Gupta Empire

ACHIEVEMENTS : Golden Age of India – set up strong central government, trade and farming

Mathematics: system of numerals, concept of zero, decimal system

Medicine: treated illnesses and injuries with herbs and remedies, set broken bones, performed surgeries, and vaccinations

Tang Dynasty

GOLDEN AGE of CHINALand reform: gave land to the peasants

Canals: helped in transportation of goods and people => increased trade

Cultural Diffusion with Japanese: scholars and merchants brought writing and Buddhism to Japan

Civil Service: adopted Confucianism – people received jobs based on merit

Scholar Officials: intelligent officials made good, solid decisions benefitting the people

Downfall: gov’t corruption, high taxes, drought and famine and rebellion

Song Dynasty

Achievements: moveable type inc. printing & amount of books inc.

Magnetic compass: helped in navigation & exploration – overseas trade & colonization

Scholar officials: educated gov’t officials were held in very high regard

Footbinding: women were crippled purposely = status symbol

Footbinding

Byzantine Empire

Autocratic government• Justinian- Justinian’s Code

– Refomred laws based on Roman Laws

• Constantinople- Capital- was on a peninsula overlooking the Bosporus strait connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea)

• Influenced by Greco Romans- taught the “classics”

The Great SchismRoman Catholic

-Priests can’t marry

-Language=Latin

-no use of icons-

Holy images

-Pope head of church

Orthodox Christian Church

- Priests can marry- Language is Greek- mosaics

Impact- Cultural Diffusion

• Trade linked Russia and Eastern Europe

-Cyrillic Alphabet

-adopted religious themed art, music and architecture (Byzantine Domes transformed into onion domes of Russia

-Orthodox Christianity

ISLAM

• SPLIT- Who should succeed Muhammad

• Sunnis- Don’t need to be a direct relative of Muhammad

• Shiites- Need to be a direct relative of Muhammad

• Spread through trade and conquest

• Islamic Law- based on the Koran and Shariah (controlled everyday life)

Social Status

WOMEN• “Righteous women are obedient”• However, men and women are equal• Shariah gave women some rights

SLAVES• Prisoners of war and or non-Muslims• Performed housework and served in the

military

GOLDEN AGE

• Muslim scholars opened libraries and encouraged learning

• Translations of ancient texts became important

• Calligraphy

• Astronomy

• Medicine

• Architecture

Medieval Europe

• Manorialism- economic system based on self sufficient manor

• Serf-peasant farmer bound to land• Excommunicate- remove someone from the

Catholic Church• Feudalism- Social and Political system based

on land ownership (land-labor-loyalty)• Fiefs- someone who receives land• Vassals- landowners

Pope Crowned CharlemagnePope Crowned CharlemagneHoly Roman Emperor: Dec. 25, 800Holy Roman Emperor: Dec. 25, 800

Modern day France, Germany, Italy

Feudalism• Nobles: landowners or high-ranking

church officials

• Vassals: lesser landowner

• Economic System based on mutual responsibility• Land ↔ labor, protection, loyalty• Everyone on manor contributes to the self-

sufficiency of the manor

Manorialism

Medieval Church• Largest landowners- controlled Europe

• Roman Catholic Church- most powerful

• Unifying Force- feudalism broke people apart and Christianity brought them together

• Architecture: Gothic- churches were made elaborately and as tall as possible- showed power

Roles of Church• Economic: tithing (church tax) raised

tremendous amounts of money

• Political Power: had power of empires, collected taxes, formed armies, made treaties, and appointed and disposed of kings and princes

• Learning: opened monasteries- educated and preached the word of God- advocated his beliefs

• Jews persecuted

CRUSADES

• Byzantine Emperor asked for help against the Muslims

• Fought for control of Holy Land- Jerusalem

• Salvation would be gained-promised a spot in Heaven if fought

CRUSADES- Cultural Diffusion• Trade- reintroduction of trade b/w Middle East

and Europe; Europeans became interested in New Muslim and Eastern Goods

• Learning- new ideas, people start questioning the church and experiment

• Power of Rulers increase- church loses power and influence to local rulers

• Relations- contact with Muslims & Chinese creates long-lasting tensions

CRUSADES- people

• Urban II- Pope who called for Crusades

• Saladin- Muslim ruler who helped the Muslims recapture the Holy land from the Christians

• Richard the Lion Hearted- English King who went on Crusade and helped the Christians regain the Holy Land for only a brief period