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Unit 3
Teacher Notes
Classical Civilizations, 500 BC – 600 AD
This unit bundles student expectations that address the historical events of classical civilizations
including Greece, Rome, Persia, India, and China. (500 BC to AD 600)
Prior to this unit, students learned about the Neolithic Revolution and the establishment of the early
river valley civilizations. Students also learned about the defining characteristics of civilizations.
During this unit, students learn how the history, geography, government, culture, and scientific
developments affected societies of various regions during the classical era. Students also learn that
classical civilizations made long lasting contributions that continue to influence our contemporary
world
Political, social, and geographic factors impact the beliefs and values of societies over time.
Political systems reflect the beliefs and values of the society they govern and influence later societies.
Civilizations may spread their culture to other regions through cultural diffusion.

Empire – a major political unit having a territory of great extent or a number of
territories or peoples under a single sovereign authority
• Dynasty – a succession of rulers of the same line of descent
• Democracy – government controlled by its citizens, either directly or indirectly
• Diffusion – the spread of cultural elements from one area or group of people to others
by contact
Identify, Describe
MAJOR CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF SPECIFIC EVENTS BETWEEN 500 BC AND AD
600
Including, but not limited to:
• Greece
• Establishment of the early Greek city-state (polis)
• Greek political structures include monarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy, and democracy
• Limited democracy in Athens
• The Persian Wars (490 BC – 479 BC)
• Effects of the Persian War – New confidence and freedom for Greek city-states;
Athens begins a golden age and becomes leader of the 140 city-state Delian League
• Pericles and Democracy in Athens leads to a golden age – Establishment of direct
democracy, strengthening of navy and overseas trade, wealth used to create great
works including the Parthenon
• Development of Greek art – Classical art that addresses order, balance, and
proportion
• Greek drama
• Growth of philosophy
• Empire under Alexander the Great (336 BC – 323 BC)
• Inherits throne of Macedonia; conquers Greece, Babylon, Persia, and Egypt;
boundaries extend east to India
• Conquests bring about end of independent Greek city-states and blend Greek cultures
with eastern cultures to establish the Hellenistic Age.
• Hellenistic Era brings about advancements in trade, astronomy, mathematics,
philosophy, and art; Alexandria in Egypt is center of Hellenistic world, which is
conquered by Rome in 150 BC
• Rome
• Established in 750 BC along Tiber River

• Religious and cultural ideas borrowed from Greeks and Etruscans
Roman Republic established in 509 BC; voting rights extended only to free-born male
citizens
• Roman society divided into patricians (aristocracy) and plebeians (farmers and
artisans)
• Persia
• Persian empire founded by Cyrus the Great
• Darius divides the empire into provinces that are parallel to the homelands of the
different people within the empire – These people live by their own laws within the
Persian empire
• Royal Road connects the empire for over 1500 miles
• Use of standardized metal coins promote trade and unify the empire
• India (Maurya and Gupta)
• Mauryan Empire under Chandragupta and Asoka (302 BC – 232 BC) – Bureaucracy,
improved roads, spread of Buddhism
• Gupta Empire (300 AD) – Chandra Gupta I, India’s Golden Age through literature,
astronomy, medicine, and mathematics
• China (Zhou, Qin, and Han)
• Zhou Dynasty (1027 BC – 256 BC) – Mandate of Heaven justifies royal authority and
establishes dynastic cycles
• Qin Dynasty (256 BC – 202 BC) – Ruled by Shi Huangdi, who uses Legalist ideas to
unify China through autocracy
• Centralized system of highway and irrigation networks
• Great Wall of China built
• Han Dynasty (202 BC – 9 AD) – Centralized government, complex bureaucracy, civil
service jobs, promotion of Confucianism, invention of paper
• Development of Major World Religions
• Christianity
• Jesus – Rejected by the Jews as messiah, crucified
• Spread of Christianity throughout the Roman empire
• Peter, Paul, Pax Romana make the spread of Christianity possible
• 312 AD, Edict of Milan declares Christianity to be an approved religion by the emperor.
A Church hierarchy is established and Rome is made the official center of the Christian
Church.
• Through the Middle Ages the Church becomes the centralizing force of the Western
culture.
Explain
HOW MAJOR RIVER VALLEY CIVILIZATIONS INFLUENCED CLASSICAL
CIVILIZATIONS
Including, but not limited to:
• Lay the foundations for political centralization and organization
• Monument building
• Written articulation of legal codes
• Social classes
Describe
MAJOR POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS/PHILOSOPHICAL, AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES
OF CLASSICAL CIVILIZATIONS
Including, but not limited to:
• Persia
• Royal Road connects the empire for over 1500 miles
• Use of standardized metal coins promote trade and unify the empire
• Zoroaster establishes a religion in which people’s own choices determine their fate
• Zoroastrianism – Monotheistic worship of Ahura Mazda and sacred writings known as
the Avesta; establishes early beliefs in heaven, hell, and a final judgment
• India
• Development of Buddhism in India by Siddhartha Gautama (530 BC)
• Mauryan Empire under Chandragupta and Asoka (302 BC – 232 BC) – Bureaucracy,
improved roads, spread of Buddhism
• Gupta Empire (300 AD) – Chandra Gupta I, India’s Golden Age through literature,
astronomy, medicine, and mathematics
• China
• Zhou Dynasty (1027 BC - 256 BC) – Mandate of Heaven justifies royal authority and
establishes dynastic cycles; nobles rule through feudalism
• Chinese philosophies established under the Zhou
• Confucianism – Reform in society including social order of family and government.
• Daoism – Philosophy established by Laozi that addresses order and harmony
• Legalism – Stressed punishment over rewards
• Qin Dynasty (256 BC - 202 BC) – Ruled by Shi Huangdi, who uses Legalist ideas to
unify China through autocracy
• Centralized system of highway and irrigation networks
• Mass murder of Confucian scholars
• Great Wall of China built
• Han Dynasty (202 BC - 9 AD) – Centralized government, complex bureaucracy, civil
service jobs, promotion of Confucianism, invention of paper
• Israel
• Hebrews are monotheistic and worship Yahweh, who establishes a covenant of
protection with them
• Sacred writings are the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible
• Ten Commandments become the basis for civil and religious laws in Judaism
• Greece
• Establishment of direct democracy
• Development of Greek art – Classical art that addresses order, balance, and
proportion
• Greek drama
• Growth of philosophy
• Rome
Political influences
• Executive powers
• Legislative powers
• Judicial powers
• Legal code – Twelve Tables (written list of rules based on the Roman legal system)
• Religious and Philosophical Influences
• Philosophy based on Greek Stoicism that emphasizes virtue, duty, and moderation
• Christianity develops in the Roman province of Judea and spread throughout the
empire by missionaries
• Nicene Code written in 325 AD defines Christian beliefs
• Cultural Influences – Many of these borrowed from Classical Greeks, Greco-Roman
culture develops
• Frescoes painted on walls
• Literature follows Greek forms and models but address Roman themes
• Latin – Remains language of learning after fall of Rome and becomes official language
of the Roman Catholic Church
• Develops in vernacular Romance languages in the former empire – French, Spanish,
Portuguese, Romanian
• Architecture – Spectacular wonders like the Coliseum created with elaborate arches,
domes and concrete also are key features of Roman architecture.
• Aqueducts used to transport water to urban areas
• Roman law becomes basis for laws in the western world
Locate
PLACES, REGIONS OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE RELATED TO MAJOR ERAS
AND TURNING POINTS
Including, but not limited to:
• Classical Civilizations: Persia, Greece, Athens, Sparta, Alexandria, Alexander the
Great’s Empire, Italian peninsula, Silk Road, Roman Empire
Identify
POLITICAL SYSTEMS
Including, but not limited to:
• Democracy – Government controlled by its citizens, either directly or indirectly (Ancient
Athens)
• Republic – Power is in the hands of representatives and leaders are elected by the
people (Roman
Republic; United States)
• Oligarchy – Rule by a few, especially when rule is based on wealth (Greek city-states)
Explain
PROCESS BY WHICH DEMOCRATIC-REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT EVOLVED
Including, but not limited to:
• Judeo – Christian beliefs – Ten Commandments; Mosaic Law
• Greece
• Direct democracy in Athens (male citizens – one person, one vote)
• Written codes of laws (begun by Solon)
• Pericles extends democracy
• Public trial (e.g., Socrates)
• Rome
• Early republic (power rests with citizens who have right to vote to select their leaders.
In Rome, citizenship with voting rights was granted only to free – born male citizens)
• Patricians (aristocratic landowners) and plebeians (common farmers, artisans,
merchants)
• Twelve tables state that all free citizens should be protected by the law
• Government by two consuls, a senate, and council of assemblies
• Executive, legislative, and judicial branch
• Veto (Latin for “I refuse”)
• Jury trials – Trial by jury of your peers
Identify
IMPACT OF POLITICAL AND LEGAL IDEAS FROM HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS
Including, but not limited to:
• Justinian's Code of Laws
• Byzantine Law code (529 AD) that influenced European laws
• The eastern Byzantine Empire carries on the Roman law while the western part of the
empire goes through a rather lawless time.
Describe
RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF CITIZENS AND NONCITIZENS
Including, but not limited to:
• Greece (because Greece was not united, this varies from city-state to city-state)

Citizens – Free born men who owned property
• Non-citizens – Women, slaves, and foreigners
• Rights for citizens included
• Voting
• Passing laws
• Speaking at public meetings
• Responsibilities included
• Participating in the government
• Paying taxes
• Serving in the military (Sparta – life long career)
• Following (obeying) laws
Identify
INFLUENCE OF LEGAL IDEAS FROM JUDEO-CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS, GREECE,
AND ROME
Including, but not limited to:
• Trial by a jury of your peers
• Greece – A jury of peers
• Rome – Yearly selection of judices who resolved disputes; tribunals were judges who
were like juries since they were civilians and not professional judges
• Innocent until proven guilty
• Judeo- Christian – Moses decreed that testimony could be found in the testimony of
two or three witnesses
• Greece – Included in the laws of Sparta and Athens
• Rome – Twelve Tables – “Accusers are to understand that they are not to prefer
charges unless they can be proven by proper witnesses or by conclusive documents.”
• Equality before the law
• Greece – Equal justice to all
• Judeo-Christian – Universal God to whom all people are equally his children
• Rome –Twelve Tables called for the fair administration of laws
Identify
RELIGIOUS INFLUENCE
Including, but not limited to:
• Shared beliefs in the teachings of the church
• Provided Christians with a sense of security and a religious community to which they
belonged
Describe
ROLES OF WOMEN, CHILDREN, FAMILIES IN WORLD HISTORY
Including, but not limited to:
• Life and family in Greece
• Families – Social structure for most societies
• Women and children – Lack of power, influence, and inequality
• Sparta boys sent to military school at young age
• Life and family in Rome
• Family at the heart of Rome society. By law and custom, the eldest man, known as the
paterfamilias, or “father of the family,” had power to rule the household. He controlled all
property and had authority over all family members.
• Roman women – Nearly social equals of men, ran the household and were given
authority and respect. Had personal freedom, could own property and could testify in
court
Summarize
FUNDAMENTAL IDEAS/INSTITUTIONS OF EASTERN CIVILIZATIONS THAT
ORIGINATED IN CHINA AND INDIAN
Including, but not limited to:
• Early Civilizations:
• Group vs. individual accountability; stability vs. chaos
• Time: cyclical (Eastern) and not linear (Western)
• Body and mind: Western thought separate the body (physical) from the mind (spiritual)
while the Eastern thought links these two as one.
• Nature: Eastern places more importance on nature and use it as example for how
humans should live.
• Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, including the caste system
Summarize
FUNDAMENTAL IDEAS/INSTITUTIONS OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION THAT
ORIGINATED IN GREECE AND ROME
Including, but not limited to:
• Greek
• Olympics
• Philosophers: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
• Influence of architecture (U.S. state buildings )
• Democratic ideals
• Math/science
• Roman
• Christianity
• Republic
• A person is considered innocent until proven guilty
• The burden of proof rests with the accuser rather than the accused
• A person should be punished only for actions, not thoughts
• Any law that seems unreasonable or grossly unfair could be set aside
Identify
ART, ARCHITECTURE THAT DEMONSTRATES IDEAL/VISUAL PRINCIPLES
Including, but not limited to:
• Greece
• Sculptures
• Architecture (columns)
• Rome
• Roman sculptures
• Architecture (public U.S. buildings)
• Arch, dome, roads, concrete (example: Roman Coliseum)
• Aqueducts
• Mosaics
Analyze
ART, ARCHITECTURE, LITERATURE, MUSIC, DRAMA REFLECT HISTORY OF
CULTURES
Including, but not limited to: 
Greco-Roman World
• Statues
• Architecture
• Drama and poetry
Identify
ORIGIN AND DIFFUSION OF MAJOR IDEAS IN MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND
TECHNOLOGY THAT TOOK PLACE BETWEEN 700 AND 1200
Including, but not limited to:
• Classical Greece
• Balance and proportion in architecture: columns
• Hellenistic empire – Alexandria center of science
• Eratosthenes (closely calculated the earth’s true size)
• Aristarchus – Sun is larger than the earth and earth and other planets revolve around
sun)
• Hipparchus – Latitude and longitude
• Euclid and Pythagoras – Geometry
• Archimedes – Value of pi
• Sundial
• Classical Rome
• Architecture – Arch, dome, and concrete
• Aqueducts to transport water into cities
• Stone paved roads
• Classical India
• Astronomy – Earth is round
• Mathematics – Modern numbers, zero, decimals, value of pi to four decimal places
(Aryabhata)
• Sophisticated medical guides and complex surgery including plastic surgery
• Tang China
• Porcelain
• Movable type
• Gunpowder
• Mechanical clock
• Paper money
• Magnetic compass
Identify
CONTRIBUTIONS OF SCIENTISTS
Including, but not limited to:
• Archimedes – Considered the greatest thinker of his era, Archimedes was a Greek
mathematician and physicist. His mathematical writings explaining mechanics, i.e., the
principle of the lever, were his most important contributions to western knowledge.
• Pythagoras (ca. 570 BC – 495 BC) A Greek philosopher and mathematician credited
with the discovery that numbers are useful for more than counting physical things.
Mathematical ideas or formulas could help establish patterns in the apparently chaotic
nature in which he lived. Modern scientific theory is based on mathematical ideas
associated with Pythagoras.
Analyze
INFORMATION BY
Including, but not limited to:
• Sequencing
• Categorizing
• Identifying cause-and-effect relationships
• Comparing
• Contrasting
• Finding the main idea
• Summarizing
• Making generalizations and predictions
• Drawing inferences and conclusions
• Developing connections between historical events over time