Part Two: Chapter Six

Time Period:  8000 B.C.E to Around 600 C.E.

III. History review

A)  Nomads: Follow the Food

~Foraging societies (Hunter-gather clans): Were Composed of small groups of people as the climate and availability of plant and animals dictated. Because they depended on nature for substance they were at it's mercy. Things such as climate changes, disease, famine, and  natural disasters often were known to wipe out whole communities. Even when times were good they had no long term food storage, and because they held no permanent shelter they had very few personal possessions.

~Pastoral societies: Were characterized by the domestication of animals. This kind of society was often found in the mountain regions and in areas with insufficient rainfall. Many of these societies used small scale agriculture to supplement the main food supply of animal products. Women had very few rights, stratification social status was based on the size of one's herd. They had no permanent residence due to the fact that they had to continually search for grazing areas and water for their herd.

B) Settling down: the Neolithic revolution

~ Time: 8000 B.C.E to 3000 B.C.E.

~ Who: Groups of people who moved from the nomadic lifestyles to the agricultural lifestyles and town and city life.

~ What: Called the Neolithic ("New Stone") Revolution or the Agricultu-ral Revolution.

~ How: People figured out how to cultivate plants, therefore they could stay in the same place as long as there was good soil and a stable source of water. Because they knew how to domesticate animals and use simple tools they could rely on a constant supply of food they were encouraged to stay in one place.

~This changed things dramatically, because they stayed in close proxi-mity it added to their sense of unity and helped them build and sustain cultural traditions.

C) The Big, Early  Civilizations: The Rivers Deliver

Time 3000 B.C.E to 2000 B.C.E.

1. Mesopotamia: Lots of water Lots of History.

~ A series of ancient civilizations between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

~Notable civilizations that were part of Mesopotamia: Sumer, Babylon, and Persia.

Sumer

~ Rose in southern Mesopotamia.

~ In addition to successful agriculture and river management, the Sumerians  developed a writing known as cuneiform.

~ Scribes used cuneiform to set down laws, treaties, and important social and religious customs.

~ They were polytheistic, they worshipped more than one god.

~Built temples called ziggurats, which were king of like pyramids, to appease their gods.

From Sumer to Babylon to Nineveh to Babylon

~Akkad rose as Sumer fell.

~ The Akkadians developed the first known code of laws.

~ By 1700 B.C.E. Akkad was over run by Babylon.

~King Hammurabi of Babylon developed an extensive code that dealt with every part of daily life, the Code of Hammurabi.

~Babylon fell due to invasions from the Kassites and the Hittites.

~ The Hittites dominated the region by 1500 B.C.E. , Mainly due the the fact that they had added iron to their weapons, making theirs stronger than that of their opponents.

~ The Assyrians learned to use Iron, which enabled them to establish a capital at Nineveh and, eventually build an empire across the entire Fertile Crescent.

~ Within a few hundred years, the Assyrians were defeated by the Medes and the Chaldeans.  

~ The Chaldean king, King Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon as a show place of architecture and culture. He extended his empire throughout the Fertile Crescent.

~Babylon fell to the Persian Empire.

~ The Persian Empire  was huge, and by 500 B.C.E. it stretched beyond the Nile River in Egypt, Through present day turkey and parts of Greece, and then eastward through present day Afghanistan.

~ The Persians built a series of long roads, the longest was the Great Royal Road which stretched 1,600 miles from the Persian Gulf to the Aegean Sea.

Lydians, Phoenicians, and Hebrews,

~The Lydians, Phoenicians, and Hebrews kept their own identities in the Persian Empire.

~The Lydians: Came up with the concept of coined money.

~ The Phoenicians: Established powerful navel city-states all along the Mediterranean. And came up with a 22 letter alphabet.

~ The Hebrews are significant  because of their religious beliefs called Judaism, and it's differences from the other religions surrounding it.

2. Ancient Egypt: Stay  Awhile Along the Nile

~ Developed along the Nile where soil was fertile

~Divided into different kingdoms, major ones were Old, Middle, and New.

~ Ancient Egypt reached it's height during the New Kingdom, it stretched from the upper Nile River valley through the eastern Mediterranean regions of Palestine and parts of Asia Minor. 

~  Ancient Egyptians were responsible for the uniting of the entire river valley, constructed obelisks and pyramids, they also invented a writing  system called hieroglyphics.

~ Believed in more than one god.

~ Believed in life after death and usage of their body during that life.

~ Queen Hatsheput was the first women ruler/ Pharaoh, she ruled 22 years

~ Social structure was built like a pyramid, at the top there was a pharaoh, below him/her priests, then the nobles, followed by merchants and skilled artisans, and then the peasants.

~ Fell into decline in 1100 B.C.E.

~ Was concord by both the Assyrian Empire and the Persian Empire. Then was taken over by the the Greeks, and then completely absorbed into the Roman Empire.

3. Indus Valley Civilization: Indus Industry Ruled

~ Indus valley was built along the walls of a river system.

~ Khyber Pass, ran through the  Hindu Kush Mountains it provided a connection to the outside world.

~ Two Major cities, Harappa and Mohenjo, each home to more than 100,000 people.

~ Were Polytheistic, belived in more than one god.

 

The Aryans

~ Nomadic Tribes from north of the Caucasus Mountains.

~Recorded their beliefs and traditions in Vedas and Upanishads.

~ Beliefs evolved to be the basis for what later became Hinduism. 

~ Used the caste system for their social structure, three classes from top to bottom, warriors, priests ( known as Brahmans), and peasants. 

4.  Early China: Shang on the Hwang

 ~ Shang China rose in the Hwang Ho River River Valley( also known as the Yellow River valley).

~Were accomplished bronze workers, experts in the production of silk and pottery, and devised a decimal system and a highly accurate calendar. 

~ Multiple generations of the same family lived in the same house hold, called a patriarchal structure.

~ Believed that the gods controlled all aspects of there lives, and that they could call upon their dead ancestors as their advocates with the gods.

~ Held extended family in great significance.

~ 1100 B.C.E Wu Wang ousted the Shang.

~ Wu Wang established the Zhou Dynasty, ( also spelled Chou Dynasty).

~ The Zhou Dynasty ruled China for nearly 900 years.

~ The Zhou Dynasty believed in the Mandate in Heaven, meaning that heaven would grant the Zhou power only as long as its rulers behaved justly and wisely. Or only as long as it had the blessing of heaven.

~ Developed a feudal system similar to that of Europe in the middle ages. The king was the ruler of the entire empire, but because it was to large to handle for one man, nobles were give power over smaller regions of land. King gave each noble protection as long as noble stayed loyal.  Over time nobles became rich and powerful  and split their land off into separate kingdoms.

~ Some Complex kingdoms developed bureaucracies, which was a way of organizing the government kingdoms by way of department, or bureau, so that different parts of the government could specialize and stabilize. 

~ Zhou Dynasty ended in 256 B.C.E.

5. Mesoamerica and Andean South America

~ In the Americas there were two early civilizations, the Olmec, and the Chavin.

~ The Olmec was in Mexico from 1200 B.C.E to 1400 B.C.E.

~ The Chavin were in the Andes from 900 B.C.E.  to 300 B.C.E.

~The Olmec  were an urban society supported by corn, beans, and squash, like other civilizations before it it mastered irrigation techniques , constructed large scale buildings, were polytheistic, and developed a system of writing and a  calendar.

~ The Chavin were also a urban civilization, also polytheistic. Most of food was agricultural, but with access to the cost they also supplemented their diet with seafood. Developed ways to use metals in tools and weapons, used llamas as their beats of burden.

6. West Africa

~ 1500 B.C.E.  farmers in the Niger and Benue River valleys in West Africa began migrating south and east bringing with them their languages (from the Bantu family of languages) and their knowledge of agriculture and metallurgy.

~ The migration was known as the Bantu migrations and continued over the course of the next 2,000 years.

~ The upper Niger River valley was home to Jenne-Jeno  which is believed to be the first sub-Saharan African city.

~It began as a small settlement in 250 B.C.E. And reached urban size in 400 B.C.E.  

~ It is unusual because it was not run by a hierarchy, instead it was a unique from of urbanism comprising a collection of individual communities.

D) The Classic Civilizations: Mesoamerica

 

The Mayan Civilization

~ Mayan civilization dominated present day southern Mexico and parts of Central America from 300 B.C.E. to 800 C.E.

~ A collection of city states ruled over by one king.

~ Were pyramid/temple builders, and wrote hieroglyphics.

~ Golden age was from 500 to 850 C.E.

~ During that time the maya produced many great works of scholarship and developed a complex calander.

~ Very nice architecture.

~ Built tremendous cities, Tikal was the most important political center, may have been populated by more than 100,000.

~ Divided their cosmos into three sections, heaven above, humans in the middle, and the underworld below. Believed that gods created them out of maize ( main dietary staple) and water, also believed that gods maintained agriculture cycles in exchange for honors, sacrifices and bloodletting rituals.

~ War fair was imbued with religious significance.

~Kings and nobility would actively participate in combat.

~ Used to acquire slaves instead of territory.

~ Used advanced agricultural techniques.

~ Cotton and maize were widely cultivated.

~Known for their cotton textiles.

~ Many well preserved ruins including Chichen Itza, and several ball courts.

E) The Classic Civilizations: India and China

1. The Mauryan Empire in India (321 to approximately 180 B.C.E)

~ The Mauryan Empire was founded by Chandragupta Maurya.

~It was taken to it's greatest hight by his grandson Ashoka Maurya.

~ Traded hundreds of things like cotton silk and elephants to Mesopotamia and the eastern Roman Empire.

~ Had powerful military. 

~ Converted to Buddhism after leader felt remorse for a violent bloody battle that they won against the Kalinga.

~ Ashoka Maurya was also known for his Rock and Pillar Edicts, which were carved rocks and pillars through out his empire

2. The Gupta Dynasty in India ( 320 - 550 C.E.)

~ The Mauryan Empire began to decline in 232 B.C.E. But between 375 and 415 B.C.E. was revived by Chandra Gupta.

~ The Gupta Empire enjoyed relative peace and saw significant advances in the arts and sciences.

~ They developed the concepts of pi and of zero. They also devised a decimal that used the numerals 1 through (which were diffused to the Arabs and became known as Arabic numerals).

~ Became adept at fashioning devices out of iron.

~ collapsed under the pressure of the White Huns in 550 B.C.E.

3. The Quin Dynasty in China (221 to around 209 B.C.E.)

~ The Quin Dynasty was vary short , only a little longer than a decade.

~ It developed a strong agricultural economy, organized a powerful army, conquered surrounding territories and unified under one emperor. 

~ Connected the separate fortification walls that eventually became the Great Wall of China.

~Quin Shihuangdi, the first emperor, recentralized various feudal kingdoms that had split apart at the end of the Zhou Dynasty, standardized all the laws, currencies, weights, measures, and systems of writing; and refused to tolerate and dissent whatsoever.

~It was Patriarchal, and the dominate belief of he rulers was legalism.

4. The Han Dynasty in China ( around 200 B.C.E. to around 200 C.E.)

~ During the Han Dynasty, the Huns, a large nomadic group, invaded northern territories extending from China to Eastern Europe. 

~ Wu Ti, called the dragon emperor, enlarged the Han Empire to central Asia.

~Buddhism Spread along the Silk Road to the Mediterranean.

~ Developed the civil service system based on the teachings of Confucius.

~ Believed that those involved in government should be highly educated and excellent communicators. 

~ Invented paper, highly accurate sundials, and calendars. And like all other civilizations continued to broaden their knowledge of medals. 

F) The Classic Civilizations: Mediterranean

1. Greece

Ancient Greece

~ Was located on a peninsula between the waters of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.

~ Traded Products by boat, they could easily sail to Palestine, Carthage, or Egypt and Trade wine and olive products for grain ( they had poor placement for agriculture).

~ The barter system was replaced with a money system.

~ Greece was a collection of polises.

~ A polis was a city-state that shared a common culture and identity. Each polis was composed of three groups, citizens, composed of adult males, often in business or commerce. Free people with no political rights, and  non-citizens (slaves, who accounted for nearly one-third of the people, and who had no rights.)

~ Two main city-states were athens and Sparta.

~ Athens was the political, commercial, and cultural center of Greece.

~ Sparta was a agricultural and highly militaristic region. most citizens in Sparta lived a very austere, highly disciplined life. All of the boys and some girls received military training.

~ Athens was regarded the first democracy, even though women could not participate.

~ Change in Athens was not immediate , Athens transitioned from a monarchy to a aristocracy then to a democracy.

~ Draco and Solon were aristocrats  who worked to create the democracy in Athens and ensure fair, equal, and open participation.

~ Greek were polytheistic, and had myths surrounding their gods. greek gods were believed to posses human feelings.

~ The Persian Wars united all of the Greek city-states against their enemy Persia. Much of athens was destroyed but the Greeks still held on for the win. 

~ Following the Persian War their was a period of peace often called the Golden Age of Pericles.

~ Under leadership of Pericles Athens was rebuilt and became a cultural powerhouse.

~ He also established the Delian League with the other city-states, an alliance against aggression from all common enemies.

~ Philosophy and the arts flourished.

~ Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are names many would regard as the most famous Greeks.

~ They believed that truth could be discerned though rational thought and deliberate and careful observation. The process that they established was revolutionary. Considered fathers of rational thinking.

~ In the golden age...

   -Greek drama was dominated by the comedies and tragedies of Aeschylus and Euripides.

   - Greek architecture earned its place in history with it's Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns.

   -  Math and science thrived under the instruction of Archimedes, Hippocrates, and Pythagoras

~  As Athens had and dominated in it's alliance with the others of the Delian League, Sparta dominated their own Peloponnesain League with the city-states in the Aegean. As the Two leaders of their respective alliances Athens and Sparta became increasingly fearful of each other, resulting in the Peloponnesian War in 431 B.C.E. Which resulted in Athens loss, and a weak Peloponnesian League.

~This resulted in the invasion of the Macedonians, under the rule of Philip Macedon, who reined form 359 to 336 B.C.E. 

~ Fortunately he respected Greek culture and instead of destroying it he encouraged it to flourish.

 

~The Macedonians did not stop with Greece, Alexander the Great,( Philip's son) widely expanded the Macedonian Empire, adding the Persian Empire and present day India.

~ It was divided into three empires, the Antigonied ( Greece and the Macedon), the Ptolemaic (Egypt) and the Seleucid ( Bactria and Anatolia).

~ Along with size the Macedonian Empire is known for spreading Greek customs. Therefore Hellenism, the culture , ideals, and pattern of life in classical Greece became influential far beyond it's original borders.

~ The Ptolemaic Empire was the wealthiest empire, with it's capital of Alexandria built along the mouth of the Nile. wisely the rulers did not interfere with Egyptian society, and, eventually, Ptolemaic Egypt became a cultural center, Home of the Alexandria Museum and the Alexandria Library, the latter of which contained the most scrolls of any location in the empire, perhaps the whole world.

~ After the death of Alexander the Great his empire started to crumble, because they were focused on the east and Egypt they did not see the new power of Rome rising.

2. Rome ( 509 B.C.E - 476 C.E.)

~ Were polytheistic, most gods were Greek based, but were renamed to better fit Roman culture.

~ Social structure consisted of patricians (land owning noble-men), plebeians (all other free men), and slaves.

~ Government was as a representative republic. Main Governing body made up of two groups, senate and the Assembly.

~ The Twelve Tables of Rome were laws to protect individual rights.

~ The Eldest male of the family was considered the most powerful, women had some say but were still considered inferior.

~ At one point slaves comprised one-third of the Roman population.

~Carthage was Rome's first enemy. They fought many wars against each other which came to be called the Punic Wars. These lasted on and off form 264 through 146 B.C.E.

~ First Punic War (264-241B.C.E. ),Rome won, fought to gain control of island of Sicily. 

~Second Punic war began 218 B.C.E ., attack by Hannibal, much of Rome destroyed, Romans attack Carthage, Carthage agrees to sue for peace.

~Third Punic War, 149 B.C.E., Romans burn Carthage to the ground, Romans continue expansion through the Mediterranean. 

~ Obtained Greece by defeating Macedonians. Also fought Gauls to the north and Spaniards to the west.

~ War fare helped spread culture.

~  Started having problems after Punic Wars,small farmers got displace, which caused over populated citys, which caused less jobs, the Roman currency got devalued, causing inflation. The Power of the senate weakened and the power was ultimately  transfered to three men to be known as the first triumvirate.

~ The first triumvirate consisted of Pompey, Crassus, and Julius Caesar.

~ Caesar had power over southern Gaul ( France ) and other parts of Europe. 

~ Civil War between the senate and Caesars followers resulted in pushing Pompey, and Crassus out of the picture after which Caesar became "emperor for life", he was assassinated by his angry senators in 44 B.C.E.

~ A second triumvirate was formed, in it were Octavius, Marc Anthony, and Lepidus, but it once again failed and power was shifted to Octavius, who assumed the name of Augustus Caesar, and became emperor.

~ He established the rule of law, a common coinage, civil service and secure travel for merchants.

~ Enjoyed a 200 year peace called Pax Romana.

~ Hebrews and Egyptians maintained their individual cultural identities.

~ While at peace the literary arts and architecture (  such as the building of the Pantheon, Colosseum, and Forum) flourished.

~ Science also reached new heights Ptolemy looked to the skies in astronomy while the Roman engineers went to work on roads and aqueducts.

~  During early days of empire paganism was the state religion, but shortly after the reign of Augustus Caesar, a new religion developed, this religion was called Christianity.

~ Christianity grew out of judaism.

~ Initially both were tolerated by the Roman government, however Jewish resistance to Roman rule lead to the suppression of Judaism. Than the Romans began to see Christians as a threat, which lead to their persecution and murder in spectacles at the Colosseum.

~ Was finally stopped in 313 B.C.E. by Emperor Constantine when he issued the Edict of Milan.

~ Christianity became the  religion of the land.

G) Late Classical Period : Empires Collapse and People on the Move

1. Collapse of the Maya 

~ No one knows why the Mayans collapsed.

~People say that it was disease, drought, or the declining health of the peasant population, or internal trust and war fare, or it's expanding population exhausted their environment.

~ Whatever the reason the Maya started to desert their cities in the ninth city of C.E.

2. Collapse of Han China

~ Interrupted by the reign of Wang Mang (9-23 C.E. ) , who established the Xin dynasty after seizing the throne from the Liu family.

~ Had major missteps that ended the Xin Dynasty in 23 C.E. the Han Dynasty restored itself a few years later but never fully recovered and in 220 C.E. the government collapsed.

3. Collapse of the Gupta Empire

~ Fell because it was invaded by the White Huns.

~ It's culture survived, but the empire did not.

4. The Collapse of the Western Portion of the Roman Empire

~ 284 C.E., Diocletian came to be emperor. He fixed many problems, but despite hi innovations and administrative talents civil war started ant the end of his retirement.

~ Constantine rose to power in 322 C.E.

~ He ordered the building of Constantinople at the site of the greek city of Byzantium, which in 340 C.E. became the capital of a united empire.

~ After his death the empire once again divided into two parts, the eastern part thrived but the western part kept spiraling downward.

~ Rome faced pressure from the Germans on their border, in defense they placed German people such as the Visigoths  (who had adopted Roman law and Christianity ) in those pressurized places.

~  When Attila and his Huns began to pressure the Germans the Germans sacked Rome in 410 C.E.

~ By 476 C.E. the roman empire had been disposed, the western half had completely fallen, and even though the eastern half had survived, it was now called the Byzantine empire.

5. Cultural Diffusion 200-600 C.E.

~ The Silk Road was a trade road that went from China to the Roman Empire. It took months to traverse, but there were pastoral societies that provided shelter along the way.

~ Disease traveled the trade routes too. The Mongols carried the Black Death to China: Rome and China suffered from measles and smallpox epidemics, which spread through the empires quickly.

~ Religion also spread along the roads of the merchants. Buddhism spread through East and Southeast Asia. And Christianity spread as far as Britain.

~ Entire Groups moved along the trade routes to set roots in new lands. The Anglos and the Saxons moved to Britain, the Huns to India.

~ Only China and parts of East Asia seemed spared the massive influxes of outsiders.

IV. Major Belief Systems 

A) Polytheism

~ All of the Mesopotamian and Mediterranean empires ( except the Hebrews and Christians), Aryan regions, Hiduism, and traditional Chinese systems were polytheistic, as were some Buddhism sects and some Daoist sects.

~ Believed in multiple gods who impact daily life on earth, for good and for bad.

~ In Rome and Greece they worshipped many gods who had human qualities, in Egypt gods were considered benevolent and kind, while in ancient Sumer the gods were to be feared, and hence had to be appeased often.

~ It was at the center of the art and architecture of all of the civilizations discussed so far. Many great works dedicated to the gods, or used to appease them.

~ Led to the rise of a priestly group, and a rigid social structure.

B) Confucianism

~ Developed specifically for the Chinese and was widely practiced throughout China form 400 B.C.E. onward.  

~ Not a religion, more of a social and political philosophy.

~ Deals almost solely  with the question of how to restore political and social order.

~ Does not deal with salvation of after life,( it's not a religion).

~ Focuses on five fundamental relationships: ruler and subject, parent and child,husband and wife, older and younger brother, and friend and friend.

~ Ren, sense of humanity, kindness, and benevolence.

~ Li, sense of property, courtesy, respect, and deference to elders.

~ Xiao, filial piety (respect for family obligations, including extended family).

 ~ Confucius believed in good people running whatever system was in place, and did not support a particular political system.

~ Because it was a ethical,social, and political belief system, ti was compatible with other religions, so a person could practice Buddhism while practicing Confucianism.

~ This allowed it to flourish .

~ Government leaders also enjoyed and embraced it because it created a neat and orderly society.

~ Did not spread because it evolved only within the context of Chinese culture.

C) Daoism

~ Was practiced by some Chinese from around 500 B.C.E. onward.

~ Dao ( also spelled Tao) is defined as the way of nature.

~ Based on an elusive concept regarding internal principle governing all the workings of the world.

~ Believe that the Dao is passive and yielding, and that it accomplishes everything, yet does nothing. 

~Often use the image of water to define beliefs.

~ Within Doasim  is the doctrine of wuwei, disengagement from worldly affairs , a simple life in harmony with nature.

~ Used as a counterbalance to Confucian activism.

~ Promoted scientific discoveries, and became great astronomers, chemists, and botanists. 

~ Added to the complexity of China and in turn it added to the uniqueness.

D) Legalism

~ Was practiced by the Chinese during the Qin Dynasty.

~ Maintained that peace and order were achievable only through a centralized, tightly governed state.

~ Didn't trust human nature, therefore, advocated the need for tougher laws.

~ Believed that people would be made to obey laws through harsh punishment, strong central government, and unquestioned authority.

~ Believed that the two most important professions were farming and the military. 

~ Helped China complete its unification, and complete the Great Wall of China.

~ Because it caused widespread resentment among those who suffered from it, it inadvertently lead to wider acceptation of Confucianism and Daoism.

E) Hinduism

~  Aryans and subsequent empires practiced Hinduism.

~ Began in India with the Aryan invaders.

~ Believed in one supreme force called Brahma, the creator, who is in all things.

~ Their life goal was to merge with Brahma.

~ Believed that who you are in this life had to do with who you were in your past life. And how you conduct your self in this like will determine the role (caste) your are born into in a future life.

~ If you behave well and follow the dharma (the rules and obligations of the caste your born into) you'll keep moving up the ladder towards unification with Brahma.If you don't you'll drop down the ladder.

~ The cycle of life, death and rebirth, continues until you reach moksha, the highest state of being.

~ Vedas and the Upanishads: sources of , prayers, verses and origins of the universe.

~ There is no central sacred text.

~ A Religion as well as a social system.

~ Because of the caste system most Hindus quietly accepted their station life.

~ Within India it was and remains a powerful force- even among the animal kingdom, for Hindus believe that they can reincarnate as animals. 

~ Was not successful beyond India because of it's close identification with the caste system and the Indian social structure and customs.

 

F) Buddhism

~ Eastern civilizations, most notably in India, China and Southeast Asia, practiced Buddhism.

~ Founded by a hindu prince named Siddharta Gautama, who was born and lived in Nepal from 563 B.C.E. through 583 B.C.E.

~ He became the Buddha ,or enlightened one after meditating under a sacred bodhi tree.

~ No supreme being in Buddhism.

~ Follow Four Noble Truths, All life is suffering, Suffering is caused by desire, One can be freed of this desire, One can be freed from this desire by following what's called the Eightfold Path.

~ Eightfold Path consists of right views, right aspirations, right speech right conduct, right livelihood, right endeavor, right mindfulness and right mediation.

~ Following the path enables you to achieve the right nirvana.

~Nirvana is is the state of perfect peace and harmony. 

~ It may or may not take ones whole lifetime, meaning that Buddhists believe in reincarnation as well.

~ It is not dependent on social structure such as the caste system.

~ After the death of Buddha in 483 B.C.E Buddhism split into two big movements Theravada (Hinayana) and Mahayana.

~ Theravada ( Hinayana)  Buddhism emphasizes meditation, simplicity, and an interpretation of nirvana as the renunciation of human consciousness and of the self.

~ Theravada means "the Way of the Elders"; Hinayana means "the Lesser Vehicle".

~ Mahayana (the "Greater Vehicle") Buddhism is a complicated form of Buddhism, involving more ritual than Buddha specified.

~ Appealed to those who believed that the original teachings of Buddha did not apply enough spiritual comfort.

~ Believed in bodhisattvas , those who have reached nirvana but stayed on earth.

~ Also relied more on priests and sculptures.

~ Appealed to those of lower rank, and could apply to anyone.

~ When Ashoka , The Mauryan Emperor, converted to Buddhism the religion took off as a major force in Asia. 

~  It was absorbed into Hinduism in India , but thrived in China, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

~ As it spread through the trade routs, the culture of Asia intertwined. 

G) Judaism

~ Was practiced by the Hebrews.

~ Believe thad God selected a group os people, the Hebrews, and made himself know to them.

~ Believed the if they followed his laws , worshipped him and were faithful, he would preserve them for all time.

~ Judaism was the first of the great monotheistic faiths.

~ Not centered on many of the concepts typically associated with a religion.

~ They do believe in an afterlife, a set of traditions and doctrines, philosophy, and personal salvation.

~ Believed that they were created by god and that the lived in a world created by a personal, sovereign God who created the world for humans the live in and enjoy and exercise their freewill.

~ Both a religious practice and a societal custom.

~ Spawned Christianity and Islam

H) Christianity

~ Was practiced throughout the Roman Empire and a splinter group of Jews.

~ Came into existence with Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish teacher who claimed to be the son of God.

~ In 30 C.E. they crucified him, and his followers believed that he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven.

~ Based on both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

~Believed that Jesus Christ is the son of God and that forgiveness of sins, and ultimately everlasting life. is achieved only through belief in the divinity, death, and resurrection of Christ.

~ Was spread by the disciplines of Jesus and by Paul of Tarsus.

~ Appealed to lower classes and women.

~ By third century C.E., Christianity was the most influential religion in the Mediterranean basin. 

~ Was the official religion of the Roman Empire.

~ By 600 C.E. Christianity became the dominate force in what was left of the Roman Empire.