1. Chapter Five: The Classical Period Directions, Diversities and Declines by 600 CE
Spot Check!

2. Common Themes in Classical Civilizations
1) Territorial expansion
2) Efforts to integrate new territories (Rome, Mauryans, Han)
A) Requires territorial and social cohesion, each civilization has social distinctions
3) Unification
A) China (centralization)
B) India (religious values)
C) Mediterranean world (cultural achievements)
4) Decline

3. Major Trends with Classical Trade
Indian Ocean Trade
East Africa to Southern China
Items traded: Chinese pottery, Indian spices, and Indian/African ivory
Silk Road Trade
China to Mediterranean
Exchange of Western/Eastern goods, religions, technology, disease
Trans-Saharan Trade
Across the Sahara: camels
Items traded: salt, palm oil, olives, wheat, wild animals

4. Expansion, Integration, Decline: India
Used localized governments in new territories
Used Hinduism to expand (Buddhism unappealing)
Used the caste system to create social distinctions
Mauryans – centralized government
Guptas – divided into regions
Decline
By 600, White Huns destroy Guptas
Simultaneously, regions become stronger and independent, which weakens the Gupta rulers
After 600, Islam enters India

5. Expansion and Integration: China
Expand west and south, try to integrate regions through common culture
Promote one language (written and spoken)
Greater political centralization
Zhou – feudalism (regional princes and noblemen)
Qin – eliminate feudalism, strong centralized gov
Han – educated bureaucracy, strong centralized gov

6. Decline: China Decline begins around 100 CE
Heavy taxes on peasants
Poor harvests
Decline of interest in Confucianism
Weak emperors and influence of army generals
Nomadic invasions by Huns (Xiongnu or Hsiung-nu) and other nomadic tribes
Yellow Turban Rebellion, 184 CE
Daoist revolutionaries led peasant revolt and promised an era of success and prosperity which would be initiated by magic.
Three Kindgoms Era (disorder and political decentralization), then Sui dynasty by 589 CE

7. Expansion, Integration, Decline: Greece
Use of common language
Persian War helped to integrate city-states, unite against common enemy
Ultimately default to city-state identity, geographic unity is challenging
Peloponnesian War is detrimental to strength of city-states
Decline
Taken by Macedonian Empire
Greek culture (Hellenism) continues

8. Expansion, Integration, Decline: Rome
Use of tolerance, common law for conquered peoples
Citizenship for all
Allow regional diversity
Used a trade network that relied on everyone
Golden Age ends 180 CE
Decline
Complex (economy, plague, leadership)
Self-sufficiency of latifundia (large estates) lessens need for central authority (emperor)
Germanic tribes invade in 400s
Split of East and West

9. Religion during Classical Decline
Rapid expansion of Buddhism into Southeast and East Asia
Rapid emergence and expansion of Christianity into Mediterranean and Europe
Edict of Milan, issued by Constantine to permit the practice of Christianity in Rome
Islam appears and spreads (622 BCE)
Hinduism spreads rapidly across South Asia

10. Other Civilizations During the Classical Period
Kush: originate around 1,000 BCE south of Egypt.
At 750 BCE, Kushites conquered Egypt.
Adapted many Egyptian advancements
Advanced in iron smelting and agriculture
Kush was defeated by Christian kingdom Axum in 300 CE
Axum was conquered by its rival, Ethiopia, shortly after.

12. Other Civilizations Japanese - successful around 200 CE
Migrations to Japan for 200,000 years
Advanced in ironworking (skip bronze and copper)
Rely on agriculture
Regional states
Shintoism – indigenous and national religion in 700 CE
Worship of political rulers and spirits of nature
Simple religion of individual worship
Connect Japan to its ancient and mythical past

13. Mesoamerican Civilizations
Olmecs
First major civilization in Mexico
Central Mexican river valley around 800 BCE
Very advanced in agriculture (corn, potatoes)
Domesticated few animals
Religious statues, art forms
Completely disappeared in 400 BCE

14. Mesoamerican Civilizations
Maya, Mexican peninsula around 400 CE
Maybe most advanced culture in region
Pyramid shaped temples
Only writing system of Meso-America
Religion was very complex
Inca, modern day Peru, arise early 13th c.
Emperor with absolute power
Built fortresses and irrigation systems
Used llamas to carry goods

16. Oceanic Civilizations
Polynesians
migrated to islands (Fiji, Samoa) in 1000 BCE
Eventually move to Hawaii in 400 CE (giant canoes)
Isolated development
Highly stratified class system under powerful kings (esp. Hawaii)
Expansion of agriculture