Shang on the Hwang Between 1600 and 1100 B.C.E. Shang China began in the Hwang Ho River Valley (a.k.a. Yellow River Valley)

Shang China Being far away from the other River Valley Civilization, China was a loner, though they traded with Mesopotamia. Naturally, they believed themselves the “center of the world” and too cool for the other civilizations.

Family is Important to the Chinese Multiple generations lived in the same house, and since dead ancestors were “in” with the gods (ancestor worship), it was best to keep on your family’s good side.

Patriarchal – the men rule

Enter the Zhou

Zhou Dynasty Wu Wang took over China in 1100 B.C.E. and started the Zhou Dynasty, which lasted about 900 years.

Mandate of Heaven Heaven protects just and wise rulers, and rulers only stay in power as long as they have the blessing of heaven.

Bureaucracies As the Zhou empire got too big, the king divided kingdoms among nobles. Bureaucracies helped specialize and stabilize through the use of bureaus..

Government tasks divided among different departments (called bureaus).

5. Mesoamerica and Andean South America: For Every Rule There’s an Exception South American Olmec and Chavin civilizations developed without a major river system or river valleys.

Chavin The Chavin liked many gods, seafood, llama rides, and long walks on the coast.

D. The Classical Civilizations: India and China Maurya and Gupta empires in India Qin and Han empires in China

The Mauryan Empire in India

Mauryan Empire The silk, cotton, and elephant trade, along with strong military, helped Maurya grow in power and wealth.

Chandragupta Maurya Unified Aryan territories Into Mauryan Empire

Ashoka Maurya Once a fierce and violent warrior, Ashoka decided he liked Buddhism better than blood. Ashoka preached peace and spread Buddhism throughout India during his reign.

Buddhism Violence=bad. Moderation=good.

Rock and Pillar Edicts By carving Buddhist sayings onto rocks and pillars, Ashoka spread his religion throughout India and Southeast Asia.

2. The Gupta Dynasty India’s “Golden Age”

Chandra Gupta Revived Mauryan culture, bringing about relative peace and advancement in art and science.

The Qin Dynasty

Great Wall of China A really big wall to keep out the Huns. It’s creation suggests that Qin China was centralized and well organized.

Qin Shihuangdi The First Emperor of China! Recentralized modern China, massive standardization, and legalism.

The Han Dynasty

Wu Ti The “Warrior Emperor” who protected China from the Huns and expanded Han to central Asia.