Download File - EDSS Ancient Civilizations

The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization
Directions: Answer the following questions based on the movie. The questions are listed in the
order they appear in the film and you do not have to answer in complete sentences.
Part 1:
1. What was the situation in Athens in 508 BC and why?
2. What class did Cleisthenes come from and what kind of power did this group exercise over
Athenians?
3. How did Aristotle describe life for most Athenians in the 6th century BC?
4. Where were the great civilizations in Cleisthenes’ day and how was Greece geographically
different than these?
5. Describe Arete, the Greek ideal or vision of a hero.
6. What was Athens' most valuable trading commodity?
7. What did Cleisthenes do in 510 BC? How was Greek society in Athens changing at this
time?
8. How had the Olympics changed from their founding to the days of Cleisthenes and how
did this festival influence ordinary Greeks?
9. What happened in Athens while Cleisthenes was in exile? What did this do for
Cleisthenes?
Part 2:
10. Why would conquest by the Persians be the destruction of the Greek way of life?
11. How was the Athenian leader Themistocles different than all the other Athenian leaders
that came before him? What was Themistocles worried about while he ruled Athens?
12. What was the name of the alliance that the Athenians created after the defeat of Persia?
What was this alliance's purpose?
13. How did the battle of Salamis affect Athens as a regional power economically and
politically?
14. How was Pericles different than Themistocles in social class and what was his goal for
Athens?
15. How long is the Parthenon Frieze? What was its subject or what was “heroized” in this
frieze?
16. What were the favorite subjects of the Athenian theater, and what was the typical plot line
of these stories?
17. How do historians know that Athens was the heart of a cultural revolution that spread
across Greece?
Part 3:
18. What daring plan did Pericles present to the Athenians in the year 431 BC? Why did he do
this?
19. What did Greeks like Socrates do with the astronomical knowledge of the Babylonians?
20. What was Socrates favorite subject of study? What does Socrates think people should
make every decision based on?
21. What happened to Pericles in 429 BC? How does Donald Kagan explain the failure of
Pericles' plans?
22. Why did the Athenians decide to defend the Greek colony on Sicily and attack Syracuse in
415 BC? How did it turn out for the Athenians?
23. What did the Spartans force the Athenians to do after they defeated them?
24. Who did the Athenians use as a scapegoat for their defeat and what did they do to him?
Essay Response:
You have now watched three documentaries that describe the rise and fall of Athens. The
Greek contribution to Western Civilization is profound and modern thought, language, art,
architecture, science, and political systems have all been influenced by the ancient Athenians
featured in these films. Despite their meteoric rise to power and brilliance, the Athenians
found themselves vanquished in 415 BC.
Write a formal essay of 5 paragraphs explaining how the cause of Athenian greatness
was also the cause of its downfall. Explain the rise and fall of Athens and what
this story tells us about the shortcomings of democracy.
FORMAL ESSAY RUBRIC
CRITICAL THINKING
Level 1
Little evidence
presented.
Explanation
incomplete or
missing.
Some evidence may
be used uncritically.
Level 2
One example of
evidence presented
per point.
Level 3
Two examples of
evidence presented
per point.
Level 4
Three examples of
evidence presented
per point.
Explanation
adequate, but use of
evidence might be
superficial.
Evidence fully
supports thesis.
Author uses
evidence critically.
Author is critical and
ties the evidence back
to their thesis with
excellent analysis.
Level 2
Thesis present but
oversimplified.
Transitions present
but simple.
Level 3
Clear thesis in first
paragraph.
Use of transition
between
paragraphs
enhances cohesion
and coherence.
Clear conclusion.
Level 4
Excellent thesis.
One or two
instances of
informal writing.
Written formally
without any informal
references.
COMMUNICATION
Level 1
Ambiguous thesis.
Transitions not used
- paragraphs not
linked.
Conclusion very brief
or completely
repetitious.
Many instances of
informal writing.
Conclusion mostly
repetition.
A few instances of
informal writing.
Transitions make
meaningful links
between paragraphs.
Conclusion
complements thesis.