CHAPTER
SUMMARY
•The three great
classical civilizations of Rome, Han China,
and Gupta India collapsed or declined.
•All three suffered
from invasions by nomads from central
Asia who took advantage of internal imperial weaknesses.
•Rome also endured
Germanic incursions, and the western
portion of its empire lost more of its earlier achievements than other civilizations.
•The general collapse
forms a significant break in world history.
•Many components of the
classical achievement survived
the period of decline, and new forms appeared
as civilizations altered to meet changing conditions.