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Although Rome dominates Europe and Asia Minor, it is not the only advanced
civilisation or empire of its day. Some of the others, such as those in
the Americas, are unknown to the Romans. Trade, however, has brought Rome
into contact with many far-flung places.
The Silk Road
One of the most important trading routes of the ancient world, crossing
central Asia and linking Asia Minor and Europe with China, the Silk Road
gets its name from the supplies of silk (in which China has a monopoly)
that travel along it. A variety of other goods are also traded on the
route, while adventurous travellers have been known to explore it for
its own sake. The Silk Road is also the route by which new ideas travel
across central Asia and China – as with the spread of Buddhism (see
below), which reaches China around the same time that Christianity
is spreading through the Roman empire.
China
China is the world's most populous country during the period of the
Roman empire, with a population estimated at around 60 million. (Italy
has about six million inhabitants at the height of the empire – see
The basics.) It is also, perhaps, the most sophisticated:
there are even examinations to make sure that applicants are knowledgeable
enough for employment in the civil service.
Empires meet
The reign of Pan Ch'ao as emperor of China (AD 74-94) sees the
Chinese extending their empire deep into central Asia. China's borders
now meet those of the Kushan people, who have taken control of northern
India, and those of the Parthian empire – the Romans' enemy
– further west.
Invention of paper
In AD 105, the eunuch Tsai Lun makes an invention that will revolutionise
world history. He devises a technique for using substances such as bark,
hemp and cloth to produce thin, flexible white sheets for writing. Its
resemblance to Egyptian papyrus eventually gives us its modern name of
'paper'.
Han dynasty falls
In AD 220, the emperor Han Xiendi is forced to abdicate by the
army, ending 400 years of rule by the Han dynasty. China is carved up
into three parts; the period that follows is known as San Kuo, or the
Three Kingdoms.
Imperial capital sacked
It is not just in Europe that massive movements of 'barbarian'
peoples are breaching the borders of empire. In AD 311, the Xiongnu, (Tartar)
barbarians from the north, sack the imperial capital, Loyang.
The rise of Buddhism
Buddhism is based on the teachings of the former Nepalese prince Gautama
Siddhartha (560-480 BC) who, at about the time of the founding of Rome,
becomes the 'enlightened one', or Buddha. It remains a largely regional
faith until it is adopted by the Indian emperor Asoka (262-239 BC), who
dispatches Buddhist missionaries throughout India and South-east Asia.
However, by about AD 400, Buddhism begins to lose ground to Hinduism,
which has been the traditional religion of India for more than 2,500 years.
At around the same time that the great fire
destroys a large proportion of Rome, Buddhism is rising in China. Its
concepts of the afterlife gradually come to compete with the social ethics
and moral teaching of K'ung Fu Tzu (better known as Confucius). But it
is not until after the collapse of the Han dynasty that it makes its greatest
strides – it becomes the state religion in AD 379.
Confucianism also spreads, reaching Japan at the end of the 3rd century
AD. It continues to shape Chinese government, social organisation and
individual conduct for 2,000 years.
India's 'classical period'
The Kushan people, a nomadic tribe, establish a dynasty with control
over northern India from about AD 78 to 200. What will become known as
India's 'classical period' begins later, however, around the end of the
3rd century AD. This sees an astonishing flowering of the classical Hindu
tradition, expressed in poetry, drama, temple architecture, philosophy
and new forms of devotional worship. The Gupta dynasty takes power in
northern India from AD 320.
One of the results of the classical period is the Kama Sutra,
produced by the Hindu holy man Vatsayana Mallagana in about AD 300. As
well as being an encyclopaedia of sexuality, the book is underpinned by
Hindu philosophy, which sees sexuality as a fundamental aspect of human
existence.
Teotihuacán: 'City of the gods'
Palaces, pyramids, temples and a two-mile-long 'high street' form
the heart of the city of Teotihuacán, in what is now Mexico. Founded
in about 300 BC – at about the same time that Rome and Carthage are
waging the First Punic War – the city is by far and away the biggest
in the Americas. By the end of the 2nd century AD, it is estimated to
have around 100,000 inhabitants, and controls an empire stretching far
to the south.
Mayan city states
By about AD 300, Mayan civilisation is flourishing throughout Central
America. Organised into a system of city states with a powerful priesthood,
they have an advanced agriculture and have devised an alphabet made up
of symbols and pictures. Their cities also produce outstanding architecture,
including temples, pyramids and obelisks, which will lead to later comparisons
with ancient Egypt. The Maya have a sophisticated understanding of astronomy
and have a calendar of 365 days divided into 52 weeks.
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