Key Concepts 2

Key Concepts 2.1

1) Name three consequences of the development and expansion of empires:

1. Social Stratification
2. Job Specification
3. Higher Quality of Life
2) What was the name of the codified body of Jewish beliefs, ceremonial laws, history, and
hymns? Torah This body is called the Old Testament by non-Jews.
3) What concept was central to the religion of Judaism? Who is the patriarch of Judaism?
Maintaining and upholding the rules that have been specified by god through Abraham, the
patriarch.
4) What were the Upanishads? How did the Upanishads clash with the Vedic period, which me
to a close around 600-500 BCE? The Upanishads are a body of writings in reaction to the
formality of the Vedic Period. They clashed as the Vedic period mainly emphasized the
importance of priests, and that was not relevant to the now Aryan’s who developed agriculturally
and have settles down.
5) What relationship did the Upanishads have to the development of Hinduism? The
Upanishads along with the Vedas paved the way for the emergence of Hinduism.
6) Identify karma, samsara, and atman.
 Karma - how the actions of your previous incarnation will affect your next
reincarnation
 Samsara - the cycle of birth and death and rebirth
 Atman - a piece of one’s soul that eventually is reunited with the universal spirit
7) What role did the Aryan gods and goddesses play in the development of Hinduism? In
Hinduism, they are all represented by a form of Brahman, but they are all also united within
Brahman.
8) Identify Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the Bhagavad Gita?
 Ramayana
o The story of Prince Rama, a reincarnation of Vishnu, defeating Ravana, in
order to rescue his wife, Sita.
 Mahabharata
o The story of a great war between cousins that represents good vs evil.
 Bhagavad Gita
o The part of the Mahabharata where Krishna provides Arjuna the support
and strength needed to overcome his hesitation to fight his own kin, for the
greater good.
9) What is the desired goal of atman and what role does the caste system play in that goal? The
desired goal of atman is to become a part of the universal spirit; The caste system basically acts
as a guide for how close one’s atman is to the universal spirit and your position in the caste
system reflects actions that were made in a past life. Only the atman spirit of a member of the
Brahmin caste can be reunited with the universal spirit.
10) Identify reincarnation, karma, and dharma.
  Reincarnation - the idea that one is reborn into a new life after death. The tman
spirit is reborn in a new person after someone dies and this process is ongoing
until the atman is reunited with the universal spirit
 Karma - how the actions of your previous incarnation will affect your next
reincarnation
 Dharma - one’s duty within their caste position
11) What is the name for the universal spirit? What forms does the Universal spirit take?
Brahman; The universal spirit takes many forms but two of them are Vishnu, the preserver, and
Shiva, the destroyer.
12) Why is it difficult to determine whether Hinduism is identified as a polytheistic or a
monotheistic religion? It is difficult due to a belief in the universal spirit, Brahman. This belief
make it unclear as to whether the forms it takes are different gods or if they all are the same
being.
13) Which major religion developed as an offshoot of Hinduism? When did it develop?
Buddhism; the 6th Century BCE
14) Why is Siddhartha Gautama known as the “Enlightened One”? He grew up with
many advantages in life, but he could not find the meaning of life. So, he left his worldly
possessions behind and meditated under a tree in a forest and became enlightened about his
existence.
15) What are the Four Noble Truths? The Eightfold Path?
 The Four Noble Truths
a. All of life is suffering
b. Suffering is caused by a desire for things that don’t satisfy oneself
c. Suffering can be ended by removing the desire
d. The desire can be removed by following the Eightfold Path
 The Eightfold Path
. Eight aspects of life that, when implemented into our daily lives, lead our souls to nirvana
16) What factor led to a person being placed in a lower caste? A higher caste? Actions
in one’s previous life (a.k.a. Karma); If someone performs bad deeds in their life, they will be
placed into a lower caste; If someone performs good deeds in their life, they will be placed into a
higher caste
17) How did Buddhist belief differ from Hinduism in terms ultimate goal? Buddhists
believed that one could gain enlightenment from changes in mindsets and lifestyles rather than
ones placement in the caste system. Also, Buddhists believe in an ultimate goal to achieve the
path to a state of contentment when one’s soul unites with the universal spirit, also known as
nirvana.
18) What was one of the most significant factors in the survival of Buddhism in
India? The spread of Buddhism? The most significant factor that led to the survival of Buddhism
in India is that Ashoka, a Mauryan emperor, actually converted into the religion and promoted
Buddhism practices. Despite oppression, Buddhism was able to successfully spread because of
how suitable it was in area where cultural diffusion was prevalent, such as Southeast Asia,
China, and Japan.
19) In which geographical areas did Buddhism have the most success? Buddhism had
the most success in areas where cultural diffusion was occurring, such as Southeast Asia, China,
and Japan.
20) When did Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism develop in China? The belief
systems Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism arose during the Warring States Period of 403-221
BCE in the midst of the Zhou and Han Dynasties.
21) What was Confucius’ theory on what brought China to a state of chaos and how this
chaos could be stabilized? After long pondering, Confucius concluded that China fell into chaos
because the Mandate of Heaven was lost due to poor behavior from both the Chinese emperor at
the time and his subjects as well. This chaos could be balanced by harmony, order, and
obedience of the people and a belief in that if the five basic relationships were stabilized, the
condition of society would also be stabilized.
22) What are the five basic relationships of Confucianism? The five basic relationships
of Confucianism are ruler to ruled/subject, father to son, husband to wife, elder brother to
younger brother, and (elder) friend to (junior) friend.
23) How did Confucius define the “superior man”? Confucius defined the “superior
man” as one who exhibited characteristics of ren (kindness), li (sense of propriety), and Xiao
(filial piety, or loyalty to your family).
24) What is the “Way” or “Path”? The “Way” or “Path” refers to the Dao, or the eternal
and unchanging principles of the original force of the cosmos that governs all the workings and
processes exhibited in the world.
25) According to Daoism what factor has created chaos in the world? How can chaos
be stabilized? Based on the Daoism religion, chaos was created in the world from humans
resisting the Dao. In order to stabilize the chaos, one should disengage from issues in the world,
such as government, and live a simple life in line with nature.
26) What does Daoism encourage in its followers? Daoism encourages introspection,
development of a feeling of content within oneself, no ambition to alter the Dao, and the self-
knowledge/the acceptance of the way things are and meant to be.
27) How are Confucianism and Daoism different? How alike? Overall, they are
different in that Confucianism is more activist and extroverted, while Daoism is more reflective
and introspective. Confucianism and Daoism also have different founders, Confucius and Laozi
(Lao-Tzu), respectively. They are alike in that they both originated in China and had sets of
beliefs that followers lived by.
28) What religion is the root of Judaism? Christianity came from the root of Judaism
and was partly established from the Jewish belief in the coming of a Messiah.
29) How were Christianity and Buddhism similar? What factor was instrumental in the
spread of these religions? Both Christianity and Buddhism came from another religion where one
was to cleanse the Jewish religion and assure life after death and one had a struggle to rise from
the Hindu caste system, respectively. Christianity initially had great appeal to people and,
combined with the processes of deliberate conversion techniques from early apostles, it steadily
grew into one of the most popular religions. As for Buddhism, it didn’t have the mass appeal like
Christianity had to the people, but cultural diffusion and the promotion from Ashoka was crucial
for the spread of the religion.
30) Trace the factors which led to the spread of Christianity. It began as followers
believed that Jesus the prophet was the son of God. Jesus’s beliefs were different from those of
Jewish people and the Romans, so he was executed. After his death, apostles spread the word of
Jesus and his beliefs. One notable person that aided in the spread of the religion was Paul, who
was knowledgeable with Greco-Roman culture, so he was able to accurately explain the beliefs
of Christianity of which Greeks and Romans understood. He even ended up creating churches
around the eastern end of the Mediterranean and Rome. Slowly but surely, and along with some
conflicts with Roman authorities, Christianity made its appearance in the Roman Empire and by
the 4th century CE, the Emperor Constantine was converted to Christianity. With this
conversion, he created a capital named Constantinople and the religion expanded west and north
of Rome and even east of this new capital, which significantly helped the spread of the religion.
31) What is Hellenism? Note the significance of the spread of Hellenism? Hellenism is
ancient Greece’s established culture that was spread across the ancient world by Alexander of
Macedonia (the Great). The culture highlighted symmetry, proportion, and the pursuit of the
ideal. The spread of this culture developed Greek thinking and language throughout the lands.
32) What factor was significant in gender inequality? One significant factor in gender
inequality was the agricultural surpluses established during the production, which were then
reinforced by laws and codes.
33) How did the codification of the great belief systems impact gender inequality (name
an example from each belief system cited). The great belief systems furthered the divide in
gender inequality as they supported patriarchy, or the male being the head. Hinduism had the
Laws of Manu, which stated that women should not be independent from men during her life and
should not separate herself from the males. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, the
writings of St. Paul supported patriarchy where wives are ruled by the husbands but declared that
husbands be obligated to love the wives as much Christ loves the church. Even Confucianism
encouraged a hierarchical family system that made husbands have authority over the wife, but
Buddhism was unique in that they allowed both genders to have equal chances at enlightenment,
which made it an exception from all the other belief systems that supported patriarchy.
34) What is asceticism and monasticism? How did they apply to Christianity and
Buddhism? Asceticism is defined as the extreme rejection of the materialistic aspects of the
world, such as luxuries, anything unnecessary, and all sexual pleasures. As a result of asceticism,
monasticism, or the lifestyle of living as monks in a monastery, was established. These two
concepts of avoiding materialistic things were pursued by some followers of Christianity and
Buddhism, and the monks worked to care for the weak and poor.
35) Define shamanism, animism? Name regions where they were practiced. Shamanism
is defined as a set of practices that were approached to manipulate the natural world with rites
and ceremonies that were performed by someone who claimed to have connections with
supernatural forces, also known as a shaman. Associated with shamanism, animism is the idea
that objects in the material/regular world are inhabited by spirits. The general regions where
these concepts were practiced were outside the codified religious traditions and in major
civilizations, usually in those who could not read.
36) What is ancestor worship and where was it practiced? How were oracle bones used
during this practiced? Ancestor worship was a practice that focused on obtaining advice from the
ancestors about practical problems and was practiced outside the codified religions of major
civilizations, such as the Shang Dynasty in early China. Oracle bones were used to communicate
from the ancestors to the living in a process where answers to some question were written on
large bones or turtle plastrons; cracks that were formed through the answer after applying heat
was the advice from the ancestors.
37) Cite some examples of how belief systems affected art. Cite one example for the
regions noted. Art is said to have increased as religions matured as time passed. Different forms
of art was established from different religions and beliefs. For instance, the expression of theater
arose from religious festivals for the Greek god Dionysus, and the particular worshipping of the
god consisted of dancing under the influence of wine, which was developed from Central Asian
shamanism.

Key Concept 2.2

1) On the map provided note the empires indicated under #1 f Key Concept 2.2.
 Persian Empire
 Qin and Han Empire
 Mauryan and Gupta Empires
 Mediterranean Region (Phoenicia, Greek city-states, Hellenistic and Roman Empires)
 Mayan civilization
 Moche
2) Who divided the Roman Empire? Which empire developed from the eastern portion of the
Roman Empire?
Diocletian; The Byzantine Empire
3) Name the first Persian Empire and the dates in which it existed? Who defeated this empire
and why?
The Achaemenid Empire; Alexander the Great defeated this empire in the conquest of Persia.
4) Identify the Parthian Empire and the dates in which it existed? Who defeated this Persian
Empire?
The Parthian Empire was the successor to the Achaemenid Empire and lasted from 247 BCE to
224 CE; The Romans
5) Identify the Sassanid Empire and the dates in which it existed? Who defeated this Persian
Empire?
The Sassanid Empire was the last of the Persian Empires and lasted from 224 CE to 651 CE;
Arab Conquests
6) What was the religion of the Persian empires?
Zoroastrianism
7) What was one of the most difficult challenges of expanding empires?
Ruling them after their expansion
8) What two types of governments did empires employ to control their empires?
Centralized Governments and Decentralized Governments
9) Identify examples of centralized states: Decentralized states.
 Centralized
o Han China
o Mauryan India
o Byzantine Empire
 Decentralized
o Gupta India
o Zhou Dynasty
10) Name strengths and weaknesses of each type of government.
 Centralized
o Strengths
 Efficient
o Weaknesses
  Requires an apparatus to project power and connect distance provinces
together
 Target of blame for unhappy citizens
 Decentralized
o Strengths
 Increased connection and touch between the people and the government
o Weaknesses
 Difficulty to unit for the common good during times of crises
11) In China, which state emerged as power?
Qin
12) How did the creation of a bureaucracy help to centralize China under Qin
leadership?
Bureaucrats were employees of the state and were given power by the emperor. They also gained
their wealth and status from their position in the government. Aristocrats, however, gained their
power, status, and wealth from existing estates and personal fortunes. This leads to them
influencing the government in their personal favor. Instead, the Qin governed through those
whose position depended on their obedience to the state.
13) How did the practice of Legalism help to centralize China under Qin leadership?
It reinforced the bonds of obligation between bureaucrat and their superior.
14) Name other projects the Qin implemented to help centralize the provinces under Qin
leadership.
 Built roads and bridges
 Constructed defensive walls
 Standardized units of weight and measurement
 Standard currency
 Made one common form of Chinese writing
15) When did the Han come to power? What were the circumstances and how long did
the dynasty last?
The Han came to power in roughly 200 BCE during the Qin Revolution and ruled China for
about 400 years.
16) What philosophy dominated the Han dynasty? What role did the civil service
examination play in developing an efficient state?
Confucianism; They were used to certify that new government recruits were educated well.
17) Which two dynasties ruled India during the classical age? What were the dates in
which they ruled?
 Mauryan Dynasty: 327 BCE - 185 BCE
 Gupta Dynasty: 320 CE - 550 CE
18) What tactics did Chandragupta use to unify the South Asian subcontinent?
 Spying
 Brutality
 Intimidation
19) Identify the factors which made Ashoka the most significant ruler of the Mauryan
dynasty.
 The Edicts of Ashoka
 Central organizations to enforce his edicts
 Conversion to Buddhism
20) How did Ashoka’s rule impact the development of Buddhism as a major belief
system?
He caused the spread of it as a religion and furthered the reach of its ideologies.
21) List the ways in which the Mauryan and the Gupta empires were different. How did
these differences impact the stability of the Gupta empire?
Mauryan Gupta

 Bureaucracy handled  Local Leaders handled decisions

decisions  Preferred to negotiate with local rulers to
 Large area of rule maintain peace
 More centralized power  Small area of rule
 More localized power
 Greatest period of political stability
These differences led to the downfall of the Gupta empire as the lack of centralized rule meanth
a lack of region integration and unity. This led to the empire breaking apart at these regional
divisions when they were threatened by internal corruption and invaders. The effects continued
on even after the fall of the Gupta empire as these regions remained fragmented fro over 1500
years.
22) Despite two powerful empires controlling the Indian subcontinent what emerged as
the more natural political nature of this region?
After the fall of the two empires, the Indian subcontinent continuously alternated between large
but decentralized empires and smaller networks of regional kingdoms.
23) Identify the patricians. The plebeians?
The patricians were the upper classes of the Roman Empire, while the plebeians were the
common classes
24) What was the Twelve Tables?
The Twelve Tables were laws produced in 449 BCE to relieve tensions between the patricians
and plebeians of Roman society. The laws guaranteed procedural equality and consistency in
courts.
25) Identify jus gentium and jus civile. What were their benefits?
Jus gentium: “law of all nations;” refers to universal principles that are true to all people and
included principles such as “harm done to another person without cause is wrong.”
Jus civile: “civil law;” a codified system of law that differed from place to place, which often
were specified examples that fall under Jus gentium. For example, cheating is a universally
unjust action, but one region may believe in stricter punishments than another.
26) What techniques did empires use to control its ever expansive empires? Cite one
from each example given in Key Concept 2.2.
Diplomacy: empires had to negotiate with allies and foes in order to function; an example of this
is when the Han Emperor Wu negotiated alliances with smaller countries on his western border
in order to defeat the Xiongnu confederation.
Supply lines: armies required complex logistical operations; one example of this is Alexander
the Great eliminating carts and limiting pack animals to horses and camels in order to improve
the mobility of his army. His forces also brought with them a significant number of workers
whose job was to maintain and manage the army supply line.
Forts, walls, and roads: engineers led the construction of defensive structures; one example
would be the Great Wall of China, which was constructed when the Qin dynasty ordered the
unification of the many smaller walls built by previous feudal states. This wall protected the
united Chinese state from nomadic invaders from the northwest.
Raising armies: all of the classical empires needed methods to raise large armies; the Han
dynasty conscripted soldiers from the civilian population and trained officers to be professionals
on military theory in order to maintain a strong, competent army.

27) Identify matrimonial alliances and tributary states.

Matrimonial alliances were alliances formed when one emperor offers one of his (female) kin to
another emperor in marriage.
Tributary states were formed when a defeated emperor paid a price, called a tribute, to the
victorious emperor in order to keep his power. Thus, the tributary state became an indirect
subject of the conquering power.
28) What were viae militares?
Viae militares (“military roads”) served to move troops easily to defend or expand the empire.
29) How did the Punic Wars impact the efficiency of the Roman army?
After the Punic Wars, the Roman army was restructured to be comprised of professional soldiers
and not just farmers conscripted for temporary service. In addition, their primary demand to all
defeated enemies was to provide men for the Roman army every year, which further improved
their efficient killing machine.
30) What methods did the Mayans use to develop efficient armies? How did their
resources and techniques of war differ from the Romans?
The Mayan social elites served as officers while the soldiers were conscripted from local
populations. They did not use metal and instead used wooden clubs with sharp obsidian tips.
Unlike the Romans, the Mayan soldiers attacked to injure and take live prisoners that were used
for ritual sacrifices.
31) What role did trade play in promotion of a strong military?
Trade increased the tax revenue to the government, which helped with improving the military.
The construction of roads for the military also aided in trade, which increased the incentive for
emperors to expand their road systems.
32) How were cities significant to the economic, political, and cultural life of
empires? Name examples of major trade centers.
Cities were extremely significant and acted as the economic, political, and cultural centers of
empires. Cities (such as Chang’an) also acted as major trade centers for empires.
33) How did the more complex economic and political centers affect the social
hierarchies of the empires?
Social hierarchies became more complex in empires; such systems evolved to accommodate the
increasing complexity of social life in empires. One example is the development of subcastes
(jati) in India as a result of the Gupta Empire’s economic and political development.
34) Who were the scholar-bureaucrats? What was the corvee system?
The scholar-bureaucrats were within the ruling class of Han society.
In the Corvee System, government required subjects, usually peasants, to provide labor as a
payment of tax. Many public civic projects were carried out in this manner.

35) What role did slavery play in the classical empires?

Slavery was practiced in all classical civilizations, and the power of slave labor fueled the
massive success of many Mediterranean empires such as the Roman Empire.
36) Name the factors which led to the decline of the classical civilizations between 200
and 600 CE.
Factors that led to the decline of the classical civilizations are political corruption, the migration
of the Huns, over-extension of borders, and the spread of disease.
37) What factors led to the fall of the Han?
The Huns, a nomadic group from central Asia, migrated and pressured the Han dynasty through
raids that the Han could not successfully defend against. Due to the Han dynasty’s over-
extension of its borders, it could not supply enough manpower to hold the Great Wall against the
Huns.
38) What factors led to the fall of the Roman Empire? What was unique about the fall of
the Roman Empire?
Tax burdens (due to the sheer size of the empire), plague, and poverty amongst the common
population made public happiness extremely low; meanwhile, the upper classes adopted
increasingly extravagant lifestyles and often stopped caring about their social and political
responsibilities. This led to a decrease in unity and decentralization in the Roman Empire as
commoners allied themselves with regional leaders for protection against Germanic invaders.
Eventually, the empire collapsed to the Germanic armies, but one unique aspect about the fall of
the Romans is that the eastern portion of the empire survived as the Byzantine Empire.
39) Name examples of environmental consequences of the expansion of the classical
empires.
The requirements of raw materials and land for agriculture resulted in mass deforestation. Plato
described what had once been “an abundance of wood in the mountains” reduced to “the mere
skeleton of the land.”

Key Concept 2.3

1. Identify the Silk Roads?
The Silk Roads were a network of trade routes connecting China and the Far East with
the Middle East and Europe.
2. What is “relay trade”?
relay trade consisted of goods that were passed down the line by changing hands many
times before reaching their final destination. silk roads- a trade route in which goods,
languages, ideas, technologies, and diseases were exchanged from person to person and
from country to country.
3. What type of goods were primarily moved along the Silk Roads? Why?
Many luxury goods such as silk, spices, gold, sugar, and ivory were primarily traded
along the silk roads, this was because, each side of the trade traded for luxury items that
were not found at its home , resulting in an importance and profit for the long distance
travelled on the silk roads for the trades
4. What were the origins of the Silk Road? What were the earliest goods moved along the
roads?
The silk roads developed as a result of silk becoming a prized commodity along India,
persia, and mesopotamia. The earliest goods moved along the roads were silk, gold and
ivory.
5. What were the “oasis towns” along the Silk Roads and how did they impact cultural
diffusion from one region to another?
Oasis towns connected segments of trade and were nodes of cultural exchange,
especially for Buddhism. These helped Mahayana Buddhism spread quickly by jumping
from one oasis town to the next. They often had beautiful Buddhist temples and attracted
foreign Buddhist Merchants.
6. Give examples of the impact of cultural diffusion?
Cultural diffusion helped the spread of Nestorian Christianity across the silk roads into
China. Silk also took on a sacred meaning in Buddhist and Christian rituals.
7. Defend the statement that “the volume of trade on the Silk Roads was connected to the
strength of the classical civilizations during this period and declined when they fell into ruin”.
Because the Roman, Gupta, and Han empires were the centers of production, their laws
and legal systems provided security for merchants, encouraging them to take more risks.
8. How did the goods which traveled along the maritime trade routes differ from those
which traveled on overland routes? Give examples of these goods.
Maritime trade routes, unlike land-based routes such as the Silk Roads, were better suited
for heavy and bulky items. This included wine, olive oil, grain, timber, marble,
glassware, perfumes, silver, spices and silk.
9. Which ancient group and offshoot colony dominated the Mediterranean trade routes
during the early classical period? Who defeated them and soon gained dominance of the area?
Merchants trading on these sea lanes were predominantly from the city states of
Phoenicia and the Greek peninsula. After Phoenicia was defeated by Persia, Carthage
went on to create its own empire in the Mediterranean, eventually clashing with Rome in
the Punic Wars.
10. What group colonized the Mediterranean region and as such had great cultural impact?
Greek cities created a network of colonies throughout the Mediterranean in order to feed
their people. Grain poured into the city-states of Greece from the colonies, for which they
in turn traded olive oil and wine, products much better suited to Greek soil. This lead to
the diffusion of Greek culture across the Mediterranean region.
11. Identify the phrase “mare nostrum”. How was it significant to the Mediterranean trade
region?
The mare nostrum means ‘our sea’ in Latin. This was significant because it was what the
Romans referred to the Mediterranean as during their peak.
12. What goods were moved through the Mediterranean trade routes?
The Romans exported copper, tin, glass, wine and olive oil.
13. Where were the Indian Ocean trade routes? Which states and goods were moved through
these routes?
The Indian Ocean trade routes ranged from Alexandria in Egypt to Mombasa in Africa to
Guangzhou in China to Malacca in Indonesia. Pepper, cotton textiles, and dye became
lucrative commodities on this maritime network.
14. What was the impact of the monsoons to the Indian Ocean trade routes?
Each monsoon season brought with it predictable patterns of winds, which reversed six
months later. Merchants had to time their departures with these cycles of winds in mind.
15. Which states traded through the Trans-Saharan trade routes? Which goods moved
primarily through this route?
 Many of the items that were exchanged between Egypt and Nubia in the previous period
continued across the Sahara. Slaves, gold, salt, and ivory were among the goods traded
through this route.
16. What animal was significant to the movement of goods on overland trade routes such as
the Silk Roads and the Trans-Saharan? Why were they known as “ships of the desert”?
The camel, originally a herd animal, was domesticated in the middle east for its use in the
incense trade. Camels could carry up to 50 percent more cargo than other pack, animals,
could go longer without water, and lived longer than most of them as well. Hence the
name ‘ships of the desert’
17. What was the significance of the horse and the introduction of the stirrup?
In Central Asia nomads domesticated the horse and became expert trainers, so much so
that the Han dynasty traded silk with them for their horses. The invention of the stirrup
allowed for much greater control of the animal.
18. What type of boat was commonly used in the Indian Ocean trade system? Who developed
its design? Why was it preferable?
The Dhow, a long slender boat with a lateen sail, became a common vessel for Indian
Ocean trade. Although its origins are not completely clear, the Chinese, Arabs, and
Indians were certainly involved in its creation and/or modification. It could be used to
carry heavy items unfit for land-based trade.
19. Where was the origin of cotton? Why did it prove to be a valuable crop as it spread
throughout the trade routes?
Cotton is indigenous to South Asia and has a long history of cultivation in India.
20. What was the significance of the qanat system? How did it work?
Qanat used hydraulic and gravitational force to extract water from the ground without the
use of any energy at all. Qanats doubled the amount of available water for irrigation and
urban use in Iran.
21. Discuss the significance of rice and sugarcane.
Because Buddhist monks were vegetarian and avoided the meat-based diets of pastoral
nomads, they would carry rice with them on their journeys across the steppes. Sugarcane
likewise spread during this time. It was first grown in India and probably spread through
the Khyber pass, into Afghanistan.
22. What diseases spread along the trade systems? Give an example of a disease and how it
moved.
A major epidemic of smallpox broke out among the soldiers stationed in Parthia. By 166
B.C.E. it spread across much of the Roman Empire, reaching the city of Rome itself.
Enduring for 15 years, probably 10 percent of the population of the Roman Empire, about
5 million people, perished from disease.
23. Note examples of how Christianity spread by way of the trade routes. What about the
doctrines of Christianity made it popular to converts?
Using Rome's infrastructure of roads and trade routes, missionaries like St. Paul preached
Christianity in Greece, Anatolia, and the city of Rome itself. Christianity promised
eternal rewards for ethical behavior, creating a belief that gave meaning to everyday
choices and actions. People could then participate in an unseen world of cosmic
importance.
24. Which Roman emperor legalized Christianity? What was the name of the order? Which
Roman emperor made Christianity the state religion?
 Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and, through the Edict of Milan,
gave it official acceptance. In 392, Emperor Theodosius made it the official religion of
the empire
25. Which legal code reinforced Christian mortality fusing it with Roman Law?
The Code of Justinian fused Christian teachings with Roman law to propel Christianity
into a significant role in world history.
26. How did Christianity change as a result of becoming the state religion of the Roman
Empire? When the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, it allowed for the
religion to become the official religion for the empire, which dramatically increased its
popularity and number of followers. Churches were established, Christianity continued to spread
around the Roman Empire, and became integrated with the Roman Law that allowed it to
become an important religion for world history.
27. What is caesaropapism? What significance did it have to the growing influence of
Christianity? Caesaropapism is the combination of political and religious authority that is
controlled by one ruler and was shown from Constantine’s leading. This allowed Christianity to
gain more legitimacy and respect because Roman Emperors were working in conjunction with
the religion, allowing further growth of the overall number of followers.
28. How did the column of Constantine represent the merging of paganism and Christianity?
The column of Constantine was a monument for both Christianity and paganism. There were
many connections to Christians, including a piece of Jesus’ cross and the ax that Noah used to
build his ark, but there were also some connections to paganism like the Palladium. This
monument brought together and made it less threatening for both the followers of Christianity
and the followers of paganism.
29. What was the significance of the Council of Nicaea (325 CE)? The Council of Nicaea
was established in order to clear up any misunderstandings and unknowns of Christianity to
ensure no one had different opinions on the major Christian doctrines.
30. Per the Council what was heresy? Heresy was any belief that diverged from the official
beliefs of Christianity, called orthodoxy, that unintentionally resulted in the spread of
Christianity outside of the empire because the ones who believed in heresy were banished, and
when they took refuge in other empires, the religion was able to spread.
31. How did the Council of Nicaea affect the Nestorian Christians? Where did the
Nestorians resettle? How did it differ from Orthodox Christianity? Give examples of how
Nestorian Christianity transformed as it moved to different regions. The Council of Nicaea
established the empire’s beliefs on opinions relating to Christianity and this affected the
Nestorian Christians because they had opposing views on some topics, such as Jesus and Mary.
The Nestorians were condemned and, subsequently, they resettled in the Persian Sassanid
Empire to create Christian communities in order to avoid any persecution from the Roman
Empire. It differed from Orthodox Christianity in that the beliefs specific to Christianity were
different from the established beliefs of Christianity, including some topics like Jesus and Mary.
As it moved to different regions, people converted to this religion and merged with other beliefs.
The Turk’s conversion to Christianity is an example of the growth of Christianity when
Nestorians migrated to other regions.
32. Where did Coptic Christianity settle? How did it differ from Orthodox Christianity?
Coptic Christianity was established in Egypt and Axum through maritime trade routes. Orthodox
Christianity was diffused in the borders of the Roman Empire while Coptic Christianity went
beyond just the borders of the empire.
33. What role did the Kushan invasion have on the weakening of Buddhism in India and the
strengthening of Hinduism? The Kushan invasion resulted in an even worse relationship during a
time where efforts to spread Buddhism in India were already leading to the resentment of
Hindus. When the Guptas brought back dynastic rule and supported Hinduism, Buddhism was no
longer the primary religion of India.
34. Which teachings led to the spread of “popular” Hinduism? How did this belief differ
from the more formal version inspired by the Vedas? Popular Hinduism emphasized the
teachings of Bhagavad Gita instead of the Vedas’ rituals or the Upanishads’ philosophies. The
belief differed from the more formal version from the Vedas in that popular Hinduism focused
on deep spirituality that was open to anyone while Vedas had strict rituals.
35. What role did merchants play in merging some characteristics of Mahayana Buddhism
and popular Hinduism? Because the monasteries and routes from the Buddhists typically became
merged into the Silk Road, Mahayana Buddhism was closely linked to the Silk Road trade. The
characteristics of Mahayana Buddhism and popular Hinduism were blended from the Vaishya
caste of Hinduism adopting Buddhism as a way to fulfill their dharma of being merchants.
36. Describe bhakti Hinduism. Where did it spread and why was it popular? Bhakti Hinduism
involved having great, passionate emotions to specific Hindu gods, especially Vishnu and Shiva.
The bhakti faith spread across Southeast Asia alongside Buddhism and became popular for its
nature of incorporating other religions.
37. Name the factors which contributed to the slow growth of Buddhism in the first few
centuries after the death of Gautama. The Mauryan emperor Ashoka adopted Buddhism and
began the spread of the religion. In particular, Ashoka made Buddhist texts into a translated
version to increase availability for a wider audience.
38. How did the Mahayana (Greater Vehicle) help to promote the spread of Buddhism among
the common people? The Mahayana helped promote the spread of Buddhism by better serving
the common people's’ needs and not requiring them to give up all of their possessions.
39. What is a Bodhisattva? A Bodhisattva is a person who delayed his/her enlightenment in
order to share their surplus of karma with ordinary people attempting to reach nirvana.
40. Compare and contrast Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism Although both were versions
of Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism better accommodated to everyday people and was considered
the “easy” version of the religion, while Theravada Buddhism was the more strict version of the
religion and emphasized the rigorous teachings about a life without possession for the road to
nirvana.
41. What is the connection between Mahayana Buddhism and the Silk Roads? Monasteries
and routes between the Mahayana Buddhism and the Silk Roads formed a network of paths that
became parts of the Silk Road.
42. What were the “stupas” and how were they used? The Stupas were houses used for
meditation that stored relics, which legitimized monks and monasteries.
43. What is meant by the phrase “universal religion”? The phrase universal religion is a
religion that is able to spread to anyone and can actively convert people regardless of the
person’s background.
44. How did the Sui dynasty in China promote Buddhism? The Sui dynasty promoted
Buddhism by using Buddhist beliefs to establish political advantages and declaring that the
Buddha was the source of the Mandate of Heaven and gave Emperor Wen the power to rule for
being an reincarnated bodhisattva.
45. How did the beliefs of Buddhism shift to promote the primary Confucian belief of Filial
Piety? The beliefs of Buddhism had to be changed as everyone knew filial piety as necessary for
a functioning society. Therefore, monastic life became a way to generate karma for one’s family
and ancestors and became a way to satisfy the Confucian belief of filial piety.
Discuss the shifts in Buddhist beliefs which took place in China. The shifts in Buddhist beliefs
that took place in China was mostly due to the texts being translated and some words not having
the same exact meaning. For instance, the Sanskrit word nirvana became wu-wei, which meant
to allow events to unfold naturally, and the Dharma texts were translated into Chinese texts as
the Dao. These translations allowed people to be more comfortable when converting to
Buddhism because they were already accustomed to these beliefs in Chinese culture.