Roman Empire, Early Medieval Period, & Silk Roads

Tacitus’ Germania

Tacitus writing to his other Roman senators about the Germanic people 

• They were heavily armed and powerful 

• They had a council and democratically agreed on something 

  • Was how Rome was supposed to be run but it wasn’t 

• Some bias but he’s also admiring some parts of this culture 

• We still don’t have any concrete evidence that he met any Germanic people 

why did some argue tacitus’ germania was the most dangerous book ever written?

“Aboriginal and not mixed with other races at all” promoted Germans as ideal and pure race people – Nazis used this for their political purposes 

• This was also incorrect! There were many different Germanic tribes, not just one; different cultures, DNA, etc. 

Early medieval period

= the dark ages 

• There was a different culture than the Roman culture many of which are still alive today (strong organized military, statues/mosaics, architecture, roads (all roads lead to Rome), aqueducts, Roman baths 

• People thought there was no culture for the Germanic people 

The clash of cultures: Greco-Roman

Values of Greco-Roman: Sedentary and Modernation 

• Agriculture, wine, wheat/bread (baked), liquamen (garum), olives, grapes/wine 

• Arcitecture, statues 

• Christian (sort of) temples/churches 

• Written law 

• Centralized gov, cities 

The clash of cultures: Germanic Tribes

Values of Germanic Tribes: Nomadic and Excess 

• Hunting, beer, meat (roasted) 

• For men, the more you could eat and drink alcohol meant the more manly you were. 

• Jewlery was art, illustrated manuscripts 

• Polytheistic/pagan, sacred space of woods/groves 

• Oral custom/law 

• Organized in tribes, clans, small + decentralized settlements 

fall of rome in the west: barbarians

• 3rd and 4th centuries CE; 4th and 5th made worse by invasions from barbarians – an immigration of fighting men;

• barbarian at the time meant (inferior) foreigner or soldier for the people in the west – they weren’t actually invading very much or super violent 

fall of rome in the west: goths

Goths allowed into rome by emperor Valens (364-378); didn’t subscribe to Nicene version but Gothic bishop Ulfilas translated Bible into Gothic 

• Goths weren't provided with the famine and supplies so they turned against Valens 

• Valens marched against them in 378 CE trying to teach them a lesson in obedience but his army was trampled to death instead 

• Crumbled in western europe bc of...disgruntled barbarian immigrants, civil war, overextension continued 

• 400 CE – could no longer raise taxes enough to maintain control of provinces; 418 Goths settled in Gaul as a militia to fill absence of authority 

• Ruled by their own king, suppressed frequent peasant revolts 

• Roman landowners in gaul allied with Goths rather than be part of the revolution 

• Goths were Christian allies of aristocracy, not godless enemies of Rome 

fall of rome in the west: the huns

he Huns; romans and non-romans both didn’t like 

• King Attilia (434-453); threatened both romans and germanic people like Goths. Often plundered the many villages  

• He wanted to think he was divinely appointed to rule, “mandate of heaven” 

• He threatened the romans that he would send forces there if they didn’t give him thousands of pounds of gold coins – Roman empire fell only 20 yrs after Atilla’s death bc they were drained militarily and economically 

• Fall of empire was result of a long process of overextension; the frontiers were too spread out to have enough control 

• Travel time was very long on the roads; didn’t have canal network that Chinese emperors had for ppl and goods. Only survived with taxes and high effort but failed after 400 CE 

• 476 last emperor young Romulus Agustulus resigned to make way for a barbarian king in Italy 

• Political unity gave way to unity in the church; catholic = universal, everyone felt like they belonged 

• Bishop of Rome was symbolic head of churches; now a religious rather than imperial capital; 700 CE great landowning families vanish and replaced by religious leaders 

Continuity of Rome in the east: Byzantium 

• Empire still alive; from Greece to Iraq, Danube river to Egypt, boarders of Saudi 

• Roman empire of the east = Byzantium. Founded new Rome in a place called Constantinople in 324 founded by Constantine 

  • Well situated to receive taxes in gold and control sea lanes of eastern Mediterranean 

han & roman empires: similarities

• Knew little about each other, very far apart with only knowledge based on trading  

• Lasted about 400 years, w around 60 mil ppl 

• Both in capital cities, large populations 

• Rulers thought to have godlike powers 

• Huge militaries 

• So powerful that future leaders wanted to revive them 

• Both succumbed to nomadic pastoral ppl 

han & roman empires: differences pt 1

• China’s imperial system lasted 2,00 years despite turmoil; Qin dynasty with last Qing emperor in 1912 when the chinese republic came out whereas they tried to revive the Roman empire but really couldnt  

• Short qin empire 221-207 BCE cleared way for Han empire. Previous Shang and Zhou dynasties were not true empires, Zhou gave way to the Spring and Autumn period 722-481 BCE and Warring States period 403-221 BCE which made way for new ideaologies 

• They had so much carnage that major Chinese intellectuals (confucious, mencius, laozi, mo di, legalists) “endorsed the idea that a single savior-like person would bring about unity and peace” - these Axial Age philosophers made a foundation that made china keep returning to empires 

• Roman state emerged in 5th century BCE and warred often against city-states like Etruscans as well as other Mediterranean areas such as Spain 

• Rome did not produce such foundational philosophies and its ideology was more based on republicanism 

han & roman empires: differences pt 2

• Roman empire was not easy to govern territorially – both sides of Mediterranean sea + Italy was a peninsula, British Isles separated from mainland by english channel, etc. 

• China was also divided by rivers, nountains etc. But china better off bc of ideologies from Warring States period + scholargentry class – detailed knowledge of classics was the only way to enter the ruling class 

• China was more closely governed; 130,000 ppl, 20,500 in central admin 

• Rome was more of a patchwork empire in cooperation with local elites rather than direct administration 

• Maintained authority thru army rather than ideology; never got to close governing level of Han 

• Goths overwhelmed romans; northern steppe ppl overthrow Han 

• Rome’s power was destroyed but christianity was the same 

• China's invaders actually emulated their imperial system and traditional practices 

• Europe ended up with many fledgling states and languages but one god, one papacy, one dominant religion. China had many minor gods hut one emperor, one main language, and long-lasting Confucian bureucracy 

what were the silk roads?

The sharing of knowledge between Mediterranean and China

• Merchants, missionaries, ideas, scholars, etc. Traveled across Himalayas into Northern India to explore Silk Roads 

• Ideas (incl. Universalizing religions) + goods traveled 

• Christianity as well as Buddhism and the Vedic religion continued to spread 

silk roads: oasis cities

Great oasis cities of central asia played an important role in Silk Road’s functioning 

• Nomadic rulers became overlords of Sogdiana and extracted tribute from Samarkand and Panjikent in the east 

• Tribal confederacies maintained links between east and west by patrolling silk roads between Iran and China 

• Joined north to south as they passed thru Afghanistan and northern India 

• Central asia between 300-600 CE was the hub of vibrant system of religious and cultural contacts covering Afro-Eurasia 

silk roads: sasnian empire

Sasanian empire of Persia (Iraq, Afghanistan, much of central asia) 224-651 CE encompassed land routes of western asia that connected Mediterranean world with East Asia 

• Replaced Parthians in 3rd century CE as rulers of Iranian plateau and Mesopotamia 

• Ruler called himself “king of kings of Iranain and non-Iranian lands”  - aspirations to universalism 

• Ancient irrigated fields of modern Iraq became economic heart of this empire 

  • Its capital Ctesiphon is only 20 mi south of modern Baghdad  

• Great Arch of Khurso (Khurso I Anoshirwan – of the righteous soul, was Justinian’s rival). He was the model ruler – strong and just, as glorious as Justinian. Arch of Khurso was equally inspiring to later Muslims as Hagia Sophia was to Christians 

• Persian and roman goods rode together on camelback – Sasanian silver coins and gold pieces from Constantinople were bought far east 

Sasanian empire vs byzantium

Sasanian empire was a military threat to Byzantium; iranian armored cavalry was a fighting machine adapted from competition w nomads of central asia 

• Khurso sacked Antioch (great significance to early Christianity) in 540 CE; warning that Mesopotamia could reach out to conquer eastern mediterranean shoreline 

• Confrontation between Persia and Rome escalated into great war, 604-628 CE, conquered Egypt and Syria and reached Constantinople before being defeated in northern Mesopotamia 

• Cultural unity: Syriac was dominant language, Sasanians were Zoroastrians but Christianity and Judaism were tolerated 

• Nestorian christians exploited sasanian trade and dipolmacy to spread their faith to Chang’an in China and West coast of Southern India 

• Jewish rabbis of mesopotamia supported by king compiled Babylonian Talmud – their peers in Roman Palestine were cramped under Christian state 

• Embraced offerings from northern India; Panchatantra stories (moral tales in kingdom of animals), polo, chess 

• **Khurso’s empire was one of crossroads between cultures of Central Asia and India plus eastern Mediterranean 

silk roads: sogdinians

• Controlled oasis cities of Samarkand and Panjikent  

• Religion was Zoroastrian + Mesopotamian beliefs + Brahmanic influence 

• Language was common tongue of early silk roads 

• Camels bore commodities thru transshipment centers 

• Mansions were influenced from warrior aristocracy culture of Iran (palace walls of armored riders represent change to cavalry warfare from Rome to China 

• Known as merchants; richest country in Central asia, large houses decorated 

• Products from southwest Asia and north Africa got to eastern end