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The Silk Road

The Silk Road. And The Empires that Traded. Gupta Empire . Government Chandragupta relied on Kautilya’s Arthasastara : teaches how to hold vast empire together Bureaucratic government, four provinces headed by prince, local districts, officials assess tax and enforce the law

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The Silk Road

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  1. The Silk Road And The Empires that Traded

  2. Gupta Empire Government • Chandragupta relied on Kautilya’s Arthasastara: teaches how to hold vast empire together • Bureaucratic government, four provinces headed by prince, local districts, officials assess tax and enforce the law • Farmers exempt from military service, protected by army • Building of roads and conditions on roads (shade trees, rest houses, wells, watering places)

  3. Gupta Empire • Religion • Asoka (269 B.C.) wages war for expansion (100,000 killed), sorrow • Studies Buddhism and rules by non-violence and peace, religious toleration • Split in Buddhism—Mahayana (mass religion)/ Theravada (strict)= Art • Change in Hinduism—more monotheistic: pick Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu as incarnation

  4. Gupta Empire Culture/Daily life • Greeks, Persians, Central Asians pour in • Craftspeople and merchants in specific districts—farmers • Patriarchal families • Buddhist art: Stupas, large statues, cave temples • Poet/Literature/Playwright: Kalidasa: Shakuntala • Southern Tamil poetry

  5. Gupta Empire • Trade • India and Med. World, Africa, Sumeria, • Precious resources: spices, diamonds, sapphires, gold, pearls, woods, ebony, teak, sandalwood • Overland: Silk Roads (from China, W. Asia, Rome): acted as middlemen—buy goods from China and sell to traders going to Rome • Sea: Coastal routes around rim of Arabian Sea/Persian Gulf—Rome or sail to S. E. Asia for spices (lots of Roman gold flowing in) • India/Africa: ivory and gold—cotton • India/Arabia: horses, dates—rice and wheat • India/China: silk—cotton, parrots, elephants • Banking: lend money to merchants • Spread Indian culture (arch: Thailand, Cambodia, Java) (rel: Hindu/Bud: Nepal, Sri Lanka, Borneo, China)

  6. Abbasid Empire • Government • Iran, Iraq, Central Asia: Baghdad 762 (key trade route) • Strong bureaucracy: chancery (letters and documents), army business, diplomats, taxes

  7. Abbasid Empire Religion • Islam is themain belief system • Culture controlled by the Sharia • Ibn Rushd tries to blend Aristotle’s and Plato’s views of philosophy with those of Islam- criticized severely. • Muslim philosopher recognizes the piety of other religion’s in definition of ideal man. P. 279

  8. Abbasid Empire • Culture/Daily Life • Sophisticated • Urban Centers: Damascus, Cairo, Cordoba • Baghdad: West bank of Tigris River, circular design, 3 walls, palace of marble at center, mosque, marketplace (1 million people) • 4 Social Classes

  9. Abbasid Empire • Literature/Art/Architecture • Poetry: bravery, love, generosity, Qur’an • Nature, life, love • Thousand and One Nights: stories, fairy tales, parables, legends • Calligraphy • Architecture: cultural blending—“ideal man”

  10. Abbasid Empire • Trade • Sea: Mediterranean/ Indian Ocean • Land: Silk roads • China and India—Europe and Africa • Arabic, dinar • Banks: Sakks (checks)—exchange for cash

  11. Byzantine Empire • Government • 330 Constantine moved capital (Constantinople)—could respond to tribes, rich eastern provinces “New Rome” • 395 officially divided, still see themselves as Roman emperors • 527 Justinian throne of e. empire • Wins back almost all territory that Rome lost • Absolute power of Church and State • Justinian Code: regulate through Roman and new laws • Attacks: Germanic Tribes, Persians, Muslims, : shrinks to just tip of Anatolia

  12. Byzantine Empire • Religion • Split in Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic • Traditions in East built on patriarchs • Dispute over use of icons—excommunication • 1054: Excommunication: pope and patriarch excommunicated each other • Schism: Latin vs. Greek, pope vs. group authority, pope over king vs. emperor over patriarch, not married vs. married, no divorce vs. divorce • Spread to Russia: Cyrillic alphabet

  13. Byzantine Empire • Culture and Daily Life • Sharing with Roman traditions, but Greeks/ E. Church • Constantinople: 14 mile stone wall, deep moat • Church building: Hagia Sophia “Holy Wisdom” • Palaces, baths, aqueducts, law courts, schools, hospitals • Mese “Middle Way”: public squares, merchants: trade goods • Hippodrome: chariot races and circus acts • Plague: 542-700, kills huge percentage of population

  14. Byzantine Empire Trade • Constantinople becomes the Mese (middle way). Connected Asia, Africa, and Europe • Hippodrome offers chariot races and performance acts to attract merchants

  15. Tang & Song Dynasties • Government • Centralized government: destroy rival kings, consolidate power • Defeated nomads for a time—retreat into C. Asia • Colonize: Manchuria, Korea, Vietnam: nearly present day size • Mandate still in effect • Bureaucracy: Civil Service based on Confucianism (reverence, respect, generosity, truthfulness, diligence, kindness) schools to study, mostly upper class= able, intelligent, capable governing class • Taxes: run bureaucracy and army/ farmers owned crops, peasants one month labor yearly: roads, canals, irrigation ditches, expand great wall • Han problems: plots divided up for children (can’t grow enough, borrow from large w/ high rates—can’t pay, take land), large landowners don’t pay taxes, less tax $, higher taxes: gap between rich and poor • 518-618: Grand Canal (Yellow and Yangtze), rebuild Great Wall, roads, lower taxes, redistribute land • China smaller under Song (Jurchen take North), capital at Hangzhou

  16. Tang & Song Dynasties Religion • Confucianism and Daoism main belief systems. • Li Bo- poet writes about Confucian virtues • Paintings have Daoist influence-natural beauty.

  17. Tang & Song Dynasties Culture/Daily Life • Agriculture promoted as most important “No duty is greater” • Commerce still important: government monopolies: salt, coins, iron, silk • Assimilation: making people part of Chinese culture: farmers settle in new areas, intermarry, schools for Confucianism, written history (Sima Qian) • 100 million under Song • New rice from Vietnam • Gentry Class: mobile society, moved to cities, scholar-official class (position, not land)

  18. Tang & Song Dynasties • Art • Wealth, education, urban culture= artistic creativity • Poetry, art • Daoism poetry: Li Bo, Du Fu • Painting: nature (black

  19. Tang & Song Dynasties • Trade • Land: Silk Roads, later loose • Sea: sailing technology, magnetic compass, port cities on coastline • Export Buddhism: Japan, Korea, Vietnam

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