CHAPTER 3 STATE AND EMPIRE IN EURASIA/NORTH AFRICA

CHAPTER 3

STATE AND EMPIRE IN EURASIA/NORTH AFRICA (500 BCE - 500 CE)

Empires and Civilizations in Collision: The Persians and the Greeks

• Civilizations encountering each other directly was rare
• Greece/Persia exception
• Persia
• largest most impressive empire
• Greeks
• popular participation in political life of all citizens before the law
• Collision
• Greco-Persian Wars
• Greece won
• defeated Persians on both land and sea
• Collision
• Romans take over and replace Greek rule

Comparing Empires: Roman and Chinese

• had little direct contact
• both flourished 
• Rome
• stated small and grew after each conquest
• Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and present-day France and Britain
• rise of empires changed society 
• pax Romana (Roman peace)
• secret
• prosperity
• China
• warring states to empires
• unification by Shihuangdi 
• ruler of Qin 
• 1st emperor
• Formed much quicker than Rome
• security
• Great Wall
• Military
• Brutality
• Similarities
• absorbed foreign religious tradition 
• supernatural sanctions
• effected the environment 
• The Fall?
• excessive size
• tax
• disease
• no great tech advancements to enlarge resources
• China more successful in assimilating invaders than Romans
• greater homogeneity
• stronger bureaucratic tradition 
• more productive agriculture 
• confucianism put emphasis on politics 
• metallurgy more advance

Intermittent Empire: The Case of India

• idea of empires less prominent
• Mauryan Empire
• broke after Ashoka's death
• Gupta Empire
• short lived
• Failed to maintain empire
• no loyalty
• cultural diversity
• invasions
• caste system made local loyalties 
• Trade flourished 

CLASS NOTES:

Classical- 500 BC------->(1)PERSIANS--------->(2)GREEKS
                                                                                    ROMANS
EMPIRE

• large
• conquest (usually)
• multiple civilization
• successful empires had:
• security------>army
• trade-------->goods

(1)

• Brought together all the major ancient civilizations of Afro Eurasia into one big Empire

(2)

• Greeks are what inspired to Renaissance (rebirth of classical Greek humanism in Modern Era
• Greek humanism
• philosophy 
• art (precise/realistic human body)
• mythology
• explores human qualities/flaws
• democracy-------->rule by the people
• drama/theater 

(My thoughts...) I find it interesting how when the Romans took Greece they also took on their culture. The Romans were one of the biggest conquers. No one was safe. They weren't the first to conquer others but they are considered one of the best. Conquering is not something that should be taken lightly. When the Europeans conquered America they forced them to adapt to their culture and/or killed them. Now as  Americans we somehow find it ok to use their culture for silly things like household decorations and halloween costumes. Just because you conquer another civilization does not mean their culture is yours for the taking.