Transcript Greece, Persia, and Rome

Ancient Greece, Persia, and
Rome
Overview
Classical Civilization in the Mediterranean sprang
up from about 800 BCE and lasted to the fall of
the Roman Empire in 476 CE
Crucial was the formation of new institutions and
values that would impact and influence the Middle
East and Europe
Complicated because it passed through two
centers during its time- first, Greece and later
Rome. Despite the fact that they were different
cultures there are not huge distinctions between
them
The Persian Empire Under Cyrus
the Great
550 BCE Cyrus began Persia’s conquest of
neighbors
Empire spanned over 2,000 miles
Soldiers had leather pants and thick boots
and short bows
Army was very successful between 550-539
BCE conquering the entire Fertile Crescent
and most of Anatolia
The Rule of Cyrus the Great
He was kind to people he conquered
No looting or burning of villages he
conquered
Honored local customs and religions
Pray at local temples
Subject peoples had freedom
Allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem
(remember they were exiled by the
Babylonians)
The Rule of Cambyses and
Darius
Cambyses, Cyrus’s son, captured Egypt but
was not fair and good to them so there were
widespread rebellions
522-521 BCE Darius, a noble of the ruling
dynasty, seized the throne
Extended Persian conquests in the east
Never managed to capture Greece
Established an efficient and well-organized
Provinces, Satraps, and the Royal
Road
King divided empire into 20 provinces in order to control them
Each province could practice its own religion, follow its own laws,
and speak its own language
A Satrap (governor) was appointed to rule over each territory
Army leader and tax collection for each province
Royal Road
Stretched 1,677 miles
111 relay stations along the road spaced about 15 miles apart
Manufactured metal coins that had a standard value, which
promoted trade
Zoroastrianism
Zoroaster was a Persian prophet that lived about 600 BCE and
addressed the question of human suffering
Zoroastrianism
Two armies that fight for a person’s soul
Ahura Mazda- god of truth and light
Ahriman – god of evil and darkness
When you die, souls are judged based on which god they
followed and would either go to paradise or a fiery pit
Avesta- holy writings of the religion
Spread to parts of India where it became the Parsi sect
Influenced Manicheanism, a religious system that competed
Greece
Indo-Europeans had set up early kingdoms in the
Mediterranean that would influence Greece but be unable
to control the area
Rapid rise in civilization in Greece between 800 and 600
BCE was based on the creation of strong city-states, with
each city state having its own government
Trade developed rapidly between the city states and
common culture spread, including a written language
derived from the Phoenician alphabet
Sparta and Athens became leading city states
500-449 Sparta and Athens join to defeat the
Persians
Greek Culture Flourishes
Pericles- statesman who dominated Greek politics during
the 5th century BCE

Peloponnesian Wars (431-404 BCE) Sparta and
Athens vied for control of Greece
Athens loses and the city-states are weakened

Macedonian kings soon conquered the cities. Philip II
of Macedon won crucial battle in 338 BCE and then his
son Alexander extended the Macedonian empire through
the Middle East. Alexander’s reign, however, was shortlived but the successor regional kingdoms continued to
rule much of the eastern Mediterranean for centuries

Hellenistic period – Greek art and culture merged,
trade flourished, and important scientific centers were
established (i.e. Alexandria in Egypt)
Rome
Roman state began as a local monarchy in central Italy around 800
B.C.E.
Roman aristocrats drove out the monarchy in 509 B.C.E. and the new
Roman republic was established. They acquired a strong military
orientation early on even though they started out just trying to protect
themselves from outside rivals
Punic Wars (264-146 B.C.E)- spread of Roman conquest
o Carthage battle- defeat of Carthaginian general Hannibal
Republic grew weaker with widening gap between the rich and
poor and power-hungry generals vying for power
Julius Caesar- victory in 45 B.C.E. and the end of the traditional
institutions
Caesar’s grandnephew, Augustus Caesar, seized power in 27 B.C.E.
and established the basic structures of the Roman Empire
200 years the empire maintained great vigor
Greek and Roman Political
Institutions
politics comes from “polis”, which is Greek for
city-state
citizens actively participated in government and
military, thus giving them greater loyalty
Greece and Rome did not develop cohesive set of
pol. Institutions like China’s bureaucracy or
emperor
Diversity, regionalism in political forms draws
closer comparison with India rather than China
Greece
Athens had a direct democracy where
citizens were encouraged to participate
However, citizenship was restricted
Women had no rights
½ of all males had no rights
Sparta had a military aristocracy
Roman Republic
Constitution of the Roman Republic tried to
reconcile the various elements of the Greek
experience with primary reliance on the principle
of aristocracy
Roman law
Rules, objectively judged, rather than personal
whim should govern social relationships
Twelve Tables- 450 BCE- first code of laws
Slow fall over the course of 250 years –
trade fell, birth rate fell, government
became less effective
313- Constantine attempted to unify the
empire with the adoption of Christianity but
it was too late
invaders from the north overturned the
government in 476 C.E.