AP World History:
Ancient
vs. Classical
By the end of class students should be able to:
•Characterize the ancient and classical periods
•Understand and explain the major shifts and
turning points within the Foundations period
•Hypothesize how the classical civilizations will
differ from those of the ancient period
Periodization
Foundations
8000BCE to 600CE
Ancient
8000 BCE to
1000BCE
Classical
1000 BCE to
450 CE*
why isn’t this 600 CE?
Uniting Large Regions
1000 BCE – 500 CE
Mapping the Ancient World
Mapping the Classical World
The Ancient Period 8000
BCE to 1000 BCE
• Between 9000 BCE and 7000 BCE
– Agriculture introduced in the Middle East—spreads to
Northern Africa, India and finally East Asia by 1000
BCE
• Around 6000 BCE
– Potters wheel invented; cities grew
• 4000 BCE (Bronze Age)
– Series of innovations
• Between 3500 BCE and 1500 BCE
– Four river valley civilizations
Task: Characterize
Ancient Period
Characterize
thethe
Ancient
Period
Transitional Kingdoms
• Case Study:
– Hittites, Minoans, Mycenaeans, Phoenicians
• Spread agriculture from river valleys to
temperate climates…how?
–
–
–
–
–
Specialization & trade
Combining ag. & herding
Double-edged sword of conquest
Inherently weak…why?
Structural political problems
1000 BCE—A Turning
Point
• Wave of invasions on all river civilizations,
made more effective b/c of iron weapons
– Indus Valley falls to Aryans
– Egypt’s political structure fails as does those in
Mesopotamia
– China’s transition is more subtle and symbolic:
changes dynasties and introduces iron
The Classical Period
(1000 BCE to 450 CE)
• Expansion
– Aggressive invasions combines with river
valley experience to form even large
civilizations
• Integration
– New size makes it more challenging to
keep everyone under control and society
functioning
Hypothesize…
• What allows for classical civs to expand?
• How might they attempt to provide
greater coherence for their civilizations?
• What aspects of ancient civilizations will
be retained?
• In what ways will classical civilizations be
different?
Continuities
• Agricultural economies
• Patriarchal societies
• RVC heritage
Population Growth
Consequences of
Population Growth
Brahmin
Kshatriya
Vaishya
Sudra
Untouchable
The Indian Caste System
Generation of Belief Systems
Hinduism
Judaism
Buddhism
Christianity
Consequence of Belief Systems
Hinduism
From lst
millennium BCE
Buddhism
From 5th century
BCE
Christianity
From 1st century
CE
Judaism
Communities
scattered widely in
Southwest Asia,
Northern Africa, and
Europe, especially
from the first century
CE.
Outline Map: Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2002
Spread & Influence
of Civilizations
Farming &
pastoral nomadism
replaced hunting
and gathering in
some regions.
People moved into
previously
uninhabited areas.
Expanding Networks
Routes
Around 300 BCE to 300 CE, merchants,
shippers, sea captains, and empire-builders
extended and strengthened trade routes
across Afroeurasia and the Americas.
Empires
Empires required networks of military and
political communication. These networks
encouraged interaction of many kinds over
long distances.
Writing
With the appearance of alphabetic writing
systems in Afroeurasia, people could
communicate faster and easier than ever
before.
Religions
The appearance of world religions—
Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, and
Christianity—stimulated cultural interchange
across political and cultural boundaries.
The New Classical World
Triggers for Change
• Iron technology
• Deliberate cultural integration
AP World History:
Ancient
vs. Classical
By the end of class students should be able to:
•Characterize the ancient and classical periods
•Understand and explain the major shifts and
turning points within the Foundations period
•Hypothesize how the classical civilizations will
differ from those of the ancient period