World History Study Guide

Section 1

3. How does the Maurya Empire emerge? When Alexander the Great decided to leave India, the empire emerged. Chandragupta Gupta conquers the Nanda empire and conquers the land of Alexander the great.

4. How does Ashoka come to power? A civil war erupted in India and Asoka was victorious. He took power in 270 BCE. He conquered the kingdom of Kalinga.

5. What is Ashoka's impact on the history of India? He had the maximum extent of any empire in India. He united the empire and spread peace and prosperity to everyone. He built pillars that spread laws and messages throughout India.

Section 2

3. How did Buddhism change after the Buddha’s death? Once Buddha died, his followers developed a significant amount of different perspectives of his teachings**.**

4. What were India’s main trade goods in the fifth century? Spices, diamonds, sapphires, gold, pearls, and beautiful woods like ebony and teak

5. What were some of India’s contributions to science during the Gupta period? The number zero and the decimal system were many of the contributions to science during the Gupta period.

6. RECOGNIZING EFFECTS What do you think was the most significant effect of the changes in Buddhism and Hinduism during this period? Explain.

The most significant effects of Buddhism and Hinduism during this period were Buddha’s stress for all of his followers to reach Nirvana because they would embrace spiritual discipline.

8. FORMING AND SUPPORTING OPINIONS Which do you think was more important to India’s economy, overland trade or sea trade? Provide details to support your answer.

Sea trade was more important because it provided a more selective and diverse selection of goods to be traded for. It also allowed India to get rid of extra, unneeded goods and acquire more goods that they couldn’t have gotten elsewhere.

Section 3

3. How did Wudi encourage learning? Wudi conquered neighboring regions starting civil service among the people falling under his rule. Wudi employed around 130,000 people in an 18-rank, bureaucracy that included the teachings of Confucius. This taught respect, generosity, truthfulness, diligence, and kindness. to his people.

4. What role did women play in Han society? Women in the Han dynasty, lived quiet lives because Confucian teachings forced women to devote themselves to their families. Women in the Han Dynasty also contributed to their families economic status through work in the house and on the farm. Upper-class women could become nuns who were able to gain an education and other women in aristocratic families could own small shops and the ability to pursue education.

5. How did the Han Chinese attempt to assimilate conquered peoples? The Chinese Government encouraged the assimilation upon their people and forced Chinese farmers to settle in the newly colonized area. This was all in an attempt to conquer diverse peoples in regions bordering China and those people to intermarry with local peoples. Not only did they conquer surrounding civilizations forcing them to assimilate, but they set up schools to teach Confucian philosophies.

6. IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS What problem do you think was most responsible for weakening the Han Dynasty? Explain. The issue involves the farmers being unable to afford large plots of land, ultimately ending with the rich taking advantage of all of the poor people. The rich had a lot of land and didn't have to pay taxes, but the farmers with little money and land had to pay high-interest rates to borrow other people's farms. This all led to economic inequality in the dynasty.

7. ANALYZING CAUSES How important were Confucian teachings in the lives of people of the Han Empire Provide details to support your answer. The Confucian teachings were extremely important to the Han Empire because they helped maintain a good home while also requiring women to stay home and/or work in the house or fields. This helped maintain a nice and ready house while providing food from the farms. (Didn't have to pay for farmers)

8. DRAWING CONCLUSIONS Why was agriculture considered the most important and honored occupation in Han China? Agriculture was the most important occupation in Han China because of the large population and without lots of farmers and fields, there would not be enough food to feed everyone in the empire.

Online Fieldtrip Presentation

Group 1 - Silkworms and silk set; Statue of Budda

SIlkworms and Silk Set

  • People in ancient china were the first in the world to make silk
  • During the three-week larval period located in a circular bamboo tray (only eat mulberry leaves)
  • Cocoon is placed in a cauldron of boiling water that kills the chrysalis and loosens the threads
  • Silk thread is rolled into a reel, to complete the process

Statue of Buddha

  • Buddhism originated in India and spread throughout the East and West of Asia and Europe
  • Gandhara, modern-day Pakistan was conquered by Alexander the Great which is why Buddha is in a Toga
  • Buddhist writing on rocks along the trade route of the silk road was evident

Group 2 - Archaeology of the Silk Road

  • In the early 1900’s Sir Aruel was on a quest and found ancient graffiti left by pilgrims and merchants in the mountains of India and China
  • In the Taklamakan Desert, they preserved artifacts documenting languages along the way
  • His travels opened scholarship on the Silk Road
  • A wide diversity of goods went through the silk roads worked such as silk, spices, chemicals, leather, metals, glass, gems, and paper
  • A lot of religious diversity on the Silk Road
  • Many languages are spoken (28) on the Silk Road

Group 3 - Buddha

  • Stature commissioned by Indian king Udayana
    • Carved out of sandalwood
  • Many people traveled far and wide to find a true picture of the Buddha

Group 4 - Abacus Calculator

  • Abacus Calculator
    • was made out of colored stones or chips
    • Used sand and rows of stones to calculate
    • It calculated numbers
  • Silk
    • Lighter than coins which made it easier to carry and made it easier to use as a currency
    • A bolt of silk stayed a constant size of 22in wide and 39 ft long
    • Used to make dresses and clothing
    • It is estimated that silk first appeared in the Mediterranean region in the 2nd Century BC

Group 5 - Tomb Figures and Blood-Sweating Horses

Tomb Figures

  • Desert Caravans
    • A two-humped Bactrian Camel carried goods for caravans on the silk roads around the Taklamakan Desert
    • While horses were suited for Grasslands and Steppes and donkeys were favored for mountain terrain, Camels were known for their endurance in harsh desert conditions

First-Hand Accounts

  • Silk Road trade was extremely important from around the 3rd century all the way to the 10th Century.
  • Merchants had to have travel passes along the road and the passes listed the goods being carried along with describing the people and animals in each caravan.
  • Dry Conditions around the Taklamakan Desert preserved writing on wood and paper, including travel passes from the Han and Tang Dynasties

Blood-Sweating Horses

  • Emperor Wu sent Zhang Qian to persuade the kingdoms of Central Asia to help fight the nomadic horsemen threatening China’s northern borders.
  • His journey took him to Kazakhstan and he returned with the tales of “blood-sweating” horses, sparking more missions to the region
  • The “blood sweat” was most likely due to a parasitic infection