Roots of the West

I. What is the West. . . Emphasis on Europe and America. Includes Western Europe, North America, Australia, and even parts of South America belongs to the “Western Tradition” Has ideas and elements that are thousands of years old.

II. Chronology and Periods "Ancient" "Classical", "Medieval", "Early Modern", and " Modern“ Ancient = all of history before 500 CE {"CE" means "common era" "BCE" means "Before the Common Era".) Classical = Periods in ancient history which produced art and literature where later generations derived its inspiration. It includes Greece in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE, and Rome in the first century BCE and the first century CE.

Medieval = European history between about 500 and 1500 CE Early Modern = European history from about 1400 to 1789, and the French Revolution. Modern = History since the French, American and Industrial revolutions in the late 18th century. These definitions are centered on Europe. They do not apply to other parts of the world because other parts of the world are on their own schedule of development

III. Egypt and Mesopotamia Egypt - c. 4000 BC Longest continuous civilization Contributions: -Religious ideas- Polytheism -Architecture -Math, especially geometry

Mesopotamia - also c. 4000 BC - in Iraq- includes the cultures of cultures of Sumeria, Babylonia, and Assyria Contributions -Writing- “Code of Hammurabi”- first written legal code -Numbers - use of base 12 - in time (we still use 12 hour periods for days) -Astronomy and Astrology These cultures influence us through two ways -through the Jews and through the Greeks

IV. The People of Israel The Jews are the only ancient people that exist Took ideas from Egypt and Mesopotamia -e.g. the creation story, the flood story. Contributions Monotheism - Belief in one caring God. Unity of cult and ethics A belief in history – sense of the future Jews wrote the Bible (Old Testament specifically- Most read book in the world -parts are at least 3000 years old. The Bible is one of the chief sources of western culture These IDEAS pass into Christianity and Islam.

V. Greece A major source of Western IDEAS. Ideas more important than details of its history- survive in literature and art:- From around 750BC. Homer: The Iliad and The Odyssey The idea of ORDERED COSMOS - vital in Western ideas about science and God. Invention of writing - for everyone

Greek Contributors Thales of Miletus - asked for the first time what the world was made of - water - SCIENCE Athens - The People, Democracy, natural art, Socrates: People as morally autonomous Plato - Asked most of the Philosophical Questions -how do we know what we know. Aristotle - Introduces observation into science. Alexander the Great - c. 300BC. Conquers the whole Eastern Mediterranean. Greek ideas, and the Greek language dominate the area.

VI. Rome - Always a Western city. Started to rise in influence around 300BCE By year 1 CE, unified the Mediterranean into one state. All elites spoke either Greek or Latin. Contributions Latin- Alphabet Took ideas from Greece Roman Law is still the basis of laws in most of Europe. US law derives from English Law, but that also is influenced by Rome. The ideal of Unity and the Universal state

VII. Christianity Jesus Christ. Born c.6BC, d. c. 33AD.Founder of Christianity. St. Paul, A Greek-speaking Jew and main apostle of the Faith. United Jewish and Greek ideas in Christianity. Christianity becomes religion of Mediterranean area c. 400.

VII. The collapse of the Classical World The Mediterranean was a united cultural area. When this collapsed it led to the development of the "West". Roman Empire: Invasions from the outside Economic problems internally. Splits into the Western and Eastern Empires in 330CE

Byzantium The Empire in the East continued, based in Constantinople. It was Christian and Roman and Greek. Most obvious heir to the culture of the Classical world- Greek language and artistic style The Byzantine Empire lasts until 1453- Invasion of Constantinople by Islam Its culture still dominates Eastern Europe and Russia, through Orthodoxy.

Islam The religion of Arab townsmen. Led by Mohammad (d. c. 640, Hijira 622). They swept out of the Arabian peninsula. Over time took control of all North Africa, Egypt, Anatolia (under the Turks) and for a time Spain. Islam is an heir to Classical civilization. Mathematics from Mesopotamia, Philosophy from the Greeks Monotheism from the Jews.

Western Empire Latin Christendom- Dominated by Barbarians (outsiders)- France, Spain, Italy, Britain, Germany. The least developed of the three cultures Dominated by the Church of Rome. It was a Latin reading and speaking world. i.e "Latin Christendom." This area became the West.

VIII. The Western Middle Ages A. From around 600 to 1000 AD conditions were fairly bleak. Around 800 Charlemagne. Most people lived on the land. Subsistence farming. No towns larger than around 10,000 . B. 1050 - Latin Christendom comes to life. States begin to pull themselves together England, France, Germany (for a time) Concept of Kingship and what a king should be and do Crusades - Westerners attack both Byzantium and Islam in order to conquer Jerusalem. They succeed for a time.

Intellectual Life - great writers like St. Thomas Aquinas (13th. C.) -Architecture develops. Intellectual Life - great writers like St. Thomas Aquinas (13th. C.) Christianity becomes more like it is today. Devotion to Mary Mass. Development of all the religious orders. Art and Music Economically - From around 1050 a Commercial revolution. Money starts to be used instead of barter Trade starts up in local areas and far distant areas. Westerners even get as far as China. In the Middle Ages- origin of a specifically Western civilization, based on the Western lands of the entire continent.