Period 2 Key Concept 2.2 The Development of States and Empire
What is an "empire," and what were empires' common characteristics during the Classical Era?
An empire is a large collection of peoples across a broad geographic range that lives under a common rule. The common characteristics of empires during the Classical Era are as follows- • Long trade routes across land and coastline • Levied taxes on subjected peoples • Enforced religion, threats from attacking barbarians • Organized system of governments to maintain order, and armies to defend borders and maintain peace
What caused Classical Empires to decline, collapse, or transform into something else?
Between about 200 and 600 CE, the Empires began to decline and fall. Han China was the first to fall (around 220 CE), then the Western Roman Empire (476 CE), and finally the Gupta in 550 CE. SIMILARITIES Several common factors caused all three empires to fall: • Attacks from the Huns - The Huns were a nomadic people of Asia that began to migrate south and west during this time period. Their migration was probably caused by drought and lack of pasture, and the invention and use of the stirrup facilitated their attacks on all three established civilizations. • Deterioration of political institutions - All three empires were riddled by political corruption during their latter days, and all three suffered under weak-willed rulers. Moral decay also characterized the years prior to their respective falls. • Protection/maintenance of borders - All empires found that their borders had grown so large that their military had trouble guarding them. • Diseases that followed the trade routes - Plagues and epidemics may have killed off as much as half of the population of each empire DIFFERENCES Even though the empires shared common reasons for their declines, some significant differences also may be seen. • The Gupta's alliances with regional princes broke down, exhibiting political fragmentation on the Indian subcontinent. • Rome's empire lasted much longer than did either of the other two. The Roman Empire also split in two, and the eastern half endured for another 1000 years after the west fell.
What function did imperial cities perform?
Cities served as centers of trade, public performance of religious rituals, and political administration for states and empires. (Persepolis, Chang'an, Pataliputra, Athens, Carthage, Rome, Alexandria, Constantinople, Teotihuacan) • The monumental buildings of Persepolis and Rome, for example, conveyed the power and awe of the Persia respectively. • Chang'an, the imperial capital of China was an important trade center, situated as it was on the eastern end of the Silk Roads. n and Roman Empires.
How did the number & size of Classical empires compare to the Ancient Era?
Classical civilizations were expansionist, deliberately conquering lands around them to create large empires. As a result, they were much larger in land space and population than the river civilizations were.
What new political methods were created in order to rule the larger empires in the Classical Era?
Empires and states developed new methods of imperial administration. The rulers created administrative institutions including CENTRALIZED GOVERNMENT, ELABROATE LEGAL SYSTEMS, and BUREAUCRACIES . A centralized government is one in which most decisions for the entire state are made by one executive power. This usually involves one leader. Examples of centralized states in the classical age are Han China, Mauryan India, and the Byzantine Empire. Some governments can lean more toward decentralization. A decentralized government allows more control and decision making to be made at the level of local provinces or counties. More decentralized states were Gupta India and the Zhou Dynasty of China. The centralized governments use bureaucracy as a tool to establish power and order. For example China dynasties created a bureaucracy to rule their empire. Bureaucrats are employees of the state whose positions and power as granted by the emperor. Under the leadership of Emperor Han Wudi, the Han Dynasty made important innovations to improve the system of bureaucracy • Confucianism was adopted as an official religion • The bureaucrats were trained in Confucianism • The bureaucrats had to write the civil service examinations to establish their proficiency. Empires like Rome used legal systems to incorporate diverse cultures into a single political state. The first laws implemented in Rome were the Twelve Tables. These laws were introduced in Roman history in order to relieve tensions between the upper classes (the patricians) and the common classes (the plebeians) of citizens Roman laws became more complex as the empire grew. The Empire introduced two types of law jus gentium and jus civile. • Jus gentium, or law of all nations, refers to universal principles were applied to all people. • Since cultural norms and practices vary widely across the Roman Empire, the Romans came up with the idea of jus civile, or civil law. This codified system of law looks like inside a specific culture. They differ from place to place, but always a lined to the general principles common to all people.
How did imperial governments let their population know that the government was "in charge?"
Imperial governments projected military power over larger areas using a variety of techniques. Examples: diplomacy, supply lines, defensive walls, roads; drawing new groups of military officers & soldiers from local populations or conquered peoples
What labor systems provided the workers for Classical Empires?
Labor systems-Societies relied on a range of methods to maintain the production of food and provide rewards for the loyalty of the elites. Examples: Corvée, Slavery, Rents and tributes, Peasant communities • Slavery was very prominent in the Mediterranean world especially Rome. Slaves may have comprised as much as one third of the Roman Empire. • Another common form of labor sponsored by empires was the Corvée System. In this system, governments required subjects, usually peasants, to provide labor as a payment of tax. Many large imperial projects were completed using the corvée system. The Qin built their defensive wall using it; in. the Han built a canal to better move grain to the capital city using corvée labor
What role did trade play in creating and maintaining empires?
Much of the success of empires rested on their promotion of trade and economic integration by building and maintaining roads and issuing currencies. Roman roads were vital infrastructure to the maintenance and development of the Roman state. They provided efficient means for the overland movement of armies, officials, and civilians, and the inland carriage of official communications and trade goods As Silk Road and Indian Ocean trade brought wealth to Gupta India, emperors commissioned the production of coins to ease transactions and make it easier to compare the value of goods.
Describe the gender and family structures of Classical Era empires.
PATRIARCHY continued to shape gender and family relations in all imperial societies of this period. Societies remained dominated by males throughout this period. Indeed, belief systems certainly gave shape to how it was practiced in day to day life in every society. • Buddhism & Christianity encouraged monastic life, gave women an alternative to marriage.(living apart from society as monks/nuns) • Confucianism emphasized filial piety (respect for elders, parents, and ancestors). Confucianism teaches a hierarchal family structure and endows the husband with authority over the wife. • Hinduism did not offer salvation for women nor did women participate in religious rituals. The Hindu Laws of Manu taught that a woman is not independent of men at any point in her life:
What unique social and economic characteristics existed in empires?
Social hierarchies and stratification became more complex in large empires. • In classical India, the caste system evolved - into subcastes, or jati, which soon became the backbone of Indian society. Jati formed their own courts through which Indian society was regulated in the absence of a strong central government. In most classical societies social hierarchies included Kings, head priest, nobles on top, followed by merchants, artisans cultivators, laborers and slaves • However, Han society had exception with its scholar-bureaucrats at the top, peasants, laborers and artisans next, and artists and unskilled workers at the bottom Despite changes that occurred in social structure during the classical age, all empires continued to practice patriarchy. Societies remained dominated by males throughout this period. LABOR SYSTEM-Societies relied on a range of methods to maintain the production of food and provide rewards for the loyalty of the elites. Examples: Corvée, Slavery, Rents and tributes, Peasant communities • Slavery was very prominent in the Mediterranean world especially Rome. Slaves may have comprised as much as one third of the Roman Empire. • Another common form of labor sponsored by empires was the Corvée System. In this system, governments required subjects, usually peasants, to provide labor as a payment of tax. Many large imperial projects were completed using the corvée system. The Qin built their defensive wall using it; in. the Han built a canal to better move grain to the capital city using corvée labor
What techniques did Classical empires use to establish their military power?
The Classical empires create to techniques to organize and establish their power. DIPLOMACY OR NEGOTIATION with allies and foes, was crucial for imperial conquest. For example, when the Han Dynasty expanded its boundaries westward they came into conflict with the powerful confederation of nomadic tribes. The Han Emperor sought alliances with small countries on his western border, offering a Han princess in marriage to the king of Wusun to secure him as an ally. Another form of diplomacy is the creation of TRIBUTARY STATES. Emperor Samudragupta of the Gupta Dynasty used this method on several occasions after defeating rival kingdoms he would allow a defeated king to retain his rule providing he paid the Gupta a determined price, called a tribute. Supply Lines were complex logistical operations of the armies of ancient empires especially when they were on the move. Armies of the classical age created supply trains of animals and wheeled carts carrying enough supplies to last them for 10 days. Sustaining supply lines was very important for armies. Empires also built DEFENSIVE WALLS. The famous Great Wall of China was first constructed by the Qin Dynasty to protect them from nomadic tribes on their northwestern frontier. The Romans likewise constructed Hadrian's Wall to divide their territory of Britain from the Scottish Pics whose raids became problematic for them Empires built roads as well. The Romans excelled in ROADS, which they called Viae. Viae militares, or military roads, served to move troops easily to defend or expand the empire RAISING ARMIES all the classical empires needed methods to raise large armies. The Roman army was probably the most effective killing machine of the ancient world.
How the decline of the classical period did affected the empires?
The fall of empire affected the three areas in different ways. • The fall of the Gupta probably had the least impact, because the traditions of Hinduism and the caste system (the glue that held the area together) continued on after the empire fell. • The fall of the Han Dynasty was problematic for China because as the strong centralized government weakened and social disorder resulted from the loss of authority. However, dynastic cycles that followed the dictates of the Mandate of Heaven were well defined in China, and the Confucian traditions continued to give unity to Chinese society. • The most devastating fall of all occurred in Rome. Roman civilization depended almost on the ability of the government and the military to control territory. When the Roman Empire declined its territories fragmented into small parts and developed unique characteristics, and the Western Roman Empire never united again.
What were the most influential of the Classical Era empires?
o SW Asia: Persian Empires. (Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sassanid) o East Asia: Qin and Han dynasties o South Asia: Maurya and Gupta Empires o Mediterranean region: Phoenician and Greek colonization, Hellenistic and Roman Empires o Mesoamerica: Teotihuacan, Maya city states o Andean South America: Moche
What external weaknesses contributed to the end of Classical Empires?
• For the Romans, Germanic tribes' jealousy of their wealth led to invasions that the Romans could not fend off due to preoccupation with wars against the Persians. • The Han faced steppelanders from the west who absorbed into the Han dynasty, which resulted in the weakening of the Han dynasty. • Persians were taken down by a unified Greece that lined together when Persia invaded to take over trade in the region. Eventually, Alexander the Great conquered Persia.
What were the environmental and social weaknesses of Classical Empires?
• Social weaknesses are the moral declines that Classical Empires went through. • This includes Roman emperors that became materialistic and increased tax pressure on the poor while the rich evaded taxes. • Environmental causes for the decline of the Classical Empires included the external forces and over extension on the part of the empires. The empires became harder to defend and more money had to be put towards protecting the boundaries and this hurt the economy and helped create even more weaknesses in the Classical Empires.
