Test 4 Flashcards
What were the beneficiaries of the Christian church?
- tax exemptions
- spaces for bishop/clergy were marked off from rest of church
- freedom of worship
- Christian church was recognized as a legal body of the Roman Empire
Who was Constantine and how did he become ruler?
Constantine was the emperor of the Byzantine empire.
Rumor: his father (constantinus) was murdered, and Jesus told Constantine to make rome a Christian empire. C put symbol on shield and defeated killer Maximus.
History: Cs dad is killed by co ruler M. C defeats m, becomes emperor (first christian emperor.)
Constantine also created the edict of Milan: everyone in empire should e christian- but no one is forced.
The city of Byzantium had its name changed to Constantinople (empire became Byzantine empire)
Why was there fighting among Christians and what was done to resolve it?
There was fighting bc no rules/bible.
To solve fighting, the Christian faith was first summed up in a statement of belief at the council of Nicaea. It was decided that God was a supreme being comprised of father, son, and Holy Spirit (New Testament was created)
How did the empire change after the conversion of Constantine?
- responsibility for the urban poor
- judicial authority to resolve small legal conflicts
- the ability to offer the poor moments o splendor in lavish churches
- a new public forum
Who was Justinian?
He was the emperor of Byzantium who took over after Constantine died. He…
- created legal system/laws
- Byzantine “golden age” was during his rule
- wife was Theodora
- he and wife persecuted people
- built Hagia Sophia
Who conquered and replaced the Parthanians in today’s Iran/Iraq area?
The Sasanians, led by Khusro Ianoshirwan, defeated the Parthians. The Sasanians were tolerant of all religions, and their empire was strengthened by control of the Silk Road (which passed through the Iranian plateau)
What trials did the Byzantine empire withstand?
Civil wars and the bubonic plague
Who were the Nestorian Christians?
Group of Christians from southwest Asia. Named by opponents for their acceptance of contested understanding of Jesus’s divine and human nature promoted by Nestorius (former bishop in Constantinople)They established religious communities across Asia, reaching all the way to China.
Who were the Sogdians, and what did they accomplish?
People from Central Asia. They…
- created common language for Silk Road
- rode shaggy camels
- blended Zoroastrianism with Mesopotamian religions
- built large mansions decorated with fresco paintings
- organized the caravan trade across the taklimakan desert
- adopted the techniques of cavalry warfare, including armored riders
- were one of the best trading groups (were sweet talkers with sticky fingers)
Who was Chandragupta?
King of the Gupta dynasty. He was called King of kings, lord of lords. He had people write poems and plays about love and suffering. HINDUISM
How did Buddhism spread during the time of 300-600 C.E.?
Buddhist culture was spread by caravans and monks. The religion spilt into two sections: Mahayana Buddhism and Hinayana Buddhism.
What were the differences between Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism?
Mahayana (greater vehicle) Buddhism:
- Buddah is worshipped as God
- Bodisattvas are worshipped as God on earth (lesser gods or demigods)
Hinayana (lesser vehicle) Buddhism:
- Buddah is God
- Bodisattvas are not gods
- Hinayana temples barred all colorful idols of the Bodisattvas and heavenly beings (temples only contained images of Buddah)
***greater and lesser vehicle Buddhists fought with each other over beliefs.
How did the western part of the Roman Empire fall?
Barbarian immigration/fighting (goths and Huns)
What was Hinduism like?
stemmed from brahmanic Vedic religion, did not claim to be universal faith
Brahma- birth, past
Vishnu- existence, present
Shiva- death, future
Were main gods, represented three phases of universe, three expressions of eternal self (atma)
Other aspects of religion were…
- abandonment of animal sacrifice
- identification with agricultural culture
- adoption of vegetarianism
- more detailed descriptions of gods
How was the code of manu created, and what was it?
In India ( Southeast Asia), there was no centralized empire to make rules. Instead, a form of cultural synthesis called the Sanskrit Cosmopolis (based on Hindu beliefs and articulated in the Sanskrit language) was created. Sanskrit became important/common in region. But Brahmins knew language best, and use this power to circulate ideals on morality and society in special texts. Most imp was code of Manu. Full of laws! Esp showed how to follow Varna/Jati system, obey social norms
What was the most important part of China after the Han dynasty broke apart?
The northern Wei dynasty.
What were some characteristic of the northern Wei dynasty?
- encouraged their nomadic warriors to adopt city-based military technology
- cultivated strong ties with the great Han families.
- rebuilt the han capital Luoyang
- taxed land on the basis of a census
***kept chinese way of life
How did Daoism change after the Han Dynasty?
Two new traditions were created:
1: organized and community oriented, involved heavenly masters who as mortals guided religious groups/parishes. Followers sought salvation through virtue, confession, and ceremonies.
2: more individualistic, attempted to reconcile Confucian classical learning with Daoist religious beliefs in occult and magic. Trance/meditation controlled human physiology. Skilled practitioner could accumulate religious merit, prolong life. DAOISTS WANTED ETERNAL LIFE!
What was Buddhism like in China?
Buddhist scholar/missionary Kumarajiva spread Madhyamika (Middle way) Buddhism in China.
Madhyamika Buddhism:
- Buddhist texts were translated to chinese
- Buddhist terminology was clarified for chinese adepts
- irony and paradoxes were used to show that reason was limited
- it stressed devotional acts, such as daily prayers and mantras
What were the three groups living in Sub-Saharan Africa and mesoamerica?
The Bantus
The Teotihuacans
The Mayans
Who were the Bantu people?
People from sub-Saharan Africa. They…
- first lived in Nigeria, shifted from hunting/gathering/fishing to agriculture in tropical rainforest.
- migrated out of west Africa in two waves (one to east Africa did iron smelting for tools, one to south/west in Kalahari desert did subsistence agriculture).
- In east, Kings ruled by divine right, ppl lived in rabidly forested areas
- in west, small-scale societies based of fam/clan connections formed. Split into age groups. Ruling elders were most imp. Rights/duties of ppl depended on age. Natural world was inhabited by heroic ancestor spirits.
Who were the Teotihuacans?
Teotihuacan was city state that formed in mesoamerica where Olmecs used to be (central Mexico)
- T became larger center of Americas before Aztecs
- fertile land and ample water supported up to 200,000 residents in apartment complexes
- had lots of pyramids/temples
- eventually controlled entire Mexico valley basin: dominated neighbors and demanded gifts, tribute, and humans for ritual sacrifice
- political influence beyond basin was limited, but cultural and economic diffusion were significant
- defeated in fifth century CE
Who were the Mayans?
People living in Carribean region of Yucatan, flourished into eight century.
- inhospitable region had no central metropolis, but many agrarian villages
- villages/kingdoms were linked by language, commerce and tribute payments from lesser to sacred towns
- Mayans may have numbered up to 10 million
- rulers (shamanistic kings by lineage) engage in hostilities
- pantheon of gods, Kings sponsored public rituals to reinforce their divine heritage
- Mayans were good writers, mathematicians (made calendar), and architects
- rulers did blood sacrifice w captured victims of war and sometimes their own blood
- eventually Mayans were destroyed by internal warfare
Where was the city of Mecca, and what were some of its characteristics?
It was located in the Hijaz, the western region of Arabia bordering Red Sea.
- learned men gathered there to the doctrines of Christianity and Buddhism
- the Byzantine and Sasanian empires had already influenced the region
- Mecca was located along a trading route
- Mecca contained a revere sanctuary where polytheistic Meccans worshipped
- tolerant place for all religions
How did the religion of Islam start?
It started with the prophet Muhammad, a man married into Rich fam in Mecca. Had dream of angel (Gabriel)- angle said M had to bring back gods true word (Allah is true God)
Muhammad is kicked out of mecca, goes to Medina to gather followers, goes back and conquers Mecca and surrounding places.
Muslim= one who submits to God
What were some aspects of the Islamic faith?
- Jihad- take up sword and spread Islam OR battle within self to come closer to Allah
- Holy place in Mecca was Ka’aba
- Islamic bible was Quran (formed after M died)
- Sharia Law
- 5 pillars of Islam
What was Sharia Law?
- Sharia law covered all aspects of practical as well as spiritual life
- Sharia law was the work of generations of religious scholars
- sharia law placed Muslim scholars at the heart of Islam, as they, rather than princes and kings, became the law makers
- Sharia law drew on both the Quran and the Hadith, reports on sayings and actions of Mecca
What were the 5 pillars of islam?
1) Shahadah- declaring there is no God except God, and Muhammad is Gods messenger.
2) Salet- ritual prayer five times a day
3) Zakat- giving 2.5 percent of ones savings to poor and needy
4) Sawm- fasting and self control during holy month of Ramadan
5) Hajj- Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in lifetime, if able
What were some aspects of Islamic culture?
- Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem (where M is said to have gone to heaven) are holy cities
- Muslims go to the mosque on Fridays
- idol worship is bad (no pics of M)
- imam (preacher) preaches in mosque
- Quran should never be translated (only studied in Arabic)
- in early Islamic society, women had shifty status as patriarchy was only starting to emerge in Arabian communities
- men and women pray separately
- Muhammad’s wife wrote things down for him bc he couldn’t write (Kdeja?)
How did Islam spread?
After Ms death, there were diff beliefs about who should guide Islamic religion. 4 rightly guided caliphs emerged as leaders, expanded dar al Islam (world of Islam) into Syria, Egypt, and Iraq.
Ali, last caliph, is murdered
Umayyads of Syria take over, moved capital of empire to Damascus. Had hereditary monarch, but only let arab speaking people to hold high political offices.
Abbasi fam claimed descent from M, they and followers defeated Umayyads and moved center of Muslim state to Baghdad. They decided to keep Caliphate- line of political rulers going back to M as political figures (not prophets). Blended absolute authority w decentralized power. Used foreigners for military.
