1. Ancient Greece, Persia, and Rome

2. Overview
Classical Civilization in the Mediterranean sprang up from about 800 BCE and lasted to the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 CE
Crucial was the formation of new institutions and values that would impact and influence the Middle East and Europe
Complicated because it passed through two centers during its time- first, Greece and later Rome. Despite the fact that they were different cultures there are not huge distinctions between them

4. The Persian Empire Under Cyrus the Great
550 BCE Cyrus began Persia’s conquest of neighbors
Empire spanned over 2,000 miles
Soldiers had leather pants and thick boots and short bows
Army was very successful between BCE conquering the entire Fertile Crescent and most of Anatolia

5. The Rule of Cyrus the Great
He was kind to people he conquered
No looting or burning of villages he conquered
Honored local customs and religions
Pray at local temples
Subject peoples had freedom
Allowed Jews to return to Jerusalem (remember they were exiled by the Babylonians)
Died fighting nomadic groups

6. The Rule of Cambyses and Darius
Cambyses, Cyrus’s son, captured Egypt but was not fair and good to them so there were widespread rebellions
BCE Darius, a noble of the ruling dynasty, seized the throne
Extended Persian conquests in the east
Never managed to capture Greece
Established an efficient and well-organized administration

7. Provinces, Satraps, and the Royal Road
King divided empire into 20 provinces in order to control them
Each province could practice its own religion, follow its own laws, and speak its own language
A Satrap (governor) was appointed to rule over each territory
Army leader and tax collection for each province
Royal Road
Stretched 1,677 miles
111 relay stations along the road spaced about 15 miles apart
Manufactured metal coins that had a standard value, which promoted trade
Darius sent out inspectors to ensure the loyalty of the satraps

8. Zoroastrianism
Zoroaster was a Persian prophet that lived about 600 BCE and addressed the question of human suffering
Zoroastrianism
Two armies that fight for a person’s soul
Ahura Mazda- god of truth and light
Ahriman – god of evil and darkness
When you die, souls are judged based on which god they followed and would either go to paradise or a fiery pit
Avesta- holy writings of the religion
Spread to parts of India where it became the Parsi sect
Influenced Manicheanism, a religious system that competed with Christianity

9. Greece
Indo-Europeans had set up early kingdoms in the Mediterranean that would influence Greece but be unable to control the area
Rapid rise in civilization in Greece between 800 and 600 BCE was based on the creation of strong city-states, with each city state having its own government
Trade developed rapidly between the city states and common culture spread, including a written language derived from the Phoenician alphabet
Sparta and Athens became leading city states
Sparta and Athens join to defeat the Persians
    

10. Greek Culture Flourishes
Pericles- statesman who dominated Greek politics during the 5th century BCE
·       Peloponnesian Wars ( BCE) Sparta and Athens vied for control of Greece
Athens loses and the city-states are weakened
·       Macedonian kings soon conquered the cities. Philip II of Macedon won crucial battle in 338 BCE and then his son Alexander extended the Macedonian empire through the Middle East. Alexander’s reign, however, was short-lived but the successor regional kingdoms continued to rule much of the eastern Mediterranean for centuries
·       Hellenistic period – Greek art and culture merged, trade flourished, and important scientific centers were established (i.e. Alexandria in Egypt)

11. Rome
Roman state began as a local monarchy in central Italy around 800 B.C.E.
Roman aristocrats drove out the monarchy in 509 B.C.E. and the new Roman republic was established. They acquired a strong military orientation early on even though they started out just trying to protect themselves from outside rivals
Punic Wars ( B.C.E)- spread of Roman conquest
o   Carthage battle- defeat of Carthaginian general Hannibal
Republic grew weaker with widening gap between the rich and poor and power-hungry generals vying for power
Julius Caesar- victory in 45 B.C.E. and the end of the traditional institutions
Caesar’s grandnephew, Augustus Caesar, seized power in 27 B.C.E. and established the basic structures of the Roman Empire
200 years the empire maintained great vigor

12. Greek and Roman Political Institutions
politics comes from “polis”, which is Greek for city-state
citizens actively participated in government and military, thus giving them greater loyalty
Greece and Rome did not develop cohesive set of pol. Institutions like China’s bureaucracy or emperor
Diversity, regionalism in political forms draws closer comparison with India rather than China

13. Greece
Athens had a direct democracy where citizens were encouraged to participate
However, citizenship was restricted
Women had no rights
½ of all males had no rights
Sparta had a military aristocracy

14. Roman Republic
Constitution of the Roman Republic tried to reconcile the various elements of the Greek experience with primary reliance on the principle of aristocracy
Roman law
Rules, objectively judged, rather than personal whim should govern social relationships
Twelve Tables- 450 BCE- first code of laws

15. Slow fall over the course of 250 years – trade fell, birth rate fell, government became less effective
313- Constantine attempted to unify the empire with the adoption of Christianity but it was too late
invaders from the north overturned the government in 476 C.E.