Classical Empires Han Dynasty, Roman Empire and Guptan Empire

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Classical EmpiresHan Dynasty, Roman Empire and
Guptan Empire

• Characteristics of Empires
• Greek and Roman Traditions
• Han and Roman Empires
• Reasons for Decline

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THE CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS (1000 BCE - 600 CE)

• During this era world history was shaped by the
  rise of several large civilizations that grew
  from areas where the earlier civilizations
  thrived.
• 1. They kept better and more recent records, so
  historical information about them is much more
  abundant.
• 2. The classical societies provide many direct
  links to today's world, so that we may refer to
  them as root civilizations, or ones that modern
  societies have grown from.
• 3. Classical civilizations were expansionist,
  deliberately conquering lands around them to
  create large empires.

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COMMON FEATURES OF CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS

• The three areas of classical civilizations
  developed their own beliefs, lifestyles,
  political institutions, and social structures.
  However, there were important similarities among
  them
• Patriarchal family structures - Like the river
  valley civilizations that preceded them, the
  classical civilization valued male authority
  within families, as well as in most other areas
  of life.
• Agricultural-based economies - Despite more
  sophisticated and complex job specialization, the
  most common occupation in all areas was farming.
• Complex governments - Because they were so large,
  these three civilizations had to invent new ways
  to keep their lands together politically. Their
  governments were large and complex, although they
  each had unique ways of governing
• Expanding trade base - Their economic systems
  were complex. Although they generally operated
  independently, trade routes connected them by
  both land and sea.

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Characteristics of Classical Empires

• Powerful military
• Effective government bureaucracy
• Control large territory-multiethnic and
  multicultural
• Uniform currency and weights and measures
• Service of citizens
• Military technology
• Uniform legal codes
• Public works
• Lavish public monuments
• Patronize the arts and scholarship

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Han China

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China (about 500 BCE to 600 CE) Culture/Religion Zhou Han Political Structure Zhou Han Social Structure Family Patriarchal Merchants Rural/Urban Slavery
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China (about 500 BCE to 600 CE) Culture Confucianism developed during late Zhou by Han times, it dominated the political and social structure. Legalism and Daoism develop during same era. Buddhism appears, but not influential yet Threats from nomads from the south and west spark the first construction of the Great Wall clay soldiers, lavish tomb for first emperor Shi Huangdi Chinese identity cemented during Han era the "Han" Chinese Han - a "golden age" with prosperity from trade along the Silk Road inventions include water mills, paper, compasses, and pottery and silk-making calendar with 365.5 days Capital of Xi'an possibly the most sophisticated, diverse city in the world at the time many other large cities Political Structure Zhou - emperor rules by mandate of heaven, or belief that dynasties rise and fall according to the will of heaven, or the ancestors. Emperor was the "son of heaven."   Emperor housed in the forbidden city, separate from all others   Political authority controlled by Confucian values, with emperor in full control but bound by duty Political power centralized under Shi Huangdi - often seen as the first real emperor Han - strong centralized government, supported by the educated shi (scholar bureaucrats who obtained positions through civil service exams) Social Structure Family basic unit of society, with loyalty and obedience stressed Wealth generally based on land ownership emergence of scholar gentry Growth of a large merchant class, but merchants generally lower status than scholar-bureaucrats Big social divide between rural and urban, with most wealth concentrated in cities Some slavery, but not as much as in Rome Patriarchal society reinforced by Confucian values that emphasized obedience of wife to husband
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Decline of Han China

• Empires too bigcostly to defend the frontiers
• Burden of taxes on the poor, some flee to evade
  taxes, as maintaining the grows more costlytaxes
  go up, few new sources of revenue, religious
  groups and nobility exempt
• Administrative problems - successioncourt
  intrigue, failing bureaucraciescorruption of
  examination system, lack of civic responsibility

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• Eroding economiesdecline in trade when roads not
  repaired or safe
• Religion Buddhism moves in but doesnt really
  conflict with culture but it is still an itch
• Population decline - plagues, hit China hard,
  especially in cities
• Pressure from nomadsXiongnu

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Greco-Roman Traditions

• Active participation in politics
• Greek city state, Roman republic
• Aristocratic assembliesrepublic? rule by the
  bestphilosopher kings---serve as a check on
  executive power
• Rule by lawcodified, equitable law

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Han and Roman Empire Similarities

• Highly stratified societies
• Patriarchal familiesConfucianism, pater familias
• Agricultural basefree peasants-small farms or
  tenant farmers, heavy dependency on slavery and
  latifundias
• Educated civil serviceConfucian trained scholar
  bureaucrats, civic responsibility
• Highly centralized statedynastic, empires with
  appearance of limits through Senate

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Han and Roman continued

• Multicultural empiresmost conquered assimilated,
  citizenship offered to best, extension of Roman
  law and building
• Extensive road systems and urban communities
• Subordinated women
• Armies maintain the empireinternal and external

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Comparisons

• Rome
• Well organized bureaucracy founded on Roman law
  and classical learning
• Emphasis on family pater familias
• Reliance on patricians women gained power and
  property rights within families
• Engineering roads, aqueducts, amphitheatres,
  domes, sewage systems, central heating
• Inventions concrete, the arch (probably
  Etruscan), insulae (apartment buildings)
• Religion Emperor as god, paganism, mystery
  religions, introduction of Christianity

• China
• Well organized bureaucracy founded on Confucian
  ideals and education
• Emphasis on family, ancestors patriarchal
• Reliance on gentry as support good marriages
  afforded women more rights
• Engineering roads, canals, the Great Wall
• Inventions wheelbarrow, gunpowder, printing
  press, compass, paper, paper currency (all before
  1000 ce)
• Religion Confucianism, Taoism, native gods,
  introduction of Buddhism

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Decline of Empires

• Han and Roman

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Decline

• Empires too bigcostly to defend the frontiers
• Burden of taxes on the poor, some flee to evade
  taxes, as maintaining the grows more costlytaxes
  go up, few new sources of revenue, religious
  groups and nobility exempt
• Slavery in Roman so oppressive less productive,
  fewer new sources, less technological development

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• Administrative problems
• successioncourt intrigue, barrack emperors
• failing bureaucraciescorruption of examination
  system, lack of civic responsibility
• Romanbread and circuses to forestall revolts
• Eroding economiesdecline in trade when roads not
  repaired or safe
• ReligionChristianity a factor, but Buddhism not

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• Plagueshit both hard, especially in cities of
  Roman empire
• Pressure from nomadsHuns, Xiongnu, Germanic

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Why did the west fall harder?

• More multiethnic Han Chinesea true nation that
  can endure beyond the dynasty, In Roman empire
  most live outside Italy
• State and society not bond together with the same
  glueChina, Confucianism offers both order for
  family, society and statenot true of Romans
• Better assimilation of barbarians by China,
  Germanic dismembered Roman empire, while nomads
  absorbed by Chinese
• Common languageRoman never really replaced Greek
  in much of the empire

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Why western Roman empire and not eastern?

• Deep, engrained civilization in the eastGreeks
  and before
• East less impacted by nomadic invasionmaybe
  because many enduring cities, large populations
• Tribes on eastern borders were disorganized and
  unmotivated
• After separation of empire, east no longer has to
  send any help to West
• Even with changing political structure , little
  threat to social, economic or cultural continuity
• No cities in the west
• German soldiers fill the ranks of Roman legions
• When west cut from wealth of East, the tax base
  dwindled

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