The Barbarians are Coming (300-700 CE)

Barbarians invade classical civilizations~ Rome, China, India, Mesopotamia (Persia)

 

Background: There are a lot of tribes who are not civilized all over the world. They are not civilized because they:

            Why some did civilize and some didn’t:

                        Lack of writing system

                        Lack of cultural revolution/ agricultural revolution

                        Not settling down

                        No animal/ plant domestication

            Geography cause

                        Freedom of movement

                        Religious beliefs never pushed them to settle

·        Did religion cause people to settle or did settlements inspire religion?

The Huns- Mongolia

            Attila the Hun (leader)

                        Conquered Hungary, went to northern Italy, parts of France, almost to Rome

                        Developed war

                        Doesn’t conquer Rome- pope convinces Attila: you destroy Rome, God destroys you (also paid him off)(430 CE)

                        Conquered Persia and Northern India

Goths

            Conquered/ finished off Roman Empire

            Franks (founded France)

Islam

632 CE- Muhammad start Muslim- conquers Spain, Middle East, N India

 

Persian Empire (500 BCE- 500 AD)

-conquered Middle East except for Egypt and Greece

built the Great Royal Road

Background:

            Persia <- Mesopotamia

            Greatest Mes. Era Empire

            “Classical” period

Cyrus the Great

            Tolerant- after conquering, still allowed diff peoples to keep culture

            Greeks called “Law-giver”

Darius the Great (526- 485 BCE)

            Built Persepolis (capital) (now SW Iran)

            Iron for tools

            Extended empire to Indus River

            Built canal: Egypt

            Districts (Satrapies) organized

            Built bureaucracy

            Tax-collecting system

            Complex postal system

            Created currency

            Royal Road system (529 BCE)

                        Unified Meso. Culture

                        1600 miles: Greece to Persia

Xerxes (486-465 BCE)

            Made people in empire adapt Persian values

            People rebelled

Persian Wars (500-479 BCE)

            Greeks vs. Persia

            Battle of Marathon- Greeks defeat Persians

                        Biggest opp. for Middle Eastern culture to reach Europe

                        Greeks win- W. Civilization secured

200 years- chaos and confusion

Alex the Great

            Conquers Greece, Persia (330 BCE)

Zarathustra (Zoroaster) Religion (6 BCE)

            Monotheistic

            Good vs. evil: eternal battle, good eventually wins (after 12,000 years)

            Ahura Mazda “holy spirit”; Ahriman “destructive spirit”

            Priest is magi (3 wise men from Christ birth story = Zoroastrian)

            Enjoy life- material possessions ok

            Sense good vs. evil

BIG DEALs

            Uniting culture (minus China)

            Royal road/ taxation

            Zoroastrianism- sense good vs. evil

            Infrastructure= awesome

 

Cross Cultural exchanges on the Silk Road

Long distance travel

            No police to keep order

            Changed in Classical Period

                        Improvement of infrastructure

                        Development of empires

Classic Period Empires/ Rulers/ Accomplishments

            Greece- gov’t, philosophy, architecture

            China- Han, Great Wall

            Rome- Caesar Augustus, Julius

Trade Networks

            Trade increase: Greek colonization

            Road/ bridge maintenance

            Discovery- monsoon wind patterns

            Increased tariff revenues use to maintain open routes

Trade (all led to development of productive merchant class in each classical civilization)

            India- spices, peppers, cosmetics, gems, pearls

            Persia, Egypt- grain

            Mediterranean- wine, oil, jewelry, art

Silk Road

            China to Rome

            Named for principal commodity- China

            Dependent on imperial stability

            Sea Lanes/ Maritime trade too

            Chinese used silk as currency

Organization- Long-distance trade

            Divided into small segments

            Tariffs/ tolls finance local supervision

            Tax income incentives maintain safety, maintenance of passage along route

Cultural Trade

            Merchants carried religious ideas along silk routes

            Cosmopolitan centers promote development of monasteries to shelter traveling merchants

            Buddhism becomes dominant faith

End of Classical Era empires

Rome and Han- internal weakness

India, Mauryan, Gupta and Greeks- regional factions, White Huns

Sassanid, Funan and Kushan- buffer states

 

Hegemony- one dominant power that makes everyone form to their will (through culture,

Wars, religions, empowerment of certain beliefs, values, and practices)

Pre-Empire States

            China

                        Shang (1750- 1100)- intro of writing

                        Zhou (100-221)- establishment of Confucianism and Taoism

                        Qin/ Chin (221-206)

                                    1^st unified Chinese states

                                    Origin of name of China

                                    Legalism

                                    Built Great Wall

Rome- Pax Romana (27BCE – 180 CE)

            August’s reign- “Golden Age of Rome”

                        Establish law, civil order

                        Rome- international city

                        Public works: aqueducts, public baths, theatres, marketplaces, roads, and                                  libraries

                        Economy rest on slavery- slaves could buy freedom

India- Pax Gupta

            *Freedom of movement                        *free hospitals

            *Rare crime                                          *low taxes

            *Excellent administration                       *welfare systems

China- Pax Sinica

            Chin (Han) Empire

                        *ONE ORDER                        *terrific art

                        *Built Great Wall                      *legalism

Greatest trade of ancient empire (Silk Road)

Evolution to Empires

1. Nomadic tribes
2. Agriculture
3. Urbanization- city-states, need for protection
4. Armies, gender roles/ social class change
5. Order and centralization, religion
6. Exploit natural resources
7. Defend themselves against civil and external war (dictatorships)
8. Technology and government
9. Become too big (geographically): get crushed from outside or too complacent and die out
1. Lack of morals
2. Political corruption
3. Public health
4. Unemployment
5. Inflation
6. Etc….

 

Africa- South America- Central America

-Begins along S. Nile with Nubia lives off Nile same was as Egypt (Agriculture)

-9000bce, they were hunters, nomads, and gatherers.

-5000bce small kingdoms, regional rulers sudan area

-separation of S. Africa and N and E Africa

 

Africa:

            Bantu               Niger Congo

            Egypt               Sudan

            Nubia               Kushite

Meso Americas:

            Olmecs Mayans

S. America:

            Andians -> Incas

Africa

Nubia (900 BCE)

            Grow b/c of Nile agriculture/floods

            Begins along S. Nile

            7500 BCE- settle down, begin farming

                        Sorghum: grain (main crop)

            5000 BCE- small kingdom

                        Sudan Area

Bantu (4000 BCE)

            W. Africa

            Speak Niger-Congo

            Founders of Sub-Saharan tribes

            Villagers

                        Canoes

                        Sorghum and millet (primary crops)

                        Goats and poultry

                        Traded for pig game w/ the Pygmies

            3000 BCE- spread out

            2000 BCE- crossed continent to Lake Victoria

            1000 BCE- down to S. Africa

            Great farmers: surplus food for travel

            Also 1000: begin using iron

Kush

            Kenya and Tanzania area is where they settled

            Migrate S: run into Bantu

            Pantheists- many gods who’re all one

            Animists

South and Central America

Central:

            Olmecs (8000 BCE)

                        Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador

                        Nomadic hunger-gatherers

                        Begin agriculture- beans, pepper, and avocados

                        4000 BCE- corn (maize)

                        3000 BCE- villages

                        Eat turkey and dogs

                        1000 BCE- develop religion with temples

                        Really big stone heads

                        500 BCE- burn cities and leave

Oceana and Australia

60000 BCE (according to carbon dating) – people in Guinea

Arrive in watercraft

3000 BCE- agriculture started, building villages

Eat yams, taroah, pigs, chicken, sometimes great than ten foot kangaroo

1500 BCE- travel island to island in S. Pacific

Lapita (1500-500 BCE)

            500- spread out; bye-bye civilizations