TRA: Overview

A trader leaders a camel train on the Silk Road trading route.Trading Empires: 300 BCE - 600 CE

Introduction

When a child pesters their parent by asking “Why?” over and over, it can get very annoying, very quickly. But, "Why?" is actually a sophisticated question that we all ask. Why are things the way they are? And just like an annoying kid can make their parent snap – either through punishment or getting the toy or candy they want – adults that constantly challenge the status quo can make their leaders snap. For adults, the stakes are higher, so sometimes people go to jail or get executed. In other cases, they might achieve political or social change.

This unit is all about the changes that drive a civilization outward into conquering big territories and becoming an empire. In Greece and Macedonia, Alexander the Great took control. Chandragupta Maurya expanded across India. Shi Huangdi united China. Julius Caesar forced political change on Rome. Their empires would connect through some of the most powerful trade networks in history. Even under this new imperial rule, there will still be challenges to powerful leadership styles.

So, in the spirit of the questioning that unites us as humans, we will ask: How much change is needed to make something new? And how much change can be sustained before something old is lost? These are the most fundamental questions from the Age of Trading Empires.

Essential Questions

  • How are civilizations different than empires?
  • How did the Qin and Mauryan empires transition China and India from civilization to empires?
  • How did the Silk Road and the Southern Indian Ocean Trade impact the Roman, Indian, and Chinese empires?
  • How did Intellectuals, Philosophers, and Prophets influence the political and economic rise of the Greek, Roman, Indian, and Chinese empires?
  • What is the impact of ancient empires on us today?
  • What caused the fall of the Greek, Roman, Indian, and Chinese empires?

Module Lessons Preview

In this module, we will study the following topics:

Key Terms

The Age of Empires: Introduction

Greece

Rome

India

China

Religion and Trade

Eastern Philosophy and Belief

Western Philosophy and Belief

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