Persia, Byzantium and the Rise of Russia

Chapter 9

Persia, Byzantium and the Rise of Russia

• POLITICS AND LAW – Why might a monarchy and an aristocracy be essential features of a particular society?

• RELIGION – Why might an empire try to promote certain religions?

• CROSS-CULTURAL INTERACTIONS – Why might a society adopt elements of a nearby culture?

• Read pages 220 – 221.

Sassanid Persia

• On an internet news site find a story that takes place in one of the following countries: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan or Pakistan.

• Locate the location of your story on the map on the next slide.

Sassanid Persia

• What countries in today’s world were part of Sassanid Persia? Use the map on page 224. Then read pages 222 – 228.

• What were the origins of the Sassanid Empire, and what territory did it ultimately cover?

• What important modern city stands on the approximate site of the old Sassanid capital city of Ctesiphon?

Sassanid Persia

• Look at the map on page 224. Locate main areas of military conflict between Sassanid and their neighbors.

• What outside military threats did the Sussanids have to confront?

• What internal challenges or disputes did Sussanid kings deal with?

• Who was Khosrow I and how was he important as a Sussanid emperor?

Sassanid Persia

• The Mazdak reform movement horrified the wealthy because it threatened to upset the strict class system. In Sussanid society there was strict separation between the wealthy aristocrats and the masses of ordinary people. The classes were not suppose to associate with each other, share entertainment with each other or intermarry.

Sassanid Persia

• How did this class system shape the role Sussanid kings were expected to play?

• The Sussanid rulers used religion to impose their royal authority.

• Read the feature on Avesta on page 226.

• How did Sussanid rulers use religion to maintain royal authority?

Sassanid Persia

• Today the countries that are in the area of the Sussanid dynasty are Muslim rather than Zoroastrian.

• What caused the Sassanids to decline and lose their empire to newer powers?

The Byzantine Empire

• Look at the map on page 231. Compare it to the two maps at the right.

• Why is Constantinople’s geographic location important?

• Watch the United Steaming video Constantinople: Capital of the Byzantine Empire.

The Byzantine Empire

• Read pages 229 – 230. Since the Roman Empire is said to have fallen in the 400s, how did the eastern part of the empire stay powerful for another 1,000 years?

• Return to the map on page 231. What areas of the old Roman Empire were never brought into the Byzantine Empire?

• Why did Byzantine emperors stop trying to restore the Roman Empire?

The Byzantine Empire

• Divide into partners. On the internet go to http://dictionary.reference.com/ and look up the meanings for the word autocracy, theocracy, and aristocracy.

• Read pages 231 – 233. Using this information create a graphic organizer that will convey the nature of Byzantine society.

• What were Byzantine contributions in law, art and architecture?

• Watch the United Streaming video: The Roman empire continues in Byzantium in New Ways

The Byzantine Empire

• Read pages 233 – 236. Don’t skip the History through the Arts section.

• How was the Orthodox Church governed?

• How did the iconoclast movement help split the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church?

The Byzantine Empire

• The split with Rome helped make Byzantium more Greek and for a time increased the emperor’s authority.

• Identify the achievements during the Macedonian “golden age”.

The Rise of Russia

• Why do countries engage in war?

• Read page 220 in your textbook.

• What were objectives of the Rus and the Byzantines in early warfare with each other?

The Rise of Russia

• Look at the map on page 238 - 240.

• Read page 237 also.

• Who were the Rus?

• What are some reasons a Rus-Byzantine alliance was developed?

• What could Kievan Russia and the Byzantine Empire gain from a peaceful alliance?

The Rise of Russia

• What advantages did the Byzantines see in establishing Christianity among the Rus?

• Vladimir carefully shopped for the appropriate religion.

• What were the long-term consequences of Vladimir’s adoption of the Orthodox Christianity of the Byzantines?

The Rise of Russia

• During the reign of Vladimir, how did the “bridge” of religion help carry Byzantine influences into Russian culture?

The Rise of Russia

• In small groups develop a list of ways in which Byzantine culture continued to influence Kievan Russia during the reign of Yarslav the Wise.

Persia, Byzantium and the Rise of Russia

• POLITICS AND LAW – Why might a monarchy and an aristocracy be essential features of a particular society?

• RELIGION – Why might an empire try to promote certain religions?

• CROSS-CULTURAL INTERACTIONS – Why might a society adopt elements of a nearby culture?