Topic 1 the Birth of Western Civilization: the Ancient World and Greece

Topic 1 the Birth of Western Civilization: the Ancient World and Greece

APEH

Topic 1 – The Birth of Western Civilization: The Ancient World and Greece

Hunt, Chapters 2-4

Short Answer Questions

*Directions – After reading each of your assigned reading packets and your textbook from this topic, provide a short answer using details from your reading. Answer the questions with the following in mind:

  • You answers should be 1-2 fully developed paragraphs.
  • Your short answer should begin with a THESIS statement that summarizes your answer to the question.
  • You should use at least one short quote attributed to the source to which you are responding. (EX: Colton and Palmer said, ‘quote quote quote, quote quote.”)
  • Your short answer should contain numerous, SPECIFIC examples from the reading assignment.
  • You should include a discussion of the source’s thesis or its impact and importance.
  • You should conclude your response with a closing statement.
  • Email your typed responses as a single document to

Hunt Ch 2 Review Questions: Respond to ONE of the following questions

  1. In what ways was religion important in the Near East from c. 1000 BCE to c. 500 BCE?
  2. What factors proved most important in the Greek recovery form the troubles of the Dark Age?
  3. How did the physical, social, and intellectual conditions of life in the Archaic Age promote the emergence of the Greek city-state?
  4. What were the main differences among the various forms of government in the Greek city-states?
  5. What characteristics made the Greek city-state different in political and social organization from the Near Eastern city-state?
  6. How were the ideas of the Ionian philosophers different from mythic traditions?
  7. To what extent were the most important changes in Western Civilization in this period intentional or unintentional?

Hunt Ch 3 Review Questions: Respond to ONE of the following questions

  1. How did the Greeks overcome the dangers of the Persian invasions?
  2. What factors produced political change in the fifth-century BCE Athens?
  3. How did new ways of thinking in the Golden Age change traditional ways of life?
  4. What factors determined the course of the Peloponnesian War?
  5. What were the most significant differences between Archaic Age Greece and Golden Age Greece?
  6. For what sorts of things did Greeks of the Golden Age spend public funds? Why did they believe these things were worth the expense?
  7. What price, in all senses, did Athens and the rest of Greece pay for the Golden Age? Was it worth it?

P&S Reader Ch 2 – The Emergence of Greek Civilization: Respond to ONE of the following questions

  1. How should the historical usefulness of the various primary source documents, particularly those that are usually considered pieces of literature, be evaluated? What problems might arise for historians who rely on literary documents for their interpretations of early Greek civilization?
  2. In what ways do the primary documents support interpretations of various ideals, such as the “good man,” as particularly Greek?
  3. Considering historical, geographic, and cultural factors, in what ways did the Greek differ from the earlier civilizations of the ancient Near East? How would you explain some of these differences?

Hunt Ch 4 Review Questions: Respond to ONE of the following questions

  1. How did daily life, philosophy, and the political situation change in Greece during the period 400-350 BCE?
  2. What were the accomplishments of Alexander the Great, and what were their effects both for the ancient world and for later Western Civilization?
  3. How did the political and social organization of the new Hellenistic kingdoms compare with that of the earlier Greek city-states?
  4. How did the political changes of the Hellenistic period affect art, science, and religion?
  5. What made ancient people see Alexander as “great”? Would he be regarded as “great” in today’s world?
  6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of governmental support of the arts and sciences? Compare such support in the Hellenistic kingdoms to that in the United States today (e.g., through the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Science Foundation).
  7. Is inner personal tranquility powerful enough to make a difficult or painful life bearable?

Ideal and Real in Greece: Respond to ONE of the questions from each section

Section 1 – Sources 1-3 (pick and answer ONE):

  1. How does Pericles describe the Athenian democracy? Is this an ideal that he hopes Athenians will achieve, or is it a reality as he sees it?
  2. In what ways are Greek virtues are reflected in the debate with the Melians and the actions taken against them, and how do Athenians justify their actions?
  3. How does Aristotle portray the different members of Athenian society, and how does he justify the differences between these Athenians?

Section 2 – Sources 4-7 (pick and answer ONE):

  1. Based on your reading of the unknown author in source 4, how did average Athenians view their democracy, and how did that compare to Pericles’ description?
  2. How does Xenophon’s description of ideal wives and slaves compare to previous authors, and what does this say about Periclean Athens?
  3. Compare Plato’s ideal government to that of Periclean Athens. Which system has greater strength? Which system has the greatest potential for success and why?
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