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Development of Religions

Key Concept 2.1: The Development and Codification of Religious and Cultural Traditions

As states and empires increased in size and contacts between regions multiplied, religious and cultural systems were transformed. Religions and belief systems provided a bond among the people and an ethical code to live by. These shared beliefs also influenced and reinforced political, economic, and occupational stratification. Religious and political authority often merged as rulers (some of whom were considered divine) used religion, along with military and legal structures, to justify their rule and ensure its continuation. Religions and belief systems could also generate conflict, partly because beliefs and practices varied greatly within and among societies.

Link to World Religions Page

  1. Codifications and further developments of existing religious traditions provided a  bond among the people and an ethical code to live by.

        A.   The association of monotheism with Judaism was further developed with the codification of the Hebrew Scriptures, which also reflected the influence of Mesopotamian cultural and legal traditions. The Assyrian, Babylonian, and Roman empires conquered various Jewish states at different points in time. These conquests contributed to the growth of Jewish Diasporic communities around the Mediterranean and Middle East.

B.   The core beliefs outlined in the Sanskrit scriptures formed the basis of the Vedic religions — later known as Hinduism — which contributed to the development of the social and political roles of a caste system and in the importance of multiple manifestations of Brahma to promote teachings about reincarnation.

 

2.  New belief systems and cultural traditions emerged and spread, often asserting universal truths.

A.   The core beliefs about desire, suffering, and the search for enlightenment preached by the historic Buddha and recorded by his followers into sutras and other scriptures were, in part, a reaction to the Vedic beliefs and rituals dominant in South Asia. Buddhism changed over time as it spread throughout Asia — first through the support of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, and then through the efforts of missionaries and merchants, and the establishment of educational institutions to promote its core teachings.

 

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BUDDHISM

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CHRISTIANITY

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JUDAISM

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hinduism

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Freeman-Pedia Religion PDF

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PowerPoint

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Confucianism

B.   Confucianism’s core beliefs and writings originated in the writings and lessons of Confucius and were elaborated by key disciples who sought to promote social harmony by outlining proper rituals and social relationships for all people in China, including the rulers.

C.   In the major Daoist writings, the core belief of balance between humans and nature assumed that the Chinese political system would be altered indirectly. Daoism also influenced the development of Chinese culture.

D. Christianity, based on core beliefs about the teachings and divinity of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded by his disciples, drew on Judaism, and initially rejected Roman and Hellenistic influences. Despite initial Roman imperial hostility, Christianity spread through the efforts of missionaries and merchants through many parts of Afro-Eurasia, and eventually gained Roman imperial support by the time of Emperor Constantine.

E.  The core ideas in Greco-Roman philosophy and science emphasized logic, empirical observation, and the nature of political power and hierarchy.   

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3.Belief systems affected gender roles. Buddhism and Christianity encouraged monastic life and Confucianism emphasized filial piety.

4. Other religious and cultural traditions continued parallel to the codified, written belief systems in core civilizations.

A.   Shamanism and animism continued to shape the lives of people within and outside of core civilizations because of their daily reliance on the natural world.

B.   Ancestor veneration persisted in many regions. 

 5. Artistic expressions, including literature and drama, architecture, and sculpture, show distinctive cultural developments.

A.  Literature and drama acquired distinctive forms that influenced artistic developments in neighboring regions and in later time periods.

B.   Distinctive architectural styles developed in many regions in this period.

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Key Concept 2.2: The Development of States and Empires

As the early states and empires grew in number, size, and population, they frequently competed for resources and came into conflict with one another. In quest of land, wealth, and security, some empires expanded dramatically. In doing so, they built powerful military machines and administrative institutions that were capable of organizing human activities over long distances, and they created new groups of military and political elites to manage their affairs. As these empires expanded their boundaries, they also faced the need to develop policies and procedures to govern their relationships with ethnically and culturally diverse populations: sometimes to integrate them within an imperial society and sometimes to exclude them. In some cases, these empires became victims of their own successes. By expanding their boundaries too far, they created political, cultural, and administrative difficulties that they could not manage. They also experienced environmental, social, & economic problems when they overexploited their lands and subjects and permitted excessive wealth to be concentrated in the hands of privileged classes.

1.   The number and size of key states and empires grew dramatically by imposing political unity on areas where previously there had been competing states.

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Persian Empire

Classical India

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Classical China

Classical Mediterranean

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Classical Americas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I.   Empires and states developed new techniques of imperial administration based, in part, on the success

   of earlier political forms.

A.   In order to organize their subjects, the rulers created administrative institutions in many regions.

      • Centralized governments   

      • Elaborate legal systems and bureaucracies 

B.   Imperial governments projected military power over larger areas using a variety of techniques.

      • Diplomacy

      • Developing supply lines

      • Building fortifications, defensive walls, and roads

      • Drawing new groups of military officers and soldiers from the local populations or conquered peoples

C.   Much of the success of the empires rested on their promotion of trade and economic integration by building and maintaining roads and issuing currencies.

 II.   Unique social and economic dimensions developed in imperial societies in Afro-Eurasia and the Americas.

A.   Cities served as centers of trade, public performance of religious rituals, & political administration for states/empires.

      • Persepolis

      • Chang’an

      • Pataliputra

      • Athens

      • Carthage

      • Rome

      • Alexandria

      • Constantinople

      • Teotihuacán

B.   The social structures of empires displayed hierarchies that included cultivators, laborers, slaves, artisans, merchants, elites, or caste groups.

C.   Imperial societies relied on a range of methods to maintain the production of food and provide rewards for the loyalty of the elites.

      • Corvée

      • Slavery

      • Rents and tributes

      • Peasant communities

      • Family and household production

D.   Patriarchy continued to shape gender and family relations in all imperial societies of this period.

   III.   The Roman, Han, Persian, Mauryan, and Gupta empires created political, cultural, and administrative difficulties that they could not manage, which eventually led to their decline, collapse, and transformation into successor empires or states.

A.   Through excessive mobilization of resources, imperial governments caused environmental damageand generated social tensions and economic difficulties by concentrating too much wealth in the hands of elites.

      • Deforestation            

      • Desertification                            

      • Soil erosion                     

      • Silted rivers

B.   External problems resulted from security issues along their frontiers,

       including the threat of invasion

      • Between Han China and the Xiongnu

      • Between the Gupta and the White Huns

      • Between the Romans and their northern and eastern neighbors

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

With the organization of large-scale empires, the volume of long-distance trade increased dramatically. Much of this trade resulted from the demand for raw materials and luxury goods. Land and water routes linked many regions of the Eastern Hemisphere. The exchange of people, technology, religious and cultural beliefs, food crops, domesticated animals, and disease pathogens developed alongside the trade in goods across far-flung networks of communication and exchange. In the Americas and Oceania localized networks developed.

       I.   Land and water routes became the basis for trans-regional trade, communication, and         exchange networks in the Eastern Hemisphere.

A.   Many factors, including the climate and location of the routes, the typical trade goods, and the ethnicity of people involved, shaped the distinctive features of a variety of trade routes.

      • Eurasian Silk Roads

      • Trans-Saharan caravan routes

      • Indian Ocean sea lanes

      • Mediterranean sea lanes

     II.   New technologies facilitated long-distance communication and exchange.

A. New technologies permitted the use of domesticated pack animals to transport

      goods across longer routes.

      • Yokes              

      • Saddles              

      • Stirrups

B.   Innovations in maritime technologies, as well as advanced knowledge of the monsoon winds, stimulated exchanges along maritime routes from East Africa to East Asia.

      •  Lateen sail                            

      • Dhow ships

   III.   Alongside the trade in goods, the exchange of people, technology, religious and cultural beliefs, food crops, domesticated animals, and disease pathogens developed across far-flung networks of communication and exchange.

A.  The spread of crops, including rice and cotton from South Asia to the Middle East, encouragedchanges in farming and irrigation techniques.

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B.   The spread of disease pathogens diminished urban populations and contributed to the decline of some empires.

      • The effects of disease on the Roman Empire                            

      • The effects of disease on Chinese empires

Qanat Irrigation System

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C.   Religious and cultural traditions were transformed as they spread.

      • Christianity                            

      • Hinduism                            

      • Buddhism

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Additional Information for Unit 2

Cool History Videos

Rome in 20 Minutes

General Links for Unit 2

KEY CONCEPTS - PERIOD 2 (600 BCE - 600 CE)  

TIMELINE: 1000 BCE to 500 CE 

Classical Civilizations 

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World 

Chinese Dynasty Guide

Celtic Europe

History of Assyrians

 Main Events In The History Of Jerusalem Timeline

THE PHOENICIANS

Phoenicia, Phoenician Ships, Navigation and Commerce

Carthage - Wikipedia

Punic Wars

Comparing the Rise & Fall of Empires

PERSIAN EMPIRE

 Achaemenid Empire

The Achaemenid Persian Empire (550–330 B.C.)

Khan Academy: Ancient Persia 

BBC - Religion: Zoroastrianism

Greco-Persian Wars

ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN

 Timeline of Ancient Greece

TIMELINE: Alexander the Great

 MAP: Mycenaean and Minoan Civilizations

Khan Academy: Ancient Greece

 The ANIMATED map as history: Ancient Greece: a world in evolution 
  The ANIMATED map as history: Ancient Greece: Athenian Democracy 

 Barbarians and Bureaucrats: Minoa, Mycenae, and the Greek Dark Ages 

Greek Mythology — History.com

Pericles' Funeral Oration

The Peloponnesian War

Family Tree of Greek Mythology 

MAP: Hellenistic World after the break-up of Alexander's Empire 

 WOMEN IN ANCIENT GREECE 

40 Maps that Explain Rome

Republic to Empire

Ancient Rome

 Roman law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

The Roman Empire-The First Caesars

Roman Emperors - The Imperial Index

Roman Military

The Punic Wars

Ancient Roman Aqueducts

Roman Numerals

Evolution of Latin Characters 

JudaismChristianity 

From Jesus To Christ - The First Christians

The Roman Empire Disintegrates 
  Why Rome Fell 

The Qin & Han Dynasties of China

  Timeline of Chinese History and Dynasties

Timeline of China's "Period of Disunity," 220-589 CE

Timeline of Chinese Inventions 

Imperial China

How to Memorize China's Major Dynasties? - YouTube 

 1000 BCE to 300 CE: China | Asia for Educators

The Chinese Empire

 Qin Dynasty 
  Terracotta Warriors, Terracotta Army, Terra Cotta Soldiers, Xian China

Confucianism and the Chinese Scholastic System

 Traveling the Silk Road

Classical India 

 Ancient India - The British Museum - Ancient India 
Khan Academy: Imperial India 
  Ancient India

Hinduism 

Sacred-Texts: Hinduism

Buddhism

The Buddhist Emperor, Ashoka 
  The Gupta Dynasty and Empire 

Japanese History: A Chronological Outline

Vietnamese History: A Chronological Outline

 A Timeline of Korean History

Maya, Teotihuacan, Moche, Chaco, & Cahokia

The Americas

 Maya civilization - Wikipedia -  Maya Civilization - Ancient History Encyclopedia  
  Teotihuacan - Wikipedia -  Teotihuacan - Ancient History Encyclopedia

Chaco Canyon & the Anasazi

Networks of Communication and Exchange

SILK ROAD CHRONOLOGY 

Silk Road  - Khan Academy

Silk Road Virtual Tour - YouTube 

Indian Ocean in World History 

The Trans-Saharan Gold Trade (7th–14th century)

Trans-Saharan trade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 
  Ghana Empire - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 

INTERACTIVE QUIZZES, GAMES & ACTIVITIES

Khan Academy Period 2 Quizzes 

AP World History Quizzes: AP World History Practice Tests 

Ancient Greece Games

The Glory That Was Ancient Greece - Interactive Multiple-Choice Test

Odyssey Game - Choose your character 

Greek Mythology Fun Fact Quiz

Ancient Rome Games  

The Establishment of the Roman Republic - Hangman Game

The Ancient Roman Empire - Online Hangman Game 

Emperor of Rome Game

Ancient Rome - Fling the Teacher - Interactive game 

More Interactive History Games 

History in Cinema

  Ancient History in the Movies

List of films based on Greco-Roman mythology 

Medieval History in the Movies

Modern History in the Movies

UNIT 2 DOCUMENT ANALYSIS

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