2. How Did Classical Era Trade Networks Compare To The Classical Era?

Key Concept 2.2 | The Development of States and Empires

1. What is an “empire,” and what were empires’ common characteristics during the Classical Era?
• An empire is a large, aggressive state that conquers other states, use their resources, and have multiple people and cultures together in a single political system (Prindiville Chapter 3 Notes). As empires were developing, they were almost constantly fighting with each other for land or power, as they wanted to rule the most land, contain the most people, obtain the most resources, and be the most powerful. These powerful empires contained powerful militaries, organized rulers, and different ideas of class.
2. How did the number and size of Classical empires compare to the Ancient Era?
•

Olmec, Mesopotamia, Shang, Chavin/Norte Chico, Egypt, and Mohenjo-Daro/Harappa were the six Ancient civilizations. They were not as expansive and were more self-contained rather than conquering other peoples. They also did not have centralized governments that unified great land areas.
3. What were the most influential of the Classical Era empires? How or why were they influential?
• The most influential of the Classical Era empires was the Roman, Persian, and Chinese. These empires were influential because they demonstrated their ability to control and homogenize large areas of land. They unified large areas of people and devised large class systems that determined citizens’ life. The unification of the many cultures generated elaborate cultures.
4. What techniques did Classical empires create to administer their territories?
• They used powerful central governments with control over the land. They maintained their control using military force. They established methods of communication to send messages throughout their lands, such as messengers, roads, and other infrastructure.
5. What new political methods were created in order to rule the larger empires in the Classical Era?
• A central ruler would govern a capital city, and rule it along with other “smaller” rulers. These smaller rulers would be under the main ruler and would follow the lead of their emperor, king, or ruler. This allowed for leaders to control large regions without having to do it all themselves.
6. How did imperial governments let their population know that the government was “in charge?”
• They would require payments for various things in the form of taxes from the denizens living there. They also would use religion for control, and some leaders of civilizations would even claim to be gods themselves. Others enforced a certain religion on their peoples.
7. What role did trade play in creating and maintaining empires?
• Trade allowed empires and civilizations to expand and interact with other peoples. They gathered wealth by trading items that they had to other states or by taxing items that passed through their territories. This wealth they made through trade was vital for control and the formation of armies.
8. What unique social and economic characteristics existed in empires?
• The various empires had various but similar ideas of social and economic ideas. They all had some form of a class system which put people in a certain place based on their job. This determined their power, worth, and rights. For example, Rome’s senators were held higher than the regular citizens’ various levels, and the citizens were above the slaves. In China, the class order was as follows: upper-class nobles and scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants.
9. What function did imperial cities perform?
• They were powerful areas of trading and government. Rulers typically placed themselves here so they could display their power, and because it was usually a centralized place in their empire, so laws and statements from the ruler would travel out to the rest of the land. These cities also acted as centers of trade, where merchants and citizens would come to trade. This was especially so with the imperial cities place on trade routes.
10. What social classes and occupations were common in empires?
• Most empires had a main ruler that was known as the emperor, but because of the size of the land area that most empires encompassed, that had to have governors spread throughout the regions of their land to maintain control. In addition to governors, there were military and local officials. Underneath these ruling peoples were the farmers, artisans, and merchants. One’s social class was dependent upon this occupation and where you were from within the empire.
11. What labor systems provided the workers for Classical Empires?
• Classical empires relied on slavery for labor. Rome relied heavily upon millions of slaves for labor. Persia had some slavery, even after it was banned by Cyrus the Great. The Chinese Han dynasty used slavery as a source of labor as well. These slaves were either used by government for public work, or owned by individuals for work on farms or other things.
12. Describe the gender and family structures of each of the Classical Era empires.
• In China, where Confucianism was the basis for family structure, women were below fathers and sons and were to be loyal to those above them. Women took care of the house and family while the men worked to earn money in Rome and Persia. Women married young and began their own families.
13. What caused Classical Empires to decline, collapse, or transform into something else? What were the environmental and social weaknesses of Classical Empires?
• Various things led to the collapse of the Classical Empires. People losing the will to fight by only worrying about money, emperors no longer worrying about expanding and controlling surrounding areas, and the over spreading of empires are some examples of what led to the fall of the Classical Empires. These weaknesses were used to the advantage of invading peoples that further spread the controlled areas of the empires and weakened them more. All of these factors together led to their decline.
• Moral declines contributed to the decline of empires as emperors became materialistic and required more and more taxes from the lower peoples, causing rebellion and retaliation. Environmental factors of the decline were the over extension of empires over such a large area that it could not be well defended.
14. What external weaknesses contributed to the end of Classical Empires?
• Persia was overtaken by Greece after Persian peoples made an attempted at taking them over. Germanic tribes were jealous of the luxury of the Romans and began invading Rome during the Roman war with the Persians, so Rome could not defend against two opponents. Steppelanders west of the Han were absorbed into the empire and from there, they weaken the Han.

Key Concept 2.3 | Emergence of Transregional Networks of Communication and Exchange

15.

How did Classical era trade networks compare to Ancient era networks?
• Larger empires maximized long distance trade due to the demand for raw materials and luxury items. Because of this trade routes developed over land and sea to link various parts of the east. Some of the routes that formed were the Silk Roads, the Trans-Saharan caravan routes, and various sea lanes.
16. What forces contributed to the changes between the two eras?
• The larger societies increased the demand for foreign goods not available in that region to be imported. There was also a desire to have the new technologies other regions had available. As religions developed peopled yearned to spread them and expand them throughout civilization.
17. What was commonly traded along these trade networks?
• Various food crops, domesticated animals, and technology were spread across these trade routes. However, it was not just material things that spread, people moved to new areas and civilizations for hope of different or improved life, or they may move to spread religious and cultural beliefs. This is how many of the world’s major religions became as large and powerful as they are today.
18. How did trade and communication networks develop by 600

CE?
• Routes that spanned over water and/or land were the basis for long distance trade over various regions. As people moved through the networks, the culture, climate, and locations they traveled through affected them, their beliefs, and what they were trading. Later on, a different trade network allowed for interaction with the peoples and civilizations of the Americas.
19. What technologies enabled long-distance overland and maritime trade?
• The domestication of animals played a huge role in long distance trading over land. Animals used included horses, oxen, llamas, and camels depending on the region. The creation of advanced sails and ships such as dhow ships played a large role in transportation via water. The development of knowledge about the monsoon winds and currents led to easier long distance trade as well.
20. Besides the physical goods, what intangibles also traveled along trade networks?
• Religious and cultural beliefs, as well as technological ideas were spread through the various trade routes to the different empires. This led to changes in farming and irrigation techniques. Domesticated animals, new food crops, and disease also spread throughout the trade networks. Religious beliefs also traveled with the traders to their various destinations, which through word of mouth brought expansion of religions and diversification of cultures.
21. What crops spread along Classical Era trade networks?
• Rice and cotton from South Asia was slowly spread and developed into the Middle East. Sugar and citrus that originated in south East Asia spread first to South Asia. Over time it eventually spread further to the Middle East and then again to North Africa.
22. What effects did diseases have on Classical empires?
• The spread of disease via trade routes caused great harm. In some cases it even took down or at least weakened empires. When outbreaks occurred, it thrived in urban population because of the close proximity of all the people. It weakened urban civilization and caused the weakening of empires such as Rome and China which led to their eventual fall.
23. How did religions spread along trade networks, and how did the trade networks affect the religions?
• Religions spread through trade networks by the merchants trading or by people moving specifically to spread their beliefs. As they spread they transformed and adapted as they were mostly spread by mouth rather than by specific texts. Examples of religions that spread were Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism.