Question

Describ the economic
and social condition of the people living in rural areas from c.600 BCE to 600CE

Answer 1

Most classical states and empires had patriarchal societies with rigid social stratification

In patriarchal societies, women often had to submit to their fathers, husbands, and sometimes sons

They rarely had control over property or the dowries they brought to marriage

Often upper-class women were educated in writing, reading, and the arts, in order to make proper marriages (such as in China or Greece)

Social structures typically placed educated scholars or priests at the top, with servants or slaves at the bottom of the social pyramid

China's highest class was the scholar-gentry, landlord families who could afford to prepare for and take the civil service examinations for jobs in government

Rome eventually placed wealthy merchants and landowners near the top of the social pyramid as the empire's wealth increased

India had the most rigid social structure, or caste system. People were born into castes, which determined their jobs, diets, and marriage, and they could not move to different castes

Several empires also had large slave populations, acquired through war, trade, or the justice system

Rome had the largest population of slavesâ1/3 of the overall population by the second century CE; they were employed as domestic servants or workers on country estates

Economic Aspects

The creation of roads and other communication networks often contributed to an empire's economic growth

Rome constructed 60,000 miles of roads throughout its empire, which connected disparate regions for trade and created markets for goods produced in other regions of the empire. A uniform currency and shared language further facilitated trade

The Persian Empire used a network of roads, including the 1,677-mile Royal Road, for communication and trade within the empire

Under Ashoka (Mauryan Empire), India's agricultural expansion contributed to a rise in towns, which encouraged trade

Several empires took part in the Silk Road overland trade, which facilitated the exchange of ideas and goods

Several empires explored sea trade networks, such as Greece (via the Mediterranean) and India (via the Indian Ocean)

Answer 2

Explanation:

• Exogamy was practised. This means that women were married outside the kin.

• People were classified in terms of gotras. Women gave up their father’s gotra upon marriage and adopted that of their husband’s. Answer

Following were the conditions of the people living in rural areas from c. 600 BCE to 600 CE:

SOCIAL CONDITIONS

• The society was patriarchal in nature with rigid social stratification. This meant that only sons could claim the resources of their fathers when the latter died.

• Women had to submit to their fathers, husbands and sons. They do not have the right to own property. They only possessed the dowry that they brought to the marriage.