The Foundations unit (Unit I) will only be approximately 5% of the AP World exam in the spring, the Classical Era is where what the average person thinks of as history really starts. It is in this time period that world regions really begin to take on a recognizable "character". This is where "Europe" takes shape under the Roman Empire. This is where China becomes China, India becomes India and so on . . . . This time period really focuses on classical civilizations, beliefs systems and the beginnings of inter-regional trade networks.

Unit II in Maps

Spread of Major Classical Era Belief Systems

Classical Civilizations (600 BCE to 600 CE)

Classical Era Trade Routes (by 600 CE)

Unit II Key Concepts

The Classical Era => ORGANIZATION & REORGANIZATION OF HUMAN SOCIETIES C. 600 B.C.E. TO 600 C.E

KEY CONCEPT 2.1: The DEVELOPMENT & CODIFICATION of RELIGIOUS & CULTURAL TRADITIONS

As states and empires increased in size and contacts between regions multiplied, religious and cultural systems were transformed. Religions and belief systems provided a bond among the people and an ethical code to live by. These shared beliefs also influenced and reinforced political, economic, and occupational stratification. Religious and political authority often merged as rulers (some of whom were considered divine) used religion, along with military and legal structures, to justify their rule and ensure its continuation. Religions and belief systems could also generate conflict, partly because beliefs and practices varied greatly within and among societies.

1. Codifications and further developments of existing religious traditions provided a bond among the people and an ethical code to live by.

2. New belief systems and cultural traditions emerged and spread, often asserting universal truths.

In which John relates a condensed history of India, post-Indus Valley Civilization. John explores Hinduism and the origins of Buddhism. He also gets into the reign of Ashoka, the Buddhist emperor who, in spite of Buddhism's structural disapproval of violence, managed to win a bunch of battles.

In which John Green teaches you the history of Christianity, from the beginnings of Judaism and the development of monotheism, right up to Paul and how Christianity stormed the Roman Empire in just a few hundred years. Along the way, John will cover Abram/Abraham, the Covenant, the Roman Occupation of Judea, and the birth, life, death and legacy of Jesus of Nazareth.

3. Belief systems affected gender roles. Buddhism and Christianity encouraged monastic life and Confucianism emphasized filial piety.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/who-was-confucius-bryan-w-van-norden Most people recognize his name and know that he is famous for having said something, but considering the long-lasting impact his teachings have had on the world, very few people know who Confucius really was, what he really said... and why. Bryan W.

4. Other religious and cultural traditions continued parallel to the codified, written belief systems in core civilizations.

Shamanism and animism continued to shape the lives of people within and outside of core civilizations because of their daily reliance on the natural world.
Ancestor veneration persisted in many regions (Africa, Mediterranean region, East Asia, Andean areas (this site is on Incan ancestor worship that was derived from earlier beliefs).

5. Artistic expressions, including literature and drama, architecture, and sculpture, show distinctive cultural developments.

Literature and drama (Greek Plays, Indian Epics)acquired distinctive forms that influenced artistic developments in neighboring regions and in later time periods.

Distinctive architectural styles developed in many regions in this period (India, Greece, Roman Empire, Mesoamerica).

Arts and Architecture reflected the values of religions and belief systems

KEY CONCEPT 2.2: The DEVELOPMENT of STATES & EMPIRES

As the early states and empires grew in number, size, and population, they frequently competed for resources and came into conflict with one another. In quest of land, wealth, and security, some empires expanded dramatically. In doing so, they built powerful military machines and administrative institutions that were capable of organizing human activities over long distances, and they created new groups of military and political elites to manage their affairs. As these empires expanded their boundaries, they also faced the need to develop policies and procedures to govern their relationships with ethnically and culturally diverse populations: sometimes to integrate them within an imperial society and sometimes to exclude them. In some cases, these empires became victims of their own successes. By expanding their boundaries too far, they created political, cultural, and administrative difficulties that they could not manage. They also experienced environmental, social, and economic problems when they overexploited their lands and subjects and permitted excessive wealth to be concentrated in the hands of privileged classes.

In which John compares and contrasts Greek civilization and the Persian Empire. Of course we're glad that Greek civilization spawned modern western civilization, right? Maybe not. From Socrates and Plato to Darius and Xerxes, John explains two of the great powers of the ancient world, all WITHOUT the use of footage from 300.

1. The number and size of key states and empires grew dramatically by imposing political unity on areas where previously there had been competing states.

Required examples of key states and empires (Student should know the location and names):

2. Empires and states developed new techniques of imperial administration based, in part, on the success of earlier political forms.

In order to organize their subjects, the rulers created administrative institutions in many regions (China, Persia, Rome, South Asia).
Required examples of administrative institutions: Centralized Governments & Elaborate legal systems and bureaucracies

Imperial governments projected military power over larger areas using a variety of techniques. Required examples of such techniques:

-Diplomacy

-Developing supply lines

-Building fortifications, defensive walls, and roads

-Drawing new groups of military officers and soldiers from the local populations or conquered people

Much of the success of the empires rested on their promotion of trade economic integration by building and maintaining roads and issuing currencies

3. Unique social and economic dimensions developed in imperial societies in Afro-Eurasia and the Americas.

The social structures of empires displayed hierarchies that included cultivators, laborers, slaves, artisans, merchants, elites, or caste groups.

Imperial societies relied on a range of methods (Corvee, Slavery, Rents and tributes, Peasant communities, Family and household production) to maintain the production of food and provide rewards for the loyalty of the elites.

Patriarchy continued to shape gender and family relations in all imperial societies of this period.

4. The Roman, Han, Persian, Mauryan, and Gupta empires created political, cultural, and administrative difficulties that they could not manage, which eventually led to their decline, collapse, and transformation into successor empires or states. (2013 CONTINUITY & CHANGE OVER TIME ESSAY)

Through excessive mobilization of resources, imperial governments caused environmental damage (deforestation, desertification, soil erosion, silted rivers) and generated social tensions and economic difficulties by concentrating too much wealth in the hands of elites.
External problems resulted from security issues along their frontiers (between Han China and Xiongnu, between Gupta and the White Huns, between the Romans and their northern and eastern neighbors) including the threat of invasions.

Fall of Classical Empires (VENN Diagram)

KEY CONCEPT 2.3: EMERGENCE OF TRANS-REGIONAL NETWORKS OF COMMUNICATION & EXCHANGE

With the organization of large-scale empires, the volume of long-distance trade increased dramatically. Much of this trade resulted from the demand for raw materials and luxury goods. Land and water routes linked many regions of the Eastern Hemisphere. The exchange of people, technology, religious and cultural beliefs, food crops, domesticated animals, and disease pathogens developed alongside the trade in goods across far-flung networks of communication and exchange. In the Americas and Oceania localized networks developed.

1. Land and water routes became the basis for transregional trade, communication, and exchange networks in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Many factors, including the climate and location of the routes, the typical trade goods, and the ethnicity of people involved, shaped the distinctive features of a variety of trade routes.

The Silk Road and Ancient Trade: In which John Green teaches you about the so-called Silk Road, a network of trade routes where goods such as ivory, silver, iron, wine, and yes, silk were exchanged across the ancient world, from China to the West.

2. New technologies facilitated long-distance communication and exchange.

New technologies (Yokes, Saddles, Stirrups) permitted the use of domesticated pack animals (Horses, Oxen, Llamas, Camels)to transport goods across longer routes.

Innovations in maritime technologies (Lateen Sails, Dhow Ships), as well as advanced knowledge of the monsoon winds, stimulated exchanges along maritime routes from East Africa to East Asia

3. Alongside the trade in goods, the exchange of people, technology, religious and cultural beliefs, food crops, domesticated animals, and disease pathogens developed across far-flung networks of communication and exchange.

The spread of crops, including rice and cotton from South Asia to the Middle East, encouraged changes in farming and irrigation techniques (The Qanat System, pictured here).

**Qanats were used to grow cotton in the Middle East**

The spread of disease pathogens diminished urban populations and contributed to the decline of some empires (Effect of disease on the Roman Empire, Effect of Disease on the Chinese Empires

Required examples of transformed religious and cultural traditions: BUDDHISM, HINDUISM, CHRISTIANITY

**For more information about Religious and Cultural Transformations click HERE**

TAO TE CHING, 550 BCE, Lao Tzu (CHINA)
12 TABLES, 451 BCE (ROME)
LESSONS FOR WOMEN, 80 CE, Ban Zhao (CHINA)
SERMON ON THE MOUNT, 90 CE (ROME)
CODE OF JUSTINIAN, 529 CE, Justinian (BYZANTINE)

Videos and Links

In which John compares and contrasts Greek civilization and the Persian Empire. Of course we're glad that Greek civilization spawned modern western civilization, right? Maybe not. From Socrates and Plato to Darius and Xerxes, John explains two of the great powers of the ancient world, all WITHOUT the use of footage from 300.

In which John relates a condensed history of India, post-Indus Valley Civilization. John explores Hinduism and the origins of Buddhism. He also gets into the reign of Ashoka, the Buddhist emperor who, in spite of Buddhism's structural disapproval of violence, managed to win a bunch of battles.

2,000 Years of Chinese History! The Mandate of Heaven and Confucius: Crash Course World History #7 In which John introduces you to quite a lot of Chinese history by discussing the complicated relationship between the Confucian scholars who wrote Chinese history and the emperors (and empress) who made it.

In which you are introduced to the life and accomplishments of Alexander the Great, his empire, his horse Bucephalus, the empires that came after him, and the idea of Greatness. Is greatness a question of accomplishment, of impact, or are people great because the rest of us decide they're great?

The Silk Road and Ancient Trade: In which John Green teaches you about the so-called Silk Road, a network of trade routes where goods such as ivory, silver, iron, wine, and yes, silk were exchanged across the ancient world, from China to the West.

In which John Green explores exactly when Rome went from being the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire. Here's a hint: it had something to do with Julius Caesar, but maybe less than you think.

In which John Green teaches you the history of Christianity, from the beginnings of Judaism and the development of monotheism, right up to Paul and how Christianity stormed the Roman Empire in just a few hundred years. Along the way, John will cover Abram/Abraham, the Covenant, the Roman Occupation of Judea, and the birth, life, death and legacy of Jesus of Nazareth.

Crash Course World History is now available on DVD! Visit http://store.dftba.com/products/crashcourse-world-history-the-complete-series-dvd-set to buy a set for your home or classroom. You can directly support Crash Course at http://www.patreon.com/crashcourse Subscribe for as little as $0 to keep up with everything we're doing.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/this-is-sparta-fierce-warriors-of-the-ancient-world-craig-zimmer In ancient Greece, violent internal conflict between border neighbors and war with foreign invaders was a way of life, and Greeks were considered premier warriors. Sparta, specifically, had an army of the most feared warriors in the ancient world. What were they doing to produce such fierce soldiers?

View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/history-vs-cleopatra-alex-gendler She was the most notorious woman in ancient history, a queen who enraptured not one but two of Rome's greatest generals. But was she just a skilled seductress - or a great ruler in her own right? Alex Gendler puts this controversial figure on trial in History vs.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-silk-road-history-s-first-world-wide-web-shannon-harris-castelo With modern technology, a global exchange of goods and ideas can happen at the click of a button. But what about 2,000 years ago? Shannon Harris Castelo unfolds the history of the 5,000-mile Silk Road, a network of multiple routes that used the common language of commerce to connect the world's major settlements, thread by thread.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-great-conspiracy-against-julius-caesar-kathryn-tempest On March 15th, 44 BCE, Roman dictator Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of about 60 of his own senators. Why did these self-titled Liberators want him dead? And why did Brutus, whose own life had been saved by Caesar, join in the plot?

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/who-was-confucius-bryan-w-van-norden Most people recognize his name and know that he is famous for having said something, but considering the long-lasting impact his teachings have had on the world, very few people know who Confucius really was, what he really said... and why. Bryan W.

Uploaded by Lessie Solomon on 2016-09-14.

View full lesson here: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-hidden-meanings-of-yin-and-yang-john-bellaimey The ubiquitous yin-yang symbol holds its roots in Taoism/Daoism, a Chinese religion and philosophy. The yin, the dark swirl, is associated with shadows, femininity, and the trough of a wave; the yang, the light swirl, represents brightness, passion and growth.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-did-democracy-really-mean-in-athens-melissa-schwartzberg ↵↵While we might consider elections to be the cornerstone of democracy, the Athenians who coined the term actually employed a lottery system to choose most of their politicians. Melissa Schwartzberg describes the ins and outs of the Athenian democracy, and addresses some ways in which a lottery system might benefit us today.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/plato-s-best-and-worst-ideas-wisecrack Check out Wisecrack's YouTube channel here: https://goo.gl/A5vb5K Few individuals have influenced the world and many of today's thinkers like Plato. He created the first Western university and was teacher to Ancient Greece's greatest minds, including Aristotle. But even he wasn't perfect.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/a-brief-history-of-religion-in-art-ted-ed Before we began putting art into museums, art mostly served as the visual counterpart to religious stories. Are these theological paintings, sculptures, textiles and illuminations from centuries ago still relevant to us? Jeremiah Dickey describes the evolution of art in the public eye and explains how the modern viewer can see the history of art as an ongoing global conversation.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-five-major-world-religions-john-bellaimey It's perfectly human to grapple with questions, like 'Where do we come from?' and 'How do I live a life of meaning?' These existential questions are central to the five major world religions -- and that's not all that connects these faiths.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-battle-of-the-greek-tragedies-melanie-sirof The world of modern theater owes its roots to the tragedians of Ancient Greece. As far back as the 5th Century BCE, actors and playwrights were entertaining the masses with intriguing stories. Melanie Sirof unveils the ancient theatrical innovations that made the way for Broadway.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/music-and-creativity-in-ancient-greece-tim-hansen You think you love music? You have nothing on the Ancient Greek obsession. Every aspect of Greek life was punctuated by song: history, poetry, theater, sports and even astronomy. In fact, music was so important to Greek philosopher Plato that he claimed the music we listen to directly affects our ethics.

View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-makes-the-great-wall-of-china-so-extraordinary-megan-campisi-and-pen-pen-chen The Great Wall of China is a 13,000-mile dragon of earth and stone that winds its way through the countryside of China. As it turns out, the wall's history is almost as long and serpentine as its structure. Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen detail the building and subsequent decay of this massive, impressive wall.