AP WORLD HISTORYAP WORLD HISTORY

Exam Review Session 2Exam Review Session 2

Classical CivilizationsClassical Civilizations

(600 BCE – 600 CE)

Remember to focus tonight and take the review seriously. Don’t make me

show this guy again.

EMPIRE COMMONALITIESEMPIRE COMMONALITIES

– Conrad Demarest Model of Empire– Empires grow due to an expansionist ideology like

Hellenism– Empires often expand too rapidly and cannot defend

selves adequately, leading to collapse– Strong central authority like an emperor (Aztec, Inca,

Greek, Roman, Han, Caliphates, Gupta, etc.)– Trade control / wealth extraction (Mongols)– Social integration of conquered people (Rome)

EMPIRES (continued)EMPIRES (continued)• Rome granted citizenship to conquered peoples (keep people

loyal as citizens)• Mongols “allowed” conquered people to join ranks of military• Aztecs integrated conquered people into their religious

services…hey…what’s that knife for?• Persia (Cyrus the Great) kept local officials in place and

treated conquered people well (toleration model)

THE GREEKS• Ca. 800 BCE -to 200 BCE• City-states like Sparta and Athens• Grew to huge empire under leadership of Alexander the Great (Macedonians

conquered the other city-states like Athens)• Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta 431 BCE• Trade and colonization were necessary because of resource scarcity in Greece• Common cultural identity (Hellenism) that unified the city-states and lasted past

the end of the empire• Trade and colonization a necessity due to resource scarcity• Philosophy, arts, architecture, democracy, math and science• Slavery allowed for democracy to develop (landowning class had the free time to

vote)• Rivals with the Persians (many wars fought)• Broke up into 3 empires (Antigonid, Ptolemaic, and Seleucid)

IMPERIAL ROMEIMPERIAL ROME• 500 BCE – 476 CE• Republic then dictatorship (Caesar)• Social stratification (Patricians over Plebeians, slaves at the bottom)• Pax Romana (control of trade through force; time of economic stability)• Art, architecture, aqueducts, domes, road network for troops and trade• Polytheistic with gods based on the Greeks until Christianity in the 4th

century CE and beyond• Codified legal system (Twelve Tables of Rome)• Rome fought with Carthage (N. Africa) and finally became the dominant

power in the Mediterranean region• Constantine’s conversion to Christianity changed Europe forever

MAURYAN EMPIRE of INDIAMAURYAN EMPIRE of INDIA• Mauryan Empire 321 BCE-

185 BCE• Centralized government

w/ bureaucracy• Chandragupta Maurya –

founder, Hindu• Strong military (conquest)• Asoka converts to

Buddhism (non-violence)• Asoka’s Rock and Pillar

edicts reminded the people how to live virtuous lives

GUPTA INDIAGUPTA INDIA• 320 CE – 550 CE• Chandra Gupta based his empire on Mauryan Empire

and his hero Chandragupta Maurya• Namesake of Chandragupta• Back to Hinduism from Buddhism (women lose

status along with the caste system reinforcement)• Math and science achievements (pi, zero)• Child marriage became more common for girls

QIN DYNASTY CHINAQIN DYNASTY CHINA221-209 BCE221-209 BCE

• Short dynastyShort dynasty• Strong agricultural Strong agricultural

economyeconomy• Great Wall of China Great Wall of China

gets connectedgets connected• Legalism was Legalism was

favored philosophyfavored philosophy• Qin Shihuangdi was Qin Shihuangdi was

emperoremperor

HAN DYNASTY CHINA200 BCE – 200 CE

• China’s golden age (expansion, unification, Confucianism)• Civil Service Examinations for a strong bureaucracy based on

Confucian concepts• Confucianism becomes the preferred philosophy, although Daoism

and Legalism are still present• Silk Roads bring Chinese products to Europe and help enhance the

image of China in the world as provider of excellent products (silk, porcelain)

WHAT GOES UP…• MAYANS COLLAPSE by the 7th century CE probably due to systems

failure (internal collapse due to lack of resources for surging population)

• HAN DYNASTY COLLAPSES by the 3rd century CE due to overextension of the borders causing high taxes and conscription, famines, floods; regional kingdoms developed for 400 years

• GUPTA EMPIRE COLLAPSES by the 6th century CE after invasions by Huns weakened the empire; never a strong military (theater state)

• ROMAN EMPIRE splits in two (Byzantine will survive much longer than the western empire)

• Greek Empire falls in the 3rd century BCE as Rome rises

MUST COME DOWN.

CLASSICAL ERA RELIGIONS/PHILOSOPHIES

• Buddhism• Christianity• Legalism• Daoism• Confucianism

BUDDHISM• Began in India/Nepal in

5th century BCE, emerging out of Hinduism

• Siddhartha Gautama founded the philosophy based on Four Noble Truths:– Life is Suffering– Suffering is caused by

desire– One can be freed of

desire– The Eightfold Path will

lead to the cessation of desire

BUDDHISM continued• Nirvana is the ultimate goal (like Moksha in

Hinduism) and end the cycle of life/death/rebirth to a state of perfect peace and harmony with the universe

• Dislike of the caste system led to Buddhism and led many Hindus to convert in India

• Open social structure (more egalitarian)• Spread to China, Southeast Asia through trade

and missionary efforts

CHRISTIANITYCHRISTIANITY

• Based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, circa 30 C.E. in Roman occupied Palestine

• Emerging out of Judaism, Jesus emphasized love of God and of neighbor• Jesus was executed by the Roman Empire after offending the Jewish leadership

of the region• New Testament and Old Testament are sacred text (The Bible)• Paul of Tarsus does missionary work and spreads the religion to Asia Minor and

to Europe• Jews and Christians split around the year 90 C.E. and have never quite resumed

fellowship (divisive issue of humanity/divinity of Jesus and monotheism)• Egalitarian nature allowed the poor and women to gain status in the religion

and helped it spread globally• Persecuted originally by the Roman Empire, it gained widespread acceptance

after Constantine’s conversion in early 4th century CE

LEGALISM• Founded in China during the Qin Dynasty (3rd century

BCE)• Same time as Confucianism and Daoism• Taught that peace and stability would only be achieved

through tight control by the government, based on a distrust of human nature (people are essentially evil)

• Strict laws and harsh punishments used to keep order in society

• Appreciated farmers and soldiers and had little use for other social classes

CONFUCIANISM• 5th Century BCE

philosopher Kong Fu Zi espoused the importance of filial piety and social hierarchy– Honor Parents and

Family Name– Father over mother,

elder sibling over younger sibling, ruler over subject, etc.

• Teachings collected in the Analects

• Taught how to restore political and social order amidst the chaos of the time period

DAOISMDAOISM

• Founded by Lao-Tzu in the 6th century BCE• Emphasis on nature and the Dao, an eternal principle governing the

world• Government was “pointless”, as was education and business• The best action is inaction (wuwei)• Human nature is neither good nor evil• People should balance their male and female sides (yin and yang)

Diffusion of Belief Diffusion of Belief SystemsSystems

in the Classical Erain the Classical Era• Buddhism spread from India to China and

Southeast Asia• Christianity spread from Southwest Asia to

Europe• Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism stayed

predominantly in East Asia

Trade Networks of the Classical Era• Silk Roads connected China to Southwest Asia,

Europe, and Africa (land based trade)• Maritime Trade in the Mediterranean and the

Indian Ocean• Trade items included:

– Chinese silk– Spices from Southeast Asia and India– Cotton from India– Gold and Ivory from Africa

CHANGES AND CONTINUITIESCHANGES AND CONTINUITIES• Religious/Belief Systems change in how the goal of the

religion/philosophy is not to appease gods to avoid destruction but rather to find internal peace, having figured out nature…somewhat (canals, dams, etc.)

• Continuities in building empires with conquest and trade dominance (Greece & Mauryan); and falling empires due to overexpansion/inability to protect borders (Rome & Han)

• Women continued to be subservient to men in most societies and enjoy few rights (Gupta India); but some belief systems enabled women to gain some status (Christianity & Buddhism)

• Beginning of more interdependent societies based on trade (Silk Roads, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean)

TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATIONS of the Classical Age

• Stirrups enabled horsemen to be more deadly archers (allowing easier conquest)

• Dikes and canals for irrigation prevented flooding and promoted year round agriculture

• Aqueducts carried water to cities in the Roman Empire• Calendars • Paper, gunpowder, windmills, wheelbarrows in Han

China• Mauryan & Gupta India came up with concept of zero

Essay Prompts Related to the Classical Age

• Analyze the similarities and differences in the methods of political control of TWO of the following empires:– Han Dynasty– Imperial Rome– Mauryan/Gupta India

More Essays• DBQ over Han and Roman attitudes toward technology• Analyze changes and continuities in trade networks in

Eurasia between 300 CE and 1450 CE• Analyze changes and continuities in patterns of

interactions along the Silk Roads from 200 CE to 1450 CE• Analyze the cultural and political changes and continuities

in TWO of the following empires of the classical era:– Roman (100-600 CE)– Chinese (100-600 CE)– Indian (300-600 CE)

More Essays

• Analyze responses to the spread of Buddhism in China (DBQ)

• So, needless to say this era is important!• It’s 15% of the exam (multiple choice and free

response questions)