POST CLASSICAL PERIOD

600-1450 Cultural and

Trade change define this

Start fall period.
of classical
empires (Greece/Rome)
Spread of great world
religions
Rise of Islam
Mongols 1200-1400
China Post Classical period

PC THEMES
1. ISLAM rise of Arab Islam
becomes the first world class
civilization / superpower in
world history (before this the
best was probably India).

PC THEMES
2. Spread of great world
religions Buddhism,
Christianity, Islam (most
important in the numbers
affected).
All 3 religions spread across
cultural / political
boundaries
(missionaries,etc.)

Why convert to new

religions?

1. Decline of classical empires

more chaos, death rates
increase. ie. China
Buddhism created a decline
in secular thought.
2. Fervency of missionaries
3. Governments used
Christianity for power ie.

PC THEMES
3. Civilization spreads to other
areas and the number of
definable civilizations
increases.
Why? Disunity of
Mediterranean world.

7 Civilizations by
1.Expanded1450
East Asia
2.S. and S.E. Asia
3.W. Asia (Middle East and N.
Africa)
4.Sub Saharan Africa
5. Eastern Europe
6. Western Europe

PC THEMES
THEME 4. Development of
systematic interactions
between civilizations trade
contacts.
1000 dependable trade
routes regular product
exchange.
N to S and W to E routes

THEME 4 continued
Travel increases during this
period Ibn Battuta and Marco
Polo.
Americas: way behind /
random during this period
No disease contact
No technological contact
No animal exchange

Theme 5 Women good

and bad
Good: spread of world religions
Christianity/ Islam /
Buddhism men and women
share spiritual equality (ie.
Mohammad).
- Equality was not a belief
in Classical society framed
within a Patriarchal society.

Theme 5 Women good

and bad
Bad: Politically and
economically major
deterioration in the life of
women.
Veiling originally from
Mesopotamia
Sati
Footbinding (women as

What themes are NOT

present during this time
None of the period
above themes are
political hard to do that
during this period religion is
in control and politics not as
important.
- not many technological
developments.
- population growth only in

Religions of the Post

Classical that were not
Hinduism global
4th major religion
did not travel well outside of
India because it needed the
Caste System. Guptas favored
Hinduism within India making
it strong.
Daoism and Shintoism (Japan)
no missionary qualities.

Change and continuity

What changes in the Post
Classical in relation to the
Foundations / Classical
Period?
1. Islam and trade patterns

gains control of Mediterranean

trade (most change), some
change in India, least change
in China.

Change in China
Some Islam
Trade routes increase
(Song/Ming)
Buddhism
More urban society.

3 types of civilization
during the Post Classical
1. Most developed
Middle
period.
East, North Africa, India,
Byzantine Empire.

Classical past to build on

Most trade
Centralized politically
the developed world at this
point in time.

3 types of civilization
during the Post Classical
period.
2. Less developed
Japan, Russia,

W. Europe, E. Europe, SubSaharan Africa, S & E Asia

(India and China).
Some world trade less
processed goods.
More decentralized politically
not as large bureaucracies.
Active, self-concious imitators
of developed civilizations. (copy

Less developed,
continued

Copy technology, political

structure (this one fails they
dont do a good job of it).
What Western Europe copies
from Islam: Gothic arch was
Islamic arch, law, commercial
law, science and math, role of
reason (Averroes).

Least developed
Americas not part of the
global scene.
not in contact with world or
world religions.
- didnt matter until contact
occurred.
they had their own
achievements buth they werent