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The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

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The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

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The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

General Features of the Classical Era:

• Civilizations spread out from river valleys to form larger empires (sometimes conquering neighbors along the way).
• Larger, more complex forms of government
• Major trade routes established (sometimes interacting with one another)
• Technological innovations & exchanges
• Economic & Political stability ⇒ focus on arts, philosophies, religious questions, etc.

These will come up again and again and again and again…

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

• Economic & Political stability ⇒ focus on arts, philosophies, religious questions, etc.

Jainism (6th century B.C.E.)

Confucianism (5th century B.C.E.)

Daoism (5th century B.C.E.)

Buddhism (5th century B.C.E.)

Shinto (3rd century B.C.E.)

Christianity (1st century C.E.)

Islam (610 C.E. - early 7th century)

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

Greek, Roman, & Byzantine Empires

Persian Empire

Mauryan & Gupta Empires (India)

Qin & Han Dynasties (China)

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

Greek, Roman, & Byzantine Empires

Classical Greece -

• GEOGRAPHY: Lots of islands & mountains (difficult to unify)
• Hundreds of autonomous city-states w/ common language and religious beliefs (Greek Gods - very “human” and unpredictable)
• Sparta - society built around military strength (required slavery to function)
• Athens - birth of democracy (citizens vote on how government is run) & philosophy (w/ math, science, history, etc.)

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

Classical Rome -

• Borrowed heavily from Greek culture
• Focused on expansion ⇒ “Roman Empire”
• “Twelve Tables” = written law, evolved legal system, “innocent until proven guilty”, etc.
• Extensive roads, aqueducts, public entertainment, “Pax Romana” (peace of Rome)
• Relative freedom of religion (as long as also accepted the Emperor as “divine”)
• Size made it difficult to defend from external threats or maintain cultural cohesion internally

Greek, Roman, & Byzantine Empires

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

Byzantine (Roman) Empire

Byzantine Empire -

• Byzantine is a term historians use - they would have simply considered themselves “Romans”
• 4th century CE - Rome “split” into eastern & western kingdoms
• Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the official religion of Rome and moves throne to Constantinople (in the east)
• Western Rome fell to invasion and internal difficulties - Eastern Rome (“Byzantines”) survived until captured by the Turks in 1453

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

Persian Empire

Classical Persia - Sometimes mostly unified under Persian kings - sometimes controlled by the Greeks or (later) the Romans.

• Ethnically and religiously diverse ⇒ relative toleration
• Focus on trade and prosperity, generally as stable as anywhere else in Europe or Asia
• The heart of the Persian Empire was today’s Iran

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

Classical India

• Mauryan Empire (322 BCE - 187 BCE) - reached peak under Ashoka (roads, taxes, written laws posted on pillars)
• Gupta Empire (320 CE - 550 CE) - the “Golden Age of India” - art, medicine, Hindu scriptures, use of numerals (1234567890) in mathematics

Mauryan & Gupta Empires (India)

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

Classical India

• Birth of Buddhism c. 500 BCE - spread across Asia in subsequent centuries
• Huge influence - evolved into local varieties over time - still practiced in various ways today around the world

Mauryan & Gupta Empires (India)

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

Chinese Philosophy / Belief Systems

• “Mandate of Heaven” - justification for dynasties and individual emperors (depended on behavior)
• K’ung Fu-tzu (“Confucius”) - “filial piety” (child/parents) & “the Way” (husband/wife, citizen/ruler) - proper behavior
• Daoism - learn to live in harmony with nature, keep things simple - big on internal reflection

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

Qin & Han Dynasties (China)

Classical China

• Qin Dynasty (221 BCE - 207 BCE) - standardized script (writing), uniform weights and measures (trade), roads & canals (trade/travel)
• Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE) - “Golden Age” - science & technology, invented compass, paper, improved ships - extensive trade in luxury items - civil service exams for govt. jobs

Teotihuacan

(c. 400 BCE - 650 CE)

Early Civilizations in the Americas

Teotihuacan

(c. 400 BCE - 650 CE)

Early Civilizations in the Americas

• Centered near what today is Mexico City
• Streets laid out in grid pattern (city planning)
• Extensive local trade routes
• Massive temples dedicated to gods of the sun and moon (monumental architecture)

Mayans

(c. 250 CE - 1697 CE)

Early Civilizations in the Americas

Mayans

(c. 250 CE - 1697 CE)

Early Civilizations in the Americas

• Relatively sophisticated use of written language
• Created accurate calendars based on astrological observations and calculations (advanced math & science)
• Use of ‘zero’ in calculations

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

General Features of the Classical Era:

• Civilizations spread out from river valleys to form larger empires (sometimes conquering neighbors along the way).
• Larger, more complex forms of government
• Major trade routes established (sometimes interacting with one another)
• Technological innovations & exchanges
• Economic & Political stability ⇒ focus on arts, philosophies, religious questions, etc.

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

Decline of Classical Era Empires

• Civilizations spread out from river valleys to form larger empires (sometimes conquering neighbors along the way).
• Large empires difficult to manage or maintain unity - unable to respond to new problems or developments efficiently and effectively

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gious questions, etc.

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

Decline of Classical Era Empires

• Civilizations spread out from river valleys to form larger empires (sometimes conquering neighbors along the way).
• Large empires difficult to manage or maintain unity - unable to respond to new problems or developments efficiently and effectively
• Larger, more complex forms of government
• Excessive taxation provoked resistance ⇒ less $$ ⇒ Weakened government igious questions, etc.

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

Decline of Classical Era Empires

• Major trade routes established (sometimes interacting with one another)
• Instability ⇒ reduced trade / less interaction between various peoples

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• Technological innovations & exchanges
• Economic & Political stability ⇒ focus on arts, philosophies, religious questions, etc.

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

Decline of Classical Era Empires

• Major trade routes established (sometimes interacting with one another)
• Instability ⇒ reduced trade / less interaction between various peoples
• Technological innovations & exchanges
• Reduced trade / interaction ⇒ less innovation
• Technological innovations & exchanges
• Economic & Political stability ⇒ focus on arts, philosophies, religious questions, etc.

The “Classical Era” (c. 600 BCE - c. 600 CE)

Decline of Classical Era Empires

• Economic & Political stability ⇒ focus on arts, philosophies, religious questions, etc.
• Major belief systems continue, but reduced focus on art, philosophy, etc. - much learning “lost”

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(Hence the somewhat unfair characterization of the five centuries from c. 500 CE - c. 1000 CE as “the Dark Ages”)

The “Dark Ages” (c. 500 CE - c. 1500 CE)

After the “fall” of Rome (c. 476 CE) and the end of the Classical Era (c. 600 CE), Europe enters a period sometimes called the “Dark Ages.”

While this is not a fair characterization of the times, most progress and other interesting stuff worth studying for the next 5-10 centuries happens in China, India, Africa, the Middle East, etc.

You Need A Piece of Paper and a Pen or Pencil…

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Choose TWO of the following and write a 5-7 sentence paragraph in response to EACH. Use as many specifics from this presentation as possible in your responses.

(A) Explain 4-5 common features of Classical Era Empires.

(B) Explain 4-5 reasons for the decline of Classical Era Empires.

(C) Discuss Chinese culture and the foundational belief systems which began or developed during the Classical Era in China.

(D) Discuss several features of Classical Greek or Classical Roman government and society and compare them to the ideals or structures expressed in the founding documents and ideology of the United States.

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