Empires, Colonialism, Imperialism, Decolonization, and Globalization 600 BCE to 600 CE - AP World History: Modern

The Byzantine Empire evolved from the Eastern half of the Roman Empire. When Rome fell, Byzantium continued on for several centuries before falling. Dynastic Egypt, The Aztec Empire, and the Maurya Empire are not geographically accurate, while the Ottoman Empire came after the Byzantines.

The Western Roman Empire completely fell to Germanic peoples in the 5th century CE. The Eastern Roman Empire was able to survive and maintain its hold on the eastern territories through the end of the 6th century. The 'Byzantine Empire' was a later Medieval term for the Eastern Roman Empire.

The primary objectives of the late-classical Byzantine rulers Justinian and Theodora were to restore the territorial integrity of the old Roman Empire, while also reforming the empire from within. The conquest of Africa, conquest of Italy, construction of the Hagia Sofia, and establishment of the Justinian law code are some of the many accomplishments of the two rulers that reigned during the mid-6th century CE.

The unification of China under the Qin dynasty was largely one of military domination. The Qin legal code had very harsh punishments for even minor transgressions, flouting Confucian and local traditions, and they did not ingratiate themselves with local elites. Although successful in unifying many disparate warring states, the harshness of Qin rule, and the preponderance of military solutions to societal problems, led to rebellion and civil war. Within 15 years the Qin state had collapsed.

After the turbulent transition from republic to empire, and the installation of the Emperor, Augustus issued a series of reforms that brought peace to the newly expanded empire. These included a census, wide-spread employment, and a postal service.

The fall of Rome is the result of many factors, however, Christianity had little to do with the fall. The Byzantine Empire remained staunchly Christian after the Western Empire fell, and Christianity gained popularity throughout Western Europe through the turbulent times and dark ages that followed the collapse of the Roman Empire

Egypt was an Empire that lasted for thousands of years. In fact, Cleopatra, the last Pharaoh of Egypt, lived closer to our time than when the Pyramids were built.

Although Ancient Egypt was conquered by certain outside groups for centuries, as with the Hyksos invasion, Egypt was always able to reassert its independence eventually, and Egyptian culture maintained even throughout foreign invasions.

Although some specific pharaohs of Egypt ruled for only short amounts of time, decades or less, ancient Egypt itself was one of the longest lasting civilizations and empires in history.

In the 4th and 5th centuries, the Roman empire faced increasing unrest. Factionalism among the elites, as well as attacks from abroad, caused many wealthy Romans to bury their silver for safekeeping.

Though Germanic tribes were increasingly aggressive in their attacks on Roman garrisons, the Italian peninsula, and even Rome itself, they had little interested in burying the silver they worked so hard to procure.

Germanic tribes had no traditions of burying their dead enemies with their luxuries, rather they had every intention of keeping their enemies' luxuries as spoils of war.

Silver was never theorized to cause disease.

Roman religious worship never included the burial of silver; silver from that period was buried for rational reasons.

Marcus Aurelius is considered a beneficent leader, in part, because he attempted to outlaw gladiator games; finding the violence grotesque and wasteful, but when the empire was threatened by revolt he put them down by force and kept the empire united.

All wars in Roman history were considered defensive wars by their own people.

"The Meditations" was only published long after Aurelius died; he had no intention of ever publishing it, serially or otherwise.

Slavery was an important part of the Roman economy, Marcus Aurelius did not outlaw slavery.

Marcus Aurelius did not return far-flung provinces of the empire over to self-rule.

As Rome expanded around the Mediterranean and declared itself an empire, the amount of time the average citizen had to spend in the army increased dramatically.

Originally, Rome had a fighting season between the end of winter and the harvest, and Roman soldiers fought near to home. With the birth of the empire, Roman citizens could be away from home for years at a time, traveling around much of the known world.

Throughout thousands of years of history, from small kingdom, to emerging republic, to gigantic empire, Rome adopted many styles of fighting, from a Greek style phalanx to a more maneuverable maniple system.

Rome built a navy, but it was never as good at naval combat than fighting on land.

Rome granted citizenship to important families who allied with them, and periodically certain emperors would grant citizenship to whole groups and tribes, usually in hopes of filling the ranks of the Roman army.

Hattusa was the capital city of the Hittite empire in what is today central Turkey.

One of the first capitals of Mayan civilization was El Mirador.

The Babylonian empire's capital was Babylon itself.

Over 3000 years of self-rule, the Egyptian empire had different capital cities, most notably Memphis; Hattusa was not a capital under the Egyptian empire.

The eastern Roman empire was centered in Constantinople, what is today officially Istanbul.

The Hellenistic Empire is the name given to the massive territory conquered by Alexander the Great in the fourth century B.C.E. Alexander, ruler of the Macedonian Kingdom, conquered much of the known world from Egypt all the way to the Indian subcontinent. But, after his death, his conquests were divided between the surviving generals of his campaign. This divided territory is collectively called the Hellenistic Empire.

The Frankish Empire was founded in 496 CE by Clovis I. It emerged shortly after the downfall of the Roman Empire and filled the power vacuum in Western Europe throughout the early Medieval period.

After driving the Hyksos out of Egypt the era of the New Kingdom began. This period of Egyptian history is marked by a series of military conquests as ambitious and powerful Pharaohs stretched their dominion east, all the way to the Euphrates River. This is the period of powerful and famous Pharaohs like Hatshepsut and Ramesses II.

Alexander the Great lived from 356 BCE until 323 BCE. In this relatively short amount of time he conquered one of the largest land empires in human history - stretching from Greece and Egypt in the west all the way to India in the east. Alexander the Great was the leader of the Macedonian Empire, Macedonia is a region that borders Greece to the north.

Following the untimely death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C.E. his massive empire was divided between his most powerful generals. The Seleucid Empire was one such Hellenistic state that was established by Seleucus I Nicator in 312 B.C.E. The Seleucid Empire ruled over much of the former Persian Empire - stretching from Mesopotamia to India.

Alexandria was once the capital of Ptolemaic Egypt - it was the capital of Egypt during its Hellenistic period from approximately 300 BCE until 30 BCE Alexandria was a global centre of learning and commerce and contained the famous Library of Alexandria.

Augustus Caesar was one of the most accomplished and esteemed rulers (and emperors) in the history of Rome. He expanded Roman territory in Iberia, Germany, southeastern Europe, North Africa, and the near-east. He did not, however, conquer the British Isles. The Roman conquest of Britain was completed in waves, beginning with Emperor Claudius in 43 C.E. and completed with the construction of Hadrian's Wall in the second century C.E.

The Persian Royal Road was built during the fifth century B.C.E. under the orders of the Persian Emperor Darius I. The road was constructed to allow Darius to better administer his vast empire, to encourage trade and facilitate the movement of armies from one part of the empire to another.