Download Differences between Classical and Preceding Era

Classical Civilizations
East and South Asia
Differences between Classical
and Preceding Era
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Shift in geographical location
Larger territories and political structures
Increasingly sophisticated religions and philosophies
Expansion of scientific knowledge
Absorption / integration of diverse populations
 Integration caused the growth of empires, trade, and the
creation of cultural systems to bind the different peoples
together (state ideology)
Differences between Classical
and Preceding Era
 Expansion resulted from and in population growth. Farmers
migrated to new lands, trade centers grew in far-off colonies,
and the military established settlements
 Each classical civilization was a separate entity though there
was trade between them. What occurred within each civilization
makes this period what it is, not the interaction between them
The Zhou Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty
The Han Dynasty
1029 – 258 BCE
Geographical shift to Middle Kingdom
Weak feudal government – ruled
through alliances and nobility
Legitimacy of rule through Mandate of
Heaven
Emperors – Sons of Heaven
Unified population through use of
language (Mandarin Chinese)
Technologically advanced
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Compass
Kite
Mould board plow
Planting in rows versus broadcast
Era of the Warring States
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Failure of Zhou feudalism
Last half of the Zhou Dynasty
Emperor – figurehead
Ultimate power gained by Qin
 By tradition, society was believed to be comprised of five
classes, ranked in order of their value to the state (ideal versus
real)
• Scholars- knowledge was revered
• Farmers- they produced what was necessary for life
• Artisans- they produced what was useful but not necessary
• Merchants- they did not produce anything themselves
• Soldiers, beggars, thieves, and bandits- they destroyed or
stole what was produced by others
• The lowest class contained the “mean” people, who had no
skills, and slaves
 Confucius, a poor member of
the lesser aristocracy,
wandered from state to state
attempting to find a lord that
would allow him to try out his
ideas on reforming society.
He failed in his mission
 He made his real
contribution as a teacher.
His conversations with his
disciples were recorded in
The Analects
 Confucianism was profoundly influenced by the
chaos wrought by the Era of the Warring States
 Confucianism stressed personal virtue, respect for
the social hierarchy (the five relationships), duty,
obedience, and ethics
 Confucianism became the predominate philosophy of
China and areas it influenced
 Daoism was a more spiritual philosophy that
emphasized harmony and the mystery of nature
 Established around the same time as Confucianism,
it ensured China would not be unified by religion
 Daoism was allowed to flourish for it posed no threat
to the state. Formal rituals made the religion
appealing
 Daoism argued against political participation
 A third philosophy sprang up around the time of
Confucianism and Daoism- Legalism
 Legalists believed man was evil by nature and had to
be restrained by force and constantly disciplined
 Legalism was used by Chinese rulers to justify harsh
treatment of the people
 It was not a popular philosophy but did influence
Chinese development
Dynasty established and ruled by Qin
shi Huangdi (first true emperor)
Attempted expansion through conquest
Adopted Legalism as state ideology –
persecuted intellectuals
Began construction of the Great Wall
 Adopted national
census to determine
taxes and labor service
 Standardized weights,
measures, and coins
 Adopted a single
uniform writing system
 Promoted the
manufacture of silk
Qin “knife” money
201 BCE to 220 CE
Retained Qin centralized government
• Expanded and solidified role of
bureaucracy
• Established civil service exam
• Based civil service on ideals of
Confucianism
• Began development of scholar-gentry class
Expanded trade on Silk Road – trade
contacts with India and Rome
Expanded into Korea, Southeast Asia,
and Central Asia
Great peace and prosperity under rule
of Wu Ti
Dynasty based on small independent
farmer – changed over time to
domination by large landowners
Constant threats by northern tribes
Increasing burdens on poor caused
revolts
Cost of maintaining border security
Increased government corruption
Vedic and Epic Ages
Migration of Aryans
Geographical shift to Ganges River
Emergence of the Caste System
dominated by the Aryans
Syncretization of native Dravidian and
Aryan religions creates Hinduism
Aryans shift to the
Ganges River
 The Vedas were a collection
of hymns about the gods,
written by various priests
 Most of Indian history from
the Vedic period comes
through oral history that was
passed down and later
written in Sanskrit
 The name Veda comes from
the Sanskrit meaning
“knowledge.”
Shiva
 Later, during the Epic Age,
great poems were written
that glorified Indian heroes.
The Ramayana and
Mahabharata are the most
famous of these
 These epics eventually took
on a religious significance
and became the “bible for
lower castes
 The Upanishads took epic
poetry to even more mystical
and religious heights
Krishna
Originally based on varna
Later based on occupation
Caste is hereditary
Inter-marriage forbidden
Thousands of sub-castes (Jati)
Movement in system by group only
Most content – system offers security
The caste system finally became a rigid social
hierarchy.
Level 1: The Brahmins (priests)
Level 2: The Kshatriyas (warriors/nobles)
Level 3: The Vaisyas (traders and farmers)
Level 4: The Sudras (common laborers)
Outcastes: This group evolved to include those that
worked at “unclean” occupations and are not officially
part of the caste system. They are also known as the
Untouchables, Dasa, and Dalits
 The Aryans brought with them to India a wide
range of gods and goddesses. Eventually,
their religion mixed with that of the native
population to produce Hinduism
 In fact, Hinduism was very flexible and
changed as the situation warranted
 Hinduism was also tolerant of other religions
and several religions sprang from it including
Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism
 Major Hindu principles include
• Brahma - the universal force or essence of which everything
is a part
• Atman – the individual soul
• Reincarnation - based on your deeds in life you would be
reborn at a higher or lower level until you reached union with
Brahma
• Yoga - “union” of mind and spirit through meditation
• Dharma - divine law that required different actions by
different people
• Karma - the force of a person’s actions that determined their
rebirth in the next life
 Tensions within Hinduism
sometimes resulted in
rebellions
 After the Epic Age, around
563 BC, an Indian prince,
Siddhartha Gautama, broke
off from Hinduism
 Called Buddha (the
enlightened one), Gautama
traveled and spread his
ideas
 Basic principles of Buddhism:
 Buddha emphasized the supreme divinity over the
many lesser gods
 The ultimate goal was the destruction of self and
union with the divine essence called Nirvana
 Great stress was placed on self-control
 He believed anyone could reach a holy life despite
caste
 Chandragupta seized control of India along the
Ganges in 322 BC (Alexander the Great)
 Established the Mauryan Dynasty
 Chandragupta relied on the military to remain in
power much like leaders in Mesopotamia
 His grandson, Ashoka, became the greatest ruler in
Indian history (269- 232 BC)
The Mauryan Dynasty at its
height
 Ashoka’s accomplishments
• He expanded control over most of India
• Converted to Buddhism (emphasis on Dharma- the law of
moral consequences)
• While honoring Hinduism, Ashoka facilitated the spread of
Buddhism throughout his realm
• He worked for the welfare of his people and built roads with
wells and rest stops
 After Ashoka’s death, the Mauryan dynasty declined
and finally fell to nomadic invaders called the Kushan
(from Turkestan)
 The Kushan continued trade links with other
civilizations including the Roman Empire
 The collapse of the Kushans around 220 AD initiated
a period of chaos that lasted until 320 AD and the
establishment of the Kingdom of the Guptas
 Although no great rulers such as Ashoka emerged,
the Kingdom of the Guptas did have an impact
 The Guptas used negotiations and intermarriage to
expand influence instead of war and their period was
one of peace and prosperity
 The Guptas did not establish a large bureaucracy,
preferring to rule through local elites
 This loose governmental structure did not promote
cultural unity- no single language emerged
 The Guptas did establish a uniform code of law but the
government structure was not elaborate and relied more on
regionalism
 The caste system helped in this for it maintained public order
without the need for government
 Trade with Rome drained Rome of specie causing the Roman
emperor to ban the wearing of silk
 Small colonies of Romans, Jews, Arabs, and Christians were
established in India
 Unlike the other classical civilizations, the Guptas fell mainly due
to invasion of the White Huns
 Indians astronomers identified seven planets,
calculated the daily rotation of the earth on its axis,
developed a theory of gravity, and calculated the
length of the solar year
 They invented inoculation against smallpox
 They made advances in surgery and bone setting
 The Indian number system is the one we use today.
They invented the concept of zero and the decimal
system
 Indians developed the concept of negative numbers,
calculated square roots and a table of sines, and
computed the value of pi to a greater degree of
accuracy than the Greeks
 Indian steel was better than any produced elsewhere
 The Indians were the first to produce cotton cloth,
calico, and cashmere
 The Indians were lively
traders and traveled
extensively throughout South
and Southeast Asia, China,
the Middle East, and the
Mediterranean
 The Indians did not seek to
dominate politically but their
influence was felt in all
facets of life
 Buddhism and Hinduism
spread to many areas as did
Indian art and architecture
Angkor Wat - Cambodia
1. How did Chinese emperors legitimize their rule?
2. How did the Zhou unify their peoples?
3. What type of government did the Zhou have?
4. What was the Era of the Warring States?
5. What philosophy stressed a hierarchy of
relationships?
6. What was the lowest class in the Chinese social
system?
7. What Chinese philosophy argued that man was
evil by nature?
8. What dynasty succeeded the Zhou?
9. Who was its ruler?
10. How did he address the issue of China’s
perennially weak northern borders?
11. What was his state’s philosophy?
12. How did his government differ from that of the
Zhou?
13. How did Han China increase the efficieny of its
bureaucracy?
14. What philosophy was used a basis for the
bureaucracy?
15. What social class emerged out of the Han
bureaucracy?
16. What trade route greatly increased China’s
importance in long-distance trade?
17. During what two ages did the Aryan and
Dravidian cultures blend to create Hinduism and the
Caste System?
18. The Caste System was initially based on…
19. List the castes in their proper order from
highest to lowest
20. During the classical period, Indian civilization
shifted from the Indus to the…
21. Who founded Buddhism?
22. List two beliefs Buddhism and Hinduism have
in common
23. Of the three classical Indian civilizations,
which had the most centralized government?
24. Who was India’s greatest ruler?
25. In what Indian civilization did Buddhism reach
its zenith?
26. Describe the government of the Guptas
27. What caused the fall of the Guptas?
28. What was most responsible for the spread of
Indian culture throughout Southeast Asia?
29. One difference between classical civilizations
and river-valley civilizations was that in
classical civilizations
a. Most people farmed the land
b. Political organizations were more elaborate
c. Trade was introduced
d. Writing was developed
e. Religious beliefs were widely held
30. Confucian and Hindu values both
a. Focused attention on the afterlife
b. Helped justify and preserve social inequality
c. Urged the importance of political activity
d. Tried to outlaw war
e. Resulted in the building of magnificent temples