Humanities 8

An Emerging Empire

Read pages 192 to 197 from Across the Centuries

1. In the three centuries after the end of the Han dynasty, what did China experience in the following areas:  Government, Economy, Religion

2. What did Emperor Wen do during the Sui Dynasty to achieve the following results:

Result                                                       Technique

a sense of common history

a sense of common goals

preservation of the classics

efficient government

Chinese unity

3. Summarize the three belief systems:  Confucianism,  Buddhism,  Daoism
4. Which belief system appeals the most to you and why?
5. What were the natural barriers that protected China on the east, west and southwest?

The Great Wall

Read pages 198 and 199

1. What were the benefits of constructing the Great Wall?
2. What were the costs of constructing the Great Wall?
3. Depending on whether you believe that there was more benefit than cost or vice versa, create a poster that would be used by a public relations firm either to promote or discourage the building of the wall.

Humanities 8

Introduction to Ancient Civilizations

What are civilizations?

How did they develop?

What are their influences?

The civilizations of Rome, Persia, India and China were all very different, but they shared common traits.

According to historians, a civilization is a society that has cities, a written language, specialized jobs, an organized government, technology, and skilled craftspeople.

Not all societies are complex enough to be civilizations. Early hunter-gatherers never settled long enough in one place to build cities or have a government; they had a distinctive culture but not a civilization.

Civilizations first developed as people learned how to increase their food supply. Physical settings can be a real influence on the development of a civilization. Farming freed people from spending all their time looking for food. With more spare time, people began to develop specialized skills. They also were producing surplus goods as well as surplus food, which could be traded. People needed places to meet and trade goods so towns and markets were built. To keep track of business, they developed systems of writing and numbers.

Today, trade still plays a major role in the way civilizations grow and change. Through trade, civilizations exchange ideas, inventions and goods and thereby become acquainted.

Look at the timelines on page 33 of Across the Centuries to see how the four ancient cultures were developing and came into contact.

Read the handout, “Asia: Physical Setting” and answer the following questions:

1. What are the natural boundaries of the area in which Chinese civilization developed?
2. What are China’s three great river systems?
3. What are two conditions that affected its development?
4. Where was the original cradle of Chinese civilization?