Organization and Reorganization of Human Society 600 B

Organization and Reorganization of Human Society 600 B. C. E to 600 C. E Richard Tran Juan Hernandez Terry Nguyen Lily Silva Jovan Wettach

Overview of Human Societies from 600 B. C. E to 600 C. E ❏ ❏ ❏ ❏ States and empires beginning to grow and prosper. New kings and empires gained control their lands in reach they ruled Contacts and religions grew as the world was explored and settled. Those who shared the same beliefs worked together, but those who differed had many conflicts. Then as the settled new nations had their population rise, the nations quested for land, wealth, and security. Each having it’s own power. The nations expanded at the cost of others and with some the expanded territories were the causes of political, cultural, and administrative problems that crippled them. Those that survived had long distance trade, the need for luxury goods, and the need for raw materials all increase. This exchanging caused the masses of all trading nations to be linked, and their ideas, cultures, materials, and diseases shared between each.

2. 1 Development and Codification of Religious and Cultural Traditions. ● Influenced and reinforced political, economical, and occupational stratification ● Military and legal structures begin to manipulate and merge with religious concepts to control power of society ● Generate conflict between various groups

I. Religion development provides bonds and ethical codes ● Religion reflects culture ● Core beliefs of Hinduism: ❏ social/political roles ❏ Development of caste system, which consisted of the Bhramin, Kshatryia, Viasya, Sudra, and the “Untouchables” ❏ Religion begins to reflect the beginnings of present social stratification ❏ Promote teachings of reincarnation (encourage education/literacy)

Judaism o Monotheistic beliefs of Judaism originated back to the Hebrew Scriptures § Therefore, Judaism was influenced by Mesopotamian cultural and legal traditions o Assyrian, Babylonian, and Roman empires conquest of various Jewish states contribute to the growth of Jewish diasporic communities throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean

II. Spread and Emergence of New Belief Systems and Cultural Traditions Development and Effects of Buddhism ● The core beliefs the Buddha preached, which emphasized desire, suffering, and the search for enlightenment, were partially reactions to South Asian Vedic beliefs and rituals. ● Buddhism changed over time as it spread through Asia ○ First through support of Mauryan Emperor Ashoka ○ This was followed by support/spread due to missionaries and merchants

● Initially, Christianity sprung from Judaism, and rejected Roman and Hellenistic influences ● Despite initial Roman imperial hostility, merchants and missionaries were quick to spread Christianity throughout Afro-Eurasia ● Eventually gain Roman imperial support by 311 C. E.

III. Gender Roles, Monastic life, and Filial piety ● Gender roles ● The women stayed home to cook, clean, raise children, and supervise the servants ● Men spent the day outdoors attending to work or political responsibilities, dined with male friends at night, and slept alone in the men’s quarters

● Monastic life ● Buddhism encouraged monastic life through many stories that have been told about Siddhartha Gautama ● Christianity encouraged monastic life through nuns ● Filial Piety ● Confucianism emphasized filial piety by the new gentry class

IV. Religious and Cultural traditions A. Shamanism and Animism ● Shamanism: An animistic belief system that the class of shamans are able to intercede between humanity and powerful good and evil spirits. ● The important classes of shamans and healers attached to the elite organized religious life and provided practical advice about the periodic rains essential to agricultural life ● Animism: Belief that nature itself and everything in nature owns a soul. ● Divination: the ability to gain knowledge through supernatural omens, oracles, or other means.

V. Artistic Expressions ● Often literature was influenced by cultural references of neighboring states ● European writers and philosophers often sought from each other’s works to inspire individual works ○ This created a broader spectrum of literature and critical thinking ● Distinctive architectural styles developed ● The transition and convergence to Greco. Roman and Buddhist beliefs altered unique cultural ceramic developments

2. 2: The Development of States and Empires As populations settled and grew, newer systems and practices were used in order for these new nations to thrive. These systems and Practices had their ups and downs, while leading to races to power, and for some, destruction. I. Key states grew exponentially by imposing political unity on competing states II. New Imperial Administration in Empires and States III. Unique Social and Economic Imperial administration dimensions develop in Afro-Eurasia and the Americas IV. Mid-Century empires in Europe and Asia created political, cultural, and administrative problems which led to collapse

I. Key states grew exponentially by imposing political unity on competing states The Persian Empires; Egypt to Turkey, and through mesopotamia to the indus river. The persian policy under Cyrus to allow the conquered to act independently and keep their beliefs was the main cause for growth. The Qin built a powerful state and a powerful military that controlled all of china and built a great wall to keep out invaders. The leader at the time, Shih Huang Ti also had reforms for the economic and social aspects of life for the chinese people that unified them, but in the end had heavier labor and taxes for his building Projects. The Han took over the Qin and removed the heavy taxes, forced labor and restored classic traditions for the chinese people while creating a unified atmosphere between Qin and Han.

B. Phoenicia was made of independent city states along the mediterranean Sea and stretched across Syria, Lebanon, and Northern Israel, but by 332 B. C. E Was taken by Alexander the Great. Greece commonly had their armies formed by the farmers who would take up arms to defend their cities. The only Greek city state with a standing army was Sparta. The territories of Greece included areas surrounding the Mediterranean, but after Alexander the Great died in 323 B. C. E Greece was fragmented and put into war in the hellenistic age, to be mostly taken over by Rome in the 140’s B. C. E Rome once ruled territories throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Middle east, but eventually divided in 395 C. E.

C. Teotihuacan: One of mesoamerica’s greatest cities that inspired Indian societies. Maya city states: Southern mexico, Guatemala, Northern Belize, and Western Honduras, with a kingship rule with a religion that payed homage to the gods. In Andean South America the Moche civilization grew in northern peru in 100 A. C. E until 700 or 800 C. E with an agricultural based society and economy. The Mauryan Empire rose from small kingdoms of India in the 300’s B. C. E under Chandragupta Maurya, who conquered the surrounding kingdoms to rise in power. A bureaucracy ran the government with loyalists controlling divided districts. . The Gupta rose in Magadha, Chandra and conquered the neighboring lands.

II. New Imperial Administration in Empires and States Administrative Institutions: Many empires were run by loyalists, or locals under rising Empires and state, who payed Tributes to the empire leaders. Centralized Governments: Governments that revolved around a central area with control fading normally as distance is created from the capital. Elaborate Legal systems and Bureaucracies formed in this era allowed for more public engagement and for government punishments that kept some in line. Diplomacy allowed for peace and alliances between nations, and war between others, creating a balance in the world. Developing supply lines for nations due to roads and trade systems. Empires began to build defensive buildings and roads. New groups and military from conquered people. Trade and building roads was a great success in nations economically.

III. Unique Social and Economic Imperial administration dimensions develop in Afro-Eurasia and the Americas ● Cities served as centers of trade, culture, and religious ceremony ● Social structures of empires exhibited strict social hierarchies ● Imperial societies relied on a range of methods to maintain the production of food ● Patriarchy remained prevalent worldwide and continued to shape gender and family relations

IV. Mid-Century empires in Europe and Asia created political, cultural, and administrative problems which led to collapse ● Excessive mobilization of resources and rapidly expanding states put pressure on the large and still growing populations ● As borders increased so did the growing unrest with the peoples ● Wealth was concentrated in the hands of few and left the majority in poverty ● External problems arose from growing borders and threats from invasion

2. 3: Emergence of Trans-regional Networks of Communication and Exchange ● Long distance trade increased as a result from demand for raw materials and goods ● land water route links and localized networks led to influence and exchange I. Land water routes expanded trade networks for communication and exchange II. new technologies facilitated communication and exchange III. exchange of people, technology, religion, culture, and more, across trade networks

I. Land water routes expanded trade networks and communication ● Silk Road ○ Reached from China to Mediterranean ○ Chinese eagerness and demand for western products, especially horses ○ Greeks bought Chinese silk from Parthian traders ○ General Zhang expeditions; ○ traded products like jasmine oil, introduced new plants and trees to stones, spices China ○ Iranian-speaking peoples and Turks ○ traded silk and porecelain settled in trading cities influenced ○ Silk Road brought new crops to by Silk Road Mesopotamia and Sasanid Empire

● Trans-Saharan caravan routes ○ Sahara began to dry up ○ Ghana empire traded gold for salt with Algeria, and other northern African regions ○ introduction of camel domestication ○ traded forest products: kola nuts, palm oil ○ Arabic people in Sahel: middlemen of the trade

● Indian Ocean sea lanes ○ trade network across Indian Ocean and South China Sea ○ traders of Indian Ocean seldom retained political ties w/ homelands because of great distance ○ Indonesian islanders settled in Africa, preserving their culture: cultivation of bananas and yams ○ Africa: exotic animals, wood, ivory ○ Somalia and southern Arabia: frankincense and myrrh ○ India: spices, Chinese pottery, manufactured goods ○ Swahili people were middlemen between India and African trade

● Mediterranean sea lanes ○ Greeks and Phoenicians ○ commerce enhanced by pax romana ○ traded with North Africa and surrounding countries in Mediterranean region ○ glass, metalwork, pottery, olive oil, wine ○ Romans supplied Italians with wheat and olives

II. New technologies facilitated long-distance communication and exchange A. New technologies permitted use of domesticated animals ● domestication of horses; used for trade, chariot warfare ● Saharan trade → domestication of cattle and saddle inventions; originated from Western Asia or North Africa ● Camel herding; reached the Sahara from Arabia ● pig domestication, mostly for religious purposes

B. Innovations in maritime technologies and knowledge ● Mediterranean sailors used square sails and long banks of oars; ship planks nailed together; rarely ventured out of sight of land ● Indian Ocean sailors used triangular lateen sails; planks tied with palm fibers, used monsoon winds, could go far out to sea; seldom retained political ties with their homelands

III. Exchange of people, technology, religious and cultural beliefs, foods, animals, disease A. Spread of crops and irrigation ● spread of rice and cotton from South Asia to the Middle East ● cotton replaced hemp in clothes worn by commoners ● creation of aqueducts in mediterranean region ● Zhang brought pistachios, walnuts, pomegranate, spinach, and other crops to China ● Sasanid adopted cotton, sugar cane, rice, citrus trees, eggplants, from India and China

B. Spread of disease ● disease pathogens diminished urban populations and contributed to decline of empires ● contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire as the population and army decreased

C. Religious and cultural traditions transformed ● Buddhism ○ King Ashoka and Kanisha promoted Buddhism ○ monks, missionaries, pilgrims who crossed indian ocean or silk road, spread teachings to SE Asia, china, korea, japan ○ Sri Lanka- Theravada Buddhism maintained goal of monks reaching nirvana ; vs. Mahayana who stressed bodhisattva: person reaches nirvana and guides others ○ Buddhism branched out into different beliefs as it it spread to different countries

● Christianity ○ Iranian states wanted control of Armenia for Silkroad benefits; invention of Armenian alphabet→ spread of Christianity; Armenian Apostolic Church became center of Armenian cultural life ○ Christian emperors in Constantinople sent missionaries along Red Sea trade route to convert people in Yemen and Ethiopia ○ Syrian travelers killed in Ethiopia, except for Aedesius and Frumentius; Frumentius became king of Aksum and established Christian communities; then became bishop and leader of Ethiopian church

● Hinduism ○ spread throughout India and to other countries as a result of Indian Ocean Trade ○ Brahmins, who were the highest class in Hindu stage, also spread the religion ○ more people found hinduism appealing in India, over Buddhism

Theme 1: Interaction between Humans & the Environment Borders expanded along with the building of roads, buildings, and defenses. Diseases spread throughout the urban civilizations and destroys some empires in the process. Trade Routes use the winds and currents of the ocean to travel to other countries faster for better trade with triangular sails, (Indian ships) and domesticated animals for easier long distance travel across harsher conditions. Trading plants and produce causes more diversity in different regions due to the arrival of new plants in foreign environments.

Theme 2: Development and Interaction of Cultures ● New large and powerful ethnic empires arose worldwide such as Han China, the Roman Empire, and Hellenistic empires ● Trade caused religion, ideas, products, and animals to be introduced to different cultures and peoples ● Some animals were domesticated for religious purposes ● Gender roles were developed in some cultures, causing the origins of separation between men and women. ● Monotheistic religions began to spread further with the help of trade and public interest.

Theme 3: State Building, Expansion, and Conflict ● The Persian Empire ● Persian Wars -> Conflicts between Greek city-states and the Persian empire, ranging from the Ionian Revolt ● The Han dynasty took over china after the Qin and ruled for 206 B. C. E to 220 B. C. E ● The Han expanded into the tropical forests of southern China and settled in the western oases ● The Gupta Empire grew out of the kingdom of Magadha on the Ganges Plain and had its capital on Pataliputra ● The Mauryan Empire -> India’s first centralized empire

Theme 4: Creation, Expansion, & Interaction of Economic Systems ● Silk Road distributes foreign goods/ideas throughout Afro-Eurasia ● The Indian Ocean Maritime System is established o Chinese and Indonesians dominate o Links East Africa, southern Arabian Peninsula, India, Southeast China, and Southeast Asia ● Trans-Saharan caravan routes developed o Pastoral nomads dominate ● “Theater-state” ● India quickly becomes dominating power in Asian commerce ● Roman and Han Empires both based on the fundamental economic activities associated with agriculture o Dependent on free peasantry

Theme 5: Development & Transformation of Social Structures ● Greek society: oligarchy or democracy ● athenian society: 4 classes; citizens guaranteed freedom; inequality→ bisexuality ● Han Chinese: family hierarchy; followed Confucianism ● Indian society: Varna system based on skin color ○ Brahmin, Kshatriya, Shudra, Untouchables ○ further divided into jati: interactions, jobs, marriage ● decline of women status, right to own land, arranged marriages

Continuities ● Religion becomes intertwined with politics and government systems ● Agriculture expands and remains economically significant ● Development and stratification of cultures ● Empires fall due to insecurity/lack of security of land borders ● Trade systems such as the Silk Road link far-off regions and add complexity to world relationships ● Europe and Asia compete for economical power ● The originations of true civilizations begin to commencethe building blocks of each society come into play and development through trial and error

Changes ● New monotheistic religions emerge, like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam ● New ships to cross ocean barriers and better knowledge of said sea, allowing better travel and better communications and trades ● Crops and animals being diversified through trade with different regions