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600 BCE - 600 CE Second-Wave Civilizations

Ancient Persia

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Ancient Persia
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The Rise of Persia
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Zoroastrianism
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Cyrus the Great and the Achaemenid Empire
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Lesson summary: Ancient Persia
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Classical Greece

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Classical Greece
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Classical Greek Society and Culture
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Classical Greek society
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Classical Greek culture
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The Greek polis
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Philosophy: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle
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Greco Persian Wars
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Second Persian Invasion
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The Peloponnesian War
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Lesson summary: Classical Greece
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The rise and fall of empires

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Alexander the Great takes power
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Alexander the Great
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Alexander the Great conquers Persia
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Comparison: Rise of empires
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Diadochi and the Hellenistic Period
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Hellenism's influence
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Comparison: Fall of empires
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Comparing the rise and fall of empires
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Lesson summary: the rise and fall of empires
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Focus on state-building: EmpiresGet 3 of 4 questions to level up!
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Ancient Rome

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An Overview of Ancient Rome
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Roman social and political structures
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The Roman Republic
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Exchange between Rome, Carthage, and the Phoenicians
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Rise of Julius Caesar
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Caesar, Cleopatra and the Ides of March
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Augustus and the Roman Empire
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The Roman Empire
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Fall of the Roman Empire
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Lesson summary: Ancient Rome
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Ancient and Imperial China

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Zhou, Qin and Han Dynasties
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Rise of Chinese dynasties
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Confucius and the Hundred Schools of Thought
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The Philosophers of the Warring States
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Lesson summary: Ancient and Imperial China
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Early Judaism

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Early Judaism, part 1
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Early Judaism, part 2
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Judaism develops
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Lesson summary: Early Judaism
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Early Christianity

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Early Christianity
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The spread of Christianity
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Christianity in the Roman Empire
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Christianity in the Roman Empire
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The Council of Nicaea
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Lesson summary: Early Christianity
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Quiz 1

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Early Americas

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Pre-contact Americas
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Pre-contact Americas
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The Olmec
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Andean and Chavín civilizations
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Mayan civilization
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Chavin, Nazca, Moche, Huari and Tiwanaku civilizations
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Lesson summary: Early Americas
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Empires in India

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The rise of empires in India
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Gupta Dynasty
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The Maurya and Gupta Empires
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Lesson summary: Empires in India
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Early Hinduism

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The Vedic Period
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Hinduism: core ideas of Brahman, Atman, Samsara and Moksha.
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The history of Hinduism
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Hindu gods overview
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Hindu scripture overview
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Varnas and the Caste System
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Bhakti movement
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Lesson summary: Early Hinduism
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Early Buddhism

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Early Buddhism
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Core spiritual ideas of Buddhism
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Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism
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Buddhism: context and comparison
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The history of Buddhism
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Lesson summary: Early Buddhism
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Syncretism

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Cultural Syncretism in Central Asia
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Syncretism
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Women and families

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Comparative roles of women in Rome and Han China
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Women and families in classical society
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Transregional trade: the Silk Road

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The Silk Road
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The Silk Road
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About this unit

This period lays the foundation for much of civilization as we know it today. The classical Greeks lay the cultural foundation for Western civilization. The Achaemenid Persians under Cyrus unify much of the Middle East and Egypt. Alexander the Great unifies Greece with Persia. Later, the Roman Empire dominates the Mediterranean and Europe.
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