AP WORLD
The Prologue includes dynasties, empires, and civilizations. The following information is the primary content of the prologue:
Before the agricultural revolution, most civilizations followed the hunter-gatherer way of life. However, it was discovered in the Middle East that seeds could be planted for a renewable food source (although this happened throughout the world around the same time). This meant that moving from place to place in search of new resources was no longer necessary. Standing and permanent civilizations were now put to use. These civilizations tended to be built upon rivers for ease of farming and water access. There are a few important river civilizations to know. They are the Mesopotamia River Civilization along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Middle East, the Egyptian River Civilization along the Nile River in Egpyt, the Yellow River Civilization in Central-East China the Andes Mountains civilization in Southern America, and the Indus River Civilization in Northern India. These river civilizations would further grow into some of the most powerful regions and empires. Also as a result of the agricultural revolution, there was a large population surge and an increase in technological advances. Advancements in architecture such as large structures like pyramids and ziggurats, advancements in social code like the invention of a hierarchical system, advances in languages like literature, and the advancements in religion like the development of Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, and Judaism.
As previously mentioned, civilizations no longer needed to move allowing them to focus their newfound time and energy into projects such as structures for city mapping. Nearby civilizations with similar cultures united to create early empires. Another key aspect of empires are pastoralists, pastoralists maintained nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyles and moved from empire to empire. This movement from civilization to civilization led to a large exchange of culture between empires. However, this wasn’t the only way in which culture was spread. Jews were invaded and were forced out of Israel. This migration took the Jewish religion with it, Judaims spread all over the world because of these merchants. In India, the cultural system was majorly based on the caste system set in place by Hinduism. Buddhism, which originated from Hinduism, came around 500 BCE. Buddhism became immensely popular because of its alternative teachings from the Indian caste system. This alleviation of a lower societal role attracted many lower caste members. Similar to the expansion of Buddhism from Hinduism, Christianity came from Judaism.
Zhouh, Qin, & Han Dynasties
Greek/Alexander’s Empire
Roman Empire
Byzantines
Gupta & Mauryan Empire
Persian Empire
Olemec
Toltec
Inca
Maya
Aztec
The Song Dynasty is the main focus of this unit and has a large role in Chinese society.
Civil Service Exam
They implemented the Civil Service Exam which elected qualified (not selected) men to the bureaucracy, a leg of the government that worked in sectors such as policy creation and enforcement through the entirety of China. Previously, government positions in the bureaucracy were determined by connections and not based on merit. The Civil Service Exam ensured that all government official were qualified, not only did this lead to increase prosperity in China, but it also extended the period of Song Dynasty.
(Neo) Confucianism
Another key factor of the success of the Song Dynasty was their use of Neo-Confucianism to maintain a hierarchy, both in government and households. Neo-Confucianism mixed Buddhism beliefs with the classic principles of Confucianism. This Neo-Confucianism shaped societal practices, but also implemented the ruler and subject system. Confucianism taught that their was a system between authority and followers of such authroiry. In this way, rulers/men/elder would teach, guide, and aid subjects/men/younger family members in exchange for their service and respect. This system held together Chinese society for many years.
Tributary System
The Chinese tributary system involved lower states of China providing gifts to the main states and to the emperor to emphasize their allegiance and respect. Often times, lower states would give these “gifts” as a tax for inferior work. They would also have to perform a kowtow which was a deep bow to the emperor (sometimes hitting their head on the floor) as a sign of deep respect in insubordination. However, the tributary system wasn’t just national, foreign countries such as Korea participated in this system as a way of allegiance, but more importantly a sign of being inferior and at China’s will. This prevented invasions from China and kept each country on good political terms.
Social and Political Influence
China had a heavy influence on its nearby and far away countries. The 3 main countries that China impacted are listed below:
Country | Impact | Difference |
Korea |
|
|
Japan |
|
|
Vietnam |
|
|
These aren’t the only countries that were impacted by Chinese society, as usually occurs, countries that traded with China exchanged concepts and culture, but these exchanges weren’t as significant as that of Korea, Japan, and Vietnams'.
Female Role
In Chinese society, females were considered inferior. This was according to confucian ideologies that stated that men were meant to rule women. This led to the practice of foot binding which involved a women breaking the bones in her feet to make it smaller. Ideally, it was to get to a point in which a woman couldn’t walk at all. For wealthier individuals, the smaller the size of your/your wife’s feet, the richer you were. Women were typically used as house servants and had very little freedom in Chinese society.
Innovation
Through its prosperity, the Song dynasty oversaw many innovations and developments that boosted the economy. Firstly, the Song dynasty focused heavily on commercialization, exporting more goods than they needed to produced for extra money. This commercialization greatly boosted Chinese trade and economic status. Secondly, China was one of the countries at the forefront of steel production. This production of steel, similar to commercialization, had a large role in China’s economic interaction. They also used steel for national uses such as military equipment. Third off, the introduction of Champa rice greatly increased the Chinese population. Because it was so easy to farm and very drought resistant, large quantities were produced, and it could be harvested twice a year. This removed any problem of food insecurity and fostered a growing population. Lastly, the Song dynasty improved navigation through the expansion of the Great Canal, the invention of the Magnetic Compass, and new shipbuilding techniques.
Dar-al Islam
Dar-al Islam was the term used to describe the Islamic regions of Northern Africa, a little bit of Sub-Sahran Africa, parts of Europe like Spain, the Middle East, and Western Asia. Islam focused on spreading through conquest and dominated a large part of the East of the entire world. Their conquest was greatly limited/stopped during the Battle of Tours and the exit of Spain. If it weren’t for this, Islam may have dominated the world. Dar-al Islam also had key trade connections between each Islamic regions of this area. In addition to lots of trade, many large empires grew during the rise of Islam.
Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate was one of the empires that grew during the period of Dar-al Islam. They were ethnically Arab and came to power during the “golden age” of Islam. When they started splitting and fracturing, the Abbasid Caliphate found themselves in a fight with the Umayyad Caliphate. After staring to lose power, many other Islamic empires came to power, they primarily considered of Turkish people and not Arabs. Some of these new empires are listed below:
Seljuk Empire- Located in central Asia, they were brought into the Abbasid Caliphate by force for military and cultural integration purposes. Although the Abbasids were the voice, the Seljuk Empire retained a large portion of political power
Mamluk Sultanate- Located in Egypt and ruled by Saladin, This empire originally brought in many Turkish warriors through slavery. After Saladin’s death, the empire collapsed and the previously enslaved group came to power.
Delhi Sultanate- Previously, Muslims established a state in Northern India which faced many issues. This state soon declined and another Turkic state/empire rised
This pattern shows the decline of Abbasid/Arabic states that are reborn into Turkic States, but kept somethings such as military rule/authority, Sharia Law (a Muslim law system that dictates the way Muslims should live their live), and other political practices.
Expansion of Islam
As previously mentioned, Islam spread rapidly, but not just the religion. Dar-al Islam also spread with it. In a way, Dar-al Islam was more like an empire than a religious boundary. This expansion occurred from military involvement of states such as the Delhi Sultanate, merchant activity spreading islamic practices to further regions, and missionaries such as the Sufis. The Muslim empire during this time were very experienced in war and so their main form of expansion was through conquer. If it weren’t for the Battle of Tours, they may have dominated the world.
Innovations
With such a large empire, there were many new inventions that occurred during the period of Dar-al Islam. These inventions came from many different people in different regions, but 4 of the main individuals who were at the front of their fields during this time are listed below:
Nasir Al Din Tusi- Tusi worked in many fields but key ones to know are law, astronomy, logic, ethics, mathematics, philosophy, and medicine. He had one of the most advanced and accurate observatories of his time. He studied the relationship between the lengths and sides of a triangle, the concept of angles, and trigonometry.
Ibn Sina- Ibn Sina made many advances in medicine including the improvement of hospital care and the invention of exams that certified doctors and pharmacists.
Ibn Khaldun- Ibn Khaldun was the founder of historiography and copied many ancient texts that would have been otherwise lost
A’ishah Bint Yusuf Al-Bauniyyah- Al-Bauniyyah was a Sufi poet and an accomplished female poet of her time.
Dar-al Islam was also known as the house of wisdom because various scholars from around the world came to this regions (specifically the epicenter in modern-day Saudi Arabia) to study. It was here that ancient texts that may have been lost forever were translated and recorded.
The Prologue includes dynasties, empires, and civilizations. The following information is the primary content of the prologue:
Before the agricultural revolution, most civilizations followed the hunter-gatherer way of life. However, it was discovered in the Middle East that seeds could be planted for a renewable food source (although this happened throughout the world around the same time). This meant that moving from place to place in search of new resources was no longer necessary. Standing and permanent civilizations were now put to use. These civilizations tended to be built upon rivers for ease of farming and water access. There are a few important river civilizations to know. They are the Mesopotamia River Civilization along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Middle East, the Egyptian River Civilization along the Nile River in Egpyt, the Yellow River Civilization in Central-East China the Andes Mountains civilization in Southern America, and the Indus River Civilization in Northern India. These river civilizations would further grow into some of the most powerful regions and empires. Also as a result of the agricultural revolution, there was a large population surge and an increase in technological advances. Advancements in architecture such as large structures like pyramids and ziggurats, advancements in social code like the invention of a hierarchical system, advances in languages like literature, and the advancements in religion like the development of Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, and Judaism.
As previously mentioned, civilizations no longer needed to move allowing them to focus their newfound time and energy into projects such as structures for city mapping. Nearby civilizations with similar cultures united to create early empires. Another key aspect of empires are pastoralists, pastoralists maintained nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyles and moved from empire to empire. This movement from civilization to civilization led to a large exchange of culture between empires. However, this wasn’t the only way in which culture was spread. Jews were invaded and were forced out of Israel. This migration took the Jewish religion with it, Judaims spread all over the world because of these merchants. In India, the cultural system was majorly based on the caste system set in place by Hinduism. Buddhism, which originated from Hinduism, came around 500 BCE. Buddhism became immensely popular because of its alternative teachings from the Indian caste system. This alleviation of a lower societal role attracted many lower caste members. Similar to the expansion of Buddhism from Hinduism, Christianity came from Judaism.
Zhouh, Qin, & Han Dynasties
Greek/Alexander’s Empire
Roman Empire
Byzantines
Gupta & Mauryan Empire
Persian Empire
Olemec
Toltec
Inca
Maya
Aztec
The Song Dynasty is the main focus of this unit and has a large role in Chinese society.
Civil Service Exam
They implemented the Civil Service Exam which elected qualified (not selected) men to the bureaucracy, a leg of the government that worked in sectors such as policy creation and enforcement through the entirety of China. Previously, government positions in the bureaucracy were determined by connections and not based on merit. The Civil Service Exam ensured that all government official were qualified, not only did this lead to increase prosperity in China, but it also extended the period of Song Dynasty.
(Neo) Confucianism
Another key factor of the success of the Song Dynasty was their use of Neo-Confucianism to maintain a hierarchy, both in government and households. Neo-Confucianism mixed Buddhism beliefs with the classic principles of Confucianism. This Neo-Confucianism shaped societal practices, but also implemented the ruler and subject system. Confucianism taught that their was a system between authority and followers of such authroiry. In this way, rulers/men/elder would teach, guide, and aid subjects/men/younger family members in exchange for their service and respect. This system held together Chinese society for many years.
Tributary System
The Chinese tributary system involved lower states of China providing gifts to the main states and to the emperor to emphasize their allegiance and respect. Often times, lower states would give these “gifts” as a tax for inferior work. They would also have to perform a kowtow which was a deep bow to the emperor (sometimes hitting their head on the floor) as a sign of deep respect in insubordination. However, the tributary system wasn’t just national, foreign countries such as Korea participated in this system as a way of allegiance, but more importantly a sign of being inferior and at China’s will. This prevented invasions from China and kept each country on good political terms.
Social and Political Influence
China had a heavy influence on its nearby and far away countries. The 3 main countries that China impacted are listed below:
Country | Impact | Difference |
Korea |
|
|
Japan |
|
|
Vietnam |
|
|
These aren’t the only countries that were impacted by Chinese society, as usually occurs, countries that traded with China exchanged concepts and culture, but these exchanges weren’t as significant as that of Korea, Japan, and Vietnams'.
Female Role
In Chinese society, females were considered inferior. This was according to confucian ideologies that stated that men were meant to rule women. This led to the practice of foot binding which involved a women breaking the bones in her feet to make it smaller. Ideally, it was to get to a point in which a woman couldn’t walk at all. For wealthier individuals, the smaller the size of your/your wife’s feet, the richer you were. Women were typically used as house servants and had very little freedom in Chinese society.
Innovation
Through its prosperity, the Song dynasty oversaw many innovations and developments that boosted the economy. Firstly, the Song dynasty focused heavily on commercialization, exporting more goods than they needed to produced for extra money. This commercialization greatly boosted Chinese trade and economic status. Secondly, China was one of the countries at the forefront of steel production. This production of steel, similar to commercialization, had a large role in China’s economic interaction. They also used steel for national uses such as military equipment. Third off, the introduction of Champa rice greatly increased the Chinese population. Because it was so easy to farm and very drought resistant, large quantities were produced, and it could be harvested twice a year. This removed any problem of food insecurity and fostered a growing population. Lastly, the Song dynasty improved navigation through the expansion of the Great Canal, the invention of the Magnetic Compass, and new shipbuilding techniques.
Dar-al Islam
Dar-al Islam was the term used to describe the Islamic regions of Northern Africa, a little bit of Sub-Sahran Africa, parts of Europe like Spain, the Middle East, and Western Asia. Islam focused on spreading through conquest and dominated a large part of the East of the entire world. Their conquest was greatly limited/stopped during the Battle of Tours and the exit of Spain. If it weren’t for this, Islam may have dominated the world. Dar-al Islam also had key trade connections between each Islamic regions of this area. In addition to lots of trade, many large empires grew during the rise of Islam.
Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate was one of the empires that grew during the period of Dar-al Islam. They were ethnically Arab and came to power during the “golden age” of Islam. When they started splitting and fracturing, the Abbasid Caliphate found themselves in a fight with the Umayyad Caliphate. After staring to lose power, many other Islamic empires came to power, they primarily considered of Turkish people and not Arabs. Some of these new empires are listed below:
Seljuk Empire- Located in central Asia, they were brought into the Abbasid Caliphate by force for military and cultural integration purposes. Although the Abbasids were the voice, the Seljuk Empire retained a large portion of political power
Mamluk Sultanate- Located in Egypt and ruled by Saladin, This empire originally brought in many Turkish warriors through slavery. After Saladin’s death, the empire collapsed and the previously enslaved group came to power.
Delhi Sultanate- Previously, Muslims established a state in Northern India which faced many issues. This state soon declined and another Turkic state/empire rised
This pattern shows the decline of Abbasid/Arabic states that are reborn into Turkic States, but kept somethings such as military rule/authority, Sharia Law (a Muslim law system that dictates the way Muslims should live their live), and other political practices.
Expansion of Islam
As previously mentioned, Islam spread rapidly, but not just the religion. Dar-al Islam also spread with it. In a way, Dar-al Islam was more like an empire than a religious boundary. This expansion occurred from military involvement of states such as the Delhi Sultanate, merchant activity spreading islamic practices to further regions, and missionaries such as the Sufis. The Muslim empire during this time were very experienced in war and so their main form of expansion was through conquer. If it weren’t for the Battle of Tours, they may have dominated the world.
Innovations
With such a large empire, there were many new inventions that occurred during the period of Dar-al Islam. These inventions came from many different people in different regions, but 4 of the main individuals who were at the front of their fields during this time are listed below:
Nasir Al Din Tusi- Tusi worked in many fields but key ones to know are law, astronomy, logic, ethics, mathematics, philosophy, and medicine. He had one of the most advanced and accurate observatories of his time. He studied the relationship between the lengths and sides of a triangle, the concept of angles, and trigonometry.
Ibn Sina- Ibn Sina made many advances in medicine including the improvement of hospital care and the invention of exams that certified doctors and pharmacists.
Ibn Khaldun- Ibn Khaldun was the founder of historiography and copied many ancient texts that would have been otherwise lost
A’ishah Bint Yusuf Al-Bauniyyah- Al-Bauniyyah was a Sufi poet and an accomplished female poet of her time.
Dar-al Islam was also known as the house of wisdom because various scholars from around the world came to this regions (specifically the epicenter in modern-day Saudi Arabia) to study. It was here that ancient texts that may have been lost forever were translated and recorded.
