ABSTRACT
The crisis of civilization to which the ethical reformers of the first millennium b.c. addressed themselves was resolved eventually by the formation of great empires that unified rival states under a single, centralized authority. Because they brought together the culture zones of entire civilizations, the new political entities may be termed universal empires. The existence of universal empires facilitated communication among civilizations by narrowing the distance between them and making secure trade and travel. The ideologies were reactions to crisis in the realm of values and ideas, while universal empires resulted from action on the level of military power and political organization. The period is 539 b.c. to the beginning of the Christian era. Within that time span the patterns will encompass three different universal empires, one in each of the principal culture areas of Asia. They are, the Achaemenid empire in West Asia, the Mauryan empire in South Asia, and the Ch'in-Former Han empire in East Asia.
