchants, religious prophets, intellectuals
Capital of Alexander’s Empire
Two ports – cash crops to be sold

12. Rome & Carthage
Carthage – leader of Phoenician colonies, controls trade from East to West Med. Sea
Rome – administrative capital, temples, Tiber River, founding based in mythology, end point of Silk Roads

13. Merchants and Artisans
Social Structures
Hierarchical
Each empire had different criteria for determining your place
Elites
Merchants and Artisans
Laborers
Even though Merchants were high up on the hierarchy because of the wealth they generated people (elites) had a dim view of their existence—seen as greedy and corrupt
Slaves
Ex: India’s Hinduism and the caste system.
Roman value on private property

14. Labor Systems Corvee Slavery Tributes
Used to maintain production of food
Elevated status of elites
Examples:
Corvee
Slavery
Tributes
Corvee a form of slavery in which laborers are forced to work, often on public works projects, for a government or a lord
Tribute: A government imposes a tribute on another region. Under threat of takeover, people of that region are forced into labor

15. Decline and Fall Internal Political Apathy and Corruption
Social and Economic Tensions
Excessive mobilization
Environmental damage
Gap increases between rich and poor
Taxation
Mobilization – migration to resource rich area, leads to depletion
Deforestation
Desertification

16. Decline and Fall External Security issues
Invasion
Cost of maintaining protection
Miles of border to protect
Diverse people to
keep peaceful
Xiongnu (Han China)
White Huns (India)
Germanic Tribes (Rome)