Classical Greece and Ancient Rome

How did geography shape Greek life? Seas served as transportation routes and linked

most parts of Greece As the Greeks became skilled sailors, their

contact with outside societies increased, thereby increasing trade

Mountains covered ¾ of Ancient Greece Divided the land into many different regions

Greeks developed many different governments Gave loyalty to local communities

Uneven terrain made transportation difficult Greece had a varied climate

Many outdoor social events

How did Mycenaean Civilization develop? Located in southern

Greece Well-fortified city Sometime after 1500

BC, Mycenaean’s came into contact with Minoans Learned the importance

of sea trade Adopted Minoan writing

system Decorated vases with

Minoan designs

What was the Trojan War? 1200 BC Ten year war against

Troy Legend says that Greek

army destroyed Troy because a Trojan prince kidnapped Helen, the beautiful wife of the Greek king

Many historians did not believe the war occurred, but archaeological digs suggest that it did

What happened to Greek culture under the Dorians? Dominated Greece after

the collapse of Mycenaean civilization

Economy collapsed, trade stopped and Greeks temporarily lost the art of writing

During this time, the Greeks developed a rich set of myths about their Gods Sought to understand the

mysteries of nature through these myths

How were Greek city-states ruled?

Many different forms of governmentMonarchy: King

Aristocracy: Rich

Oligarchy: Rule by a few powerful people

Athenian Democracy Democracy: Rule by the

people First democratic reforms

under Draco-all people were equal under the law

Solon made more far-reaching reforms, followed by the reforms of Cleisthenes

The early democracy was limited, as only a small number of Athenian citizens could participate in the political process

Sparta Builds a Military State Located in the Southern part of Greece To protect their land, Sparta became a military state Government was organized into several branches All forms of individual expression were discouraged Spartans valued duty, strength and discipline over

freedom individuality and beauty Boys left home and began training for the military

at age 7 Men served until they were 60 Women also were trained to serve in the military

and put service to Sparta above all else

What were the Persian wars? Between Greece and Persia Although greatly outnumbered, the Greeks

won many early battles due to their order and discipline

Ten years later, another Persian ruler sent forces to crush Athens

At this time, the Greeks were greatly divided, however their expert military training allowed them to conquer the troops sent by Xerxes

Eventually they drove the Persians from the territories surrounding Greece and ended the threat for future attack

Pericles’ Plan for Athens Led much of Athens during the “Golden Age” Three Goals:

Strengthen Athenian Democracy Increased the number of salaried public officials Even poorest citizens could serve the empire Introduced direct democracy

Hold and strengthen the empire Made Athenian navy the strongest in the Mediterranean

Glorify Athens Beautified Athens Bought Gold, marble and ivory Paid architects, artists and workers

Greek Art and Architecture The Parthenon

Constructed in traditional Greek Style

23,000 square feet Honored Athena, the

goddess of wisdom and protector of Athens

Greek Sculptures Aimed to create figures

that were graceful, strong, and perfectly formed

Faces showed serenity Values of harmony, order,

balance and proportion were standard to classical art.

Greek Drama and History Drama

Tragedy Serious drama about

common themes such as love, hate, war or betrayal

Main character=Tragic Hero Tragic Flaw: Hero’s downfall

Comedy Scenes filled with slapstick

situations and crude humor

History Herodotus

Greek who pioneered the accurate reporting of events

Peloponnesian War

Sparta Athens

Strong Army Located inland, not

easily attacked by sea

Were eventually able to overwhelm the Athenians

Victors in the war

Strong Navy Plague swept

through city during second year of war Killed 1/3 of

population Continued to fight

Major Greek Philosophers Socrates

No absolute standards for truth and justice Encouraged students to examine their beliefs

Plato Student of Socrates Set forth a vision for a perfectly governed society

Citizens fall naturally into three groups: Farmers and artisans, warriors and the ruling class

Aristotle Student of Plato Questioned the nature of the world and of human belief,

thought and knowledge Argued according to rules of logic His work provides the basis to the scientific method

How did Macedonia come to power? Just north of Greece 359 BC Phillip II became

king of Macedonia Organized the military that

was then used to conquer Greece

Greece was defeated in Battle of Chearonea

Phillip was stabbed to death at his daughter’s wedding, and his son Alexander, later known as Alexander the Great became the new Macedonian leader

Conquests of Alexander Persia

Raised army of 35,000 Went on the offensive Smashed the Persian defenses

Egypt Seen as a liberator and crowned pharaoh

Other Conquests Within a short time, his armies also controlled

Babylon, Susa and Persepolis Fought battles in India, but was never able to

conquer

What is Hellenistic Culture?

Blend of Egyptian, Persian and Indian Influences

Result of Alexander’s conquests

Alexandria became the center of Hellenistic culture

The Origins of Rome

Built on seven rolling hills at a curve on the Tiber River in Italy

Earliest settlers arrived in prehistoric times

Latins built the original settlement at Rome

Greeks later built settlements near the city

The Early Republic Around 500 BC Romans decided that they would

never again be ruled by a king Established a Republic, a form of government in

which power rests with citizens who have the right to vote for their leaders

Voting rights were granted only to free-born male citizens

Patricians(wealthy, landowners) and Plebeians(commoners) struggled for power

Patricians and their senate had most of the power, but tribunes were formed to represent the Plebeians

Two officials, called consuls, served as the executive branch of government

How did Roman power spread? By 265 BC, Romans were masters of nearly all

of Italy There were different laws for each conquered

territory As long as they supplied troops for the Roman

army, Rome was friendly to those they conquered

These new allies and soldiers helped Rome grow to a lasting empire, far beyond Italy

Roman merchants also thrived as an accessible trade network linked Rome to other areas in the Mediterranean

The Punic Wars 264 BC Between Rome and Carthage Fought three wars, over several years First

For control of Sicily and western Mediterranean Lasted 23 years Carthage defeated

Second Mastermind was Hannibal from Carthage Wanted to avenge Carthage Assembled large army and sought to surprise Romans Inflicted great losses on the Romans, but Rome was able to hold

strong Third

Roman general Scipio led attack 202 BC Romans defeated Hannibal Burned Carthage

What caused the collapse of the Roman Republic? Economic Turmoil

Gap between rich and poor grew wider Eventually led to a period of Civil War between the two groups

Military Upheaval Generals began seizing greater power for themselves Promised land and money to soldiers who remained loyal to

them Now possible for one leader to take control of empire

Julius Caesar Took control with Crassus, a wealthy Roman and Pompey, a

popular general Dominated Rome as a triumvirate (group of three leaders) Later they disbanded and begin to fight one another Eventually Caesar would gain control 44 BC he was declared emperor for lfe

Caesar’s Reforms

Granted citizenship to many

Expanded the Senate

Created jobs

Increased pay for soldiers

The Peak of Roman Power 27 BC to 180 AD Known as Pax Romana-Roman Peace Efficient government and able rulers Agriculture was most important industry Rome also had a vast trading network, both by

sea and land Complex system of roads

Enslaved conquered people Very similar to colonial system of slavery

Early Romans worshipped Gods and Goddesses Government and religion were linkied

The Life and Teachings of Jesus Born in Bethlehem in Judea Raised in Nazareth (Northern Palestine) Baptized by John the Baptist Carpenter At 30, Jesus began his public ministry Most of what we know about Jesus comes from

the Gospels Growing popularity worried Roman and Jewish

leaders Was crucified

Jesus’ birth, life and death gave rise to Christianity

Christianity Spreads After the death of Jesus,

Christianity spread Many Christians were

persecuted by the Romans, because they refused to worship the Roman Gods

312 AD: Roman emperor Constantine announced an end to the persecution of the Christians in Rome

Early Christian Church: Pope Bishop Priests

Roman Crisis Economy

Entered period of inflation

Harvests were meager because soil lost fertility

War had destroyed other farmland

Military Soldiers less disciplined

and loyal Government recruited

mercenaries from other countries, who felt little loyalty to empire

Reform in Rome 284 AD Diocletian

became new emperor Ruled with iron fist Restored order and

increased strength of empire

Divided the empire into sections, to make it easier to govern

His reforms were in vain, because after his death, Civil War began

Fall of the Western Roman Empire

Took place over several years Germanic invasions began as people

attempted to escape the Huns Western empire could not field and army to

stop them & Rome was plundered Soon, the Huns became a direct threat

United under Attila Terrorized Western and Eastern Empire

The Legacy of Rome Arts

Sculpture Mosaics Painting

Literature Similar to Greek literature Myths

Language Latin

Architecture Arch Dome Aqueducts Roads