1. FALL OF EMPIRES Period 2: 600 BCE-600 CE

2. MAURYA EMPIRE Major rulers: Chandragupta Maurya, Ashoka 322-185 BCE Reasons for collapse: Weak kings Invasions through Khyber Pass Sunga (rising dynasty) persecution of Buddhists Impact: trade, merchant class, Buddhism

3. PERSIAN EMPIRE Major rulers: Darius, Cyrus, Xerxes 550-330 BCE Reasons for collapse: Satraps undermined emperor Local rebellions Invasion by Alexander and Macedonia Weakened by Persian War with the Greeks Impact: Zoroastrianism, tolerance, roads/trade, postal system, bureaucracy with satraps

4. GUPTA EMPIRE Major rulers: Chandra Gupta 320-600s Reasons for collapse: Weak rulers Battled regionalism Invaded by Huns from the North around 500 Impact: science and technology like zero, astronomy, base 10 numbers, earth is round, increased trade

5. HAN DYNASTY Major rulers: Liu Bang, Wudi 206 BCE-220 CE Reasons for collapse: Internal rebellions over famine, taxes, and religion (ex. Yellow Turban Rebellion) Over militarized Internal corruption in bureaucracy Outside invasions taxes and inflation Impact: centralized coins, Confucianism in gov’t, new technology (papermaking, negative numbers, seismograph), expansion of Silk Road trade

6. ROMAN EMPIRE Major rulers: Augustus, Constantine, Diocletian, Nero 27 BCE-476 CE Reasons for collapse: Too large to administer Weak emperors after Constantine (313) Divide between East and West (Diocletian) Invasion by Germanic tribes (Ostrogoths, Visigoths) Taxes, inflation Impact: Latin, Christianity, Mediterranean and silk road trade, arch/architecture/engineering

7. HELPFUL HINTS If there’s a date range in the prompt, where should it go in your essay? For tomorrow’s prompt about the fall of empires, should you be writing about how the empires were similar in their rise and ruling styles? Is this a strong example of similarities/differences? They are similar because they both fell due to invaders. They are different because they were invaded by different people. Need 2 similarities, 2 differences, and a DRC (sim or dif) 5-7 pieces of evidence 2 pieces of analysis Write topic sentences first, then thesis, then essay! Study tonight!!! Your notecard will not have all the info you need!