Transcript Friday, January 22nd

Friday, January
nd
22
Bell Work: Please pick up an article and
handout from the back table. Take a few
minutes to silently read the article. Then,
on the form, identify your original position
with regard to the question listed at the
top.
Daily Agenda:
• Bell Work: Alexander…
the Great?
• WOD Review
• Activator: Time lining
• Lecture: Classical
Civilizations
(Greece/Persia)
• Summarizer: Dear
Absent Student
Essential Question:
How did Classical
Civilizations differ from
earlier civilizations?
Homework: Read The
Year One and complete
worksheet.
Friday
BLOCK 1 QUIZ
Historical Epithets:
• Ivar the Boneless? Charles the Bald? Justinian
the Slit-Nosed? Alfonso the Slobberer? History
sure can be cruel!
• Epithets can be deserved titles, cruel
denunciations, and carefully evaluated
legacies.
• But what about “the Great?” What does such
an epithet imply?
Philosophical Debate Directions:
• Was Alexander of Macedon really “great?”
• As we discuss Alexander’s legacy, consider your view on this
question.
• Each of you will receive bonus points for your verbal
contributions to the discussion.
• Make sure to reference specific information from your reading
in your responses (support).
• At any point in the discussion if your opinion changes, note
the change (and reason) on your form.
Philosophical Chairs Debate:
• Was Alexander deserving of the title “the
great?”
• What alternate epithet would you propose for
Alexander?
• Did Alexander’s reputation benefit from
historical hindsight?
What techniques did Classical empires
create to administer their territories?
PERSIAN EMPIRE
• Challenge: 70 distinct ethnic groups
spread over the world’s largest empire
• Persepolis: Grand capital built to serve
as a nerve center of the empire .
• Satrapies: Governors (Satraps) served
as central administrators in 23 districts
of the empires. What would stop these
Satraps from challenging the power of
the Emperor?
• Satraps power was checked by a
contingent of imperial military officers
and tax collectors and also by “the eyes
and ears of the king.”
• General approach was to oversee all
territory while respecting the traditions
of each local people
• Under Darius, the empire standardized
taxes, issued standardized coins, and
attempted to codify laws (without
imposing a uniform law code)
Greek City-States
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Challenge: Greece’s mountainous and island
geography makes it nearly impossible to unite
Political Systems: Monarchy  Oligarchy 
Tyranny  Democracy Does this progression
equate to improvement?
Athens: Creates Council of 500 randomly
selected from citizenry for 1 year terms.
Ostracism – Citizenry can vote to remove
someone from society
Sparta: Military state with 2 kings and council of
elders
All Spartan boys were taken from the homes at
age 6, militarily trained by the state until 18, and
expected to serve actively until 30.
Only in isolated cases were alliances between
states arranged (Delian League)
What techniques did Classical empires
create to administer their territories?
What techniques did Classical empires
create to administer their territories?
ROMAN EMPIRE
• Challenge: Maintaining an expansive and
increasingly diverse empire
• Romanization: creating public monuments
and communal spaces open to all—such
as forums, amphitheaters,racetracks and bath
s—helped foster a sense of "Romanness".
• “Bread and Circuses”: To appease the
growing poor masses of Rome, free bread was
issue daily and gladiatorial contests, circuses,
and festivals were held to distract people from
their real problems.
• Patron-Client Relationship: The latifundia
often looked after those who worked their
land in exchange for their loyalty (in politics or
military service)
What role did trade play in creating
and maintaining empires?
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To expand the economy, Persian rulers adopted
standardized coins, and created large markets in
big cities (even banks and investment firms).
Royal Road: 1677 mile road connecting Sardis to
Susa (7 days travel rather than 90 days on foot)
Canal of the Pharaohs: Man-made canal linking
Red Sea and Nile River to expand maritime trade.
Trade amongst and between the Anatolians,
Mesopotamians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Hindus,
Central Asians, and Greeks
Greek merchants dominated control of trade
throughout the eastern Mediterranean
Spirit of “Hellenes” fostered increased trade and
interaction amongst isolated Greek city-states
Greek poleis established large colonies in places
as distant as north Africa, Italy, Spain, and the
Black Sea
What role did trade play in creating
and maintaining empires?
Roman Empire
• Roman Republic
• Created tens of
• Punic Wars were fought
thousands of miles of
against Carthage to
roads to facilitate
control and dominate
trade
Mediterranean trade
• Exported grains,
precious metals, wine
• Created a common
as far as China and
currency used throughout
India (Silk Road)
the Mediterranean
** Fun fact: The smallest coined currency in the Roman
Republic was the as (or in its plural form asses)
What social classes and occupations
were common in empires?
Hoplites  Middle class
citizens who served in the
military in Greece
Helots  Slave
population of Ancient
Sparta
Imperial
Bureaucrats and
Warriors
Equites  Roman Middle
Class; served as forerunner
to “Knights”
Free Classes (Artisans,
Priests, merchants,
craftsmen, landowning
peasants, laborers)
Slaves (Prisoners of War, Rebels, or
Debtors)
What unique social and economic
characteristics existed in empires?
PERSIAN EMPIRE
Greek Society
• Female labor  Women worked in • Athenian notion of slavery was unique. For
one year, slaves were even used as the city’s
the weaving/textile industry and
police force.
received rations of grain, wine, beer,
and meat from the empire/temple • Citizenship in Sparta was limited to those
white, male, land-owners born directly in
that employed them.
Sparta.
• Pregnancy: Pregnant and new
• Women in Sparta were provided a wellmothers received higher rations
rounded education that included boxing and
than anyone. Extra bonuses given to
wrestling. Why was this done?
mothers (and nurses) who give birth
to boys. Higher rations for boys than • Spartan women were highly valued for their
ability to create new Spartan citizens.
girls.
• Nearly every Hellenic polis practiced female
• Agriculture: Relied on
infanticide (on some scale).
Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Northern • Athenian women were very isolated; only
India for agricultural surpluses for
allowed out in public with a male relative, for
large bureaucracy.
funerals, or for female festivals.
• Qanats: Underground canals for
irrigation throughout Iranian plateau
What unique social and economic
characteristics existed in empires?
Roman Republic
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Rape of the Sabine Women --> Illustrates
women’s role in connecting families
Women were granted citizenship in the
Roman Republic, but could not vote or hold
office
Women were socially subservient to their
male paterfamilias, but were valued as
mothers
Women could serve as Vestals: religious
officials dedicated to perfecting religious
rituals
Roman women could initiate divorce, own
businesses, and had social freedom.
Slavery was common, and slave had no legal
rights.
However, upon manumission, former slaves
were granted citizenship.
Roman Empire
• Slavery in the Roman Empire was
common; as many as 1/3 in Italy and
1/5 in the empire were slaves
• Slaves as served as gladiators
• Spartacus  former gladiator that
led a revolt of 70,000 in 71 BC
• Generally, women’s lives were
dominated by the paterfamilias –
property decisions, arranged
marriages, etc.
• Social promotion was possible
through wealth, self-made men, etc.
Important Points of Periodization:
• 753 BCE – City of Rome founded (Romulus?)
• 550 BCE – Cyrus the Great founds the
Achaemenid (Persian Empire) Empire
• 509 BCE – Roman Republic founded
• 499 – 459 BCE – Persian Wars
• 431-404 – Peloponnesian War
• 336-31 BCE – Hellenistic Era
• 264-146 BCE – Punic Wars
• 27 BCE – 285 CE – Roman Empire (Undivided)
• 285-476 CE – Western Roman Empire