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Unit 4: Empires and Belief Systems

600 BCE to 700 CE

The rise of new empires and the emergence and spread of portable belief systems introduced a new level of complexity into human societies. Often, belief systems and empires helped each other spread to new places.

Lesson 4.1

Empires and Belief Systems
As empires expanded, they connected distant societies and carried ideas across continents. Explore how the rise of portable belief systems transformed lives and reshaped cultures around the world.

Portable Belief Systems

Lesson 4.2

Comparing Portable Belief Systems
From Hinduism and Buddhism to Christianity and Islam, religions transformed societies as they spread to new places. What common ideas did these portable belief systems share—and how did they differ?

Lesson 4.3

How Do Religions Grow and Change?
Beliefs and ideas spread along long-distance trade routes, thanks to merchants, armies, and religious missionaries. As beliefs spread, some religions blended with local cultures and took on new traditions.

The Growth of Empires

Lesson 4.4

Comparing Ancient Empires
Empires rise and fall. Dive into a selection of the ancient world’s great empires, comparing what made them unique and identifying similarities in what caused their growth and collapse.

Comparing the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty

Lesson 4.5

Rome and Han China
Learn about the transition of Rome from republic to empire and examine how the Han Dynasty first seized and later lost the Mandate of Heaven.

Lesson 4.6

Women in the Ancient World
Though separated by thousands of miles, the Roman and Han Empires shared key similarities. Explore the roles and rights of women in these two powerful ancient civilizations.