Ch. 2 Section 1 Notes
Ancient Greece
-The development of Greece was heavily influenced by geography- mountains, islands, sea.
-First Greek state: Mycenae- fortified palaces.
-Homer: Iliad – the story of the sacking of Troy
Odyssey –the story of the adventures of Odysseus after the fall of Troy
-polis: the city-state that was the center of Greek life. (political, acropolis) The polis was a community w/common goals and common identity.
-democracy: government rule by the people or the many. (In this case, women and slaves were excluded.)
-oligarchy: government rule by the few (a small group.)
Sparta
Spartan- “highly disciplined”
-society was based on war and training for war. Every man, woman & child worked towards this pursuit.
-oligarchy
-discouraged any interaction w/the outside world. No one pollutes us!
Athens
-ruled by a king, then an oligarchy, finally a direct democracy.
-economic troubles landed many farmers in prison because they couldn’t pay their debts.
-Solon canceled the debts and freed the people in jail or slavery because of their debts.
-Cleisthenes created an assembly of 500 to enact reforms.
Classical Greece
-500-338 B.C.
-invasion by the Persians, Athens defeated them and reached the height of their glory called the Age of Pericles.
-Direct democracy- the people (men!) participated directly in government decision-making through mass meetings.
-Two empires were left: Athens and Sparta. Neither
-Peloponnesian War: lasted 25 years, Athens was destroyed, but all of Greece was weakened.
Culture of Greece
-Based on “eternal ideals” – reason, moderation, balance, and harmony. The subject matter: human form.
-Architecture: the temple dedicated to a god or goddess
-Sculture: nudes
-Drama: plays that were tragedies of universal themes such as good and evil, the rights of the individual, divine forces, and the nature of human beings.
-Philosophy: SPA!
- Socrates: learning through question and answer. (The answer always lies within the person.) “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
- Plato: greatest philosopher of Western civilization. Concerned with the question of how we know what is real. Wrote much, including “The Republic.” Plato distrusted democracy, instead he proposed a society divided into 3 basic groups:
Philosopher kings (ruled society)
Warriors (protected society)
Everyone else (driven by desire)
- Aristotle: analyzer and classifier based on observation and investigation. Writer on ethics, logic, politics, poetry, astronomy, geology, biology, and physics. He didn’t agree w/his teacher Plato regarding govt. He wrote “Politics” after looking at the constitutions of 158 states and found three good forms of govt: monarchy, aristocracy, and constitutional government (his favorite.)
Alexander the Great- son of Philip II who came to the Macedonian throne at 20. His dream was to unite Greece under Macedonia. He crushed the Greeks, crushed the Persians, then moved east and northeast to Pakistan and eventually India. There he married an Indian woman as he dreamed of making the cultures equal. (Many of his men resisted.) Eventually his soldiers refused to go farther, and he returned to Babylonto plan further campaigns. He died from wounds, exhaustion and alcoholism.
Hellenistic Era- “to imitate Greeks”
-The empire fell after Alexander’s death. Four new kingdoms emerged but all were defeated by the Romans. Greek culture spread during this era all the way to Southwest Asia.
-Art, architecture, poetry, literature, philosophy and science flourished during the Hellenistic Era.
Ch. 2 Section 2 Notes
Rome & Christianity
-The Latins were early settlers in Italy (herders and farmers), then came the Greeks and Etruscans.
-Early Rome was under the control of 7 kings, the last king was overthrown by the Romans. He established a republic (the leader is not a king and certain citizens have a right to vote.)
-For 200 years Rome battled its neighbors and conquered all of Italy, then the areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.
-Early Rome was divided into two groups:
- Patricians: great landowners who became Rome’s ruling class
- Plebeians: less wealthy landowners, craftspeople, merchants, and small farmers.
Both groups could vote, but only the patricians could be elected to gov. offices
Govt. of Rome
-Chief executive officers of the Roman Republic were the consuls and praetors. 2 consuls ran the govt and led the Roman army into battle. Praetors were in charge of civil law (citizens.)
-Roman Senate: 300 patricians who served for life, first as advisors but later they actually made law. (Mainly the wealthy were at the top.)
-Power struggle: patricians and plebeians (or children) could not marry. Plebeians resented this as they were the defenders & warriors of Rome. They wanted social equality. Eventually, they won more rights but never gained equal status.
-Rival factions of wealthy families competed for power. Roman leaders recruited armies that swore an oath to the general, not the Roman state.
-Julius Caeser defeated Pompey, but Caeser was assassinated and his brilliant grandnephew Octavian defeated Mark Antony and took control of the Roman world.
-Age of Augustus (Octavian) where power of Augustus came through his control of the army. First emperor of Rome.
-The next 4 emperors became more powerful and corrupt. This was known as the Pax Romana (Roman peace): 100 yrs. of respect for citizens, an end to arbitrary executions, helpful policies, building projects like the aqueducts, peace.
Roman Law
-12 Tables: 1st code of laws, then Law of Nations: innocent until proven guilty, person has the right to defend himself.
Slavery
-common, very important to Roman economy. Part of household, could be doctors, musicians, tutors.
-many built roads and other projects, their lives were pitiful and some revolted. (Spartacus!) 6000 slaves were crucified.
Daily Life
-Roman pop.= 1 million
-Overcrowded, noisy (same as today!)
-Rich & poor had a huge gap; poor lived in 6 story concrete & wooden buildings. Always a threat of fire or collapse. High rent, no plumbing, no heating. Most people spent their time outside because it was healthier!
-Food was provided for over 200,000 poor.
-Entertainment: religious festivals, horse & chariot races, plays, gladiator fights.
Roman Culture
-Augustan Age is the Golden Age of Latin literature
- Virgin Aeneid
-Greek art and sculpture
-Arches, vaults, and domes. Widespread use of concrete. Aquaducts, bridges, roads and huge buildings due to these new inventions.
Christianity
Emergence of Christianity
-Judea (Jews) was a Roman province ruled by a Roman official. Jesus preached throughout Judea and stirred up controversy. He was seen by some as a revolutionary and was eventually turned over to the Roman authorities. Pontius Pilate ordered his crucifixion. After his death, his followers said that he rose again and was the Messiah (savior) who would save Israel from its enemies. A Jewish revolt began in 66 AD but was crushed.
Spread of Christianity
-Began as a religious movement within Judaism.
-Peter was recognized as the leader of the apostles (St. Peter’s Basilica). Paul spread the message of Jesus to Jews and Gentiles. Christian communities were established throughout Asia Minor.
-Early Christian teachings were passed on orally, but eventually letters written by disciples to Christian churches or individuals. The letters and other writings became known as the New Testament.
-Christian churches were established in most major cities in the east and west. Early Christians were Jews & Greek speaking people, later Latins.
-Romans feared Christianity (Christians refused to worship state gods and emperors.) They believed Christians were treasonous. They began persecuting Christians during the reign of Nero, sometimes ordering cruel deaths.
Triumph of Christianity
-Persecution caused the Christians to strengthen and they organized & grew.
-Bishops emerged & assumed control over church communities. The clergy had separation from the laity.
-Widespread growth during the third century. People liked the idea of personal salvation and eternal life. It provided community. The poor and powerless especially liked it, because eternal life was promised to all, regardless of income or class.
-4th century: Constantine became 1st Christian emperor. Under Theodosius the Great, the Romans adopted Christianity as their official religion.
Decline of Christianity
-After the death of Marcus Aurelius (last of 5 good emp.) there was 100 yrs. of civil wars, political disorder, and economic decline. Diocletian & Constantine made improvements that strengthened and enlarged the Roman Empire, including the Roman army. However, their reforms drained the public funds. They issued edicts that forced people to stay in their jobs, which were passed on to their children.
-Constantine built Byzantium “New Rome” (later renamed Constantinople) which would eventually become the seat of power, replacing Rome.
The Fall of Christianity
-Rome continued to weaken, dividing into West (Rome) and East (Constantinople). The West was invaded by Germanic tribes, the East by the Huns. The Visigoths eventually crushed the Romans and sacked Rome in 410. The Vandals sacked Rome in 455, and in 476, Romulus Augustulus was deposed by the Germanic head of the army, marking the official fall of the Roman Empire. (The Byzantine Empire continued to thrive.)