Second-wave civilizations, Rome, Persia, Vietnam, China and the Gupta Empire all sought to expand their territory and make rules to better their state. The Romans fought the Punic Wars against Carthage and upon their victory they decided to take all the land that circumnavigated around the Mediterranean Sea for trade and travel to better their empire. Persia was the largest land empire; when Alexander the Great came in and conquered the empire, he expanded from Egypt and Anatolia to Mesopotamia and Bactria. In China, the military of 60,000 soldiers overtook the Vietnamese and the Chinese Empire expanded. In the Gupta Empire, the royal officers go on inspection every five years to make sure people are being peaceful and following the Dhamma…
In Document D, Persepolis, the Persian capital, has a palace where the emperor greets people. The architecture depicting a lion attacking a bull shows the might of the Persian Empire. Document E is a statue of Caesar Augustus, ruler of Rome during the Pax Romana when Rome was flourishing and there was relative unity and peace within the Roman Empire. The territory acquired by the Roman Empire is depicted in the map of Document G; it shows the expansion of the Roman Empire around the Mediterranean for trade and travel which would provide resources to build the empire. Document J and Document E share similarities because they both illustrate the relative peace of empires; in Document E, the Pax Romana was in effect during Caesar Augustus’s rule while in Ashoka’s Rock Edicts, Document J, there are royal officers who inspect and maintain order in the Gupta Empire every five years, making sure the people are being peaceful to one another and practicing the Beloved-of-the-Gods Dhamma practice which unifies the people. Document I depicts a map of China under the Han and Qin Dynasty and on the map on imperial roads and the Silk Road where the Chinese could put their silk, jade and porcelain in a wheelbarrow and transport it to trade for other resources for their empire. In Document H, Aelius Aristides…
