ASIAN CULTURES UNIT

350 BCE – 1400 CE

350 BCE – 600 CEDefenseTradeAdvances

China and India

550 – 1400Technological AdvancesThe MongolsStatus of Women in Asian Cultures

East Asia

Americas: Government, Achievements, ReligionAfrica: Adaption to Environment, Trade & Blending of cultures

Comparisons to Americas & Africa

350 BCE – 600 CE

China & India

First Chinese Empire

221 BCE: Qin became the first unified Chinese empire

LEGALISM: political philosophy taught efficient government key to maintaining order and control

Qin Reforms To strengthen security, workers joined

separate defensive walls in Northern China GREAT WALL OF CHINA

hundreds of thousands of peasants toiled and many died

Trade & Buddhism

China’s most prized possession is: SILK Revealing the secret of its making was punishable by

death Merchants traveling between China and Central

Asia used a series of overland routes SILK ROADS: network of routes stretched from

China to Mediterranean Linked China to India, Middle East, and Roman Empire

Brought Buddhism to China Brought more hope to Chinese than Confucianism or

Daoism

Chinese Advances

Paper – made by grinding plant fibers, like hemp, into a paste and left to dry “books” created by connecting several

sheets to create scroll Iron plow and wheelbarrow Seismograph – measured earthquakes ACUPUNCTURE: inserting fine needles

into skin at specific points to cure disease and relieve pain

Indian Advances

Hindu-Arabic Numerals: first to use the symbol for 0 Without which modern math would not be

possible Numerals we use today

Earth revolves around the sun Circumference of the earth

Accurate to 1%

View map on pages 242-243 Compare insets on Roman and Han

conflicts with Nomads What effects did nomads have on the

Roman empire? The Chinese empire? What was the most extensive empire

between 100-400 CE? Which group of nomads traveled the

farthest?

550-1400

East Asia

China – Inventions & Innovations Porcelain – ceramic known as “china”

Sought after around the world Woodblock Printing

A page of text is carved into a block of wood Wood is coated with ink Pressed to paper

Movable Type – individual letters or characters carved Rearranged and reused

THE DRAGON IS THE IMPERIAL SIGN OF CHINA

China – Inventions & Innovations Paper Money

Facilitated Trade Trade expanded along improved roads

and canals Silk Roads – routes connected china to

markets in Central Asia, India and beyond!

Ship Building advances led to sailing around Asia

Status of Women

Foot Binding: Feet tightly wrapped with pieces

of cloth Restricted growth of feet so

they appeared small and dainty Extremely painful Over time bones deformed Also limited movement

The Mongol Empire

STEPPES: grasslands, stretch across north-central Eurasia Home to nomadic people Too dry for farming Lived as pastoralists, relying on

herds Traded for items they lacked Or, swept through and took what

they wanted

Mongols

Sheep and Goat herders Skilled with horses Divided into clans Each clan led by a KHAN:

CHIEF 1206: Genghis Kahn

“Universal Leader” conquered rival Mongol clans and became leader of all Mongols

Genghis Khan

Built an Empire! Built a powerful military machine Enforced strict discipline Demanded complete loyalty Highly mobile, struck quickly Military leader

Surrounded and trapped enemy Brutality Psychological warfare Burned any town that resisted Sent agents ahead to build fear of approaching forces

Mongol Empire

Over 20 years, Mongols conquered much of Asia Learned the art of siege warfare and gunpowder 1227: at his death, Genghis Khan controlled much

of China and Central Asia Mongols divided his empire into

Khanates: regions Heirs ruled each region

PAX MONGOLIA: Mongols ruled peacefully, tolerated local beliefs, allowed local rulers to stay in power, created stability

Japan

Archipelago: large island chain Japan is the length of the eastern coast of the US Volcanic

Early Japan SHINTO: everything in nature, sun, rocks, trees,

animals has a spirit (kami) No sacred text or structure Build shrines to kami and perform ceremonies for

blessings Shrines located in natural settings dedicated to

unusual trees, waterfalls, etc Red Gateway marks the entrance to a shrine

GovernmentAchievementsReligion

Similarities with the Americas

Government

City-States throughout Mesoamerica (Mexico) formed alliances

Aztecs (1100s) required conquered people to pay tribute – tax

Inca (Peru) put governors throughout their conquered empire

Achievements

Maya and Aztecs kept written records

Incans kept tax records, census, livestock records on QUIPU: knotted, colored

cords Aztecs created a 365

day calendar Accurate calculations of

the movements of the planets

Trade & Architecture

Inca Roads: paved with stone blocks, 14,000 miles, crossed every terrain imaginable (sea level to 12,000 miles high)

First known suspension bridges crossed canyons and rivers

Machu Pichu: as advanced as Rome

Religion

Inca kept mummies of dead kings and worshipped them

Created temples to worship

Polytheistic Ceremonies led by

priestsIn 1999, Archaeologists

found 3 preserved bodies of Inca who were sacrificed to the gods in the mountains,

and preserved thanks to the dry cold.

Adaption to Environment Trade & Blending of cultures

Similarities with Africa

Environment

Large size (3xs the USA) has a wide variety of climates and vegetation Low, wide plains run across

Northern and Western interior: SAHARA DESERT: LARGEST

DESERT IN THE WORLD East is the Great Rift Valley,

Rivers: Congo, Zambezi, Niger, Nile

Outer parts have several mountain ranges

Coastal areas are fertile farmlands, deserts, swamps, sandy beaches

Agriculture & Trade

Hunter-Gatherers, to Pastoralists, to farmers

As farming developed, people needed more land and spread out Women farmed, men raised cattle

Islam spread to Africa through trade Iron, gold, cattle, salt,

Trade led to blending of African, Arab, and Asian cultures SWAHILI: AFRICAN-ARAB

LANGUAGE & CULTURE