1G.+Late+Classical+Period+(200+CE+-+600+CE)


 * A) The collapse of the empires of Rome, Han China, Maya, and Axum **

The destruction of the Roman Empire began when they let the Visigoths flee into the empire. The Roman officials failed to care for the refugees and they revolted destroying and entire Roman legion and the emperor at the time. Theodosius I managed to settle them but when he died the empire split and his two weaker sons, Arcadius and Honorius, took control of the now east and west empires. Alaric, a Visigoth king seized the split and raided the weakened empires. Once raiders made it into the empire they would loot and burn, crippling the economy and military as well as undermining the government. As the military collapsed more tribes would break in and pillage. The final stand was when Attila the Hun invaded and in a desperate alliance the tribes and Romans teamed up after defeating Attila, his empire and the Roman’s empire collapsed, and many rouge generals and barbaric tribe carved up Rome’s corpse into their own kingdoms.
 * The Roman Empire: **

The end of the Han dynasty came about as the empire expanded its territories. This put a great strain on the economy and many were forced to sell children and wives off as slaves. To make things worse government officials became increasingly corrupt. Toward the end of Emperor Wudi’s reign violence in the family erupted between his wife and a concubine as to who was the heir. A ruler was eventually chosen but the road to decline was set, later emperors were incompetent and the Confucian scholars proclaimed that china had lost the mandate of heaven. As the economy suffered from failed reforms and earlier superstition toward merchants created more problems in the economy, eventually peasants rebelled from famine and natural disasters and the court gained more power. Eventually civil war erupted and the Han dynasty split into three warring kingdoms. The Dynasty formally ended in 220 C.E.
 * Han China: **

In general things that led to the downfall were:
 * 1) The lack of a centralised leadership led to both civilisations decline.
 * 2) The inability for crippled governments to supply for their civilization led to civil unrest, rebellion, and ultimately civil war.
 * 3) Economic disasters led to famine and peasant rebellions furthermore weakening the government.

Sources: [] [] http://www.koreanhistoryproject.org/Ket/C02/E0203.htm

Mayan Empire:
The collapse of the Mayan Empirewas both dramatic as well as rare. Despite the people’s obvious intellectual advancements in math and astrology, the empire was no match for the harsh environmental changes that led to its collapse. The empire had experienced a population growth. This may have led to a lack of sufficient resources which meant more of the land must be used to maintain quality life. Deforestation, which could have been a result of the population growth, caused the soil to erode and the land lost much of the fertile top soil. This change in the environment caused the temperature to rise, making droughts more likely (4). And such a drought did occur in 840 CE. Not long after the terrible drought, the Mayan population had dropped 85 percent (1). The drought made farming even more difficult and the Mayans suffered for it. Furthermore, the Mayan Empire was not as centralized as other nations. The lack of unity possibly prevented the state from organizing an appropriate plan to combat the environmental issues.

Axum Empire:
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">The Axum Empire began to gradually decline due to social, environmental, and other reasons. Unlike much of northern Africa, the Axumite society had been largely influenced by Christianity. The popularity of Islam that took hold in the region and its control over the Red Sea limited the empire’s ability to trade. Axum thrived on the trade routes between India, Arabia, and Africa (2). Losing this advantage must have hindered the state’s economy. Another contributing factor that led to the fall of the Axum Empire can be attributed to the society’s agriculture. Continuous farming left the soil eroded and ineffective in producing vital crops. Deforestation was a major issue as well (1). With low crop yield a consequence, the food supply suffered, making it more difficult to support the population. These factors weakened the empire leaving it to eventually be completely demolished by Queen Gudit from Latsa (3).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Sources: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">(1) Ways of the World by Robert W. Strayer <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">(2) [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">(3) [] <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">(4) []

B) **__Movement of the Bantus, Huns, Germans, and Polynesians__** []
 * Bantu**:
 * General idea**:
 * The movement of the Bantu was **slow and steady** with small groups of people moving at a time towards the region of Africa south of the equator
 * Their movement was **NOT** an conquest or invasion like Alexander the Great and was **NOT** a massive migration like the Europeans to the Americas.
 * __Causes__ of the migration
 * Neolithic Revolution
 * Iron metallurgy
 * allowed them to explore the inner parts of Africa
 * __Effects__ of the Bantu's migration
 * The Bantu's movement led to the settlement of the majority of Africa.
 * One of the reasons for the similar languages and culture throughout Africa.
 * Movement of the Bantus**

[] [] [] [] [] The fact that tribes moved because of the deteriation of their enviornment shows the interaction between humans and the enviornment. They were looking for land that would be easy to farm on and this has to do with the way that humans reacted to the enviornment around them. When tribes move from one region to another, they assimilate into the culture of that region. Also, some of their own culture is spread into that region. They had to build states to succeed and they had conflicts with surrounding city-states, trying to expand their own civilization. The Silk Road (below) was used to transport more luxurious items that were meant for the wealthy as opposed to Sea Roads (below) that transported bulk items for the common person. These trading systems created interactions between civilizations that otherwise would not have existed.
 * Hun:**
 * General Idea:**
 * The Huns were a group of very nomadic people that took over land by invading unlike the Bantu's.
 * They arrived in Europe around 370 AD and they began to build their massive empire that spanned from Asia to Germany.
 * Clashed with many tribes
 * These invasions contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire
 * The great wall of china prevented the Huns from successfully invading China.
 * Attila the Hun
 * Under his leadership, the Huns destroyed and invaded much of Italy.
 * The Hunnic Empire**
 * German:**
 * General idea:**
 * The Germans moved south and east, orginating from Scandinavia
 * The movement of the Germanic tribes were probably influenced by the bad climate of Scandinavia
 * It was warm and dry and it was deteriorating, which made people leave their settlements.
 * The technology for gaining iron ore may have helped the Germans in their migration
 * Each tribe was politically independent, and each one had their own king.
 * They were moving into south and west Europe for a few reasons
 * The land was fertile and easy to farm on
 * It was easy to battle for these areas then having to clear their own land in northern Europe
 * The Germans moved in large groups and traveled long distances continuously.
 * The German movement was a conquest
 * The Germans conquered a celtic tribe known as Helvetii, along the Rhine.
 * They tried to conquer the Roman armies in France and Northern Italy
 * Weakened the Roman empire with their "barbaric invasions"
 * Polynesians:**
 * General idea:**
 * Polynesia was the last region on earth to be populated by humans
 * The Polynesians migrated over seas.
 * They were the most successful in navigation
 * They had to use available boating technologies
 * Needed knowledge of currents in the wind and water
 * Many information about their movement was discovered through their art
 * The polynesians were very skilled at pottery
 * Discovery of a certain pottery called Lapita is the first solid evidence that Polynesians migrated from the Pacific
 * Lapita showed up in places extending from New Guina to the western edge of Polynesia
 * Shows that they migrated through Melanesia
 * It also shows that it took them a few hunderd years to move from Melanesia to Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa
 * The Polynesians had plants and domesticated animals from the Asian side of the Pacific
 * The three domesticated animals that they had were chickens, dogs, and pigs
 * The plants that they had were taro, bananas, yams, breadfruit, and sugar cane
 * This suggests that the colonization of Polynesia was intentional because it is unlikely that drift voyagers would be carrying all of those plants and animals.
 * 5 Major Historical Themes**
 * 1. Interaction between the humans and the enviornment**
 * 2.Development and interaction of cultures**
 * 3. State-building, expansion, and conflict **
 * 4. Creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems **

** 5. Development and transformation of social structure ** Social structure was changed with the trading system because it helped the common man become rich and this changed the amount of people that were in a higher class.

= Silk Roads = == []
 * C) Analyze the interregional networks and the spread of religions by 600 CE**

The Silk Roads are land based trade routes that linked togther pastoral and agricultural peoplein Eurasia. It was a 'relay trade', which means that goods were passed down the line, from one place to another, until they got to their final destination. Outer Eurasia is warm and well-watered, which makes it good for agriculture. Outer Eurasia includes China, India, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. Inner Eurasia has a harsher and drier climate, which makes farming difficult. However, herding animals was suitable in this climate. Inner Eurasia includes Russia and Central Asia. Because of this, Inner and Outer Eurasia traded with eachother for centuries. They traded products such as hides, fur, livestock, wool, and amber for agricultural goods. The Silk Roads prospered when large and powerful states provided security for the merchants and travelers. (found on pg 337 of text book)
 * The Beginning of the Silk Roads **
 * Economic Exchange along the Silk Roads **
 * ** China ** -silk, bamboo, mirrors, gunpowder, paper, rhubarb, ginger, lacquerware, chrysanthemums
 * ** Forest lands of Siberia and grasslands of Central Asia- ** furs, walrus tusks, amber, livestock, horses, falcons, hides, copper vessels, tents, saddles, slaves
 * ** India ** - cotton textiles, herbal medicine, precious stones, spices
 * ** Middle East- ** dates, nuts, almonds, dried fruit, dyes, lapis lazuli, swords
 * ** Mediterranean Basin- ** gold coins, glassware, glazes, grapevines, jewlery, artworks, perfume, wool and linen textiles, olive oil

The Silk Roads had many important economic and social effects. Peasents would sometimes change what they would produce, to make their products destined for the Silk Roads. This effected the wealth and lives of ordinary farmers, which shows just how much the Silk Roads benefited everybody. Another important impact of the Silk Roads was the fact that they helped spread religion, cultures, technologies, and even germs. The Silk Roads helped spread **Buddhism** widely throughout Central and East Asia. Many diseases were spread with the Silk Roads as well. Smallpox and measles are two examples of the diseases that were spread.

=﻿Sea Roads=

[]

The sea-based trade routes were super important in connecting civilizations and people all across the Eastern Hemisphere. The Mediterranean Sea, specifically, played a major role in connecting civilizations such as Greece and Rome. This example of trading linked the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean was the world's largest sea based trading network that streched from southern China all the way to eastern Africa. The oceanic trade routes were similar to the Silk Roads because they both expanded because of the cultural diversities of their particular regions. Certain goods that were traded amongst the regions were: The cost of transportation on the see was a lot cheaper than transportation on the Silk Roads. This was because ships could hold bigger and heavier cargo than a camel could. As a result, sea transportation routes typically carried items in bulk that were meant specifically for a larger market. Items like, fabrics, pepper, wood, rice, sugar, and wheat are all things that were transported. The Silk Roads were more limited to expensive and luxurious items that were not meant for the average joe. In addition the monsoons helped make trade on the Indian Ocean possible because of the alternating wind currents. (found on pg 343 in text book)
 * **Venice, Italy**
 * Emerged 1000 C.E.
 * Major port
 * Ships and merchants all over the Mediterranean and Black Seas and the Atlantic Coast
 * Most of its wealth came from expensive goods that were imported from Asia
 * These goods traveled from Asia through the Red Sea and the port in Alexandria, Egypt
 * Merchants from Venice would then buy and resell these goods throught the Mediterranean
 * __Porcelaine__ from China
 * __Spices__ from Southeast Asain islands
 * __Cotton and pepper goods__ from India
 * __Ivory and gold__ from the coast of Africa
 * Economic Exchange in the Indian Ocean Basin**
 * __Mediterranean basin__- Ceramics, glassware, wine, gold, olive oil
 * __East Africa__- ivory, gold, iron goods, slaves, tortoiseshells, quartz, leopard skins
 * __Arabia__- frankincense, myrrh, perfumes
 * __India__- grain, ivory, precious stones, cotton textiles, spices, timber, tortoiseshells
 * __Southeast Asia__- tin, sandlewood, clothes, nutmeg, mace
 * __China__- silks, porcelain, tea

=__**Sciences of China :**__=

As early as the Han dynasty, science was present in China. They were known to have made accurate sundials and calendar. The sundials in the Han dynasty were specifically called lunisolar calendars, meaning that they used the precise movements of the sun and moon as the time makers. Astronomy was present in China as early as the 3rd century when Zhao Shaung came up with his two astronomical theories, that described the shape of the heavens. The use of math in China dates to 202 BCE in Jiangling County, Hubei. These mathematics were later used in musical tuning and musical theory. Sciences of the Mediterranean : Hippocrates was the creator of the medical field in the Mediterranean. he believed that diseases only have natural causes. He also said that the body was broken into 4 humors; yellow bile, black bile, phlegm, and blood. Pythagoras was a Ionian Greek philosopher and mathematician who was given credit for coming up with the widely used Pythagorean Theorem. Sciences of India :The Gupta civilization was very innovative with its creation of the vaccine for smallpox. They have even partaken in plastic surgery. If you were to break a bone before the Gupta society, your limb would more than likely heal incorrectly. The doctors of Gupta realized that they could set the bones of patients. They also proved to be aware of disease and sanitation due to their sterilization during surgery and the cleaning of wounds.They were also aware of astronomy. They were able to define eclipses and identify the planets. Mathematics were also present. They were given credit for discovering pi, zero, and the decimal system. Sciences of Mesoamerica : Medicine was present in Mesoamerica similar to the Mediterranean. A shaman is a priestly healer who dealt with certain ailments such as the loss of the soul. The other principal of medicine in Mesoamerica was pragmatic knowledge. Healers in Mesoamerica knew how to deal with fractures, how to treat wounds, and perform obstetric practices. Mesoamericans believed that numbers could have both a literal and symbolic value, which is how the number zero came about. Their number system was based on the number 20. Sources Strayer, Robert W. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources Strayer, Robert W. // Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources //. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011. Print. Huns: [] [] [] [] []
 * Sources:**
 * __Textbook:__
 * __Websites__: