Download Byzantine Empire

Mediterranean
Paleolithic – simple stone tools were developed,
hunter/gatherer societies were organized in small groups,
women and men were equally important to the survival of the
group, limited trade occurred between hunter-gatherer groups =
diffusion of technology
Neolithic – first began in the Middle East near the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers, establishment of agriculture (domestication
of crops and animals), more advanced tools made of metals,
men more important in agricultural societies, status of women
dropped, specialized labor due to surplus of food
Egypt - massive building
projects, firm religious beliefs,
well-organized, durable
centralized empires, limited
trade with other regions/states
Mesopotamia – massive
building projects, firm religious
beliefs, organized into city-states
which were susceptible to
internal conflicts and external
invasions, extensive trade with
other regions/states. Invading
peoples introduced the use of
iron
Greece – intellectual life emphasized,
Socratic Method: importance of questioning
widely held beliefs, due to geography
Greece politically organized into city-states,
political centralization difficult. Culture led to
Hellenism – humanism, political philosophy,
emphasis on science. Hellenism spreads to
other areas of the world due to Alexander’s
Empire.
Rome – unlike the Chinese emphasis on a
trained bureaucracy, Rome emphasized the
rule of law, Roman rule after 200 C.E. saw
the spread of monotheistic religions,
decline of Rome was affected by the
introduction of a new religion (Christianity)
which attracted a great number of followers
to rival the authority of the emperor and
outside invasion by barbarians (i.e.
someone who is not part of a civilization).
India – Language of early Indus
China – Zhou dynasty: feudal and less
centralized, Qin dynasty: less feudal and more
centralized than the Zhou (based on Legalism),
rigid social hierarchy based on Confucian
beliefs, merchants considered to be among the
lowest social class, less emphasis on trade with
other regions/states. Han dynasty: most
centralized, introduction of civil service exams,
Han remained isolated and culture did not
spread, fall of Han was due to internal revolt and
not just due to outside invasion by nomadic
tribes (who were better horsemen than the
settled Han peoples). Religiously tolerant.
civilization cannot be translated making
study of civ. difficult. Aryans brought
religious ideas to India to help form the
basis of Hinduism, Aryans established a
rigid caste system to promote social
order and behavior, Hinduism focused on
individual responsibility to carry out the
functions/duties assigned to caste,
Buddhism established as a rejection of
caste system of Hinduism and
emphasized ethical behavior, Hindu
caste system elevates the status of
merchants, India trades extensively with
other regions/states, due to geography
India was politically fragmented, political
centralization difficult. Religiously tolerant
Establishment of Islam – the main beliefs of
Islam reflected the nomadic Bedouin lifestyle of the
Arabian Peninsula, the founder of Islam (a
merchant named Muhammad) was a member of
the Umayyad clan who established the trading city
of Mecca which was also a religious center of the
region,
Islam in India – An Islamic sultanate, centered on
Islamic beliefs and practices – Muslims were to practice the 5
Pillars of Islam, the religious leader of Islam was to be called
caliph, conversion to Islam was never to be forced (early Arab
conquerors also discouraged wide spread conversion of the
people they conquered because they did not want to share their
booty or lose tax revenues), non-coverts were called mawali,
women under Islam enjoyed higher status than women of
other/previous empires/civilizations due to the high status
women had in Bedouin culture, other monotheistic religions were
considered acceptable but Islam was the final and true faith of
God. The lack of a process for succession, however, led to a
split among Shi’a and Sunni Muslims. Sufism, a movement
which incorporated mysticism and evangelism, also developed
as a separate branch of Islam.
the capital city of Delhi, was established along the
Gangetic (Ganges River) Plain. While many Hindus
resisted conversion to Islam, significant numbers of
Indians, namely Buddhists and low-caste Hindus, did
convert. The main Islamic challenge to Hindu belief
was in the egalitarianism of believers stressed by
Islam. In order to meet this challenge, Hindu
believers began to stress the worship of gods such as
Shiva and Vishnu, allowing more devotional practices
by lower caste Hindus. One of the main cultural
exchanges between Muslims and Hindus was the
spread of the mathematical concept of Arabic
numerals.
Spread and Effects of Islam – Islam spread throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. It also
spread to parts of Europe, West Africa, East Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Islam spread through war, trade,
and missionaries. In Islam, the emphasis on learning caused the preservation of the works of ancient Greek and
Roman philosophy, knowledge, and culture. The far-reaching spread of Islam also led to the exchange of ideas and
culture from one civilization to another. While women were looked on as spiritual equals, in the Abbasid Empire,
women lost status with the practice of seclusion, veiling, and the establishment of the harem. The Abbasid Empire fell
when the Mongols captured Baghdad in 1258.
•The arrival of Islam, which came due to increased contact with the
outside world, was the most significant impact on Sub-Sahara
Africa.
•Before the arrival of Islam, many African societies were organized
around kinship and lacked the concentration of political power and
authority. These societies were considered “stateless”
•One of the great Islamic empires of West Africa, Songhay, was
originally dominated by the Empire of Mali.
•Despite the arrival of Islam to Africa, Ethiopia remained the most
important Christian kingdom in Africa
• Despite the arrival of Islam and Christianity to Africa, many
Africans continued their animistic beliefs. Animism held a belief in
the power of natural forces personified as deities.
•In East Africa, a Bantu-based and Arabic-influenced language
called Swahili was spoken by a number of important city states
which engaged in trade within the Indian Ocean trading network
• The Byzantine Empire was seen as a direct continuation of the Roman Empire.
However, the inhabitants rejected the Latin language of the old Roman Empire and
adopted Greek as the official language of the Empire.
•The capital of the Byzantine Empire was the city of Constantinople. In 1453, the
Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople and renamed the city Istanbul
•One of the major architectural sites in Constantinople was the great church built by the
Emperor Justinian called the Hagia Sophia. Justinian also attempted to restore the
territory of the original Roman Empire but ultimately he failed to hold onto his territorial
conquests.
•The Byzantine Emperors were also the religious leaders of the Empire. The version of
Christianity practiced by the Emperors and most of their subjects is called Orthodox
Christianity.
•Much like the Chinese bureaucracy, the Byzantine Empire allowed talented commoners
and not just aristocrats to hold government positions.
Russia/Eastern Europe:
Western Europe:
•After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Western Europe
experienced a period of chaos known as the Middle Ages
•In the Middle Ages, the institution of feudalism was prevalent and the
concept of serfdom was widespread. Serfs were agricultural laborers
under the jurisdiction of aristocratic landowners. Feudalism was
established to different degrees in Europe. England adopted feudalism
quickly after the Norman conquests of 1066, while in France, feudalism
was developed more slowly.
•In order to gain some domination over the Franks, the Frankish king,
Clovis, converted to Christianity and encouraged his subject to convert as
well
•The Crusades, a series of wars led by Christian knights of Western
Europe to gain control of the Holy Lands, caused Western Europe to
adopt new military techniques, be exposed to new scientific learning, and
begin to use Arabic numerals.
•Vikings raided areas with few large urban centers but their raids were
widespread in Europe and beyond
•Political unity in Western Europe was impossible. The Holy Roman
Emperors attempted to establish a strong, central European government
but in the end failed because they could not overcome the regionalism
and diversity of Western Europe
•The Roman Catholic Church was an influential institution during the
Middle Ages but it had many conflicts with secular rulers. One such
conflict was over the state appointment of bishops (called investiture).
Pope Gregory VII decreed investiture invalid and required papal
appointment of all bishops.
•Another leading figure within the Catholic Church was St. Thomas
Aquinas who was a theologist and philosopher at the University of Paris
in the 13th century.
•During the 14th century, the “plague” or Black Death, killed nearly one
third of Europe’s population impacting society and the economy for
generations.
•Towards the end of the Middle Ages, Europe begins to assert itself in
the world through warfare and maritime trade.
•People in the Russian principalities practiced Orthodox
Christianity rather than Roman Catholicism because the
ruler of Kievan Russia, Vladimir I, preferred the
combined position of political and religious leader
modeled on the Byzantine Emperor. He was concerned
with the possibility of papal interference of the Pope in
Rome if he chose to follow Roman Catholicism.
•Western Europe had little influence on Kievan Russia
because Russia’s religion, culture, and economy
developed separately from Western Europe. Russia’s
focus was more on Central and Eastern Asia rather than
on Western Europe.
•Eventually Kievan Russia was conquered by the
Mongols in 1236 further orientating Russia towards the
East rather than the West.
The Americas – American civilizations during the
post-classical period developed elaborate cultural
systems, highly developed agricultural systems, build
large cities based on elaborate political and economic
organization, and practiced a form of polytheistic
religions. These civilizations were also isolated from
the rest of the global interchange of goods, people,
and ideas during the post-classical period.
China –
• The founding of the Sui dynasty by the Emperor Wendi
ended the period of political chaos which occurred after the fall
of the Qin-Han dynasties
•Emperor Wendi instituted a policy of reform which established
public granaries to relieve the threat of famine
•The Tang Empire exceeded the territory of the Han and
reformed the examination system so that a higher percentage
of members of the scholar gentry received office through the
examination system (although birth/family connections
continued to be important).
•While the early Tang Emperors adopted Buddhism,
Confucianists still had a great influence within the government.
As resentment against the economic power of the Buddhist
monasteries grew, later Tang rulers returned to Confucian
beliefs and practices and began to persecute Buddhists in
China. The result was that Confucianism remained the central
ideology in China until the 20th century.
•In the Song Dynasty, the scholar-gentry secured its position
over the aristocratic and Buddhists rivals.
•During the Song Dynasty, women’s status fell compared to
their status in the Tang Dynasty. Evidence of this fall in status
was the Song practice of footbinding, which effectively cause
the seclusion of women to their household
Japan – Buddhism played a key role in the spread of
Chinese culture/civilization to Japan in the postclassical period. One aspect of civilization that was
attempted but ultimately failed to take root was the
implementation of the Taika Reforms in 646 C.E.
which tried to establish a Chinese-like emperor with
strong central powers. Another attempt at strong
central government was attempted by the Ashikaga
Shogunate but this dynasty was ultimately overthrown
an replaced by the rule of four large aristocratic states
under the powerful bushi or warlords.
Korea - Proximity to China and the spread of
Buddhism played a key role in the spread of Chinese
culture/civilization to Korea in the post-classical period.
One aspect of Chinese civilization that took root in
Korea was the civil service examination; however,
admission to the bureaucracy was mainly based on
birth and not test scores
Vietnam – Vietnam for the most part successfully
resisted Chinese influence; however after Vietnam
independence was established, the Vietnamese rulers
retained the concept of a Chinese bureaucracy based
on the Confucian examination system.
•The Mongols , under Chinggis Khan, were tolerant of the religions of the people they conquered, although Chinggis Khan himself
retained his shamanistic beliefs
•The greatest social impact on Russia , as a result of the rule of the Golden Horde khanate, was the conversion of the free peasantry
to a life of serfdom. This was caused by the immense amount of tributary payments made to the Khanate by Russian principalities.
•The greatest political impact on China as a result of Mongol rule under the Yuan Dynasty , was the discontinuation of the examination
system. The exam system was ended because the Mongols wanted to reduce the power and influence of scholar-gentry.
•The Mongols unified China while preserving the key characteristics of Chinese bureaucracy
•Mongols also elevated the status of merchants due to the Mongols emphasis on trade
•The Columbian Exchange was the transfer of goods, people, animals, ideas, and diseases between the Eastern and Western
Hemispheres.
•The bringing of disease to the New World by European explorers and settlers caused the widespread deaths of native Americans
who were not immune to these diseases.
•The introduction of maize, or American corn, to Europe caused a major growth in population in Europe.
•While Spain initially benefitted the most from the exploration and settlement of the New World, it could not sustain its hold on a
position of dominance in world trade. This was due to the fact that its internal economy and banking system were not sufficient to
accommodate the vast amount of bullion coming from the New World. In addition, Spain lacked significant manufacturing capabilities
to truly exploit the colonies it had acquired.
•Economic systems were developed: mercantilism and capitalism. Mercantilism was based on state-control of overseas trade for the
purpose of building a favorable balance of trade and acquiring bullion to build and maintain a nation’s wealth and power. Capitalism
emphasizes a free market exchange of goods with limited government involvement
•The Atlantic Slave Trade involved Europeans buying African slaves from other Africans. The slaves which were sold were usually
prisoners of war captured by their African rivals and sold to the Europeans. Many of the slaves were men who were sent to the
Americas mainly to work cultivating cash crops in the New World colonies. This is different from the trans-Sahara slave trade which
involved mainly women who were to work in houses or as concubines. African slaves in the New World brought knowledge of
metallurgy and farming as well as many elements of their culture. Despite their enslavement, many Africans attempted to resist their
captivity either by refusing to work or through violence and mass revolt.
•England, France, and the Netherlands competed with Spain and Portugal for colonies. England and France in the New World, the
Dutch in the Spice Islands (modern-day Indonesia). The English were most successful in establishing colonies because they could
attract more permanent settlers.