What was the state of the empires that dominated southwestern Asia during the seventh century C.E.? What challenges had they faced during the previous century?
What will be an ideal response?
A. Challenges to empires in the sixth century
1. Ethiopian control of southern Arabia probably faltered because of an environmental crisis in the 530s
a. Twice during the Ethiopian occupation, the great dam at Marib broke
b. losses of irrigation water were so traumatic that they became a major theme for poets' laments
2. Plague played a part in the collapse of states of southern Arabia
a. drove migrants northward
3. Massive earthquake in 530
a. massive volcanic eruption in Indonesia caused major ecological devastation across the region
b. new conditions suited some disease-bearing microorganisms
1. plague-bearing bacillus ravaged Constantinople
2. disease that resembled smallpox devastated Japan
3. Mesoamerican graves contain evidence of a severe decline in health
4. war band refugees from the Eurasian steppes spilled into Europe
4. sixth century marked a low point for empires
a. reformers, with varying fortunes, could launch revivals of endangered traditions and rally weakened states
B. State of empires in the seventh century
1. India
a. Harsha, king of Thanesar, tried to fill in the political fissures and reconstruct an empire
b. devoted his exceptionally long reign of 41 years to reunifying most of the Ganges Basin
2. China
a. rise of the Tang dynasty and strengthening of Chinese empire
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What will be an ideal response?
Which of the following agricultural products grew well in Italy and provided goods for Rome to export?
a. grain b. rice c. citrus fruits d. olive oil e. beans
Among the earliest societies in the world, the Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, Indians, Japanese, Polynesians, Hindus, Tibetans, and Native Americans all practiced forms of manipulation for thousands of years. A Greek physician wrote over 70 books on healing and was a proponent of spinal manipulation. He is quoted on our campus with the statement, "Get knowledge of the spine for it is the requisite for many diseases." Who is this Greek physician who lived from 460 to 377 BC?
a) Plato b) Aristotle c) Hippocrates d) Aeschylus
What is NOT one of the ways in which New Englanders differed from their counterparts in the Chesapeake?
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