Classical Trade Patterns and
Contacts
Plus the Fall of the
Classical Empires
Classical Trade Patterns and Contacts
An important change in world history
during the Classical period was the
expansion of trade networks and
communications among the major
civilizations.
 These trade networks were often
controlled by nomads who lived in the
vast expanses between civilizations or on
their outskirts.

Classical Trade Patterns and Contacts
As a result of these growing networks,
more areas of the world were interacting
and becoming increasingly dependent on
one another.
 Three large trade networks developed
between 300 BCE and 600 CE: the Silk
Road, the Indian Ocean trade, and the
Saharan trade.

The Silk Road
The Silk Road:
 This fabled trade route extended from Xi’an
in China to the eastern Mediterranean.
 It began in the late 2nd century BCE when
a Chinese general (Zhang Jian) was
exploring the Tarim Basin in central Asia
and discovered “heavenly horses” that
were superior to any bred in China.

The Silk Road
This breed of horse was considered so
superior that they caused a war (the first
known war fought over horses).
 A Han Chinese army traveled over 6,000
miles to bring these horses back for the
emperor (Wu Di).
 Today they are known as the Akhal teke,
and they are still bred by Central-Asian
nomads.

The Silk Road

The “Heavenly Horses” of the Tarim Basin:
The Silk Road
The Silk Road
Over 6,000 years ago silk was a valued
fiber for fabric.
 For many centuries, silk fabric was
reserved exclusively for the emperor and
his royal family.
 Gradually silk became available for
general use.
 Farmers paid their taxes in grain and silk.

The Silk Road
In addition to clothing, silk was used for
musical thread, fishing line, bowstrings
and paper.
 Eventually it became one of the main
elements of the Chinese economy.

The Silk Road
Silk farmers raise silkworms, which take
about 3-4 weeks to spin a cocoon.
 Then the cocoons are carefully unwound
to a length up to 3,000 ft long.
 It takes several hundred cocoons to
make a single shirt or blouse.

The Silk Road

The shimmering appearance of silk is due
to the triangular prism-like structure of the
silk fiber, which allows silk cloth to refract
incoming light at different angles, which
produces different colors.
The Silk Road
Emperor Wu Di of the
Han Dynasty decided to
develop trade with
countries to the west,
and the building of a
road across Asia was
his main legacy.
 It took nearly sixty years
of war and construction.

The Silk Road
Individual merchants rarely traveled from
one end to the other (about 5,000 miles);
instead they handled long-distance trade
in stages.
 The Chinese had many goods to trade,
including their highly prized silk, and with
the discovery of the “heavenly horses”,
the Chinese now had something that they
wanted in return.

The Silk Road

The Tarim Basin was connected by trade
routes to civilizations to the west, and by
100 BCE, Greeks could buy Chinese silks
from traders in Mesopotamia, who in turn
had traded for the silk with nomads that
came from the Tarim Basin.
The Silk Road
The Silk Road

Although the Romans and Chinese
probably never actually met, goods made
it from one end of the Silk Road to the
other, making all the people along the
route aware of the presence of others.
The Silk Road

Traders going west
from China carried
peaches, oranges,
apricots, cinnamon,
ginger, cloves,
pepper, and other
spices as well as
silk.
The Silk Road
Spices were extremely important in
classical times.
 They served as condiments and
flavoring agents for food, and also as
drugs, anesthetics, aphrodisiacs,
perfumes, aromatics, and magical
potions.

The Silk Road

Traders going
east carried
alfalfa (for
horses), grapes,
pistachios,
sesame, spinach,
glassware, and
jewelry.
The Silk Road
Inventions along the route made their
way to many people.
 For example, the stirrup was probably
invented in what is today northern
Afghanistan, and horsemen in many
places realized what an advantage the
stirrup gave them in battle, so it quickly
spread to faraway China and Europe.

The Silk Road
The Silk Road was essentially held
together by pastoral nomads of Central
Asia who supplied animals to transport
goods and food/drink needed by caravan
parties.
 For periodic payments by merchants and
governments, they provided protection
from bandits and raiders.

The Silk Road

The nomads insured
the smooth operation of
the trade routes,
allowing not only goods
to travel, but also ideas,
customs, and religions,
such as Christianity,
Buddhism, Hinduism,
and Islam.
The Silk Road




Biological exchanges were also important, but
unintended, consequences of the silk roads.
Contagious microbes spread along the trade
routes, finding new hosts for infection.
Until immunities were acquired, deadly
epidemics took a terrible toll in the second and
third centuries CE.
The most destructive diseases were smallpox,
measles, and bubonic plague.
The Silk Road

Smallpox, Measles, and Bubonic Plague
Indian Ocean Maritime Trade
The Indian Ocean Maritime System:
 Water travel from the northern tip of the
Red Sea southward goes back to the
days of the river valley civilizations.
 The ancient Egyptians traded with
peoples along the southern coast of the
Arabian Peninsula.

Indian Ocean Maritime Trade
During the river valley era, water routes
were short and primarily along the
coasts.
 During the classical era, those short
routes were connected together to
create a network that stretched from
China to Africa.

Indian Ocean Maritime Trade

Like the traders on the Silk Road, most
Indian Ocean traders only traveled back
and forth along on one of its three legs:
1). southeastern China to Southeast
Asia; 2). Southeast Asia to the eastern
coast of India; and 3). The western coast
of India to the Red Sea and the eastern
coast of Africa.
Indian Ocean Maritime Trade
Indian Ocean Maritime Trade

Countless products traveled along the
Indian Ocean routes, including ivory
from Africa and India; frankincense and
myrrh (fragrances) from southern
Arabia; pearls from the Persian Gulf;
spices from India and SE Asia; and
manufactured goods and pottery from
China.
Indian Ocean Maritime Trade

Comparison between the Mediterranean and
Indian Ocean:
Differences in physical geography shaped
different techniques and technologies for
water travel during the classical period.
 The Mediterranean’s calm waters meant
sails had to be designed to pick up what
little wind they could, so large, square
sails were developed.

Indian Ocean Maritime Trade

The most famous of the ships, the Greek
trireme (from the Latin triremis—3 oars),
had three tiers of oars operated by 170
rowers.
Indian Ocean Maritime Trade

A mosaic of a
Roman
trireme from
the Punic wars
(battles with
Carthage).
Indian Ocean Maritime Trade
In contrast, sailing on the Indian Ocean
had to take into account the strong
seasonal monsoon winds that blew in one
direction in the spring and the opposite
direction during the fall.
 Indian Ocean ships sailed without oars,
and used the lateen sail (roughly
triangular with squared off points).

Indian Ocean Maritime Trade

Lateen sails were more maneuverable
through strong winds.
Indian Ocean Maritime Trade
The boats were small, with planks tied
together with palm fiber.
 Mediterranean sailors nailed their ships
together.

Indian Ocean Maritime Trade
Mediterranean sailors usually stayed
close to shore because they could not
rely on winds to carry them over the
open water.
 The monsoon winds allowed Indian
Ocean sailors to go for long distances
across water.

Trade Routes Across the Sahara

Before the classical era, the vast Saharan
desert of northern Africa formed a
geographic barrier between the people of
Sub-Saharan Africa and those that lived to
its north and east.
Trade Routes Across the Sahara

The introduction of the camel to the area
(probably in the 1st century BCE) made it
possible to establish trade caravans across
the desert.
Trade Routes Across the Sahara

Camels probably
came to the Sahara
from Egypt (by way
of Arabia), and
effective camel
saddles were
developed to allow
trade goods to be
carried.
Trade Routes Across the Sahara
Arabian or dromedary
(Arabia or N. Africa).
 They are faster and can
travel more miles in a day
than the Bactrian camel.
 Good in deserts, flat land
or rolling hills, they are not
good on slippery surfaces.

Trade Routes Across the Sahara
Bactrian (Central Asia).
 Bactrian camels are better
suited for cold climates
with rugged terrain.
 They have shorter legs
and stout bodies and they
can walk over slippery
surfaces that dromedary
camels can't handle.

Trade Routes Across the Sahara

A major incentive for the
Saharan trade was the
demand for desert salt,
and traders from SubSaharan Africa brought
forest products from the
south like kola nuts and
palm oil to be traded for
salt.
Trade Routes Across the Sahara
Extensive trade routes connected
different parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, so
that the connection of Eastern Africa to
the Indian Ocean trade meant that goods
from much of Sub-Saharan Africa could
make their way to Asia and the
Mediterranean.
 Many of these trade routes still function
today.

The Incense Roads


There has been an Incense Trade Route for
as long as there has been recorded history. As
soon as the camel was domesticated, Arab
tribes began carrying incense from southern
Arabia to the civilizations scattered around the
Mediterranean Sea.
By the time of King Solomon, the incense
route was in full swing, and Solomon reaped
rich rewards in the form of taxes from the
incense passing into and through his kingdom.
The Incense Roads
The Incense Roads


The records of Babylon and Assyria all
mention the incense trade but it wasn't until
the Nabataean tribe of Arabs dominated the
Incense Road that Europeans took notice.
Up until 24 BCE the Nabataeans moved
large caravans of frankincense, myrrh and
other incenses from southern Arabia and
spices from India and beyond to the
Mediterranean ports of Gaza and Alexandria.
The Incense Roads

The Nabataeans
carved the famous
building of Petra
out of solid rock
(located in today’s
southern Jordan).
The Incense Roads


The Roman historian Pliny the Elder
mentioned that the route took 62 days to
traverse from one end of the Incense Road
to the other. “Rest stops” were every 20-25
miles.
At its height, the Incense Roads moved over
3000 tons of incense each year. Thousands
of camels and camel drivers were used. The
profits were high, but so were the risks from
thieves, sandstorms, and other threats.
The Incense Roads

The legend of the
three Magi (Kings or
Wise Men) traveled
along the Incense
Roads to
Bethlehem, bringing
frankincense and
myrrh.
The Incense Roads
•Both frankincense and myrrh are derived from
the gummy sap that oozes out of the Boswellia
and Commiphora trees, when their bark is cut.
•The leaking resin is allowed to harden and
scraped off the trunk in tear-shaped droplets; it
may then be used in its dried form or steamed to
yield essential oils.
•Both substances are edible and often chewed
like gum.
The Incense Roads


They are also extremely fragrant, particularly
when burned, with frankincense giving off a
sweet, citrusy scent and myrrh producing a
piney, bitter odor.
Myrrh oil served as a rejuvenating facial
treatment, while frankincense was charred
and ground into a power to make the heavy
kohl eyeliner Egyptian women famously
wore.
The Incense Roads


Though perhaps best known for their use in
incense and ancient rituals, these
substances—both of which boast proven
antiseptic and inflammatory properties—were
once considered effective remedies for
everything from toothaches to leprosy.
Frankincense and myrrh were components of
the holy incense ritually burned in
Jerusalem’s sacred temples during ancient
times.
The Nomads
During the classical period, a number of
major migrations of pastoral peoples
occurred and no one is sure why.
 Several of these directly impacted the
major civilizations (and in the cases of
Rome and India, destroyed them).

The Nomads
The most characteristic feature of pastoral
societies was their mobility.
 Their movements were not aimless
wanderings (as is often portrayed); they
systematically followed seasonal
environmental changes.
 Nor were nomads homeless; their homes
were elaborate felt tents (called gers) that
they took with them.

The Nomads
Pastoral societies
didn’t have the
wealth for
professional armies
or bureaucracies.
 They valued an
independent way of
life.

The Nomads
Despite their limited populations, the
military potential from the mastery of
horseback riding (or camelback) enabled
nomadic peoples to wage mounted
warfare against much larger, more
densely populated civilizations.
 Virtually the entire male population (and
many women) were skilled hunters and
warriors.

The Nomads
The Nomads

Practicing the skills
necessary for warriors
since early childhood,
many nomadic tribes
extracted wealth
through raiding,
trading, or extortion
from neighboring
agricultural societies.
The Xiongnu
One such large nomadic group were a
people known as the Xiongnu, who lived
north of China in the Mongolian steppes.
 Provoked by Chinese penetration of their
territory in the 2nd and 3rd centuries BCE,
the Xiongnu created a military
confederacy that stretched from
Manchuria deep into Central Asia.

The Xiongnu
The Xiongnu

Under the leadership of
Modun (r. 210-174 BCE),
the Xiongnu took
fragmented tribes and
transformed them into a
more centralized and
hierarchical political
entity.
The Xiongnu

“All the people who draw the bow have
now become one family,” declared
Modun.
 Tribute, exacted from other nomadic
peoples and China itself, sustained the
Xiongnu.
The Xiongnu

In the 1st century BCE, a Chinese
Confucian scholar described the Xiongnu
people as
“abandoned by Heaven…in foodless
desert wastes, without proper houses,
clothed in animal hides, eating their
meat uncooked and drinking blood.”
The Xiongnu

“From the King and downward they all ate
the meat of their livestock, and clothed
themselves with their skins, which were their
only dress. The strong ones ate the fat and
choose the best pieces, while the old and
weak ate and drank what was left. The strong
and robust were held in esteem, while the old
and weak were treated with contempt.”
Sima Qian, Chinese historian.
The Xiongnu

The Han tried dealing with the Xiongnu by
offering them trading opportunities, buying
them off with lavish gifts, contracting
marriage alliances with leaders, and waging
periodic military campaigns against them.
The Xiongnu
Even though the Xiongnu would
disintegrate under sustained Chinese
counterattacks, they created a model that
later nomads (like the Turkic and Mongol
tribes) would emulate.
 By the third century CE, the Xiongnu
helped hasten the collapse of the
weakened Han dynasty, causing China to
fall into chaos for several centuries.

The Xiongnu
As the Han were falling apart, nomadic
peoples had a relatively easy time breaching
the Great Wall.
 A succession of “barbarian states”
developed in north China.
 The “barbarian” rulers gradually became
Chinese, encouraging intermarriage,
adopting Chinese dress and customs, and
setting up their courts in a Chinese fashion.

The Huns
Probably the most famous nomadic
warriors of this period were the Huns.
 During the late 4th century CE, they began
an aggressive westward migration from
their homeland in central Asia.
 The Huns might have been motivated to
migrate because drought led to
competition over grazing lands.

The Huns
Whatever their motivation, they exploded
out of the Russian steppes (descendents
of the fabled Scythians) into Europe,
settling in modern-day Hun(gary) around
370 CE.
 Fierce fighters and superb horseman, the
Huns struck fear into both the German
tribes and the Romans.

The Huns
Their appearance forced the resident
Visigoths, Ostrogoths and other Germanic
tribes to move westward and southward
and into direct confrontation with the
Roman Empire.
 To the Christian scholar St. Jerome (340420 CE) the Huns “filled the whole earth
with slaughter and panic alike as they flitted
hither and thither on their swift horses.”

The Huns
Led by the infamous
Attila (406-453
r. 433-453 CE), to
the Romans, he was
known as the
“Scourge of God.”
 Attila by Delacroix

The Huns


When he came of age, Attila
acquired a vast empire, that
stretched through parts of
what is now Germany,
Russia, Poland, and much
of south-eastern Europe.
This is a medal cast during
the Renaissance that in
Latin calls him the “Scourge
of God.”
The Huns
Even though he was extremely wealthy,
Attila led a very simple life.
 In the tradition of nomadic warriors, he drank
mare's milk, blood, and ate raw meat.
 He wore plain clothes and animal skins.
 His belief system was unknown but he
demonstrated little, if any, concern for local
religions or Christianity.

The Huns

As Attila closed in on
the Byzantine Empire,
the Byzantine emperor
(Theodosius II) paid
Attila an enormous
sum of $$ to leave
Byzantium alone
(660 lbs of gold/year).
The Huns
The unsteady peace only lasted a few
years as the Huns attacked Persia (but
were repelled), so they pressed west
and south (into today’s Balkans),
destroying virtually everything in their
path.
 From there, the half million+ Hun forces
stormed through Austria, Germany, and
Gaul (France).

The Huns
Attila went all the way to the outskirts of
Paris (Orleans) before a combined
Roman/Visigoth army turned him back
(451 CE).
 Undeterred, he would now focus on Italy.

The Huns

Setting his sights
on Italy, Attila
destroyed several
Italian cities in
Lombardy (452
CE) on his way to
Rome.
The Huns

In a celebrated
meeting with Pope
Leo I, the Pope
begged Attila to
spare Rome and
withdraw from Italy
(which he did –
probably because
of an epidemic).
The Huns


Attila died in 453, not on
the battlefield, but on the
night of his 7th marriage.
He got drunk (and he
rarely drank), fell to the
floor, and died of a
bleeding hemorrhage
from his nose (he
choked on his own
blood).
The Huns
After the death of Attila, the leadership of
the Huns fell to his three inadequate
sons, who split their empire.
 The empire ended in 469 CE with the
death of Dengizik, the last Hunnish king.
 The empire of the Huns in Europe
withered and disappeared, absorbed into
other ethnicities, like Germanic tribes.

Germanic Tribes
Even though the Huns became less of
a force after the death of Attila, they
showed the vulnerability of the
Romans, and the Germanic groups
took full advantage.
 They spent much of their time fighting
each other, behavior the Romans
encouraged hoping to keep them weak.

Germanic Tribes

But by the 4th-5th centuries, they roamed
throughout the western Roman provinces
without much resistance from Rome.
Germanic Tribes

Tribal war chiefs began creating their own
kingdoms that eventually evolved into the
European countries you’re familiar with
(the Franks settled in France, the
Lombards in Italy, the Angles & Saxons in
Britain, the Visigoths in Spain, etc.)
The Fall of Rome

Rome would finally
fall to the Germanic
tribes of General
Odoacer in 476 CE
when he overthrew
the last Roman
emperor in the
West.
The Fall of Rome


Even though the fall of Rome had been
decades in the making, the year 476 is
considered a major turning point in the West.
By 476, most of what characterized Roman
civilization had weakened, declined, or
disappeared.
The Fall of Rome



Any semblance of large-scale centralized
power vanished as ineffective emperors were
more concerned with pleasure than wise rule.
There was social and moral decay and a lack
of interest within the elite classes to participate
in government. Courtesy and dignity were
reduced.
Roman dependence on slave labor remained
high.
The Fall of Rome




Disease and warfare reduced the Roman Empire’s
population between 25-50%.
Land under cultivation contracted, while forests,
marshland, and wasteland expanded.
Small landowners, facing increased taxes, were
often forced to sell their land to the owners of large
estates, or latifundia. (great disparities in wealth)
The self-sufficiency of the latifundia (estates)
lessened the need for central authority and
discouraged trade.
The Fall of Rome



With less trade, urban life diminished and
Europe reverted back to a largely rural
existence.
Rome had been a city of over 1 million
people; by the 10th century it had less than
10,000.
Rome’s great monumental architecture
crumbled from lack of care.
The Fall of Rome


Long distance trade dried up as Roman roads
deteriorated, and money exchange gave way to
barter.
The Germanic peoples the Romans had long
considered barbarians emerged as the dominant
peoples of Western Europe (which caused
Europe’s center of gravity to move away from the
Mediterranean toward the north and west).
The Fall of the Gupta




By the late 5th century, the Huns were pouring
into the Indian subcontinent.
Defense against the Huns bankrupted the Gupta
treasury, and they collapsed by 600 CE.
But the Gupta collapse was far less devastating
than that of Rome or Han China.
Even though centralized Gupta rulers declined in
power, local princes (the Rajput) became more
powerful.
The Fall of the Gupta



Even though political decline occurred as a
result of invasions, traditional Indian culture
continued (because people cared more
about caste and Hinduism).
Buddhism declined in India (because it was
associated with foreigners), while Hinduism
added to its numbers.
The next challenge for India’s traditional
culture would come during the post-Classical
period when Islam arrives.
The Fall of the Han





The Han dynasty was the first of the great
civilizations to go.
Its decline began around 100 CE, and many
of the causes were similar to Rome’s…
Increasingly weak leadership at the top and
less interest in Confucian intellectual goals.
Courtesy and respect were lessened.
Heavy taxes levied on the peasants.
Poor harvests.
The Fall of the Han





Unequal land distribution.
Population decline from epidemic diseases.
A decline in trade led to declining urban
vitality.
Pressure from bordering nomadic tribes.
These symptoms all led to massive social
unrest, as peasants and students protested
governmental policies that further
impoverished the farmers.
The Fall of the Great Empires



In the centuries between 200-600 CE, all three
of the great civilizations collapsed, at least in
part.
The period of expansion and integration of large
territories was coming to an end.
Why? What forces pushed once great societies
into decline? Do societies have some kind of
common lifespan that pushes them ultimately
into aging and decay?
The Fall of the Great Empires
The western part of the Roman Empire
fell, the Han Dynasty ended in disarray,
and the Gupta Empire in India
fragmented into regions.
 The fall of these empires marks a great
divide in human history.
 Some common reasons included:

The Fall of the Great Empires
I. Attacks by nomadic groups: The
migration of the Huns from their
homeland in Central Asia impacted all
three civilizations as they moved east,
west, and south.
 In China and India, attacks by the Huns
were directly responsible for the end of
those empires.

The Fall of the Great Empires
The movement of the Huns caused
other groups to move out of their way,
causing a domino effect that put
pressure on Rome.
 Rome was done in by Germanic
invaders from the north.

The Fall of the Great Empires
II. Serious internal problems: All the
empires had trouble maintaining political
control over their vast lands, and were
ultimately unable to keep their empires
together.
 Less talented leaders were a factor in the
decline of all three empires, especially
Rome.

The Fall of the Great Empires
No governments had ever spread their
authority over so much territory, and it
was inevitable that their sheer size could
not be maintained.
 There was an increased selfishness on
the part of the elites, who became less
willing to serve in government or military
positions.

The Fall of the Great Empires

The morale of ordinary citizens
deteriorated and a sense of helplessness
and inevitability to the situation overtook
the empires.
The Fall of the Great Empires
III. The problem of interdependence: The
classical civilizations all ended before 600
CE.
 When one weakened, it impacted them all,
as trade routes became vulnerable when
imperial armies could no longer protect
them or when economic resources
necessary for trade were no longer
available.

The Fall of the Great Empires
Pandemic diseases (probably smallpox
or measles from India) spread along
trade routes, killing thousands that would
not have been affected had they not
been in contact with others.
 Modern estimates are that each
civilization lost as many as half of their
inhabitants during the late classical
period.

The Fall of the Great Empires
Both Rome and China experienced
economic and social dislocation brought
on by massive death.
 Labor was difficult to find, and people
pulled back from production and trade
arrangements that marked the empires at
their height.

The Fall of the Great Empires
Governments had difficulty collecting taxes.
 Local landlords would compensate for their
declining revenues by increasing pressure
on local populations.
 In Rome and China, tension between large
landowners and peasants created
instability and unrest (Red Eyebrows and
Yellow Turbans).

The Fall of the Great Empires
Despite their similarities, decline and fall had
very different consequences for the three
civilizations.
 India and China lost their political unity, but
they did not permanently lose their identity
as civilizations, and both eventually
reorganized into major world powers.

The Fall of the Great Empires
Only one—(western) Rome—did not
retain its identity after it fell.
 Why? What were the differences?
 The Roman Empire never regained its
former identity and instead fell into
many pieces that retained separate
orientations.

The Fall of the Great Empires
The authority of the state dwindled, and
localized conditions prevailed.
 The eastern empire (Byzantium)
created by Constantine (r.312-337 CE)
maintained many of the institutions and
cultural values of Rome.
 He tried to use Christianity to unify the
empire.

The Fall of the Great Empires


Although early Christians were
persecuted, the Emperor
Constantine issued the Edict of
Milan in 313, which announced
the official toleration of
Christianity as a faith.
Constantine became a Christian
(probably on his deathbed), and
thereafter all emperors in the
East and West (except one)
were Christians.
The Fall of the Great Empires

In 381, the emperor
Theodosius made
Christianity the official
religion of Rome, too late
to be the “glue” to hold the
crumbling empire
together, but in time to
preserve Christianity as a
faith.
The Fall of the Great Empires
Justinian (r. 527-565) tried to recapture
the glory of Rome but was unsuccessful.
 He was successful in codifying Roman
law (known as Justinian codes).

The Fall of the Great Empires
Another part of the answer lies in what
happened next in the story of world
history—political power isn’t the only
“glue” that holds a civilization together.
 In the period before and after 600 CE
the most important sources of identity
were religious.

The Fall of the Great Empires
Around the year 600 CE older religions
and philosophies (Christianity,
Buddhism, Confucianism) grew in
influence and transcended political
boundaries.
 An important new religion was on the
horizon (Islam).

The Fall of the Great Empires

Islam was destined to become the force
behind one of the largest land
expansions in history, a path made
easier because it appeared at a time
when the old political empires of Rome,
China, and India had fallen.
The Fall of the Great Empires
In this new era of religious unity, Rome
fell short.
 Christianity had become its official
religion in the 4th century, too late to be a
unifying force for the failing empire.
 When political and military power failed,
nothing was left except crumbling
architecture…symbols of the past.

The Fall of the Great Empires
India was bound together by Hinduism
and the intricate caste loyalties that
supported it.
 So the fall of the Gupta had only a limited
impact on India’s development.
 India’s trade worsened a bit but India
remained a productive economy.

The Fall of the Great Empires

The fall of the Gupta was followed by
several centuries (nearly a millennia) in
which no large empires were created in
India except as a result of Muslim (the
Mughals), and later, British invasion.
The Fall of the Great Empires
Confucianism had become such a part of
the identity of China, that the fall of Han
dynasty was not a fatal blow to its
civilization.
 Chaos did characterize the period, but
the Chinese civilization continued and
would reassert itself when political
stability returned.

The Fall of the Great Empires
The fall of the Han was followed by 350
years in which the central government
didn’t operate.
 China was divided into regional entities
and landlord power increased.
 In the 6th century CE, a new dynasty,
the short-lived Sui, was established.

The Fall of the Great Empires
With the Sui came the reestablishment of
most of the cultural values and
institutional workings of the Han.
 Like India, decline and fall was a
relatively temporary setback to the
civilization.

The Fall of the Great Empires


During the classical era, an important change
occurred in two of the religions—Christianity and
Buddhism—that allowed both to spread to many
new areas far from their places of origin.
These two religions followed the Silk Road and
the Indian Ocean circuit, and their numbers grew
greatly.
The Fall of the Great Empires
Both were transformed into universalizing
religions, with core beliefs that transcended
cultures and actively recruited new members.
 As a result, both religions grew tremendously
in the years before 600 CE, positioning them
to become new sources of societal “glue” that
would hold large areas with varying political
allegiances together.

The Fall of the Great Empires

Meanwhile, some important ethnic religions,
such as Judaism, the Chinese
religions/philosophies (Confucianism and
Daoism), and Hinduism created strong bonds
among people, but had little emphasis on
converting outsiders to their faiths.
The Fall of the Great Empires

Three durable changes constitute the
reason historians use the fall of the great
empires to mark the end of the Classical
Period and the beginning of the
subsequent one.
The Fall of the Great Empires
I. In most of the “civilized” world, there
was less and less emphasis put on
empire building or expansion.
 Societies were less capable, or less
interested, in maintaining large,
integrated political structures.

The Fall of the Great Empires
II. The deterioration of this-worldly
conditions (especially economic and
political decline) pushed people to think
about cultural alternatives to the political
values of the classical period.
 The end of the classical period and the
beginning of the post-classical period
would be marked by greater religious
emphasis.

The Fall of the Great Empires

III. The collapse of the Roman Empire created a
permanent division of the Mediterranean world
into three different entities:
– A. Western Europe
– B. Southeastern Europe/northern Middle East
– C. North Africa and the rest of the
Mediterranean coast.
The Fall of the Great Empires
The Fall of the Great Empires
This division of the Mediterranean had
tentatively existed with the Greeks,
through Hellenism, and with the Romans.
 But the collapse of Rome caused the split
into three geographic regions to be
permanent and this would mark history
right up to the present day.

The Bantu

The Bantu most
likely originated in
an area south of
the Sahara
Desert near
modern day
Nigeria.
The Bantu
They probably migrated out of their
homeland (as early as 2000 BCE)
because of desertification, or the
expansion of the Sahara Desert that
dried out their agricultural lands.
 They traveled for centuries all over subSaharan Africa, but retained many of
their customs, especially language.

The Bantu

As their language
spread, it combined
with others, but still
retained enough
similarity to the original
that the family of Bantu
languages can still be
recognized over most
of sub-Saharan Africa.
The Bantu
Unlike the surges of the Huns and
Germanic people, the Bantu migrations
were very gradual.
 By the end of the classical period, the
Bantu migrations had introduced
agriculture, iron metallurgy, and the
Bantu language to most of subSaharan Africa.

Polynesians
Even though their movements didn’t
impact civilizations on the Eurasian
mainland, the peopling of the islands of
the Pacific Ocean was quite
remarkable.
 Like the Bantu, Polynesian migrations
were gradual, but between 1500 BCE
and 1000 CE almost all the major
islands west of New Guinea were
visited, and many were settled.

Polynesians
Polynesians
Polynesians came from mainland Asia
and expanded eastward to Fiji, Tonga,
and Samoa.
 They left no written records, so our
knowledge relies on archeological
evidence, accounts by early European
sailors, and oral traditions.

Polynesians

Their ships were
great double
canoes that carried
a platform between
two hulls and large
triangular sails that
helped them catch
and maneuver in
ocean winds.
Polynesians

The distances they traveled were
incredibly long, and by the time the
Europeans had arrived in the 18th
century, the Polynesians had explored
and colonized every habitable island in
the vast Pacific Ocean.