Download Good Morning Classical Mediterranean Campers!

Good Morning Classical Mediterranean Campers!
(Who are the Classical Mediterranean Civilizations? & Which ERC did they derive from
How are you? Let us review Spartan Women.
Any further thoughts? Questions? What does this mean for the whole?
Any questions left that haven’t been addressed yet?
What about our Persian Problem?
Who would like to teach this? Really teach it? Look at maps, tell the story, etc.?
Or do we ALL want to work it out together?
C H A P T E R 4: Classical Civilization in the Mediterranean: Greece and Rome
1. 1. Intro—look at the text. What does it want us to know? Let’s act it out. Who is Xerxes?
Where is Marathon? Who are the Persians? Where is Thermopylae? What happened? Why are
they talking about Athens? Where is Athens?
2. Historiography—Why are these writers talking about “might-have-beens”? Know the concept
of “counterfactual history—fiction not history.
3. Geography—“Two major civilizations formed in the eastern Mediterranean and Middle East.”
Where is that? What about the Mesopotamian empire and Persia? 76-77
4. Vocabulary—“But the Persian Empire grew . . . Durable poetical and cultural traditions were
established that persisted in and around present day Iran well beyond the classical periods.” 77
5. Historiography— what the heck is that long paragraph starting on the bottom of 76, “For most
Americans . . .” ending with, “We can then clearly recognize the connections and our own debts
without adhering to the notion that the Mediterranean world somehow dominated the classical
period” trying to say? Who is this meant for?
II. The Persian Tradition
1. Founded by Cyrus the Great, by 550 B.C.E.
2. The Persian Empire was tolerant of local customs, developed iron technology, organized an
effective government and military, developed a new religion (Zoroastrianism), and supported a
great artistic tradition.
3. What else can we add? Alexander toppled them. They come back at the Sassanid? It is Iran’s
roots? Rich arts, literature and poetry flowed form Persia.
Patterns of Greek and Roman History (Greco-Roman)
1. What precedents was Greece built on? 77. RVC—Africa and Middle East, which would
be?
2. The rise of the dynamic city-states of classical Greece began around 800 B.C.E.,
reaching a high point in the 5th century B.C.E., when Pericles governed Athens.
3. Please look at the map on page 80. What’s wrong with this picture?
4. Discuss Sparta and Athens. Make a T- Chart or Venn Diagram
5. Following the Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and Sparta, decline set in, but a
new pattern of expansion occurred under Alexander the Great. (Macedonian son of
Phillip II) Greek values spread widely in the ensuing Hellenistic period.
6. As Hellenism declined, Rome was emerging as an expanding republic, defeating
Carthage in the Punic Wars (where is Carthage?) and later becoming the Roman
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Empire after the death of Julius Caesar. For roughly 200 years, the Empire enjoyed
great power and prosperity.
7. Despite the efforts of emperors like Diocletian and Constantine (adopted Christianity),
the ensuing 250 years brought a slow but decisive fall. What is manifested itself mean?
82
8. (Right column just after bold words Diocletian and Constantine) “However . . . most
effective government became local, as the imperial administration could no longer
guarantee order or provide a system of justice” 82. HUGE MEANING FOR
CONTINUITY AND CHANGE AND THE AP TEST  Continue read this paragraph . .
. “Roman armies depended increasingly on non-Roman recruits, whose loyalty was
suspect. Then, in the deepening mire, the invasion . . .like its counterparts in Gupta India
and Han China during . . . could no longer defend itself” 82.
9. See map on page 82—let’s talk about it!
Insert Power Point map?
10. Any of you young teachers (IB kids – comes with the territory) who know lots about
Rome and Greece and would like to share with us your knowledge of
Greek/Rome/Persian intrigues, problems, battles, beliefs, you name it—share it 
11. What do you know about the Fall of Rome? Or the intrigues and legends of Rome?
Good time to discuss with each other. Don’t forget to talk about “both economic
deterioration and population loss= trade fell, governments less effective—why? Strong
governments = trains running on time. “Mrs. Hall! There were no trains in the Greece
and Roman ages!”
12. Why? Why do you think we learn more about Rome than the Mound Builders in
Warm up bell ringer.
November 14, 2013:
Finish discussion about previous questions
3—self test! Computers online AND paper sheets. Due at the end of the hour!
Begin guided reading Chapter 5 work
Greek and Roman Political Institutions
Remember: Aristocratic Rule & Large territory with diverse and huge populations!
 Greece and Rome featured an important variety of political forms. Both tended to emphasize
aristocratic rule, but there were significant democratic elements as well.
 In the Greek polis, those who were citizens participated actively in political life.
In Athens, the system of direct democracy allowed citizens to shape policy in general
assemblies.
 The few citizens felt as if the “state” was theirs; that they had certain rights and
obligations without which their government could not survive. .
 In the Roman republic, the Senate was the main legislative body, but under the autocratic
empire, the Senate’s influence waned.
 Later, Rome added emphasis on law and created the institutions necessary to run a vast and
decentralized empire.
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Roman Empire—power restricted by Emperor & officers—However—local city-states retained
autonomy in Italy.
Greece, and the eastern Mediterranean—the empire did not try to administer most local regions
in detail. What does this mean? 83
Roman citizens were intensely proud of the privilege.
Good time to do a C&C on Han China and the Greco-Roman heritage/empire page 83—but can
go further
Aristocratic not democratic! Aristocratic assemblies acted as a “check” on executive power.
Sparta= militaristic aristocracy
Athens= “rule of the best” aristocracy= still today in us.
Know: tyrants, Hellenistic, monarchy v republicanism, localism, Peloponnesian Wars, Punic
Wars, demos, polis, direct democracy.
Read Pericles’ quote 83. Who is he? Party at the Parthenon
Rome—Know “civic virtue.” Think our DWGs or Founding Fathers, Jefferson, Hamilton,
Madison, Adams, Washington here. They wanted to be like the virtuous Romans who talked
about politics and how to do what is ethical for your people. 84-87
Some words that pop up:
1. reconcile
2. magistrates
3. “. . . entrusted with the task of representing the interests of the common people.”
4. Legislative body
5. Senate
6. Consuls
7. Executive
8. Dictator
9. Importance of “incorruptible” service
10. Political skills such as oratory
11. Cicero . . . expounded eloquently—like Confucianism, but “less emphasis on hierarchy and
obedience to bureaucratic virtues (which are?)”
 Rome & Greece acted as a model for the people of “The Enlightenment,” which is the
heritage of the United States and others.
Rome continued:
1. did develop “out of necessity” organizational capacities
2. however, local autonomy – but rare occasions like the “forced dissolution of the independent
Jewish state in 63 C.E. Romans take over areas.
“Sit right back and hear a tale, a tale of a mighty ship . . .”
3. Hierarchy in army!—officers wielded great political power—even over the Emperors. (This is a
nice place to discuss the need to keep finding land for officers . . . to keep them out of the cities.)
4. Why? Having a strong military leader, with his army, in an urban area without a war to fight,
may end up on the leader turning on the authorities. Smart leaders kept their military leaders in
the field, happy and engaged in plunder and taking.
5. This created a huge need for continually gaining new land to reward soldiers with . . . so new
wars was fought and the Empire grew larger and more decentralized.
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II.
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Was emphasis on laws and order—all over empire.
tolerance for local customs
codified, equitable law—important
laws to defend private property—huge!
Twelve Tables, by 450 B.C.E. codified laws—intended to, “restrain the upper classes from
arbitrary action and to subject them, as well as ordinary people, to some common legal
principles.” Keep thinking of the FFs rediscovering these principles – Enlightenment 
5. Laws spread widely—too widely—came “the notion of law as the regulator of social life.” What
does that mean? How does that translate today? What laws do we (Michigan & US) have to
regulate social life? What do you think about that?
6. Laws should change with the times but they shouldn’t fluctuate wildly.
7. Rome & Greece placed more emphasis on military than they did obtaining the lofty ideals that
they (some philosophers and citizens who had the leisure time to) talked about—theories.
8. Rome “regulated some branches of commerce, particularly in the interest of securing vital
supplies of grain.” 86
9. Rome—public works—roads, harbors—military movement and commerce—think I-75? Cold
War? Why do you think the federal government built an expensive interstate highway system in
the 1950s?
10. “Bread and circuses” to appease the masses form uproar and Romans provided solace in far
away colonies like England.
11. Supported official religion—had holidays and such to honor the gods—tolerated most other
religions. Christianity was a problem because Christians would not put the “state” as first in
their hearts—Christ was their number one. Romans wanted the “nation” or empire or state to be
number one.
12. See paragraph on 86-87 for nice summary: “which united a region never before or since brought
together, still stands as one of the great political monuments of world history.”
Religion and Culture
 Greek and Roman culture did not directly generate a lasting major religion, though Christianity
arose in the classical Mediterranean context. Greco-Roman religion used epic poems and
mythology to explore human foibles and passions.
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An emphasis on rationality, especially in philosophy, science, and a strong artistic and
architectural tradition, permeated classical Mediterranean culture.
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Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are the most well known Greek philosophers.
Economy and Society in the Mediterranean
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Greek and Roman societies mirrored many standard social features of an agricultural economy,
including a large peasantry and a land-owning aristocracy, and dependence on trade and
commerce.
 Differing versions of the patriarchal family structure existed in both Greek and Roman culture.
 Distinctive features included slavery and a slightly less oppressive attitude toward women than
was true in classical China.
Toward the Fall of Rome
 Rome began to decline after about 180 C.E. Symptoms were gradual, including loss of territory
and economic reversals.
 Ultimately, invaders periodically raided Rome until the empire finally collapsed.
III Read “In Depth: The Classical Mediterranean in Comparative Perspective, 84
Discuss questions, with your group, on page 85
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