1. REVIEW FOR THE
UNIT 2 TEST
Persia
Ancient Greece
Alexander the Great
Ancient Rome
2. Greece’s lack of natural resources and location
on the Mediterranean Sea encouraged
Greek trade with neighboring societies
The Greeks were skilled sailors,
which linked the various Greek
states with neighboring countries
3. Mountains covered about 75% of Greece; these
barriers divided the Greek people into separate
mountain valleys and made unifying Greece
nearly impossible
4. The Greek
people were
divided into
independent
city-states
(called polis)
within each
valley and its
surrounding
mountains
5. Greek city-states had an agora (a
massive marketplace) that was the
center for trade and government
City-states had an acropolis, a
temple on a hill dedicated to one
of the sacred gods or goddesses
6. Differences Among Greek City-States
Some polis like Athens had a
direct democracy, a
government ruled by citizens
who vote on decisions
7. GREEK DEMOCRACY
The foundation of
America’s democratic
republic began with
Athens’ direct democracy
Athenian citizens
participated in
government decisions
by voting
Ancient
Greek ballots
8. Athenian society focused on wealth & culture
Philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
questioned assumptions, quested for knowledge,
and used logic to find answers to questions
9. The Greek cultural
contributions
(especially from
Athens) to
philosophy, art,
entertainment,
literature,
architecture,
science, education,
and democracy
formed the
foundation of
Western civilization
10. GREEK PHILOSOPHY
Aristotle was a student of
Plato and became a brilliant
teacher of the sciences
Aristotle created the basis
for the scientific method:
every truth is followed by
other logical truth
Together with the work of
Socrates and Plato,
Aristotle’s work provided a
basis of Western civilization
11. The society of Sparta
focused on military
strength, not
freedom, art, and
learning (like Athens)
13. King Darius’ army was defeated by several
Greek city-states when some Greeks living in
the Persian Empire’s territory revolted
Persia’s next king, Xerxes, never forgot this
defeat and decided to teach Greece a lesson; he
led his massive forces in an invasion of Greece
14. The war between
Sparta and Athens
was called the
Peloponnesian War
(named after the
southern part of
Greece, where Sparta
was located)
Sparta won, but the
war left all of Greece
weakened
15. In 338 B.C.E., King Philip II of Macedonia attacked and
conquered the Greeks, but he was assassinated soon
after this (possibly arranged by his wife)
16. King Alexander of Macedonia
Alexander was only
20 years old when he
became king
The well-educated
Alexander was just as
ambitious as he was
brilliant at military
strategy
Once he cemented
his power, he began
to expand his empire
17. Alexander set his
sights on the Persian
Empire and began his
attack by conquering
Egypt; Egyptians
viewed Alexander as a
liberator, freeing them
from the Persians
18. In 331 B.C., Alexander
attacked and defeated the
mighty Persian army led
by King Darius III
Alexander destroyed
the Persian capital of
Persepolis
19. When Alexander died without an heir,
his empire was divided among his top
generals, who fought each other
Alexander's empire was the largest of the
Classical Era, but it was short-lived (only
13 years) and was never fully unified
20. Alexander brought Greek colonists and culture to
Persia and parts of Asia, blending the cultures
together; this created a new culture called Hellenism
The term “Hellenism” comes from the sun goddess
Helen, which the Greeks thought themselves the
children of; they called Greek culture “Hellenism”
21. Alexandria in Egypt was the most significant of
these cities and best represented Hellenism
(the spread and blending of Greek culture)
Alexandria became the center for Hellenistic culture
and trade for the Mediterranean world
22. The Culture of Ancient Rome
Roman religion was
polytheistic and based on
the Greek gods (usually only
the names changed)
23. Roman Language
Roman conquest spread their language, Latin, through
much of Europe; over time, different regions in Europe
developed their own languages based in Latin
Languages
based in
Latin are
known as
the
Romance
languages
24. The Culture of Ancient Rome
Like Greek agoras, Roman cities had a forum
for markets and public gatherings
25. Ancient Roman Society
Roman society was divided into three major groups
At the top were the nobles (called patricians);
they controlled most of the land and held key
military and government positions
26. Ancient Roman Society
Most Roman people were commoners
(called plebeians); they were farmers,
shopkeepers, or peasants
27. The Government of Ancient Rome
A republic is a
form of
government in
which citizens
have the power
to elect their
leaders
28. The Government of Ancient Rome
In 451 BCE, government
officials wrote down
Rome’s laws onto the
Twelve Tables, which
were hung in the forum
for all citizens to see
The Twelve Tables were
based on the idea that
all citizens of Rome had
a right to the protection
of the law
29. The Roman Army was made up of full-time
professional soldiers; the highly organized command
structure ensured that legions could be rapidly
deployed against the enemy
30. Advances in military technology (such as
catapults) enabled the professional Roman
soldiers to not only defend the Romans’
territory, but to expand it
31. With Carthage’s
defeat, the Romans
were then the most
dominant power in
the Mediterranean,
carving out an
enormous empire
THE PUNIC WARS
32. JULIUS CAESAR
From the turmoil
within the Roman
Republic, a new
political leader
emerged: a general
named Julius Caesar
33. Julius Caesar partnered
with two other Roman
politicians to take control
of Rome (they formed a
triumvirate)
Julius was extremely
popular with the Roman
people, due to his great
military victories
Determined to fix the problems
of the Roman Republic, he
reduced the Senate’s power,
named himself dictator-for-life,
and forced enactment of his
reform programs
34. Fearing that he was becoming too
powerful, members of the Roman
Senate conspired to assassinate Caesar
35. FROM ROMAN REPUBLIC TO
ROMAN EMPIRE
Julius Caesar’s death changed Rome; the
people no longer trusted the Senate to
rule the Roman Republic
36. FROM ROMAN REPUBLIC TO
ROMAN EMPIRE
Octavian exacted revenge
on the Senators who
assassinated Julius
Octavian soon became
undisputed ruler of Rome,
renaming himself
Augustus Caesar
“Augustus” means “exalted
one”; Julius Caesar’s last
name became the title for
“emperor”
37. FROM ROMAN REPUBLIC TO
ROMAN EMPIRE
Augustus did away with the
Senators’ power, eventually
ending the representative
government of Rome and
becoming Rome’s first emperor
The Senate still met, but
the emperor had all of
the real power
38. THE PAX ROMANA
Pax Romana
Augustus’ 41 year reign marked the beginning
of a 207-year era of peace, wealth, and
expansion called “Pax Romana” (the “Roman
Peace”) from 27 BCE to 180 CE
The Empire
was over 3
million square
miles in size
and contained
about 80
million people
39. ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION
Rome’s location on the
Mediterranean Sea allowed for
trade and cultural diffusion
(blending of cultures) with other
people and nations
40. ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION
Through the cultural diffusion, the Romans were able to
borrow the best ideas from other civilizations (especially the
Greeks) and improve upon them
41. Roman Engineering: Roads
At first, the roads were built to move soldiers quickly,
but eventually the roads served many people for
many purposes, especially as trade routes
42. Roman Engineering: Aqueducts
One of the Romans’ greatest engineering feats was
channeling water to their cities throughout the Empire
Roman engineers built the aqueducts to move the cold,
clear water from springs to towns; sometimes they would
be up to 250 miles long
43. The Roman Calendar
This new
calendar (called
the “Julian
Calendar” after
Julius Caesar)
had 365 days
and one extra
day every
fourth year
July was named
after Julius
because it
included his
birthday
44. Roman Government
They elected a
Senate, made up of
300 men, that
made laws; they
also elected two
consuls, men who
commanded the
army and ran the
day-to-day affairs
of Rome
46. The Influence of the Greeks and Romans
The influence that the Greeks and later on
the Romans had on Western civilization
cannot be overstated
Many facets of modern American life can be
traced back to the innovations of the Greeks
and Romans: things like government, language,
religion, law, education, entertainment,
literature, art, mathematics, astronomy,
engineering, science, buildings, customs,
traditions, sports, philosophy and medicine all
can trace their roots back to Greece and Rome
47. Rome would have a wide
range of different
emperors over the years
ROMAN EMPERORS:
THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE UGLY
48. In 63 BCE, the Romans conquered the Hebrew
kingdom of Judea and allowed “Romanized
Jews” (who showed respect to Roman gods and
obeyed Roman laws) to govern Judea
But, the Jews were monotheistic
and many refused to pay respect
to the Roman gods
49. Many Hebrews began to resist
Roman rule; they believed that
God would send the Messiah to
restore the kingdom to the Jews
50. Jesus did good
works, performed
miracles, and
delivered his
religious teachings
Jesus preached a
religion based on the
Jewish belief in a single
God (monotheism)
52. In the year 29 CE, Jesus was arrested on
charges of blasphemy against the Jewish
religion and defying Roman authority
53. Christianity spread quickly due to roads,
numerous trade routes, and common language
throughout the Roman Empire; the peaceful
time of Pax Romana made travel safe for those
spreading Jesus’ teachings
54. Persecution of Jews and Christians
Christians and Jews were persecuted by the Romans;
many were crucified, exiled, or killed during gladiator
events (such as by being fed to lions)
55. ORGANIZATION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Teachings that the Christians believed in (Jesus’
teachings as well as some of Judaism) were
collected into one official text called the Bible
56. CHRISTIANITY BECOMES RECOGNIZED
Despite Roman efforts to
suppress it, Christianity
spread throughout the
Roman Empire and
gained popularity
In the year 312 CE,
Emperor Constantine
made Christianity legal
after recognizing that the
Christian religion was
becoming the dominant
one in his empire
57. The Decline of the Roman Empire
The decline and fall of the Roman Empire
happened gradually, in three stages
FIRST STAGE: internal problems with politics, the
economy, and the military began an era of decline
SECOND STAGE: there was a brief period of revival as
Emperors Diocletian and Constantine enacted
reforms; however, some of these reforms would help
bring about the Empire’s end
THIRD STAGE: repeated invasions by Germanic
“barbarian” tribes would lead to the conquest of
Rome, bringing the Roman Empire to an end
59. Rome’s Internal Problems
ECONOMIC
The government
raised taxes and
minted new coins
which led to inflation
The economic decline
left many Romans
very poor
Rome had a trade
imbalance (they
bought more than
they produced)
60. Rome’s Internal Problems
MILITARY
The Roman military was
growing ineffective due to
poor leadership: generals
had their own interests
and were challenging the
authority of the emperors
62. Byzantium, the new capital
Rome, the old capital
Byzantium was perfectly
located to be the center of
trade between East and West
Given its location on the Bosporus Strait, the city was
also in a more easily defensible position from
Northern invaders than Rome was
63. The Fall of the Roman Empire
A marauding
barbarian tribe from
Central Asia called
the Huns began the
invasions
The Huns swept into
Northern Europe,
conquering all in
their path
64. The Fall of the Roman Empire
To avoid the Huns, the Germanic tribes moved south into the
Western Roman Empire’s territory; the Germans attacked and
eventually conquered the Western Roman Empire
Geography Shapes Greek Life
The Sea The sea shaped Greek civilization just as rivers shaped the ancient civilizations of Egypt, the Fertile Crescent, India, and China. In one sense, the Greeks did not live on a land but around a sea. Greeks rarely had to travel more than 85 miles to reach the coastline. The Aegean Sea, the Ionian Sea, and the neighboring Black Sea were important transportation routes for the Greek people. These seaways linked most parts of Greece. As the Greeks became skilled sailors, sea travel connected Greece with other societies. Sea travel and trade were also important because Greece lacked natural resources, such as timber, precious metals, and usable farmland.
The Land Rugged mountains covered about three-fourths of ancient Greece. The mountain chains ran mainly from northwest to southeast along the Balkan Peninsula. Mountains divided the land into a number of different regions. This significantly influenced Greek political life. Instead of a single government, the Greeks developed small, independent communities within each little valley and its surrounding mountains. Most Greeks gave their loyalty to these local communities. In ancient times, the uneven terrain also made land transportation difficult. Of the few roads that existed, most were little more than dirt paths. It often took travelers several days to complete a journey that might take a few hours today. Much of the land itself was stony, and only a small part of it was arable, or suitable for farming. Tiny but fertile valleys covered about one-fourth of Greece. The small streams that watered these valleys were not suitable for large-scale irrigation projects. With so little fertile farmland or fresh water for irrigation, Greece was never able to support a large population. Historians estimate that no more than a few million people lived in ancient Greece at any given time. Even this small population could not expect the land to support a life of luxury. A desire for more living space, grassland for raising livestock, and adequate farmland may have been factors that motivated the Greeks to seek new sites for colonies
Geography Shapes Greek Life
The Land Rugged mountains covered about three-fourths of ancient Greece. The mountain chains ran mainly from northwest to southeast along the Balkan Peninsula. Mountains divided the land into a number of different regions. This significantly influenced Greek political life. Instead of a single government, the Greeks developed small, independent communities within each little valley and its surrounding mountains. Most Greeks gave their loyalty to these local communities. In ancient times, the uneven terrain also made land transportation difficult. Of the few roads that existed, most were little more than dirt paths. It often took travelers several days to complete a journey that might take a few hours today. Much of the land itself was stony, and only a small part of it was arable, or suitable for farming. Tiny but fertile valleys covered about one-fourth of Greece. The small streams that watered these valleys were not suitable for large-scale irrigation projects. With so little fertile farmland or fresh water for irrigation, Greece was never able to support a large population. Historians estimate that no more than a few million people lived in ancient Greece at any given time. Even this small population could not expect the land to support a life of luxury. A desire for more living space, grassland for raising livestock, and adequate farmland may have been factors that motivated the Greeks to seek new sites for colonies
Geography Shapes Greek Life
The Land Rugged mountains covered about three-fourths of ancient Greece. The mountain chains ran mainly from northwest to southeast along the Balkan Peninsula. Mountains divided the land into a number of different regions. This significantly influenced Greek political life. Instead of a single government, the Greeks developed small, independent communities within each little valley and its surrounding mountains. Most Greeks gave their loyalty to these local communities. In ancient times, the uneven terrain also made land transportation difficult. Of the few roads that existed, most were little more than dirt paths. It often took travelers several days to complete a journey that might take a few hours today. Much of the land itself was stony, and only a small part of it was arable, or suitable for farming. Tiny but fertile valleys covered about one-fourth of Greece. The small streams that watered these valleys were not suitable for large-scale irrigation projects. With so little fertile farmland or fresh water for irrigation, Greece was never able to support a large population. Historians estimate that no more than a few million people lived in ancient Greece at any given time. Even this small population could not expect the land to support a life of luxury. A desire for more living space, grassland for raising livestock, and adequate farmland may have been factors that motivated the Greeks to seek new sites for colonies
Most Greek city-states had an agora that was the center for trade & government
the gods
Spartan Daily Life From around 600 until 371 B.C., Sparta had the most powerful army in Greece. However, the Spartan people paid a high price for their military supremacy. All forms of individual expression were discouraged. As a result, Spartans did not value the arts, literature, or other artistic and intellectual pursuits. Spartans valued duty, strength, and discipline over freedom, individuality, beauty, and learning. Since men were expected to serve in the army until the age of 60, their daily life centered on military training. Boys left home when they were 7 and moved into army barracks, where they stayed until they reached the age of 30. They spent their days marching, exercising, and fighting. They undertook these activities in all weathers, wearing only light tunics and no shoes. At night, they slept without blankets on hard benches. Their daily diet consisted of little more than a bowl of coarse black porridge. Those who were not satisfied were encouraged to steal food. Such training produced tough, resourceful soldiers. Spartan girls also led hardy lives. They received some military training, and they also ran, wrestled, and played sports. Like boys, girls were taught to put service to Sparta above everything—even love of family. A legend says that Spartan women told husbands and sons going to war to “come back with your shield or on it.” As adults, Spartan women had considerable freedom, especially in running the family estates when their husbands were on active military service. Such freedom surprised men from other Greek city-states. This was particularly true of Athens, where women were expected to remain out of sight and quietly raise children.
Paul’s Mission One man, the apostle Paul, had enormous influence on Christianity’s development. Paul was a Jew who had never met Jesus and at first was an enemy of Christianity. While traveling to Damascus in Syria, he reportedly had a vision of Christ. He spent the rest of his life spreading and interpreting
Christ’s teachings. The Pax Romana, which made travel and the exchange of ideas fairly safe, provided the ideal conditions for Christianity to spread. Common languages—Latin and Greek—allowed the message to be easily understood. Paul wrote influential letters, called Epistles, to groups of believers. In his teaching, Paul stressed that Jesus was the son of God who died for people’s sins. He also declared that Christianity should welcome all converts, Jew or Gentile (non-Jew). It was this universality that enabled Christianity to become more than just a local religion.
By the third century A.D., the Roman military was also in disarray. Over time, Roman soldiers in general had become less disciplined and loyal. They gave their allegiance not to Rome but to their commanders, who fought among themselves for the throne. To defend against the increasing threats to the empire, the government began to recruit mercenaries, foreign soldiers who fought for money. While mercenaries would accept lower pay than Romans, they felt little sense of loyalty to the empire. Feelings of loyalty eventually weakened among average citizens as well. In the past, Romans cared so deeply about their republic that they willingly sacrificed their lives for it. Conditions in the later centuries of the empire caused citizens to lose their sense of patriotism. They became indifferent to the empire’s fate.
Constantine Moves the Capital
Constantine gained control of the western part of the empire in A.D. 312 and continued many of the social and economic policies of Diocletian. In 324 Constantine also secured control of the East, thus restoring the concept of a single ruler. In A.D. 330, Constantine took a step that would have great consequence for the empire. He moved the capital from Rome to the Greek city of Byzantium (bih•ZAN•tshee•uhm), in what is now Turkey. The new capital stood on the Bosporus Strait, strategically located for trade and defense purposes on a crossroads between West and East. With Byzantium as its capital, the center of power in the empire shifted from Rome to the east. Soon the new capital stood protected by massive walls and filled with imperial buildings modeled after those in Rome. The city eventually took a new name—Constantinople, or the city of Constantine. After Constantine’s death, the empire would again be divided. The East would survive; the West would fall
