Strayer Ch. 4 Lecture NotesClassical Eurasian Empires500 B.C.E. – 500 C.E.

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Key TermsEmpirePersian EmpireCyrus the GreatDarius IPersepolisHerodotusHellenistic

Empires OverviewDefining & Describing Empires

The Classical Era & EmpiresI. What was the “Classical Era?”

a. Refers to a time in history when important historical empires were at their peak.

What exactly is an empire?I. Empire: Political states with the ability to

exercise force.II. Most often associated with:

a. Larger, aggressive states that conquer, rule, & exploit other states/peoples.

b. Often rule over large variety of peoples & cultures within one political system.

c. Often associated with cultural & political oppression.

III. Not all powerful, historically important civilizations develop into empires.

a. Greece, Mesopotamia, & Maya all ruled through common culture but were subdivided into competing-city states.

When did the first empires show up?I. Earliest empires first arose during

the era of the first civilizations.a. Mesopotamia conquered & divided by:

i. Akkadiansii. Babyloniansiii. Assyrians

b. Egypt went imperial when it temporarily ruled Nubia & eastern Mediterranean.

II. Since then empires have been highly present & central to world history over the last 4,000 years.

Who were the Eurasian Empires?I. PersiaII. Greece under Alexander the

GreatIII. RomeIV. China during Qin & Han

dynastiesV. India during Mauryan & Gupta

dynasties

What were problems/dilemmas common to all Classical Empires?

I. Should they impose the culture of their homeland on their conquered/varied subjects?

II. Should they rule conquered people directly or through appointed local authorities?

III. How should they extract wealth & resources from conquered territory while still maintaining order?

IV. All eventually collapse.

Why are empires historically important?I. Majority of humans before the 20th

century lived out their lives under imperial rule.

II. Brought together peoples of different traditions/religions & therefore stimulated exchange of ideas, cultures, & values.

a. Example: Roman empire provided conditions necessary to transform Christianity from small breakaway Jewish sect into a world religion.

Why are empires historically important?I. Despite the intense violence,

they have done all of the following as well:

a. Provided the world long periods of peace & security

b. Fostered economic & artistic development

c. Facilitated commercial exchanged. Allowed for cultural mixing

How did Classical Empires relate to each other?

I. In general, they did NOT

II. Mediterranean and Middle East were important exceptions

a. Greek & Persian Empires touched each other

b. Had bloody & contentious relationship for centuries

c. Extremely important cultural encounter

Persian Empire

Who was the Persian Empire?

Who was the Persian Empire?I. Largest world empire in 500 B.C.E.II. Traditional homeland on Iranian plateauIII. Lived on margins of the earlier

Mesopotamian civilizationsa. Adopted many features from Babylonian &

Assyrian empiresb. Much larger and more splendid

IV. At its height it ruled over 35 million people stretching from India to Egypt.

a. An immensely diverse collection of languages, religions, and cultural traditions.

What was the Persian political system like?I. Emperor/Monarch/King ruled

over Persia with absolute powera. Derived power from the will of

Persian god Ahura Mazdab. He could only be approached by

humans through elaborate ritualsc. Upon death, the entire empire went

into mourning with shaved heads, horse shearing, fires out, etc.

Cyrus (557 – 530 B.C.E.)I. “Cyrus the Great”

a. Founder of the dynasty

II. Tolerant ruler he allowed different cultures within his empire to keep their own institutions.

III. Greeks called him a “Law-Giver.”

IV. Jews called him “the anointed of the Lord”

I. In 537, he allowed over 40,000 Jews to return to Palestine

Darius I (522 B.C.E. – 486 B.C.E.)

I. Established a tax-collecting system.

II. Divided the empire into district – satrapies.

III. Built the great Royal Road system.

How did the Persian Empire remain unified for so long?

I. They had an extremely effective administrative system.

a. Imperial appointment of governors who presided over 23 provinces

b. Large network of imperial spies maintained order in far corners of empire

II. Was generally respectful of local traditions/cultures

a. Adopted many local traditions/fashion to gain support of conquered peoples

b. “No nation so readily adopts foreign customs as Persia…” – Herodotus, Greek historian

c. Provided important model for future empire in region – especially Islamic

How did Persia impact the world they ruled?

I. Introduced efficient economic policies

a. Standard coinageb. Predictable taxes levied on each

province equally

II. Great building projectsa. Canal linking Nile River with Red Seab. 1,700 mile “Royal Road” linked parts of

the empire togetherc. Imperial postal system able to carry

messages across entire empire in as short as 1-2 weeks

III. Great wealth transformed regiona. City of Persepolis was built with great

beauty & strength

Persepolis

Gate of Xerxes at Persepolis

Persepolis

Persepolis

Ancient Persepolis

Persepolis

Greek Empire

What was the Greek Empire?I. Almost the exact opposite of Persians

a. Small, competing city-states allowed large amounts of political participation

II. Emerged around 750 B.C.E. & flourished for relatively short period (400 years)

III. Distinct Hellenistic culturea. Only 2 – 3 million people in entire Greek/Aegean basinb. Geography – mountains, valleys, seas – made for

division into hundreds of city-statesi. Often competitiveii. Bound together by same language & gods worshipped

i. Every 4 years suspended rivalries/conflicts for Olympic games beginning in 776 B.C.E.

IV. Dominated by large, powerful city-statesa. Athens, Sparta, Thebes, Corinth, Troy

How did Greece expand?

I. More focused on settlement than conquest

II. Often fueled by traders seeking resources & land

III. Between 750 – 500 B.C.E., Greek settlements all around Mediterranean basin

a. Brought with them culture, language, & innovations (buildings, etc.) as they fought & traded

What was the Greek city-state political system like?I. Wide variation between city-states

a. Most Greek states believed in popular participation in politics

i. Very different than Persia!

b. Equality of all citizens under the law was also common in some

i. Citizenship varied according to location & time

c. Sparta had a ruling council of Elders - oligarchy

d. Athenians most dedicated to democracyi. Man named Solon was instrumental in pushing

Athenian politics in inclusive directionii. “Assembly” was source of government power

i. Open to all MALE citizens (no slaves, foreigners)

What were the Greco-Persian wars?

I. Persian expansion into west began around 500 B.C.E.

a. Greek settlements on Ionia (Anatolian peninsula – Turkey) revolted against Persian rule with support from Athens.

b. Persia sent major military forces to punish Greens & Athens in particular.

c. From 490 – 479 B.C.E. Greeks held off Persians on both land & sea

Battle of Thermopylae

I. Greco-Persian War battle (480 B.C.E.) where Greeks tried to defend the pass at Thermopylae from invading Persians led by Xerxes

a. 300 Spartans led the defense under the leadership of Spartan king Leonidas

b. The Spartans held the pass for three days before being defeated

What were the effects of the Greco-Persian Wars?I. Victory characterized as battle between “Asian”

despotism & “European” freedoma. Believed rights/freedom were key to victory

II. Beginning of east/west divide that regins to this very day

III. Empowered thousands of poor soldiers to demand citizenship & political participation

IV. Led to golden-age Greek civilizationa. Parthenon, philosophers (Socrates), Theatre of

Sophocles, etc.

V. Empowered Athens to seek dominion over other Greek states

a. Sparta resisted & led to Peloponnesian Wari. Greek states were exhausted, battered, & prime for

Macedonian takeover

How were the Greek states finally unified?

I. Greek city-states were taken over & conquered by Macedonian Philip II in 338 B.C.E.

a. Philip’s son was Alexander the Great

How were Greek states finally unified?

Alexander the Great as Greek unifier◦ In his 20s, Alexander unified

conquered Greek states under assault of Persia

◦ Within 10 years of constant fighting, he had conquered Egypt & the entire Persian empire Rule stretched from Greece to

Afghanistan/India Looted & burned Persepolis

◦ After Alexander’s death in 323 B.C.E., empire divided into three Greek-ruled components: Ptolemaic – Egypt Seleucid – Persia Antigonid– Greek/Macedonian

What was the effect of Alexander’s conquest?Introduced Hellenistic culture

into Middle East, Egypt, & India◦Greek became language of the

learned Indian emperor Ashoka even published

his decrees in Greek

Cities established along the way became important cultural trading posts

Large supporter of libraries/learning

What was the Greek Empire’s political structure like?

Greeks/Macedonians were political elites◦ Different laws established for Greeks & non-Greeks◦ Led to rebellion by conquered peoples

How did the Greek Empire remain in power for so long?

Tolerant towards conquered peoples

Intermarriage was encouraged

Opened citizenship to conquered peoples if certain criteria was met

Review TermsEmpirePersian EmpireCyrus the GreatDarius IPersepolisHerodotusHellenisticAlexander the Great

ThermopylaeGreco-Persian War

Peloponnesian War

OligarchySpartaAthensSolon