The time period from 1000 B.C.E to 500 C.E., is known as “the Classical era”. Beginning with the fall of the river valley civilizations, the Classical era saw the rise of classical China, India, and Greece/Rome. These civilizations saw everything from the creation of paper to the introduction of Christianity and democracy; each built around individual beliefs and strengthened by individual advancements. Yet, these civilizations weren’t confined to their separate continents, and each found ways in order to communicate and interact. Routes such as the Silk Road to the Indian Ocean helped these classical civilizations trade and exchange not only goods, but also religion, philosophy, and technology. Although what was traded and exchanged is essential, …show more content…
(examples of interaction between the classical civilizations). For example, the Chinese were responsible for the creation of paper, crossbows, water-powered mills. Paper was traded and used for diplomatic communication and recordkeeping inside of the civilizations, the crossbow, an advanced bow that uses a draw-and-release mechanism with a bolt, had been transmitted to the Roman Empire through trade and is still used to this day, and the water-powered mill allowed for a surplus of crops and this gave the Chinese more to trade with the other classical civilizations. The classical Indian empires invented the dhow ship, ships of moderate to with a lateen (triangular) sail, and utilized the monsoon winds in order to sail the Indian Ocean and interact with Southeast Asia and Indonesia. The Greco-Romans heavily innovated the military field, with the chariot and use of domesticated horses, all obtained through trade and exchange on the Silk Road and Saharan routes. Classical Rome also established thousands of miles of protected roads in order to connect the empire but they also served as trade routes and the exchange of ideas. Most importantly, came the domestication and exchange of horses and camels, which provided much faster forms of transportation and became an advantage on any …show more content…
At first, the Greco-Romans had no prominent religion and emphasized polytheism. But, just as soon as the first monotheistic religion Judaism emerged from the East, came Christianity. Christianity borrowed heavily from Judaism and preached the salvation of all, including the poor, which helped increase its popularity during “the classical period”. Emerging from the east, Christianity spread from the Middle East into Rome, through the Silk Road, and quickly gained such a large following, Roman emperor Constantine converted to it, making it one of the most important religions at the time. Another major religion spread through the Silk Road and the Indian Ocean was Buddhism. Buddhism originated from India and shared some Hindu traditions but stressed the path to “nirvana”. Hinduism remained India’s main religion, and as Buddhism saw somewhat of a decline, it began to spread into China and Hellenistic regions. Ultimately, Buddhism became one of China’s religions and established a fusion of Greek and Buddhist culture:
In the Background Essay Q’s, Doc B, Box 1, it mentions Hinduism. Doc A box 3 mentions confucianism. Rome worships christianity. Hinduism is technically Buddhism. These reasons explain that trade was never JUST physical items, but ideas and beliefs as well. The Silk Road made sure if you didn’t trade items you can hold, then you can trade items you can cherish. Finally, in the western civilizations (Rome), was accessed by boat. Boats could carry a ton more items and it was less of a walk for the merchants/traders. However, the Silk Road did lead a small backup path up north of Parthia. Around 27 B.C.E., the Roman Empire had only begun, but the silk road had been a thing for a very long time before that. About 3,073 years to be close to proximity. This took trade across seas! This was also how the Silk Road was Forgotten...boat travel became popular, less expensive, and easier to carry bigger loads.On Doc A, the map shows a series of dashes across the Mediterranean Sea. This represents the route to Rome by boat. Also on Doc A, the dashes on the backup path lead from east of India, to the north of the Caspian Sea, then south to Rome. Also, the timeline says 27 B.C.E.- Roman Empire begins. This time subtracted from 4000 B.C.E- Silk Cultivation in China, is about 3,073
Through analyzing the five given documents, factors affecting cultural exchange through civilizations during 1000 and 1400 A.D. are noticeably those which result in the bringing of new ideas to a different area, such as missionary work, commerce, war, and travels. As new religions sprouted throughout Europe on other expansive areas, missionaries were sent out to foreign lands. Document 1 comes from the viewpoint of a Roman Catholic missionary attempting to spread his faith by presenting a letter from the pope to the emperor of the Tatars. This shows that by converting a powerful leader to your faith, such as an emperor, it is easier for others to follow said faith. Documents 2 and 4 also emphasize how travel can be accountable for the exchange of ideas between cultures. Both Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo traveled extensive distances, stopping in various cities. Throughout their journeys, they carried their ideas with them, but were also introduced to the ideas of the people in the places they were visiting. Document 3 presents what is most likely the culprit for the increase in cultural diffusion during 1000 to 1400 A.D. War is often the reason for major cultural diffusion because, as new lands are conquered and the people of that land are put under the rule of a different people, the beliefs, traditions, and cultures of the conquerors mesh with those of the conquered. Document 5 also introduces a driving force in cultural diffusion – commerce. During this time period, many people were traders. Products made by a people are characteristics of their culture, whether it is the skill, intelligence, cleverness, or religious inclination of those people. As traders made their way to foreign lands to conduct business, whole empires were int...
The “Second-wave” civilizations are dated from 500 B.C.E to 500CE and were comprised Empires ins Persia, Greece, Rome and India as well as the Chinese Dynasty. These civilizations differed from First Civilizations in several ways, all of which lead to increased globalization.
The main religions of China were Confucianism, Taoism, and Legalism. The central religions in India were Hinduism and Buddhism. Both Ancient China and India had religious teachers that invented these prevalent religions. Confucius invented Confucianism, Lao Tzu invented Taoism, and a man named Hsun Tzu invented the ideas of Legalism in China. Hinduism in India took many of its religious beliefs from the Aryan people that invaded India. Buddhism was created around 520 B.C. by a wealthy man Siddhartha Gautama. China and India had much in common. They both believed in supernatural forces. For example, China and India believed that supernatural forces controlled the weather and the abundance of crops grown at certain times around the year. Furthermore, both ancient civilizations constructed art pertaining to their respective religions.
...m were started from nothing but grew into two of the largest religions in the world. The reasons why Buddhism succeeded in spreading to other countries and people are different from the reasons Christianity spread. Buddhism spread because it adapted to what the people wanted and needed. When the numbers began to dwindle, a new form of Buddhism was there, adapted into what would attract new people, and succeeding at it.
Although each classical civilization developed its own unique style of politics, culture and economies, the economic and social patterns in Latin America distinctly detached this civilization from any Western society, which accounted for obvious distinctions in both culture and politics. In politics, the most apparent feature of the Western Society was the creation of new political ideologies, resulting in neither an absolute or dictatorial structure. The instability of Latin American politics created a weakened structure, therefore creating limitations to regulate criminals, and landlords. Culturally, the Western Societies role of religion lost popularity, as nationalism and socialism provided competition for the church. But the Westerners excelled in literature, the arts and in science due to innovations from industrialization. While in Latin America, the Catholic Church continued to provide a key cultural adhesive throughout the Latin civilization. Economically, industrialization left an immense imprint on the shape of society in Western nations, as it produced a distinct social structure. With the rise of business opportunities and new professions, the middle class population grew drastically throughout this period. The Latin American economy depended mainly on their agriculture and consisted of each country developing a cash crop or mineral specialty, which allowed them to capture a specific market.
India and China’s geography helped them spread their religion to other areas. India’s religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, spread to other regions. The trade that was created due to each civilizations’ geography not only traded regions’ goods with one another, but their religion as well. According to World History: A Pattern of Interaction, Hinduism spread to Nepal and south to Sri Lanka and Borneo. A majority of the spread of Indian religion was due to Buddhist merchants and monks that converted people along the route of the Silk Road. China is similar to India’s religions, as the Chinese region believed in Buddhism because of the conversions of religion that had occurred
Although Siddhartha Gotama spread the religion of Buddhism in India, his teaching had a great impact on other countries. Buddhist first made their way to China via the silk route; this was a network of caravan tracts that linked China to the rest of central Asia to the Mediterranean region. Buddhist monks also made their way into China with Buddhist scriptures and Buddhist art in their possession. This is the first time that Buddhism made a substantial impact on the Chinese. Quickly many Chinese began to convert to the new religion that was brought into china.
This time era was filled with many good things that allow modern life to exist. The Renaissance was a time of many new ideas and many new practices in medicine, entertainment, punishments and many other topics. Without the knowledge that was gained in this era many things that we take for granted now would never of existed. In this essay I will tell you about the many things that occurred during this time period and how people in this time would have lived their daily lives.
From its origins in north eastern India, Buddhism has already spread to lands that are now Pakistan and Afghanistan by 1st century BCE. Buddhist merchants build temples and shrines along the Silk Road, spreading the faith rapidly. The essential message of Buddhism was the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. When China defeated the nomadic Xiongu and pushed Chinese military control northwest, Buddhism was known in Central Asia but was not yet widespread in China nor had it reached elsewhere in East Asia. Buddhism became an influential religion for the Chinese brought from India along the Silk Roads. The arrival of Buddhism was officially noted by the imperial court in the mid 1st century CE. The religion mostly appealed to the people from the lower class because Buddhism rejected social hierarchies. Buddhist missionaries began program of translating sacred texts into Chinese, and a number of Chinese priests and monks travelled the Silk Road in search of doctrinal instruction in India. Buddhism eventually spread from China to Japan by the 6th century CE. The religion retained a dominant position in China until the decline of the Tang dynasty in the 9th century. Buddhism also interacted in China with Daoism in 3rd century CE. Daoism offered believers immortality or reincarnation. Daoism spread westward into Central Asia along the Silk Road, providing just as Buddhism had
History is the story and knowledge of the past. There are individuals that are interested by history and wish to study it by learning more. It is very informative to know what has happened in the past for self-knowledge. An individual cannot be naïve to the past including but not limited to how literature came to. One can understand literature more when they understand the time period the author wrote during and the way they wrote. There are several time periods different authors have been through with each period having specific beliefs. Romanticism is the time period that interests me the most; it was a time during the eighteenth century and focused on nature along with the individual’s expression of imagination and emotion.
During the era known as the time of the classical civilizations, there were numerous noticeable changes occurring in many civilizations and city-states around the world. In India, China, and Persia in particular, one could see the influence of religion and philosophy on the political and social structure of the time.
Today we can look around ourselves and see thousands of technical innovations that make life easier; But if we take a step back and ask ourselves “How?” we will soon realize that most often, these technological advancements did not just “poof” into existence, but are usually the outcome of building upon yesterday’s technology. If we follow this cycle back into time, we can attribute almost any modern day invention to an ancient civilization during its golden age. China was no exception. China’s Song and Tang dynasties fostered scientific advances comparable to Rome’s during its Pax Romana. The most significant and impacting of these were the development of primitive gunpowder and porcelain of the Tang and paper money, and the magnetic compass of the Song Dynasties. Although these may seem very far off, if you look hard enough, you can see traces of their impacts in society today because most of the advancements today we owe to them.
The four hundred years between the collapse of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.E.- C.E. 220) and the establishment of the Tang dynasty (618-906) mark a division in the history of China. During this period, foreign invasion, transcontinental trade, and missionary ambition opened the region to an unprecedented wealth of foreign cultural influences. These influences were both secular and sacred. Nomads, merchants, emissaries and missionaries flooded into China, bringing new customs, providing exotic wares, and generating new religious beliefs. Foremost among these beliefs was Buddhism, born in India, but which now took root in China. These new influences entered China by a vast network of overland routes, popularly known as the Silk Road
This investigation attempts to analyze the Silk Road’s impact on cultural diffusion. The Silk Road was a trade route connecting Eastern China to the Mediterranean regions. It was incredibly important because it brought Europe, Asia, and the Middle East together in trade, and allowed them to trade goods and ideas. The parameters are the cultural diffusion east meets west and the spread of religion. It will focus on the time period between the 2nd and the late 17th centuries and the places investigated will be the west, (made up of Europe and the Middle-East) and the east (which refers to most of Asia, although in this investigation it will focus mostly on China). This will be accomplished through a thorough examination of historical books such as Horizon Book Division’s History of China, John S. Bowman’s Exploration in the World of the Ancients, and Daniel Waugh’s “THE SILK ROADS IN HISTORY”.