Topics for Review: Chapters 4 & 5

  • In what ways did the geography of the Mediterranean shape Classical Greece & Rome?
  • How did Greek politics resemble Indian politics in the Classical Era?
  • Explain the diversity of political systems that existed in Classical Greece
  • Compare American concepts of democracy to Athenian democracy
  • Features of Classical Greek philosophy + examples of Greek philosophers
  • Features of Classical Greek/Hellenistic science
  • What is Hellenism?
  • Characteristics of Classical Greek and Roman architecture + compare to Classical Chinese architecture
  • Identify & describe the social hierarchy of the Roman Empire
  • 3 phases of Roman government: Monarchy, Republic, & Imperial Rome + explain features of each
  • motivations for Roman territorial expansion
  • The Roman Empire eventually included territory in W.Europe, E.Europe, MidEast, & N.Africa
  • Functions of Imperial Rome’s government
  • Compare and contrast methods by which the Roman & Han governments attempted centralization
  • Citizenship requirements in Greece compared to Rome
  • Roman state religion + religious tolerance policy
  • Extent of Roman engineering and technological innovations
  • Roman slavery (roles? Impacts on Roman society?)
  • Compare & contrast coerced labor systems in Rome, China, & India
  • Identify key features of Christianity + explain the process of Christianity’s diffusion throughout the Middle East & Mediterranean
  • Constantine was the first emperor to convert to Christianity, thus making it more acceptable to be Christian in the Roman Empire (300s CE) + Theodosius made it official state religion of Roman Empire
  • The fundamental economic activity in India, China, & Rome was agriculture (most people were peasants in all 3)
  • Trade routes that linked Rome internally & with foreign regions/civilizations
  • Primary mode of transport for merchants on the Great Silk Road was by camel (Bactrian camels – the 2-humped variety)
  • Imports/Exports of the Roman Empire + unfavorable balance of international trade with Asian civilizations (Why?)
  • Buddhism diffused from South Asia to Southeast Asia (via Indian O. trade network) + to East Asia (via Great Silk Road)
  • Christianity diffused from Israel in the Middle East to regions around the Mediterranean [N.Africa, MidEast, E.Europe, W.Europe] (via the Mediterranean trade network + Roman roads network) + to Middle East (via Great Silk Road)
  • Missionaries, monastics (monks & nuns), & merchants diffused both religions
  • gov’t support of Buddhism by Ashoka + gov’t support of Christianity helped further diffuse these religions
  • Roles of St. Peter & St. Paul in diffusion Christianity within the Roman Empire
  • Compare & contrast features of Christianity, Hinduism, & Buddhism
  • What are monastics + examples of Classical era religions that had monastics
  • After c200 CE, increasing numbers of people in the Middle East, Europe, & North Africa began adopting monotheistic faiths
  • As religions diffused, syncretism occured. What is syncretism? Examples for this era?
  • What was the nature of contact that existed between the Roman Empire & Han China?
  • Polynesian migrations (who? Motivations for migrations? Nature of migrations? Into which region?)
  • Japanese religions during the Classical Era + describe
  • The first kingdoms in eastern Africa below the Sahara showed influence from which cultures?
  • Explain the division of the Roman Empire into Eastern & Western halves + impacts of this
  • Compare the causes and effects of the collapse of: Gupta India, Han China, & Imperial Rome (BIG!)
  • Different groups of Huns invaded the Han, Gupta, & Imperial Rome + what military advantage did the Huns have over the sedentary civilizations they invaded?
  • Describe the political situation in India after the collapse of the Gupta & Western Europe after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire
  • What cultural traditions continued after the invasion of China, India, & Western Europe by barbarians?
  • Reasons the Eastern Roman Empire experienced less decline than the Western Roman Empire