Greece and RomeDay 1

Early Greek People

• Minoans – earliest known Greek civilization• Built palaces and homes for nobles with painted frescoes on the

walls

• Mycenaeans – Built fort-like cities• Controlled mainland Greece for 400 years

City-States

• Greek word for city-state is Polis.

• Original fort is built on an Acropolis (hill)• Home to temples and other public buildings

• Covered small area• Athens was smaller than Rhode Island

• Usually had less than 10,000 people in each city-state

Greek Government

• Aristocracy – City-state controlled by wealthy Greek nobles.

• Land owners who could afford expensive horses, chariots, bronze weapons.

• They had a monopoly over the military.

• Democracy – Rule by the people

• Full political rights were allowed to only a small population

• Who do you think did not get political rights?

• Tyrant – A person who illegally takes power, but is

supported by the people.

• Many city-states were led by tyrants between 650 and 500 BCE

Sparta

• 3 classes in Spartan society • 1 – Equals – controlled the city-state

• 2 – Half-Citizens – Served in the army. Some farmed, regular people.

• 3 – Helots – slaves of the Spartan society. They greatly outnumbered the Spartans. Spartans created a military society for fear of a Helot uprising. Helots hated Spartans.

• Wanted to create a military machine• Started training at age 7. Almost an unbeatable army was formed.

Athens

• Draco – wrote the first written law code in Athens.

• Under the rule of Cleisthenes, Athens established a Democracy.• Divided them into 10 tribes, chose 50 men from each tribe to lead,

became known as the Council of Five Hundred.

• They proposed laws to the assembly, but assembly had final authority.

Greece and Rome Day 2

Life in Athens

• In schools they studied Government, Math, Ethics and Rhetoric• Ethics – What is good and what is bad – Moral duty

• Rhetoric – Study of oratory or public speaking, and debating

• Girls married at age 13 or 14, typically married men twice their age.• What do you think the purpose of marriage was?

• To have children

Persian Wars

• Greek colonies rebelled against Persian rule and caused war to break out.

• Battle of Thermopylae – Spartan 300 stand against the Greeks. They refused to surrender, and fought until they were all killed.

• Greek city-states ultimately win the wars.

Peloponnesian War

• Tensions between Sparta and Athens started the war.

• Both sides full of young men whose inexperience made them eager to fight.

• War continued for 27 years.

• Sparta ultimately won the war by:• Joining forces with Persia

• Which allowed them to block food supply to Athens.

Philosophers: Socrates

• Socrates was an Athenian who taught that all students should question everything.

• Knowledge/Education was key in leading to personal growth.

• Did not use memorization in his teaching method, but taught that students should think for themselves.

• Philosophy is the study of basic questions of reality and human growth.

• What is to be human?

• Who am I?

• How should we live?

• Is there life after death?

Philosophers: Plato

• Believed that humans could not ever reach perfection.

• Wrote The Republic and Theory of Forms

• Believed the body was made up of 2 parts: The Body and the Soul

• Ideal government to him was an Aristocracy: Government led by an intellectual upper class.

Philosophers: Aristotle

• Believed knowledge could only be gained through logical study.

• Believed logical study led to truth.

• Investigated almost every field of study during his life.

• Developed new approaches that are now part of our

modern science.

• Wanted to combine the best of 3 different types of

government to create a limited democracy.

Greek Theater

• 3 Parts to Greek Theater:• Drama

• Tragedies

• Comedies

• Carved outdoor theaters into hillsides

• Featured little scenery. Audiences relied on the chorus to describe the time and place.

Greece and Rome Day 3

Philip II

• Had been a hostage in Greece for 3 years. • While there he learned about Greek ways and their army

• He became king in Macedon• Borrowed a Greek idea of a phalanx – rows of soldiers standing

shoulder to shoulder in tight rows

• He wanted to unify Greece

Alexander the Great

• Son of Philip II – took over after Philip was assassinated.

• Even better military leader than his father.

• His military campaigns are among the most admired in history.

• Ultimate goal was to conquer the world.• Met little resistance and got as far as the Indus River. For 13 years almost

never lost a battle.

• What do you think eventually happened to Alexander and his army?

• Got tired of fighting. Wouldn’t follow Alexander anymore. Headed back home. Alexander and many of his army got sick. He died at age 32 from a fever.

Hellenistic World

• As Alexander the Great’s army and empire expanded, he tried to blend their cultures together to unify them, rather than have it divide them.

• The three cultures he tried to blend, known as the Hellenistic Culture, were Greek, Mediterranean, and Asian.

Hellenistic Culture Philosophers

• Epicurus – Taught that the aim of life is to seek pleasure and avoid pain.

• Archimedes – Mathematician – calculated pi (π), ratio for the circumference of a circle, used math to explain levers, invented the compound pulley, the Archimedes screw.

• Cynics – taught that people should live simply and naturally, without regard for pleasure or wealth or status.

• Skeptics – taught that all knowledge is uncertain, and should be questioned.

Greece and RomeDay 4

Roman Republic

• Republic – Form of government in which voters elect officials. People’s rights are protected by some form of a constitution.

• Checks and Balances – prevents any one part of government from gaining too much power (3 equal branches of government).• What are our 3 branches of government today?

• Executive, Legislative, Judicial

Roman Social Class

• Patricians – powerful landowners who controlled the government.

• Plebeians – majority of the population. Mainly farmers and workers.• Early laws weren’t even written down, so the Patricians could and

would do anything to ensure the Plebeians had few rights.

Punic Wars

• The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 BC to 146 BC. At the time, they were probably the largest wars that had ever taken place.

• Based on this map, what do you thinkRome feared the most? What do you think Carthage feared themost?

Punic Wars

• First Punic War – Rome built a navy, fought at sea with land tactics, lasted 23 years, Carthage was forced to pay damages and give up Sicily.

• Second Punic War – Hannibal was the leader of Carthage – one of the greatest generals of all time.• Assembled a HUGE army that included foot soldiers, horse soldiers, and

elephants.

• He led 50,000 soldiers and 60 elephants across the Alps to invade Italy (Rome)

• Lacked equipment to attack major cities, and ultimately lost again. Had to pay damages, give up colonies in Spain and most of its navy.

Punic Wars

• Third Punic War – Carthage wasn’t even a threat anymore, but Romans still hated them.• Decided to crush them. Carthage was destroyed

in 146 B.C.E.

• Rome was now the supreme power in the Mediterranean.

Greece and RomeDay 5

Spartacus

• As Rome expanded its borders, they did not allow the people of the new provinces to become citizens, nor did it make them allies.

• They became subjects of Rome.

• Spartacus was a Roman slave who led a revolt to gain freedom.• More than 70,000 slaves took part in the revolt.

Julius Caesar

• Joined with 2 others to form the first Triumvirate• Three men holding power over a country.

• He led an army against the republic, winning, and was declared dictator for life.

• Increased the number of Senate members, but reduced their power.

• Many feared Caesar, and formed a conspiracy against him• They killed him in the Senate.

The Pax Romana

• Period of time interpreted as “Roman Peace”.

• Began during the reign of the grandnephew of Julius Caesar – Octavian• Octavian later became known as “Augustus”.

• Lasted for more than 200 years

• Ruling heirs of Julius Caesar in the Roman Empire were called Julio-Claudian Emperors• They ruled for 54 of those years.

The Five Good Emperors

• Rome did not have a system for choosing its next emperor, so many emperors named their successors.

• The Five Great Emperors were:• Nerva

• Trajan

• Hadrian

• Antoninus Pius

• Marcus Aurelius

• Together they ruled for almost 100 years.

Greece and RomeDay 6

Science, Engineering, and Architecture

• Ptolemy – Developed an astronomical system (Geocentric Theory) that the sun, the planets, and stars revolved around the earth. • Geo – “of or related to the earth”

• Roman Aqueducts – bridgelike structures that carried water from the mountains.

Science, Engineering, and Architecture

• Masters at building roads, bridges, arenas, public buildings

• Knew how to build the arch and vaulted dome

Rise of Christianity

• Teachings of Jesus created great excitement wherever he went.

• His teachings were for all people.

• Romans feared that Jesus would lead an uprising against the government.

• He was put on trial before Pontius Pilate, sentenced to death.

• Much violence and unrest spread throughout the Roman Empire.• Many turned to Christianity for hope.

Diocletian

• Made emperor in 284

• Realized the empire had grown too large for one person to manage.

• Divided the empire in two.

• What do you think happened once he and his co-emperor died and their heirs took over?• Didn’t acknowledge the other co-emperor as an actual co-emperor.

Started a civil war.

Constantine

• Promoted Christianity

• Made the official religion of the empire in 391

• Moved the capital city to the east “New Rome”

Fall of the Roman Empire

• Huns – lived by raiding and plundering• Fought Rome in Gaul.

• Leader was Attila

• 3 Reasons for the Fall:• Government weaknesses

• Invasions by Germans

• Economic Problems