1.

GREEK AND ROME

a. What are the two forces of unity for the Greek city-states?
i. COMMON LANGUAGE
ii. SAME RELIGION => anthropometric gods act like humans
iii. COMMON UNITS common coinage, weights, and measurements
iv. COMMON SPORTS Olympic games
b. What are the two forces of disunity for the Greek city-states?
i. POLITICAL SETUP city-states leaves decentralized government
ii. EXPANSION lead to city-states going to war with city-states
iii. GEOGRAPHY very mountainous and various islands and sea
c. What are the five values of Greek civilizations as seen in their literature?
i. WARFARE bravery, courage, heroism, especially when odds are against you - 300
MODERATION balance and moderation is seen by Greeks, not Romans
ii. INTELLECTUAL STRENGTH develop largest intelligence goals of philosophers
iii. PHYSICAL STRENGTH develop body to be strong ties in with warfare
iv. RICH LIFE very important to live a rich and fulfilling life here on Earth
v. FAMILY Odysseys loves his family and wants to get back home
vi. HOSPITALITY especially towards strangers
vii. LOYALTY especially towards your city-state
viii. NO HUBRIS hated those who were arrogance or had excessive pride
d. What are the four areas of contributions of Greek civilization to the world?
i. PHILOSOPHY many great philosophers, including Socrates (asks deep questions all
knowledge is in head, just need to be drawn out), Plato (best kind of rule is a philosopher
king), and Aristotle (logic and science)
ii. LITERATURE Homer with Iliad and Odyssey
iii. THEATRE Sophocles wrote many great dramas, like Oedipus Rex and Antigone
iv. HISTORY Herodotus father of history instead of just recording chronologically, asks
why and adds analysis to events, stops just listing
v. SPORTS Olympic games - religious festival to the god Zeus and huge sums of $ to winner
e. What are two areas of Roman contribution to the world civilization?
i. LAW based on objective judgment, not on personal whim, stressed importance of common
sense and fairness, barber murder, law can change depending on the condition and you are
innocent until prove guilty
ii. ENGINEERING tremendous buildings including roads, coliseums, monuments, and
aqueducts
2. DECLINE OF WORLD EMPIRES
a. Explain two reasons why the Han Dynasty in China collapsed.
i.
Military defeat from the Huns to the North
ii.
This was due to over-extension after the plague killed half the population needs to cover the same
iii.

land and your army is totally decimated

This leads to hiring mercenary troops to guard borders, but this cost money, and less people were
trading, so there was no income, leading to heavy tax, destroying the economy the Yellow

iv.

Turbans revolted because of the high taxes on peasants

There were also a series of weak emperors and corrupt bureaucracy, along with a stagnation of

Confucianism
b. Explain one reason why the Gupta Dynastry in India collapsed.

i.

Similar story to China, White Huns (same group different branch) attacked from North, and India

needed more troops, which required more money, which disrupted trade and destroyed the economy
ii.
After Ashoka, leaders were weak and religious intolerant
c. Explain four reasons why Rome began to decline.
i.
Plague kills of the population, leaving the army decimated, Rome also wanted to build a great
wall, which costs major money they tried to recruit Germanic tribes, but some had conflict of
ii.

interest
The Germanic tribes (barbarians) where invading Rome because they were being pushed out of

iii.

their land by the Huns

There was a very poor economy, as trade with China was imbalanced (goods for gold/silver),

iv.

plague killed people, so tax revenue plummeted, forced to increase tax (heavier on lower class)
Poor leadership emperor spot was a revolving door 80 emperors in 100 years lead to high

political instability
d. Explain the role of Constantine in trying to stem the decline of Rome
i.
Constantine separates the empire into two parts with the second capitol being at Constantinople
because he wants to keep the Eastern side alive as the West crumbles. This works, as the West falls,
and East becomes renamed the Byzantine Empire
e. Explain the aftermath in each of the empires.
i.
China: Han Dynasty collapses and there is a period of turmoil and then Buddhism comes in, then a
new family takes power, and Sui Dynasty revives, but is fast and falls to the Tang dynasty =>
ii.

revival
India: Gupta Dynasty collapses into small local sections of rajputs local princes which

iii.

decentralizes government
Rome: Western half falls, but Eastern half stands strong Christianity begins to rise and is
influenced by Rome in terms of structure and language (Latin), as wells as architecture

3. BUDDHISM AND CHRISTIANITY

a. Why does Buddhism expand and grow during the post classical period while the great empires
collapse? [include bodhissattavas and Mahayana Buddhism]
i. After the collapse of Han China, there is a period of disarray and upheaval, but Buddhism
comes into China and has a strong focus on peace and solace.
ii. There is the two parts of Buddhism Terravana (old and unchanging) and Mahayana (new
and reformed) which played new roles. The Mahayana had:
1. New role for monks, which was to go out and find converts (solicitate)
2. Retreats focused on contemplation and peace
3. Buddha now becomes a god
4. Nirvana is now reclassified as Heaven
5. Bodhisstavas are examples of a model or good life should go to Nirvana, but opt to
live an extra life to serve as an example of how to act this is the Buddhist version of
a saint.
iii. Buddhism has conflicts with Confucianism, which is the outgoing religion, and acts as a
counter-ideology to the Han Dynasty

b. Why does Christianity expand and grow during the post classical period while the great empires
collapse? [include counter-ideology and role of St. Paul]
i. Christianity promised salvation, not materials good
ii. Christianity elevates/appeals to the poor
iii. Christianity recognizes spiritual equality between men and woman
iv. Christianity serves as a counter-ideology to Rome
v. Christian martyrs increased converts because it amazed people the strengths of their beliefs
vi. Paul used to persecute Christians, but on the road to Damascus, has a dream which he meets
Jesus. He then becomes the spokesperson from Christianity and acts as the evangelizer for
the Gentile population. Paul organized the Christian Church and clarifies theological
ambiguity. Paul was also proactive and stayed in touch with his Churches through epistles
(letters).
vii. Augustine takes Christian theology and places it with Greek philosophy. The intellectual
society likes/approves of this because Greek was the standard at the time
viii. Benedict was responsible for the monastic movement. Monasteries were removed to far off
places to focus on meditation, reflection, prayer, and also served as a place to
protect/preserve Roman leaning/traditions.

4. ISLAM
a. Name three of the five pillars of Islam.
i. Faith and Monotheism no gods except for Allah and Mohammad is his messenger
ii. Prayer pray 5 times a day facing the holy city of Mecca
iii. Charity help/give alms to the poor
iv. Fast the Islamic calendar starts on the Lunar (based on Moon) calendar, not Solar like ours, and
v.

during the month of Ramadan, you cannot eat or drink when the sun is up
Hadj once in your lifetime, if you can afford to do so, make a pilgrimage to Mecca, so relive the

trip of Mohammad
b. What are the two meanings of the word jihad?
i. Holy war not unique, see Christian crusades
ii. Internal struggle between good and evil
c. Briefly explain how Islam became an important political force in the world in the post classical period.
i. Mohammads concept of the perfect state was one of fusion between the Church and state.
ii. Islamic armies had great success because of (1) the power vacuum formed during the fall of the great
empires, leaving weak and open land, (2) commanders were very strong at leading, (3) people saw
this as fighting a jihad fight for the defense of your religion, and should you die, you have a special
place waiting in Heaven, and finally (4) the soldiers were offered the booty of the conquest areas =
very profitable
iii. The extend of the caliphates extended all the way to France, where they were stopped by Charles
Martel in 732 at Tours

iv. There were two major dynasties: the Umayyad and Abbasid, which had many features including: (1)
places of tolerance for the Christian and Jewish people, (2) political instability as many caliphs
(successors) were killed/assassinated, (3) different tax systems, lower tax for Islamic people
v. Sharia Islamic law code which was consistent with the Quaran
vi. Ulema group of scholars, judges, and high members of society which help answer any issues or
problems with arise
d. Briefly explain how Islam became an important economic force in the world in the post classical period.
i. Muslims were great traders, and merchant activity was highly regarded, as Mohammad was a
merchant trader
ii. Muslims developed very accurate maps as well as ships that were the fastest around and had the
largest cargo capacity
iii. They developed a system of banking with checking accounts, so you dont have to trade two things of
equal value or have to give away gold or silver, you can write a check and cash it in one of the major
cities.
iv. Trade serves as a means/vehicle by which Muslims will spread religion
e. Describe three areas of contributions of Islamic civilizations to the world.
i. Art never look at paintings/sculptures of people, as this leads to idolatry; therefore, art was very
ornate and decorative focus on geometric designs and the Arabic letters
ii. Architecture water was very scare in Arabia, so there was typically an open courtyard with water
fountains. There were also large towers, called minarets, along with columns and domes. Inside was a
iii.

place of calmness and relaxation, and they introduced the horse shoe arch
Math they took the concepts of math from India and Greek then advanced them to the next level.

iv.

Came up with the three branched of math: Algebra, Number Theory, and Trigonometry
Medicine they were the best doctors in the world in the years ~900 CE, they were removing
kidney stones, removing hemorrhoids, transplanting corneas, removing cataracts, and even brain
surgery. They were also the first to compile a pharmapedia collection of all medicine known to
humans and there effects. This was used in the first textbook, which was used in Edenbury (great

medical school in Europe) until 1806.

v. Preserve learning built large libraries and converted many great texts into Arabic = keepers of the
work preserve

5. MUSLIM EXPANSION
a. What political changes occurred in India with the arrival of Muslims?
i. Delhi Sultanate name of ruling power the caliphs put in place
ii. Primarily operated in Northern India, around Pakistan and Indus River Valley
b. What economic changes occurred in India with the arrival of Muslims?
i. Muslims take over Indian Ocean trade routes from Indian traders
c. What social changes occurred in India with the arrival of Muslims?
i. Buddhism fades out (it was already declining, but this is the final bullet)
ii. Hinduism becomes stronger digs in and fights back = become more resolute
iii. Northwest India (now-a-day Pakistan) is the most successfully converted area
iv. Conversions to Islam come mainly from lower class, because they are nowhere near Mokska
v. Legacy in architecture Taj Mahal
d. Explain the impact Muslims had on Southeast Asia in the post classical period.
i. Economic Importance => Spice Routes water routes on which various spices, like
cinnamon, were traded along the SE Asia into Indian Ocean
ii. Buddhism expands into SE Asia because it was pushed out of India by Islam
iii. Islam takes hold in the island locations (close to trade route) in Indonesia, Philippians, and
Malaysia
e. Explain the impact Muslims had on East Africa in the post classical period.
i. Parts of Indian Ocean trade network exchange gold, salt, ivory, and slaves
ii. Swahili language combination used to help the African-Arab to communicate
f. Explain the impact Muslims had on West Africa in the post classical period.
i. Arrival by crossing Saraha with camel caravans
ii. Set up thriving cities, like Timbuktu, at end of routes
iii. Traded same goods: gold, ivory, salt, and slaves