NAME: ______________________________
Ancient Civilizations
DATE: ________________
DBQ Test: Classical Greece
Historical Context: Many of the roots of Western civilization can be traced back to the ancient Greeks. They made long
lasting contributions in areas of art, architecture, philosophy, math, drama, and science.
Document A: Geography of the Aegean World
1.How did geography influence the development of Ancient Greece? (5 pts)
Document B: Pericles’ Funeral Oration
“Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people. When it is a
question of setting private disputes, everyone is equal before the law, when it is a question of putting one person before another
in positions of public responsibility, what counts is not membership in a particular class but he actual ability which the man
possesses. No one, so long as he has it in him to be of service to the state, is kept in political obscurity because of poverty.”
"Further, we provide plenty of means for the mind to refresh itself from business. We celebrate games and sacrifices all the
year round, and the elegance of our private establishments forms a daily source of pleasure and helps to banish the spleen;
while the magnitude of our city draws the produce of the world into our harbor, so that to the Athenian the fruits of other
countries are as familiar a luxury as those of his own.
Pericles, “The Funeral Oration,” from Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War
2.Evaluate the accuracy of Pericles statement that Athenian democracy was in the hands of “the whole people”. (5 pts)
3.How could the feeling expressed in this speech have helped lead Athens into war? (2 pts)
Document C: Quotation from Aristotle, 384-322 BCE
“Where ought the sovereign power of the state to reside?...The state aims to consist as far as possible of those who
are alike and equal, a condition found chiefly among the middle section…The middle class is also the steadiest
element, the least eager for change. They neither covet, like the poor, the possessions of others, not do others covet
theirs, as the poor covet those of the rich….Tyranny often emerges from an over-enthusiastic democracy or from an
oligarchy, but much more rarely from middle class contributions.”
Aristotle, Politics
4. Why does Aristotle support the middle class as the location of power? (2 pts)
Document D: Quotation from Socrates, 470-399 BCE
5. Who is Socrates? What was his contribution to Western Civilization? (3 pts)
Document E: Ceramic Red Figure Pottery and photograph of atheletes.
6. Are the ancient Olympic games more similar or more different to the modern Olympics? (3 pts)
Document F:
7. Which type of column was used in the building on the right? (1 pt)
Document G: Myron’s marble sculpture of The Discus Thrower
8. What does this sculpture reveal about Greek values? (2 pts)
Document H:
9. How and why has the architecture of Ancient Greece influenced architectural styles today? (5 pts)
Document I:
In the 6th century BCE, the Greeks became the first people
to use theater for its own sake and not just for religious
rituals. They wrote two types of plays; comedies and
tragedies. Tragedies were often about a hero of the past
with a tragic flaw while comedies were about everyday life
and made fun of politics and respected figures of the time.
All the actors were men but when they portrayed women,
they wore wigs. Large expressive masks showed the type
of character they were playing. Actors wore bright colors
for comedies and black for tragedies.
10. What was the original purpose of theater? (1 pt)
11. How was the performance of a comedy different form a performance of a tragedy? (3 pts)
Document J: Map of Peloponnesian War
12. What were the results of the Peloponnesian Wars? (3 pts)
13. What inherent flaw of the Greeks is suggested by this map? (2 pts)
Document K: Map of the Hellenistic World
Alexander died unexpectedly
at the age of 32 and did not
designate a successor. On his
death, his generals struggled
for power, eventually
establishing four monarchies
that spread Hellenistic culture
and fostered trade and
economic development.
14. Use the document to suggest one positive and one negative result of the conquests of Alexander the Great. (2 pts)
Document L: Images of Hellenistic Sculpture
15. What do these sculptures reveal about cultural diffusion between Greece and other places during and after the reign of
Alexander the Great? (3 pts)
Document M: This excerpt is from the Elements, written by Euclid in about 300 BCE
Proposition 15, THEOREM: If two straight line cut one another the vertical, or opposite, angles shall be equal.
16. Who was Euclid and what has been the impact of his work? (2 pts)
Document N: The following is an excerpt from the Hippocratic Oath. Hippocrates, creator of this oath, lived form about
460 to about 377 BCE
I will follow the treatment which according to my ability and judgment, I will consider for the benefit of my patients,
and abstain from whatever is harmful. I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest any such advice…
17. Who was Hippocrates and what was he promising to do? (2 pts)
Part II: Essay
Write an essay that answers the following question.
What is the legacy of the Ancient Greeks to Western Civilization? What were their contributions?
Task: Using information from the documents and your knowledge of world history, write an essay in which you:


Discuss and evaluate the achievement of the people of Greece and their influence on other cultures.
Use at least FIVE documents in your response.
Be sure to include specific historical details. Your essay must include additional information from your knowledge of
world history.