Historical Review

Day 2: Western Civilization – Greece and Rome

I. Ancient Greece

In Europe, civilization developed along the same lines that it had in Africa and Asia.

An important civilization that influenced later European and American civilization was Greece.

Located on a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea, the Greeks were often separated from one another because of the mountainous terrain.

This meant that they were unable to create a unified empire and had to sail to reach one another and the outside world, making them skilled sailors and wide traders.

II. Greek City-States and Culture

Greeks developed city-states, each a little different from one another.

For example, Athens was a democratic city-state known for its art and culture while Sparta was a martial culture ruled by kings.

Despite their differences, Greeks were unified by sports, religion, and a common language.

The Greeks were the basis of Western Civilization, giving us forms of art, architecture, government, and philosophy seen in Europe and the Americas today.

III. Alexander the Great

Greek culture and civilization were spread through trade, but also through the conquests of Alexander the Great, who conquered Greece, Asia Minor, Palestine, Egypt, Babylon, and parts of India.

Alexander died during a military campaign in 323 BC, but the civilization that he left behind blended Western and Eastern cultures, creating what is known as Hellenistic culture.

Hellenistic culture ensured the survival and spread of Greek ideas, while also opening Europe up to contact with older and more advanced Asian and African cultures.

IV. Rome

In Italy, a powerful city state called Rome developed by 509 BC along the Tiber River.

By about 270 B.C., the Roman Republic controlled most of the Italian peninsula and had developed a complex system of law, which is the basis for most European and American law today.

However, as Rome expanded beyond the Italian peninsula into parts of Spain, Gaul (France), Northern Africa, and Asia, economic turmoil made the government unstable.

V. Julius Caesar and the Birth of the Roman Empire

In 49 BC, a powerful Roman General named Julius Caesar brought his army to Rome and demanded to be made dictator, promising to solve Rome’s problems.

Caesar was successful in instituting many economic and political reforms, but the Roman Senate, fearing the end of the Republic, Assassinated him on the steps of the Senate.

A civil war followed his death and, in the end, Caesar’s great nephew and adopted son, Augustus was victorious and became Rome’s first emperor.

Thus the Republic ended and Rome became an Empire.

VI. Roman Civilization

The Roman Empire continued to spread, conquering most the Western world.

Rome brought its conquered territories (provinces) peace and stability, leading to the creation of an advanced civilization.

The Roman Empire had extensive paved roads, complex architecture, plumbing, sophisticated government, and many other advances.

VII. Christianity and Rome

Jesus lived in a province of the Roman Empire, and was executed under Roman law by a common Roman method: crucifixion.

Afterward, his message was spread throughout the Roman Empire by his apostles and disciples.

Christians posed a problem for the Romans, as they refused to make sacrifices to the Roman gods, which was required by all Roman citizens at least once a year.

As a result, Christians were persecuted by the Romans until, in 326 AD, the Emperor Constantine granted toleration to Christians.

VIII. The Decline and Fall of Rome

Eventually, the Roman Empire grew too large to manage and was divided into two halves with two capitals (Rome and Constantinople), each with its own emperor.

Economic turmoil also rocked the empire, and foreign invasions slowly but surely chipped away at the Roman frontier.

Unable to adequately defend itself, the western half of the empire fell in 410 when the city of Rome was sacked in 410 AD.

Although the Eastern Empire (Byzantium) survived, most of the Roman Empire in Europe had fallen, leading Europe into the so-called “Dark Ages”.