Unit 2 - Classical Era Flashcards
confucianism
morals = harmony; after Qin dynasty, if superior person is nice then the inferior person will obey
daoism
nature and simple life, people practice complement of each other (yin-yang)
legalism
during Qin dynasty, clear laws with harsh punishment
Qin Dynasty
unified by Qin Shuhuangdi, legalism (brutal, didn’t last long)
Qin Shuhuangdi
unified China, implements Legalism
Han dynasty
after Qin, merit based government (civil service exams), social divides (landlord, merchants, scholar-gentry, peasants)
Wang Mang
believed in confucianism, overthrew Han dynasty, Robin Hood (took from rich, gave loans and land to poor - unsuccessful)
Agriculture in China
peasants grew rice, respected under Confucian values (did their own thing)
Dynastic cycles for Qin and Han
the yellow turban rebellion scared china and sent them back to being warring states
Responses to warring state period
legalism and Qin dynasty
Yellow Turban Rebellion
peasants were suffering (inconsiderate gov, crops failing, mean landlords); suppressed but scared state -> sent back to warring period
Silk Roads
mainly luxury goods traded to justify cost of travel (SILK), prospered under Mongols, Byzantine, Abbasids, and Tang Dynasty (encourage being merchant)
Zoroatrianism
Zarathustra; Spread through trade routes like the silk road to Asia, Middle East, and Europe
Legalism
Hsun Tzu; spread through teachings and adoption of ideas by political figures, through China
Confucianism
Confucius; spread through relocation diffusion via Korean Peninsula to Korean Peninsula and Japan
Daoism
Lao Tzu; spread through emigration from China to East Asian countries (Singapore, Malaysia)
Hinduism
fusion of multiple info-aryan people’s beliefs; spread through expansion diffusion and relocation through sailors to Southeast Asia
Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama; spread through trade networks on land and sea; monks spread teachings -> to west and east Asia
Judaism
Abraham; Anti-semitism and general persecution forced Jews to relocate constantly to Egypt, Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, and Italy
Christianity
Jesus; spread by disciples, emperors, kings, missionaries -> worldwide
Spread of buddhism
appeals to merchants, goes from India to China through/to oasis cities
Greek rationalism
secular thought process (not religious)
Black Plague
Byzantines got it from Egyptian grain (plague of Justinian), Mongols spread along silk road
Epidemic diseases spread by silk road
malaria, Black Plague, smallpox, measles
Benefits of black plague
lower population, higher wages for peasants, more resistance to disease
Why did Rome collapse?
many reasons: invaders, overextension, conflict between nobles and state, climate change, epidemic disease
Results of Fall of Classical Empires
rome split up into different states, china got re-established bc cultural homogeneity
Roman law changes
monarchy -> republic -> empire; gave ppl citizenship as needed
Roman social classes
patricians: rich ppl, 1%, plebeians: peasants, do all the hard work (Hill of Reformation)
Roman Government Structure
tribunes: pleb reps, consuls: leaders of Rome, + senate
Julius Caeser
poor patrician family -> dictator for lie; conquered Gaul in the Battle of Alesia, crosses the rubicon; killed by senators
Augustus Caesar
first emperor; called Principe (first citizen), ruled 40 years
pax romana
period of roman peace
Colosseum
meant for entertainment so plebeians wouldn’t revolt (it worked!); gladiator fights, naval battles, tons of exits
Roman engineering
aqueducts for water transport, columns, arches, domes, roads
Spartacus revolt
huge uprising to escape Roman slavery; ultimately failed -> Spartacus became respected/inspirational symbol
Meroe
egalitarian, extensive trading networks, ironworks
Axum
embraced Christianity when Rome does, imperialistic; wants to expand trade networks, declines during rise of Islam
Niger River Civilization
little coercive government, highly specialized economy, semi-caste society based on profession
Bantu migration
slow, family driven, language and culture moves before people
Sand roads
travel across Sahara with camels; expensive, in groups; traded GOLD; Arab merchants spread Islam
Sand road kingdoms
Ghana empire (GOLD), Empire of Mali (MANSA MUSA)
Swahili civilization
collections of cities along East Africa (coast -> center and back); merchants have power
Maya
intellectual, calendar, ball game, advanced writing system, strong city states that never fully unite
Americas
little interaction with one another, religious human sacrifice, influenced by Olmec
Teotihuacan
trading powerhouse, large army, mysteriously collapses
Americas Trade Networks
loosely connected trade networks, ball game and maize spread; most trade done within civilization not with others
Pocheta
professional Aztec trader
Aztec trade
private, land based
Mayan trade
private, also conducted sea trade along coast
Incan trade
huge road system (20,000 miles), quipus, network of accountants, huge government storehouses
quipus
knotted cord used for accounting
Maize
corn, diffuses throughout Americas, proof of trade
Indian Ocean Trade
cheaper than silk road, mastered monsoons for efficiency
regulation of trade
Islamic states had fees for non-Islamic merchants, caused many merchants to convert
religious transmission
spread of buddhism (appealed to merchants bc no caste system), buddhism also changed as it spread
Archaic Art
archaic smile, rigid
classical art
more active, idealizes
Hellenistic art
motion and emotion, realistic, less beauty, spiral composition
kouros
standing male nude
contrapposto
one leg supports weight of body while other is bent, relaxing (natural, realistic)
spiral composition
twist of body
oculus
round, circular hole or window
concrete
strong and flexible, represented roman values
coffers
recessed panel in ceiling, in Pantheon, helped lessen weight of dome
didactic art
tells people how to behave, role in society, etc
filial
obedient son/daughter (fulfill societal role)
ni zan formula
foreground: detailed foliage
midground: large body of water
background: less detailed landscape
