Deck 2: F: First Civilizations Cities, States, and Unequal Societies 3500 B.C.E-500 B.C.E

Question 1

Explain how the belief systems that emerged in the different civilizations of the classical era were used to explain and justify social and gender differences.

Answer 1

•The essay should note how both religious and secular ideas were used to explain and naturalize inequalities.
•The essay might draw from the following examples:
oConfucianism in China
oThe caste system in India
oChristianity in the Roman Empire
oBantu beliefs about female reproductive power
•The essay should note that belief systems that offered the hope of upward mobility were often the strongest and lasted the longest.For example,the Confucian-based civil service examination system in China offered all men the equal opportunity to acquire the power and prestige attached to official posts.And the caste system in India was based on the belief that if one performed the duties appropriate to one's caste in this lifetime,then one would be reborn in a higher caste.
A really good answer might note how ideologies were used by the lower classes and women for their benefit.For example,the Chinese woman writer Ban Zhao invoked Confucian ideals of proper roles to insist on conjugal harmony and implicitly criticize men who abused their wives.

Question 2

Compare and contrast the civilizations that emerged in the Afro-Eurasian world with those that emerged in the Americas from 500 B.C.E.to the thirteenth century.

Answer 2

A discussion of the similarities should note the common features of a civilization (organized state,cities,intensive and productive agriculture,high population density,etc. ).
A discussion of the differences should focus on at least two civilizations,one from the Afro-Eurasian world and one from the Americas.
The essay should address each civilization's political structure,social hierarchy,and relations with outsiders (diplomatic,economic,and cultural).
A really good answer might compare the selected civilizations to the societies in Bantu Africa and North America that the textbook does not categorize as civilizations.The essay should note the similarities of these complex societies to the selected civilizations and identify the missing elements that prevent them from being considered civilizations.

Question 3

How do the empires formed between 500 B.C.E.and 500 C.E.compare to the earlier states of the First Civilizations?

Answer 3

Students should recognize that the difference between the states formed by the First Civilizations and the empires formed between 500 B.C.E.and 500 C.E.was primarily one of scale and sophistication rather than founding features.
Students should explore common features they shared,such as (1)monarchy, (2)the importance of coercion to hold the state together,and (3)the presence of professionally organized armies underpinning the state.
Students should also mention that in some cases there were differences such as (1)new levels of grandeur, (2)greater organizational sophistication,and (3)more elaborate means of administering empires in some cases.
A really good answer might note that many empires (including China and Persia),though not all of them (e.g. ,India and Rome),emerged in areas where First Civilizations had already laid the groundwork with earlier imperial systems.