POST CLASSICAL PERIOD – 600-1450
– Cultural and Trade change define
this period.
•Start – fall of classical empires
(Greece/Rome)
•Spread of great world religions
•Rise of Islam
•Mongols 1200-1400
•China – Post Classical period ends
when Ming stop travel.
PC THEMES
1. ISLAM – rise of Arab Islam becomes
the first world class civilization /
superpower in world history (before this
the best was probably India).
PC THEMES
2. Spread of great world religions –
Buddhism, Christianity, Islam (most
important in the numbers affected).
• All 3 religions spread across cultural /
political boundaries (missionaries,etc.)
– Large numbers convert – syncretic
conversion – accept new beliefs but
keep some of their own. Religious map
of Eurasia set to what it is today.
Why convert to new religions?
1. Decline of classical empires – more
chaos, death rates increase. ie. China –
Buddhism created a decline in secular
thought.
2. Fervency of missionaries
3. Governments used Christianity for
power – ie. Vladomir in Russia
becoming Christian.
PC THEMES
3. Civilization spreads to other areas and
the number of definable civilizations
increases.
• Why? Disunity of Mediterranean world.
7 Civilizations by 1450
1.Expanded East Asia
2.S. and S.E. Asia
3.W. Asia (Middle East and N. Africa)
4.Sub Saharan Africa
5. Eastern Europe
6. Western Europe
7.Americas
PC THEMES
THEME 4. Development of systematic
interactions between civilizations – trade
contacts.
•1000 – dependable trade routes –
regular product exchange.
•N to S and W to E routes – exchange of
technologies and ideas – cultural
diffusion. Ie. Arabic numerals from India
THEME 4 continued
•Travel increases during this period –
Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo.
•Americas: way behind / random during
this period
–No disease contact
–No technological contact
–No animal exchange
–Did not use bronze or iron
Theme 5 – Women – good and bad
Good: spread of world religions –
Christianity/ Islam / Buddhism– men
and women share spiritual equality (ie.
Mohammad).
- Equality was not a belief in
Classical society – framed within a
Patriarchal society.
Theme 5 – Women – good and bad
Bad: Politically and economically – major
deterioration in the life of women.
•Veiling – originally from Mesopotamia
•Sati –
•Footbinding (women as ornamental)
•Gaps between men and women
economically (men dominated
craftworks
What themes are NOT present
during this time period
None of the above themes are political –
hard to do that during this period –
religion is in control and politics not as
important.
- not many technological
developments.
- population growth only in some
regions
Religions of the Post Classical that
were not global
•Hinduism – 4th major religion – did not
travel well outside of India because it
needed the Caste System. Guptas
favored Hinduism within India making it
strong.
•Daoism and Shintoism (Japan) – no
missionary qualities.
Change and continuity – What
changes in the Post Classical in
relation to the Foundations /
Classical Period?
1. Islam and trade patterns – gains
control of Mediterranean trade (most
change), some change in India, least
change in China.
Change in China
•Some Islam
•Trade routes increase (Song/Ming)
•Buddhism
•More urban society.
3 types of civilization during the Post
Classical period.
1. Most developed – Middle East, North
Africa, India, Byzantine Empire.
•
•
•
•
Classical past to build on
Most trade
Centralized politically
“the developed world at this point in
time.”
3 types of civilization during the Post
Classical period.
2. Less developed – Japan, Russia, W.
Europe, E. Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, S
& E Asia (India and China).
• Some world trade – less processed
goods.
• More decentralized politically – not as
large bureaucracies.
• Active, self-concious imitators of
developed civilizations. (copy religion,
alphabets, art – social and cultural things.
Less developed, continued
•Copy technology, political structure
(this one fails – they don’t do a good job
of it).
•What Western Europe copies from
Islam: Gothic arch was Islamic arch, law,
commercial law, science and math, role
of reason (Averroes).
Least developed
•Americas – not part of the global scene.
– not in contact with world or world
religions.
– - didn’t matter until contact occurred.
– they had their own achievements buth
they weren’t as good as the first and
second tier countries.