EXCHANGES, CHANGES AND COLLAPSES:

1
EXCHANGES, CHANGES AND COLLAPSES

• INTERACTIONS AT THE END OF THE CLASSICAL AGE

2
THE CLASSICAL WORLD
3
WARFARE

• Civil Wars in Rome
• Rival generals seeking to gain emperorship
• Conflicts between Arabs under Zenobia,
  Monophysites in Egypt with Romans
• Nomadic Invasions
• Huns in Mediterranean, Persia, India
• Kushans in India
• Central Asians in China
• Agriculturalist Migration leads to war
• Germans migrated into empire to avoid Huns
• Romans too weak to resist German take over
• Great Power Wars
• Rome (Eastern Roman Empire) and Sassanids
• War lasted on and off two hundred years
• War exhausted both empires
• Eastern Roman Empire bribed Germans, Huns to go
  west
• Civil Wars in China and India
• Rival dynasties struggle to reestablish control
  in China, India
• Often exacerbated by nomadic invasions
• Results

4
LAND AND SEA ROUTES
5
OCEAN TRADE NETWORKS

• Regulated not controlled at various stages by
  locally dominant states
• Most merchants accepted an unwritten code of
  conduct
• Trade was largely peaceful and protected by
  dominant powers
• Powers cooperated to protect against pirates
• The Indian Ocean to China Trade Network
• Based on the monsoon patterns
• NE Winds blow ships towards India, SE Asia
• SW Winds blow ships towards Arabia, Africa
• Intricate System of stopovers, entrepots required
  
• Indian Ocean divided into three zones
• Western zone dominated by Arabs, Persians,
  Ethiopians
• Middle Zone between India and SE Asia dominated
  by Indians
• Eastern Zone from SE Asia to China dominated by
  Chinese
• Major ports called entrepots at exchange points
  along divisions
• Goods exchanged tended to be luxuries with
  exception of rice, wood
• Trade in the Hellenistic Mediterranean
• Dominated by Greeks, Phoenicians, Egyptians,
  Jews, later Arabs
• Besides various commodities, also slave trade
• Links to Indian Ocean network through Egypt,
  Ethiopia

6
LAND TRADE ROUTES

• Most famous called Silk Road
• Overland trade routes linked China to
  Mediterranean basin
• Sea-lanes joined Asia and Mediterranean basin
  into one network
• Trade goods
• Silk and spices traveled west
• Central Asia produced large horses and jade, sold
  in China
• Mediterranean provided glassware, jewelry, art
  works, perfumes, textiles
• The organization of long-distance trade
• Merchants of different regions handled trade in
  stages
• Similar to Indian Ocean to China trade network
• Merchants tended to be Armenians, Nestorians,
  some Jews
• Controlled, protected most of length by Central
  Asian nomads
• Many smaller routes connect to Silk Road
• Arabs controlled desert routes into Arabia
  between Egypt, Persia
• Arameans, Nestorians control much of SW Asia
• Bactrians, Sogdians, Kushans control routes into
  India
• Romans lost gold, silver as their people desired
  luxuries

7
CULTURAL EXCHANGESBUDDHISM AND HINDUISM

• Buddhism in Central Asia
• First present in oasis towns of central Asia
  along silk roads
• Further spread to steppelands
• Spread by merchants traveling from India to China
• Hellenized Bactrians, Kushans heavily influenced
  by Buddhism
• Buddhism in China
• Foreign merchants as Buddhists in China, 1st
  century B.C.E.
• Popularity of monasteries and missionaries, 5th
  century C.E.
• Many early conversions during time of troubles in
  China
• Buddhism and Hinduism in Southeast Asia
• Spread by Hindu merchants later Buddhist
  missionaries
• Conversion of local ruling elites so they could
  control lucrative trade
• Rulers referred to themselves as rajas ("kings")
• Adopted Sanskrit as written language
• Many rulers converted to Buddhism, others
  promoted Hindu cults
• Buddhist or Hindu advisors in government
• Rise of new civilizations due to influence
  Khmer, Srivijava, Mahajavit
• Many of first Christian heresies were Buddhist
  influenced

8
SPREAD OF INDIAN FAITHS
9
SPREAD OF BUDDHISM
10
FORMS OF BUDDHISM
11
CULTURAL CHANGES IN MEDITERRANEAN

• Prominence of Christianity
• Constantine's edict of Milan made Christianity a
  legitimate religion
• Called Council of Nicaea to solve conflicts
  within Church (Nicene Creed)
• Ordered a book (byblos) to be complied of agreed
  upon Christian works
• Emperor Theodosius made Christianity official
  state religion, 380 C.E.
• St. Jerome translated Bible into Latin
• St. Augustine harmonized Christianity with
  Platonic thought
• St. Ulfias converted Germans to Arianism
• The institutional church
• Conflicting doctrines and practices among early
  Christians
• No one dominant belief about Christianity
• Current belief was an outgrowth of compromise,
  discussion
• Many early schisms and controversies
• Donatists should those who adjure Christianity
  be allowed to return
• Arians Christ is solely human
• Monophysites Christ is divine, human each part
  is separate, one is dominant
• Established standardized hierarchy of church
  officials
• Bishop of Rome (Pope) became spiritual leader
  (Petrine Doctrine)
• Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantinople
  patriarchal cities

12
SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY
13
SPREAD OF EPIDEMICS

• Pandemic vs. Epidemic
• Epidemic is a disease which strikes all groups in
  one region
• Pandemic is a disease which strikes
  simultaneously many regions
• Often spread by war, trade, missionaries
• Epidemic diseases
• Common epidemics in Rome and China
• Smallpox, measles, bubonic plague
• Mediterranean population fell ¼ from 1st to 10th
  century C.E.
• China population fell ¼ from the 1st to 7th
  century C.E.
• Persia, Ethiopia effected India seems to have
  been missed
• Effects of epidemic diseases
• Chinese and Roman economies contracted trade
  stiffled
• Small regional economies emerged
• Epidemics weakened Han and Roman empires

14
FALL OF THE HAN DYNASTY

• Internal decay of the Han state
• Problems of factions and land distribution
• The Yellow Turban rebellion, 184 C.E.
• Collapse of the Han dynasty
• Generals usurped political authority, emperor was
  a puppet
• By 220, generals abolished Han, divided empire
• Nomadic peoples invaded, further dividing old Han
  Empire
• Cultural Change in Post-Han China
• Sinicization of nomadic peoples
• Withering of Confucianism
• Confucianism failed to maintain order too
  aristocratic
• More individuals turned to Daoism, Buddhism both
  offered hope
• Daoism changed to a religion of salvation
• Popularity of Buddhism
• Buddhism received strong support from nomadic
  rulers
• Between 4th/6th centuries C.E., Buddhism well
  established
• Buddhism often supported by nomads, lower
  classes, women
• Many made donations of land, money to Buddhists
• Buddhism merged with Chinese traditions became
  religion

15
THREE KINGDOMS
16
INTERNAL DECAY OF ROME

• Barrack Emperors
• Between 235 and 284 C.E., generals frequently
  seized the throne
• Most barracks emperors died violently in coups,
  assassination
• The sheer size of the empire became a problem of
  control
• Emperor Diocletian (284-305 C.E.)
• Divided the empire into two administrative parts
• Western Roman Empire ruled from Rome
• Eastern Roman Empire ruled from Nicomedia
• Tetrarchy Rule by Four
• Two Emperors called Augustus basically political
  emperor
• Two Associated rulers called Caesars basically
  war emperor
• Reforms saved empire for 200 years
• Froze social classes created feudalism
• Persecuted Christians to unite empire
• Reformed Roman army and defenses to fight
  invaders
• The emperor Constantine
• Constantine seized power, claimed to be sole
  emperor
• Established a new capital city
• Constantinople on Bosporus

17
COLLAPSE IN INDIA

• Guptan Dynasty
• Lacked strong central government
• Provinces only owed tribute, tax, respect to
  central ruler
• Provincial rulers viewed emperor as related to
  gods
• But local areas largely self-governing
• Relied on provincial rule, type of feudalism
• Regional leaders often stronger than emperor
• Dynastys worries
• Civil war between regional leaders
• Invasions by Central Asia including White Huns
• Beaten off by Guptans but seriously weakened
  empire
• Continued raids by Huns, Central Asians kept
  empire in turmoil
• Large scale migrations from Northern India to
  Southern parts
• Dynasty ceased to exist attempted revival failed
• Regional states broke off, constant warfare
  follows
• Harshas Revival did not last
• Rajput (Northern Princes) warfare disrupted
  region

18
GUPTAN EMPIRE
19
NOMADIC INVASIONS

• Germanic migrations
• From northern Europe, lived in eastern, northern
  parts of empire
• Most notable were Goths
• Visigoths settled in Spain, S. France Ostrogoths
  settled in Italy
• Settled as agriculturalists, mercenary soldiers
  and allies of Rome
• Created a modified law of German tradition and
  Roman law
• Roman authorities kept Germanic peoples on the
  borders as a buffer
• The Huns
• Called Xiong-nu by Chinese Chinese defeated
  them, sent west
• Huns invaded Roman Empire
• White Huns invaded India
• Black Huns invaded Persia
• Under Attila, Huns began expeditions from the
  mid-5th century C.E.
• Soon disappeared after the death of Attila in 453
  C.E.
• The collapse of the western Roman empire
• Under Huns' pressure, Germanic peoples moved into
  Roman empire
• Established settlements in Italy, Gaul, Spain,
  Britain, and north Africa
• Goths and Vandals sacked Rome on two separate
  occasions
• Germanic general Odovacer deposed the Roman
  emperor, 476 C.E.

20
INVASIONS AND MIGRATIONS
21
WHAT REMAINED?

• Cosmopolitan Culture
• Most of the areas retained their faith, social
  structures
• New faiths often served to preserve old ways
• Most areas retained idea of former classical ways
  as an ideal
• Most disruptions to top hierarchy especially
  aristocrats, rulers
• Interregional Contacts
• While not eliminated were often severely lessoned
• Regions tended to fall back on themselves, older
  traditions
• Which collapse was worse?
• Roman was very severe because it was so dramatic
• Eastern Empire survived but it was no longer
  Latin
• New rulers were radically different from previous
  rulers
• Christianity was relatively new, different from
  older Latin traditions
• Sassanid collapse worst culture disappeared
  under Islam
• Indian, Chinese collapses was hardly noticed
• Traditions remained elites remained often
  running new local states
• Ancient religious hierarchies often still in
  place locally, nationally