Ancient Greece and Rome

Vocab: 1.Polis2.Democracy

Guiding Questions1.What did the Greeks contribute to our culture?2.What did we learn from Greek philosophers?3.What did the Romans build that helps us today?4.How did Christianity change the world?

Ancient Greece Homer, a great Greek poet, wrote the Iliad

and the Odyssey, which were passed on stories that were passed down from generation to generation.

Greeks lived in city-states or what they called a polis.

Each polis had different governments Democracy: Rule by the people (thanks

Greece!) Oligarchy: Rule by the few

Ancient Greece continued… Two biggest city-states were Athens and

Sparta Athens was known for its education and

philosophy Sparta was known for its military

prowess (Movie: 300) The two city-states did not get along

which resulted in many wars

Greek Culture Greek culture paved the way for ours

Strong emphasis on architecture, art, literature, drama and philosophy

Also created the Olympics Some great philosophers were Socrates,

Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates: “The unexamined life is not worth

living” Plato: Wrote “The Republic” which explained

his ideas about gov’t. Aristotle: More scientific, wrote about ethics,

logic, politics, and biology just to name a few.

Roman Empire Rome became a Republic in 509 BC The Roman Empire would stretch all across Europe,

through part of the Middle East down through Egypt and Northern Africa

Had a complex system of law known as the Law of Nations. Some ideas we stole from them: innocent until proven guilt,

right to appear before a judge, and the right to present evidence on your behalf

Roman Culture Romans mimicked Greek art and sculpting Roman architecture is some of the most

magnificent in the world and is copied frequently. Used curved lines like domes, arches and vaults,

unlike the Greeks Roman’s used slaves to build the most extensive

infrastructure to date. Built aqueducts, roads, bridges, buildings, temples,

etc.

Christianity Rome controlled the Kingdom of Judaea (modern

day Israel). This is where Jesus was born and preached

He stirred up a lot of controversy Was crucified

Christianity slowly spread throughout the world (with much persecution) Christianity offered Salvation, gave meaning and

purpose to life Also filled the need to belong. Attractive to all classes

Constantine became the first Christian Emperor Issued the Edict of Milan: official tolerance of

Christians