Transcript Sample Primary Source Passage

Announcements
Friday, Feb. 24
• MFA trip report (Adrienne, Chris G,
Deirston, Artie, Phil, Vincent)
• HW3 samples
• Midterm Review
• “Fall” of Rome
Midterm Review
&
“Fall” of Rome
"Did you mean to bring your TV remote
instead of your calculator for this exam?"
Midterm Review
• Midterm this Monday, Feb. 27 (in-class
and take-home guidelines on course
website)
• Questions re format, etc.?
• Sample Multiple Choice
• Sample Primary Source Passage
• Sample essays & Hints
Sample Multiple Choice Questions
1. The Julio-Claudian Emperors who succeeded Augustus were
a. his equal in dedication and ability
b. unstable and incompetent
c. democratically inclined
d. mostly of Germanic origin, reflecting Romanization.
2. Patricians were
a. usually wealthy aristocrats
b. members of an elite military unit to guard the Emperor.
c. lower on the social scale than plebians
d. members of the Greek priesthood.
3. The Battle of Marathon resulted in
a. a Persian victory
b. an Athenian victory
c. the destruction of the Carthaginian navy
d. the death of Julius Caesar
4. The earliest civilizations emerged close to
a. river valleys
b. the sea coast
c. mountain passes
d. good pasture land for animals
Sample Primary Source Passage
• “If anyone take a male or female slave of the court, or a
male or female slave of a free man, outside the city
gates to escape, he shall be put to death. If anyone be
too lazy to keep his dam in the proper condition, and if
the dam then breaks and all the field be flooded, then
shall he be sold for money, and the money shall replace
the grain which has been ruined.”
• Hammurabi, “Code of Laws”, ca. 18th c. BC, Babylonia.
This law code shows that Babylonia was among the
earliest civilizations. It valued organized agriculture, and
had a government to enforce laws for the common good.
Capital punishment was common in this society.
Sample Primary Source Passage II
• “We will now proceed to show you that we are come
here in the interest of our empire, and how we wish to
preserve your country. You should submit before
suffering the worst.”
“You will not consent to our being neutral, allies of neither
and friends of both”.
“No, for we are the masters of the sea, and islanders like
yourselves might take a rash step and lead yourselves
and us into danger.”
Thucydides, Athenian/Melian Debate, Classical Greece
(4oo’s BC?). Recorded by a Greek historian, this debate
was about whether Athens had the right to conquer its
neighbors. It shows that Athens was imperialist.
Hints for Primary Source Passage
• Know “major” passages in Wiesner (e.g.,
Pericles, Aristotle, Vitruvius, Res Gestae),
as well as the online primary sources (e.g.,
Polybius, Livy, Twelve Tables).
• I am likely to choose passages we have
discussed in class.
Hints for the Essay Question
• 1) Analyze the question in advance, to understand what
it’s asking re time, location, structure of answer, etc.
• 2) Formulate a strategy for answering each question
• 3) List relevant examples that might be useful (primary
and secondary sources can both be used)
• 4) Always include an introductory paragraph
• 5) Try to have a thesis statement that makes an
argument or convinces the reader;
• 6) Use separate paragraphs for separate ideas
• 7) Show how each paragraph contributes to the larger
argument.
“Fall” of Rome timeline
•
•
•
•
Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD)
Pax Romana (1st/2nd c. AD)
Third-Century Crisis (3rd c. AD)
Rebuilding w/ Diocletian and
Constantine
• “Fall” vs. “Transformation” (4th/5th c.
AD)
3rd-Century Crisis
• “From a kingdom of gold
to one of iron and rust”
(Diocassius)
– Invasions from Persia
(Sassanids), from N.
Europe (Goths, Franks)
– Plague in Egypt
– Assassinations of
emperors
– Massive inflation
– Militarization of government
•
Roman Empire under Siege, ca. 250 AD
Diocletian (r. 284-305)
• “Dominate” = Lord
• Reorganizes Roman
Empire into provinces
and dioceses
• Incorporates
barbarians into Army
• Tetrarchy
• Persecution of
Christians
• Public works (e.g.,
baths)
Tetrarchy
Splits Empire into
quarters, with
caesars and
augusti to rule
each.
An attempt to
divide up
administrative
tasks
Persecution of Christians
Baths of Diocletian
Baths of Diocletian
Emperor Constantine (r. 306-337)
Constantine (r. 306-337)
• Builds Constantinople
(Byzantium/Istanbul)
• Develops Mobile
Frontier Armies
• Converts to
Christianity
• Establishes religious
tolerance (Edict of
Milan, 313 AD)
Constantinople
“In Hoc Signo Vinces”
Constantine At Milvian Bridge
Constantine & Hollywood!
Rome: “Fall” vs. “Transformation”?
Why did Rome fall?
•
•
•
•
Postmodern/Pirenne: no fall at all?
Environmental (deforestation, Krakatoa)
External forces (Huns, Goths, Vandals)
Economic (lack of gold/silver, inflation, arbitrary
taxation, low tariffs, “plunder economy”)
• Epidemological (plague, lead, measles)
• Ethnic mixing (“Germanization” of troops)
• Others:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Chrisitian focus on heaven > now;
“lack of martial vigor”
Continued civil war
“clash of civilizations”
Moral decay
Etc.
Comments on Homework Essays
• Best Essays
• One page only (think before you write!)
• Cite multiple sources > one
• Identify the source of information (e.g., Polybius, Livy, video,
textbook) for each “value”
• Use specific examples (e.g., Hannibal’s defeat > “strong army”)
• Directly answer the question > summarize a source
• Weaker Essays
• Are the opposite of above—they rely exclusively upon one source,
don’t answer the question directly, don’t identify/cite the source, and
don’t use specific examples.
• Confuse “its” w/ “it’s” and “Romans” w/ “Roman’s”
• Use “you” and “things”, which distract the reader.