KEY POINTS Chapter 5
Essential Question: What advances are being made outside of the three classical areas of
civilization?
Identify:
Yellow Turbans – Daoist leaders, promised a golden age
Rajput – Hun regional princes in India who controlled the small states and emphasized military prowess
Byzantine Empire – product of late imperial Rome, language was Greek, authoritarian, major center of trade and arts
Syncretism – blending new beliefs with old beliefs
Bodhisattvas - Buddhist holy men
What basic theme characterized all three classical civilizations? Expansion and integration
Which classical civilization will be the first to go into decline? China
Expansion and Integration
Why did all three classical civilizations produce philosophical traditions?
They were inspired by the common need to articulate central values in their societies as part of a larger process of generating a shared culture
on the basis of which their expanding societies might operate.
What cultural values were emphasized in China, India, and the Mediterranean world?
China emphasized greater centralization in politics. India and the Mediterranean remained more localized and diverse. India used key
religious values to cement its civilization.
How did each of the three classical civilizations deal with territorial expansion? China devoted attention to settling northerners in the
south and promoted a common language for the elite.
What was a common social feature of all three classical civilizations? Great inequality between men and women
Beyond the Classical Civilizations
Where did agricultural societies develop during the classical period, which were not unified with one of the classical civilizations?
Northeastern Africa, Japan, northern Europe, the Americas, and southeast Asia
What was characteristic of religion in Ethiopia? Its Christian Church was cut off from mainstream Christianity.
What major development took place in sub-Saharan regions?
Knowledge of ironworking, patterns of strong ceremonial kingship, further extension of agriculture, well-organized villages
Describe what advances were made in Japan towards the late classical period.
A regional political organization evolved. They developed considerable ironworking and skipped the bronze and copper stage. Regional states
became sophisticated, with each controlling somewhat larger territories.
What religion developed in classical Japan?
They developed a religion called Shintoism, which provided for the worship of political rulers and nature spirits.
Describe the culture of northern Europeans in the classical period.
The Celtic and Slavic people were loosely organized into regional kingdoms. There was no written language except where Latin was imported.
Agriculture was still combined with hunting. Scandinavians were developing increasing skill as sailors, which would lead to wider trade and
pillage later. They had a polytheistic religion and the gods represented forces of nature. However, the religion would shift to Christianity.
What agricultural crop was the basis for the Olmec economy and the Incas? Olmec – corn Incas – potato
List some achievements of the Olmecs.
The Olmecs produced accurate and impressive calendars and explored artistic forms in precious stones like jade. Religious statues and icons
blended human images with animals. Their successors developed a hieroglyphic language and built the 1 st great city in the Americas as a
center for trade and worship.
Describe what advances were made by central Asian herding peoples in the classical period.
They gained new contacts with established civilizations, like China, which brought new goals for conquest and changes in political
organization. They played a vital role in trade routes between east Asia and the Middle East. They invented the stirrup, allowing horsemen to
aim their weapons better.
In Depth
As the key agents of contact between sedentary farm peoples and town dwellers, what exchanges have nomadic or pastoral peoples
been credited with?
They pioneered on the Silk Road, which stretched from western China to western Europe. They established and expanded trading links. They
provided protection from bandits and raiding parties. They supplies animals, food, and drink. They contributed to the spread of new military
technologies and modes of warfare. They transferred crops to other civilized cores.
Decline in China and Japan
What nomadic group was responsible for the invasions of the three classical civilizations? Huns
What internal problems made Han China vulnerable to invasion? Confucian intellectual activity became less creative. The central
government’s control diminished, bureaucrats became more corrupt, and local landlords took up much of the slack by ruling the area however
they wanted to. The free peasants were burdened with new taxes and demands of service. Many lost their farms and became day laborers.
When did China revive and why was China able to revive after its chaotic period?
Strong native rulers in the north drove them out in. Chinese civilization revived in 618 CE at the beginning of the T’ang Dynasty. The
structures of classical China were too strong to be overturned.
Why was the decline of Indian civilization less dramatic than that of China? Hinduism kept the civilization together.
What details led to the decline of Buddhism in India?
Hindu beliefs gained ground and converted many Hun princes. The worship of a mother goddess spread widely in Hinduism. Arab armies
brought Islam to India.
How did the spread of Islam to India affect the civilization? There was little influence, except for a few converts in the northwest.
What Indian vernacular language replaced Sanskrit? Hindi
How did the Hindus react to stop the conversions to Islam? They strengthened their emphasis on religious devotion.
Decline and Fall in Rome
When did the Roman Empire begin its decline? 180 CE
List what problems plagued the late Roman Empire. Rome’s upper class turned to pleasure, instead of politics and economy. Cultural life
decayed. Many scholars wrote textbooks, which previous generations would have scorned. They didn’t produce many offspring anymore.
What evidence is given to support the idea that intellectual achievements declined in the late Roman period? Textbooks
How did the concentration of power to landlords affect the Roman Empire?
Some local stability, but move economy away from elaborate and successful trade patterns
What steps did Diocletian/Constantine take to try and stop the decay of the Roman Empire?
Diocletian tightened up administration of the empire and tried to improve tax collection. Regulation of the economy increased. He attempted
to exert pressure to worship the emperor as a god. Constantine made a 2 nd capital city, Constantinople, to regulate the eastern half of the
empire. He promoted Christianity.
What is the date given for the fall of the Roman Empire? 476 CE
Why was Rome’s collapse more profound than that of classical India or classical China’s?
They didn’t produce the shared political culture and bureaucratic traditions of China that allowed revival after a chaotic time.
What three zones did the Roman Empire fragment into? Kingdom of the Ostrogoths, Byzantine Empire, and Kingdom of the Vandals
Why did the eastern half of the Roman Empire continue to thrive? Fewer pressures from invaders
Where was the Roman capital moved? Constantinople
What was the Byzantine emperor, Justinian’s most famous achievement? Law code
What Persian based civilization arose in the Middle East around the 3 rd century? Sassanid Empire
What institution survived the fall of the Roman Empire in the west and became a unifying force in Europe? Middle East
The New Religious Map
Why did many turn to religious expression in the later classical period?
Political instability prompted people to seek solace in joys of the spirit.
What new religion will emerge in the 7th century? Islam
What general features did Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism share?
Emphasis on intense devotion and piety, importance of spiritual concerns beyond daily cares of life; offered hope of a better existence after life
and responded to new political instability and growing poverty
Who was most responsible for spreading the Buddhist religion? Monks
Where did Buddhism spread? China, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia,
What was characteristic of the Mahayana version of Buddhism? Buddha revered as god and savior
Describe the changes in Buddhist beliefs that came about as the religion spread. Buddhism became more patriarchal due to syncretism.
How did the patriarchal system in China affect Buddhist teachings? In Buddhism, there was supposed to be equality between men and
women. They changed it to “husband controls wife” and “wife reveres husband”.
How was Christianity different from Buddhism? More emphasis on church organization and structure, placed a premium on missionary
activity and widespread conversions, stressed exclusive nature of its truth and intolerant of competing beliefs.
Why did Christianity spread through the Roman Empire? Very easy to travel widely in Europe and the Middle East
What 3 adjustments were made by Christian leaders that led to more conversions?
Welcomed non-Jews, more formal organization within the new church, Christian doctrine increasingly organized
How did Christianity differ from western and eastern Europe? In the West, the impulse was partially disciplined through the institution of
monasticism. In the East, many men and women flourished under Christian banners.
What aspects of Christianity were most appealing? Equality of men and women’s souls and that God loved everyone no matter what
What classical (themes) traditions were in conflict with Christianity? What traditions were preserved?
Christianity was against slavery. There was a greater emphasis on sexual restraint. Christians accepted the state, but did not put it first in their
lives. An interest in solid organization and some themes of classical philosophy were preserved. Church buildings retained Roman
architectural styles. Latin was the language of the Church in the West, whereas Greek was the language in the East.