9th Grade

Subject: Global History and Geography I

Unit 4: Ancient Eastern World and World Religions
Content Framework:
9.3a: Geographic factors encouraged and hindered a states/empires expansion and interactions.
9.3b: Empires used belief systems, systems of law, forms of government, military forces, and social
hierarchies to consolidate and expand power.
9.3c: A period of peace, prosperity, and cultural achievements can be designated as a Golden Age.
9.3d: Political, socioeconomic, and environmental issues, external conflicts, and nomadic invasions led
to the decline and fall of Classical empires.
9.4b: New technologies facilitated and improved interregional travel during this era by allowing people
to traverse previously prohibitive physical landscapes and waterways.
9.4c: Interregional travelers, traders, missionaries, and nomads carried products and natural resources,
and brought with them enslaved people and ideas that led to cultural diffusion.
9.4d: Control of transregional trade and economic growth contributed to the emergence and expansion of
political states.
9.5c: Periods of stability and prosperity enabled cultural, technological, and scientific achievements and
innovations that built on or blended with available knowledge, and often led to cultural diffusion.
Compelling Question:
How did areas become involved in being globally connected and how has it continued today?
Content Outline:
The First Chinese Empires (221 BC- 220 AD)
Section 1: Schools of Thought in Ancient China
Confucianism- the system of political and ethical ideas formulated by the Chinese philosopher
Confucius toward the end of the Zhou dynasty; it was intended to help restore order to a society that was
in a state of confusion.
Confucius was seen as the First Teacher to the Chinese
2 elements: Duty and Humanity
o Duty Five Constant Relationships
o Humanitycompassion and empathy towards others
Daoism- a system of ideas based on the teachings of Laozi; teachers that the will of Heaven is best
followed through inaction so that nature is allowed to take its course
o The best way to act in harmony with the universal order is not to interfere with the natural order
Legalism-a popular philosophy developed in China toward the end of the Zhou dynasty; it proposes that
human beings are evil by nature and can be brought to the correct path only by harsh laws
o Humans are evil by nature
o A strong ruler is needed to create an orderly society
Section 2: The Qin Unify China
From 400-221 BC China experienced a blood civil war
Powerful states fought one another
Qin Shihuangdi
Ruler of Qin Dynasty

Name means First Qin Emperor

Created a single monetary system and ordered the building of a system of roads
Reduced the power of the landed aristocrats by dividing their estates among the peasants
He eliminated possible rivals and gained tax revenues for the central government
Extended Chinas border to the Red River- in present day Vietnam

Emperors Army
Emperor left behind digging wells
Pit contained a vast army made out of terra-cotta (clay)
The Great Wall
Qin emperors major foreign concern was the north
Nomadic people lived in the north
Constructed walls to keep out nomads
Politics of the Qin Dynasty
Legalism was adopted as the official ideology of the regime
Those who opposed the policies of the new regime were punished or even executed
Central bureaucracy- divided into three divisions: civil division, military division, and the censorate.
Two levels of administration: provinces and countries
Section 3: The Han Dynasty
Liu Pang took title Han Gaozu- Exalted Emperor of Han
Political Structures:
First Han emperor had expressed his desire to discard the harsh policies of the Qin dynasty.
Abandoned the use of cruel and unusual punishment that was used under Legalism.
Confucian teachings were used
Han rulers kept system of local government that divided the empire into provinces and countries.
Han rulers continued the Qin system of choosing government officials on the basis of merit rather than
birth
Civil service examination
Population increased
Expanded the Chinese Empire
Society in the Han Empire
Peasants suffered
Land taxes on land-owning farmers were light- had to do military service
Increased importance of family structure
Technology and Culture
Textile manufacturing, water mills for grinding grain, iron casting
Cultural achievements
Fall of the Han Empire
Weak rulers
Power of central government began to decline

Official corruption and the concentration of land in the hands of the wealthy led to widespread peasant
unrest
China went into civil war
Indias First Empires

Section 1: Origins of Hindu India

Social Class in Ancient India
Life in ancient India centered on the family
The Four Varnas
Aryans believed that society was divided into four varnas or social groups
Brahmins- religious
Kshatriyas- warriors
Vaisyas- commoners (merchants and farmers)
Sudras- peasants and servants
Caste System
In this system, every Indian was believed to be born into a caste, a social group defined by occupation
and family lineage
Caste determined what jobs people could have, whom they could marry, and what groups they could
socialize with
Lowest level of Indian society- Untouchables
Hinduism
Aryan people in 1500 BC
Vedas- collections of hymns and religious ceremonies
Single force- Brahman
Duty of individual to seek to know ultimate reality
Practiced yoga
Three chief gods: Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer
Hindu temples
Principles of Hinduism
Reincarnation
Karma
Dharma
Section 2: Buddhism
Siddhartha Gautama
Buddhism appeared in northern India in the 6th century
Rival of Hinduism
Founder- Siddhartha Gautama, Buddha- Enlightened One
Principles of Buddhism
Physical surroundings were illusions

Pain, poverty, and sorrow that afflict human beings is caused by their attachment to the things of this
world
Nirvana
Four Noble Truths:
o Ordinary life is full of suffering
o This suffering is caused by our desire to satisfy ourselves
o The way to end suffering is to end desire for selfish goals and to see others as extensions of
ourselves
o The way to end desire is to follow the Middle Path
Middle Path

Section 3: The Mauryans and the Guptas

Three New Empires
1. Persians- extended their empire into western India
2. Greeks
3. Macedonians
The Mauryan Empire
New Indian state founded by Candragupta Maurya
Ruled from 324- 301 BC
Highly centralized empire
Asoka- grandson of Candragupta
The Kushan Empire
Current day Afghanistan
Began by nomadic warriors
Silk Road
The Empire of the Guptas
Kushan kingdom came to an end in the third century- invaded by Persians
Local prince- Candra Gupta
Guptas created a golden age of Indian culture
Serves as a model of excellence and has lasting value and relevance
Engaged in trade with China, Southeast Asia, and the Mediterranean and also encouraged trade in cloth,
salt, and iron
Cities famous for temples
Indian Accomplishments
Literature
o Vedas
o Mahabharata
o Bhagavad Gita
o Ramayana
o The Cloud Messenger
Architecture
o Pillar
o Stupa

o Rock chamber
o Burial mounds
Science and Mathematics
o Astronomy
o Aryabhata- most famous mathematician of the Gupta Empire
o Introduced the concept of zero

Content: Ancient China

Essential Questions:
How did geographical features impact the development of the Chinese civilizations?
Examine the beliefs of Confucianism, Legalism, and Daoism.
Analyze the impact the Silk Road had on Chinas society and economy.
Describe how the accomplishments of Classical China impacted Silk Road trade.
Student Objectives:
Students will be able to determine how geography impacted the Chinese civilizations.
Students will be able to examine the teachings of Confucianism, Legalism, and Daoism.
Students will be able to explain the impact the Silk Road had on China.
Enduring Understanding:
Silk Road
Ethnocentrism
Middle Kingdom
Confucianism
Daoism
Legalism
Qin Shihuangdi
Wu Di
Qin Dynasty
Han Dynasty
Process:
Students will develop historical thinking skills through the use of: student generate timelines, graphic
organizers, and the reading of primary and secondary sources.
Metacognitive Question:
How did trade on the Silk Road evolve into the trading we know today?
Content: India
Essential Questions:
What legacy did the empires of classical India leave behind?
Examine ways in which several belief systems began.
How did geographical features impact India?
Analyze the achievements of classical India.
Student Objectives:

Students will be able to explain the achievements of Classical India.

Students will be able to discuss the beliefs systems that began in India.

Enduing Understanding:
Hinduism
Nirvana
Caste System
Eightfold Path
Urban planning
Irrigation
Cultural diffusion
Process:
Students will develop historical thinking skills through the use of: student generate timelines, graphic
organizers, and the reading of primary and secondary sources.
Metacognitive Question:
How have the belief systems that developed in India evolve throughout time?
Assessment:
Students will have formative and summative assessments based on the New York State Standards and
Common Core Standards.
Common Core Standards:
RH.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary
describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
RH.9-10.7: Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g. charts, research data) with qualitative
analysis in print or digital text.
RH.9-10.8: Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the authors claims.
WHST.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events,
scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.
WHST.9-10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.