PART 1THE CLASSICAL ERA IN

THE WEST

UNIT 2

THE BIG QUESTIONS

What factors caused the rise of Persia, Greece, and Rome?

What were the major accomplishments of these “classical civilizations”?

How were these civilizations shaped by their religious and philosophical beliefs and by the rule of law?

PERSIA

Persia

Political developments – • Created the largest empire up to its

time (more than 3,000 miles – from the Nile to the Indus)

• Divided the empire into provinces• Provinces were ruled by a group of

local officials loyal to the Persian king.

Persia

Economy – Provinces profited from extensive

trade throughout the Persian EmpireProvinces paid tributes (payment as

a sign of submission) to the kingThe government collected taxes from

throughout the provincesAgriculture was important for

economic stability

Persia

Religion –At first, were polytheisticZoroastrianism was introduced in

570 B.C. Taught there were two gods (1. god of truth,

light, and goodness and 2. god of darkness and evil)

Earth was a battleground between these two forces

People leading good lives would eventually go to Heaven, and those who were evil would be doomed to a fiery hell

Persia

Innovations – Built a network of public roadsUniform set of weights and measuresNew cities

Achievements – Use of moneyPostal service

GREECE

How does Greece’s geography differ from the river valleys?It lacks a major river and is almost surrounded by the sea.What geographic features caused Greek cities to be cut off from one another?Mountains and the sea.

Left Side

Draw a map of Greece Locate and label:

Athens Sparta Crete The Aegean Sea The Ionian Sea Mt. Olympus

Draw the mountains - ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Color:

Greece – Green Water - Blue

Early Greek Civilization

The Minoans – flourished on the island of Crete (2000 B.C.) Developed own form of writing Used copper and bronze Skilled ship builders Mysteriously collapsed around 1400 B.C.

The Myceneans – on mainland Greece and the coast of Asia Minor (1400 B.C. – 1200 B.C.) Established cities Warriors

The Dorians – conquered the Greek mainland around 1200 B.C. Ruled during the Dark Age Learning, the economy, and trade declined

Greek Culture

Individual city-states (polis)Common language and traditionsSame religious beliefsClose economic ties

COMPARING THE CITY-STATES

Sparta – the military stateAthens – the democratic state

Create a comparison chart of Sparta and Athens. Include the following headings: Political system Education Social Roles Culture

Left Side

How was Athenian democracy different from American democracy today?

THE GREEK AND PERSIAN WARS

As part of your notes, complete the Textbook Scavenger Hunt about the Greek and Persian wars.

THE GOLDEN AGE OF GREEK CULTURE

Pericles, the leader of Athens, led the Greeks into a “Golden Age” following their victory over the Persians.

Complete the worksheet on the Golden Age of Athens. Turn in the questions, and put the outline in your notes.Complete the first page of “Greek Geeks” and put it in your notebook.

Homework: Answer the questions about the Greek philosophers.

PELOPONNESIAN WARS (432 B.C. – 404 B.C.)

Causes: Rivalries between Sparta and their allies and Athens

and their allies Athens used its power to force some other city-states

to pay them taxesSparta declared war on Athens and, after 30

years of fighting, emerged as the victor.Results:

City-states were weakened Poverty was wide-spread and Athens was devastated Sparta became the leading city-state These problems led to takeover by outsiders

HELLENISTIC GREECE

In 338 B.C. the king of Macedonia (Philip II) brought all Greek city-states under his control.

His son, Alexander the Great, went on to conquer most of the Mediterranean world, including Egypt and Persia (as far as the Indus River).

Alexander spread Greek culture throughout his new empire. Blended Greek and Persian cultures Built new cities Encouraged learning and philosophy

Complete page 2 of “Greek Geeks” and add to your notebook.

MAPPING ALEXANDER THE GREAT

We will complete the mapping activity in class.

Homework:Answer the discussion and short answer

questions on a separate sheet of paper. Write the question and the answer.

Activity

Read over the handout of Ancient Greek achievements

Place it in your handouts section of your notes

THE “GRANDEUR” OF ROME

ROME

Geography Located on a fertile plain in the center of

Italy Close to the west coast At a cross roads for trade and transportation Protected from invaders by mountains and

the seaInfluences

Etruscans – building, dress, organization of the army Greeks – religion, the alphabet, architecture,

literature, art

LEFT SIDE

Draw a map of Rome and label the following Rome The Po River The Tiber River Adriatic Sea

Draw the mountains as geographic featuresColor the water blue and Rome Green

THE ROMAN REPUBLIC

Rome had two social classes Patricians – wealthy landowners Plebeians – small farmers, craftsmen, and

merchantsIn early Rome, the king was overthrown and made

into a republic (government by representatives) Senate – a patrician assembly (held the most

power) Consuls – elected officials Tribunes – speakers who represented the

plebeians

LEFT SIDE

Diagram the Roman government (we will do this in class)

THE RULE OF ROMAN LAW

Government officials were not above the law and could not act outside the law

THE TWELVE TABLES Issued by the Republic and placed in public meeting

places Protected the plebeians Covered civil, criminal, and religious law Provided a foundation for later law codes All citizens were “equal under the law”

Contributed concept of a contract and established rules for property ownership

Established legal processes (court trials, appeals,

innocent until proven guilty)

REPUBLIC TO EMPIRE

The Punic Wars – a series of three wars with Carthage Destroyed Carthage, its main trading rival Acquired territories in Spain, North Africa and the

Eastern MediterraneanJulius Caesar completed the conquest of

Spain and Gaul ( present-day France) Became dictator for life Fearing their loss of power and freedom, leading

senators assassinated him in 44 B.C.

LEFT SIDE

Create a flow chart of events from republic to empire Punic Wars Marius Sula 1st Triumvirate Julius Caesar 2nd Triumvirate Augustus

Briefly describe each one

THE ROMAN EMPIRE

Augustus Caesar (heir to Julius Caesar) emerged as Rome’s first emperor Assumed monarch-like powers Preserved Rome’s republican institutions Removed corrupt officials

His successors were worshipped as gods and greatly expanded Rome’s territory

LEFT SIDE: Draw the boundaries of the Roman Empire and label the main territories on your map handout

PAX ROMANA “The Roman Peace” (27 B.C. – 395 A.D.)

A long period of peace ushered in by AugustusGreat engineering feats

Concrete for large buildings A network of nearly 50,000 miles of roads and bridges New cities aqueducts

Rome was a center of commerce, communication, trade, politics, culture, and military power

Expansion changed its basic character Professional armies loyal to its generals Large force of slaves performed much of its labor

Continued…

Public entertainment to keep the poor occupied Gladiator games in stadiums like the colosseum Bread and circuses

Women Passed from the authority of their fathers to that of

their husbands Could not hold office More equality than in Greek society Could own property and make wills

LEFT SIDE

Create an ad for one of the Roman technologies or entertainments from the Pax Romana period. Make it neat, colorful, and informative!

RELIGION IN ROME

In early times, the Romans adopted the Greek deities

During the empire, the emperors were worshipped as gods

Jewish Diaspora (dispersion) Jews refused to worship emperor Revolts in 66 A.D. and 135 A.D. Romans destroyed the Jewish temple in Jerusalem and drove

the Jews out of IsraelThe Rise of Christianity

Based on the teachings of Jesus who was crucified by the Romans for his teachings

Spread by his followers who were persecuted for their beliefs Eventually became the official religion of the Empire

Activity

Begin filling out your religions chart. We will do Judaism together, since we learned

about it in Chapter 2Add Christianity on your own

FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

Rome began its decline in the third century A.D.Later emperors tried to reverse the decline

In 284 A.D. divided into two parts to be governed more efficiently

Constantine temporarily reunited the empire and moved its capital to Constantinople

In the late 300s Germanic tribes began entering the empire

In 476 A.D. the last emperor in the west was overthrown (the eastern empire, the Byzantine Empire, survived for another thousand years)

LEFT SIDE

Create a diagram for the reasons for the decline of the Roman Empire describing political, economic, and military weaknesses, as well as invasions.

Ex.

Fall of the Roman Empire

Activity

Read the handout of achievements of the Roman Empire

Place it in the handouts section of your notebook