Hum sem exam pt 2...
Here’s a concise and organized breakdown of each requested civilization with the key characteristics, organized for easier understanding and comparison.
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### East Asia
#### Chinese Dynasties: Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han
- Historical Background (Founders):
- Shang (c. 1600-1046 BCE): Early ruling dynasty, known for oracle bones.
- Zhou (1046-256 BCE): Overthrew Shang, established the Mandate of Heaven.
- Qin (221-206 BCE): Founded by Qin Shi Huang, unified China, standardized weights, writing, and laws.
- Han (206 BCE-220 CE): Founded by Liu Bang, ushered in a golden age of Chinese culture and trade.
- General Geographic Features: River valleys of Huang He (Yellow River) and Yangtze; fertile plains for agriculture.
- Political Organization:
- Zhou: Feudal system; decentralized rule.
- Qin: Centralized autocracy; Legalism.
- Han: Bureaucracy based on Confucian ideals and civil service exams.
- Major Religious and Philosophical Ideas: Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism, ancestor worship.
- Major Artistic and Intellectual Ideas: Bronze work (Shang), calligraphy, silk production, Great Wall construction (Qin), papermaking, and cultural texts (e.g., Analects of Confucius).
- Social Structures: Patriarchal society; filial piety under Confucian values; distinct classes (scholars, peasants, artisans, merchants).
- Decline & Collapse:
- Zhou: Warring States period.
- Qin: Harsh Legalism caused rebellions.
- Han: Corruption, peasant revolts (e.g., Yellow Turban Rebellion), and external invasions.
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### European
#### Byzantine Empire
- Historical Background: Founded as Eastern Roman Empire by Constantine I; capital in Constantinople.
- Geography: Eastern Mediterranean; strategically located between Europe and Asia.
- Political Organization: Centralized bureaucracy; Emperor held absolute power; Justinian Code of Laws.
- Religious Ideas: Eastern Orthodox Christianity; Iconoclasm controversies.
- Artistic/Intellectual Ideas: Hagia Sophia, mosaics, preservation of Greco-Roman knowledge.
- Social Structures: Aristocracy, middle classes (merchants), peasants, slaves; women had some influence (e.g., Empress Theodora).
- Decline: Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453.
#### Medieval Western Europe / Feudalism
- Historical Background: Fall of Rome (476 CE) led to decentralized rule.
- Geography: Forests, rivers, and fertile plains; isolated regions.
- Political Organization: Feudal system (lords, vassals, knights); decentralized governance.
- Religious Ideas: Catholic Church dominated; Crusades; power of the Pope.
- Artistic/Intellectual Ideas: Gothic architecture (cathedrals), illuminated manuscripts.
- Social Structures: Kings, nobles, knights, peasants/serfs; women held subordinate roles but nuns gained literacy.
- Decline: Black Death, Hundred Years' War, rise of towns and trade weakened feudalism.
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### South Asia
#### Mohenjo-Daro, Harappa
- Historical Background: Part of the Indus Valley Civilization (c. 2600-1900 BCE).
- Geography: Indus River Valley; fertile land.
- Political Organization: Likely centralized governance; organized city planning.
- Religious Ideas: Early forms of Hinduism; worship of nature and fertility symbols.
- Artistic Ideas: Grid-like cities, sewage systems, pottery, seals.
- Social Structures: Caste-like divisions; gender roles unclear.
- Decline: Environmental factors, river shifts, and possible invasions.
#### Maurya, Gupta India, Delhi Sultanate
- Maurya (322-185 BCE): Founded by Chandragupta; Ashoka promoted Buddhism.
- Gupta (320-550 CE): Golden age of science, mathematics (zero), and literature.
- Delhi Sultanate (1206-1526): Islamic rule in India; established by Mamluk dynasty.
- Decline: Invasions (e.g., White Huns for Gupta, Mongols for Delhi Sultanate).
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### Middle East
#### Mesopotamia
- Historical Background: Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians (Hammurabi), Assyrians.
- Geography: Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; fertile crescent.
- Political Organization: City-states; Hammurabi’s Code (Babylon).
- Religious Ideas: Polytheistic; ziggurats for worship.
- Artistic Ideas: Cuneiform writing, literature (*Epic of Gilgamesh*), irrigation.
- Decline: Invasions and internal conflict.
#### Egypt
- Geography: Nile River provided fertile land.
- Political Organization: Pharaoh as divine ruler; centralized.
- Religious Ideas: Polytheism, afterlife beliefs, pyramids as tombs.
- Artistic Ideas: Hieroglyphs, pyramids, temples.
- Decline: Invasions and weak leadership.
#### Persia
- Political Organization: Centralized empire under Cyrus the Great; satrap system.
- Religious Ideas: Zoroastrianism.
- Decline: Conquered by Alexander the Great.
#### Umayyad, Abbasid Caliphates
- Umayyad (661-750 CE): Expanded into Spain and Central Asia.
- Abbasid (750-1258 CE): Golden age of science, art, and learning; Baghdad as center.
- Decline: Mongol invasions, internal fragmentation.
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### Mediterranean
#### Greek City-States (Athens, Sparta)
- Athens: Democracy, philosophy (Socrates, Plato), art.
- Sparta: Military oligarchy.
#### Alexander the Great’s Empire
- Historical Background: Unified Greece and conquered Persia.
- Ideas: Spread Hellenistic culture.
#### Roman Republic/Empire
- Republic: Senate, assemblies, checks on power.
- Empire: Centralized under emperors (e.g., Augustus).
- Decline: Overexpansion, economic decline, invasions.
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### Africa
#### West African Kingdoms (Mali, Ghana, Songhai)
- Trade: Gold-salt trade; Mansa Musa's pilgrimage boosted Islam.
- Decline: Civil wars, invasions.
#### East African Kingdoms (Axum, Zimbabwe)
- Axum: Christian kingdom; Red Sea trade.
- Zimbabwe: Great Zimbabwe; trade with Indian Ocean.
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### Mesoamerica
#### Olmec
- Historical Background: Earliest Mesoamerican civilization.
- Artistic Ideas: Giant stone heads; influenced later cultures.
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### Importance of Trade Routes
- Silk Road: Connected China to the Mediterranean; spread goods, ideas, and diseases.
- Indian Ocean: Connected East Africa, India, and Southeast Asia.
- Trans-Saharan: Gold, salt, and cultural exchanges in Africa.
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### Summary of Classical vs. Post-Classical
- Classical Period: Rise of empires, structured political systems, major religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism).
- Post-Classical Period: Expansion of trade networks, Islamic Golden Age, feudalism, Mongol Empire.
Let me know if you need specific elaboration on any section!