Three Major Civilizations Fall In Afro-Eurasia

Over millennia, the first empires declined because of warfare, but due to increased trade, new empires rose to take their place. Other events in the world allowed these empires to flourish. These events took place for thousands of years. (revise introduction)

By 550 C.E. three major civilizations fell in Afro-Eurasia. These civilizations were some of the largest powers in the world. There were a few reasons that these major civilizations fell. The first of which is that, unlike today, there was no stable system of choosing a new leader. In Rome, this was the case. Many military generals would lead their armies and fight each other. When a general gained power, they usually were not able to hold it for very long. Another reason for decline

Because of this, they left their farms in search of higher-paying jobs. In the city, there were not enough jobs left for the peasants, and because they were no longer working on farms, the price of food skyrocketed. Spending too much on defence was a common way for great empires to fall. Other empires that spent too much were the Han dynasty, and the Gupta Empire. The Han Dynasty had a young emperor overthrown, then factions in the government fought for power. In addition to this internal conflict, nomadic tribes were attack as well. Similarly, the Gupta Empire faced the White Huns in the northwest. They too spent way too much on defence and drained their resources. When the invaders returned after being repelled, they easily overthrew the empire. Another factor was disease. This factor only added onto the devastation

One of the biggest factor was the increase in trade networks. There were several flourishing in the area. The largest was the silk road, connecting Asia with Africa and the Mediterranean. Even though the fall of Rome disrupted trade routes in Europe, Vikings began to revive trade. They did so by expanding their territory along river and sea routes. They traded many goods including lumber, salt, glass, animals, and furs. In addition to trading goods, the vast movement also granted the ability for people to share their religions. As many religions spread, they became world religions. These religions include Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. However, the spread of these religions increased tension in the holy lands, east of the Mediterranean. The Catholic church had to start the Crusades after Muslims took control of the holy lands. The increase in trade networks helped empires to grow. The increase trade also allowed for the sharing of knowledge. The Muslim empire now had a way to share its discoveries about algebra. New technologies such as navigation, papermaking, and printing were also spread throughout the world. The idea of using Arabic numerals was also spread throughout Europe, and more practical than using Roman numerals. Even though many good things were brought through the expanded trade networks, there was a negative. Because so many people were moving from area to area, they spread