Classical Era Review
Chapters 2-5
Major Civilizations
Classical China


Civ w/ largest territory & population
Dynasties
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–
–
Zhou: unified language, Mandate of Heaven
Qin: peace & order, infrastructure
Han: cultural flowering, professional
bureaucracy, decline = dynastic cycle
Classical China

Philosophies
–
–
–
–

Confucianism: role, obligation, order
Daoism: harmony, balance, avoid excess
Legalism: rule by law, harsh punishments
Buddhism: suffering, end desire,
reincarnation
Foundations of exchange established
–
Silk Road necessary b/c of quality of Chinese
goods & technology
Classical India

Centralized gov’t exception rather than
rule – regional gov’t = less political focus
–
–

Mauryan: largest empire
Gupta: period of cultural flowering
Culture & religion become emphasis of
Indian society
–
–
Hinduism & Caste System
Buddhism
Classical India

Regional govt & beliefs of Hinduism lead
to cultural diversity
–

Language, religious beliefs
Indian Ocean fuels economy based on
trade & spread Indian influence
Classical Mediterranean

Two centers of civilization
–
–

Greece: then shifts to …
Rome: became extensive empire throughout
Europe & N Af
Known for political innovations
–
–
–
Democracy & republic
Administration not as innovative as theory
Result of lack of world religion
Classical Mediterranean

Decline was catastrophic
–
–


Economic deterioration, population lost,
nomadic invasion
Ends civ in region, allows Christianity to grow
Culture based on rationality w/ greatest
advances in art & architecture
Economy based on slavery, commercial
agriculture, & trade on sea
People to Know
Example Questions

Hellenistic culture brought together the
traditions of which of the following regions?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Mediterranean, Mesoamerican, sub-Saharan
African
Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Scandinavian
Mesoamerican, Scandinavian, Mediterranean
East Asian, South Asian, sub-Saharan African
Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, South Asian

Which example from the classical world best
characterizes the principle of cultural
diffusion?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Preference for silk garments among the Roman
elite
Victory of Sparta in the Peloponnesian War
Conversion of Asoka to Buddhism
Growing influence of Confucianism in China
during the Han dynasty
Sacking of Rome by the Visigoths in 410 CE

Which of the following early crops was
unique to the early civilizations of the
Western Hemisphere?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Oats
Millet
Barley
Wheat
Maize

Which of the following best describes BOTH
the Roman and the Han empires?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Both empires used the family as the model for
state organization.
Mounting costs associated with defending
imperial frontiers led to economic and political
crises.
New religions were easily assimilated into
existing imperial religious ideologies.
Taxation of mercantile activity accounted for
most government revenue.

Which pair of rulers underwent a religious
conversion process that had a broad-based
impact on the lands under their control?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Julius Caesar and Shi Huangdi
Hammurabi and Julius Caesar
Tutankhamen and Pericles
Asoka and Constantine
Henry VIII and Justinian

Which policy did both Roman and Han armies
tend to implement upon taking control of a
foreign land?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Enslavement of the entire working-age population
Repression of local worship and imposition of a
state religion
Cessation of trade contact with the rest of the world
Construction of libraries & universities
Relative autonomy for cooperative local elites

In Greek civilization, women
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Held slave status in every household
Enjoyed political equality with men
Were afforded the same rights no matter the
city-state in which they happened to reside
Dominated trade
Were considered inferior to men in both the
private and public spheres

Which of the following ancient texts did not
serve as a spiritual guide for those who lived
by it?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Vedas
Analects
Torah
New Testament of the Bible
Koran
Example Questions

Compare the social structures of two of the
following societies:
–



China
India
Mediterranean
Compare the role of trade in Indian and
Mediterranean civilization.
Compare the role of technology in Chinese
and Mediterranean civilization.
Compare the administration of government in
Han China and the Roman Empire.