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WTWA5e_LPPT_CH06.pptxby
Robert Tignor • Jeremy Adelman • Stephen Aron • Peter Brown • Benjamin Elman • Stephen Kotkin • Xinru Liu • Suzanne Marchand • Holly Pittman • Gyan Prakash • Brent Shaw • Michael Tsin
Lecture Slides
Lecture Slides
Chapter 6
SHRINKING THE AFRO-EURASIAN WORLD, 350 BCE–250 CE
Political Expansion and Cultural Diffusion
Alexander the Great’s armies linked a new Hellenistic world to many other regions
Hellenism did not eradicate local culture but stressed a common identity among people who embraced Greek ways
Emergence of culturally Greek-oriented communities across Afro-Eurasia
Hellenism brought worlds together
Did not lead to a single common culture except in Greek city-states, where cultures had common features
Language
Art
Drama
Politics
Philosophy
Like “Americanization” in the modern world
Hellenism and the Silk Road
Alexander’s conquests laid the foundation for state systems
Those systems protected and stabilized trade
Larger trade routes, such as the Silk Road, were established
Worlds had been linked before Alexander, especially through migration, trade, and technological diffusion
Alexander followed preexisting paths
His conquests expanded and accelerated the links between world regions
Buddhist influence also spread with the new contacts
Interconnections of trade and cultural diffusion enhanced regional integration
Created new contacts and restimulated old ones
Long-distance caravans and sea voyages
Alexander and the Emergence of a Hellenistic World
Conquests of Alexander the Great
Alexander was from Macedonia, a frontier state of Greece
He commanded a mobile and technologically advanced army developed during a period of incessant warfare among Greek city-states
Macedonia used gold resources and money from the slave trade to build a powerful army
Heavily armored infantry
Tight phalanxes and large-scale shock cavalry
Conquests of Alexander the Great
Alexander’s father (Philip II) conquered surrounding areas, including Athens
Alexander took over and fought off the Persian Empire’s invasion in 334 BCE
Used speed and surprise to conquer new lands
Campaigns smashed barriers that had separated east and west
Alexander married Roxana, a woman from Bactria
He established a capital in the East at Balkh
The conquests brought systems of monetary exchange and cultural ideas associated with Greek city-states
Money taken from Persia was redistributed throughout Mediterranean city-states
Afro-Eurasia in 250 BCE
WORLDS TOGETHER, WORLDS APART, 5TH EDITION
© 2018 W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.
Map 6.1 | Afro-Eurasia in 250 BCE
Alexander of Macedonia did not live long enough to create one large politically unified empire, but his conquests integrated various Afro-Eurasian worlds culturally and economically. Trace the pathways that Alexander followed on his conquests.
• What were the names and locations of the Hellenistic successor states? What did these states have in common?
• Which states on the map did Greeks not rule? How did the spread of Hellenism affect them?
7
Alexander’s Successors and the Territorial Kingdoms
Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BCE at age 32
His conquered lands fragmented, and his generals took over regions
Modeled themselves on regional rulers rather than Greek citizens
Brought the idea of absolute rulership to the region
Some women from powerful ruling families had a chance to rule, unlike in the Greek city-states
Berenice of Egypt (320–280 BCE)
Cleopatra (30s BCE)
Large territorial states emerged
Syria (Seleucid Empire)
Macedonia
Egypt
In other places, smaller states banded together to form confederations
Expansion and Standardization
After Alexander’s death, political states became bigger and more standardized
Expanded by integrating neighboring peoples as fellow subjects
Warfare continued on a larger and more complex scale
Parity between large states meant that the battles gained little for anyone
Diplomacy and treaties replaced fighting
Hellenistic Culture
Aspects of the shared culture of Hellenism included language, artistic style, and politics
Secular disciplines
Philosophical and political thinking
Popular entertainment
Public games
Art for art’s sake
Hellenism and a Cosmopolitan World
Hellenistic culture
Throughout the conquered areas, evidence of Greek culture can be found
Some places resisted, whereas others embraced the spread of Hellenistic culture
Carthaginians helped spread the Greek ways
Common language
Common (koine) Greek became the international language of the day
Benefited communication and exchange throughout the Afro-European world
Cosmopolitan Cities
Alexandria in Egypt exemplified the new city
Multiethnic due to in-migration
New urban culture emerged
Art needed to appeal to a broad audience
Plays began to have common plots and stock characters
Residents of cities thought of themselves as cosmopolitans (citizens of the universe rather than just of one polis)
Rulers took on a personality that set them apart from regular citizens
A cult of the self became part of the Hellenistic world
Hellenistic Philosophy and Religion
Philosophy and religion
Individuals expressed their concern with self in many ways
Different philosophers promoted new ideas
Some emphasized nature, but others rejected old ways, such as traditional social status
Diogenes
Epicurus
Zeno—Stoicism
Religion was also transformed through colonization
The cult of Isis was revived from the pharaonic days
New religious beliefs and rituals were practiced
Hellenism and the elites
Elites began to embrace Hellenism for status reasons
Romans borrowed from the Greeks, especially historical writing
Plantation Slavery and Money-Based Economies, Part 1
Economic changes: plantation slavery and money-based economies
Unprecedented wealth in the Mediterranean world led to the establishment of large plantations worked by slaves
Slaves were peoples either kidnapped or conquered in warfare
Plantations were devoted to producing surplus crops
Free peasants were displaced to the already crowded cities
Slave uprisings between 135 and 70 BCE
Eunus, a religious seer
Spartacus
Plantation Slavery and Money-Based Economies, Part 2
Use of money for trade became widespread from Gaul to North Africa
Many different places began to coin their own money
Some areas on the fringes of the Mediterranean world sold their own people into slavery for money to purchase desirable commodities
Adaptation and Resistance to Hellenism
Jews had a long history of resistance to foreign rule
Although some Jews, especially elites, embraced Greek culture, others resisted
Rebellion occurred when Syrian overlords tried to forbid Jewish practices
The Hellenistic world and the beginnings of the Roman Empire
City-state along Tiber River united Italy
Rome became a large territorial state
Adoption of Greek culture seen as “civilized”
Some elites resisted acceptance of Greek ways
Cato the Elder kept old ways while embracing new ones
Carthage and Expanded Commerce
Carthage
Carthage adopted Hellenism on economic grounds
Trade expanded to southern France and West Africa
Carthaginians also known by Romans as Punic
Temples and public buildings reveal a hybrid nature of Hellenistic with Punic culture
Converging Influences in Central and South Asia
Influences from the Mauryan Empire
Alexander’s occupation of the Indus Valley led to the rise of the Mauryan Empire
Chandragupta Maurya led the Magadha kingdom to control much of the northern part of the peninsula
Mauryan Empire became first large-scale empire in South Asia and a model for later empires
Chandragupta ruled 321–297 BCE
Used elephants in battle
Seleucid kingdom and Mauryan Empire reached a diplomatic agreement through trade and marriage
Megasthenes sent as ambassador to India
Wrote Indica
Depicted society in detail
Influences from the Mauryan Empire
The Mauryan Empire reached its territorial height during reign of Asoka (Chandragupta’s grandson)
Asoka waged dynasty’s last campaign—the conquest of Kalinga
Terrible loss of life (100,000 soldiers killed; 150,000 people displaced)
Asoka issued an edict renouncing his brutal ways
Asoka’s Buddhism influenced his rule
Built stupas (Buddhist dome monuments)
Ruled according to the dhamma or dharma
Issued edicts and decrees in various languages, including Greek
Art created during Asoka’s rule showed the blending of Greek, Persian, and Indian cultures
The Seleucid Empire
Greek influences on the Seleucid Empire
A large number of Alexander’s eastern outposts became major Greek cities
Seleucus Nikator (312–281 BCE) took over the eastern conquests of Alexander and expanded them, including Mesopotamia, Syria, and Persia
Greek soldiers settled in the conquered lands
Took local wives
Brought Greek ways to the local populations
Greek language and writing
Descendants grew up bilingual
The Kingdom of Bactria and the Yavana Kings
Hellenistic influences increased in later regimes
The Bactrian kingdom was a bridge between South Asia and the Greek world of the Mediterranean
Greek king Demetrius invaded India in 200 BCE
His generals extended the empire
Known as the Yavana kings
Material culture of the ancient city of Samarkand shows Greek influences
Administrative center
Greek architecture and art
Elite read poetry and philosophy
Worshiped Greek deities, Zoroastrian gods, and gods of Mesopotamia
Persistence of Hellenistic Influence
The kingdom of Bactria and the Yavana kings
Asian cities combined Asian culture with Greek culture
Temples showed cultural assimilation with foreign gods wearing Greek garb
Greeks brought olives and vineyards
Coins had Greek inscriptions
Menander, a city-state king, provides the best example of mingling Greek and Indian influences
Cultivated Greek cultural forms
Interested in Buddhism
His efforts to blend multiple influences persisted
Enabled travelers and merchants to communicate and trade around Indian Ocean rim
The Transformation of Buddhism
India as a spiritual crossroads
India became a melting pot of ideas and institutions
Hellenism, nomadism, and Arab seafaring culture transformed India’s Buddhism
Kushan rulers established a model of supporting and embracing local religions
Gave money to build shrines and to the monasteries
Buddhism changed as India’s growing prosperity led to wealth in the monastic complexes
Buddhist monasteries opened to the public as places of worship
23
The New Buddhism: The Mahayana School, Part 1
New influences led to a new Buddhist school of theology, Mahayana
Ended debate over Buddha’s status
Mahayana school said that Buddha was a deity
Religious tenets of Mahayana Buddhism more appealing to the average person
Bodhisattvas prepared the way and helped others reach “Buddha-lands”
Afterlife much more appealing
The New Buddhism: The Mahayana School, Part 2
Mahayana (Great Vehicle) view was that it could help all individuals travel from a life of suffering into a happy existence
Avolokiteshvara (a bodhisattva) said he would stay and help guide those who traveled in caravans or navigated ships
New ideas of Buddhism appeared in literature
Asvaghosa wrote a biography of Buddha with new fictive information, which became widely read
New Images of the Buddha, Part 1
The Buddha in literature and art
First-century BCE texts show colorful images of Buddha that were later used in creating art depicting the Buddha
Stupas and shrines, as well as sculpture, showed the Buddha
The various depictions of the Buddha reflected the local culture
Gandharan Buddhist art shows strong Greek and Roman artistic influences
Art shared common elements of giving the Buddha and bodhisattvas realistic human form
Buddhist art depicted a society of diverse populations
New Images of the Buddha, Part 2
Long-distance and regional trade contributed to the transformation of Buddhism
Traders brought incense and jewels that went to the bodhisattvas and stupas
Monastic organizations treated traders well
Commodities became sacred to Buddhism
The Formation of the Silk Road
Silk Road followed earlier trade routes established between China and central Asia
New route expanded trade from central Asia to Mediterranean
Traders traveled specific segments of the route
Waterways also became a way for long-distance trade
Better maritime technology allowed sailors to move away from coasts and trade across the Indian Ocean
Expansion of commerce and contacts between the Mediterranean and South Asia encouraged even more trade
Traders on camels or in ships brought commodities to market
Trade strengthened ongoing political, intellectual, and spiritual shift
A New Middle Ground
Long-distance exchanges altered the political geography of Afro-Eurasia
Long-standing empires such as Egypt gave way to borderland regions, which formed their own empires through the commerce of trade
“Middle East” became the commercial middle ground between east and west
East Asia became connected to the west via central and South Asia
Silk, from the Greek and Roman name for the people of northwest China
Afro-Eurasian Trade, c. 150 CE
WORLDS TOGETHER, WORLDS APART, 5TH EDITION
© 2018 W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.
Map 6.2 | Afro-Eurasian Trade, c. 150 CE
During the period covered in this chapter, trade increasingly brought Afro-Eurasian worlds together. This map highlights important commercial linkages among societies.
• Where did mariners develop ocean-based commercial links?
• Compare this map with Map 6.3, and identify areas where the migrations of nomadic groups contributed to the creation of trade routes. How did trade facilitate the spread of Buddhism during this time?
30
Nomads, Frontiers, and Trade Routes
Long-distance trade routes developed from the ways of horse-riding nomads
Developed in response to the drying out of their homelands
Their constant movement exposed them to a greater variety of microbes and made them more immune than sedentary people
Steppe nomads were skillful archers on horseback
Served as cultural mediators to bring disparate Afro-Eurasian world together
Xiongnu nomads became powerful in China with their knowledge of metal technology and weapons
The Silk Road connected the Mediterranean and the Pacific Ocean
Nomadic Influences, Part 1
Nomadic influences of Parthians, Sakas, and Kushans
Invasions into central Asia weakened Hellenic influence
Parthians invaded Iran in 130 BCE
Became enemies of the Romans for 400 years
Greek commentators discussed the Parthians
Eastern frontier of Rome continued to trade even during wartime
Nomadic people from Mongolia and central Asia migrated to India
Took over the disintegrating empires of Alexander and Asoka
Abandoned equestrian, nomadic culture
Blended Greek and Buddhist religions
Nomadic Influences, Part 2
The Xiongnu, a tribal confederacy, emerged in East Asian steppe lands
Pushed the Saka tribes into Southwest India
Parthians also entered Indus Valley
Lacked a writing system but imitated rulers who had drawn on Greek culture
The Sakas became the new central Asian rulers
Nomadic Invasions, 350 BCE–100 CE
WORLDS TOGETHER, WORLDS APART, 5TH EDITION
© 2018 W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.
Map 6.3 | Nomadic Invasions, 350 BCE–100 CE
Interaction between nomadic and settled societies was a major engine of change in Afro-Eurasia in the first millennium BCE.
• According to the map, where did most of the nomadic and settled societies come from? What were the two primary destinations of nomadic peoples?
• How did this interaction shape cross-cultural processes (the spread and diffusion of goods, peoples, and ideas)?
34
Parthians, Sakas, and Kushans, Part 1
Invasions into central Asia weakened Hellenic influence
The Yuezhi-Kushans most dynamic group to migrate
Unified all the tribes in the region
Established the Kushan dynasty
Played critical role in the formation of the Silk Road
Illiterate but adopted Greek as their official language
The Kushan rulers kept alive the influences of Hellenism in Afghanistan and northwestern India
Coins, weights, and measures at markets all based on Greek standards
Parthians, Sakas, and Kushans, Part 2
Nomadic group continued to set themselves apart from locals through their dress and their equestrian skills
Horses became the most prestigious status symbol of the ruling elite
Began to consume exotic goods from the east
Successful rule of the Kushans stabilized the trade routes through central Asia
Caravan Cities and the Incense Trade, Part 1
Early overland trade and caravan cities
Trade routes moved south and west
Caravan cities developed
Formed in strategic locations
Centers of Hellenistic culture
Wrote in Greek and sometimes spoke Greek
Many emerged at the northern end of a route that led through Arabia
Yemen—green at the end of the desert
Major gathering spot for spice traders
Sabaeans of Arabia became very wealthy from spice trade, especially frankincense and myrrh
Nabataeans were traders
Made money from water and food trade with travelers
Caravan Cities and the Incense Trade, Part 2
Nabataeans built a rock city called Petra as a trading post
Many Greek influences including an amphitheater carved out of the rock
Flourished until Romans took over
Palmyra and the Silk Road
The western end of the Silk Road: Palmyra
With Petra’s decline, Palmyra became the most important caravan city at the western end of the Silk Road
Roman citizens relied on Palmyra traders to get luxury goods
Local tribal chiefs had a good deal of local autonomy
Semitic dialect for daily life, Greek for business and administration
Textiles important to trade, especially silks and cashmere wool
Money from trade went to build an impressive marble city in the desert
Afterlife apparently very important to Palmyrans
Cemetery as big as the residential area
Hosted self-contained trading communities—fonduqs
Reaching China along the Silk Road, Part 1
Silk in all its forms helped China grow rich and gain an upper hand in diplomacy
Trade in silk increased as the demand for the material increased
Around 300 BCE, China increasingly produced commercial crops
Merchants formed influential family lineages and guilds
Power shifted from agrarian elites to urban financiers and traders
Merchants expanded silk trade across Silk Road and South China Sea
Tollgates and customhouses appeared, but government also sought to facilitate trade and used military ships to help merchants
Reaching China along the Silk Road, Part 2
Silk was only one of many commodities that went west
No major ports developed in China that compared with places such as Palmyra
The Spread of Buddhism along Trade Routes
Monks spread religion along the same trade routes that goods traveled
Buddhism was the most expansionist religion of the time
Monks from the Kushan Empire spread Buddhism all the way to China
Buddhist texts were translated into Chinese
Acceptance of Buddhism was slow and took several centuries
Buddhism did less well spreading to the west
Taking to the Seas: Commerce on the Red Sea and Indian Ocean
Land routes were tried and true but had risks of robbers and limits in what could be carried
Arab traders took risks and began to trade more by sea routes
Arab seafarers used the Indian Ocean to forge links between East Africa, the Mediterranean, India, and Asia
Alexandria became a transit point for trade between east and west
Used new navigational techniques
Celestial bearings
Large ships (dhows)
Understood seasonal winds
Maritime knowledge reduced costs and multiplied the ports of call
Some historians argue that there were two silk roads: one by land and one by sea
Conclusion
Alexander’s campaigns had a powerful effect on Afro-Eurasia, transforming its culture, governments, and economies
The Greek language and other aspects of Greek culture had long-lasting effects throughout South and central Asia
Indigenous people embraced some aspects of the Greek culture and merged them with their own, especially in the case of religion
Influenced by nomads, invaders, and traders, India became a melting pot of ideas and cultures
Buddhism was transformed into a new, more widely accepted religious practice
Commercial trade routes expanded with the trade of silks and spices on land and sea
by
Robert Tignor • Jeremy Adelman • Stephen Aron • Peter Brown • Benjamin Elman • Stephen Kotkin • Xinru Liu • Suzanne Marchand • Holly Pittman • Gyan Prakash • Brent Shaw • Michael Tsin
WORLDS TOGETHER, WORLDS APART
FIFTH EDITION
This concludes the Lecture Slide Set for Chapter 6
