Persian Empire: History and Achievements

Persian Empire (550 BCE-334 BCE)

• Located in Western Asia, bordering Greece and Libya to the west, and West India to the east
• United under one government, three important sites of early human civilization: Mesopotamia, Egypt's Nile Valley, and India's Indus Valley
• Emperors: Cyrus the Great, known for leadership with compassion and tolerance, and Darius the Great, who expanded the empire to its height
• Darius the Great allowed people to keep their government and religion, built the Royal Road, created a standardized currency (Darics), and established set values by weights and measurements
• Culture: renowned for art in many forms, including metalwork, rock carvings, weaving, and architecture
• Language: the Persian language helped decode Cuneiform
• Capital city: Persepolis, known for its great architecture and relief store carvings
• Military: the Immortals, a 10,000-strong force
• Religion: Zoroastrianism, a monotheistic religion, with people free to practice their own religion

Chinese Empires

Shang Dynasty (1600-1050 BCE)

• Marked the beginning of Chinese civilization
• Characterized by its writing system, practice of divination, walled cities, bronze technology, and use of horse-drawn chariots

Zhou (Chou) Dynasty (1046-256 BCE)

• Hierarchical political and social system with the Zhou royal house at its apex
• Power was bestowed upon aristocratic families as lords of their domains or principalities
• Eventual breakdown into the Spring and Autumn period (ca. 770-475 BCE) and the Warring States period (ca. 475-221 BCE)
• Confucius (551-479 BCE) lived during this period

Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty (221-206 BCE)

• Created a unitary state with a centralized administration and standardized writing script, weights, and measures
• Known for harsh methods of rule, including the suppression of dissenting thought

Han Dynasty (206-220 BCE)

• Modified and consolidated the foundation of the imperial order
• Confucianism was established as orthodoxy, and open civil service examinations were introduced
• Han power reached Korea and Vietnam
• Records of the Historian, a model for subsequent official histories, was completed

Period of Disunity (220-589 CE)

• The empire was fragmented, with the North dominated by invaders and the South ruled by successive "Chinese" dynasties
• Buddhism spread during this period

Sui Dynasty (581-618 CE)

• China was reunified under Sui rule

Tang Dynasty (618-906 CE)

• A time of cosmopolitanism and cultural flowering, with the height of Buddhist influence in China
• Active territorial expansion until defeat by the Arabs at Talas in 751
• Foot binding began during this dynasty

Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE)

• Era of significant economic and social changes, including monetization of the economy and growth in commerce and maritime trade
• Urban expansion and technological innovations
• Examination system for bureaucratic recruitment of neo-Confucianism

Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368 CE)

• Founded by the Mongols as part of their conquest of much of the world
• Capital moved to Dadu (present-day Beijing)
• Dramas, such as the famous Story of the Western Wing, flourished

Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE)

• The first Ming emperor, Hongwu, laid the basis of an authoritarian political culture
• Gradual burgeoning of the commercial sector, important changes in the economy and social relations
• Vibrant literary scene, with publication of the novel Journey to the West
• Defined by intricate blue and white pottery and the finishing of the Great Wall

Qing Dynasty (1644-1912 CE)

• A Manchu dynasty
• Continued economic developments, leading to prosperity but also complacency and a dramatic increase in population
• Strains on the polity were intensified by a rapid incorporation of substantial new territories
• Authoritarian structure was subsequently unable to meet the military and cultural challenge of an expansive West

Republic Period (1912-1942 CE)

• Weak central government following the collapse of the dynastic system
• Western influence was shown by the promotion of "science" and "democracy" during the New Culture Movement
• Attempt of the Nationalist government to bring the entire country under its control was thwarted

People's Republic of China (1949 CE-Today)

• Communist government
• Drive for remaking society ended in disasters such as the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution
• Economic reform and political retrenchment since around 1978