Ancient Greece, Persia, and Rome

Overview Classical Civilization in the Mediterranean sprang up from about 800 BCE and lasted to the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 CE Crucial was the formation of new institutions and values that would impact and influence the Middle East and Europe Complicated because it passed through two centers during its time- first, Greece and later Rome. Despite the fact that they were different cultures there are not huge distinctions between them

The Persian Empire Under Cyrus the Great 550 BCE Cyrus began Persia’s conquest of neighbors Empire spanned over 2,000 miles Soldiers had leather pants and thick boots and short bows Army was very successful between 550-539 BCE conquering the entire Fertile Crescent and most of Anatolia

The Rule of Cyrus the Great He was kind to people he conquered No looting or burning of villages he conquered Honored local customs and religions Pray at local temples Subject peoples had freedom Allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem (remember they were exiled by the Babylonians) Died fighting nomadic groups

The Rule of Cambyses and Darius Cambyses, Cyrus’s son, captured Egypt but was not fair and good to them so there were widespread rebellions 522-521 BCE Darius, a noble of the ruling dynasty, seized the throne Extended Persian conquests in the east Never managed to capture Greece Established an efficient and well-organized administration

Provinces, Satraps, and the Royal Road King divided empire into 20 provinces in order to control them Each province could practice its own religion, follow its own laws, and speak its own language A Satrap (governor) was appointed to rule over each territory Army leader and tax collection for each province Royal Road Stretched 1,677 miles 111 relay stations along the road spaced about 15 miles apart Manufactured metal coins that had a standard value, which promoted trade Darius sent out inspectors to ensure the loyalty of the satraps

Zoroastrianism Zoroaster was a Persian prophet that lived about 600 BCE and addressed the question of human suffering Zoroastrianism Two armies that fight for a person’s soul Ahura Mazda- god of truth and light Ahriman – god of evil and darkness When you die, souls are judged based on which god they followed and would either go to paradise or a fiery pit Avesta- holy writings of the religion Spread to parts of India where it became the Parsi sect Influenced Manicheanism, a religious system that competed with Christianity

Greece Indo-Europeans had set up early kingdoms in the Mediterranean that would influence Greece but be unable to control the area Rapid rise in civilization in Greece between 800 and 600 BCE was based on the creation of strong city-states, with each city state having its own government Trade developed rapidly between the city states and common culture spread, including a written language derived from the Phoenician alphabet Sparta and Athens became leading city states 500-449 Sparta and Athens join to defeat the Persians     

Greek Culture Flourishes Pericles- statesman who dominated Greek politics during the 5th century BCE ·       Peloponnesian Wars (431-404 BCE) Sparta and Athens vied for control of Greece Athens loses and the city-states are weakened ·       Macedonian kings soon conquered the cities. Philip II of Macedon won crucial battle in 338 BCE and then his son Alexander extended the Macedonian empire through the Middle East. Alexander’s reign, however, was short-lived but the successor regional kingdoms continued to rule much of the eastern Mediterranean for centuries ·       Hellenistic period – Greek art and culture merged, trade flourished, and important scientific centers were established (i.e. Alexandria in Egypt)

Rome Roman state began as a local monarchy in central Italy around 800 B.C.E. Roman aristocrats drove out the monarchy in 509 B.C.E. and the new Roman republic was established. They acquired a strong military orientation early on even though they started out just trying to protect themselves from outside rivals Punic Wars (264-146 B.C.E)- spread of Roman conquest o   Carthage battle- defeat of Carthaginian general Hannibal Republic grew weaker with widening gap between the rich and poor and power-hungry generals vying for power Julius Caesar- victory in 45 B.C.E. and the end of the traditional institutions Caesar’s grandnephew, Augustus Caesar, seized power in 27 B.C.E. and established the basic structures of the Roman Empire 200 years the empire maintained great vigor

Greek and Roman Political Institutions politics comes from “polis”, which is Greek for city-state citizens actively participated in government and military, thus giving them greater loyalty Greece and Rome did not develop cohesive set of pol. Institutions like China’s bureaucracy or emperor Diversity, regionalism in political forms draws closer comparison with India rather than China

Greece Athens had a direct democracy where citizens were encouraged to participate However, citizenship was restricted Women had no rights ½ of all males had no rights Sparta had a military aristocracy

Roman Republic Constitution of the Roman Republic tried to reconcile the various elements of the Greek experience with primary reliance on the principle of aristocracy Roman law Rules, objectively judged, rather than personal whim should govern social relationships Twelve Tables- 450 BCE- first code of laws

Slow fall over the course of 250 years – trade fell, birth rate fell, government became less effective 313- Constantine attempted to unify the empire with the adoption of Christianity but it was too late invaders from the north overturned the government in 476 C.E.