The World at 600 CE

1. The World at 600 CE A Snapshot

2. The World Ca 600 CE

3. The World Ca 600 CE • World Population About 250 Million • Americas Virtually Unknown—Except by Americans • Major Cultural Hubs • Constantinople • Ctesiphon—Sassanid Persia (pron. Tesifon) • Indus and Ganges Valley • Changan (China) (pron. Chong on) • Rome • Mesoamerica– Teotihuacan/ Mayans (pron. Tayo tee wakan’)

4. Trade—Who Knew What About Whom? • The Silk Road (s)--China to Venice and Beyond • Mediterranean Basin • Trans Sahara • Mesoamerica

5. What Does Medieval Mean? • Between two times—antiquity and modernity, the middle ages • Roughly 600-1400 CE • How do you imagine the medieval human experience?

6. Africa at 600 CE

7. Africa at 600 CE • Byzantium rules North Africa and Egypt (Christian) • Kingdom of Aksum in Ethiopia (Christian) • Aksum controls Red Sea trade • Sub-Saharan trade prolific • Kingdom of Ghana thrives, Mali, and Songhai in the future

8. The Middle East

9. The Middle East • Persia and the Eastern Empire dominate—constant conflict have weakened both • Control of trade routes • Frontiers • Asian invaders • Small kingdoms ring the perimeter of the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea

10. Middle East • Religions • Christianity • Judaism • Zoroastrianism • Islam • Paganism • Languages • Greek • Latin • Farsi • Hebrew • Arabic (Semitic)

11. India at 600 CE

12. India at 600 CE • First humans ca 60 kya • 2500 BCE Indus Valley develops • Cradle of Religions • Hinduism • Jainism • Buddhism • Gupta Empire weakens and then collapses 5th Century • 510 CE Huns invade • Empire fragments • Local polities (kingdoms) form • Active trade

13. China at 600 CE—Sui Dynasty

14. Sui Dynasty Weakened by Hun invasions • Cultural values • Buddhist “right conduct” • Taoism • Confucianism • Harmony, hierarchy • Cultural exchange begins with Japan • Chang’an (Daxing) perhaps the greatest city in the world • Grand Canal built

15. Daxing

16. Japan At 600 CE—The Yamato State

17. The Yamato and Ainu

18. Yamato and Ainu Samurai

19. The Yamato State • CA 300 CE a new culture emerged in the far southwest of Honshu, a portal of cultural influence from China and Korea • Built tomb mounds called kofun Kofun of Nintoku--Osaka

20. The Yamato State • Ca 500 CE the Yamato State takes on a Korean style military aristocracy (matriarchal) • Buddhism imported in early sixth century • Chinese characters first used to represent Japanese names

21. Prince Shotoku

22. The Americas • The Amerindian Migration Across Beringia ca 30 kya • By 15 kya lands from Monte Verde to Maine were peopled • By 600 CE three major civilizations had developed • Teotihuacan (Mexico) pron. Tayo tee wakan’ • Mayan (Central America) • Moche (Peru)

23. Teotihuacan • Population 125-200,000 (6th largest city in the world) • Magnificent Architecture-Pyramid of the Sun

24. Teotihuacan • Mixed ethnicity • May have had strong influence on the Mayans—Fire Is Born

25. Mayans • A nation of city states—centered in the Yucatan

26. Mayans • Extraordinarily Sophisticated • Astronomy—Calendar • Writing • Art • Architecture Temple of the Great Jaguar-Tikal

27. Moche • Pron. Mo chee • Warrior Priest Leaders (theocracy) • No Written Language • Mixed Agriculture/ Merchant Economy • Exquisite Craftsmanship

28. Moche

29. Northern Tribes • Adena/ Hopewell (Mound Builders) • Iroquois • Early Anasazi • Inuit • Plains

30. Northern Tribes

31. Europe at 600 CE

32. Europe at 600 CE • Transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages • The Western Empire no longer a political entity • Vacuum filled by various tribal powers (“kingdoms”) and the Church • Christianity common, but not yet pervasive • Nation states unknown • Uncertainty prevails—the dawn of the Dark Ages • How will I live? • Who is my lord? • Political power becomes local; old urban centers depopulate. New centers begin to form around the powerful, some old Roman, others not—Theodoric, Charlemagne

33. The World at 600 CE