The Empires of the Axial Age

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The Empires of the Axial Age
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Invaders, Traders and Empire Builders

• Warm Up Define the following
• empire
• monotheistic
• civil law
• rule of law

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Definitions

• Empire Group of states or territories
  controlled by one ruler.
• Monotheism Belief in one god.
• Civil law Body of law dealing with the private
  lives of individuals.
• Rule of law - Government by law. The rule of law
  implies that government authority may only be
  exercised in accordance with written laws, which
  were adopted through an established procedure.

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The First Empire Builder

• Invasion and conquest were prominent features
  of the ancient Middle East. About 2300 BC,
  Sargon, the ruler of neighboring Akkad, invaded
  and conquered the city-states of Sumer. He built
  the first empire known to history.

Akkad (in green)
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Sumerians
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Sumerian Religion - Polytheistic
Enki
Innana
Anthropomorphic Gods
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Mesopotamian Trade
The Cuneiform World
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Cuneiform Wedge-Shaped Writing
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Cuneiform Writing
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Sumerian Scribes
Tablet House
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Ziggurat at Ur

• Temple
• Mountain of the Gods

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Sargon of AkkadThe Worlds First Empire
Akkadians
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Successive Mesopotamian Empires

• Babylonian Empire ca. 1790 BC Hammurabis Code
• Hittite Empire ca. 1400 BC
  Ironworking Technology
• Assyrian Empire ca. 1000 BC Most
  extensive, except for the Persian Empire
• Babylon Revisited ca. 612 BC
  King Nebuchadnezzar builds
  the Hanging Gardens.

Click here and on the picture for links to
Hanging Gardens and Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World.
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The Babylonian Empires
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Hammurabis r. 1792-1750 B. C. E. Code
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Hammurabi, the Judge
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Assyrian Empire ca. 1100 BC
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Contributions of the Assyrians

• Improved iron weaponry.
• Warfare was central to the culture.
• Encouraged a well-ordered society.
• First rulers to develop extensive laws regulating
  life within the royal household.
• At Nineveh, King Assurbanipal founded one of the
  first libraries, collecting cuneiform tablets
  from all over the empire.

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Greek Civilization1750 BC 133 BC

• Early Minoan civilization the forerunner for
  Greece - began on the island of Crete, around
  1700 BC. Evidence shows extensive trade and a
  very advanced culture, which was exported to
  mainland Greece at Mycenaea.

Mycenaea
How did the geography of Greece present obstacles
to a unified Greek country?
Click here for online information about Mycenaean
culture.
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Minoan Civilization

• Minoan Civilization was one of the earliest
  examples of what has come to be called Greek
  civilization.
• Minoans were trading at the same time as the
  Phoenicians, Egyptians and Babylonians.

Very unequal social structure with a malnourished
lower class. This led to constant revolts and an
overthrow of the nobility.
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Mycenaeans1600 BC 1200 BC

• Sea traders beyond Aegean to Sicily, Italy,
  Egypt and Mesopotamia.
• Warriors, living in several city states.
• The Mycenaean city state became the mainland
  Greek civilization.
• Best known for Trojan War.
• 1200 BC Mycenaean Civilization collapsed because
  of sea invaders. Trade and culture are at a
  standstill for about 100 years.

The Trojan War was fought in Troy, a trading city
in Anatolia.
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Phoenicians ca. 1200 BC

• While powerful rulers subdued large empires,
  the Phoenicians gained fame as sailors, traders
  and colonizers. They occupied a string of cities
  along the coastal Mediterranean and traded as far
  away as Africa and India.

Phoenician ships exhibited the highest
technology of the time.
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Contributions of the Phoenicians

• Traded extensively in the Mediterranean. Trade
  goods included royal purple dye, glass, rare
  cedar wood, linen fabric, metal ware and papyrus
• Introduced the Phoenician alphabet, which we use
  today.

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Athens and Sparta(Click above for a web chart
comparison of Athens and Sparta.)1200 0 BC

• Greece itself was made up of separate
• city-states, which were constantly at war.
• Define city-state
• City-state definition Political unit made up of
  a city and the surrounding lands.
• Two major city-states Athens and Sparta.
• Create a chart on your own paper like the one
  which follows.

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• Athens
• Government
• Limited democracy (only male citizens could
  participate), Council of 500 which made the laws,
  voting Assembly.
• Soldiers
• Citizen soldiers only during wartime
• Slaves
• No political rights or freedoms. Owned by
  individuals
• Women
• Cared for the home, limited political rights.
• Education
• Upper class boys only. Military training and
  preparation for government involvement.
  Knowledge was important for a democratic
  government.

• Sparta
• Government
• Two kings (military generals) and a council of
  elders. Citizens were male, native born, over
  30.
• Soldiers
• Military society, all males prepared to be
  soldiers from birth. Soldiers from age 7 30.
• Slaves
• Owned by the State
• Women
• Prepared physically for fighting, right to
  inherit property, must obey men.
• Education
• Boys only. Military based training from age 7.
  Taught to fight. Prohibition against trade,
  travel and mixing with other city-states.

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Persian Empire ca. 500 BC
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Contributions of the Persians

1. Pursued a policy of tolerance in dealing with the
   extensive territories and cultures they
   conquered.
2. Introduced the idea of coinage/ money economy or
   metal disks representing money.
3. Created the first extensive, well built road to
   unite the empire. Known as the Royal Road.

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Cyrus Darius the Great
580 529 B. C. E. A tolerant ruler ? he allowed different cultures within his empire to keep their own institutions. The Greeks called him a Law-Giver. The Jews called him the anointed of the Lord. (In 537, he allowed over 40,000 to return to Palestine). 526 485 B. C. E. Established a tax-collecting system. Divided the empire into districts called SATRAPIES. Built the great Royal Road system and also created a standard monetary system adopted by the Lydians. Established a complex postal system. Created a network of spies called the Kings eyes and ears.
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Cyrus the Great

• A tolerant ruler ? he allowed different
  cultures within his empire to keep their own
  institutions.
• The Greeks called him a Law-Giver.
• The Jews called him the anointed of the
  Lord. (In 537, he allowed over 40,000 to
  return to Palestine).

580 529 B. C. E.
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Darius the Great (526 485 B. C. E.)

• Built Persepolis.
• He extended the Persian Empire to the
  Indus River in northern India. (2 mil. s.q.
  mi.)
• Built a canal in Egypt.

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Darius the Great (526 485 B. C. E.)

• Established a tax-collecting system.
• Divided the empire into districts called
  SATRAPIES.
• Built the great Royal Road system.
• Established a complex postal system.
• Created a network of spies called the Kings
  eyes and ears.

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Ancient Persepolis
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Persepolis
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The People of Persepolis
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Persian Archers Soldiers
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Royal Road
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Silk Road Traders

• Ancient trade was not limited to the
  Mediterranean region. The Chinese Emperor Wudi
  opened up a trade route, later called the Silk
  Road that linked China and the west for centuries.

Silk Road trade goods included silk, whose
production secrets were carefully guarded by the
Chinese, jade, and porcelain in return for
glassware, linen, fabric and cedar wood .
Click here for British Museum Silk Road
exhibition website.
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The Hebrews Empire Builders of Another Kind -
Religion

• These words, the first of the Ten Commandments
  set the Hebrews apart from all other people of
  the Fertile Crescent. Instead of worshipping many
  gods (polytheism) they prayed to one God
  (monotheism). The basis for their Code of Laws is
  known as the Ten Commandments. This is the root
  of Judaism.

• I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of
  the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
  You shall have no other gods before Me.

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Contributions of the Hebrews Ethical Monotheism

• Monotheism belief in one God
• Covenant belief that they had made a binding
  agreement with God
• Ethical Law Code A law code sent by God himself
  based on personal morality the Ten Commandments

Click here and on the picture for links to a
history of the Hebrews.
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Zarathustra Zoroaster, 6c BCEGood Thoughts,
Good Deed, Good Words
Tree of Life
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Extent of Zoroastrianism
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Dualistic Battle of Good vs. Evil
Ahura MazdaHoly Spirit
AhrimanDestructive Spirit
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Zend-Avesta(The Book of Law)
The Sacred Fire ? the force to fight evil.
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Empires of the Ancient World
Define the following 1. civilization 2.
democracy 3. republic 4. rule of law
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Warm Up Definitions

• Civilization complex, highly organized
  social order.
• Democracy government in which the people hold
  ruling power.
• Republic system of government in which
  representatives are chosen by the people. It is a
  form of democracy
• Rule of law - government by law. The rule of law
  implies that government authority may only be
  exercised in accordance with written laws, which
  were adopted through an established procedure.

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Persian Wars490 479 BC

• The Greek city-states did not unite until faced
  with a common enemy

Persia
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Delian League

• By 479 BC, the Greeks had defeated the Persians
  on land in Asia Minor and stopped their advance.
• Athens emerged from the war as the most powerful
  city-state in Greece.
• To continue the struggle against Persia, it
  organized the Delian League, an alliance with the
  other Greek city states.
• Athens dominated the Delian League and used its
  wealth to create an Athenian empire.

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Athens The City Pericles Built

• Direct Democracy Citizen assembly voted
  directly on laws
• Huge construction projects Acropolis and
  Parthenon rebuilt
• Emphasis on arts, architecture, philosophy and
  medicine

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Greek Philosophers (Lovers of Wisdom)

• Socrates
• Socrates was born in the mid 400's B.C He taught
  philosophy and taught Plato.
• Before 400 B.C., he began questioning Athenian
  values, laws, customs, and religion.
• In 399, he was brought to trial and found guilty
  of treason to the gods. He was sentenced to
  death. His teachings were written down by his
  student, Plato.
• He was the first to make a clear distinction
  between the body and soul, placing a higher value
  on the soul. He had a noble life, and his calm
  acceptance of death made him a model for other
  philosophers to follow.

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Greek Philosophers (Lovers of Wisdom)

• Plato
• Plato, one of the most famous Greek philosophers,
  was born in Athens.
• In 403 B.C., democracy was restored to Athens.
  Plato then tried to get involved in politics, but
  was repelled again when his friend and teacher
  Socrates was sentenced to death in 399 B.C. Plato
  left Athens after Socrates was killed. He
  returned in 387 B.C., and founded a school of
  philosophy called the Academy. 
• The Academy was considered the first university
  by many people.
• He wrote the republic in which he described a
  perfectly governed society divided into three
  groups Farmers and Artisans Warriors and the
  Ruling Class. In his book the person with
  Greatest Insight and the best Philosopher was the
  King.

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Greek Philosophers (Lovers of Wisdom)

• Aristotle
•    Aristotle was born in Stagira. His father was
  Nichomachus, who was the personal physician to
  Amyntas II, king of Macedonia. King Amyntas was
  the grandfather of Alexander the Great.
  Aristotle's parents died when he was young, so a
  man named Proxemus raised him as his own.
• When he was 18, he attended the Academy, where he
  was a student for 20 years. He was known as "the
  intelligence of  the school" and "reader".
• In 347 B.C., when Plato died, Aristotle joined a
  group of Plato's disciples that lived with
  Hermias, a former Academy student. In 343 or 342
  B.C., Philip II of Macedonia asked Aristotle to
  supervise the education of his son, Alexander,
  who later conquered Greece.
• Aristotle returned to Athens in 334 B.C. and
  founded the Lyceum, a school of philosophy.
• After Alexander the Great died in 323 B.C.,
  Aristotle was charged with impiety, which was a
  lack of reverence for the gods, by the Athenian
  people. The Athenians resented his friendship
  with Alexander, who conquered them. Aristotle
  went to Chalcis, remembering similar charges
  against Socrates in 349 B.C. He died one year
  later in Chalcis.

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Athens Conquered by Sparta

• In 404 BC, Sparta attacked and conquered the
  fading Athenian empire in what came to be know as
  the Peloponnesian War. For the next century,
  fighting continued to dominate the Greek
  city-states. By 359 BC, the Macedonians from the
  north, under the leadership of Philip II invaded
  and conquered all of Greece.

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The World of Alexander the Great 359 BC 323 BC

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• Philip conquered Greece in 359 BC
• His next conquest was to be the
  Persian empire.
• The Macedonian army was the most superbly
  trained in the world. It made use of the phalanx
  configuration.
• Philip was assassinated before he could attack
  and conquer Persia.
• His son, Alexander (20) took the throne.

Philip of Macedonia
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• Over the course of the next eleven years,
  Alexander proceeded to conquer the entire Persian
  empire. When Darius III died, Alexander took
  over all of his realm and his possessions.

Alexander
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The Legacy of Alexander
Upon the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC,
his empire began to divide and dissolve.
However, Alexander left behind a legacy of Greek
thought, language and custom that survives in
part today.

• Local cultures assimilated Greek ideas and
  language. They became Hellenic or Greek like
  The Hellenistic Age is the age of world wide
  Greek culture after Alexander.
• Left behind the idea that all people are morally
  equal. Aided in the spread of Christianity.
• Encouraged the work of scholars. Built libraries
  all over the empire especially at Alexandria,
  Egypt. Emphasized mathematics, medicine, science
  and philosophy.

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Review of Government Systems
Monarchy State ruled by King Rule is Hereditary Some rulers claim divine right Practiced by Mycenae (1450 BCE) Aristocracy State ruled by nobility Rule is hereditary Based on land ownership Social Status Wealth support rulers authority Practiced by Athens (594 BCE) Oligarchy State ruled by small group of citizens Rule is based on wealth Ruling group controls military Practiced by Sparta (800-622 BCE) Direct Democracy State ruled by its citizens Rule is based on Citizenship Majority rule decides vote Practiced in Athens (461 BCE)
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The Roman World
The earliest of the Roman civilizations were the
Etruscans. With the fall of Hellenic influence,
the Etruscans conquered all of the Italian
peninsula. Their competition for control of the
Mediterranean Sea were the Carthaginians in
Africa.
After three wars with the Carthaginians called
the Punic wars the Romans emerged as the
supreme rulers of the Mediterranean area.
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The REAL Hannibal

• In 218 BC the Carthaginian general Hannibal
  led his army, including dozens of war elephants,
  from Spain across the Pyrenees, through Gaul to
  Rome. Hannibal surprised the Romans and began 15
  years of fighting. In the end, the Romans
  attacked Carthage and ended Hannibals attacks
  against Rome. Rome now ruled the Mediterranean.

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The REAL Hannibal

• The Carthaginians fought for their own
  preservation and the sovereignty of Africa. The
  Romans for supremacy and world domination. ( a
  Greek witness to the destruction of Carthage.)
• The Romans were committed to a policy of
  imperialism.
• Define imperialism
• Domination by one country of the political,
  economic or cultural life of another country or
  region.

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The Republic of Rome

• Define Republic
• Republic System of government in which officials
  are elected by the people.
• Senate Most powerful governing body. 300
  members all patricians. Made the laws.
• First laws codified into the
• Twelve Tables
• Two Consuls elected by Senate. Ran the
  government and the army.
• Tribunes elected by the people (plebeians)
• Judges Oversaw courts cases

• Wide spread use of slave labor from conquered
  territories
• Slave labor forced small farmers out of business.
  Led to mass unemployment and poverty.
• Mob riots and corruption in the government.
• Attempts at reform failed.
• Civil wars began.
• Julius Caesar emerged as dictator of Rome

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Julius Caesar and the Empire of Rome

• Caesar conquers Gaul What is Gaul called today?
• France
• First Triumvirate Julius Caesar, Pompey, and
  Crassus
• Caesar defeats Pompey in a civil war after
  Crassus dies in battle.
• Caesar pursues Pompey to Egypt where he meets
  Cleopatra and has a child with her.
• Caesar becomes dictator of Rome
• Caesar is assassinated by the Senate he tried to
  displace.
• Rome plunges into Civil War.
• Marc Anthony and Cleopatra are defeated by Caesar
  Augustus.
• Caesar Augustus ends all hope for a further Roman
  empire.

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Rome at its Height60 400 AD
On your own paper, describe the extent of the
Roman Empire at its height. Be sure to name
oceans, rivers and seas in your description.
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Pax Romana

• Pax Romana, Latin for "the Roman peace", is the
  long period of peace experienced by states within
  the Roman Empire. The term stems from the fact
  that Roman rule and its legal system pacified
  regions which had suffered from the quarrels
  between rival leaders, sometimes forcefully.
  During this time Rome still fought a number of
  wars against neighboring states and tribes, most
  notably the Germanic tribes and Parthia. It was
  an era of relative tranquility, in which Rome
  endured neither major civil wars, such as the
  perpetual bloodshed of the first century BC, nor
  serious invasions. Characterized by rule by
  emperors and a lack of democracy. Strong military
  presence.

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The Roman Achievement

• Roman Roads - As early as the 4th century BC, a
  good road system was recognized as vital for
  military deployment, communication and increasing
  commerce. By having an option to traveling around
  the peninsula or along the coast line of Italy,
  travelers and merchants could avoid some threat
  of storms, pirates and navigational problems.
• Well trained and extensive military. Because the
  military presence on Roman roads was so
  extensive, travel and trade were safer and much
  faster.
• Roman rule of law - An accused person is innocent
  until proven guilty.

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The Roman Achievement
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The Roman Achievement

• Aqueducts Roman water systems often carried
  water to cities from mountain streams hundreds of
  miles away. Only a highly organized civilization
  with advanced technology could create such a
  system.

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The Roman Achievement

• Highly sophisticated public buildings and baths.

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The Rise of Christianity

• Despite Roman persecution of the early
  Church, the Pax Romana and the extensive Roman
  transportation system allowed Christianity to
  spread throughout the Roman empire. The huge
  slave population made Christianity attractive to
  a wide section of the population. By 312 AD,
  Emperor Constantine had decreed Christianity the
  official religion of Rome.

Jesus healing the blind man.