Topics for Review: Chapters 4 & 5

 In what ways did the geography of the Mediterranean shape Classical Greece & Rome?  How did Greek politics resemble Indian politics in the Classical Era?  Explain the diversity of political systems that existed in Classical Greece  Compare American concepts of democracy to Athenian democracy  Features of Classical Greek philosophy + examples of Greek philosophers  Features of Classical Greek/Hellenistic science  What is Hellenism?  Characteristics of Classical Greek and Roman architecture + compare to Classical Chinese architecture  Identify & describe the social hierarchy of the Roman Empire  3 phases of Roman government: Monarchy, Republic, & Imperial Rome + explain features of each  motivations for Roman territorial expansion o The Roman Empire eventually included territory in W.Europe, E.Europe, MidEast, & N.Africa  Functions of Imperial Rome’s government  Compare and contrast methods by which the Roman & Han governments attempted centralization  Citizenship requirements in Greece compared to Rome  Roman state religion + religious tolerance policy  Extent of Roman engineering and technological innovations  Roman slavery (roles? Impacts on Roman society?)  Compare & contrast coerced labor systems in Rome, China, & India  Identify key features of Christianity + explain the process of Christianity’s diffusion throughout the Middle East & Mediterranean  Constantine was the first emperor to convert to Christianity, thus making it more acceptable to be Christian in the Roman Empire (300s CE) + Theodosius made it official state religion of Roman Empire  The fundamental economic activity in India, China, & Rome was agriculture (most people were peasants in all 3)  Trade routes that linked Rome internally & with foreign regions/civilizations  Primary mode of transport for merchants on the Great Silk Road was by camel (Bactrian camels – the 2- humped variety)  Imports/Exports of the Roman Empire + unfavorable balance of international trade with Asian civilizations (Why?)  Buddhism diffused from South Asia to Southeast Asia (via Indian O. trade network) + to East Asia (via Great Silk Road)  Christianity diffused from Israel in the Middle East to regions around the Mediterranean [N.Africa, MidEast, E.Europe, W.Europe] (via the Mediterranean trade network + Roman roads network) + to Middle East (via Great Silk Road) o Missionaries, monastics (monks & nuns), & merchants diffused both religions o gov’t support of Buddhism by Ashoka + gov’t support of Christianity helped further diffuse these religions o Roles of St. Peter & St. Paul in diffusion Christianity within the Roman Empire  Compare & contrast features of Christianity, Hinduism, & Buddhism  What are monastics + examples of Classical era religions that had monastics  After c200 CE, increasing numbers of people in the Middle East, Europe, & North Africa began adopting monotheistic faiths  As religions diffused, syncretism occured. What is syncretism? Examples for this era?  What was the nature of contact that existed between the Roman Empire & Han China?  Polynesian migrations (who? Motivations for migrations? Nature of migrations? Into which region?)  Japanese religions during the Classical Era + describe  The first kingdoms in eastern Africa below the Sahara showed influence from which cultures?   Explain the division of the Roman Empire into Eastern & Western halves + impacts of this  Compare the causes and effects of the collapse of: Gupta India, Han China, & Imperial Rome (BIG!)  Different groups of Huns invaded the Han, Gupta, & Imperial Rome + what military advantage did the Huns have over the sedentary civilizations they invaded?  Describe the political situation in India after the collapse of the Gupta & Western Europe after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire  What cultural traditions continued after the invasion of China, India, & Western Europe by barbarians?  Reasons the Eastern Roman Empire experienced less decline than the Western Roman Empire