Organization of Human Societies: 600 BCE to End of the Millennium

Introduction

Icons from left to right: Blah blah blah the great, knife, elephant, asp, Confucius

In case you are a little dizzy from the last unit, you might want to lie down. This unit's a whirlwind with a couple of "So and So the Greats," a few assassinations, a man storming around on an elephant, a lady with an asp, and - oh yeah - a teacher whose name sounds an awful lot like "Confuse Us." (Can you imagine raising your hand in class for some help and having to say "Mr. Confuse Us?" Well... you will after this unit.)

Essential Questions

Why did this module begin approximately in the 600s BCE and end in the year 0?
How did Indian civilization and religions, especially Buddhism, develop and spread? What role did location play in this diffusion?
In what ways did the Zhou and Qin Dynasties impact Chinese civilization and how did they differ? To where did these ideas spread and how?
How did the intellectual and philosophical revolution in Ancient Greece determine Alexander the Great's path and what was the influence of that path on Europe, Asia and Africa?
What were the contributions of the Hellenistic and Roman cultures?
How did the Roman Republic evolve into the Roman Empire?

Study Guide

Click here to download a study guide for this module.

Key Terms

"AXIAL AGE" — a term that is used to describe the period when radical thinkers emerged and transformed their societies during the 1^st Millennium BCE
"Hundred Schools of Thought— PHILOSOPHIES AND SCHOOLS THAT FLOURISHED FROM 6^TH CENTURY TO 221 BCE during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period during the Zhou Dynasty of China; particularly noted for the philosophies of Confucianism, Daoism and Legalism
"SECOND-GENERATION SOCIETY" — societies that followed after and built upon the foundations of the first civilizations
ALEXANDER THE GREAT— (356-323 BCE) student of Aristotle; king of Macedon (a Greek empire) and led unprecedented military campaign through Asia and northeast Africa ultimately creating the largest empire ever before stretching from Greece to India
ALEXANDRIA— capital city and major center of Greek trade during the Ptolemaic Period of Egypt
ANALECTS — Confucianism; also known as the Analects of Confucius; collections of Confucius's sayings and ideas as recorded by his students
ARISTOCRACY— Ancient Greece; rule by the so-called best men;
ARISTOTLE— (c. 384-322) Greek philosopher and scientist; pupil of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great; believed that all truths followed logically from other truths
AŚOKA MAURYA— (3^rd Century BCE) third emperor of the Mauryan Empire (c. 268-232 BCE) and most noted for his attempt to convert India to a Buddhist state; Sometimes spelled Ashoka
ASSEMBLY— a legislative political institution during the Roman Republic comprised of patricians and plebeians; responsible for the selection of the two consuls of the government
ATHENS— a powerful city-state that was the home of intellectual and artistic activity during Classical Greece
AUGUSTUS CAESAR— (63 BCE- 14 CE) formerly known as Octavian; replaced Julius Caesar, upon his assassination, as emperor of Rome and is considered the first emperor of Rome (27 BCE- 14 CE)
BUDDHISM— religion based on the teachings of the Buddha
CARTHAGE— (7^th-3^rd Century BCE) Phoenician city-state and its surrounding empire that participated in the Greek-Punic Wars (c. 600-265 BCE) and the Punic Wars (264-246 BCE) until Carthage fell to the Romans
CELTS— members of a group of peoples inhabiting much of Europe and Asia Minor in pre-Roman times; culture developed in the late Bronze Age around the upper Danube, and reached its height in the La Tène culture (5th to 1st centuries BC) before being overrun by the Romans and various Germanic peoples.
CHANDRAGUPTA MAURYA— (c. 340- 297 BCE) first emperor of the Mauryan Empire and practitioner of Jainism (voluntarily stepped down from his thrown to allow his son to take over- very unusual for kings of that time- or any time)
CHAVIN CULTURE— (c. 900-250) first major culture located in the Peruvian Andes region; forerunner for later Peruvian civilizations
CLASSICAL AGE (GREECE) — (520-323 BCE) period of Ancient Greek history that provided much of the philosophies, sciences and art that are associated with Western Civilization; dates for period usually align with the period beginning with the death of the last Athenian tyrant and ending with the death of Alexander the Great
CLEOPATRA— (69-30 BCE) last Egyptian Ptolemaic pharaoh to rule Egypt and wife and ally of Marc Antony from Rome
CONFUCIANISM— ethical and philosophical system that developed from the teachings of Confucius in China
CONFUCIUS— (c. 551-479 BCE) Chinese teacher and philosopher; his teachings on relationships and morality developed into Confucianism
CONSUL— executive political position during the Roman Republic; 2 consuls were chosen from the Assembly on a yearly basis to enforce order within the Roman Republic
CORINTH— a city-state of ancient Greece
CYRUS CYLINDER— written by Cyrus the Great in the 6^th century BCE; considered to be the first declaration of human rights
CYRUS THE GREAT— also known as Cyrus II of Persia; founder and king of Persia Empire (c. 559-530 BCE); known for tolerant reign over conquered territories leading to moniker of "King of kings"; father of Darius I
DAODEJING — a classic of Chinese literature that explains Daoism (or Taoism); title roughly translates to "The Book of the Way and Its Power" or "Classic of the Way and Virtue"
DAO— in Daoism; literally translates to mean "the way;" a philosophy about the source and driving force behind everything that exists; also spelled Tao
DAOISM— a philosophy and religion that emphasizes living in harmony with the Dao; also spelled Taoism
DARIUS I— (c. 549- 486/86 BCE) son of Cyrus the Great; continued father's religious and politically tolerant policies as king of the Persian Empire while expanding the Persian Empire (considered to be the largest empire in the world at the time) to include the Indus River Valley, Egypt and Anatolia; known for the expansion of the empire, the building of infrastructure, the banning of slavery; and the promotion of trade and commerce
DELIAN LEAGUE— (478-404 BCE) imperial alliance of Greek city-states dominated by Athens with the purpose of warding off further attacks from the Persians
DEMOCRACY— Ancient Greece; political philosophy that literally awarded supreme political power to the people
DHAMMA— generalized norms and principles that Emperor Ashoka embraced to solve problems of a complex society (Ashoka's take on Dharma)
DHARMA— in Buddhism; the teachings from the Buddha
DJENNE-DJENO— archaeological site located in Mali that proves that a tradition of trade and urbanization existed in Sub-Saharan Africa prior to immigration from southwest Asia; site believed to have been home to a major urban area between 250 BCE and 900 CE
DRUIDS— priests of the ancient Celtic religion
EIGHTFOLD PATH— in Buddhism; one of the principal teachings of the Buddha that explains how to live to end suffering
EMPEROR WEN— (c. 202-157 BCE); emperor of China during the Han Dynasty; remembered for implementing Confucian principles within his government and the creation of civil service exams for applicants
EMPEROR WU— (c.156-87); emperor of China during the Han Dynasty; grandson of Emperor Wen remembered for expansion of Confucian principles within the government and expansion of Han Dynasty borders
FILIAL PIETY— Confucianism; virtue of respect for one's parents, elders and ancestors; one of the five key relationships identified in Confucianism
FIRST TRIUMVIRATE— (59-53 BCE) a term used by historians to indicate an informal political alliance between three prominent men of the late Roman Republic: Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great and Marcus Licinius Crassus
FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS— in Buddhism; the central doctrine that deals with suffering and how to end it
GAUL— region of Western Europe during the Iron Age inhabited by Celtic tribes
GOLDEN AGE OF PERICLES— (449-431 BCE) the golden age of Athenian culture that flourished under Pericles during the time of peace between the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars; also known as the Golden Age of Athens
HAN DYNASTY— (206 BCE- 220 CE) second imperial dynasty of China; the period is divided into two periods- Western Han (206 BCE- 9 CE) and Eastern Han (25-220 CE) and was influenced by Legalism, Confucianism and Taoism
HANNIBAL— (c. 247-184 BCE) a Punic military commander from Carthage; participated in the Second Punic War and was especially remembered for his almost conquest of Rome while using elephants to cross the Alps
HELLENISTIC AGE— (322-30 BCE); period of Ancient Greek history conventionally dated from the death of Alexander the Great to the death of Cleopatra and the rise of the Roman republic
HERODOTUS— (c. 484-424 BCE) also known as "the father of history" having investigatively written about the Persian Wars in The Histories
IDES OF MARCH— March 15^th of the Roman calendar; notorious as the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE
JAINISM— an ancient Indian religion with a central tenet of non-violence and love for all beings
JULIUS CAESAR— (c. 100-44 BCE) Roman general and politician whose rise to power as dictator over Rome marked the transition of Rome from a republic to an empire
JUNZI — Confucianism; a description of the "superior man" or "ideal man" and one of the five key relationships identified in Confucianism
LAOZI— (6^th century BCE) the possibly mythical father of Taoism; also known as the "Old Sage"; also known as Lao-tzu
LEGALISM— termed during the Han Dynasty but with earlier roots in the Warring States Period; a philosophy that encourages strict adherence to laws in contradiction with Confucianism; believed to be an influence on the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty and upon many political reformations undertaken during the Qin and Han Dynasties
LEGIONS— a unit of 3,000 to 6,000 men in the ancient Roman army
MACEDONIA— (808-168 BCE) kingdom during Classical Greece period and dominant state during Hellenistic Greece (home of Philip II and Alexander the Great)
MACEDONIAN EMPIRE— kingdom during Classical Greece period and dominant state during Hellenistic Greece that rose to greater power during Alexander the Great's father, Phillip II's, reign (359-336 BCE) and spread to become the largest empire of the time period under Alexander the Great's leadership; decline began with the Rise of Rome
MAURYAN EMPIRE— (322-185 BCE) one of the largest empires of its time (it followed the period of Alexander the Great); known (despite the wars that led to its unification of most of northern India) as a time of peace and prosperity (theory suggesting that emperor's religions led to this)
MAYANS— best known of the classical civilizations of Mesoamerica; although a Mayan culture existed earlier, their first cities began to appear around 750 BCE located in modern-day southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and western Honduras and El Salvador; known for corn cultivation, achievements in architecture and creation of a number system
NEBUCHADNEZZAR II— (r. 605-562 BCE); king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire; the destruction of the Hebrew Temple in Jerusalem and the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are attributed to him
NEO-BABYLONIAN EMPIRE— (626-539 BCE) a Mesopotamian Empire remembered as one of the first experiments into modern empire building and for the destruction of the Hebrew Temple and exile of Israelites
OLIGARCHY— Ancient Greece; rule of the wealthy few
PARTHIAN EMPIRE— (247 BCE- 224 CE) a state blended of Persian and Hellenistic influences located in modern-day Iran
PATRICIANS— Roman upper class and wealthy people from whose ranks the Senators and Consuls of the Roman Republic were pulled
PAX SINICA — a Latin phrase applied to the period of peace in East Asia under the Han Dynasty
PELOPONNESIAN WAR— (431-404 BCE) conflicts between Athens and Sparta (including respective allies) which resulted in Spartan victory (with Persian aid)
PERICLES— (c. 495-429 BCE) Athenian democratic statesman, financial expert and commander of high influence
PERSIAN EMPIRE— encompassing title for the Achaemenid, Seleucid, and Parthian Empires with a central location of modern-day Iran; the original Persian Empire -Achaemenid Dynasty- began with Cyrus the Great in 559 BCE who ended the Babylonian Exile of Jews from the region; under Cyrus's son-Darius I- the empire expanded into the Indus River Valley, Egypt and Anatolia; due to its policy of a central administration that worked towards the profit of its subjects it became a model for all land-based empires
PERSIAN WARS— (c. 499-449 BCE) series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire (aka Persian Empire) and Greek city-states sparked by the Persian attempt to control the Ionian communities within Persia; also known as Greco-Persian Wars
PHILIP II OF MACEDON— (382-336 BCE) king of Greek kingdom Macedonia (359-336 BCE) who controlled all of Greece during his reign
PHILOSOPHY— the study of the truth or principles underlying all real knowledge
PLATO— (c. 427-347) Greek philosopher; pupil and disciple of Socrates; founded the Academy of Athens; believed that society should be ruled by philosophers and not democracy
PLEBEIANS— Roman lower classes during the Roman Republic
POLIS — Ancient Greece; city (state, urban center), citizen-state; usually associated with a rural territory, a group of citizens and a constitution; plural: poleis
PTOLEMAIC PERIOD— (305-30 BCE) period of time when Egypt served as a Hellenistic kingdom based in Egypt and ruled by a Ptolemaic Dynasty of Greek/Macedonian heritage
PUNIC WARS— series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 to 146 BCE over conflicts of interests between the Carthaginian Empire and the expanding Roman Empire
QIN DYNASTY— (221-206 BCE) unified all of the states in China under one emperor; introduced several political and economic reforms to bring standardization to China; name of "China" comes from this dynasty
RELIGION— a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature and purpose of the universe especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies; usually involves devotional and ritual observances and often having a moral code for the conduct of human affairs
REPUBLIC— government elected by citizens to represent electors (in comparison to the practice of a direct democracy where voters vote on all issues of the state)
ROCK AND PILLAR EDICTS— (c. 260-232 BCE) a series of edicts that Emperor Ashoka had carved on pillars, rocks and cave walls during his reign of India and addressing Ashoka's take on dhamma and his embracing of Buddhism (part of his attempt to convert India to a Buddhist culture)
SECOND TRIUMVIRATE— (43-33 BCE) a term used by historians to indicate the official political alliance between three prominent men of the early Roman Empire: Gaius Octavius (Octavian, Caesar Augustus), Marcus Antonius ( Mark Antony ), and Lepidus formed on 27 November 43 BC, the creation of which is viewed as marking the end of the Roman Republic
SELEUCID EMPIRE— (312-63 BCE) a Hellenistic state that ruled over a portion of the Persian Empire
SENATE— a legislative political institution during the Roman Republic comprised of patricians
SERICULTURE— the science of making silk
SHI HUANGDI (QIN SHIHUANGDI) — (260-210 BCE) known as the "first emperor of China;" first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, he was responsible for defeating the other states during the Warring States Period and unifying all of China in 221 BCE thereby leading China into the period known as the Qin Dynasty
SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA— philosopher and teacher who lived and taught between the 6^th and 4^th centuries BCE in India and became the founder of Buddhism; also known as the Buddha
SILK ROAD— overland route where merchants carried goods for trade between Eastern Mediterranean states and China between 114 BCE and 1450s CE; responsible for a wide economic impact, diffusion of ideas and spread of diseases across Eurasia (and Africa)
SOCRATES— (469-399 BCE) Athenian philosopher of unorthodox ethical and religious views and antidemocratic political outlook, convicted of impiety in 399 BCE; never wrote a word of his philosophy but was credit with the Socratic Method- a method on how to learn
SPARTA— a powerful city-state that was the home of the military during Classical Greece
SPARTACUS— (111-71 BCE) gladiator during the Roman Republic who led a slave uprising in the Third Servile War
SPRING AND AUTUMN PERIOD— (722-481 BCE) a period of time during the Zhou Dynasty marked by hundreds of battles between the Chinese states as well as Civil Wars; also marked by the rising of the "Hundred Schools of Thought" that included Confucianism, Daoism and Legalism
SUBCONTINENT— a landmass or region that is very large but smaller than a continent; for example, India
TABLES OF ROME— the "Law of the Twelve Tables" was the legislation that founded the basis of the Republic of Rome
THE GREAT WALL— series of fortifications that form a wall along China's northern border to prevent attacks; portions of the wall were constructed as early as the 7^th Century BCE but the most famous portion was constructed during the Qin Dynasty although much of that has since disappeared; (majority of existing wall comes from almost 1500 years later)
THIRD SERVILE WAR— (73-71 BCE) third of a series of unsuccessful slave uprisings against the Roman Republic; noted for coming the closest to becoming a direct threat to the heartland of Italy
WARRING STATES PERIOD— (c. 475-221 BCE) period of time between the Zhou and Qin Dynasties when the 8 states of the Zhou Dynasty fought in frequent wars with one another; also a time of great Chinese intellectual/philosophical work when Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism emerged
WESTERN HAN DYNASTY— (206 BCE- 9 CE) one of two periods that made up the Han Dynasty; known for the Confucian reforms
XIONGNU— the nomadic peoples of ancient central Asia with whom the Han Dynasty had many run-ins and from whom the Great Wall was built to protect against; also known as Asiatic Huns
YAYOI PERIOD— (300 BCE- 300 CE) Iron Age era period in Japanese history
ZOROASTER— (disputed time of life but most consider the 7^th century BCE) founder of Zoroastrianism (some historians argue that he was a reformer of an existing religion that came to be known as Zoroastrianism)
ZOROASTRIANISM— (enters recorded history in the 5^th century BCE in Herodotus's writings)religion practiced by the Persians of the Persian Empire; has a claim as the first monotheistic religion (with one universal supreme being) but focused on the dualism of good versus evil and forbade slavery; founded by Zoroaster (also known as Zarathustra)

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