Ancient Civilizations: Greece and Rome

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Ancient CivilizationsGreece and Rome

• Chapter 6
• Section 3

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Early Greeks

• Settled around the Balkan Peninsula and the
  Aegean Sea around 2000 BC
• Geography and Greek Civilizations
• Rugged country separated by narrow waters
• Development of separate communities (city-states)
  rather than one large united kingdom.
• Traveled by sea because of rugged terrain

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Minoans

• Earliest Greek Civilization
• Island of Crete
• Had running water, developed a system of writing
• Sailors and fishermen

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Mycenaeans

• Controlled Greek mainland from about 1600 BC
  1200 BC
• Warlike people who lived in tribes
• Conquered Minoans and adopted many aspects from
  their culture. E.g. system of writing
• Homer Wrote the Iliad historical events, folk
  tales, and legends. Trojan War.

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Greek City-States

• City-State City or town that had its own
  government and laws and controlled the land
  surrounding it.
• Sparta
• Loyal
• Little Personal Freedom
• Powerful Army
• Boys left home to train at age 7
• Girls received intense training at home
• Boys and girls were educated and encouraged to
  study music but left little time for the
  development of the arts, literature, philosophy
  and science.

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Greek City-States

• Athens
• Developed form of government called a Direct
  Democracy citizens take part in making ALL
  decisions.
• Juries
• More freedoms than Spartans but women could not
  participate in government
• Slavery was permitted
• Made great contributions to the arts, literature,
  philosophy and science
• First people to write drama (plays)
• Scientists developed new laws of mathematics and
  a way to classify plants and animals

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Alexander the Great

• Son of King Phillip II King of Macedonia
• Conquered much of the known world including
  Greek city-states
• Built great centers for learning
• After Alexander died, his kingdom was split into
  smaller kingdoms and eventually conquered by the
  Romans

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Early Romans

• Around 750 BC, people called Latins started
  settling around the Tiber River in Italy
  eventually formed the city of Rome.
• Later conquered by the Etruscans who brought
  written language to Rome
• Culture was strongly influenced by Greeks who
  settled in Rome.
• Roman religion was also partly based on Greek
  beliefs

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Geography and Roman Civilization

• Geography
• Alps Located north of Italy
• Mediterranean Sea Located west of Italy
• Adriatic Sea Located east of Italy
• Seas helped trade and travel, but left Italy
  open to attack
• Passages through Alps left open to invasion
• How did the geography of Italy help the Roman
  Civilization grow?

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The Roman Republic

• Etruscan rule overthrown by wealthy Romans and
  replaced with a Republic.
• Republic a government in which voters elect
  leaders to run the state.
• Growing
• Wars
• Building bridges and roads
• Started to become a problemHow??

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Julius Caesar

• Popular speaker won support among poor
• Became a general and conquered more and more
  territory for the republic
• Was made Ruler for Life by Roman officials
• Many leaders feared his power and he was
  assassinated March 15, 44 B.C.

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The Roman Empire

• Octavian Augustus (honored one)
• Grandnephew of Julius Caesar
• Became ruler after Caesars death
• Helped empire grow even more
• His reign started Pax Romana
• Pax Romana Roman Peace
• Pax Romana
• Stable and peaceful empire
• Laws became more fair
• Strong economy due to widespread trade
• Built many roads and bridges to help trade
• Roman army kept peace by defending boarders

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Romes Achievements

• Temples
• Palaces
• Arenas
• Bridges
• Roads
• Aqueduct sloped bridge-like structure that
  carries water
• Buildings with domes and arches
• Language Latin
• Writers

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Rise of Christianity

• Jews were driven out of the city of Jerusalem,
  but continued to practice their faith in
  communities outside the city.
• The teachings of Jesus
• One true God
• Love others as themselves
• Defended the poor
• Romans thought Jesus would lead an uprising so
  they arrested him and sentenced him to death
• Romans outlawed Christianity but the religion
  still spread
• After 300 years, Constantine, the Roman Emperor,
  declared his support of Christianity and it
  became the official religion of Rome.

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Decline of Roman Empire

• Army generals started to turn in the Empire to
  try and win power for themselves
• Army lost loyalty to Rome
• Dishonest leaders
• Civil Wars
• Taxes and cost of goods rose

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Empire Splits

• Roman Empire was too big to be ruled by one
  person
• Diocletian (emperor of Rome) selected a
  co-emperor Constantine to take over the
  eastern part of the empire
• Empire in the east faired much better than the
  empire in the west

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Fall of Rome

• Over several years, groups began to invade the
  empire from the north and set up tribal kingdoms
• Vandals
• Visigoths
• Huns
• In 476 the last emperor in the west was
  overthrown by invaders
• Empire in the east was able to fight off invaders
  and became known as the Byzantine Empire and
  lasted until 1453 until if fell to the Ottoman
  Turks
• How did weak leadership lead to the fall of Rome?

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