Similarities in the 4 Early CivsTigris-Euphrates = Sumerian, MesopotamianEgyptianIndus ValleyChina = Shang dynasty

Similarities in the 4 Early CivsGovernment – government and religions were connectedEmpire – central government controlled,

often through force, several groups or societies and their territories

Dynastic cycle in Egypt and China

Similarities in the 4 Early CivsEconomics Agricultural goods were the basis of the

economy.Government regulation of trade.People paid taxes in labor or products.

Similarities in the 4 Early CivsReligion – PolytheismBased on forms of sacrifice and rituals

Social classes – Small group of people in upper class,

large numbers in lower classes.Warriors and priests were the top class –

government workers and merchants sometimes formed a small “middle class”

Similarities in the 4 Early CivsBy 1000 bce, the four civilizations were in

decline.

What Changed and What Didn’t?

After the First Civilizations…

Classical India

China under the Han Dynasty

Greek City-States

Roman Empire

Monarchs continued to rule most of the new civilizations

Men continued to dominate womenA sharp divide between the elite and

everyone else persisted almost everywhereThe practice of slaveryNo fundamental or revolutionary

transformation of social or economic life took place (until the Industrial Revolution)

What Stayed the Same?

Population grew more rapidlyThe growing size of the states or empires that

structured civilizations (much larger than the city-states of Mesopotamia or Egypt under the pharaohs)

New philosophical/religious traditions (Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity)

What Changed?

Technological innovations to help humans manipulate the environment (China-bellows, loom, silk making, wheelbarrow, harness, crossbow, iron casting; India-sugar, cotton; Rome-aqueducts, roads)

Emergence of more elaborate, widespread, and dense networks of exchange and communication (Indian Ocean, Silk Road)

Long-distance trade

What Changed?

Many countries, regions, and civilizations still link their identities to the achievements of the Classical Era!

Persia, Greece, Rome, Qin/Han China, Mauryan/Gupta India

The Classical Civilizations (600 B.C.E to 600 C.E.)

Focus for AP WORLD HistoryMajor political developmentsSocial and gender structuresMajor trading patterns within the

civilizations and between the civilizationsArts, sciences, and technologyDevelopment of traditions and institutions