Ancient Greece

Geography Mountainous Peninsula Rugged Terrain – difficult transportation & communication. Excellent harbors – thriving trade.

Government At first, Monarchy = government headed by a king. Aristocracy = small, privileged upper class who ruled the government. Later, Democracy = government by the citizens. Direct Democracy = all citizens have the right to vote in the assembly. Did ALL citizens really have the right to vote? No! Not aliens, slaves, or women.

Leaders Greek City-States were often at war. Peloponnesian Wars = dominant city states fought Athens because they resented their success/power. Sparta ended up defeating Athens. (431 B.C. – 404 B.C.) Pericles = leader of Athens at it’s peak. Alexander the Great = World Conqueror of Macedonia. Created Hellenistic Civilization = blend of Greek, Roman, and other ancient civilizations.

Two Great City-States: Enemies Athens Sparta Larger Population Direct Democracy Assembly open to all Strong Navy Democratic Lifestyle Military isn’t that strong Smaller Population Oligarchy (small group of people running area) Assembly open to few Strong Army Militaristic Lifestyle Educated Militarily *Both powerful city-states. *Both promoted athletics. *Both had assembly and council.

Achievements Socrates = Philosopher Developed Socratic Method = question and answer technique, examines beliefs using reason. Parthenon = temple of Athena in Athens. Shows elegance in architecture. Tragedy = plays that focused on the suffering of a major character and usually ended in disaster.

Video Clip The Parthenon

Ancient Rome

Republic in Red

Roman Republic 509 B.C. Romans overthrew Etruscan rulers and set up their own government. Republic = government in which citizens have the right to vote for their leaders. Republic lasted 500 years. Two Groups of people: Patricians & Plebeians. Patricians = wealthy landowners who controlled the government. Plebeians = common citizens. Majority of Population.

Conflict Ancient Rome was often at war. Other civilizations were envious of Rome. Rome also wanted to expand their territory. Punic Wars = when Rome defeated Carthage, thus gaining power in the western and later, eastern Mediterranean. Greco-Roman Civilization = Rome took the civilizations they conquered and blended their traditions with those of Rome.

Empire Expansion in Gold

Peace Pax Romana = 200 years of Roman peace and prosperity. (27 BCE – 180 BCE) Efficient, stable governments Powerful navy and army Grew in wealth and power Population of Rome reached 1 million Trade and Commerce flourished Rome = international city

Leaders Julius Caesar is the Greatest Roman Republic leader. (49 B.C.) Why? Restored order Made Reforms Extended Roman Citizenship to many Redistributed land to the poor Roman Republic ended when he was assassinated. Roman Empire begins when Augustus starts ruling. Created a strong, stable government.

Leaders Diocletian ruled after Augustus. Introduced reforms to restore order & solve basic economic problems. Divided the empire into the eastern and western roman empires. Constantine ruled after Augustus. Continued Diocletian’s policies. Moved the capital to Constantinople.

Divided Empire

Roman Advancement Sculptures – more realistic portraits Mosaics = pictures formed from chips of colored stone. Use of Columns and Arches Invented the dome – roof formed by round arches Learned how to mix Concrete Built aqueducts = canal like stone structures that tunneled through mountains and spanned valleys. Built strong roads and bridges New style of writing – art of persuading an audience **Major architectural structure = Colosseum (amphitheater)

Colosseum

Law Changes Innocent until proven guilty Judges base decisions only on evidence presented in court Supposed to have a fair trial. Punishments less severe than under republic

Christianity in Rome Before Jesus, Romans were polytheistic = believed in many gods. When Jesus was born, many thought Jesus was the Messiah = savior chosen by God. Jewish and Roman authorities thought Jesus was a troublemaker and didn’t like the attention he drew. Jesus condemned to death by crucifixion. Jesus taught how to show kindness to others using parables = short stories with simple moral lesson. Many persecuted Christians because Romans didn’t like that Christians didn’t worship the emperor. Christians died as martyrs = people who suffer or die for their beliefs. By 395 AD Christianity becomes official religion of Roman Empire and Edict of Milan is issued (called for toleration of Christianity)

Roman Empire Declines Costly to govern Taxes increased Cut back size of army due to cost = weakened defense Always fear of invasion. (Germanic & Hun) Economy suffered Imported more than exported New coins issued (gold and lead) – devalued coins Prices rose Inflation = increase in money supply followed by an increase in prices No effective way for emperor to succeed. Many civil wars

Key Point Ancient Greece & Rome established standards of excellence against which later civilizations were judged.