Download Golden Age

Name:
Mr. Ornstein
Social Studies Department
Willow Canyon High School
The Golden Age of Athens was from 448BC to the death of Pericles in
429BC. The Golden Age of Athens is also known as the Age of
Pericles. Athenian direct democracy developed during this time period.
Pericles defended this form of government in his famous “Funeral
Oration.” The Athenians also has achievements in the arts and literature. This was also a
time of great sculpture, ceramics, theatre, and architecture. Great Western philosophers
developed at this time including Socrates and Plato. War with Sparta ended the Athenian
Golden Age.
The Pax Romana or Roman Peace was the Golden Age of the Roman Empire. It lasted
about 200 years from 27BC to 180. It was a period of relative peace and moderation for
the Roman Empire which stretched to three continents at this time. The Roman Empire
was at its largest and most dominant at this time. During this time Roman trade and
commerce thrived. Rome’s borders were stable and Roman roads and dominance of the
Mediterranean Sea allowed for easy trade and transport.
The Golden Age of India was under the Gupta Empire. The Gupta’s ruled South Asia
from around 280 to 550. Indian made achievements in math, astronomy, science,
religion, and philosophy at this time. The decimal numeral system, the concept of zero
came from Gupta India. Guptas made advances in the sciences and astronomy. The
Guptas knew the earth was round and rotated on an axis. Great literature like the
Ramayan were written during this time period. There were also achievements in
sculpture and bronze working. Also during the Gupta Golden Age, South Asia was
trading heavily.
The Islamic Golden Age was from the 8th to 13th Centuries. Some say the
Islamic Golden Age goes all the way to the 16th Century. During the
Islamic Golden Age, Baghdad was one of the three great cities of the
world. The Islamic world had many other great urban centers. There was
trade with India and China. There were achievements in art, agriculture,
medicine, astronomy, economics, industry, law, literature, navigation, philosophy,
science, architecture, music, and technology.
The Golden Age of China was during the Tang and Song Dynasties. It was from about
600 to 1200. China had much trade along the Silk Roads at this time. Some of China’s
achievements included gunpowder, paper money, printing, and the compass.