Rome and Han China753 B.C.E.-600 C.E

Eliza, Keyasa, Ashley and Jordan

Roman and Han Empires

The Roman Empire included all lands surrounding.

Mediterranean Sea as well as portions of Continental Europe and Middle East.

The Han Empire included the Pacific Ocean to Central Asia.

These were the largest Empires the world had ever.

Still centralized location better than earlier empires.

Neither empire influenced each other.

Roman Empire Land and Resources

Hills and Mountains Apennine Range runs length

like spine separating western and western coastal plains

Etruria was rich in iron and other metals

Hills provided timber and fuel Coastal plains and river valleys

had fertile volcanic soil and sustained a much larger population than was possible in Greece.

Tiber River

Roman Empire Social Economic

Land was a basis of wealth, social status and political privileges.

Women were under jurisdiction of men. First under their father, then her husband and his family.

Plebians: hardworking class (majority of population).

The merging of several hilltop communities to later become Roman Forum. (Civic center 600 B.C.E.).

Roman Forum then

Roman Forum now

Roman Empire Interaction

Traded on the Silk Road with the Chinese

Depended on Egypt and Sicily for grains

Prisoners of war were slaves

Economy depended on trade and slave labor

Roman Empire Politics

Council of Elders: head of wealthy families made up senatorial class

Roman Senate: officials elected annually by free males

Patron/Client RelationshipTribunes: elected by the lower class; had

veto power in patricians (elite, wealthy, landowners)

decisions

Fall of Roman Republic

The Fall of the Republic was more than a single man or event.

It was a culmination of several individual actions or achievements, coupled with social conditions that weighed heavily on Roman society.

Massive and rapid expansion from Rome's foundation created monumental holes in the political and governing ability of the Senate.

Periods of stability were mixed in with those of near collapse.

Beginning with the Punic Wars and Roman conquest outside of Italy, followed by massive importation of slaves, the face of Roman life was changing far more rapidly than the governing body could deal with.

The Roman Principate31 B.C.E. to 330 C.E.

Period after the fall of Roman Republic

Founded by Augustus

Augustus: 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD

The Roman Principate Social Economic

Equites: class of well-to-do merchants and land owners that become the new core of the Roman Empire

Pax Romana, or Roman Peace, was intended for the spreading of Romanization (spread of Latin language and Roman way of life)

The Roman Principate

Politics Emperors were chosen by

the senate

Technology Aqueducts Architecture Concrete

Religion Worshipped emperors rather

than gods

Third Century Crisis Political and economic

problems with the empire Diocletian imposed radical

changes that helped Roman get out of the crisis.

Rise of Christianity Jesus Although his message was proving popular, the

claim of his disciples that Jesus was the son of God offended many people. What’s more, his ideas were revolutionary and threatened to undermine thousands of years of social tradition.

Aqueduct

The Byzantine Empire

Christian patriarch (Constantine and his mother studded the city with churches)

In 324 B.C.E. Constantine transferred the capital from Rome to Byzantium, which was renamed Constantinople.

The name Byzantine was derived from Constantinople’s original name.

The Byzantine Empire: Split Empire

The Byzantine Empire was the name of the eastern portion of the Roman Empire

Strategic geographical significance between the Black Sea and The Mediterranean Sea

Most of the trade was done between Asia, Europe and North Africa, passed through the empire which made it wealthy.

Diocletian split the Empire into two, creating Eastern and Western

He believed the republic was too large to govern, so it was put under different rulers

Western was Catholic and Eastern was Eastern Orthodox

The split persevered Roman and Greek cultures and also helped interact with the rest of the world

Justinian ruled the Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire: Collapse

The Empire collapsed because of the invasion of the Ottomans

Following a number of civil disputes in the Byzantine Empire, the Ottomans subjugated the Byzantines as vassals in attempts to relieve this vassal status culminated in the Fall of Constantinople.

Imperial China: The Qin Empire221 B.C.E.-206 B.C.E.

In the second half of the third century, the Qin conquered its rivals and created China’s first empire.

The Qin were one of the warring states in China

Well known for the Terracotta Army

The Qin Empire

Shi Huangdi was the founder of the Qin Empire

The Qin were a warring state that conquered its rivals and became China’s first Empire

Ruled in a Legalist way and were determined to eliminate rival centers or authority

Financial exploitation demanded forced labor

When Shi Huangdi died, a series of rebellions broke out, but the dynasty was finally brought down

Abolished slavery

Shi Huangdi

The Qin Empire

Built thousands of miles of roads and canals

Imposed standard weight, measure, money, uniform law, and a common written language

Qin Shi Huang

The Han Empire206 B.C.E. to 220 B.C.E.

Chang’an was China’s first capital city

It was an ancient power from which the Zhou and Qin dynasties emerged from-Western Han Capital

The Han Empire

Gentry: educated men with valued expertise who served as local officials and made the governement more efficient

The father was the authority figure in the household

Common people lived in alleys The Elite had multistory houses, fine silks, horse

drawn carriages and leisure time

The Han Empire

Politics Mandate of Heaven Emperor was the link between family and

ancestors and had many wives Central government run by prime ministers Civil service director Nine ministers taking on military, legal,

economic and religious responsibilities

Religion Emperor had divinity Rituals emphasizing the worship of Heaven

Environment Ring of hills Fertile plain

Technology Military expansion Elegant banquets and entertainment

Interaction Silk was a major export