Download Mesopotamia, located in the Middle East is believed to have given

Standard 10.1: Students
Relate Western Thought
to Ancient Greeks,
Ancient Romans, Early
Judaism, and Early
Christianity
Mesopotamia
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http://www.clt.astate.edu/wnarey/Bible%20a
s%20Literature%20documents/INT_FA.JPG
Mesopotamia, located in the
Middle East is believed to
have given shape to one of
the first civilizations.
The Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers ran through this area
and a fertile area for some of
the first farming to occur
between the rivers. This area
is also called the fertile crescent.
http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/ancient_he
brews/pages/landof.htm
The Hebrews
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The Hebrews occupied Mesopotamia,
along with other people. This is written in
their sacred text, the Torah. They were
different from the other civilizations because
they were monotheistic, they believed in
only one god.
About 2,000 B.C., the Hebrews migrated
into a region known a Canaan. The
Hebrews were nomads, move around from
place to place. Most herded animals rather
than farmed in Canaan.
Hebrew Slavery
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According to the Torah,
many Hebrews went
down into Egypt
because there was a
famine in Canaan and
they had no food.
Fearing their rising
numbers, the Pharaoh
enslaved the Hebrews
and used them for harsh
labor.
Exodus
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In 1200 B.C., a man named
Moses, who had been
raised by the Pharaoh,
helped the Jews gain their
freedom to leave.
They wandered the Sinai
Peninsula for 40 years.
During this time a set of
laws were created by god,
according to the Torah,
and given to Moses.
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http://www.christianshirts.us/christian_tshirts/Ten_Commandments_Lg.jpg
Kingdom of Israel
The ten commandments were laws
that set the foundation of their
religion and their culture.
 The Hebrews eventually settled in
Canaan again and established a
kingdom. King David united all
Jews in Jerusalem under the
kingdom of Israel. His son,
Solomon, built the first Temple
after he became King.
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Conquering Israel
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The Kingdom of Israel was
strong until the death of
Solomon. After his death,
the kingdom was divided
into two, Israel and
Judah.
This weakened their
civilization and they
ended up being conquered
by the Assyrians, the
Babylonians, and
eventually the Romans.
Greece
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http://www.aroundgreece.com/images/new-greece-map.jpg
Greece consists of a
large mainland at the
southern edge of the
Balkans and about
3,000 islands in the
Aegean Sea, including
their largest island
Crete.
Greece is considered
apart of Europe and is
located at the north
eastern edge of the
Mediterranean.
http://www.artsales.com/ARTistory/Ancient_Ships/images/Greek_20.gif
The Minoans
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The earliest known Greek civilization
were the Minoans. They were sea
traders.
They traded with the Egyptians and the
Mesopotamians were they gained new ideas
and technology.
The Minoans reached their height
between 1750 B.C. and 1500 B.C. They
vanished around 1400 B.C. believed to
have been destroyed by some natural
The Mycenaeans
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http://www.thebestkidsbooksite.com/topicpict/t
pict/trojan.jpg
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The Mycenaeans were
another great civilization of
Greek sea traders. They
thrived between 1400 and
1200 B.C.
They were best remembered
for the Trojan War. Homer,
the famous poet, described
this conflict in both the Iliad
and the Odyssey.
The Greeks valued courage and
honor which Western culture still
The City-State
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When the Mycenaeans began to decline,
the Greeks took a step backward and
mostly lived in small farming villages until
city-states began to emerge.
City-states often warred between each
other for land but they shared a
common culture. They spoke the
same language, they practiced the
same religion, and most were skilled
sailors. These Greek sailors spread the
Greek culture along the Mediterranean.
The Greek Polis
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The Greeks evolved around 750 B.C.
when the Polis was created. The Polis
was a Greek city-state built on two
levels. On a hilltop stood the acropolis,
or hilltop city where temples were
dedicated to Gods and Goddesses.
On flatter ground below lay the walled
main city with its marketplace, theater,
public buildings, and homes.
A Greek Polis
(Athens)
Greek Politics
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Originally, the ruler of a Polis was a king
or queen. This type of government is
called a monarchy.
Eventually power shifted to landowning
nobles, which resulted in an aristocracy.
At his time a middle class evolved, made
up mostly of merchants, artisans, and
farmers.
These people eventually challenged the
nobles and a democracy, or a government
where people vote, evolved (At first, only
landowning males could vote). This
Sparta and Athens
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During this time, the Greek city-state of
Sparta took root. Spartan boys trained for
military service and girls exercised regularly.
In Sparta men were preoccupied with
war so women gained responsibility in
running the family estates.
Athens became one of the most powerful
city-states. Under the leadership of
Pericles from 460 B.C. to 429 B.C.
democracy and culture flourished in
Athens. A large number of male citizens
took part in the day to day affairs of
government.
Greek Philosophy
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Although the Greeks were
polytheistic and believed in many
gods, they were one of the first
civilizations to challenge the
argument that all events were
caused by the gods. Rather, they
began to study the causes of events.
Philosophers and teachers, like
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
developed new ideas about truth,
reason, justice, and government.
King Philip of Macedonia
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While many Greek citystates warred among
themselves, King Philip of
Macedonia built up his
army. He was eventually
able to take over all of
Greece.
When he died , his 20 year
old son, Alexander took
over Greece.
http://www.myclassiclyrics.com/artist_biographies/Alexander_the_Great_Biography.jpg
Alexander the Great
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For 12 years, Alexander ruled Greece and
expanded their empire through out the
Mediterranean, the Middle East, and to the
outskirts of India.
Alexander conquered the Egyptian and
Persian Empires which earned him the
name Alexander the Great.
Art, science, mathematics and
philosophy flourished during this time
due to the blending of cultures.
Alexandria, in Egypt, became the center
of learning in the Mediterranean for
centuries to come.
The Italian Landscape
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Italy is a peninsula that
looks like a boot. It juts out
into the Mediterranean
Sea towards North Africa.
Italy is located right in the
middle of the
Mediterranean and Rome
is in the middle of Italy.
This location helped the
Romans expand through Italy
and then through the lands
around the Mediterranean.
Roman Beginnings
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The Roman ancestors were the
Latins who migrated into Italy
around 800 B.C.
The Romans shared the Italian
peninsula with other peoples. There
were Greek colonists and the
Etruscans, whose ideas they
adapted. The Romans learned the
alphabet from the Greeks and
learned to use the arch in building
and engineering techniques for the
the Etruscans.
The Early Republic
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The Romans Drove out the hated
Etruscan king in 509 B.C. This date is
considered the founding of the Roman
state.
Determined never again to be ruled by a
monarch, the Romans set up a new
government in which officials were
chosen by the people and they called
it a republic. A republic, Romans
thought, would keep any individual
from gaining too much power.
The Republic Takes Shape
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http://www.sbceo.k12.ca.us/~vms/carlton/senate.jpg
In the early republic the
governing body was the
senate. Its 300 members
were all patricians,
members of the
landholding class.
Each year, the senators
elected two consuls who
supervised government
business and commanded
the armies.
The Republic Takes Shape
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Consuls could one serve for one term.
Since their term was limited, Rome had a
system of checks on the power of
government.
In the event of war, the senate might
choose a dictator, or ruler with
complete control of the government.
This emergency rule lasted for six
months.
As Rome grew, it elected other officials
to oversee finances, justice, city
government, and religious matters.
Class Equality in the
Government
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Eventually, plebeians, the
farmers, merchants,
artisans, and traders
began to force their way
into politics.
By 450 B.C., plebeians
forced the government to
write out the laws for
Rome and put them in the
marketplace.
Plebeians Gain Power
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In time, the plebeians
gained the right to elect
their own officials, called
tribunes, to protect their
interests. The tribunes
could veto, or block, laws
that they felt were
harmful to plebeians.
Eventually, plebeians
gained positions as
consuls and then as
senators.
Expansion in Italy
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As Rome’s political system evolved at home,
its armies expanded Roman power across
Italy. By about 270 B.C., Rome occupied
all of Italy.
Rome’s success was due to skillful
diplomacy and it efficient army. Rome
generally treated its defeated enemies
with justice. Conquered peoples had to
acknowledge Roman leadership, pay
taxes, and supply soldiers for the Roman
army. Rome let them keep their
customs, money, and local government.
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http://classics.furman.edu/~rprior/imgs/RCU4/4-001.jpg
Expansion of Roman Culture
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Rome posted soldiers
throughout the land.
They also built a
network of allweather military
roads to link
provinces to Rome.
As trade increased
people adapted to
Roman customs and
beliefs, including
adopting their
language.
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Effects of Expansion
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Victories put them in control of busy trade
routes and riches flooded into Rome.
As families got richer they began to
buy estates and use captured slaves to
work their land. This pushed the
landless farmers out of business.
This new wealth increased corruption
and greed and self-interest took over
the virtues of hard work and devotion
to Rome.
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Attempts at Reform
Two young patricians, brothers named
Tiberius and Gaius Grachus were
among the first to attempt reform.
 Tiberius called on the state to
distribute land to poor farmers.
 Gaius sought a wider range of reforms,
including the use of public fund to buy
grain to feed the poor and giving full
citizenship to some of Rome’s allies.
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Eruption of Civil War
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The brothers, along with thousands of
their followers, were killed in waves of
street violence set off by senators
and their hired thugs for their efforts
of trying to reform Rome.
The slayings of the Gracchus brothers
showed that the republic was unable
to resolve its problems peacefully.
During the next 100 years, Rome
plunged into a series of civil wars.
The turmoil sparked slave uprisings and
revolts among Rome’s allies.
Julius Caesar
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Out of the chaos
emerged Julius
Caesar, a commander
with great ambition
and a determination
to make drastic
reforms.
Caesar dominated
politics in Pompey
and conquered Gaul,
the area that is now
France, throughout
nine years of battle.
Julius Caesar Gains Power
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In 48 B.C., Caesar crushed rebellious
provinces and strengthened Roman
power. He returned to Rome and
forced the Senate to make him
dictator. He soon became absolute
ruler of Rome.
Between 48 B.C. and 44 B.C., Caesar
pushed many reforms through the
government. He created a public
works project to employ the jobless
and gave public land to the poor.
The Ides of March
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Caesar’s enemies
worried that he
planned to make
himself king or
Rome. To save the
republic they
plotted to kill him.
On March 15th 44
B.C., as he arrived
to the senate his
enemies stabbed
him to death.
The First Citizen
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Augustus, grandnephew of
Julius, avenged the death of
Julius and took away the
power of the senate.
Augustus called himself
“First Citizen” rather than
King to avoid a backlash.
Augustus ruled from 31 B.C.
to 14 A.D. and the 500 year
old republic came to and
end. Rome was now a
monarchy.
Pax Romana
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Once Augustus stabilized
the government and
reformed the economy, a
200 year span of peace
began that did not end
until Marcus Aurelius in
180 A.D., called Pax
Romana(Roman Peace).
Corruption, poverty, and
unemployment began to
rise again after his death.
The Empire Falls
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Eventually the empire split into two parts,
east and west.
Germanic peoples, like the Visigoths and
Barbarians, along the northern borders
began to claim territory from the
weakened empire. In 476 A.D. Rome
was overthrown by foreign invaders.
The eastern Roman empire, or the
Byzantine empire, continued to flourish
under their emperor Constantine, and
lasted another 1,000 years.
The Birth of Christianity
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http://www.shroudstory.com/image2/pantocrater.jpg
Early in Pax Romana, a new
religion sprang up in the
Roman held lands of the
Middle East.
Christianity was founded
by a Jew named Jesus.
Jesus was born around 4
B.C. in Bethlehem and he
was prophesied to be the
Messiah, or savior sent be
God to lead the Jews to
freedom.
Christian Beliefs
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The teachings of Jesus were rooted
in the Jewish religion. He believed in
one God and accepted the Ten
Commandments.
Jew preached new beliefs. He called
himself the Son of God and taught that
his mission was to bring salvation and
eternal life to all of God’s children.
He extended the Jewish ideas of
mercy and sympathy to the poor and
helpless to include forgiveness and
love for his enemies.
The Execution
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http://www.biblepicturegallery.com/Pictures/GCrucifixion.htm
To some Jews and
Romans, Jesus was
a dangerous
troublemaker.
Eventually he was
executed by form of
crucifixion, the
Roman form of
execution, under the
ruling of Pontius
Pilate.
The Rise of Christianity
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At first, Christianity remained a sect, or small
group, within Judaism.
Then, Paul, a Jew from Asia-Minor, began
to spread the new faith to non-Jews.
Rome persecuted Christians, at first, but
they continued to grow in strength and
organize a church. Eventually, Christianity
became the formal religion of Rome when
Emperor Constantine converted in 312
A.D. All Romans were expected to give up
polytheism and adopt the teachings of
Jesus.