Era 3: Classical Traditions, Major Religions, Giant Empires (1000-300 BCE)

• Includes discussion of Zhou dynasty; Confucianism and Daoism; the establishment of the Qin and Han dynasties

• Demonstrate an understanding of how pastoral nomadic peoples of Central Asia began to play an important role in world history (the Xiongnu in the case of China).

• Demonstrate understanding of the how major religions and large-scale empires arose in the Mediterranean basin, China, and India, 500 BCE -300 CE, and of how China became unified under the early imperial dynasties: by assessing the contribution of the Zhou dynasty to the development of imperial rule and the concept of the mandate of Heaven; by describing the life and fundamental teaching of Confucius; by assessing the policies and achievements of the Qin emperor Shi Huangdi in establishing a unified imperial realm; by analyzing the political and ideological contributions of the Han dynasty to the development of the imperial bureaucratic state and the expansion of the empire.