Chapter 2 and 3: THE SPREAD OF EMPIRES Chapter 2, Sections 3 and 4; also key concepts from Chapter 3.

Intro: What is an empire? We talked about the emergence of civilization. How does that differ from empires? What is an empire? Empire = a large political unit, usually under a single leader, that controls many diverse people and territories

Lesson 3 THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION (3000-1500 BC) The Indus Valley Civilization was located around the Indus River in South Asia & was the largest early civilization in this region. The 2 key cities were Harappa and Mohenjo Daro. Indus Valley cities were planned with specific streets, homes of various sizes and most notably – public works systems! Fresh water was provided via public wells & waste water flowed out of the city to sewage plants. Household trash service also existed. All of this suggests a well organized & powerful government.

ARYANS arrive in South Asia… (2000 BC) When the Aryans arrive in South Asia beginning they didn’t necessarily “conquer” and take over… rather their cultural traditions took hold and spread slowly, changing & ultimately replacing the existing Indus civilization. Some key aspects of Aryan culture were: Introduced iron which led to new tools & technology; Writing system was Sanskrit – which led to the recording of their religious beliefs & some important religious texts (the VEDAS); Family/extended family was the most important social unit of Aryan society; Families were PATRIARCHAL (male dominated) a trait that continues in South Asia today; males were head of household; they arranged marriages; women had very few rights. Women were valued most for their ability to have sons; they did not have many rights beyond that. The custom of SUTTEE (ritual suicide by Indian widows) illustrates the extreme extent to which a woman’s identity was attached to her husband.

LESSON 4 – The Rise of China China is called one of the world’s oldest civilizations because it dates back 6000 years. The first Chinese Dynasty backed by archeological evidence was the Shang; a farming society ruled by an ARISTOCRACY (an upper class whose wealth is based on land & power is passed from one generation to the next). The last Shang ruler was believed to be a tyrant & was overthrown in a revolt; the next family to claim the right to rule (referred to as the “Mandate of Heaven”) was the ZHOU (pronounced “JOE”); The MANDATE OF HEAVEN was part of the Dynastic cycle that was used to rule China for thousands of years.

MANDATE OF HEAVEN/DYNASTIC CYCLE The Mandate of Heaven was based on the idea that the Emperor’s right to rule was granted by the heavens. This belief was at the heart of China’s Dynastic Cycle. The Chinese believed that a New Dynasty restored peace; protected from invaders & rebuilt infrastructure & in that way they kept the Mandate to rule; signs of losing the Mandate included revolt & civil unrest; overtaxing; & natural disasters. These signs opened the door to revolts & power struggles… the ruling family that was the victor would then claim the Mandate & begin the cycle again. Certain Chinese beliefs (“philosophies”) provided stability during the turmoil between Dynasties (Confucianism & Daoism). One key belief of those philosophies was FILIAL PIETY – which refers to the duty, obedience & respect that family members owed to the head of the family unit (patriarchal). This concept still dominates Chinese society today.

CHAPTER 3 – Ancient Near East KING HAMMURABI ruled the Empire of Babylon with a strong army & advanced weapons. His legacy in the region was a unified code of laws “Hammurabi’s Code” that was based on a system of strict justice. Severe penalties were fundamental to this system of justice & everyone knew their place in society (SEE P. 50 for examples from the Code.) The Babylonians were captured by the PERSIAN EMPIRE – one of the largest of its time around 500 BC – also conquering & ending the Egyptian “New Kingdom” & uniting much of SW Asia (see map on p. 57). Like the Jews, Persians were monotheistic. ZOROASTRIANS believed that life was a struggle between good and evil & that if you chose good more often you would be rewarded in an afterlife. This is called an ETHICAL WORLD VIEW - & is a common feature of the world’s influential monotheistic faiths of JUDAISM, CHRISTIANITY & ISLAM.

Conclusion: So, after looking at Egypt and the brief overviews of the Indus Valley, China, and Babylonia…. What are some characteristics that help / allow empires to gain and maintain power?

What characteristics allowed empires to get and maintain power? Fear Strong Economy Effective Government Loyalty through Religion/Philosophy Build common identity Charismatic leadership Technologically Advanced

If you were an emperor…What questions would you ask / what things would you think about to be successful? How much will it cost to expand? How do I keep my people safe/happy? How do I handle dissent? How will I tax?  How will I collect the tax? How do I connect (physically) the empire? How do I connect people linguistically, culturally and religiously? Who will I trust? How much money will I make? Do I want to force my culture on others? Do I want to have to have a huge army? How do I make and enforce laws? How do I control the people?