05 April 2021

Classical Civilizations

The way that the world lives today evolved from the major classical civilizations. From
religion to government to the fables that are told to children and so much more. Each of these
civilizations created a highly functioning society with social hierarchies and trade. Each left a
cultural achievement that is still prevalent today.
The Qin empire was from 221-207 BCE. Although it was short-lived this dynasty plays
an important role in China’s history. China’s Han Empire was founded and led by LIU Bang
from 256-195 BCE following the death of the Qin Emperor. The successful evolution of their
civilization mainly stemmed from the government-run by the most intelligent and school that
produced intelligence. Their hierarchy was composed of occupations such as scholars, officials,
peasants, artisans, and merchants. Much of their trade was conducted through the infamous silk
road (shown in map 1below) with India, Persia, and Rome with its monopoly being iron salt.
Greece, located on the Greek peninsula (shown in map 2) made for a great trade. Their
geography helped to shape their government and culture. Greece had little expansion due to its
location. They had city-states which made it more manageable to govern. They were known to
be polytheistic believing in the Greek immortals Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Apollo, and many
others. These Gods represented different aspects of nature and life. Society functioned under a
hierarchy where slaves, freemen, and aristocrats were praised and considered the highest class.
women didn’t have many rights even if they were considered to be in an elite class. The decline
of Greece emerged when the Athenian and Spartan empires began to compete for control over
Greece from 500-400 BCE leading to the start of the Hellenistic Age. The legacy is a strong
culture that is rich in written language derived from the Phoenician alphabet. They also created
the Olympic Games which are still a major worldwide event today.
The Achaemenid Clan was founded by Cyrus the Great from 550-530BCE. He imposed
the 1st tribute charter of rights stating they would “protect this land from rancor, foes, falsehood,
and drought.” his son was his successor, leading with similar values followed by his cousin
Darius, who although was not very humble, led the empire at its peak into expansion. Persia
rejected Greek politics and introduced the idea of a republic government leading them to about 2
centuries of peace. They used a 1600 mile royal road to collect taxes, improve communication
and trade within the empire. It would typically take about nineteen days on horseback to cross
111 stations within the empire. The Persians were monotheistic believing in the prophet
Zoroaster and the God Ahura Mazda. Their religion was adamant about good being above evil
and fire was the way to purity. Christianity and Islam, modern-day western religions, were highly
influenced by Zoroastrianism, but the religion still survives in areas of Iran and India today.
Unlike the other empires around the world, India had a more complex hierarchy. A person’s diet,
marriage, and exchange were decided by birth. They believed in transmigration and reincarnation
of the soul through many lives. The sum of your actions was thought to determine your next life.
Their way of life was highly influenced by the 2 major religions Buddhism and Hinduism. The
Buddhist conversion of Ashoka, Chandragupta’s grandson, led to the expansion of the religion
throughout India. Ashoka is considered to be the greatest ruler in the history of India creating an
empire that covered ⅔ of India. Chandragupta founded the Mauryan empire in 322 BCE
expanding it westward across central India.
Rome, located at the center of the mediterranean sea, shown in map 5 below. Its location
made it great for farming while also providing protection from invasion with tall mountains.
began as a monarchy in central Italy from the 8th-1st century and expanded through a strong
military. Rome was based on the principle of the aristocracy. A great contribution to Western
Civilization came from government and law. Rome was a republic ruled by elected officials
based on a 12 table legal system. Augustus led this transition to Rome becoming an empire
ruling all the way to his death. Their belief system changed much with the empire. They
followed civil law where there were half and full citizens which is what determined the rights
that they held. Foreigners had no rights at all. Roman religion was centered around Gods which
were also the explanation for natural and human events. Much of their time was spent
worshipping them. They practiced with church & state with their priests also being officials.
Rome’s civil engineering and military contribute largely to the legacy that it holds. They are
often grouped with Greek in astonishment at their classical architecture. The language of the
Roman army was Latin which is the eternal language for many other languages including
English.
Teotihuacan (200BCE-750CE), today’s Mexico City, was an ancient Mexican civilization
with a diverse population most known for its architecture, culture, and size. This was the largest
city in the Americas. Because they were surrounded by swamplands (map 6), the area was
abundant in water making it great for agriculture. The Teotihuancans were polytheistic and
believed deities. The Mayans were located on the Yucatan Peninsula separating the Gulf of
Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Much of their trade was interregional with basic goods. Their
hierarchy consisted of royals, priests, artisans, and slaves. Different from the other civilizations,
their religion was mainly focused on divine kings and queens so there was a lack of unity there.
They did bond through games such as their ball court game, similar to Western basketball, where
the objective was to hit a ball through a ring with some part of the body and the loser was human
sacrifice. The Mayans also had 3 separate calendars which are used simultaneously. Many
cultures still follow or reference this calendar today. They also had a great way with numbers
unlike the rest of the world with a remarkable understanding of the math number zero.
All of these classical civilizations conducted some sort of trades using the silk road. The
silk road stretched over four thousand miles across Eurasia, the Mediterranean sea, to the Han
empire. Despite its name, much of the silk road was the sea, but the land routes were often
covered by caravan. There were many guard stations, translators, and guides. This route led to
amazing innovation amongst the cultures and unfortunately widespread diseases such as the
plague. Although some of the civilizations lasted much longer than the others, they all played a
major role in the way that the world functions today. The evolutions of these civilizations were
unique from others in the way that they were able to live on for centuries and create a
functioning way of life. Each civilization contributes to something that the average human does
not live without.

MAPS
1.) China’s (Qin & Han) classicalchina

2.) Greece (Athenia & Hellenistic) Hellenistic_Greece

3.) Persia (Achaemenids) e4129b7950c233852f8396c1d0c2d205.jpg

5.) Rome (Republic through Empire) rome-from-republic-to-empire.html

6.) Mesoamerica ( Teotihuacan & Mayan) maps

1.) “...The Qin empire was from 221-207 BCE. Although it was short-lived this dynasty
plays an important role in China’s history…” HIS101Lecture: Unification of China in
Qin Dynasty (3rd cent. BCE) 2 /17/2021”
2.) “All of these classical civilizations conducted some sort of trades using the silk road.”
HIS101 Lecture: Silk Road and Eurasian Connection(2nd cent BCE-20th cent CE)
3/29/2021
3.) “They used a 1600 mile royal road to collect taxes, improve communication and trade
within the empire..” HIS101 Lecture: India’s Mauryan Age 4th-2nd cents. BCE 3/5/2021
4.) “The Mayans were located on the Yucatan Peninsula separating the Gulf of Mexico and
the Caribbean Sea.” HIS101 Lecture: Classical Civilizations of Mesoamerica 3/29/2021
5.) “Its location made it great for farming while also providing protection from invasion with
tall mountains…(World Civilizations “Rome and Its Empire”,p.7)”