Foundations: 8000 B.C.E.600 C.E.
AP World History
The Bookends 8000 BCE – 600 BCE
8,000 BCE marks the development of
Agriculture and its spread to the four “River
Valley Civilizations” (Mesopotamia, Egypt,
Indus Valley, Huang He valley)
600 BCE marks the end of the Complex
Civilizations and the beginning of the
Classical Empires
Themes
Interaction and Exchange
Urbanization
Nomadic Peoples
The Big Thematic picture
Technological and Environmental
Transformations
Big Geography and Peopling of the Earth
The Neolithic Revolutions (Agricultural
Transformation) and Early Agricultural
Societies
The Development and Interactions of Early
Agricultural, Pastoral, and Urban Societies
Big Geography and Peopling of
the Earth
Archeological evidence indicates during the
Paleolithic Era, hunting-foraging bands of humans
gradually migrated from East Africa to other areas
adapting their technology and cultures to new
climates and regions.
Used Fire in new ways
Developed a wider range of tools
Economics focused on small kinship groups that could
make what they needed but also exchanged people,
ideas and goods.
Some Things to Remember
The discovery/use of agriculture and surpluses of
food quickened the pace of life, and organized areas
into sedentary civilizations
As sedentary civilizations developed, social structures
and gender roles cemented.
Civilizations became more complex and structured as
time moved on.
Neolithic Revolution
Early modern humans seemed to have developed
farming over time, dropping seeds one year and then
harvesting the “crops” the next. This led to settled,
formal farming
Domestication and breeding of Animals was also an
important invention
Some humans decided to settle in villages and soon were
able to create a surplus of food. This lead to
diversification of labor, the creation of governmental
structures, and the payment of taxes!
Other humans chose to become pastoral nomads and
move with their animal herds
Rise of Agriculture
Spontaneous separate development – why,
where and when?
Diffusion of specific plants and techniques
Birth of New Technologies
Fire
Bronze
Iron
Technology
Metallurgy- First copper, then bronze, then Iron.
These increasingly harder metals aided agriculture
tremendously. They also provided increasingly
sophisticated weapons.
Wheel- first used by the Sumerians proved helpful in
agriculture, trade, and warfare
Hydrological technology- waterwheels, windmills,
aqueducts proved instrumental in meeting the water
needs of large populations as well as the irrigation
required in drier areas.
Demography
World’s population increased rapidly with
the advent of farming and domesticated
animals.
Waves of diseases “plagues” increase in
frequency with increased population density
What is a Civilization?
Origins of termStandard criteria:
Use of term?
Civilizations?
Social and Gender Structures
Ownership of land signified power
Kings were usually divine and had absolute power
Religions emerge (Vedic, Hebrew, Zoroastrianism)
Gender roles emerged as farming expanded. Men
worked in the fields while women stayed in the
house.
Who’s Your Daddy phenomenon. Women lost
power.
Religion cements and justifies social and gender
structures
Cultural and Intellectual
Expressions
Monumental architecture- Kings “show off” their
power by building big buildings for either
themselves or the state’s religion
Cultural and Intellectual
Expressions
Writing -as record-keeping becomes
paramount, writing develops
Cultural and Intellectual
Expressions
Literature as an expression of culture and
values.
Cultural and Intellectual
Expressions
Art and Artisanship
Structure and Function of State
First- relatively small states. “City-states”
Then- large Coercive tribute empires.
Taxes paid by the farmers/ peasants for the
enjoyment of the elite. Agricultural surplus
allows for large armies.
Trade- Can’t live without it!
Trade, especially over land, is important.
Begins as relatively informal networks.
Expands from local, to regional, to
transregional.
Nomadic pastoralists instrumental in
development of long-distance trade.
Movement of people
Bantu Migration across Africa
Polynesian migration across Pacific Ocean
Population
DemographyWhat factors influence population growth
and decline?
Role of Climate and Geography
in Early Societies
Imagine how were early societies may have
been affected.
How do you think early peoples responded?
What difference would geography make in
the long term development of a society?
Environmental Impact
Use of water resources
Clearing of land
Use of building
materials
Roads
Use of fuel materials
Animals, disease
Mining
Early Societies
Mesopotamia
Egypt
Indus
Shang
Mesoamerica and Andean South America
River Valley Civilizations
Mesopotamia
Tigris, Euphrates =
Fertile Crescent
Sumer, Babylon, Persia
Unpredictable flooding
Sumer: The first
Successful agriculture, river management
Writing, cuneiforms
Use of wheel
12 month calendar, base 60, geometry
Polytheistic
Ziggurats
Ur, Erech, Kish 3000 BCE
Overthrown by Akkadians 1700 BCE
Sumer to Babylon to Nineveh to
Babylon
Overthrew Akkadians 1700 BCE
Hammurabi, Code of Law
Fell to Kassites, then Hittites 1500 BCE
Hittites-iron, then fell to
Assyrians-organized, cruel, Nineveh, exiles,
cultural diffusion
Conquered by Medes, Chaldeans, rebuilt
Babylon
Persian Immersion
By 500 BCE Nile to Turkey/Greece to
Afghanistan
Great Royal Road, 1600 miles
Transportation, Communication
Multi-cultural Empire, Tolerance
Smaller Civilizations co-existed
Lydians-coined money
Phoenicians-22-letter alphabet, naval power
Hebrews-Judaism, monotheism
Walk Like an Egyptian
Rich soil, gentle flooding
•3 Kingdoms
•water management, pyramids,
astronomy, hieroglyphs, calendar, gold,
spices
•Polytheistic
•Women rulers, buy, sell property, inherit,
will property, dissolve marriages, still
subservient to men
• Hierarchy: pharaoh, priest, nobles,
merchants, artisans, peasants, slaves
•Conquered by (1100 BCE) Assyrians,
Persians, Greeks, Romans, Islam,
Ottomans, Euros
Comparison of Egypt and
Mesopotamia
Egypt
Predictable flood
Mesopotamia
Irregular flooding
Indus Valley: 2500-1500 BCE
Outside contact more limited
Kyber Pass connection to outside
Harrappa, Mohenjo-Daro 100,000+ each
Master-planned, water system, strong
central gov’t, polytheistic, written language
Pottery, cotton, cloth
Cities abandoned, reason unknown
Aryans arrive 1500 BCE
Aryans
From Caucasus Mtns. Black/Caspian Sea
Nomads who settled
Vedas, Upanashads basis for Hinduism
Caste system
warriors, priests, peasants
later re-ordered: Brahmins (priests), warriors,
landowners-merchants, peasants, untouchables
(out castes)
China: Shang on the Hwang
Shang: 1600-1100 BCE
Stable agri-surplus, trade-centered
N. China, walled cities, strong army,
chariots
“The Middle Kingdom” World View
Trade with Mesopotamia
Bronze, pottery, silk, decimal system,
calendar
Patriarchal, ancestors as advocates w/the
gods
It’s Zhou Time
Replaced Shang around 1100 BCE
Ruled 900 years, kept customs, traditions
Mandate of Heaven
Feudal system, nobles gained,
bureaucracies, war amongst feudal
kingdoms, collapse 256 BCE
Exceptions to the Rule
Olmecs (Mexico), Chavin (Andes) developed
similarly to others: urban, polytheistic, irrigation,
writing, calendar, monumental building
The point: Similar pattern of development in
different part of earth, no contact
The difference: Not River Valley Civs. No major
river to use as transportation or generator of agriproduction
Nomadic Peoples
Hunting-gathering lifestyle (!Kung people)
Labor/ leisure
Population growth
Gender relations
Early Societies
Mesopotamia
Egypt
Indus
Shang
Mesoamerica and Andean South America
Shared Features
Unique characteristics
Urbanization
Comparisons between urban, pastoral and
nomadic life
The Bookends 600 BCE – 600 CE
600 BCE marks the end of the Complex
Civilizations and the beginning of the
Classical Empires
600 CE marks the end of the last of the
Classical Empires
Themes
Axial Age
Empires
Spread of Religion
The Classics: India-China
4 key empires 300 BCE-500 CE
India
Maurya
Gupta
China
Q’in
Han
Empire Building
What does an empire require?
What do its subjects expect?
Symbols of legitimacy
Classical Societies
Axial ageWhy then?
Results:
Religion
Politics
Social Structure
Gender relations
Axial Age
time between approximately 900 - 200 BCE
when “The spiritual foundations of
humanity were laid simultaneously and
independently and these are the foundations
upon which humanity still subsists today.”
It was a pivotal time in early human history
when human beings began to reflect for the
first time about individual existence, and the
meaning of life and death.
Increasing urban civilization initially brought about under the
leadership of a priestly ruling class, encouraged trade and
brought different societies closer together. But, as urban life
accelerated and expanded, it disrupted the old sense of order. In
addition, this new way of living generated unprecedented social
and political conflict and an increase in violence and aggression.
Old customs could no longer be taken for granted. People began
to question their own beliefs once they came into contact with
others whose beliefs were different. They were challenged to
look at themselves in different ways and entertain new ideas or
cling steadfastly to their old ones.
Plus the increase in population and the mixing of cultures
exposed more people to the realities of life, such as,
sickness, greed, suffering, inhumanity and social injustice.
As a result of all this, people began to experience themselves
as separate from others for the very first time.
The idea of the self brought with it the problem of what
happens to the self after death. In answer to this, people
began searching for more comprehensive religious and
ethical concepts, and to formulate a more enlightened
morality where each person was responsible for his own
destiny. So, between approximately 900 and 200 BCE, a
new mode of thinking developed almost simultaneously in
four distinct areas of the world.
Axial Age Thinkers
The Development and Codification of
Religious and Cultural Traditions
Codification and development of existing
religions and traditions provided a bond
among people and a code to live by.
Development of monotheism.
Jewish Diaspora
 Core beliefs outlined in religious texts—
Vedics/Hinduism.
New Belief Systems and Cultural traditions
emerged and spread often asserting universal
truths
Emergence of salvation religions
Christianity and Buddhism
Emergence of Confucianism promotes social
harmony
Daoism promotes balance between humans and
nature. Also influence Chinese culture—medicine,
poetry, architecture.
Core ideas in Greco-Roman philosophy and science
emphasize logic, nature of political power.
Other religions and cultural traditions continued
parallel to the codified, written beliefs in core
civilizations
Shamanism and animism continue to shape
lives outside the core civilizations.
Ancestor veneration persist in many regions
Africa
East Asia
Andean Areas
Diffusion of Belief Systems
Belief Systems through 600 CE
Polytheism
Confucianism
Daoism
Legalism
Hinduism
Buddhism
Judaism
Christianity
Commonalities
Schisms-Divisions resulting in subgroups,
sects
Consider social, political, cultural, military
impacts as well as theological and
philosophical
Where did it start? Where did he spread?
How?
Origins of World Belief Systems
Polytheism
Polytheism
Majority of ancient civs
Through 600 CE all Med and Mesop Civs
were poly. Exceptions were Hebrews and
Christians
In the East, all were poly; Aryans, Hindus,
traditional Chinese, Daoists, some
Buddhists, Americas, Africa
The Deity Details
Multiple gods, may be good or bad
Deities impact daily life
Human attributes (Grk-Rom)
Egypt: Benevolent and kind
Sumer, Aztec: Feared, to be appeased
The Big Deal?
major impact on civ development
Art & architecture
Ritual based
Rise of priestly class
Rigid social structures
Gods for culture as whole, city-state as
well: rise and fall seen as battle of gods as
well as city-states
Origins of World Belief Systems
Hinduism
Hinduism
Aryans, and empires of Indian subcontinent
Brahma-supreme force
Gods are manifestations of Brahma
• Vishnu-preserver
• Shiva-destroyer
Reincarnation
Dharma: rules and obligations
Karma: fate based on how dharma was met
Moshka: highest state of being, release of soul
The Big Deal?
Religion as well as social system
Caste system, accept lot in life, next one
will be better (if dharma met)
Close relationship w/Indian culture, caste
system have limited its spread
Treatment of animals
Hinduism spawns Buddhism
Origins of World Belief Systems
Judaism
Judaism
The Hebrews
Chosen by God, special status
Personal relationship with God
Afterlife, tradition, doctrines, philosophy, personal
salvation
To honor, serve God, promote prophets, maintain
cultural identity
A religion & culture
The First Monotheistic Belief System:
Christianity
Islam
Compare: Confucianism, Hinduism,
Judaism
Seem very different
Confucianism, not a religion
Hinduism, polytheistic
Judaism, monotheistic
All tied to the culture where the came from,
not evangelical, converting others
Origins of World Belief Systems
Confucianism
Confucianism
Specifically Chinese (Kong Fu Tse) 400
BCE onward
Political-social philosophy, not religion
Moral, ethical, also practical
How to restore political-social order?
5 key relationships: political, parental,
spousal, sibling, friends
Confucianism
Right relationships = right society
Put aside personal ambition for good of state
Ren-humanity, benevolence, kindness
Li-propriety, courtesy, respect, deference
Xiao-filial piety, family obligation, extended
Lead by good example
Women, 2nd status, honored by kids
The Big Deal?
As a ethical, social, political belief system it
was compatible with other religions, could
practice Buddhism and Confucianism
simultaneously
Flexible
Embraced by leaders as well, ordered
society, tight families
Exclusively Chinese, only in context of
Chinese culture
Origins of World Belief Systems
Daoism
Daoism-Taoism
China 500 BCE onward
“The Way” (of nature/cosmos)
Lao-tzu, philosopher
Eternal principles, passive, yielding
Like water, yet strong, shaping
Opening of a pot, nothing, yet not a pot without
it
Wu wei- non-doing, harmony with nature
The Big Deal?
Self-sufficient communities
Counter to Confucian activism
Emphasis on harmony w/ nature leads
gains: astronomy, botany, chemistry
Co-existed w/Confucianism, Buddhism,
Legalism
Added to complexity of Chinese culture
Contrast: Confucianism-Daoism
Shared belief in spirits of the dead
Confucianism
creating orderly society
active relationships, active gov’t
To guide relationships
Daoism
harmony with nature, internal peace
Simple, passive life
Little gov’t interference
To guide individual in meditation
Legalsim
The Q’in Dynasty
Peace & order through centralized, tightly
controlled state
Mistrust of human nature; reliance on tough
laws
Focus on things the practical and sustainers
of society
2 most worthy jobs: farmer, soldier
The Big Deal?
Accomplished swift reunification of China
Completion of projects like the Great Wall
Caused widespread resentment among
common people, led to wider acceptance of
Confucianism-Daoism
Contrast: Confucianism-Legalism
Social belief systems, not religions
Intended to create orderly society
Confucianism-fundamental goodness
responsibilities
Legalism-fundamental evil
punishments
Origins of World Belief Systems
Buddhism
Buddhism
India, China, SE Asia
Hindu prince, Siddartha Gautama
Nepal 563-483 BCE
Search for meaning of human suffering
Buddha = enlightened one
No supreme being
Buddhism: 4 Noble Truths
Four noble truths
All Life is suffering
Suffering caused by desire
One can be freed of desire
Freed by following Eightfold path
Buddhism: Eightfold Path
Eightfold Path
Right views
Right aspirations
Right speech
Right conduct
Right livelihood
Right endeavor
Right mindfulness
Right meditation
Following the path
Leads to nirvana
State of perfect peace &
harmony
May take several lifetimes
2 forms
Theraveda: meditation, harmony,
Buddha not a god (Lesser Vehicle)
Mahayana: more complex, greater
ritual, reliance on priests. Buddha
a diety, bodhisattvas, nirvana
“helpers”
The Big Deal?
Did not recognize castes
Appealed to lower classes (duh!)
Not attached to social structure, spread rapidly to
other cultures
Ashoka adopted, thrived
Eventually reabsorbed into Hinduism
Thrived in China, Japan, SE Asia
Force of cultural diffusion via trade, missionaries
Origins of World Belief Systems
Christianity
Christianity
Splinter group of Jews, quickly spread
throughout Roman Empire
Jesus, son of God, Messiah of Jewish prophecy
Devotion to God, love of fellow man
Jesus sent to redeem man from sin
Salvation by faith in divinity, death, and
resurrection of Jesus.
Crucified by Jewish leaders and Roman gov’t
30 CE
The Big Deal
Emphasis on compassion, grace through faith,
salvation, eternal life after death appealed to lower
classes, women
By 300 CE, most influential in Med. Region
Spread north and west throughout Europe
Combo of religion & empire = huge impact on
political, social development of Europe
Origins of World Belief Systems
Islam
Mauryan Empire 321-180 BCE
Mauryan Empire
Founded by Chandragupta Maurya
Unified smaller Aryan kingdoms
Greatest extent under Ashoka
Big time traders: silk, cotton, elephants
(much more) to the west
Strong military, Ashoka converts to
Buddhism: non-violence, moderation
Rock & Pillar edicts, Buddhism spread
Gupta Dynasty 320-467 CE
Rise of Gupta
Ashoka dies 232 BCE, Mauryan’s rapidly decline;
econ problems, attacks from NE
375-415 CE, revival under Chandra Gupta
Smaller, more decentralized: Golden Age, peace,
Arts & Sciences; pi, zero, 0-9, skilled iron workers
Hinduism resurgent
Women lost rights; own property, study religion,
child marriages common
(6-7 years-old)
Collapsed 550 CE (White Huns)
Q’in Empire
Q’in Ups in China 221-209 BCE
Same same: strong agri-econ, strong
army, iron, expansion…only lasted
10 years. Significance?
GREAT WALL…so what?
Strong centralized, brutal gov’t
Qin Shihuangdi emperor
Unified kingdom, standardized weights,
measures, laws, written lang., zero
dissent policy, patriarchal society
Legalism
Peasant rebellion brings down 209 BCE
A big hand for the Han!
Han Dynasty 200 BCE-200 CE
Resisted the Huns
Expanded into Central Asia
Silk Road to the Mediterranean
Buddhism spread, culture spread
Civil Service system, bureaucracies,
resulting in stable gov’t.
paper money, sundials, calendars,
metallurgy
Classical Civs in the Med
Greece and Rome: Roots of Western
Civilization
Simply: they put it all together
Representative gov’t
Art
Architecture
Literature
Science
Philosophy
It’s Greek to me!
Impact of geography
Trade, not agri.
Est. colonies, strong
military
Communications
Transportation
Governance
The Polis
City-states
Common identity, culture in each
Athens
Political, commercial, cultural center
Sparta
Agricultural, militaristic, equality w/o
individuality
Hierarchy
Citizens-adult males, business-commerce
Free people w/ no political rights
Non-citizens (included slaves 1/3 of the Athenian
pop!)
All citizens expected to participate in public life
Monarchy to aristocracy to democracy
Solon/Draco: aristocrats who worked to ensure
fair, =, open participation
Religion
Polytheistic
Had human failings: got drunk, cheated on
spouses, jealous, angry, took sides, etc.
Greek mythology remains a large part of
Western heritage and language
War with Persia
Persia invades Greece twice. Despite great
odds, Greece survives. Key battles:
Marathon 490 BCE (land), Salamis 480
BCE (sea)
Greece controls Aegean
Period of peace and prosperity
Golden Age of Pericles
Athenian culture excels
Democracy for all adult males (citizens)
Delian League-city-state alliance
Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
Truth through rational thought and observation
Math, Science, Architecture, Literature
Super-power, super mistake
Athens dominated the Delian League
Peloponnesian War with Sparta (431 BCE)
Weakened, Macedonian conquest
Philip encouraged Greek culture
Followed by son, Alexander, unified
Greece, invaded Persia
Alexander the Great?
Live fast, die young…
Alexander conquered Persia
Pushed to Egypt
Stopped at India
Empire divided into three:
Antigonid (Greece/Macedonia)
Ptolemaic (Egypt),
Seleucid (Bactria/Anatolia)
Hellenistic Era
Greek Culture and ideas flourished and
spread
Alexandria (Egypt) became wealthy, center
for learning
After death (323 BCE), empire crumbled
Macedonian focus on the east and Egypt left
the door open for…
The Romans: 509 BCE-476 CE
Rome
Good Geographic position
Protected by mtns in north
Peninsula
Cross-roads in the Mediterranean
Polytheistic, borrowed many Greek gods,
mythology still evident in West
Social-Political Structure
Patricians
Senate, Assembly
Plebians
Assembly
Consuls
Representative (as opposed to Direct in Greece)
12 Tables (innocent until proven guilty)
Patriarchal/Paterfamilias
Women influential in family, own property, still
considered inferior
Slaves (up to 1/3) city better than country
Military Domination
All Directions, all the time
Punic Wars 264-146 BCE
Gained control of W. Med
Defeated Macedonians
Gaul
Spain
Road net, navy, aqueducts
Cultural diffusion
Republic, no-Imperialism, yes
Increased slavery, displaced plebians,
inflation= social unrest
Senate weakened, Triumvirate, Caesar,
Pompey, Crassus, Civil War
Caesar assassinated 44 BCE
2nd Triumvirate, civil war
Imperial Rome
Pax Romana
Pax Romana
Peace and Prosperity
Rome, capital of western world
Military expansion
Rule of law, common coinage. Civil
service, secure travel for merchants
200 years of stability
Uniform laws, but traditional cultures in
territories survived ie Egyptians, Hebrews
Growth of arts and sciences
A New Religion
Christianity competes with paganism
Christians persecuted
Conversion of Constantine ended
persecution 312 CE
Edict of Milan-Christianity official religion
of Rome
COMPARE
Golden Ages of Rome, Greece, Gupta,
Others
Expansion of Territory, flourishing of art
and science
Wealth flows in due to military expansion,
confidence
Symbols of Legitimacy
Artistic Expressions including literature and
drama, architecture and sculpture, show
distinctive cultural development
Technology
Achievements
Greek science and philosophy
Roman law and architecture
Political organization in Han China
Spiritual and artistic developments in Gupta
India
Details- Cultural and
Intellectual Expressions
Emergence of religions- The emergence of
the “Classical age” or “Axial Age”
(Emergence of core belief or philosophical
structures of a society. )
Mathematics- number systems develop.
India creates the “Arabic numbers and
algebra.”
Engineering
Development of States and Empire
Number and size of states and empires
grows dramatically by
Structure and Function of State
 large Coercive tribute empires.
 Centralized governments
 Use of military to control conquered areas
 Elaborate Legal systems and Bureaucracies
 Pax Romana
 Empires follow Conrad-Demarest modelgrow large and wealthy, then too large,
corrupted and fragment. Often from outside
pressure—Huns in Rome.
 Large empires cause environmental problems
 Silted rivers, Deforestation, Desertification, soil
erosion.
Urbanization and Gender
How might gender roles be affected as
peoples settled?
Social and Gender Structures
Class/Caste structures divide societies.
Use of slave/coercive labor
Extremely Patriarchal societies
Enforced through religion/philosophies
Women's rights become less pronounced
Child marriage
Role in Confucian society
Role as Mother (in warrior cultures)
Emergence of Transregional Networks
of Communication and Exchange
Ideas, diseases, religions, goods travel
Silk Roads, Mediterranean Sea, Indian
Ocean, Trans-Saharan Caravan Routes
Silk, Spices,Cotton travel east to west
Glassware, Wool and Linen, Olive Oil
travel west to east
Domesticated Pack Animals to transport
longer distances
• Horses, Oxen, Llamas, Camel (saddle)
Collapse of Empires
Why do Empires fall?
Conrad-Demarest Model
“What goes up…”
Empires fall
Late Classical Period 200-600 CE
Steppe People on the move, dominoes fall
Han, Gupta, Roman Empires fall
Collapse of the Han
Wang Mang 9-23 CE, “Socialist Emperor”
Economic
Military drained budget
Confiscate land, raise taxes
Actions discouraged manufacture and trade
Collapse of the Han
Social
Rising tensions between rich and poor
Poorly conceived land reform program
Famine
Revolt, murder of Wang Mang
Han Dynasty briefly restored, full recovery
impossible, collapse in 220 CE
400 years of regional kingdoms
Collapse of the Gupta
Huns 24/7
Gupta able to hold off for a while, at great
cost
Hun kingdoms emerged in western
& northern India
Culture survived, Hinduism, caste system,
Gupta Empire did not
“Western Rome, you are the weakest
link, good-bye”
284 CE, Diocletian
splits W-E Empire
Why?
Attempt to re-gain control of
Military under imperial control
Co-emperors
Economy
• Gov’t budget
• Price caps to control inflation
• Strengthen currency
Collapse
No singular reason
Rome sacked 410 CE, 476 CE
Internal decay
Weak or bad leaders
Expense of empire
Epidemics
External pressures
Huns, Visigoths
Sheer size
CONTRAST: Fall of Han, Gupta,
Rome
Two major causes threaten all empires
Internal: economic depression, natural
catastrophes, social unrest
External: Invading Armies
Internal: Han
External: Gupta
Combo Meal: Rome
Movement of people
Bantu continue movement to Southern
Africa
Swahili
Farming
Iron Working
Autroneasian across the Pacific
Movement along trade routes
Early Migrations
Interregional Networks of People
by 600 C.E.
Silk Roads
Mediterranean trade
Indian Ocean trade
Meso and Andean American trading
Silk Routes
Mediterranean Trade Routes
Indian Ocean Trade
Cultural Diffusion via the Silk Road
Ideas, Culture, Invention
Trade routes brought various peoples in contact
Pastoralists provided protection, services, supplies
Disease and armies also traveled the routes,
plague, small pox, Mongols
Religion-Buddhism to China, SE Asia
Christianity through Med, Europe, Britain
Peoples: Anglo-Saxons to Britain, Huns to India,
Germanic Tribes to Italy
Conclusions
How do we know what we know?
How does change happen?
What results stem from interaction through
migration, trade or pilgrimage?
Why do world historians need to pose
questions differently than regional
specialists?