Bentley Prelude

Theme 1: Humans and the Environment

The environment determined what types of plants/animals could be domesticated, where land and maritime trade/migration routes were, and what type of flora and fauna could be valuable exports.


Afro-Eurasia

  • Great Arid Zone - combination of deserts, semi-deserts, and mountains from Atlantic Coast of Africa to East Asia. (Sahara Desert, deserts of the Middle East and Iranian Plateau, the Great Thar Desert of South Asia, and the deserts of Inner Eurasia such as the Kara Kum and the Taklamakan, and the Gobi.

  • Steppe Zone - extensive grasslands from Eastern Europe to Mongolia. All of the pastoral nomadic groups were here as well as irrigation based agriculture where cotwns and cities became important centers of Silk Road commerce. Nomads weren’t able to produce everything so often interacted with trading or raiding sedentary people and merchants. Pastoral nomads often depended on the horse that soldiers rode on with bow and arrow. Women had more equality than men.

  • Indian Ocean Basin - From April-September monsoon winds blow eastward towards South and Southeast Asia with torrential rains. From November-February they blew from arid Tibet and the Himalayas across South Asia and the Arabian Sea, with sparse rainfall and drought on the Indian Subcontinent. In the first cycle, valuable goods were brought to India and would sail back to ports in the second cycle. These routes are nicknamed the Maritime Silk Roads. The Indian Ocean maritime trade is split into the three zones:

Western Indian Ocean (dominated by East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula (both traded gold, copper, ivory, and coffee), the Persian Gulf, and South Asia (which traded cotton, dyes, and pepper).

Between the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, South and Southeast Asian merchants/sailors conducted trade in products produced in the two regions (spices/scented woods).

Between Southeast and East Asia (dominated by Chinese and Southeast Asians) exported silk, tea, sugar, and luxury goods (porcelain) for spices and scented woods.

All 3 zones had port cities at the intersections.

India is dominated by the Indus and Ganges rivers and the Vindhya Mountains (which are the halfway point east-west).

  • Southwest Asia (geographical designation) or Middle East (geo-political and cultural designation meaning between Europe (near east) and East Asia (far east)). This area was where the first civilizations were as well as where Islam first emerged (meaning it was a transit zone where goods, ideas, crops, technologies, and people regularly passed). Arid zones, low mountain ranges, extensive coastlines (mediterranean, persian gulf, and arabian sea) and the Tigris, Euphrates, and Nile rivers.

  • East and Southeast Asia - geographically diverse regions united by Chinese Confucianism, Daoism, Legalism, and South Asian Buddhism.

China is dominated by the Huang He (yellow river) in the north and the Yangzi (chang Jian) in the south. Eastern regions are plains and where food is grown/early states were located. Northern regions is where interaction between Chinese States and nomads occured. Southern regions are hilly and rainy with rice cultivation. Western China are high mountain ranges and arid deserts.

Korea is a peninsula with mountains, fast-flowing rivers, and coastline.

Japan is an archipelago of islands with high mountains and coatlines.

Southeast Asia has an enormous coastline and the inland is influenced by rivers like the Mekong, mountains, and tropical forests.

  • Europe is more accurately a subcontinent like India rather than a continent. There are no geographical boundaries to separate Europe and Asia as shown in the invasions. Europe has many peninsulas (Scandinavia, Jutland, Brittany, Iberia, Italy, the Balkans, Peloponnesus, and Crimea). There are many important bodies of water and islands where early civilizations emerged along the coastlines and became wealthy and powerful.

The Mediterranean and the Black Sea are shielded from cold Arctic winds and hot winds from the Sahara. Mediterranean agriculture from the Greeks is still seen today (olives and grapes). Harsher weather is in the north but they are still major ports.

The Great European Plain is central and eastern Europe that is separated by the Pyrenees, Alps, and Carpathians. There are forests, rich soil, swamps, and major rivers. Germanic and Slavic civilizations emerged here. During the Middle Ages, forests were cleared for farming, important cities along rivers emerged, and trade routes shaped where cities were.

  • The Americas are North, South, and Mesoamerica.

North America - the Southwest interior is between the Great Basin and the Rocky Mountains is mostly deserts, was home to the Anaszi, Hohokam, and Mogollon. There is also the Mississippi River Basin with historical forests and soil with communication and exchange on the river. Early farmers grew the 3 sisters (corn, beans, and squash) and hunted.

Mesoamerica - volcanoes, tropical rainforests, and extensive coastlines. The Valley of Mexico. Oaxaca Valley, Yucatan, Guatemalan Highlands, and the coasts of Veracruz. Location of the first complex cultures and states in the Americas, like the Olemcs, Teotihuacan, Maya, and Aztecs.

South America - tropical rainforests, steppe-like grasslands, and sub-polar regions. The Andean Region has high mountains, coastal deserts, and a narrow fertile coastland. Sea level humans accessed maritime resources and limited plants. Intermediate level farmers grew corn and herded llamas. Higher altitudes domesticated hundreds of potato varieties. Successful states, like the Inca, took control of the zones and built empires.

Theme 2: Cultural Developments and Interactions

East Asian Cultural Complex

  • Chinese ideologies of Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism are responsible for social organization, gender relations, and government/bureaucracy.

  • Buddhism originated in South Asia but spread to China during the Han dynasty.

  • Neo-Confucianism emerged to reject Buddhism.

Korea developed its own distinct culture and Hangul writing system. Japan maintained indigenous religion and some elements of Buddhism. Vietnam assimilated Chinese culture but rejected some of the gener norms and achieved greater freedom for women.

Monotheistic Religious Cultures

Aristotle influenced monotheistic religions.

  • Judaism is the oldest. The Jews were a diasporic community in small numbers, but were united and gained influence.

  • Christianity dedicated missionaries (Paul of Tarsus) to spread throughout the Roman Empire, Arabia, Nubia, Ethiopia, the Caucasus, India, the Sasanians, Central Asia, and East Asia. The Great Schism of 1054 was a reaction against the expansion of the papacy in Italy.

  • Nestorians were heretics of Christianity along trade routes with great influence in the Muslim world and the Mongol empire.

Western monasteries were places for learning from the Greek and Roman worlds, while Eastern monasteries were places of contemplation.

  • Islam emerged in the Arabian Peninsula with Muhammad who recieved messages from Allah and these messages were written down in the Quran. Early successors spread the religion by military campaigning, trading, and missionaries. Non-Arab converts gravitated towards Shia that welcomed outsiders.

Hinduism/Buddhism in South/Southeast Asia

  • elite brahmin priests of the caste system offered sacrifices.

  • Jainism advocated for the principle of ahimsa (nonviolence) and rejected the caste system.

  • Buddhism also rejected the caste system and associated with Siddhartha Guatama who abandoned wealthy life, understood the reason of suffering, and became known as the Buddha who taught to lead a decent, non-violent, and meditative life.

  • Mahayana was a more accessible Buddhism.

  • Hinduism developed to compete with Buddhism and actively supports the caste system to achieve salvation. Vishnu and Shiva were two gods particularly focused on by lower castes.

The Americas

The Olmec constructed colossal human heads for unclear reasons.

The Maya believed Popol Vuh that gods made humans out of maize and water. They also supported priests who conducted bloodletting rituals to ask gods for rain.

Chavin culture also constructed temples with mixes of humans and wild animals.

Theme 3: Governance

3200-2350 BCE Sumerian dominance in Southwest Asia

2300-1600 BCE Babylonian dominance in Southwest Asia

1000-612 BCE Assyrian dominance in Southwest Asia

2660-760 BCE Egyptian civilization flourishing in Northwest Africa

2100-1600 BCE Xia Dynasty in East Asia

1600-1050 BCE Shang Dynasty in East Asia

1200-100 BCE Olmec society in Mesoamerica

1050-256 BCE Zhou Dynasty in East Asia (Claimed Mandate of Heaven)

558-330 BCE Achaemenid Persian Empire in Central and Southwest Asia

509 BCE Establishment of Roman Republic in Europe

321-185 BCE Mauryan Dynasty in South Asia

206 BCE-220 CE Han Dynasty in East Asia

27 BCE-476 BCE Traditional dates of Roman Empire in Europe

300-700 CE Moche Culture in South America

300-1100 CE Mayan society in Mesoamerica

320-550 CE Gupta Dynasty in South Asia

313-1452 CE Byzantine Empire in Eastern Europe

500-1500 CE Medieval era in Western Europe

618-907 CE Tang Dynasty in East Asia

661-750 CE Umayyad Dynasty in Central and Southwest Asia

670-1025 CE Srivijaya Kingdom in Southeast Asia

800-1100 CE Kingdom of Ghana flourishing in sub-Saharan Africa

‘

Sinicization- When non-chinese groups are assimilated with Chinese culture

Theme 4: Economic Systems

The Maritime Silk Roads

The Han, Tang, Roman, Kushan, and Persian Empires established communication zones and exchange called the Silk road due to the Chinese silk being a commodity. The Silk road traffic waxed and waned.

The First Silk Roads Era was between 100 BCE and 250 CE, but went into declined for following centuries.

The expansion of Dar al-Islam led to the Second Silk Roads Era.

The Camel could carry heavy loads across long distances in deserts and mountains.


Africa/Middle East - coffee, enslaved people, ivory, horses, steel and gold

South Asia- cloth, yarn, indigo, peppers, and gems

East/Southern Asia- spices, rare woods, medicines, rice, silver, lacquer, tea, sugar, porcelains, and silk

Trans-Saharan Trade Network

The one humped camel was crucial for bringing things from the desert to the Mediterranean coast.

Trade in the Americas

Mesoamerica invented corn agriculture.

Physical geographic barriers prevented trade from fully flourishing.

Internal trade is what flourished within communities and states.



Theme 5: Social Interaction and Organization

Over time artisan middle classes gained enough resources to challenge elite status.

Most ancient societies became increasingly patriarchical which was reinforced by secular and religious laws.