COMMON FEATURES OF CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS
The three areas of classical civilizations developed their own beliefs, lifestyles, political
institutions, and social structures. However, there were important similarities among
them:
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Patriarchal family structures - Like the river valley civilizations that preceded
them, the classical civilization valued male authority within families, as well as in
most other areas of life.
Agricultural-based economies - Despite more sophisticated and complex job
specialization, the most common occupation in all areas was farming.
Complex governments - Because they were so large, these three civilizations had
to invent new ways to keep their lands together politically. Their governments
were large and complex, although they each had unique ways of governing
Expanding trade base - Their economic systems were complex. Although they
generally operated independently, trade routes connected them by both land and
sea.
CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS
Culture
Political Organization
Most enduring
No centralized
influences come from government; concept of
Athens:
polis, or a fortified site
that formed the centers
Valued education,
of many city states
placed emphasis on
importance of human Governing styles
effort, human ability varied (Sparta a
to shape future events military state, Athens
eventually a democracy
Interest in political
for adult males)
theory: which form of
Greece (about
government is best? Athens government
800-300 BCE)
first dominated by
Celebration of human tyrants, or strong rulers
individual
who gained power
achievement and the from military prowess;
ideal human form
later came to be ruled
by an assembly of free
men who made
Philosophy and
political decisions.
science emphasized
the use of logic
Both Athens and
Sparta developed
Highly developed
strong military
form of sculpture,
Social Structure
Slavery widely practiced
Men separated from
women in military
barracks until age 30;
women had relative
freedom; women in
Sparta encouraged to be
physically fit so as to
have healthy babies;
generally better treated
and more equal to men
than women in Athens
Athens encouraged
equality for free males,
but women and slaves
had little freedom.
Neither group allowed to
participate in polis
affairs.
Social status dependent
literature, math,
organizations and
written language, and established colonies
record keeping
around the
Mediterranean. Sparta
Polytheism, with gods theoretically equal;
wealth accumulation
having very human
not allowed
characteristics
on land holdings and
cultural sophistication
Cities relatively small
Great seafaring skills,
centered around
Aegean, but traveling
around entire
Mediterranean area
Perfection of military
techniques: conquer
but don't oppress;
division of army into
legions, emphasizing
organization and
rewarding military
talent
Art, literature,
philosophy, science
Rome (about
derivative from
500 BCE to
Greece
476 CE,
although
Superb engineering
eastern half
and architecture
continued for
techniques; extensive
another
road, sanitation
thousand
systems; monumental
years)
architecture buildings, aqueducts,
bridges
Two eras:
Basic division between
patricians (aristocrats)
Republic - rule by
and plebeians (free
aristocrats, with some
farmers), although a
power shared with
middle class of
assemblies; Senate
merchants grew during
most powerful, with
the empire; wealth based
two consuls chosen to
on land ownership; gap
rule, generally selected
between rich and poor
from the military
grew with time
Empire - nonPaterfamilias - male
hereditary emperor;
dominated family
technically chosen by
structure
Senate, but generally
chosen by predecessor
Patron-client system with
rich supervising
Extensive colonization
elaborate webs of people
and military conquest
that owe favors to them
during both eras
Development of an
overarching set of
Polytheism, derivative
laws, restrictions that
from Greeks, but
all had to obey; Roman
religion not
law sets in place
particularly important
principle of rule of law,
to the average Roman;
not rule by whim of the
Christianity
political leader
developed during
Inequality increased
during the empire, with
great dependence on
slavery during the late
empire; slaves used in
households, mines, large
estates, all kinds of
manual labor
Empire period, but not
dominant until very
late
Great city of Rome buildings, arenas,
design copied in
smaller cities
Confucianism
developed during late
Zhou; by Han times, it
dominated the
political and social
structure.
Zhou - emperor rules
by mandate of heaven,
or belief that dynasties
rise and fall according
to the will of heaven, Family basic unit of
or the ancestors.
society, with loyalty and
Legalism and Daoism Emperor was the "son obedience stressed
develop during same of heaven."
era.
Wealth generally based
on land ownership;
Buddhism appears,
emergence of scholar
but not influential yet Emperor housed in the gentry
forbidden city, separate
Growth of a large
Threats from nomads from all others
merchant class, but
from the south and
merchants generally
west spark the first
lower status than scholarconstruction of the
China (about
bureaucrats
Great Wall; clay
Political authority
500 BCE to
soldiers, lavish tomb controlled by
600 CE)
for first emperor Shi Confucian values, with Big social divide
Huangdi
emperor in full control between rural and urban,
with most wealth
but bound by duty
concentrated in cities
Chinese identity
cemented during Han Political power
era: the "Han"
centralized under Shi Some slavery, but not as
Chinese
Huangdi - often seen as much as in Rome
the first real emperor
Han - a "golden age"
Patriarchal society
with prosperity from Han - strong
reinforced by Confucian
trade along the Silk
values that emphasized
centralized
Road; inventions
government, supported obedience of wife to
include water mills,
husband
by the educated shi
paper, compasses, and (scholar bureaucrats
pottery and silkwho obtained positions
making; calendar with through civil service
365.5 days
exams)
Capital of Xi'an
possibly the most
sophisticated, diverse
city in the world at the
time; many other
large cities
Aryan religious
stories written down
into Vedas, and
Hinduism became the
dominant religion,
although Buddhism
began in India during
this era;
Mauryans Buddhist,
Guptas Hindu
India
Lack of political unity geographic barriers and
Complex social
diversity of people;
hierarchy based on caste
tended to fragment into
membership (birth
small kingdoms;
groups called jati);
occupations strictly
political authority less
dictated by caste
important than caste
membership and group
allegiances
Great epic literature
Mauryan and Gupta
such as the Ramayana
Empires formed based
and Mahabarata
on military conquest;
Mauryan Emperor
Extensive trade routes
Ashoka seen as
within subcontinent
greatest; converted to
and with others;
Buddhism, kept the
connections to Silk
religion alive
Road, and heart of
Indian Ocean trade;
"theater state"
coined money for
techniques used during
trade
Gupta - grand palace
and court to impress all
So-called Arabic
visitors, conceal
numerals developed in
political weakness
India, employing a
10-based system
Earlier part of time
period - women had
property rights
Decline in the status of
women during Gupta,
corresponding to
increased emphasis on
acquisition and
inheritance of property;
ritual of sati for wealthy
women ( widow
cremates herself in her
husband's funeral pyre)