Unit 2: Classical Civilizations

Anatolia

Anatolia was a place in Asia, surrounded by the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Aegean Sea. In the 6th century Anatolia was conquered by the Achaemenids, until Alexander the Great conquered it in the 4th century BCE. When he died, the Hellenisti

Achaemenid Emperors Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes

Cyrus ruled from 558-530 BCE, and was the king of the Persian Tribes. He was often called Cyrus the Shepherd, in reference to his native lands economy. However, he set up the foundation for the Persian Empire through military conquests. Soon, he had under

Persian Empires

Seleucid, Parthian, Sasanid: After Alexander, the Persian Empire was divided into three parts. The biggest one was given to Seleucus, who reigned from 305-281 BCE, and was a commander in Alexanders army. He and his successors kept the same administration

Zoroastrianism/Zarathustra

There is little information surviving about Zarathustra, but it is believed that he lived around the 6th century BCE. He was most likely a priest who was dissatisfied with the traditional religious practices of sacrifices and rituals. Around the age of 20

Satrapy

Under the rule of Darius, the Persian Empire was divided into 23 satrapies, which were administrative and taxation districts ruled by satraps. The Achaemenids filled most of the positions below the satraps with local officials so as not to push direct rul

Confucius/ the Analects

Confucius was the first Chinese thinker who addressed the problem of social and political order. He lived from 551-479 BCE, and was from an aristocratic family in northern China. After failing to obtain an influential post at the Lu court, Confucius left

Daoism and Wuwei

The founder of Daoism was a man named Laozi who lived during the 6th century BCE. Like Confucianism, Daoism was brought about by the social and political unrest following the Zhou dynasty. The fundamental concept of Daoism was dao, which meant "the way of

Legalism

One of the main founders of legalism was Shang Yang who lived from 390-338 BCE. The legalists did not care about principles or nature, or about morals or ethics. The only thing they cared about was expanding and strengthening the state, no matter the cost

Qin Dynasty/ Qin Shihuandi

In the 3rd and 4th centuries BCE, the Qin state went through some very important changes to its military, economy, and its politics. Shang Yang's policies boosted agriculture, weakened the aristocrats economic power, and established a centralized bureaucr

Han Dynasty - Han Wudi and Liu Bang

After the fall of the Qin dynasty, the policy of a centralized government immediately returned due in part to Liu Bang. By 206 BCE he had once again restored order in China, and was now the head of the new dynasty. The Han dynasty lasted for more than 400

Wang Mang

In 6 CE when a two year old boy was supposed to inherit the throne, a Han minister by the name of Wang Mang stepped in as his regent. Many people thought that Wang Mang did a much better job at ruling than any of the other Hans, and encouraged him to clai

Sericulture

Sericulture is the manufacturing of silk. People had been practicing sericulture since the 4th millennium BCE, but during the Han dynasty it spread to all parts of China. Chinese silk was considered to be better than silk made elsewhere because of China's

Yellow Turban Uprising

The Yellow Turban Uprising was caused by the Han dynasty's failure to address the land distribution problems. Peasants steadily grew angrier and angrier, which sparked the Yellow Turban Uprising. It got it's name because of the yellow turbans worn by the

Gupta Dynasty

The founder of the Gupta dynasty was Chandra Gupta, who established his kingdom in 320 CE. The dynasty was based in Magadha, which dominated the Ganges valley, and was an intermediary between different parts of the subcontinent. Chandra Gupta's successors

Siddhartha Gautama

Siddhartha Gautama was the founder of Buddhism. He was born in 563 BCE into a wealthy kshatriya family, and only ever experienced happiness. However, he began to grow tired of his pampered life, and on four separate outings he saw an old man, a sick man,

Buddhism

Buddhism was created by Siddhartha Gautama in around 528 BCE. It rapidly became popular, and its followers were made into monks with only a robe and a bowl to their name. For over 40 years the Buddha and his followers traveled through northern India attem

Baghavad Gita

The Baghavad Gita, meaning "the song of the lord", was a book of poems that told what to expect from Hinduism. Though it was uncertain who wrote this collection of Hindu works, scholars have found that it was written by more than one person. The Baghavad

Chandragupta Maurya, Ashoka, ahimsa

Chandragupta Maurya was the first emperor of the Mauryan Dynasty in India. He took over by 321BC, overthrowing the previous dynasty. Chandragupta was probably most well known for unifying almost all of India. He expanded the kingdom through wars of conque

Mahayana vs. Theravada Buddhism

There were two kinds of Buddhists a person could be. Mahayana, meaning "the greater vehicle" and Theravada (also known as Hinayana) meaning "the lesser vehicle" were the two choices. Theravada was the older and more traditional version of Buddhism. It was

Jainism

Jainism first appeared in the 7th century BC, but didn't become popular until Vardhamana Mahariva converted to Jainism around the 6th century BC. Mahavira, meaning "the great hero", was born into a wealthy northern Indian family in 540BC. He spent most of

Alexander the Great

Alexander was the son of King Philip II, ruler of Macedon. When Philip was assassinated in 336BC, the throne was turned over to Alexander. His father had conquered Greek after it was weakened from the Peloponnesian War, but Persia still remained unconquer

Sparta and Athens

Sparta was a city-state in Greece in the region of the Peloponnesus. During the 7th and 8th centuries BC, they became increasingly more populated, and their economy expanded greatly. Because of this they became much more powerful, and eventually turned th

Solon & Pericles

During the early 6th century, the people of Athens were complaining more and more about the growing line between the rich and the poor. The aristocratic land owners were taking over the small plots owned by others not as wealthy, making them poorer and po

Peloponnesian War

Fearing the threat of the Persians attacking, all the city states formed the Delian League which was an alliance between all of the states, including Athens and Sparta. The poleis gave money to the League which went into Athens treasury. But instead of us

Delian League

The Delian League was an alliance between the Greek poleis after the conflicts with Persians that occurred in 480BC. To protect themselves from future attacks, the poleis all contributed money to the League, which was then put in the Athenian treasury for

Socrates, Plato, & Aristotle

Born in 470BC, Socrates was an influential philosopher and scientist of the classical Greek world. He disagreed with the earlier thoughts of Greek scientists, who were trying to understand the natural world. Socrates, on the other hand thought human affai

Punic Wars

Between 264BC and 146BC, the Romans and Carthaginians fought three battles against each other. Disagreements first began between the two since there was economic competition over Sicily because of their supply of grain. Eventually, the Romans won the batt

Hellenic vs. Hellenistic

The people that lived in classical Greece before the conquests of Philip of Macedon are known as the Hellenic people. The Hellenic Greeks were isolated and there were no influences on it by any outside forces. During the Hellenic period, which was about 7

Ptolemaic & Antigonid Empires

When Alexander the Great died, his Hellenistic kingdom was split into three regions in 275BC, and the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt was the wealthiest of these. Ruled by Ptolemy, the empire governed Egypt until the Romans invaded in 31BC. Egyptian society was

Bactria

Bactria, now modern day Afghanistan, was inhabited by the Greeks of the Hellenistic Empire in a colony on the Oxus River. This colony, called Ai Khanum, may have been founded by Alexander the Great or Seleucus after Alexander's death. In 250BC the colony

Sappho

Sappho was a famous female poet who wrote around 600BC. Being aristocratic, Sappho could get an education and learn how to read, unlike other Greek women who weren't wealthy enough to learn. Sappho invited girls into her house to give them music and liter

Roman Republic vs. Roman Empire

The Roman Republic originated in 509BC when they replaced the last Etruscan king. The Romans used an aristocratic republic as their government system. All of the classes had a representative in the government, including the plebeians who eventually got te

Augustus (r. 31 BCE - 14 CE)

Octavian was Julius Caesar's nephew and adopted son. He eventually became Rome's first emperor thirteen years after his father's assassination in 44 B.C.E.. His coronation was prolonged due to civil turmoil. In 31 B.C.E., Octavian defeated his rival, Mark

Pax Romana

The era of pax romana, or "Roman Peace", was stimulated by Augustus's rein. The pax romana was a 250-year period of stability and prosperity in the Roman Empire from 27 B.C.E. - 180 B.C.E.. Due to the end of civil disputes in Rome the pax r

Latifundia

The Roman Mediterranean expanded economically and socially as the state itself expanded. As trade increased, people had to keep up with the demand of products. Wealthy elites created the latifundia, large crop plantations employed by slaves, which were us

Gracchi Brothers

The Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, were chief proponents of social reform. They strived to redistribute land equally between the upper and lower classes. Their efforts were similar to those of Wang Mang from the Chinese Han Dynasty. The st

Jesus of Nazareth

Jesus of Nazareth was a compelling Jewish teacher whom Christians recognized as their savior. He was born around 4 B.C.E. and was crucified in the early 30s C.E.. Jesus' teachings taught the devotion of God and love for humans. He was a wise and peaceful

Old Testament vs. Torah 47,48 vs. New Testament 283

The Old Testament is a collection of books that records the history of Hebrews and their sacred writings. It makes up the first half of the Christian Bible. The Torah is a compilation of the Israelites' teachings and scriptures. Religious Israelite leader

Paul of Tarsus

Paul of Tarsus was the primary figure in the extension of Christianity outside of Judaism. Paul's method of teaching Christianity attracted many urban people. His teachings urged followers' to put faith above their personal lives and to worship God as the

Jewish War of 66 - 70 CE

The Jewish War was brought on by religious tensions between the Jews and the Roman Empire. Occasionally and empire would force their subject to worship emperors as divinities. The Jews are a strictly monotheistic group, recognizing Yahweh as their only di

Silk Road

While the empires expanded, the term "long-distance trade" changed dramatically as well. As the growth occurred, merchants began creating vast networks of trade routes linking Eurasia and the northern part of Africa. These trade routes were called silk ro

Manichaeism

Manichaeism was a faith that contained aspects of Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Christianity. It was created by a prophet named Mani, who was originally devoted to the Zoroastrian faith. Manichaeism was spread through the oasis towns along the silk roads.

Epidemic Diseases

Around the second and third centuries C.E., the Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire were struck by a widespread epidemic. The diseases included smallpox, measles, and the bubonic plague. The epidemic took toll on the population of the empires. Million of peo

Diocletian

The Roman Empire was experiencing internal turbulence. Emperor Diocletian who reigned from 284 - 305 B.C.E., tried to alleviate tension by dividing the empire into two districts. A co-emperor ruled each district along with a lieutenant and officials. Dioc

The Huns

The Huns were an aggressive nomadic group that originated from central Asia. They spoke a Turkish language and were thought to be cousins of the Xiongnu people. The Huns began migrating westward and in the mid-fifth century, became an undefeatable militar

Augustine

St. Augustine was the most influential of the elites who took an interest in Christianity during the fourth century. He lived from 354 - 430 C.E., and was a bishop of Hippo, a North African city. Augustine was very intellectual and he drew inspiration fro

Fall of Han

The collapse of the Chinese Han Dynasty occurred in 220 C.E.. A considerable factor of the collapse was the internal pressures and the development of factions among elites. People became selfish and were only interested in their own desires. Much fighting

Fall of Rome

The collapse of the Roman Empire occurred in 476 C.E.. Rome's decline was similar to the decline of the Han Dynasty. Rome faced internal conflicts such as the "barrack emperors" who divided the empire and fought for power. The empire was very large and wa