Concepts
What is the Silk Road?
An ancient sea and land trade network that connected Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia
What part of the world did the civilization spread through?
The Mediterranean Sea
Who founded this empire?
Alexander the Great
What is legitimacy?
The acceptance of an authority or ruler
Who founded the Persian Empire?
Cyrus the Great
What is a merchant?
People or companies involved in trading goods, usually across international borders
What was their most famous innovation in transportation?
Traveling by sea; they created many of the trade networks that connected Europe, Africa, and the middle east
How did the empire strengthen trade?
Created a standard currency of gold and silver coins
Divine Right - many of its periphery territories also believed in Confucianism
What year was the Persian empire founded?
550 BC
What is a cash crop?
A crop that grows abundantly in a certain location, which allows the people to export (trade to other places)
How many characters did their alphabet have?
22
How did Alexander the Great keep the Macedonian Empire together?
His military strength and charisma. Many saw him as being invincible.
Why was the Roman Empire unable to use Divine Right as a form of legitimacy?
because its vast territory included many religions that were both monotheistic and polytheistic
What did Cyrus allow his people to do?
Allowed people on the periphery of his empire to practice their own religion
What is the job of a missionary?
To spread faith in different places
What is the definition of an empire?
When a powerful central state takes political control over the states around it.
What areas of the world did Alexander conquer? And in how much time?
Egypt, Persia, much of the middle East in just 10 years
What is Divine Right?
It says that a monarch derives his right to rule directly from the will of God.
What was the Cyrus Cylinder?
A very early form of a Constitution or Bill of Rights. Listed the rights and freedoms that people living in the empire had.
What were two ways Iron impacted the world?
1) Iron farming tools allowed farmers to produce more crops, which led to the world's population increasing.
2) Civilizations used iron weapons to increase military power. This allowed them to expand their territory and become empires.
How does the Phonecian empire differ from a kingdom?
Phoenician empire was NOT culturally unified (kingdoms were)
How many battles did Alexander's military lose?
None
Why did some empires allow local rulers to stay in power even after they were conquered?
To maintain legitimacy. This allowed local populations to be more accepting of Imperial rule, because they trusted local rulers.
Peripheral state is one that was conquered by the empire and have submitted to its authority (people have less political rights; many of the resources they created are brought to the center)