 The basic themes of the three great classical civilizations involved expansion and integration  With these civilizations we see similarities as well as differences.  Integration and expansion faltered between 200 and 500 CE.  Decline, even collapse, began to afflict civilizations first in China, then in the Mediterranean, and finally in India which signaled the end of the classical era.

 Classical civilizations (including Persia) included the majority of the world’s population  Developments outside the classical orbit began the next phase.

 Between 550- and 400 BCE Confucius and Loa-zi, Buddha, and Socrates felt the need to speak of central values in their societies upon which to operate  China – greater centralization  India and the Mediterranean – localized and diverse.  Integration involved two basic issues: territorial and social (inequalities between men and women and between upper and lower classes.  None of the civilizations pushed for opportunities of upward mobility

 Confucius - mutual respect between upper and lower classes; family values; self-restraint  Mediterranean – supported civic rituals intended to foster loyalty  India – gave a religion shared by all social classes and gave lower classes hope through reincarnation  None of these approaches consistently united the society (slave rebellions and lower class risings)

 On the borders of the major civilizations northeastern Africa, Japan, and northern Europe, changes were related to the classical world  Americas – cultures evolved in an independent way  Southeast Asia gets access to civilization through its contacts with India.  Hindu and Buddhist religion/art spread from India – example: expansion without a fully distinctive or unified culture

 Similar case of expansion from an established civilization – that in sub-Sahara Africa  Kush – along the Nile  Writing derived from Egyptian hieroglyphics  Use of iron  Their armies conquered Egypt itself  Major cities  Strong monarchy – king (divine)

 Kingdoms of Ethiopia and Axum which defeated it had active contacts with eastern Mediterranean world (trade)  Merchants:  Jewish converting minority of Ethiopians to Judaism  Greek-speaking merchants -influenced Ethiopia bringing Christianity  Kingdoms of upper Nile effect on sub-Saharan Africa  Ironworking-facilitation expansion of agriculture  Ceremonial kingship (divine kingship) surface in parts of Africa

 Below Sahara: extension of agriculture, well- organized villages  West Africa-end of classical era, kingdoms were forming in western Africa leading to first great state in the region – Ghana  There was a wave of African kingdoms west far to the west of the Nile creating strong agricultural economy

 Japan:  200 CE Japan established extensive agriculture  Regional political organization based on tribal chief evolved; each tribal group had its own god, thought of as an ancestor  Developed considerable ironworking  Sophisticated regional state which controlled larger territories.  400 CWE one such state brought in scribes from Korea to keep records – this represented the introduction of writing in the islands.

 SHINTOISM:  Provided for worship of political rulers and the spirits of nature  Was a simple religion different from classical civilizations  400CE one regional ruler won the loyalty and trust of other local leaders; this was the basis for Japan’s imperial house – emperor worshiped as religious figure

 EUROPE:  Europe lagged behind Japan’s pace  Celtic people (German, England, and Scandinavia and Slavic) were loosely organized  No written language except where Latin had been imported  Scandinavians developed skill as sailors leading them to trade  This region would change through the spread of the religious and intellectual influences of Christianity; however, Europe remained one of the most backward areas in the world.

 OLMECS of Central America CE  Produced massive, pyramid-shaped religious monuments  Lacked writing  This first American civilization – based on advancing agriculture  Artistic forms in precious stones such as jade  Accurate calendars  Influenced later Indian civilizations in Central America  Disappeared without a clear trace around 400BCE  Successors developed a hieroglyphic alphabet and built the first great city – Teotihuacan  From its base developed further starting with Mayans, 400CE onward

 A similar civilization arose in the Andes region(Peru and Bolivia) and built elaborate cities – later led to the Incas  The two centers of early civilization in the Americas developed in total isolation from developments elsewhere in the world  Lacked basic technologies as the wheel or iron making

 Polynesian peoples (new island territories in the Pacific):  These peoples reached islands such as Fiji and Samoa by 1000BCE’  Their explorations in giant outrigger canoes led to first settlement of island complexes such as Hawaii – imported a highly stratified caste system under powerful local kings.

 Herding Peoples of central Asia:  Nomadic groups gained contact with civilizations like China  Central Asian herders increased role with trade routes between east Asia and the Middle East – transported silk.(Silk Road). Technological innovations – stirrup  These groups invaded major civilizations helping to end the classical period

 Rome fell to Germanic invaders who were, in turn, harassed by the Asiatic Huns.  Another Hun group from central Asia overthrew the Guptas in India, and similar nomadic tribes had earlier conquered the Chinese Han dynasty  Han China and Roman Empire suffered internal problems before the Hun invasion  Guptas had problems with political fragmentation

 Han China in Decline:  Central government’s control diminshed, bureaucrats were corrupt, local landlords dominated the free peasants who were heavily taxed.  Peasants lost their farms and became day laborers; some sold their children into service.  Social unread led to a revolution led by Daoists in 184CE

 Daoism became a more popular religion adding healing practices and magic to their philosophical beliefs.  Daoist leaders, called the Yellow Turbans, promised a golden age which did not mature  China’s population growth and prosperity declined further and civil war followed  China’s decline paralleled the later collapse of Rome

 China’s problems:  Invasions from nomads who overthrew the Han dynasty  New epidemics. Led to chaos  Cultural unity threatened with the spread of Buddhism  China revived:  Sui dynasty drove out the nomadic invaders  Tang dynasty followed reviving Confucianism and the bureaucratic system

 Decline of classical India:  The Guptas loose control of many local princes  Invasions by Hun tribes negatively affect India and ultimately destroy the Gupta empire  Many of the invaders to India integrated into the warrior caste of India, forming a new ruling group of regional princes  These princes, called Rajput, controlled the small state emphasizing the military  Buddhism declined further and Hindu beliefs gained popularity

 Islam, the new Middle Easter religion, became another threat to India after 600CE  Hinduism maintained it popularity by emphasis on religious devotion at the expense of some other intellectual interests  Sanskrit declined as Hindu texts were written in vernacular languages  India’s economy was negatively affected as Islamic Arab traders took partial control of the Indian Ocean

 Rome’s Problems after 180CE  Declining populations results in difficulties in recruiting effective armies.  Many Roman emperors were very brutal  Difficulty collecting taxes as people fell on hard times  [Americans or Western Europeans concerned about changes in their own society wonder if there might be lessons in Rome’s fall that apply to the uncertain future of Western civilization today]

 Further problems:  A series of weak emperors and disputes over succession to the throne  Intervention by the army in the selection of emperors contributed to deterioration of rule from the top  Plagues – the source was growing international trade which brought diseases of Asia to the Mediterranean where no resistance had developed resulting in diseases decimating the population

 Result: economic life worsened resulting in the recruitment of Germanic soldiers to guard Rome’s frontiers and the expense of paying them

 Other reasons for Rome’s decline:  Rome’s upper classes became more pleasure- seeking, turning away from the political devotion and economic vigor that had characterized the republic  Moral and political decay of the society  Farmers with small farms could not compete with the larger farm landowners and surrendered their plots of land the landowners for military and judicial protection

 This decentralized system foreshadowed the manorial system of Europe in the Middle Ages.  Result: the emperor’s power weakened and the economy became less successful in trading  Final result: Trade and production declined

 Emperors’ attempts to reverse the decline:  Emperor Diocletian’s regulations increased hurting the economy. And his desire to be worshiped as a god drove him to persecute Christians  Emperor Constantine, CE, set up a second capital city, Constantinople, to regulate the eastern half of the empire. He used the religious force of Christianity to unify the empire spiritually.  The eastern empire remained an effective political and economic unit.  Division made the western half worse

 Also, Germanic invasions in the 400s were met slight resistance  Many peasants welcomed the barbarians to escape the Roman regulations  Germanic kingdoms were established in many parts of the empire by 425CE and the western Roman empire collapsed  Rome’s fall split the unity of the Mediterranean lands  A deep divide between Christian and Muslim developed  The split made three zones which would later develop into three distinct civilizations in later centuries.

 The First Zone:  This area did not “fall” due to less pressure from invaders, did continue to rule Greece, SE Europe, plus northern Middle East  Became know as the Byzantine Empire where the Greek language was used and trade was active  Emperor Justinian, CE, compiled the Roman laws into the code known as the Code of Justinian.  Byzantium maintained many Roman traditions, plus Christianity

 The Middle East was partially controlled by a Parthian empire between the Tigris-Euphrates region. This empire was later displaced by a new Sassanid empire which revived earlier Persian empire glories.  Zoroastrianism, a Persian religion, was revived along with Persian art and manufacturing  The Byzantine Empire managed to create a stable frontier to buffer attacks by the Sassanids to attempt a take over.  The Sassanids were overthrown by the Arab onslaught

 The Second Zone :  North Africa – Christianity spreads into the area.  Beliefs and doctrines split North African Christianity from larger branches. Result: the Coptic Church in Egypt was established (still survives there today)  The Third Zone: (western part of the empire)  Crude Germanic kingdoms developed in parts of Italy, France, and elsewhere  Trade almost disappeared and inferiority to classical achievements would describe its culture

 Christianity and Buddhism are similar in: emphasis on spiritual life and importance of divine power  Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism emphasized intense devotion, piety, spirituality beyond daily cares of earthly life; hope for better life in the afterlife

 A. Buddhism  Monks – chief agents of Buddhist expansion and leadership  Shifted became more emotional cult stressing the popular idea of salvation  Spread heavier into China after the fall of the Han dynasty  Monasteries in India and the Himalayan Mountains serve as spiritual centers

 East Asian form of Buddhism, called Mahayana, emphasized Buddha himself as god and savior  Stressed prayers and rituals could help ordinary people become holy  Impact on women: appealed to Chinese women because it led to a more meaningful life (it also did not really challenge patriarchy)  Confucian leaders disliked Buddhism  Buddhism was seen as a threat fearing it might distract people from loyalty to the emperor  Buddhism influenced Japan, Korea, and Vietnam more than China

 One of the two largest faiths worldwide  Similar to Buddhism – emphasis on salvation  Differed from Buddhism – It emphasis on church organization and on missionary activity and widespread conversions  Christianity began in reaction to rigidities that developed in the Jewish priesthood  Believes in life after death  Jesus of Nazareth, believed by Christians to be the son of God sent to earth to redeem human sin

 Jesus preached in Israel and had disciples who would, after His death, preach and attract growing numbers of supporters throughout the Roman Empire  Jesus’ message: a single God who loved humankind despite earthly sin.  God sent Jesus (called “Christ”) to preach his holy word to prepare his followers for the afterlife and to be with God

 The reach of the Roman Empire made it relatively easy for Christian missionaries to travel in Europe and the Middle to spread the new word.  Paul, a convert of Jesus, preached to reach non- Jews (gentiles)  A single leader, or bishop, was appointed for each city  Christian doctrine became well organized with writings collected into what became known as the New Testament of the Christian Bible

 A centralized church organization under the leadership of the Pope gave it unusual strength and independence  A key tenet: one God had three persons – the Father, the Son (Christ), and the Holy Spirit  Syncretism in Christianity: the celebration of Christ’s birth was moved to coincide with winter solstice (a benefit from the power of selective older rituals)  Christian faith was valued over intellectual rationales for religious practices.

 Christianity’s popular message of salvation drew the poor, more than most of the great classical belief systems (somewhat like Hinduism)  Unlike Islam, it encouraged men and women to worship together  Christians accept the state, but do not put it first  Latin remained the language of the church in ;the West, Greek the language of most Christians in the eastern Mediterranean  When the Roman Empire fell, Christian history was still in its infancy.

 Was established in the early seventh century and is Christianity’s biggest rival  The spread of major religions – Hinduism(India), Buddhism (East, SE Asia, Daoism (China), Christianity (Europe and parts of the Mediterranean world); Islam – was a result of the changes in classical civilizations brought on by attack and decay