Chapter 3

Empires and Civilizations in Collision: The Persians and the Greeks

• Civilizations didn't contact each other directly
• Greece/Persia exception because they were neighbors
• Persia
• Largest most impressive empire
• Diverse empire, large population
• Effective admin system
• Underground irrigation
• Greeks
• Population around 2-3 million
• Mountains and valleys encouraged hundreds of city states 
• A lot of participation in political life
• Collision: Greco-Persian Wars
• Ionia, Ionian Greeks revolted against Persia
• Greece won on both land and sea
• Collision: Alexander and Hellenistic Era
• Conquest of Greece
• Alexander expedition of Persia 
• Defeated Persia
• Greek becomes language of power
• Roman rule replaces Greek rule

Comparing Empires: Roman and Chinese

• Roman and Chinese had little direct contact
• Flourished 
• Similar in size
• Controlled nearly half of worlds population
• Rome
• Grew after each conquest
• Rise of empire changed Roman society 
• Pax Romana (Roman peace)
• Still best known empire
• China
• Warring states to empires
• Creation of empire regarded as restoration
• Unification by Shihuangdi 
• Ruler of Qin 
• 1st emperor
• Formed much quicker than Rome
• Depended on military force among other security
• Great Wall
• Military
• Brutality
• Burning books, execution of scholars
• Similarities
• Defined themselves in universal terms
• Invested in public works
• Claimed supernatural sanctions
• Foreign religious tradition
• Effected the environment 
• Fall
• Too large
• Too expensive
• Tax evasion
• Fell heavily on the poor
• Diseases
• Threat from Nomadic people

I find it interesting that two of the world's largest empires are still known and visited countries today.  The backbone of China and Rome formed such a long time ago and they are still living off of some of those backbones today.  It is also hard to imagine how tough life must have been living in the early empires, where there was extreme brutality and there was a constant fear of being invaded and overthrown.  Often time, one person or group was in all the power and the poor and lower classes just had to fall into that based on what they were born into.  That must have been tough and its interesting that that is still the way things work today.  Today, I am grateful that there are much more opportunities to move up in society if one desires.