Download The Persian Empire

The Persian Empire
Pictures: Top Right – Cyrus the
Great, Middle Right – Darius,
Bottom Right – Xerxes
Built on earlier Central Asian and Mesopotamian civilizations,
Persia developed the largest empire in the world.
Persia came about around 550 B.C. and ended around 331 B.C.
Under King Cyrus (Cyrus the Great), he conquered and unified
the lands that make up the Persian Empire. After Cyrus died,
eventually Darius took over. Darius divided Persia up into
provinces and put satraps in charge. A satrap is a governor of a
Persian province. The organization of the empire made it easier
for Darius and other emperors to maintain and organize the
Persian Empire. Xerxes (son of Darius) was best known for
being defeated by the Greeks in 480 B.C., which strengthened
Greece. The Persian monarchy was considered sacred; this
attitude later shaped the concept of monarchy.
Key Features of the Persian Empire:
- Tolerance of conquered peoples.
- Development of an imperial bureaucracy (Provinces).
- Road System, including the Royal Road. To expedite trade and assist the
movement of soldiers, the Persians expanded a network of roads that had been
built by the Assyrians. The most famous of these roads was the Royal Road
that stretched 1,500 miles from Persia to Asia Minor. Every fourteen miles,
travelers were supplied with water, food, and fresh horses.
- Zoroastrianism.
- Religion in Persia.
- Belief in two opposing forces in the universe.
- Zoroastrianism was the main Persian religion, although other religions
were tolerated. Zoroastrianism is the religion developed by Zoroaster, a
Persian prophet, who preached that the world was divided by a struggle
between good and evil; humans who chose good would be rewarded with
eternal life and those who chose evil would be condemned after death to
eternal darkness and misery; this religion may have influenced Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam.
India
Classical Indian Civilization began in the Indus River Valley and spread to the
Ganges River Valley, then through the Indian subcontinent. It continued with
little interruption because of its geographic location.
A Subcontinent is a large land mass that is smaller than the continent but is large enough to be considered a subdivision of the continent itself.
During the Golden Age of classical Indian culture, Indian people made
significant contributions to the world civilizations.
Physical Features of India:
- Physical barriers such as the Himalayas, the Hindu
Kush, and the Indian Ocean made invasion more
difficult.
- Mountain passes in the Hindu Kush provided
migration routes into the Indian subcontinent.
- The Indus and Ganges were the most important
rivers in the Indian subcontinent.
The Indus River Valley Civilization (Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro):
The Impact of Aryans (Indo-Aryans)
The Aryans migrated in and asserted their
dominance. The Indo-Aryan people
migrated into the area from Europe and
Asia, creating a structured society (caste
system) blended with those of the
indigenous people. Aryans came from an
area north of the Black Sea and Caspian
Sea and invaded India around 1,500 B.C.
- A caste system was developed, which influenced all social interactions and
choices of occupations. A caste system is a rigid social class structure in India
based on occupations; people were born into a group and were never allowed
to move to another group; this hereditary system influenced all social
interactions.
- Cattle were sacred. Eventually, eating cattle was banned.
- Women had some freedom at first and took part in religious and social
events.
- At first, there was no written language. History was preserved though epics
(stories). Epics are long poems that celebrated the achievements of Aryan
heroes; families of warriors and priests passed on and preserved the oral
heritage.
- Sanskrit was the spoken language. Eventually, a written form of Sanskrit
was developed into holy books called
Priests
Vedas.
- Aryans believed in many gods
Warriors
(deities).
- Social rigid social structure was
Merchants and
Landowners
based on jobs.
Commoners, Peasants, and
Servants
Untouchables, Latrine Cleaners, Street
Sweepers (Outcasts-Out of Caste)
Hinduism and Indian Empires
Hinduism is a body of religious and
philosophical beliefs and cultural practices
native to India and based on a caste system;
it is characterized by a belief in
reincarnation, by a belief in a supreme
being of many forms and natures, by the
view that opposing theories are aspects of
one eternal truth, and by a desire for
liberation from earthly evils.
Hinduism was an important contribution of
classical India. Hinduism influenced Indian
society and culture and is still practiced in
India today.
- Grew out of overlapping beliefs of the diverse groups who settled in India.
- No clear single founder. No single text.
- Belief in many forms of one God.
- Reincarnation: Rebirth based upon karma.
- Karma: Knowledge that all thoughts and actions result in further
consequences. Moksha is the philosophy/religion of death and rebirth.
- Spread along major trade routes.
- Vedas and Upanishads: Sacred writings.
Upanishads: Indian religious writings developed between 800 B.C. and
400 B.C. that propose a universal spirit present in all life.
Vedas: Indian sacred writings, or books of knowledge that formed the
basis of the Aryan religious beliefs.
Mauryan Empire (India’s First Empire) –323–185 B.C.
Continued political unification of
much of India.
Contributions of the Mauryan
Empire:
- Spread of Buddhism
- Free hospitals
- Veterinary clinics
- Good roads
Asoka – An honored leader who
became emperor in 268 B.C. He
converted to Buddhism, rejected
violence, and resolved to rule by moral example.
Gupta Empire 280 - 550 AD
In the 4th and 5th centuries, the Gupta Dynasty
unified northern India.
Golden age of classical Indian culture
Contributions :
- Mathematics (concept of zero)
- Medical advances (set bones)
- Astronomy (concept of earth as round)
- New textiles
- Literature
Classical China
Classical China was centered on the Huang He (Yellow River) and was
geographically isolated.
Qin Shi Huangdi was the ruler of the Qin
Dynasty that ruled China from 221 B.C. to
210 B.C. Qin ordered the construction of the
Great Wall. Invaders entered China from the
North. The Great Wall was built for China’s
protection. Westerners called the nation
China after the Qin which meant Great
Emperor.
The Mandarin Class was a class of educated Chinese civil servants.
Migratory invaders raided Chinese settlements from the North. The Great
Wall was built by Qin Huangdi as a line of defense against invasions. China
was governed by a succession of ruling families called Dynasties. Mandate of
Heaven: Chinese rulers were considered divine, but they served under a
Mandate of Heaven only as long as their rule was just.
The Silk Road facilitated trade and contact between China and other cultures
as far away as Rome. The Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) that came to
power after the Qin Dynasty ordered the expansion of trade routes that ran
from the Pacific Coast of China to the Mediterranean; caravans carried goods
from China to Rome; Chinese and Persian merchants traded goods with the
middlemen traders from Central Asia since a whole trip was too long. The
Silk Road was important for exchanging not only silk, but various goods,
philosophies, religions, and culture. It was a significant factor in the
development of civilizations in Asia, Europe, and Africa.
Contributions of Classical China:
- Civil Service System
(Government Work Force)
- Paper
- Porcelain
- Silk
Silk
- Compass
Gunpowder
-
Gunpowder
First printed book
Acupuncture
Herbal medicine
365 day calendar
Complex irrigation system
Irrigation
Compass
Religions in China
Chinese culture began around 1500 B.C. Of Chinese contributions to
civilization, Confucianism, and Taoism are among the most noted.
The ethical system of Confucius, the Chinese philosopher and teacher of
ethics (551-479 BC), emphasizing moral order, the humanity and virtue of
China's ancient rulers, and gentlemanly education
Contributions of Confucianism in Forming the Social Order in
China:
- Belief that humans are good, not bad.
- Respect for elders.
- Code of politeness, still used in Chinese society today.
- Ancestor worship.
“Everything has
its beauty, but
not everyone
sees it.”
-Confucius
Taoism is philosophical system evolved by Lao-tzu and
Chuang-Tzu, especially its advocacy of a simple and natural life
and of noninterference with the course of natural events in order to
have a happy existence in harmony with the Tao (course of life
and its relation to eternal truth).
“Being deeply loved
by someone gives you
strength, while loving
someone deeply gives
you courage.”
-Lao Tzu (Founder of
Taoism)
Contributions of Taoism in Forming Chinese Culture and
Values:
- Humility.
- Simple Life.
- Harmony with nature.
Yin/Yang represented opposites for Confucianism and Taoism.
Yin and Yang is a Chinese theory related to Taoism that proposes
that two opposing forces are present in nature. Yin is the dark,
female, and submissive. Yang is the light, aggressive, and male.
The two forces have to be in balance for harmony.
Buddhism
Chinese forms of
Buddhism spread
throughout Asia.
Buddhism is the teaching of Buddha
that life is permeated with suffering
caused by desire, that suffering ceases
when desire ceases, and that
enlightenment obtained through right
conduct, wisdom, and meditation
releases one from desire, suffering,
and rebirth.
Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha
Gautama in a part of India that is in
present day Nepal in approximately
540 B.C.
Buddhism became a major faith when Asoka sent missionaries throughout
Asia. Asoka’s missionaries and their writings spread Buddhism from India to
China and other parts of Asia. Buddhism
spread to China in approximately 240 B.C.
Buddhism:
- Founder: Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)
- Four Noble Truths
- Eightfold Path to Enlightenment
- Nirvana: A characteristic of Buddhism
which is a state of freedom from a cycle of rebirth.