Classical Civilization (Ch. 2-5)

Classical Civilization (Ch. 2-5)

...is about exploring societies in China, India, and the Mediterranean that set the cultural, political, and economic foundations for civilizations in the centuries to come.

Overarching Ideas:

• Humans need to adapt to environments has necessitated technological innovation.
• Cultures spread through syncretism.
• Economic conditions and religion are key components in legitimizing or undermining government.
• Ever intensifying trade is a powerful force for social and political change.
• Social inequality is source of conflict yet ever-present in civilizations.

Objectives:

1. Describe the Qin/Han Empires, Maurya/Gupta Empires, Greco-Roman Empires.
2. Describe the beliefs of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, Greco-Roman philosophy, and Christianity.

Government

1. Explain how belief systems legitimize social and political power.
2. Analyze the methods of political control developed by broad regional classical empires.

Interactions

1. Describe the trade networks that linked regions, civilizations, and civilizations to the nomadic world.
2. Analyze the political, social, and economic role of cities in the classical period.
3. Analyze the methods and impact of social hierarchy on elites, lower classes, and women.
4. Analyze the impact of interregional trade networks.
5. Compare the spread of Christianity and Buddhism.

Decline

1. Debate the extent to which classical empires caused their own demise.
2. Compare the causes of imperial decline and its severity in the Roman Empire, Han Empire, and Gupta Empire.

Key Concepts:

Explain the definition, role, and significance of…

Dynasty
Zhou
Qin
Han
Shi Huangdi
Dynastic cycle
Mandate of Heaven
Civil service exam system
Bureaucrats
Scholar-gentry
Legalism
Daoism
Laozi
Confucius
Five relationships
Filial piety / Monsoons
Aryans
Sanskrit
Vedas
Hinduism
Reincarnation
Karma
Caste system
Untouchables
Brahmins
Maurya
Ashoka
Gupta
Siddhartha Gautama
Buddhism
Four Noble Truths
Eightfold Path / Phoenicia
City-state
Athens
Sparta
Direct democracy
Alexander the Great
Hellenism
Roman republic
Roman empire
Julius Caesar
Augustus
Constantine
Senate
Judaism
Christianity
Jesus / Constantine
Monastic life
Silk Road
Trans-Saharan Trade network
Indian Ocean network
Mediterranean network

China

Key Places:

Locate on the map…

Tibet
Gobi desert
Mongolia
Manchuria
Korea
Japan
Han Empire
Silk Road / Himalaya
Huang He River
Yangtze River
Takla Makan desert

Guided Timeline:

China
1500 – 1029
1000 BCE / 1029 –
771
770 –
403
402 –
221
221 – 202
202 BCE –
9 CE
0 / 25 –
220
220 –
589
600CE / 589 – 618

India

Key Places:

Locate on the map…

Himalaya
Hindu Kush
Khyber pass
IndusRiver
GangesRiver
Maurya empire
Gupta empire
Wet monsoon winds
Indian Ocean trade routes

Guided Timeline:

China / India
Shang
1500 – 1029 / 1500 – 1000
1000 BCE / Zhou
1029 –
258 / 1000 – 600
563 – 483
327 – 325
322 – 232
Qin
221 – 202
Han
202 BCE –
220 CE / 200 BCE –
220 CE
0
Disunity
220 –589 / 220 – 320
320 – 535
600CE / Sui
589 – 618

Mediterranean

Key Places:

Locate on the map…

Mediterranean sea
Sahara
Persia
Athens
Sparta
Greece
Rome
Constantinople
Roman empire / Hellenistic empires
Near East
Iberian Peninsula
North Africa

Guided Timeline:

China / India / Mediterranean
Shang
1500 – 1029 / Vedic Age
1500 – 1000
1000 BCE / Zhou
1029 –
258 / Epic Age
1000 – 600
800 – 600
Buddha
563 – 483 / 509
470 – 430
327 – 325 / 338 – 100
Maurya
322 – 232
Qin
221 – 202
Han
202 BCE –
220 CE / Kushans
200 BCE –
220 CE
27 BCE – 180 CE
0
180 – 476
Disunity
220 –589 / Disunuity
220 – 320
Gupta
320 – 535
476 – 1453
600CE / Sui
589 – 618