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THE CLASSICAL
PERIOD
(1000 BCE – 500 CE)
Chapters 2-5
CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS (#2)
 Classical
civilizations, although they were
built upon the earlier river valley
civilizations, were noticeably larger in their
geographic, cultural, economic, and political
reach.
 The main factor for this growth was military
conquest due to the introduction of iron tools
and weapons.
 As the larger empires developed, so too did
new trade links, formalized religions and
philosophy, and improved technologies.
CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS (#1&2)
Each of these civilizations had a unique social
structure, religion, political system, system of
science, and styles of art.
 Each classical civilization set up extensive
internal trade networks and regional
specialization.
 Each civilization promoted a common culture in
order to provide bonds between its people groups.
 Trade with neighboring regions also became more
common and as a result, so to did syncretism

CONTINUITIES OF CLASSICAL
CIVILIZATION (#3)
 Classical
civilizations continued to
use many of the traditional
innovations set forth by the river
civilizations. They simply built off of
the progress that these other
societies had established.
 Each of the civilizations developed a
clear patriarchal society.
CHINESE ISOLATION (#4)
China was the most isolated of the classical
civilizations due to (???)
 This isolation served several purposes in Chinese
history:

1) Limited their ability to borrow from or learn from
other cultures.
 2) Spared it from frequent invasions
 3) Encouraged a distinct Chinese identity
 4) Necessitated that they produce anything they
needed. (MADE IN CHINA)

CHAPTER 2
CLASSICAL
CIVILIZATION: CHINA
Pgs. 38-54
DYNASTIC RULE (#5)
For thousands of years, China has been ruled by
dynasties.
 A “dynasty” is a family of kings that passes
rule down in a hereditary style, from one
king to another.
 As the ruling dynasty began to falter,
usually another one arose from the family
of a successful general, invader, or peasant,
and the pattern started anew.
 The three dynasties of classical China are the
Zhou, the Qin, and the Han.

DYNASTIC CHARACTERISTICS (#5)
The dynasties of China developed very strong
political institutions and encouraged a strong
economy and an emphasis on technological
advancements.
 However, each dynasty over time grew
weaker as tax revenues declined and
social divisions occurred.
 In addition, internal rebellions and
sometimes invasions from the outside
contributed to each dynasty’s decline.

THE ZHOU DYNASTY (1029 – 258 BCE)
(#7)
 They
expanded China’s territory from the
Yellow river to the Yangtze River Valley.
This area is often called the “Middle
Kingdom”.
 They promoted Mandarin Chinese as the
standard language (linguistic unity).
 They established the “Mandate of Heaven”
(p.42) concept, which stated that they had
been mandated to rule China through the
power of heaven.
 Following dynasties would all claim this
concept.
THE ZHOU DYNASTY
THE ZHOU DYNASTY (#6)
 The
Zhou dynasty, unlike later
dynasties, did not develop a strong
central government, but ruled
through alliances with strong nobles
and landlords.(a.k.a. the feudal
system)
 This led to problems as regional
princes disregarded the central
government and built up power of
their own.
 As the dynasty wore on, the Warring
States Period emerged.
ERA OF THE WARRING STATES
THE QIN DYNASTY (221-202 BCE) (#8)
 The
next dynasty was started by the brutal
but effective emperor Qin Shi Huangdi, or
“first emperor”
 The Qin dynasty actually gave the country its
name of “China”
 Shi Huangdi was a brutal leader, but
effective nonetheless.
 He understood that China’s problem lay
in the power of the aristocrats that the
previous Zhou dynasty had trusted.
 He made up his mind to undo this
problem.
THE QIN DYNASTY (221-202 BCE) (#8)
He ordered nobles to leave their regions
and lands and live at his court. He then
took control of their estates.
 China was organized into states that were
ruled by bureaucrats he himself appointed.
He made sure they were from nonaristocratic backgrounds so that they
would owe their power to him and not dare
challenge him.
 He also used his powerful armies to crush
resistance to his rule.
 All were ways he acquired tight control and
absolute power over China

THE QIN DYNASTY (#9)


Shi Huangdi
consolidated his
power, built the
Great Wall,
conducted a census,
standardized weights
and measures, and
extended the borders
of his realm to Hong
Kong and northern
Vietnam.
He also adopted the
strict philosophy of
Legalism to control
the populace.
THE GREAT WALL
Shi Huangdi is well known for authorizing the
building of the Great Wall of China.
 It extended over 3000 miles, and was designed to
keep out northern invaders.
 It is probably the largest construction project in
human history.
 It was built by forced labor, most of whom were
peasants. It is believed that over 1 million died
building this wall.
 It is the longest man-made structure in the
world.

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA
THE QIN DYNASTY
Upon his death,
massive revolts
broke out. (Why?)
 One peasant leader
established control
and started China’s
3rd dynasty, the Han.
 Shi Haungdi had the
famous terra cotta
army constructed to
guard his tomb.

THE HAN DYNASTY (202 B.C.E.-220 C.E.)
(#10)
 The
Han rulers lessened the brutality
of the Qin but maintained its
centralized rule.
 Early Han leaders, like Wu Ti, expanded
Chinese territory (pushing into
Korea, Indochina and central Asia)
and set up formal training, based on
Confucian philosophy, for
bureaucrats.
 During a long decline, the Han faced
invasions and eventually fell to
outside forces, especially the Huns.
THE HAN DYNASTY (#10)
The Han rulers promoted peace and prosperity
for the first half of their dynasty’s rule in a way
China had yet to experience.
 One of the reasons for such deep extension into
central Asia was due to their growing economy
and focus on silk production.
 As silk output increased, so did a demand
throughout the ancient world for the
product.
 As a result, the famous Silk Road developed
to meet that need.

POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF CHINA (THE
REAL ACHIEVEMENT…JUST NOT EXCITING TO
TALK ABOUT!) (#11)





Starting with the rule of Shi Huangdi, the Chinese
state began to develop the most organized and largest
government structure in the world, which helped
them rule over such vast territory and peoples.
He provided a single law code and uniform tax
system.
He appointed governors throughout his domain
and they appointed officials to smaller regions.
He also established a cabinet focusing on
various aspects of rule like finance, public
works, and defense.
Essentially, rather than rely on any alliance with
other powerful landlords, he seized all power.
POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS OF CHINA (#12)
 Throughout
the Qin and Han periods, China
had roughly 130,000 bureaucrats (the
largest number in the world, by far) all
trained by the government to carry out
the emperor’s policies. (#12)
 These bureaucrats mainly collected taxes
and enforced law codes. (#12)
 Emperor Wu Ti established exams for
his bureaucrats to take to ensure their
competence. Examinees had to master
the principles of Confucianism. These
were the first examples of civil service
tests. (#12)
CHINESE PHILOSOPHIES (#14)
CHINESE CULTURAL ACHIEVEMENTS
(P.48)
 The
Chinese had many cultural
achievements. Because they were so
isolated, they encouraged innovative and
practical solutions to their problems.
What resulted were impressive inventions
and breakthroughs for that time period.
 They developed an accurate calendar
based on a year of 365.5 days, calculated
the movements of Saturn and Jupiter,
invented the seismograph, and developed
hygiene principles to promote longer life.
CHINESE SOCIETY AND ECONOMY (#15)
There were large gaps between China’s upper
class (about 2 percent of the population) and the
peasant farmers (roughly 95% of population).
 Officially there were three main social
groups in classical China.

1) Land-owning aristocracy and bureaucrats
 2) laboring peasants and urban artisans
 3) The “mean people,” those who performed
unskilled labor and lacked meaningful skills.
* Generally, social status was passed from one
generation to the next, but unusually talented
individuals could rise in society.

CHINESE ECONOMY AND SOCIETY




External trade became
increasingly important during
Han era.
Internal trade was also important
between wheat producing centers
in the north and rice centers in
the south.
It focused mainly on luxury items
like silks, jewelry, leather goods,
and furniture.
Though trade brought in
significant profit for China,
merchants were looked down
upon because lives devoted to
moneymaking were considered
greedy and immoral by Confucian
standards. (#16)
SUPERIOR SILK
Silk ws valued for its
texture, luster, feel, and
hydrophobic nature.
Silk production was so valuable, the
Chinese heavily guarded it,
checking merchants at border
crossings and executing anyone
found trying to smuggle out silk
cocoons.
THE SILK ROAD (#19)
The demand for
China’s high quality
silk reached all the
way to the Middle
East, India, and the
Mediterranean.
 This trade generated
a network of roads
through central Asia
known collectively as
the Silk Road.

CHINESE TECHNOLOGY (#17)
It was in the area of technology that the classical
Chinese excelled. They were centuries ahead of
their counterparts in Europe and Asia.
 Some of their achievements include:







Ox-drawn plows to increase farming productivity
A new collar for draft animals that allowed them to
pull carts and wagons without choking.
Iron mining pulleys.
Iron tools and lamps were created and improved
The first water-powered mills.
Paper was invented in the Han period, helping with
record keeping.
CHINESE FAMILY STRUCTURES (#13)
The Chinese had a very tightly knit family
structure.
 It emphasized the power of the male figure.
Remember: Societies in which the men rule or
exercise most of the power are known as
patriarchal societies.
 Parents wielded high levels of authority over
their children.
 Women were subordinate to men but had clearly
defined roles in the family and in larger society.
 Read on p. 52

CHINESE CIVILIZATION IN SUMMARY (#18)





It is imperative to note that Chinese politics and
culture worked together to strengthen the nation.(Ex.
Confucianism and Legalism strengthened politics)
Classical Chinese technology, religion, philosophy,
and political structure evolved with little outside
contact.
Chinese political stability led to economic growth.
Science focused on technological innovations that also
spurred economic growth.
Because of their pride in their culture and its
durability over the centuries, the Chinese had
neither the need or desire to learn from other
societies.
CLASSICAL CHINA AND THE WORLD
 Chinese
civilization was the longest
lasting in world history and one of the
most creative and influential.
 They created the best-run bureaucracy
and a whole range of technologies, and
they were the source of the world’s largest
trade network, the Silk Road.
 Silk Road networks provided the
framework for later global trading
patterns.