7 - WORLD HISTORY merchants and traders managed their own

REVIEWER businesses.

EARLY CIVILIZATIONS The ancient city of Babylon, under King

Nebuchadnezzar II, must have been a wonder to the
Mesopotamia traveler's eyes. "In addition to its size," wrote
The earliest civilization known is found in the Herodotus, a historian in 450 BC, "Babylon surpasses
crescent-shaped area extending from the in splendor any city in the known world."
Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf in the Fertile Herodotus claimed the outer walls were 56 miles in
Cresent (what is now Iraq). It had rich soil and length, 80 feet thick and 320 feet high. Wide enough,
produced abundant crops. Within the Fertile Crescent,
he said, to allow a four-horse chariot to turn. The
two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, hugged a inner walls were "not so thick as the first, but hardly
valley that became known as Mesopotamia. less strong." Inside the walls were fortresses and
Mesopotamia could support large populations temples containing immense statues of solid gold.
because its location was ideal for both trade and
Rising above the city was the famous Tower of Babel,
agricultures. a temple to the god Marduk, that seemed to reach to
Cuneiform, a form of writing based on making wedge- the heavens
shaped impressions with reeds on soft clay tablets. It’s Hammurabi is most famous for a list of 282 laws called
the earliest known writing system in history. It was Hammurabi Code. This was the first laws were written
used to keep records and write stories and poems. out, and therefore the first-time people could know
Scribes was used to study at schools and then went to how they would be punished if they committed a
work as copyists’ teachers, lawmakers, and leaders. crime. The laws were based on the idea of “an eye for
History was written in these. an eye, a tooth for a tooth” meaning that the
punishment should be equally as bad as the crime.
SUMERIAN Kingdom was made up of city-states However, the punishment varied according to the
which were cities that also acted as politically class of the victim and the lawbreaker. The code
independent states. Each had its own government, covered all aspects of daily life-punishments for
army, and king. Trade between city-states was everything from judges who incorrectly ruled on a
regulated through religious temples, which also case to builders who built houses that collapsed.
functioned as storage units for surplus goods
(ziggurats). ASSYRIA arose around 1400 BCE and was one of the
first new empires of Mesopotamia. The Assyrian
The wheel was invented by 6000 BC by the Sumerians. Empire occupied the northern part of Mesopotamia,
It helped military, farming, and trade. At right, this is in what is now northern Iraq. The land where Assyria
made of wood. was located was easy for outsiders to get into and
attack, so the Assyrians learned to skilled warriors and
AKKADIA was led for over 50 years (around 2334-
decided to strike instead of waiting. They conquered
2279 BCE) by King Sargon I, who is considered the first
lands from the Nile River (in Egypt) to the Persian
great king in history. He united the Sumerian city-
Gulf. Nineveh, Assyria’s capital city, became a center
states to a northern rival, Babylonia.
of learning; it housed one of the world’s first libraries,
BABYLONIANS live in the western half of the fertile storing a collection of dried clay tablets.
crescent. The most well-known Babylonian leader was
Ancient Egypt
Hammurabi, who conquered northern Sumerian cities
such as Sumer and Akkad to create the Babylonian Egypt was one of the first river-valley civilizations
Empire around 1800 BCE. The Babylonian built roads nestled on the banks of the Nile River. The longest
to encourage trade and make travel easier. Goods like river in the world, the Nile flows north through Frica
cloth come in from as far as India and Egypt for over 4,000 miles. It splits into multiple channels in
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a Delta just before emptying into the Mediterranean Menes was known for unifying Lower & Upper Egypt
Sea. The Nile Delta is called Lower Egypt. The land around 3100 BC. He built his capital city of Memphis
south of it is called Upper Egypt. The Nile’s annual near modern-day Cairo. The Old Kingdom also saw
flooding deposited rich, dark soil on the riverbanks the construction of the great pyramids of Egypt, which
(“Gift of Nile”). This land is called Kemet, or “black were built for the burial of pharaohs and their
land” and the dry desert land was called “red land.” It families. Historians estimate that the largest of the
helps the civilization to have easy communication and over 30 Egyptian pyramids, the Great Pyramid of Giza,
transportation. took 20 years, up to 100,000 workers, and more than
2 million stones to build.
Egypt was ruled by 31 different Dynasties over about
3,000 years, divided into three periods: The Old The Great Sphinx, a giant statue that is half man and
Kingdom, The Middle Kingdom, and The New half lion, was built to protect the Great Pyramid.
Kingdom. During the annual flooding of the Nile, farmers
couldn’t work in the fields, so they were put to work
OLD MIDDLE NEW building pyramids. The Egyptians used their great
KINGDOM KINGDOM KINGDOM knowledge of math, specifically geometry, to build
2650-2134 BC 2040-1640 BC 1550-1070 BC
these massive pyramids.
Known Built Land Traded
for enormous drained for with lands The Middle Kingdom was a stable period of
tombs & farming. along the expansion. Kush, or Nubia, an area south of Egypt,
pyramids. Red & was conquered. Nubia rivalled Egypt in wealth and
Mediterran power, and mutually influenced each other until it
ean Sea. was occupied. Pharaohs provided aid for public
Decline Power Hittites Nubians, projects, such as draining swampland and digging
struggles, invaded & then canals.
crop conquered. others,
failures, & invaded. Thutmose III was next in the royal bloodline to
cost of become pharaoh, but because he was only three
pyramids. years old, his stepmother Hatshepsut rule for him,
A Pharaoh, a title given to ancient Egyptian kings, acting as regent, an adult who rules in the place of a
ruled Egypt with absolute power. They were also child ruler, for the first two decades of his reign. Once
known as priest-kings. Whatever the pharaoh decided he finally took power, Egypt entered the era of the
was law. Pharaohs had so much power they were New Kingdom.
considered God. Hatshepsut was a mostly peaceful leader who
encouraged trade with cities in other parts of Africa,
Pharaoh
such as Punt on the east coast. This exchange
Priests introduced ivory and incense to Egypt. When it was
Thutmose III’s turn to rule, he led an army of 20,000
Nobles/Warriors to extend Egypt’s control into Syria and Palestine.
Scribes
One of the most famous Egyptian pharaohs to people
Merchants today. King Tutankhamen or King Tut was crowned at
nine years old and ruled from approximately 1333 to
Peasants/Slaves 1323 BCE. King Tut was buried in a tomb containing
over 5,000 expensive objects, which were meant to
Ancient Egypt’s religion is polytheistic, a belief in accompany him into afterlife. King Tut’s body was
many gods controlling earth. Their chief gods are Isis, mummified, which means that it was preserved, until
Osiris, Amon-Re, Anubis. its discovery last 1922.

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The New kingdom collapsed in 1070 BCE. Alexander The Indus River Valley gets its name – and its rich soil
the Great of Macedonia eventually conquered Egypt – from the Indus River, which crosses the Himalayas
in about 331 BCE. In 51 BCE, Queen Cleopatra VII and flows as far as the Arabian Sea. Another river, the
would be last Macedonian ruler. She waged war with Ganges, also cuts through the Himalayas, it empties
factions of the Roman Empire. After her, Egypt would into the Bay of Bengal. The two rivers created fertile
not be independent again for nearly 2,000 years. land for farming, and their banks became the sties of
major cities. In the Indus River Valley, the cities of
The Egyptian invented Hieroglyphics, picture-like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro emerged around 2600
symbols used for writing. Hieroglyphics were BCE and grew nearly 40,000 people. The cities were
complicated–to write a word you might have to spell carefully laid out in a grid.
it out and add an extra picture to show what it meant.
Only members of the upper and middle classes of A citadel, a fortress (stronghold) that commands the
society were trained as scribes. A simplified version of city, on each city’s highest point protected its most
hieroglyphics, hieratic script, was used for everyday important buildings, like the grain storage houses.
business. Their cities were sophisticated enough to have brick
walls surrounding them for protection against
Although they first wrote on clay tablets, the
flooding from the Indus River. These cities had
Egyptians later invented Papyrus, a paper made from advanced drainage systems. There were public wells,
the papyrus plant. Papyrus most likely no longer and many buildings had a bathroom.
grows in Egypt, but historians are pretty sure that it
would have been a common plant along Nile River in Individual features of the city: walls and gates; the
ancient times. Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphics on large, separately walled complex to the left of the
papyrus in order to communicate across their empire drawing; the suburbs that cluster next to this separate
and keep records of their history and achievements. walled enclosure; the river port at the center top of
Papyrus was also popular in ancient Greece, Rome, the drawing; and the large open space within the
and other Arabic regions. walls of the city toward the center top of the image.

Mummification is also known for ancient Egyptians. Just like the other river valley civilizations, the Indus
Egyptians who could afford to do so would have River valley people were mostly farmers. They did
themselves mummified. They believed in a better trade with Chinese and with Sumerians
afterlife if their body was preserved. The Egyptians (Mesopotamians). Trade was prosperous; copper and
took out all the internal organs, except the heart. lumber were the main exports. They traded with
When they removed them, the organs were put in Sumer, and similarities in art suggest the two cultures
canopic jars, that were put in the tomb with the mimicked each other’s best work.
mummy. They did not take out the heart because it
was believed to be the intelligence and emotion of the How might a prominent landowner, a leading official,
person. The Egyptians thought the brain had no a clan head, or a merchant make use of such a seal?
significant value, so they took it out through the nose. ➔ The seal might be used to mark ownership of
The body was packed and covered with natron (a salty trade goods destined for transport; or to
drying agent). After this the body was left represent a specific clan, a high official, or a
for 40-50 days. prominent individual.
➔ Other possibilities decoration, for financial or
Ancient India
commercial contracts, or as a symbol of
India is separated from other countries in Asia by authority.
Himalayas, the highest mountain range in the world.
Small gaps in this wall of mountains allowed people to
pass through and settle in places like Indus River
valley.

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What meaning might you attach to the use of polytheistic as well. Its three main gods are: Brahma
animals as totems or symbols of a particular group or (the Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver), and Shiva (the
individual? Destroyer). Hindus believe in a supreme God that is
present in everything called Brahma.
➔ Animals possess symbolic meanings in the
Indus Valley civilization. Hindu beliefs are found in the Upanishads, a
➔ Specific animals may have been associated collection of sacred texts and describe the Hindu
with specific professions, clans, or people. philosophy. Beliefs include Reincarnation, or the
➔ Animals may have been used as totems, and belief that, after death, the soul returns to Earth in
their inclusion on seals was designed to another body or form, in which Karma determines
protect or safeguard the item attached to the how the soul is reborn (good behaviour may lead to
seal. rebirth into a higher caste, bad behaviour is
➔ Animals provided a simple written language punished).

What specific features of this figure can you point Samsara is the wheel of rebirth which means the soul
out? is reborn from one life form to another. There is a
continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. People
➔ The specific features that stand out are its may be reincarnated at a higher or lower level of
headband, armband, and clothing pattern. existence depending on their karma from their
➔ The facial features of the figure are also present life. People may be reborn as plants or
pronounced, as is his beard. animals or they may be elevated to a higher caste as a
What possible indication of elite status can you human. Death is not final for Hindus as they expect to
identify? be reborn many times.

➔ The headband and armband may be signs of elite Each time a Hindu soul is born into a better life, it has
status. the opportunity to improve itself further, and get
➔ The pattern on his clothing may imply wealth and closer to ultimate liberation. This liberation is called
status. Moksha. One attains Moksha when one has
➔ His beard may also be a sign of elite status. "overcome ignorance", and no longer desires anything
at all. The ones who reach this state no longer
Around 2000 BCR the Indus valley farmers began to struggle with the cycle of life and death. The way to
abandon their land – maybe because of natural get to Moksha is to not create any karma. Three
disasters and invasions by nomads. Around 1500 BCE. paths to achieve Moksha: The path of duty, the path
Aryans moved in from Central Asia and mixed with of knowledge, and the path of devotion
the original inhabitants of the Indus Valley, creating a (unconditional surrender to God).
new culture that eventually spread into the Ganges,
located to the east. VARNA-SOCIAL STRUCTURE OR CLASSES

RELIGIONS IN THE INDUS RIVER ➢ Brahmans or Brahmins – the intellectuals and

the priestly class who perform religious rituals
Two major religions originated in India: Hinduism and ➢ Kshatriya (nobles or warriors) – who traditionally
Buddhism. had power
➢ Vaishya (commoners or merchants) – ordinary
HINDUISM
people who produce, farm, trade and earn a
Hinduism originated about 1500 BCE, the oldest living
religion in the world. It is blended of Aryan beliefs ➢ Shudras (workers) – who traditionally served the
with the cultures of the original settlers of India. higher classes, including laborers, artists,
According to Hindu beliefs, there is one prevailing musicians, and clerks
spiritual power that lives in everything. Hindus is

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➢ Dalit (untouchables) – at the bottom, people ➔ Hindus customarily invoke Shiva before the
considered them so impure their only work could beginning of any religious or spiritual endeavor;
be burying bodies or collecting trash. they believe that any bad vibrations in the
immediate vicinity of worship are eliminated by
CASTE SYSTEM: a social structure in which classes are
the mere utterance of his praise or name.
determined by birth right. Under the caste system.
There was no upward mobility; a person born to a If you led a perfect life, you would be freed from the
servant parent was stuck being a servant. A farmer cycle of death and rebirth and become one with the
couldn’t a warrior, and a warrior couldn’t become a Brahman, the spiritual center of the universe.
Brahman. No one asked what you wanted to be when Believers must obey their Dharma, a divine law of
you grew up, it was already determined by lineage. religious moral duties unique to each individual. Other
ways of unities with Brahman were through yoga,
HINDU TRINITY OF GODS which is widely popular today as a workout, but
Brahma (The Creator) according to Hindu beliefs, it is a form of exercise that
frees the soul.
➔ Brahma is the first member of the Hindu Trinity
and is “the Creator” NOTE: Don’t confuse these terms
➔ He periodically creates everything in the ➢ Brahmans - top of the caste system
universe. (The word periodically here refers to ➢ Brahma - a top deity; the creator
the Hindu belief that time is cyclical; everything ➢ Brahman - at the top of the universe
in the universe — except for Brahman and
certain Hindu scriptures — is created, maintained SACRED WRITINGS
for a certain amount of time, and then destroyed
in order to be renewed in ideal form again.) The Vedas collections of Sanskrit hymns (written
down 1200-900BCE but based on older oral versions).
Vishnu (The Maintainer Preserver) The oral traditions that had been handed down were
recorded in sacred books called Vedas, or “Books of
➔ Second member of the Hindu Trinity. Knowledge.”
➔ He maintains the order and harmony of the
universe, which is periodically created by Brahma The Upanishads which mean the inner or mystic
and periodically destroyed by Shiva to prepare teaching that were passed down from guru (teacher)
for the next creation. to disciple (student).
➔ Vishnu is worshipped in many forms and in
several avatars (incarnations). BUDDHISM
➔ Vishnu is an important, somewhat mysterious Buddhism appeared as a rival religion in the 6th
god. Less visible than nature gods that preside century BCE. Siddhartha Gautama, a young Hindu
over elements (such as fire and rain), prince living in the lap of luxury, left his palace one
➔ Vishnu is the pervader — the divine essence that day to see the devastation of the real world. In the
pervades the universe. He is usually worshipped foothills of Himalayas, he found sickness and poverty,
in the form of an avatar. sorrow, greed, love, and death. Siddhartha decided to
Shiva (The Destroyer) abandon his riches to seek the meaning of life and the
cure for human suffering. He’s the founder of
➔ Third member of the Hindu Trinity, Buddhism and became known as the Buddha, or
➔ Tasked with destroying the universe in order to “Enlightened One.”
prepare for its renewal at the end of each cycle
of time. Life of Buddha
➔ Shiva’s destructive power is regenerative: It’s the According to earliest sources for the life of Buddha
necessary step that makes renewal possible. date from the 2nd century AD. Siddhartha was born a

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prince around 623 BC in the sacred area of Lumbini
located in the Terai plains of southern Nepal. Grew up
surrounded by luxury, married a beautiful woman and Four Noble Truths
had a happy life. At age 16 he married the beautiful 1. Life is suffering (Dukkha) – our desires and
Princess Yashodhara. When the prince was 29, expectations do not conform to the reality of the
however, his life underwent a profound change. He world, which is in a constant state of flux
asked to be taken on a ride through the city in his (Anicca), so we experience Dukkha.
chariot. The king gave his permission but first had all 2. The origin of suffering is attachment – not only
the sick and old people removed from the route. He do we fail to know reality, but we mis-know it.
took a ride beyond the palace gates and saw a sick We attribute permanence to impermanence. The
man, an old man, a poor man, and a dead body. physical universe is constant change, but we
Disturbed, he left his family to find the “realm of life know it as permanent – change is the only thing
where there is no suffering nor death.” there is. Our ideas, the objects that surround us,
Siddhartha wandered for years and meet with Hindu and our perceptions, are all transient. Even our
Scholars, whose ideas didn’t answer his questions. He idea of “self” is a delusion since there is no
permanent self. Craving and clinging to these
fasted and meditated under a tree pondering the
mystery of life. Legend tells that during the night evil inevitably leads to suffering.
spirits tempted Gautama to give up meditating, but he 3. It is possible to end suffering in this life – Like
didn’t. After approaching but declining a mango tree, the moksha in Hinduism, nibbana can be realized
he chooses the fig tree (Ficus religiosa). The fig tree in life, through discipline and effort. Nibbana
became known as the bodhi tree because he reached means freedom from troubles, worries, ideas,
enlightenment (bodhi) after meditating beneath one and the annihilation of the illusion of the self
such tree for 49 days. After he rose, he believed he where one understands Dhamma – the Buddha’s
understood the cause and cure for suffering and teaching and becomes an arahant.
4. The path to cessation of suffering – The Middle
sorrow. He then became Buddha.
Way – is a path between the extremes of clinging
After forty-nine days of meditation Gautama Buddha and aversion, both expressions of attachment,
was awakened, otherwise known as reaching arriving at a state of complete equanimity. It is
enlightenment. After reaching enlightenment, under a achieved through the Eightfold Path.
tree in India, he promised to spread the knowledge he
just learned about how to end suffering. Eightfold Path

Teachings of Buddha ➢ Right views or understanding

➢ Right intentions
Siddhartha took up the Hindu practice of Meditation, ➢ Right speech
thinking deeply or focusing one’s mind on silence or ➢ Right conduct or action
with chanting, focusing his mind to reach a higher ➢ Right livelihood
level of awareness. Buddhists believe that he achieved ➢ Right effort
enlightenment and came to understand the meaning ➢ Right mindfulness
of life. Siddhartha spent the rest of his life spreading ➢ Right contemplation
his Four Noble Truths, which teach that all the
suffering in our lives will end when we stop trying to The Eightfold Path teaches that we must overcome
satisfy selfish goals, overcome the desire for material selfish desires for power and wealth and learn to be
objects, and begin to see others as extensions of wise that we may reach Nirvana: everlasting peace
ourselves. Siddhartha broke this idea down for his where the self ends and reunites Great World Soul.
followers in his Eightfold Path. Nirvana, union with the universe and release from the
cycle of reincarnation Buddhism stresses honesty,
charity, and kindness to all living creatures. He rejects
the Caste System. Nirvana is the state of final
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liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth. It is also
therefore the end of suffering. The literal meaning of
the word is "to extinguish," in the way that a fire goes SHANG DYNASTY
out when it runs out of fuel. What is it like? Is it like The Shang Dynasty built China’s first cities in about
heaven, or is it non-existence? The answer is not 1760 BCE. Dynasties passed down ruling power from
clear, Buddha only says it is “incomprehensible, oner generation to the next. During the Shang
indescribable, inconceivable, unutterable." After dynasty, bronze work and expert toolmaking
Siddhartha’s death, which was somewhere between flourished. Also during this time, the people invented
410 and 370 BCE, his followers continued to spread the first Chinese writing system. Farming was
his followers continued to spread his message, important but was under Aristocratic control: Farmers
building monasteries to promote his teachings. supplied food to their local nobleman in exchange for
Three Major Buddhist Traditions protection. These aristocrats relied on land for wealth
and passed this power on from generation to
➢ Theravada: 300 BC or earlier (“The Way of the generation.
Elders”) - Sri Lanka & Southeast Asia. Only
monks can reach Nirvana ZHOU DYNASTY
➢ Mahayana: 200 CE (“The Greater Vehicle”) - The Zhou Dynasty took control around 1050 BCE and
China, Korea, & Japan (& Tibet & Mongolia) ruled for nearly 1,000 years. The kings built forts and
Believe in angel-like beings, different gods and walls to defend their land against each other. Like the
saints, Nirvana is open to all. Shang, the Zhou kingdom was divided into territories
➢ Vajrayana: 800 CE (“The Way of the Diamond governed by officials. Those who owned the land that
Thunderbolt”) - Tibet & Mongolia, sect the peasants farmed kept a large share of the
containing the position of Lama (Guru) many harvested crops for themselves. These states fought
polytheistic gods each other for power in the period called the Warring
States (about 475 BCE – 221 BCE).
Ancient China
QIN OR CHIN DYNASTY
As in any other great early civilizations, the people of
ancient China formed, and they settled near major After about 500 years of fighting, the first emperor of
rivers in what would later become important cities. China, the Qin ruler Shi Huang Ti, gained control. He
More than 5,000 years ago, as in Egypt, Mesopotamia, began constructing the Great Wall of China, one of
and along the Indus River, Chinese civilization began the largest frontier defences in the world. It is longer
within a major river valley. Farming in China was than distance from New York to Australia.
primarily done in the valley of Huang Ho, or Yellow
River, and Yangtze. The colour yellow symbolized He gave himself the title Shi Haung-di which means
“centrality”, as in China is the center of the world. “first emperor.” He was the first ruler to unify all of
China. Rules and punishments the same in all parts of
Rice farming was especially important to the area. The the empire, he standardized the written language and
land was fertile though great monsoons, or seasonal also standardized the currency used in all of China.
winds causing heavy rain and floods, destroyed the New Roads (50 paces wide) faster movement of the
surrounding areas. military. Irrigation system updated – and parts are still
in use today. He is remembered for his building
Modern China itself is a huge geographical expanse.
programs including Great Wall of China and Terra
Around 4000 BC, this huge area contained an almost
Cotta Army (Over 8,000). He dies on his quest to “live
infinite number of ethnic groups and languages. This
forever” Mercury (“quicksilver”) – not a good thing!
history, in which a vast area populated by diverse
The wall was built by millions of poor Chinese
ethnic groups became, over time, a more or less single
workers; this led to uprisings by both the army and
culture, began in the valley.
the peasants after Shi Huang-di’s death.

7
During the Zhou and Shang periods, the Chinese made duty to respect the head of the family, an idea called
remarkable achievements in astronomy and bronze filial piety. Extended families lived together.
work, learned to make silk, and create books, and
developed a complex system of writing. There could be as many as five generation living
together, and maybe people from age one-to-one
HAN DYNASTY hundred! The early Chinese practiced ancestor
worship in homage, an expression of high regard;
The Hand Dynasty followed this rebellion, beginning respect, to their deceased family members.
around 206 BCE. The first Han emperor, Liu Bang,
started our as only a minor official whose parents had PHILOSOPHIES OF ANCIENT CHINESE
been peasants. Under his grandson Wudi’s rule, the
Confucianism
Great Wall and the army were strengthened. The Han
Dynasty began trading with the Western world Confucius was a famous Chinese teacher and
through the Silk Road, a trade route from China all the philosopher. Born in 551 BCE to a noble but poor
way to the Mediterranean Sea. The main Chinese family, he worked to pass on the forgotten teachings
export was silk, made from silkworms. Europeans of thinkers from an earlier age and to bring peace and
weren’t used to such smooth, soft material. stability to the people of China, starting with family
The Silk Road was not actually one road – it was more and friends.
of a 4,000-mile*long system of trade routes that Confucius’s moral standpoint was firmly rooted in
connected China to Europe, the Middle East. And Chinese convention and had at its heart the
North Africa. Travel was not safe on the Silk Road, traditional virtues of loyalty, duty, and respect. The
which could be home to bandits, murderers, and “gentleman” or “superior man,” whose virtue would
Mongol armies. Chinese silk was especially valuable in act as an example to others.
Rome, though, where wealthy Romans were proud to
show off the fine, smooth fabric. Aside from silk, Confucius Born poor, became scholar, (failed) local
Chinese merchants sold spices, tea, and jade in ruler, & teacher, he never wrote down ideas, yet his
exchange for gold, silver, glass, precious stones, ivory, students wrote his sayings in The Analects. Confucius
horses, elephants, and wool. Ideas were also spread was not concerned about a relationship with
by the Silk Road. God/spirits, but rather personal relationships and
order.
The Chine created the sailboat rudder, manufactured
steel, and made paper from wood pulp. They made Confucius believed that China was full of rude and
medicinal advances, like what became known as dishonest people. Feelings widespread around the
acupuncture (placing needles on various spots in the Warring States period. He believed that China needed
bosy to treat ailments – it doesn’t hurt!) They to change and wanted change to come from the
invented herbal medicines and also traded in spices, family and social harmony. Confucius becomes the
tea, and porcelain. most influential teacher in Chinese history.

The Mandate of Heaven: The rulers of ancient China GOLDEN RULE: “What you do not desire for yourself,
believed that they were destined to rule by a do not do to others”
mandate (command) from heaven. The king was
Confucianism holds that there are five human
considered the link between heaven and earth. He
relationships:
was expected to be virtuous and rule to please the
gods. Ancient Mandarin or Confucian scholars ➢ Ruler and ruled
influenced Chinese kings to honour mandate by taking ➢ Friend and friend
care of the people. ➢ Husband and wife
➢ Older sibling and younger sibling
Family came first in Chinese society; you were
➢ Father and son.
responsible to your family above all. You also had a
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Confucius taught that we should treat each other was crucial since they had a duty of loyalty both to
justly in all these relationships and that is our duty to their ruler and the people. They carried a high degree
be compassionate. His teachings were responsible for of responsibility, so it was essential that they be
a change in how government positions were granted recruited from the most able and educated
in the Han and Qin dynasties. Before, posts were candidates, and that anybody serving in public office
passed on to sons of powerful men; after, candidates should be of the highest moral character—a junzi.
(male only) were evaluated based on Merit, or
qualities, characteristics, or achievements. This is The role of these public servants was mainly advisory,
when civil service examination became prerequisite and ministers were not only expected to be well
to becoming a public servant. versed in the administration and structure of Chinese
society, but also to have a thorough knowledge of
SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND HARMONY history, politics, and diplomacy.

Fair, moral leaders are those which will bring order to However, this new class of civil servants also served
China. The King should lead all of China by example. an equally important function in preventing the ruler
Lower classes should learn better behaviour by from becoming despotic, because they showed loyalty
following the example set by the upper classes. to their superior, but also benevolence to their
inferiors.

The people, given a good example to follow and a

clear idea of what was expected of them, would
behave correctly, according to Confucius.

Confucius laid great emphasis on ceremonies and

rituals. The ceremonies and rituals allowed people to
manifest their devotion to those above them in the
hierarchy and their consideration toward those below
them. According to Confucius, these rituals were to
permeate the whole of society, from formal royal and
state ceremonies right down to everyday social
interactions, with participants meticulously observing
their respective roles.
At the top of Confucius’s hierarchy was the sovereign,
Taoism
who would unquestionably have inherited this status,
and in this respect. Just as the family provided a Taoism (or Daoism) is another philosophy developed
model for the relationships within society, the around the rime of Confucianism, in the 500s BCE. It is
traditional respect shown to parents (especially based on the writing of Lao-Tzu. Followers believe
fathers) extended also to ancestors, and this justified happiness comes from leading a balanced life in
the hereditary principle. Just as a father was harmony with nature, through living simple and
considered the head of the family, the state should selfless lives. Both Taoism and Confucianism are
naturally be ruled over by a father figure—the considered philosophies, rather than religions,
sovereign. because they examine human behaviour rather than
search for a divine meaning to the universe.
Ministers and advisors played an important role as
“middle men” between the sovereign and his Over time, Taoism grew into an organized religion.
subjects. They had a duty of loyalty to both parties. More writing, gods, and schools with different ideas
Confucius is advocating a class of scholars to act as were created. In today’s China, Buddhism and Taoism
ministers, advisors, and administrators to the ruler. are the two most popular religions in the country.
Their position between the sovereign and his subjects

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Daoists did not want government involved in people’s
lives. Don’t tell people how to act since they did not
want people interfering with nature or one another.
Government should be so good people do not realize
that it exists. War, for Daoists, is only for defence.

The yin and the yang is probably the most well-known

Taoist symbol in the modern world. Yin, the dark side,
represents shade, water, west, and the tiger. Yang,
the light side, is associated with light, fire, east, and
the dragon. Separately, Ying and Yang represent
opposing ideas, but together, their balance brings
harmony to the universe.

Legalism

It is founded by Hanz Feizi (Han Fei Tzu). Its main

philosophy is people were bad and needed to be
controlled. Shi Huang Di was a famous Legalist.
Legalists did not care about morals, and they only
respected authority. Only a political philosophy, not a
religion.

According to Han Feizi, people naturally acted to avoid

punishment and achieve personal gain. There should
be a system that emphasized the wellbeing of the
state over the rights of the individual, with strict laws
to punish undesirable behaviour – Legalism.
Administration of these laws was handled by the
ruler’s ministers, who in turn were subject to laws
that held them accountable, with punishments and
favours given by the ruler.

Legalism was very strict. Punishment was based on

how bad crime was. Offender, family, and neighbours
were all punished. Major goals were unity and
efficiency. Wanted trained officials (not nobles) in
control. Legalists wanted to expand China’s
boundaries and always be prepared for war.
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