Fall of Classical Empires 200-600 CE

1. Fall of Classical Empires 200-600 CE • Decline of Han, Gupta and Roman Empires

2. Why civilizations fall? Internal Overpopulation Economic problems Social disruption Political struggles • External • War • Natural disaster • Disease

3. How do civilizations collapse? • Population size and density decrease dramatically • Society tends to become less politically centralized • Less investment is made in things such as architecture, art, and literature • Trade and other economic activities are greatly diminished • The flow of information among people slows • The ruling elites may change, but usually the working classes tend to remain and provide continuity

4. Is it possible to prevent collapse? • Every society must: • answer basic biological needs of its members: • food, drink, shelter, and medical care. • provide for production and distribution of goods and services • perhaps through division of labor, rules concerning property and trade, or ideas about role of work).

5. provide for reproduction of new members and consider laws and issues related to reproduction • regulation, marriageable age, number of children, and so on. • provide for training of individuals so that they can become functioning adults in society. • education, apprenticeship, passing on of values

6. provide for maintenance of internal and external order • laws, courts, police, wars, diplomacy. • provide meaning and motivation to its members

7. Han China • Decline begins around 100 C.E. • Causes: • Heavy taxes levied on peasants • Decline in interest in Confucianism • Poor harvests • Population decline from epidemic disease • Pressure from bordering nomadic tribes

8. Social unrest– especially by students • Decline in morality • Weak emperors • Increased influence of army generals • Unequal land distribution • Decline in trade

9. Daoism • Gains new popularity • Yellow Turbans • Daoist revolutionary group 184 C.E. • Promise new age of prosperity and security • Initiated by magic • Attacked the weakness of emperor and the self indulgence of bureaucracy • Protest movement will eventually fail

10. Decay of Han empire made it difficult to resist the nomadic invaders that lived along their borders • Called the Hsiung-nu • Raid the borders for decades • Chinese paid tribute to prevent further invasions • But by 220 C.E. no longer keep the Hsiung-nu out

11. Fall of China • Will be followed by almost 3 centuries of disorder and decentralization • Structures of classical China were simply too strong to be overturn • Bureaucracy will decline in scope and quality

12. China despite threats will survive and not have to reinvent its civilization • Confucian tradition continue among the elite • Nomads will assimilate into the Chinese culture.

13. Fall of Rome • Pax Romana • Came to close with death of Marcus Aurelius in 180 C.E.

14. Causes • Ineffective emperors • More concern with life of pleasure than rule • A drop in population • Early symptom of Rome’s decline • Influence of army generals • Introduction of a new religion for the majority • Decline in trade • Increase in taxes • Decrease money flow into empire • As a result of conquest of new territory ceasing

15. Epidemic disease • 2nd and 3rd century– Han and Roman suffered large scale outbreaks of epidemic disease • Result of trade and interaction • Smallpox, measles, bubonic plague • No immunity or medicine • Roman lost 25% of population • Higher rate in Cities

16. Poor harvest • Unequal land distribution • Social and moral decay and lack of interest the elite classes • Roman dependence on slave labor • Recruitment on non Romans in the Roman army • Vastness of the empire • Difficult to rule • Barbarian invasions • Someone who is not a part of an civilization

17. Many small landowners during the decline will be forced to sale their land to owners of large estates • Called latifundia • Self sufficient • Lessen the need for a central authority • Roman emperors • Economic self sufficiency will discourage trade • Decline in trade will eventually produce a decline in urban population

18. Measures to save the empire • Diocletian • Reduce the size of the empire • Imposed strict control over empire • Declare himself a god • When Christians refused to worship him, more persecution • Constantine • Establish a second capital at Byzantium • Rename the city Constantinople • Convert to Christianity and allow worship • Edict of Milan

19. Last straw was the barbarian invasions • Originated in steppes of Central Asia • Huns will migrate south and west in search of better pasturelands • Movement of Huns will pressure Germanic tribes who already live on Roman Empire borders • Effective against empire armies because of their skills as horsemen • stirrup

20. Germanic tribes will overrun the Roman Empire • By 425, several Germanic tribes establish in the empire • 476 the last western Roman emperor is replaced by Germanic ruler of Visigoth tribe • Romulus Augustlus

21. Eastern Roman Empire • Did not fall at the same time • Reason for endurance • Less pressure from invaders • More active in trade • Located on Bosporus • Hub for trade routes • Center of art and architecture • More wealth than western Roman empire • Older traditions of civilizations

22. Neighboring empires served as trade facilitators • Parthians and Sasanids • Preserved Greek culture but also brought in Chinese and Indian goods and cultural trends

23. Justinian attempts to reconquer portions of Roman empire • Failed • Western Empire • Increasingly fragmented into self sufficient estates • Germanic kingdoms • Centralized government replaced by rule based on tribal allegiances of the German invaders

24. Western half of the Roman Empire experience the most severe collapse. Why? • Rome was economically interdependent and the decline in trade severely hurt the economy • Continual waves of nomadic invasions made recovery difficult • The spread of disease led to a decrease in population and a weakened empire

25. Gupta India • Less devastating than that of Han China and Rome • By 500 – number of invasions by nomadic people • May have been related to Huns • Many of the invaders integrated into warrior caste of India • Form a new ruling group of regional princes called Rajput • Controlled small states and emphasized military • Influence of Gupta rulers decline as local princes more powerful

26. Traditional Indian culture will continue despite invasion from outside and later during foreign rule. • Buddhism will become less popular • Hinduism will increase in numbers • After 600 Islam will present a new challenge • Source- 5 steps to a 5

27. Comparisons of Fall Classical Empires

30. New Religious Map • 200-600 CE will see effective rise in many of the world’s religions • Plague had caused new interest in belief system that could provide comfort.

31. Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism share common characteristics • Intense devotion and piety • Importance of spiritual concerns beyond the daily cares of earthly life • Hope of better existence after this life • Each responded to new political instability and to the growing poverty

32. People of Asia, Europe and Africa will undergo a conversion process • Many will blend new beliefs with old • Called syncretism • Also meant that religions changed too • Sometimes adopting features of different civilizations while holding on to larger religion claims

33. Buddhism • Will change substantially as it move out of India • Will be worship by a minority faith in India • Chief agents for expansion and leadership was monks

34. Bodhisattvas • An enlightened being who, out of compassion, forgoes nirvana in order to save others • Serve as example to others by leading them in prayer and advising them on spiritual matters

35. Buddhism was not popular with Chinese Confucian leaders • Thought belief in afterlife would divert people from appropriate political interests • Might distract ordinary people from loyalty to emperor • Incompatible to proper family obligations

36. Buddhism will had a greater influence in Japan, Korea and Vietnam than in China • Buddhism will not by itself dominate any whole civilization but will live along side of other faiths.

37. By 200 CE more people in Asia , Europe and North Africa are starting practice monotheism

38. Christianity • Christianity will stress • Evangelism • Preaching of the gospel through missionaries and widespread conversions • Hierarchy of church officials • Copy the example of the Roman government organization and structure • Egalitarianism of all believers • Maintaining equal political, economic and legal rights for all • Belief in the trinity • Intolerance of other groups • Belief that humans as superior to the rest of nature

39. Trade • Han China, Gupta India, Greece and Roman will dominated the world during the Classical period • Long distance trade greatly expanded • Allow for the movement of ideas and goods

40. Will influence other civilizations and societies that come into them • Indian merchants will develop long distance trade routes with Southeast Asia • Broaden spread of Buddhism and Hinduism • Trade will draw Africa into classical Mediterranean world • Romans kept Mediterranean Sea safe for trade and travel which will allow long-distance trade • Greek merchants will carry Christianity to Ethiopia

41. Silk Roads • Longest and the most important overland trade route • Originated during a diplomatic mission to Central Asian nomads during the Han Empire • Diplomatic mission failed, but silk and horses big hit • Chinese historians see Zhang Jian as the originator of the trade route.

42. Almost never did one merchant make the entire journey • Parthians and later Sasanid will play a major role in the trade. • Pastoral nomads • Will provide animals • Handle the animals • Provide protection • Travel in caravans in stages- one oasis to next

43. Transported not only trade goods but also religious beliefs, technology and disease (cultural diffusion) • Buddhism , Manichaeism & Christianity • Buddhism • Stress meditation and ethical behavior • Manichaeism • Derived from Zoroastrianism • Dualist faith • Struggle between good and evil

44. Will change the way war was fought • Chariots • Mounted bowmen • stirrups

45. Goods that Traveled East to West West to East Glassware Jewelry Bronze goods Wool and linen Olive oil Gold and silver bullion • Silk • Spices • Cotton • Pearls • Coral • Ivory

46. Indian Ocean • Linked the lands bordering the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea • Principles players in trade was Malay and Indian sailors

47. Indian Ocean • Sometimes refer to as the Sea lanes of Silk Roads • west from Guangzhou in Southern China South China Sea Southeast Asia India Arabian Sea Persian Gulf

48. Trade will followed the patterns of the seasonal changes in the monsoon winds • The Greeks are believed to have discover the seasonal monsoon winds • Highly unlike that winds had went unnoticed until Greeks.

49. Sailing technology that was unique to Indian Ocean • Lateen sail • Triangular sails that enable them to sail against the wind • Ship building technique • Pierce the planks, tie them together and caulk • Indian sailors will sail across the vast Indian Ocean unlike the Mediterranean sailors who never lost site of land.

50. Traders in the Indian system seldom retained political ties to homelands • Due to the distance travel made contact less frequent. • As a result wars between the various lands participating in trade was rare