REVIEW FOR THE
UNIT 2 TEST
Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome
REVIEW FOR THE
UNIT 2 TEST
INSTRUCTIONS:
Go through the slides and answer each
question in the packet; the slide
numbers are listed for each question
Greece’s lack of natural resources and location
on the Mediterranean Sea encouraged
Greek trade with neighboring societies
The Greeks were skilled sailors,
which linked the various Greek
states with neighboring countries
Mountains covered about 75% of Greece; these
barriers divided the Greek people into separate
mountain valleys and made unifying Greece
nearly impossible
The Greek
people were
divided into
independent
city-states
(called polis)
within each
valley and its
surrounding
mountains
Greek city-states had an agora (a
massive marketplace) that was the
center for trade and government
City-states had an acropolis, a
temple on a hill dedicated to one
of the sacred gods or goddesses
Differences Among Greek City-States
Some polis like Athens had a
direct democracy, a
government ruled by citizens
who vote on decisions
GREEK DEMOCRACY
The foundation of
America’s democratic
republic began with
Athens’ direct democracy
Ancient
Greek ballots
Athenian citizens
participated in
government decisions
by voting
Athenian society focused on wealth & culture
Philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
questioned assumptions, quested for knowledge,
and used logic to find answers to questions
The Greek cultural
contributions
(especially from
Athens) to
philosophy, art,
entertainment,
literature,
architecture,
science, education,
and democracy
formed the
foundation of
Western civilization
GREEK MATHEMATICS
Ancient Greek
mathematicians
developed important
math concepts that are
still used today
Scientists use pi to find
the circumference of
circles
Euclid developed proofs
that became the basis
for modern geometry
GREEK MATHEMATICS
Pythagoras tried to
explain everything in
mathematical terms
The Theorem is still
used all over the world
Use the Pythagorean Theorem to solve for “c”.
The value of “a” is 3 and “b” is 6
He created a theorem
about the relationships
between the sides of a
triangle called the
Pythagorean Theorem
GREEK PHILOSOPHY
Aristotle was a student of
Plato and became a brilliant
teacher of the sciences
Aristotle created the basis
for the scientific method:
every truth is followed by
other logical truth
Together with the work of
Socrates and Plato,
Aristotle’s work provided a
basis of Western civilization
GREEK MEDICINE
Greek physicians developed the
“Hippocratic Oath”, a pledge that
doctors take that emphasizes a
doctor’s responsibility to the patients
“I swear by Apollo, the healer,
and I take to witness all the
gods…the following Oath: I will
prescribe regimens for the good
of my patients according to my
ability and my judgment and
never do harm to anyone.”
—Excerpt from the Hippocratic Oath
The society of Sparta
focused on military
strength, not
freedom, art, and
learning (like Athens)
The Spartans showed their strength during
the wars with Persia
King Darius’ army was defeated by several
Greek city-states when some Greeks living in
the Persian Empire’s territory revolted
Persia’s next king, Xerxes, never forgot this
defeat and decided to teach Greece a lesson; he
led his massive forces in an invasion of Greece
The war between
Sparta and Athens
was called the
Peloponnesian War
(named after the
southern part of
Greece, where Sparta
was located)
Sparta won, but the
war left all of Greece
weakened
In 338 B.C.E., King Philip II of Macedonia attacked and
conquered the Greeks, but he was assassinated soon
after this (possibly arranged by his wife)
King Alexander of Macedonia
Alexander was only
20 years old when he
became king
The well-educated
Alexander was just as
ambitious as he was
brilliant at military
strategy
Once he cemented
his power, he began
to expand his empire
Alexander set his
sights on the Persian
Empire and began his
attack by conquering
Egypt; Egyptians
viewed Alexander as a
liberator, freeing them
from the Persians
In 331 B.C., Alexander
attacked and defeated the
mighty Persian army led
by King Darius III
Alexander destroyed
the Persian capital of
Persepolis
When Alexander died without an heir,
his empire was divided among his top
generals, who fought each other
Alexander's empire was the largest of the
Classical Era, but it was short-lived (only
13 years) and was never fully unified
Alexander brought Greek colonists and culture to
Persia and parts of Asia, blending the cultures
together; this created a new culture called Hellenism
The term “Hellenism” comes from the sun goddess
Helen, which the Greeks thought themselves the
children of; they called Greek culture “Hellenism”
Alexandria in Egypt was the most significant of
these cities and best represented Hellenism
(the spread and blending of Greek culture)
Alexandria became the center for Hellenistic culture
and trade for the Mediterranean world
The Culture of Ancient Rome
Roman religion was
polytheistic and based on
the Greek gods (usually only
the names changed)
Roman Language
Roman conquest spread their language, Latin, through
much of Europe; over time, different regions in Europe
developed their own languages based in Latin
Languages
based in
Latin are
known as
the
Romance
languages
The Culture of Ancient Rome
Like Greek agoras, Roman cities had a forum
for markets and public gatherings
Ancient Roman Society
Roman society was divided into three major groups
At the top were the nobles (called patricians);
they controlled most of the land and held key
military and government positions
Ancient Roman Society
Most Roman people were commoners
(called plebeians); they were farmers,
shopkeepers, or peasants
The Government of Ancient Rome
A republic is a
form of
government in
which citizens
have the power
to elect their
leaders
The Government of Ancient Rome
In 451 BCE, government
officials wrote down
Rome’s laws onto the
Twelve Tables, which
were hung in the forum
for all citizens to see
The Twelve Tables were
based on the idea that
all citizens of Rome had
a right to the protection
of the law
The Roman Army was made up of full-time
professional soldiers; the highly organized command
structure ensured that legions could be rapidly
deployed against the enemy
Advances in military technology (such as
catapults) enabled the professional Roman
soldiers to not only defend the Romans’
territory, but to expand it
THE PUNIC WARS
With Carthage’s
defeat, the Romans
were then the most
dominant power in
the Mediterranean,
carving out an
enormous empire
JULIUS CAESAR
From the turmoil
within the Roman
Republic, a new
political leader
emerged: a general
named Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar partnered
with two other Roman
politicians to take control
of Rome (they formed a
triumvirate)
Julius was extremely
popular with the Roman
people, due to his great
military victories
Determined to fix the problems
of the Roman Republic, he
reduced the Senate’s power,
named himself dictator-for-life,
and forced enactment of his
reform programs
Fearing that he was becoming too
powerful, members of the Roman
Senate conspired to assassinate Caesar
FROM ROMAN REPUBLIC TO
ROMAN EMPIRE
Julius Caesar’s death changed Rome; the
people no longer trusted the Senate to
rule the Roman Republic
FROM ROMAN REPUBLIC TO
ROMAN EMPIRE
Octavian exacted revenge
on the Senators who
assassinated Julius
Octavian soon became
undisputed ruler of Rome,
renaming himself
Augustus Caesar
“Augustus” means “exalted
one”; Julius Caesar’s last
name became the title for
“emperor”
FROM ROMAN REPUBLIC TO
ROMAN EMPIRE
Augustus did away with the
Senators’ power, eventually
ending the representative
government of Rome and
becoming Rome’s first emperor
The Senate still met, but
the emperor had all of
the real power
THE PAX ROMANA
Augustus’ 41 year reign marked the beginning
of a 207-year era of peace, wealth, and
expansion called “Pax Romana” (the “Roman
Peace”) from 27 BCE to 180 CE
The Empire
was over 3
million square
miles in size
and contained
about 80
million people
Pax Romana
ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION
Rome’s location on the
Mediterranean Sea allowed for
trade and cultural diffusion
(blending of cultures) with other
people and nations
ROME: AN EMPIRE OF INNOVATION
Through the cultural diffusion, the Romans were able to
borrow the best ideas from other civilizations (especially the
Greeks) and improve upon them
Roman Engineering: Roads
At first, the roads were built to move soldiers quickly,
but eventually the roads served many people for
many purposes, especially as trade routes
Roman Engineering: Aqueducts
One of the Romans’ greatest engineering feats was
channeling water to their cities throughout the Empire
Roman engineers built the aqueducts to move the cold,
clear water from springs to towns; sometimes they would
be up to 250 miles long
The Roman Calendar
This new
calendar (called
the “Julian
Calendar” after
Julius Caesar)
had 365 days
and one extra
day every
fourth year
July was named
after Julius
because it
included his
birthday
Roman Government
They elected a
Senate, made up of
300 men, that
made laws; they
also elected two
consuls, men who
commanded the
army and ran the
day-to-day affairs
of Rome
Roman Architecture
The Romans
were
tremendously
skilled
builders; they
improved
upon Greek
designs with
two new
architectural
features:
arches and
domes
The Romans built great
structures such as the
Pantheon and the Coliseum
The Influence of the Greeks and Romans
The influence that the Greeks and later on
the Romans had on Western civilization
cannot be overstated
Many facets of modern American life can be
traced back to the innovations of the Greeks
and Romans: things like government, language,
religion, law, education, entertainment,
literature, art, mathematics, astronomy,
engineering, science, buildings, customs,
traditions, sports, philosophy and medicine all
can trace their roots back to Greece and Rome
ROMAN EMPERORS:
THE GOOD, THE BAD, and THE UGLY
Rome would have a wide
range of different
emperors over the years
In 63 BCE, the Romans conquered the Hebrew
kingdom of Judea and allowed “Romanized
Jews” (who showed respect to Roman gods and
obeyed Roman laws) to govern Judea
But, the Jews were monotheistic
and many refused to pay respect
to the Roman gods
Many Hebrews began to resist
Roman rule; they believed that
God would send the Messiah to
restore the kingdom to the Jews
Jesus did good
works, performed
miracles, and
delivered his
religious teachings
Jesus preached a
religion based on the
Jewish belief in a single
God (monotheism)
Jesus
proclaimed
there would
be eternal
life in
Heaven for
those who
repent their
sins
He based much of his good works and teachings on
the Hebrews’ Ten Commandments
In the year 29 CE, Jesus was arrested on
charges of blasphemy against the Jewish
religion and defying Roman authority
Christianity spread quickly due to roads,
numerous trade routes, and common language
throughout the Roman Empire; the peaceful
time of Pax Romana made travel safe for those
spreading Jesus’ teachings
Persecution of Jews and Christians
Christians and Jews were persecuted by the Romans;
many were crucified, exiled, or killed during gladiator
events (such as by being fed to lions)
ORGANIZATION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Teachings that the Christians believed in (Jesus’
teachings as well as some of Judaism) were
collected into one official text called the Bible
CHRISTIANITY BECOMES RECOGNIZED
Despite Roman efforts to
suppress it, Christianity
spread throughout the
Roman Empire and
gained popularity
In the year 312 CE,
Emperor Constantine
made Christianity legal
after recognizing that the
Christian religion was
becoming the dominant
one in his empire
The Decline of the Roman Empire
The decline and fall of the Roman Empire
happened gradually, in three stages
FIRST STAGE: internal problems with politics, the
economy, and the military began an era of decline
SECOND STAGE: there was a brief period of revival as
Emperors Diocletian and Constantine enacted
reforms; however, some of these reforms would help
bring about the Empire’s end
THIRD STAGE: repeated invasions by Germanic
“barbarian” tribes would lead to the conquest of
Rome, bringing the Roman Empire to an end
Rome’s Internal Problems
POLITICAL and SOCIAL
The empire was too large for one emperor to control
Rome’s Internal Problems
ECONOMIC
Rome had a trade
imbalance (they
bought more than
they produced)
The government
raised taxes and
minted new coins
which led to inflation
The economic decline
left many Romans
very poor
Rome’s Internal Problems
MILITARY
The Roman military was
growing ineffective due to
poor leadership: generals
had their own interests
and were challenging the
authority of the emperors
Rome’s Internal Problems
MILITARY
Germanic tribes from Northern Europe, outside of the
Roman Empire, were gaining strength
Attempts To Reform The Roman Empire
EMPEROR DIOCLETIAN
Diocletian’s most important reform was
dividing the Roman Empire into two parts:
the Eastern Empire and the Western Empire
Attempts To Reform The Roman Empire
EMPEROR DIOCLETIAN
Western
Eastern
The Roman Empire was divided by language: the
mostly Latin-speaking Western half and the
mostly Greek-speaking Eastern half
Attempts To Reform The Roman Empire
EMPEROR CONSTANTINE
In 330 CE,
Constantine made a
change that would
have far-reaching
consequences for
the world: he
moved the capital
of the Roman
Empire and his seat
of power from
Rome to a Greek
city called
Byzantium
Given its location on the Bosporus Strait, the city was
also in a more easily defensible position from
Northern invaders than Rome was
Byzantium, the new capital
Byzantium was perfectly
Rome, the old capital located to be the center of
trade between East and West
The Fall of the Roman Empire
A marauding
barbarian tribe from
Central Asia called
the Huns began the
invasions
The Huns swept into
Northern Europe,
conquering all in
their path
The Fall of the Roman Empire
To avoid the Huns, the Germanic tribes moved south into the
Western Roman Empire’s territory; the Germans attacked and
eventually conquered the Western Roman Empire
The once-united Western Roman Empire broke up
into numerous smaller kingdoms and territories, each
ruled over by different Germanic groups
The fall of the Western Roman Empire and the
emergence of numerous small kingdoms led Europe
to the Middle Ages
The Eastern Roman Empire, now known as the
Byzantine Empire, not only remained together but
survived for nearly a thousand more years
The Importance of the Byzantine Empire
The combination of Greek, Roman, and Hellenistic
(the blend of Greek and Asian cultures) achievements
are known as Greco-Roman culture
The Byzantine Empire kept alive the cultural
achievements of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome at
the same time as Han China and Gupta India were
creating their own great civilizations
If the Byzantine Empire also fell, it is possible that the
great innovations and achievements of these great
civilizations could have been lost forever
Greco-Roman achievements are the
foundation of Western civilization, the
culture Americans live in today
UNIT 2 REVIEW
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YOU ARE NOW READY FOR THE
TEST ON ANCIENT GREECE
AND ANCIENT ROME
created by Christopher Jaskowiak