Chapter 9 Sec 1 Classical Europe

The Golden Age of Greece Western civilization grew out of the accomplishments of classical Greece. This is where democracy first began. In the 400s BC the people of Greece lived in polis’- or city states, that were ruled by the people. It is called the cradle of democracy because that is where democracy as we know it was “born”.

The best example we have of a democratic polis was Athens. It had the worlds first democratic constitution. All males over 20 could vote and speak freely. They produced works of philosophy- it is Greek for love of wisdom. The Greek philosophers Socrates and Plato sought to explain human nature. Aristotle, a student of Plato’s, wrote about the natural environment.

These city states would fight each other to expand their territory. Two of the most famous are Sparta and Athens. They fought many times. They united during the Persian war to keep the Persians out of Greece. Eventually the Spartans defeated Athens in the Peloponnesian War.

Greece was invaded by Phillip the II and his son Alexander the Great in the 300s BC. Alexander went on to conquer Persia, Egypt, and all the way into India. Even though Alexander died his empire lasted until around 200s BC. Through his empire Greek culture spread through out the old world.

Questions 1.Why is Greece called the cradle of democracy? 2. What is a Polis? 3. What was the best example of a Polis, in classical Greece, and why? 4. What two polis’ were constantly at war? What war finally ended their fighting? 5. Who tried to explain human nature? 6. Who tried to explain the natural world? 7. Who conquered Persia, Egypt, and part of India? 8. What does philosophy mean? 9. How did Greek culture spread throughout the world? 10. Why did the polis’ fight?

The Rise of Rome Rome was settled sometime around 1000 BC. By about 700 BC it had evolved into a major city state that began to dominate much of the Italian Peninsula. Rome did not have a lot of natural resources and only a few natural harbors, but it had a lot of fertile land for farming. They developed a great army to protect all the farms because they lived so spread out. They borrowed their art, religion, mythology, and the Latin alphabet were borrowed from the Greeks.

Roman Republic Rome started as a monarchy but changed to a republic- people choose their leaders. They were lead by two consuls- individuals elected by the people of Rome to represent them. They had Roman law. This was the law that everyone had to follow. They were written on twelve “tables” or bronze plates that covered all the laws, such as wills, courts, and property laws.

Roman Empire Rome fought a series of wars from BC. Through these wars they became the Roman Empire. Eventually the senate lost power to emperors. The first was Julius Caesar in 44 BC. He was killed by members of the Senate for trying to take power. This started a civil war that lead to his nephew, Octavius, becoming the first Caesar, Caesar Augustus. Caesar Augustus brought peace and prosperity. The time is known as Pax Romana

Christianity and Rome Christianity began during the time of Pax Romana. Jesus was born a roman citizen under Caesar Augustus. Peter and Paul, followers of Jesus, would eventually spread Christianity to Rome. Christians were cruelly persecuted during their beginning. Around 300 AD the emperors Constantine I and Theodosius I made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. This spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.

Questions 1. How did Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire? 2. Who had to follow Roman Law? 3. When was Rome settled? 4. Why did Rome have such a good military? 5. What did they borrow from the Greeks?