The Classical Empires

AP World History

Be able to compare political structures, religion, gender relations, trade relations, and the collapse between the classical empires

Population Growth

Urbanization

Afro-Eurasia in 500 BCE

Afro-Eurasia in 350 BCE

Afro-Eurasia in 200 BCE

Afro-Eurasia in 100 CE

Persian Empire

Persian Empire (558-332 BCE)

Founded by Cyrus the Great

Darius I (521-486 BCE) Balanced central

administration & local governors

Divided government into 3 districts ran by satraps

Built the Royal Road Fought Persian Wars with

Greece (500-479 BCE) Led to the decline of the

Persian Empire

Persian Empire Persian Society

Women worked in textile manufacturing

Government used slaves to complete public works projects

Persian Economy Government coined money,

single currency Facilitated trade from Greece to

India – the Great Royal Road Persian Religion

Zoroastrianism – worship of one god called Ahura Mazda. Monotheistic religion.

World in 350 BCE

Classical China Zhou Dynasty (1029-258)

Mandate of Heaven Feudalism

Decline of Zhou Dynasty Confucianism Daoism Legalism

Warring States Period Kingdom of Qin began

expanding during the 3rd century BCE

Qin Dynasty (221-202 BCE) Used Legalism to

restore order Land reforms

weakened aristocracy Peasants were given

land rights to farm remote territories

Centralized bureaucracy

Unified China Standardized script,

laws, and weights & measures

Qin Shi Huangdi Proclaimed himself

“First Emperor” of China

Centralized Power Disarmed local militaries Built roads & defensive

walls Demanded burning of

books Used forced labor to

complete public works projects

Terra Cotta Army

Terra Cotta Army

Early Han Dynasty (202 BCE-9 CE) Founded by Liu Bang

Longest dynasty in Chinese History

Conquered northern Vietnam, Korea, and Central Asia Tribute System

Monopolized iron, salt, and liquor

Han Wudi (Wu Ti) Ruled from 141-87 BCE

Supported Legalism Two Goals

Centralize government Expand the empire

Reforms Expanded bureaucracy Started an imperial university Confucian examination system Expanded the Silk Roads

Mauryan Dynasty Founded by

Chandragupta Maurya Arthashastra

Ashoka (268-232 BCE) Conquered most of India

Used elephants in warfare Battle of Kalinga

Reforms Pillars of Ashoka Centralized bureaucracy Expanded agriculture Built roads to promote trade

Promoted the spread of Buddhism

Empire declined after Ashoka’s death

Gupta Dynasty (320-565 CE) Founded by Chandra

Gupta Used alliances, tribute

& conquest Gupta Government

Coalition of regional kingdoms

Policy & administration left to local rulers

Eventually destroyed by the White Huns

Ancient Greece Geography prevented

political unification Culturally unified

City-States Cities offered safety and

wealth Different political systems

Unified when threatened Persian Wars

Wars weaken city-states Peloponnesian War (431-

404 BCE) between Athens and Sparta.

Ancient Greece. Sparta was a rigid slave holding dictatorship. Athens became a culturally and politically

advanced city that gained wealth through trade and power due to naval strength.

Majority of Greek city-states were oligarchies – rich powerful families ruled.

Greek women were treated as social and political inferiors.

Athens created a democracy, rule from the people. Reached its peak under the statesmen Pericles.

Athens had the most representative government in the ancient world.

Greek Colonization

Alexander the Great (332-323 BCE)

Father, Philip II, conquered most of Greece

Built a massive empire Conquered Persia & Egypt Threatened India

Empire divided into 3 parts after his death Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt Seleucid Empire in Persia• Preserved Greek culture and

spread throughout a vast portion of Eurasia and Northern Africa.

• Alexandria in Egypt became one of the Mediterranean’s world’s great centers of trade, learning, and culture.

Hellenistic Empire

Indus

People to Know Alexander the Great Pericles Aristotle Socrates Plato Homer

Roman Republic (509-44 BCE) Political System

Consuls Senate (patricians) Tribunes (plebeians)

Military expansion Assimilated conquered

peoples Twelve Tables

Created a standardized system of laws

Established rights for defendants

Rome Plebeians were the lower classes. Patricians were

the upper class Slavery widely practiced. Slaves used as

gladiators. Social and economic functions depended heavily

on slave labor. Roman society was strictly patriarchal at the

beginning of the Republican Period. Women later gained more freedom to divorce,

more economic rights, and greater influence over family financial affairs.

Expansion of Roman Republic

End of Republic Growing tensions

between rich & poor Latifundias

Large plantations in conquered lands controlled by aristocrats

Julius Caesar Dictator for life in 44 BCE Reforms

Sought to relieve tension between the classes

Executed by aristocratic conspirators

Roman Empire (31 BCE-476 CE) Established by Augustus

Continued military expansion Pax Romana

NOT a dynasty Succession often depended

upon military strength Tolerated local customs &

religions Laws & patriotism held

empire together

Similarities of the Classical Rome and Han China and Gupta India agricultural-based economies patriarchal family structures complex governments – because they were so

large, had to invent new ways to keep their lands together politically; each was still unique

Central government relied on local officials to regulate society

trade important – connected by land and sea Social hierarchy Income gap Land distribution issues Capital cities are the center of artistic and scientific

innovation; easier during a time of peace/Pax

Similarities between Rome and Han

Expanded into terr. that brought a variety of char. but they also brought cultural unity to those territories

Educated bureaucracy Built infrastructure (roads or canals) to promote

commerce, help military move, etc. Built walls/forts to protect against invaders which

led to economic problems keeping up with the costs

Government lost loyalty of the people as they were asked for more money to pay for the military

Differences of the 3 Classical Empires (Rome, Han, Gupta)

Groups at the top reflected different values systems priests in India scholar-gentry/bureaucrats in China aristocrats in Greece and Rome

Status of merchants varied Low status in China High status in Rome and Gupta

Opportunities for mobility varied India’s caste system had the most limitations –

created at birth China’s – opportunities through education Rome - wealth

Differences of the 3 Classical Empires (Rome, Han, Gupta) Religion

No Roman equivalent to Confucianism—no ideology of political organization and social conduct that could survive the ending of the Roman state

Society Chinese believed the individual was deeply embedded in the

larger social group, respect for authority remained important (family served as the model for the organization of society and the state);

Romans were more aware of the right of individuals, so citizens were more willing to want and ask for more from the government

Who rules Chinese believed their emperor was divine and mandated by

heaven, so there was a basis to revive the position of emperor in their society

Roman emperors were chosen by the Senate during the Republic period; from the military during the Empire period

Women were considerably freer and less oppressed than Chinese or Gupta women

Nine major factors led to the decline of the classical empires Dynastic Succession Bureaucratic Corruption Inequitable Economic Burdens Regional, Racial, or Ethnic Tension Decline of Martial Sprit Moral Decline Escapist or Otherworldly Religions Costly Technology External Enemies

Rome did not have a clear line of succession Murders and disputes over succession

undermined the credibility of the empire From 235-284 CE twenty-six emperors claimed

the imperial throne Finally stabilized by Diocletian and Constantine

Dynastic empires experienced a decline in quality of rulers as time went on Decline of the quality of rulers led to uprisings,

usurpations, and civil wars Factions emerged amongst elites in Han China

Alexander the Great was unable to unify Greek, Egyptians, Persians, and others

India reverted back to regional states based on language and ethnicity after fall of Mauryan Empire

Diocletian divides Roman empire into four separate administrations each with its own capital

Cost of maintaining engineering wonders put a strain on already impoverished economies Roman aqueducts,

roads, arenas, etc.

Christianity stressed heavenly rather than earthly rewards Religious strife also contributed to chaos in

RomeMany Chinese began to follow Buddhism

or escapists Taoists (Daoism)Ashoka’s emphasis on pacifist Buddhism

alienated many Hindus

Roman emperors became increasingly self-indulgent and hedonistic Nero, Caligula, et al.

Hedonism and extravagance of the upper class blamed for the decline of the Han dynasty

Han dynasty experienced repeated invasions by the Xiongnu (Huns)

Germanic tribes lived on northern plains of Europe for centuries Visigoths settled,

developed agriculture, and served in the Roman military

In the 4th century, Huns migrated from their homelands in central Asia Led by Attila the Hun, the Huns attacked the

Romans and the Germanic homelandsGermans sought refuge in the Roman

empire Established permanent settlements in Roman

territories Visigoths sack rome in 410 CE Overthrow last Roman emperor in 476 CE

Han dynasty divided into three rival kingdoms in 220 CE Three kingdoms would fight for control of China

for centuriesChristianity was most prominent survivor

of Roman collapse Rise of the church as an institution

Most Roman institutions disappeared as Germans were unwilling or incapable of continuing them

Similarities of the falls Attacks by nomadic groups

attacks from the Huns – nomadic people of Asia that began to migrate south and west during this time period (probably caused by drought and lack of pasture and the invention and use of the stirrup facilitating their attacks on all three established civilizations

Romans attacked by Germanic tribes both Roman and Han capitals overrun

deterioration of political institutions - all three empires were riddled by political corruption during their latter days, and all three suffered under weak-willed rulers; moral decay also characterized the years prior to their respective falls; nepotism Rome

The barracks emperors: series of generals seizing throne (235-284 C.E.)

The emperor Diocletian (284-305 C.E.) - Divided the empire into two administrative districts; A co-emperor ruled each district to try to solve problems

The emperor Constantine and new capital Constantinople – political, econ. and rel. center

Similarities of the falls protection/maintenance of borders – all empires found

that their borders had grown so large that their military had trouble guarding them (Great Wall did not keep out the Huns—they went around it)

tax issues Roman – tax revolts by upper class and church

exempt Han – officials exempt; difficult to collect from

peasants Gupta – not enough taxes to pay for military

defense Political fragmentation

Gupta - regional princes took local power Han - military generals took charge of the Western Roman empire totally gone

Differences between the falls

Cultural continuity western Roman Empire totally collapsed China’s system took some time to recover - Common culture (Chinese

script, Confucianism, assimilation) prevented as drastic a collapse as in Rome

India’s system was not based on political unity (Hinduism remained) Economic

The Chinese economy was based more completely on crop agriculture; cities and commerce played a lesser role in China than in the West

much more commerce in Roman Empire proportion of slaves in Roman Empire hurt the economy; less productive

but more people to feed Demography

whereas, major migrations primarily of Germanic tribes changed the demographic make-up of the Roman empire, China assimilated nomadic invaders

Roman landowners bought up more and more land and staffed it with slaves; small farmers were pushed out and had no land to

Maya (300–900 CE) Heirs to Olmec traditions Culturally unified city-

states Never form a unified

political system Built elaborate religious

and commercial centers Tikal & Chichen-Itza

Traded luxury products Advanced math &

science Zero, solar year, etc.

El Castillo at Chichen-Itza

Mayan Architecture

Mayan Oberservatory

Mayan Decline Maya city-states were abandoned or

destroyed between 800-900 CE Causes for decline include:

The disruption of trade after the decline of Teotihuacan in Central Mexico

Environmental degradation caused by overpopulation

Epidemic disease