Unit 2
600 to 1450 is the time period covered in this unit.
The unit is broken into two parts; empires and religions. The unit begins
with the story of how Rome, a single city-state on the Italian peninsula,
came to dominate the Mediterranean world and adjacent territories followed
by their effort to maintain control of their conquests.
China emerged from the Warring States period in 221 B. C. E. as an empire
under the leadership of the Qin dynasty. The patterns of empire in China
extended to the early twentieth century and in some ways persist to the
present. Furthermore, the Chinese emphasis on philosophy and history have
resulted in a rich written record of China.
It is important to focus on the central ideas and people to gain a sense
of the central trends in Indian history. Pay special attention to the
Maurya and Gupta dynasties--the extent of their successes and the reasons
for their decline.
Hinduism grew out of the encounter between early Indus valley residents
and the migrating Aryans. It claims no founding leader, has no original
scripture or mandate to follow, and generally did not seek converts outside
of its home area of India.
Buddhism is more typical of a world religion with its clearly defined
founder and a set to ideas tied in theory to the admonitions of the leader
himself. Beginning within Hindu culture, Buddhism developed its own focus,
sought converts, successfully spread across much of Asia, and accommodated
itself to conditions in the different regions it entered.
The beliefs of Judaism and Christianity have a clearer statement of right
and wrong, require greater conformity in faith and action, call for adherence
to a strict code of ethics, and life in a community governed by God's
laws.
Judaism is remarkable in that, in the face of persecution and migration,
its adherents retain the belief that Yahweh has not deserted them and
continues to live up to the covenanted relationship with his people.
The history of Christianity is the history of growth--from a splinter
group within Judaism and the Roman Empire to a religion attracting 1/3
of the world's population. For this reason, it is not enough to understand
the basic beliefs of Christianity.
Islam presents us with at least two interesting narratives. First, it
is the story of the growth and spread of a world religion. On the other
hand, it is the story of the disintegration of the vision of a single
world society unified under one God into a group of states which are separated
politically but still possess common beliefs.