Period 2: Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies, c. 600 B.C.E. – 600 C.E.
Key Terms
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Monastic
Codification
Reincarnation
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Imperial
Buddhism
Confucianism
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Legalism
Christianity
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Wudi
Confucius
Laozi
Chandragupta Maurya
Ashoka
Siddhartha Guatama
Jesus of Nazareth
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Julius Caesar
Hannibal
Constantine
Darius
Xerxes
Key People
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Pericles
Socrates
Plato
Aristotle
Philip of Macedon
Alexander the Great
Shi Huangdi
Key Events
509 B.C.E.
Establishment of the Roman republic
480 – 221 B.C.E.
Era of the Warring States in China
336 – 323 B.C.E.
Rule of Alexander of Macedon
330 B.C.E.
Conquest of Achaemenid Empire by Alexander
20 B.C.E. – 180 C.E.
Pax Romana
4 B.C.E. – 29 C.E.
Life of Jesus Christ
300 – 1100 C.E.
Mayan civilization
Third-first centuries B.C.E.
Spread of Buddhism and Hinduism from South Asia
206 B.C.E. – 220 C.E.
Han dynasty
320 – 550 C.E.
Gupta dynasty
476 C.E.
Fall of western Roman Empire
Key Comparisons
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Political, economic, and social characteristics of the empires of Rome, Han China, and Gupta India
Exchanges in the India Ocean versus those in the Mediterranean Sea
The expansion and appeal of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity
The origins, philosophies, and goals of Confucianism and Daoism
The decline and fall of Han China, Rome and Gupta India
Trans-Saharan versus Silk Roads trade
Key Concepts
1. The Development and Codification of Religious and Cultural Traditions
a. Codification of scripture
i. Jewish scripture
1. Further developed existing scripture
2. Influenced by Mesopotamian cultural and legal traditions
a. Assyrian, Babylonian and Roman empires conquered the Jewish states
i. Led to the development of the Jewish diaspora
ii. Sanskrit scripture formed the Vedic religions
1. Led to the development of the caste system
b. New belief systems emerged
i. Buddhism
1. Response to some of the Vedic beliefs
2. Changed over time
a. Support of Mauryan Emperor Asoka
b. Missionaries and merchants
c. Educational institutions
ii. Confucianism
1. Based on the teachings of Confucius
a. Analects
2. Promote social harmony
a. Through proper rituals and social relationships
iii. Daoism
1. Based on the teachings of Laozi
a. Daodejing
2. Balance between humans and nature
3. Influenced medical theories and practices, poetry metallurgy or architecture
iv. Christianity
1. Based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth
a. Recorded by his disciples – Bible
2. Drew on the monotheism of Judaism
3. Spread through the efforts of missionaries and merchants
4. Originally met with hostility by Roman and Hellenistic societies
5. Gained imperial support under Emperor Constantine
v. Greco-Roman philosophy
1. Emphasized logic, empirical observation and the nature of political power and hierarchy
vi. Belief systems effected gender roles
1. Buddhism and Christianity encouraged monastic life
2. Confucianism emphasized filial piety
vii. Other belief systems continued
1. Shamanism and animism
2.
a. Daily reliance on the natural world
b. Shaped lives within and outside core civilizations
2. Ancestor veneration
a. Africa
b. The Mediterranean
c. East Asia
d. Andean areas
3. Art showed cultural development
a. Literature and drama
i. Greek tragedy
ii. Indian Epic
iii. Would influence later cultures
b. Distinctive architectural style developed
c. Greco-Roman culture and Buddhist beliefs converged to develop and new
sculptural style
i. Syncretism
The Development of States and Empires
a. Many imperial societies developed
i. Southwest Asia: Persian Empires (Achaemenid, Parthian, or Sassanid)
ii. East Asia: Qin and Han dynasties
iii. South Asia: Maurya and Gupta Empires
iv. Mediterranean Region: Phoenicia and its colonies, Greek city-states and colonies, and Hellenistic
and Roman Empires
v. Mesoamerica: Teotihuacan, Maya city-states
vi. Andean South America: Moche
b. New styles of imperial administration developed
i. Governments created institutions to organize subjects (China, Persia, Rome and South Asia)
1. Centralized government
2. Legal systems
3. Bureaucracies
ii. Empires projected military power over surrounding areas using many techniques
1. Diplomacy
2. Supply lines
3. Fortifications
4. Defensive walls and roads
5. Adding officers and troops from the local populations
iii. Trade played a key role the success of empires
1. Built and maintained roads
2. Issued currency
iv. Social and economic
1. Cities were centers of trade, religious rituals, and political administration
a. Persepolis
b. Chang’an
c. Pataliputra
d. Athens
e. Carthage
f. Rome
g. Alexandria
h. Constantinople
i. Teotihuacan
v. Decline of Empires
1. Roman, Han, Persian, Mauryan, and Gupta
2. Internal Causes
a. Excessive mobilization of resources
b. Environmental damage
i. Deforestation
ii. Desertification
iii. Soil Erosion
iv. Silted Rivers
c. Social tension
d. Economic difficulty
i. Too much wealth in the hands in the elite
3. External causes
a. Security issues along the frontier
i. Threat of invasion
ii. Han China and the Xiongu
iii. Gupta and the White Huns
iv. Romans and their northern and eastern neighbors
3. Emergence of Transregional Networks of Communication and Exchange
a. Transregional networks of communication and exchange developed
i. Eurasian Silk Roads
ii. Trans-Saharan caravan routes
iii. Indian Ocean sea lanes
iv. Mediterranean sea lanes
b. New technologies helped the trade
i. Domestic pack animals could transport goods across longer distances
1. Yokes
2. Saddles
3. Stirrups
ii. Innovations in maritime technology
1. Lateen sails
2. Dhow ships
3. Knowledge of monsoon winds
c. Goods and ideas spread along the trade routes
i. Crops
1. Rice and cotton from South Asia to the Middle East
a. New farming and irrigation techniques
i. Qanat system
ii. Diseases
1. Diminished urban populations
2. Contributed to the decline of some empires (Rome and Han China)
iii. Religious and cultural traditions
1. Religions were transformed as they spread
a. Chinese culture
b. Christianity
c. Hinduism
d. Buddhism
Region
East Asia
S. E. Asia
Oceania
Central
Asia
Political
Economic
Social
Changes
Continuities
Dynastic rule
Mandate of Heaven
Centralized government
Great Wall
Civil service exam
Rice, millet
Bronze crafts
Ironworking
Silk production
Silk Road trade
Paper
Urbanization
Patriarchal societies
Stratified society
Confucianism
Daoism
Development of
philosophy
Chinese traditions of
Confucianism, family
Dynastic rule
Ancestor veneration
Mandate of Heaven
Chinese influence
Root crops
Fruit
Trade with South Asia
Urbanization
Hinduism
Buddhism
Adaptions of Chinese
culture
Hinduism and Buddhism
Urbanization
Agriculture
Regional kingdoms
Foraging
Polytheism
Animism
Tribal organization
Development of
kingdoms
Foraging
Austronesian migrations
Tribal governments
Chinese influence
Migrations toward
classical empires
Nomadism
Trade facilitators
Indo-European
migrations
Trade facilitators
Invasion of classical
empires
Pastoral nomadism
Shamanism
Hinduism
Buddhism
Caste system
Dynasties
Agriculture
Interest in technological
advancement
Active trade
Vedas
Sanskrit
Development of major
religions
Agriculture
Irrigation
Trade
Judaism
Zoroastrianism
Long-distance trade
Decline of Egyptian
civilization
Christianity
Regional kingdoms
Village life along the
Nile
Urbanization
Patriarchal societies
Hinduism
Varna
Buddhism
Inoculation
Sati
Urbanization
Polytheism
Stratified society
Slavery
Judaism
Zoroastrianism
Christianity
Urbanization
Village life on the Nile
Pyramids
Hieroglyphics
Polytheism
Stratified society
Christianity
Community planning
Mauryan and Gupta
dynasties
Grains
Indian Ocean trade
Persian Empire
Hellenistic Empire
Grains
Wheel
Cuneiform
Trade with Indus Valley
and Egypt
Camel saddle
Pharaohs
Kingdoms of Kush,
Axum and Ethiopia
Barley
Trade with Sumer and
Persia
Ironworking
Salt/palm oil
Use of Camel saddle
Trade with Rome
Regional kingdoms
Root crops
Trans-Saharan trade
Ivory trade/Indian
Ocean
Polytheism
Animism
Indian Ocean trade
Sub-Saharan trade
Regional kingdoms
Polytheism
Ancestor veneration
Bantu migrations
Athenian democracy
Poleis
Hellenistic Empire
Roman Empire
Greek
trade/colonization
Silk Roads trade
Roman roads
Decline of trade and
learning
Phoenician alphabet
Olympic games
Greek drama
Greek philosophy
Hellenistic thought
Pax Romana
Roman law
Christianity
Fall of Roman Empire
Greco-Roman culture
Eastern
Europe
Byzantine Empire
Justinian’s attempts to
recover Roman territory
Code of Justinian
Agriculture
Center of trade
Greek learning
Christianity
Urbanization and trade
in Byzantium
Greco-Roman culture
North
America
Tribal government
Regional empires
Maize
Nomadism
Some trade with
Mesoamerica
Trade expansion
Village life
Nomadism
Polytheism
Shamanism
Latin
America
City-states
Mayan civilization
Andean societies and
civilization
Maize, potato
Llama, alpaca
Obsidian, jade
Limited trade
Pyramids
Ceremonial buildings
Mayan astronomy
Mesoamerican
traditions
Shamanism
Ancestor veneration
South
Asia
S.W. Asia
North
Africa
SubSaharan
Africa
Western
Europe
Village organization
Polytheism
Urbanization
Quetzalcoatl
Stratified society
Zero
Astronomy
Calendar