Christianity
became the
official
religion of the
Roman
Empire.
800 BC
400s AD
Classical
Europe began
to flourish.
300 AD
31 BC
447 BC
800 BC
The
Parthenon
was started in
Athens as a
temple for
Athena.
Julius
Caesar’s
nephew,
Octavius,
became the
first Roman
emperor,
Caesar
Augustus and
initiated Pax
Romana.
Rome’s
northern
frontier
defenses
crumbled.
Rome was
invaded by
Germanic
people.
By: Mary Grace Smith
Jesus Christ
was born in
Palestine
under
Augustus.
330 AD
Alexander the
Great and his
father, Phillip
II of
Macedonia,
invaded and
conquered all
of Greece.
Alexander
then spread
Greek culture
wherever he
invaded.
1-3 AD
Hippocrates,
the Greek
Father of
Medicine,
was born.
300s BC
460 BC
400 AD
Constantine I
moved the
capital from
Rome to
Constantinople.
Summary of Classical Europe
Classical Europe began around 800 BC in ancient Greece and lasted until about 400 AD when Rome’s world power diminished. Classical
Europe is considered to be a very significant culture that also is the foundation for Western Civilization and the Roman Empire.
The Greeks believed in a lot of gods and goddesses who lived on Mount Olympus. In 460 BC, the “Father of Medicine,” Hippocrates, was
born and later challenged the Greeks’ belief that diseases were punishments from the gods. He was thrown in jail for 20 years for teaching
that diseases were caused naturally by diet, living habits, and the environment.
A few years later in 447 BC, the Parthenon was built as a temple to the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Located on top of the
highest hill in Athens, the Acropolis, it was designed to be the most beautiful temple in all of Greece, made to look like it is floating in the air.
In the 300s BC, an ambitious father and son team invaded Greece – Phillip of Macedonia and Alexander the Great. Alexander became king
of Macedon and Greece when he was 20 years old and his father died. He crossed into the Persian Empire and Egypt, conquered them and
spread Greek culture wherever he went. He especially loved learning and built a huge museum-library which lasted until a Roman attack in
about 200 BC.
In the 200s BC, Rome increased its power and conquered cities all over Europe. In 44 BC, Julius Caesar tried to become the first emperor (or
dictator for life) of Rome, but he was assassinated by supporters of the Senate. A 13-year civil war began with by Julius Caesar’s nephew
Octavius, his girlfriend Cleopatra, and his former friend Mark Antony. When the war ended, Octavius Caesar was crowned the first Roman
emperor in 31 BC, and called Caesar Augustus, which means “The Good.” He worked hard to provide peace and prosperity for everyone, or
Pax Romana.
The Roman Empire had spread to Palestine, an area of land around the Mediterranean. In 1 to 3 AD, Jesus was born in Bethlehem when his
parents went there to pay taxes to Caesar Augustus. When Jesus grew up, he taught revolutionary religious concepts, called Christianity,
around the Sea of Galilee and near Jerusalem. He was killed for his teachings in 33 AD, and his followers were tortured by the Romans for
their beliefs.
However, by the 300s AD, Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire. Just before a battle, the emperor Constantine had a
dream about the power of the Christian god, won the battle, then forced everyone to become Christian. In 330 AD, he moved the capital of
the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople, near the Black Sea. He wanted to be between the warring forces in Germany and the East.
Because of plagues, people began abandoning the cities and moving to the country.
By 400 AD, the powerful Roman Empire had decayed and was invaded by various groups of German people. The invading Germans drank
beer and used butter to cook and clean with, rather than wine and olive oil. This offended the Romans, who thought the Germans stunk for
invading them and for the way they smelled.
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