Download River Valley to Empire

FROM RIVER VALLEYS TO
EMPIRES
The Classic Civilizations of
Persia, India, and China
Essential Question:
What is the difference between
a “river valley civilization” and
an “empire”?
After thousands of years of civilization in river valleys,
the world’s first empires appeared
River valley civilizations were complex societies with
advanced technologies, cities, workers, writing, and
institutions (religions and governments)
Like river valley
civilizations, empires
were advanced societies
with well-organized,
centralized governments
The difference is that
empires conquer and
rule over a variety of
formerly independent
people
“EMPIRE” defined: a
group of several
different nations or
people united and ruled
over by a monarch (like
an emperor or king)
The nations that are
ruled over obey and
serve the mother
country of the empire
In the first ancient
empire we learn about,
the mother country of
the empire was Persia
Persian Empire
Major Empires
Mauryan and Gupta
Empires in India
Han Dynasty
in China
Mesopotamia: River Valley to Empire
The fertile soil
and lack of
natural
boundaries (like
mountains) in
Mesopotamia
led to the
Mesopotamian
civilizations
being the target
of frequent
invasions and
conquests
One of the most important ancient empires was
Persia (present-day Iran)
The Persians grew into a
powerful empire under
Kings Cyrus and Darius
With a powerful army, the Persians conquered
Mesopotamia, Egypt, and India
The “10,000 Immortals”: Persia’s elite fighting force
Persia’s religion was Zoroastrianism (based on
the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster)
This religion viewed life as a struggle
between good and evil; the Persians
believed in Heaven and Hell as
consequences for how they lived their lives
Zoroastrianism influenced the views of the
afterlife in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
How
did
the
Persians
control
such
The Persian
Empire
at
its
Height
a massive empire?
PERSIA’S SYSTEM OF CONTROL
Persia controlled
their lands in a
variety of ways
Persian kings were
tolerant; they
allowed conquered
people to keep their
languages and
religions
This kept the
conquered people
content and less
likely to rebel
PERSIA’S SYSTEM OF CONTROL
Rather than
destroying or
looting
conquered
cities, King
Cyrus would
show respect
for local
customs
As the mother country of the empire, the
Persians were definitely in charge
However, life was tolerable under Persian rule,
so this made most conquered people content
THE PERSIAN EMPIRE AT THE HEIGHT OF ITS POWER
King Darius divided the empire into
twenty provinces, each one was ruled
by a satrap (local governor)
Satraps served PERSIA’S SYSTEM OF CONTROL
as the “eyes
and ears” of
the Persian
kings in their
respective
provinces
They collected
taxes from
the people of
the provinces
and informed
the king of
any uprisings
PERSIA’S ORGANIZED EMPIRE
The Persians built a network of roads in order
to collect taxes, improve communication,
and facilitate trade throughout their empire
PERSIA’S ORGANIZED EMPIRE
The Persians used metal coins with
standardized values to help promote trade
Empires in India: the
Mauryan and the Gupta
The Mauryan Empire of India
Indus River Valley
The Mauryan Empire of India
After the
river valley
era, India
transitioned
into the
Mauryan
Empire
Indus River Valley
Chandragupta
Maurya
became
king
of
India
in
The
Mauryan
Empire
of
India
321 BCE (Before Common Era), created a vast
army, and conquered surrounding lands
Chandragupta’s empire controlled most of the
Indian subcontinent
MAURYAN EMPIRE’S SYSTEM OF CONTROL
King Chandragupta
Maurya used
tactics similar to
the Persians’ to
control his empire
The king divided
his empire into
provinces, each
ruled by a local
prince that
reported to him
The Mauryan Empire of India
In 269 BCE, King Asoka took over; he
Indus River
expanded
theValley
Empire to its greatest extent
DuringEmpire
his warsof
of expansion,
The Mauryan
India
Asoka converted to Buddhism
After witnessing an extremely
bloody battle, Asoka developed
new policies of tolerance and
non-violence for his empire
Buddhism spread as a result
Indus
River Valley
of Asoka’s
influence
The Gupta Empire of India
After Asoka’s death, the Mauryan
Empire declined and was replaced
by the Gupta Empire
Chandra Gupta formed the
Gupta Empire in 320 A.D.
and expanded the empire
Gupta Empire: Classical India
India experienced a “golden age” of art,
learning, and science during the Gupta Empire,
which was known as a “classical empire”
Indian astronomers were the first to discover
that the Earth is round
Mathematicians invented modern numerals,
the number zero, pi, and the decimal system
Gupta Empire: Classical India
Merchants sold exotic spices and silks to people
throughout Asia and the Mediterranean world,
increasing India’s prosperity
Han Dynasty in China
China and the Dynastic Cycle
Government in China was based upon the
dynastic cycle:
One ruling family (a “dynasty”) gains the
“mandate of heaven”, then rules until the
dynasty
grows
weak and
is overthrown
As a result, eras in Chinese history are
named after the ruling dynasties (such as
Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han)
During the Han Dynasty, China became
a “classical civilization” marked by its
advanced government, trade, and technology
Han kings built a powerful army and expanded
into Asia to form China’s first empire
Chinese emperors added thousands of
government workers (called
bureaucrats) to collect taxes, enforce
laws, and oversee building projects
In order to gain one of the
130,000 government jobs, citizens
had to pass a civil service exam
Exams were based
on Confucian teachings
Han China: The First Chinese Empire
Chinese technology became advanced,
especially silk and paper making. Paper made
books cheaper and increased literacy in China
Han China: The First Chinese Empire
The desire for Chinese luxury goods led to the
Silk Road: trade routes that connected China
with Indians, Persians, and Mediterraneans
Closure Activity:
Identify 3 similarities and 3 differences among
the Persian, Indian, and Chinese empires