Download ch 4 note guide

Chapter 4 Eurasian Empires
500 B.C.E.–500 C.E.
Chapter Learning Objectives:




To consider the nature of imperial systems in the classical era
To explore why empires developed in some regions but not in others
To show the important similarities and differences between imperial systems and the reasons
behind them
To reflect on the significance that classical empires have for us today
Key Terms:
1. Ahura Mazda
2. Alexander the Great
3. Aryans:
4. Ashoka:
5. Athenian democracy:
6. Caesar Augustus:
7. Cyrus (the Great):
8. Darius I:
9. Greco-Persian Wars:
10. Han dynasty:
11. Gupta Empire:
12. Hellenistic era:
13. Herodotus:
14. hoplite
15. Ionia
16. Mandate of Heaven:
17. Marathon, Battle of
18. Mauryan Empire:
19. Olympic Games:
20. patricians:
21. pax Romana:
22. Peloponnesian War:
23. Persepolis:
24. Punic Wars:
25. plebeians:
26. Persian Empire
27. Yellow Turban Rebellion
28. Qin Shihuangdi
29. Solon
30. Wudi
31. Xiongnu
32. Qin dynasty:
Multiple Answer Questions
The questions here are intended to call your attention to significant topics dealt with in the textbook. You can
use them to test your recall of what you have read. More important, you can use them to guide your thinking
about what you should get from your reading.
You may check your answer by clicking on the letter of your choice. For each question there may be more than
one correct answer.
1. The Persians of Cyrus the Great were descended from
a. the ancient Assyrians.
b. steppe nomads.
c. Indo-Europeans.
d. Turko-Mongol peoples.
2. In the history of world civilizations the word "Indo-European" refers to
a. languages spoken in India and Europe.
b. people of "Caucasian" racial characteristics.
c. ethnic groups that originated in present-day Russia.
d. the people who invented iron refining.
3. In the history of world civilizations the word "Indo-European" refers to people also known as
a. Phoenicians.
b. Aryans
c. Hittites.
d. Greeks.
4. On the basis of vocabulary study we can surmise that the earliest "Indo-European" people were
a.sea-faring people.
b. agriculturalists.
c. from northern regions.
d. patriarchal.
5. The reason that historians designate "Indo-Europeans" by that name is that these people
a. were especially violent and cruel.
b. spoke languages that are related to those of modern India, Iran, and Europe.
c. came from the interior regions of Germany.
d. invaded Europe from far-off regions like Africa and Asia.
6. Cyrus began his rise to fame as one of the great conquerors by taking over
a. Babylon.
b. Lydia.
c. the Medes.
d. the Greeks.
7. The Persian emperor Cyrus's career climaxed with the conquest of
a. Babylon.
b. Lydia.
c. Chaldea.
d. the Greeks.
8. Darius, second successor of Cyrus, ruled over areas including
a. Anatolia.
b. Athens.
c. Egypt.
d. Kush of India.
9. Darius, second successor of Cyrus, governed
a. a homogeneous population linked by a common culture.
b. a wide variety of peoples.
c. an large but efficient centralized empire
d. a loose confederation of nomadic clans.
10. Cyrus and Darius were able to win control over a great variety of established kingdoms by
a. first marrying into the local nobility.
b. murdering local priests and nobles.
c. respecting local priests and native traditions.
d. lightning-fast military conquest and "scorched earth" tactics .
11. Cyrus and Darius were able to govern the largest empire to have emerged in the Middle East by
a. practicing "ethnic cleansing" of conquered areas.
b. allowing conquered peoples to rule themselves and practice their traditional religion.
c. promoting a spirit of fear through terror campaigns.
d. encouraging displaced peoples to return to their traditional homelands.
12. The policies of Cyrus and Darius that made possible effective control of the largest yet empire included
a. forcing all ethnic groups to accept the same language and religion.
b. granting equal rights to all ethnic groups in the empire.
c. appointing twenty satraps to rule the provinces.
d. assigning personal representatives of the emperor to oversee the satraps' actions.
13. Elements which helped to hold the Achaemenid Persian Empire together included
a. a common law code.
b. a system of royal roads.
c. a postal service.
d. standard weights.
14. The Achaemenid Persian Empire was divided into provinces headed by officials called
a. magi .
b. "the king's eyes".
c. satraps.
d. parsis.
15. Persian "satraps" were responsible for
a.tax collection.
b. military recruitment.
c. local administration.
d. imperial expansion.
16. The religion of Ahura Mazda (Zoroastrianism) achieved influence in the Persian empire because
a. Cyrus and Darius forced all conquered people to accept it.
b. it was embraced by Darius.
c. charismatic missionaries spread it through persuasive oratory.
d. he was put to death as a martyr by the Babylonians.
17. In ancient Greek government people called "tyrants"
a. resisted the power of aristocrats in the name of lower classes.
b. brutalized the population but encouraged economic growth.
c. exercised virtually unlimited political power.
d. encouraged the development of democratic institutions.
18. In the ancient Greek "democracy" of city-states, identified as "polis," like Sparta and Athens
a. all citizens voted on all laws that were proposed.
b. tyrannical leaders put down any political initiatives by lower class citizens.
c. women possessed the rights of citizenship.
d. all citizens served in the military.
19. In the ancient Greek "democracy" of city-states like Sparta and Athens, designated by the word "polis,"
a. the citizens' assembly proposed (initiated) all laws.
b. all persons born in the city were considered equal.
c. only soldiers who had to fight a war were allowed to declare a war.
d. all citizens' votes were of equal weight ("one man, one vote").
20. Which, if any, of the following were characteristic features of the Hellenic state system called the polis?
a. representative legislative assembly elected by the citizen
b. popular election of government officials
c. legal equality of all individuals
d. legislative assembly that comprised all citizens
21. Greek city-states developed systems with democratic characteristics because they had
a. an influential business class.
b. a citizen military force.
c. powerful aristocracies that resisted the monarchs' power.
d. dictators ("tyrants") who resisted the aristocrats in the name of the lower classes.
22. Which, if any, of the following statements accurately describe the hoplite phalanx?
a. It was a military formation of mounted horsemen.
b. It bonded aristocrats and peasants in a way that muted class conflicts.
c. It was a military formation of heavily armed infantrymen.
d. It was responsible for promoting oligarchy in Athens.
23. Results of the Greek use of the hoplite phalanx included
a. the likelihood that the infantry would not lose to mounted horsemen.
b. the role of the aristocratic cavalry in warfare greatly diminished.
c. the Greeks found themselves helpless to fight against the Persian cavalry.
d. close coordination and cooperation among soldiers was exceedingly necessary.
24. Greek democracy offered no political power to
a. women.
b. merchants.
c. slaves.
d. resident aliens.
25. Which, if any, of the following statements justify calling the Athenian constitution in the fifth century B.C.
a "democracy"?
a. All citizens had the right to vote in the assembly.
b. Every citizens was equally likely to be chosen for political office.
c. The full assembly of citizens voted on proposed laws and elected officials.
d. Women owned at least as much of the property in Athens as men did.
26. In the wars against Persia, the Greeks won battles at
a. Marathon.
b. Ionia.
c. Thermopylae.
d. Salamis.
27. A substantial portion of the fifth century B.C. in Athens is known as the "age of Pericles" because in that
time Pericles
a. directed the construction of major monuments of Greek artistic culture.
b. created Athenian democracy by overthrowing the power of the aristocracy.
c. created the Athenian empire based on the Delian League.
d. dominated Athens as a dictator while giving lip-service to principles of democracy.
28. Which, if any, of the following explain why the Delian League became the Athenian empire?
a. The league's navy became almost exclusively Athenian ships.
b. Athens refused to allow its allies to resign.
c. Athens took over the league's treasury and forced other city-states to pay tribute.
d. The Persian threat to Greek city-states became more menacing.
29. The Greek cities that led the two sides of the Peloponnesian war included
a. Athens.
b. Ionia.
c. Macedon.
d. Sparta.
30. Which statements, if any, accurately describe results of the Peloponnesian wars?
a. Pericles' power was consolidated.
b. Athens was defeated and its empire collapsed.
c. The city-states returned to fighting among themselves.
d. The Macedonian threat to Greek city-states became more menacing.
31. Alexander of Macedonia was
a. a skilled athlete and soldier.
b. illiterate.
c. educated by Aristotle.
d. a lover of artistic culture.
32. Which, if any, of these were successor kingdoms that emerged from the break-up of Alexander's Persian
empire?
a. Mauryan India.
b. Seleucid Persia.
c. Antigonid Macedonia.
d. Ptolemaic Egypt.
33. The city of Alexandria in Egypt was the location of the
a. center of Hellenistic cultural development.
b. largest library of the ancient world.
c. capital of Egypt.
d. largest urban population of the ancient world.
34. The word "Hellenistic" signifies
a. anything having to do with Greeks.
b. the consequences of the achievements of Alexander the Great.
c. postclassical Greek culture.
d. the first true empire in human history.
35. The word "Hellenistic" signifies
a. the spread of Greek culture throughout the eastern Mediterranean area.
b. the centuries leading up to the birth of Christ.
c. the spread of the Greek polis system to non-Greek peoples.
d. an age of scientific advance.
36. The word "Hellenistic" signifies a culture that was
a. imperial.
b. individualistic.
c. cosmopolitan.
d. civic-minded.
37. The Roman republic was created
a. after the Etruscan monarchy was thrown out of the city.
b. by Romulus and Remus, according to legend.
c. at about the same time as the Greeks were fighting the Peloponessian wars.
d. at about the same time as the Greeks were fighting the Persian wars.
MARGIN REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. How did Persian and Greek civilizations differ in their political organization and values?
2. Why did semi-democratic governments emerge in some of the Greek city-states?
3. What were the consequences for both sides of the encounter between the Persians and the
Greeks?
4. What changes did Alexander’s conquests bring in their wake?
5. How did Rome grow from a single city to the center of a huge empire?
6. How and why did the making of the Chinese empire differ from that of the Roman Empire?
7. In comparing the Roman and Chinese empires, which do you find more striking—their
similarities or their differences?
8. How did the collapse of empire play out differently in the Roman world and in China?
9. Why were centralized empires so much less prominent in India than in China?
BIG PICTURE QUESTIONS
1. What common features can you identify in the empires described in this chapter?
2. In what ways did these empires differ from one another? What accounts for those differences?
3. Are you more impressed with the “greatness” of empires or with their destructive and
oppressive features? Why?
4. Do you think that the classical empires hold “lessons” for the present, or are contemporary
circumstances sufficiently unique as to render the distant past irrelevant?