SSWH 3 Presentation

Ancient World
 SSWH3
Examine the political, philosophical, and
cultural interaction of Classical
Mediterranean societies from 700 BCE
to 400 CE.
 Greece/ Greek

Italy/ Roman
 SSWH 3 A

Compare the origins and

structure of the Greek polis,
the Roman Republic, and the
Roman Empire.
 How did we get here?
● 700 BCE, Greece was divided
into several independent, warring
kingdoms
● Each army was made up of
part-time hoplite soldiers
○ class of small landowning
farmers, merchants and
artisans
● In some areas the soldiers were
unhappy
● Lead to the rise of tyrants
● Who promised reforms in
exchange for the support of the
hoplites
How did we get here?
● Tyrants overthrew many of
the kings
○ attempted to take all the
power for themselves
○ most cases were
unsuccessful
● Tyrants were themselves
overthrown by the hoplites
● Chaos and the army
eventually ushered in the
period of the Greek Polis
 What is a polis?
● The polis (plural, poleis) was the
ancient Greek city-state.
● In the ancient world, it was the
central urban area that could
also have controlled the
surrounding countryside.
● The word polis could also refer
to the city's body of citizens.
● The polis began to emerge as a
new form of social and political
organization in the eighth
century B.C.
○ Athens, Sparta, Thebes,
Corinth, etc.
 Elements of a Polis
● Self-governance, autonomy and
independence (city-state)
● Agora: the social hub and
financial marketplace
● Acropolis: the citadel
● Temples, Altars
● considered as the time of
recovery and the peak of Greek
Civilization
● 30,000 to 300,000 in population
● All spoke Greek, polytheistic,
practiced different forms of
government, and had the same
culture.
Forms of Government

• Oligarchy - rule by the

few
• Democracy - rule by
the people
• Monarchies - rule by a
king/queen
• Military states - rule by
the military
Let’s look at two
famous Greek
City-States.
 Athens
● held their cultural
achievements in the
highest regard
● Economy based on
trade and seafaring
● Birthplace of democracy
● Only 10-15% of the
population allowed to
paticipate in
government
○ Women, slaves, and
foreigners not
allowed to participate
Sparta
• Economy based on farming
• Practiced oligarchy
• MILITARY BASED
SOCIETY - held all military
matters to be of the
utmost importance
• All males expected to spend
the majority of their life in
the military
• Spartan women had only a
few more rights here than in
Athens
Let’s look at the
Roman Republic.
 Roman Republic
● Built on the Tiber River near
the Mediterranean Sea
● Considered to be a REPUBLIC
- rule of law by elected officials
○ Officials were elected by
citizens
● All land owning men were
considered citizens
○ Patriarchal Society -
women had little rights
● Had to be a landowner to be
allowed to join the military
● Communication was aided by
having a network of good roads
 Roman Republic
● Formed a republic with 2 main ruling
groups:
○ the patricians - a wealthy and
powerful group of nobles, small in
numbers
○ the plebeians - a poor group, large
in numbers, politically limited
● Established written laws (12 Tables)
○ Covered Plebeians and Patricians
● Had 2 consuls (king like rulers) and a
senate
○ highest elected position in the
Roman Republic
○ highest civilian and military
magistrates
● Tribunes were governmental offices filled
through elections
 Fall of the Roman Republic
● Causes:
○ Discontent of the plebeians
○ Stress between the two classes
○ War with Carthage
■ Soldiers away at war for so long - no one to mind
the farm back home so had to sell the land
○ Rising unemployment
○ Landless Romans no longer qualified for military
service reduced the size of the Roman army
 Fall of the Roman Republic

● after the fall Rome fell into a

series of civil wars
● The senate was no longer the
most powerful instrument of
the government
● During this time members of
the patrician class
accumulated vast personal
estates and enormous wealth
Extent of the Roman Republic
Let’s look at the
Roman Empire.
 Roman Empire
● Ending the civil wars is a group of
people known as the First
Triumvirate
○ Julius Casear, Crassus, and
Pompey
○ had overwhelming influence
over the affairs of Rome.
● Caesar eventually wins complete
power and is declared dictator
● Creation of the EMPIRE -
benefited the wealthy and the
poor were overlooked
Roman Empire
● Julius Caesar assassinated
● Second Triumvirate formed
○ Ushers in a NEW PEACE
- “Pax Romana”
■ Pax Romana -
Colosseum is built,
empire expands, public
works are built
■ Pax Romana -
strongest unifying force
was the government
Eventually the Roman Empire falls…..

This is the beginning of the Dark Ages.

 SSWH 3 B

Identify the ideas and impact of important

individuals, include: Socrates, Plato,
Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar,
and Augustus Caesar.
 Famous Greeks
Socrates

• 470 BC – 399 BC
• classical Athenian
philosopher
• A founder of Western
philosophy
• Plato - famous student
• argued that there were no
absolute standards for truth
 SOCRATES • believed that average
people were not qualified
to rule themselves
• Socratic method (relies
heavily on question and
answer)
– a series of questions
– encourage deeper insight
• taught his students to
question everything around
them
• to think critically rather than
• questioned the notion of
simply memorizing things.
"might makes right"
 Socrates
• irritated people with
ideas of justice

• attempts to improve the Athenians' sense of justice =

source of his execution

• found guilty of corrupting the minds of the youth of

Athens and sentenced to death by drinking a mixture
containing poison hemlock
 PLATO
• 429-349 BCE
• Greek philosopher, mathematician
• student of Socrates
• founder of the Academy in Athens,
the first institution of higher
learning in the Western world
• believed that average people
were not qualified to rule
themselves
• students should master five
mathematical disciplines before
beginning the study of philosophy
 PLATO’S REPUBLIC
• Student of Socrates
• Wrote The Republic
– to explain such topics
as justice and the "ideal"
state
– Socratic dialogue
written by Plato
– MAIN IDEA: VISION OF
A PERFECTLY
GOVERNED SOCIETY
 ARISTOTLE
• 384 BC – 322 BC
• Greek philosopher
• a student of Plato
• Founded his on school to
teach philosophy
• teacher of Alexander the
Great
• believed that average
people were not
qualified to rule
themselves
ARISTOTLE

• Rules of logic
• Said that females had
the least amount of right
– female slaves would
MOST LIKELY be
considered the lowest
social class in Ancient
Greece tasks
 ALEXANDER THE GREAT

• Born in Macedonia - 356 BC - 323 BC

• By 30 created one of the largest empires
• undefeated in battle - conquered most of the known world
• considered one of history's most successful commanders
• created an empire that blended the influences of several
ancient cultures
Alexander the Great was from Macedonia which
is located next to Greece
 Alexander the Great
• the spread of
Greek culture in the
east resulted in a
new Hellenistic
civilization

• main cause of the

spread of
Hellenistic
• founded some 20 cities that (GREEK) culture
bore his name the conquest of
• Promoted religious and political Alexander the
freedom in conquered lands Great
 Alexander the Great
• cultural diffusion =
Greek culture went with
him and stayed behind
– Religion, art, and
philosophy
influenced by Greek
thought
 Julius Caesar
100 BC - 44 BC

• Came to power as a
Roman military leader
• very popular with citizens
• His army was deeply loyal
• MOST responsible for
Rome's move from a
republic to a dictatorship
• Expanded citizenship to a
wide group of people
Julius Caesar
• provided jobs through
public works
• Set up the Julian
Calendar
• Would not obey the
Senate
• Assassinated by senators
 Augustus Caesar
63 BC - 14 BC

• Came to power after Caesar’s death - Emperor

• Rule marked the end of the Roman Republic
• Rome became an empire under his reign
• Created a civil service
system
• reign ushered in the Pax
Romana
– attention paid to cultural
growth rather than war
 SSWH 3 C

Analyze the impact of Greek

and Roman culture, politics,
and technology.
 Greece/ Greek

Italy/ Roman
 Greek Culture
• Science:
– Studied astronomy and
built an observatory
– Studied the planets
and the sun
– Ancient discoveries
relate to the modern
world

• Culture:
– Opened up trade throughout the Mediterranean
– Built a research library, art galleries, and a zoo
 Greek Culture

• Law: Democracy gave way

to a monarchy -Ended polis
(city-states)
• Gender: - women did not
have a lot of freedom
• Math:
– famous mathmeticians -
Ptolemy, Pythagoras,
Eudoxus

The Iliad and the Odyssey are the two best known epic
works most closely associated with Greek culture.
 Roman Culture
• Lever & pulley
• Hippocratic oath (ethical
standards for doctors)
• Built roads, bridges,
harbors
• the arch lead to larger and
more stable structures
• Aqueducts: structures that
carry water into cities
• Urban areas became
larger due to aqueducts
Roman Culture

• major contribution -
concept of government
by law - Twelve Tables

• innocent until proven

guilty
• equal treatment under
law
• Solid evidence must be
presented to indict
someone
 Roman Culture

• Women no longer restricted to their homes

• Women learned to read and write
• Royal women held power, some were rulers, others
worked outside of home
 Greek and Roman Impact
• Writings were used by later
French and English
philosophers that led to the
development of participatory
democracy
• Latin is often associated with
science, especially medicine
and biology
• Roman law codes served as the
starting point for the
development of many modern
European law codes.
Greek and Roman Impact
• Greek and Roman
contributions influenced the
Arab world where they were
key in the development of
navigational technologies that
spurred the Age of Exploration

• The prosperity of the Roman

Empire increased the
development of scholarship
that lasted well beyond the
collapse of the Empire.
 SSWH 3 D

Describe polytheism in the

Greek and Roman world.
 Polytheism

• Greeks and Romans were polytheistic

– origins were established through traditional stories
of mythology.
• Greeks and Romans shared same religious concepts
• Roman Empire tolerated other religions as long as the
people were loyal to the emperor
 Greek Gods Roman Gods
• Zeus - King • Jupiter - King
• Hera - • Juno - Queen/Marriage
Queen/Marriage • Minerva - Wisdom
• Athena - Wisdom • Mercury - messenger
• Hermes - messenger • Pluto - Underworld
• Hades - Underworld • Mars War
• Ares- War • Neptune - Sea
• Poseidon - Sea
 Polytheism
• Greeks and Romans
believed:
– gods and goddess
confronted many of
the same emotions as
humans
– engaged with each
other and humanity in
complex and often
troublesome ways
Romans religion included
many gods adapted from the
Greeks
Polytheism
• Attempts to appease the
gods and goddess:
– construction of
monumental architecture
and statues
• Parthenon in Athens
and the Pantheon in
Rome
– development of complex
state run rituals that
helped justify the power of
the government.
 SSWH 3 E

Explain the origins and

diffusion of Christianity in the
Roman World.
 Christianity
• Christianity came from the
teachings of Jesus of
Nazareth
• savior of the Hebrew (Judaic)
peoples
• personal relationship w/ God
• promise of Heaven
• Christians were persecuted so
they worshiped in private and
in catacombs
• Jesus put to death, Paul
spreads word of Jesus & God
(missionary)
Christianity
• Following the death of
Jesus - Christianity spread
due to its appeal to lower
classes and the poor
• Liked by many because it
accepted all people,
especially the poor
• Used Roman roads to
travel & spread the word
of Jesus
 Christianity
• Christianity spread through empire easily
due to Pax-Romana

• Emperor Constantine (Roman)

was the first emperor to convert
to Christianity
– With imperial support,
Christianity grew quickly to
become the dominate religion
of Europe.
 SSWH 3 F

Analyze the factors that led

to the collapse of the
Western Roman Empire.
 Roman Empire
SPLIT:
• To try to save the empire, it was split in the
3rd century to make it easier to rule
– Western Roman Empire
• Capital at Rome
– Eastern Roman Empire
• Capital at Constantinople
Roman Empire Splits
Collapse of the Western Empire

• Social/Political: Ineffective and corrupt

leadership
– Emperor position auctioned off
– Lack of interest/ pride in government by
people
– Large contrast between rich and poor
– Due to the rise in those who followed
Christianity
• People no longer saw the Emperor as
divine
• Ultimately weakened the power of the
Emperor
Collapse of the Western Empire

• Economic: Poor Harvests

– Decrease in agricultural output - leads to higher food
prices
– Disruption of Trade by invaders
– Western Empire not as rich as the Eastern Empire
– Weak currency/ High inflation
– High cost of defending against invasions
• Invaders were known as the Huns
– Increase in Taxes
• Military:
– Threat from barbarian invaders
– Recruitment of non-Roman soldiers developed a
lack of loyalty
– Series of disastrous military losses
– Lack of money caused a decline in the military
numbers
Collapse of the Western Empire
• Why were the Germanic tribes attacks
increasing in frequency?
– Fear of attack from the Huns forced
Germanic tribes into the territory of the Roman
Empire.

• Romulus Augustus was last emperor of Western

Empire
– Deposed by a Germanic tribal leader
– No Emperor would ever rule again from Rome
 Impact from Fall of the Western
Roman Empire
• The Fall of the Roman Empire marks the
beginning of the Dark Ages.
– Lack of stability
– Decline in learning
– Failing infrastructure
– Decrease in trade
– Literature stopped spreading
– Writing declined
– Collapse of the large scale system of slavery
– Life became harsh and brutal
– Decline in Population