Transcript Period 2 Terms part 1

“Classical” Culture
An ancient and enduring culture like the Greeks or
Romans.
Cultural Diffusion
Spread of
ideas,
customs, or
technology
from one
culture or
people to
another.
Persian Empire
Darius the road builder
522 to 486 B.C.
Geography of Greece
Mountains made it
difficult for unity
among Greeks and
led to the
formation of citystates like Sparta
and Athens. The
sea was and still is
their vital link to
the world.
Greek polis
Greek City-States from 750 BC.
Minoans of Crete
Inhabitants of the Island of Crete, whose rulers lived in the
Palace at Knossos which had important frescoes of Minoan life.
They were a sea-going culture or thalassocracy. By 1400 BC,
they were destroyed by a volcanic eruption.
Athens
An aristocracy
dominated by
noble
landowners.
Solon reformed
Athens into the
world’s first
democracy
with limited
rights.
Sparta
A nation of warriorsoldiers in Southern
Greece that was ruled by
kings and a council of
elders. From childhood,
all Spartans were
prepared to be soldiers or
support the warrior
culture.
Democracy
Athens was a direct
democracy where
the people where
every male over the
age of 18 could
vote, rich or poor.
Oligarchy
Rule by a few,
usually
wealthy,
people. Sparta
was ruled by
more than one
king.
Delian League
A military and economic
collaboration of Greek
city-states.
Peloponnesian Wars
Wars between Athens and
Sparta from 431 BC to 404 BC.
Socrates
Outspoken critic of the Athenian
government, who expressed his
philosophy and encouraged his
students to examine their lives.
Plato
Great works: The Allegory of the Cave
and The Republic in which he
emphasized the importance of reason.
Aristotle
Was the teacher of
Alexander the Great and
promoted learning and
reason as the guiding
forces of life.
Pythagorus
Pythagorean Theorum - The
sum of the areas of the two
squares on the legs (a and b)
equals the area of the square
on the hypotenuse (c).
Contributions to philosophy,
science and mathematics.
Parthenon
Alexander the Great
Took the throne of Macedonia when his
father, Phillip was assassinated – built
the Hellenistic Empire.
Hellenism
Blending of Eastern and
Western cultures because
of the conquests of
Alexander the Great. The
city of Alexandria in Egypt
was the heart of the
Hellenistic Empire.
Geography of Rome
Seven Hills of Rome –
the Palentine Hill was
the most important.
The Punic Wars
“Carthage must be
destroyed,” was
the cry of Cato the
Elder in the Senate
of Rome. Carthage
was a rival of
Rome during it’s
empire. Hannibal
Barcus tried to
defeat the empire
but came up short
when a war of
attrition was
fought at the gates
of Rome.
Twelve Tables
Roman Republic
Government by elected representatives – limited government.
Patricians
Upper class landholders of
Rome
Plebians
Farmers, merchants, artisans and
traders made up the bulk of Roman
citizens.
Senators
Dominated
Roman
government
and elected
Consuls or
leaders to
supervise
business and
the military.
Emperor
The Roman Emperor was committed to establishing control over
foreign lands and people. Called princeps (first citizen).
Roman Empire
Led in the beginning
by Octavian
(Augustus); ushered
in a period of justice
and peace.
Julius Caesar
Defied the Senate by
crossing the Rubicon
saying, “the die is
cast.” He was
assassinated in the
Senate of Rome.
Emperor Augustus
Ushered in the Pax Romana – time of peace.
Pax Romana
Greek and Roman
Mythology
Very similar, but Greek gods were believed to
interfere in the daily lives of citizens.
Christianity
In Judea, declared himself the Son of
God and was crucified in Jerusalem.
Emperor Constantine
Moved the capitol of Rome to the
Bosphorus and named it Constantinople. In
the Edict of Milan, declared the Christian
religion the official religion of Rome.
Emperor Diocletian
Split the Roman Empire into
the East and Western Empires.
The Eastern Empire flourished
while the Western Empire fell
to barbarians and entered the
Dark Ages.
Greco-Roman Culture
It was the ancient
Roman culture that was
greatly influenced by
Greek culture.
Indian Ocean Trade
In the Roman
Empire, long
distance trade in
dhows and sailboats
made it a dynamic
zone of interaction
between peoples,
cultures, and
civilizations
stretching from Java
in the East to
Zanzibar and
Mombasa in the
West.