Classic Civilization

Classic Civilization

by Martinus Mahendra

​

​Follow slide by slide, read all the explanations for yourself, pay attention to historical events, places and characters. Answer the questions provided. By taking this quizziz, you have prepared yourself for the final exam.

Multiple Choice

To overcome the challenges of infertile land, islands in the form of islands, and the existence of polis or city states, the Greeks built ...

• Strong army.

• Fast and powerful Navy Fleet.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following groups of people are in the minority but who controlled the land and held important powers and positions during the time of the Roman Republic?

• Slave

• Women

• Plebeian

• Patrician

​

​The aristocracy (wealthy class) dominated the early Roman Republic. In Roman society, the aristocrats were known as patricians. The highest positions in the government were held by two consuls, or leaders, who ruled the Roman Republic. A senate composed of patricians elected these consuls. At this time, lower-class citizens, or plebeians, had virtually no say in the government. Both men and women were citizens in the Roman Republic, but only men could vote.

Multiple Choice

Government buildings, senate buildings, palaces and major temples are in this complex in the city of Rome.

• Mount Olympus

• Forum Romanum

• Via Appia

Multiple Choice

In your opinion, the democratic legacy of Athens or the legacy of Sparta's military rule that is more used in modern times?

• Democracy which is essentially power in the hands of the people is ideally more durable for use in modern times.

• The legacy of militaristic rule is more suited to a dictatorial state and is of little use in modern times.

​

​“Immortalized through their exploits at the battle of Thermopylae under the legendary Leonidas, as well as countless other victories throughout the classical period, the Spartans were some of the best trained, organized, most feared and lethal warriors of the ancient world. This small state, known to the Ancient Greeks as Lakedaimon, situated in the southern Argolid developed one of the most successful military forces of the Ancient World. 

Their unique society, where serfs (helots) and non-citizen labourers (perioikoi) left the pure-bred men of Sparta free to concentrate all their energies on warfare. Forbidden from engaging in any form of manual labour, these Spartan warriors were trained from an early age in a brutal regime that gave them the necessary discipline and endurance to withstand the pressures of phalanx warfare and endure all manner of hardships on campaign.

​Olympic Games

​The ancient Olympic Games were initially a one-day event until 684 BC when they were extended to three days. In the 5th century B.C., the Games were extended again to cover five days. The ancient Games included running, long jump, shot put, javelin, boxing, pankration and equestrian events.

​The ancient Olympics were held every four years between August 6 and September 19 during a religious festival honouring Zeus. The Games were named for their location at Olympia, a sacred site located near the western coast of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. Their influence was so great that ancient historians began to measure time by the four-year increments in between Olympic Games, which were known as Olympiads.

Multiple Choice

From the vessels that we see, we can see one of the ancient Olympic sports, namely:

• running

• wrestling

• discus throwing

• chariot race

Multiple Choice

To whom is the Parthenon on the Acropolis dedicated?

• Zeus

• Poseidon

• Aphrodite

• Pallas Athena

​Who is Pallas Athena

​ATHENE (Athena) was the Olympian goddess of wisdom and good counsel, war, the defence of towns, heroic endeavour, weaving, pottery and various other crafts. She was depicted as a stately woman armed with a shield and spear, and wearing a long robe, crested helm, and the famed aigis--a snake-trimmed cape adorned with the monstrous visage of the Gorgon Medousa (Medusa).

The more famous myths featuring the goddess Athene include: Her contest with Poseidon for dominion of Athens in which she produced the first olive tree and he the first horse The Trojan War where she sided with the Greeks in battle, but attacked their ships with a storm when they failed to punish Oilean Aias (Ajax) for violating her Trojan shrine.

Multiple Choice

After the end of the Peloponnesian War, Sparta and Athens suffered a setback. And ... led by Alexander the Great will bring Greek Civillization to new heights

• Macedonia

• Antiochia

• Alexandria

• Corinth

West meet East under his wings

​Alexander’s father was King Philip of Macedonia. Macedonia is a mountainous land north of the Greek peninsula. From a young age, Phillip trained Alexander in warfare and by the age of sixteen, the young man was leading an army on his own.As a child, Alexander was tutored by the Greek philosopher Aristotle. Aristotle taught Alexander that the Greeks were the most advanced people in the world and that all other cultures were barbarians.   

​Once Alexander conquered the Persians, he had a change of heart. Alexander adopted many Persian customs. He took the Persian title “King of Kings" and married one of the daughters King Darius abandoned on the battlefield.

After defeating Persia Alexander moved south to Egypt in 332BCE.

​

​

The Egyptian people welcomed the conquering general as a hero. They declared Alexander a pharaoh and a god because he freed them from harsh Persian rule. The young general founded Alexandria, a city that would become the greatest center of learning in the ancient world.

​Alexander changed the world, but not through his accomplishments on the battlefield. Alexander’s empire combined Greek culture with the customs of Persia and the other lands he conquered. Later historians called this combination of cultures the Hellenistic civilization. Hellenism is a word derived from the Greeks’ traditional name for themselves. Long after Alexander’s empire fell apart, Hellenism produced great advances in science, philosophy, and drama.

​

Multiple Choice

The Pantheon. What was this great building of Roman architectural heritage used for?

• Dedicated to honor Zeus.

• Dedicated to the Roman Emperor.

• Dedicated to the priestess of the Vesta.

• Dedicated to honor Jupiter.

Multiple Choice

Chariot racing was a Roman favorite. They will see it in...

• Circus maximus

• Colosseum

• Forum

• Aqueduct

Multiple Choice

Amphitheater buildings such as this one are used for ...

• Gladiator fight.

• Chariot racing.

• Drama and musical performances.

• Senate session or assembly.

​Dictatorship and Assasination

​Caesar was appointed dictator for life in the winter of 45 B.C. According to the constitution of the Roman republic, the office of dictator was to be held only for six months and only during a dire emergency. That rule, however, had been broken before. Sulla had ruled as dictator for several years, and Caesar now followed suit. In addition, he was made consul for ten years in 45 B.C. He also obtained a series of honors that were out of keeping with Roman tradition, and a statue of Caesar was placed in one of the oldest temples in Rome. Caesar renamed the month Quintilis in the Roman calendar Julius (July), after himself. Above all, he was in total command of the armies, and this remained the backbone of his power.

A number of senatorial families, however, felt that Caesar threatened their position, and his honors and powers made them fear that he would become a rex (king), a title they hated as republicans—believers that a republic, with an elected government, is the best form of government. Accordingly, in 44 B.C., an assassination plot was hatched by a group of senators, including Gaius Cassius and Marcus Junius Brutus. The respect felt for Brutus’s integrity ensured the success of the plot. On March 15 of 44 B.C., when Caesar entered a meeting of the Senate, the conspirators killed him. After a provocative funeral speech by Mark Antony, Caesar’s body was burned in the Roman forum.

​Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus

​It was the morning of 15 March 44 BC – the Ides, as the Romans called the approximate middle of each month: the Ides of March. The Senate was in session that day, its members eagerly awaiting the dictator’s arrival. Yet Caesar had decided not to attend – allegedly because of bad health but, in fact, the real cause was a series of ill omens that had terrified his wife, Calpurnia.

​

Decimus changed Caesar’s mind. Caesar decided to go to the Senate meeting after all, if only to announce a postponement in person. What he didn’t know was that more than 60 conspirators were waiting for him there, their daggers ready. Decimus, however, was all too aware – he was one of the plots’ ringleaders, and his actions that morning were about to change the course of history.

​

Yet Caesar was fond of Decimus, a longtime comrade-in-arms and a trusted lieutenant, and so he let him speak. They met in Caesar’s official residence in the heart of Rome.

Multiple Choice

The main reasons behind the heinous murder of Julius Caesar were:

• Julius Caesar served as dictator for far too long.

• Republicans suspected that Caesar would make himself king.

• Some of the Patrician families were jealous of his success.

​The Roman Republic

​After Rome overthrew the Etruscans, they instituted a form of government known as a republic. “Republic” comes from the Latin words “res” and “publica” and literally means “thing of the people.” A republic is a type of government in which the citizens vote for their leaders. (The Indonesia is a republic.)

Multiple Choice

Republic comes from the Latin words "res" and "publica", the citizens will vote for their leaders, and they have some representatives in the Senate or House of Representatives or Parliament. So what does the word Republic mean?

• Sovereignty in the hands of the king.

• Sovereignty in the hands of the people.

• The country belongs to the king.

​Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus Augustus

​

Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (later known as Augustus Caesar) was the great-nephew and adopted son and heir of Julius Caesar.  After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar formed the Second Triumvirate along with Mark Antony and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus.  Together they hunted down the assassinators of Julius Caesar and also oversaw the outlawing of 300 Roman senators.         

After the Triumvirate's term expired in 33 BCE, Augustus Caesar and Mark Antony began to turn on each other.  Although Antony was married to Augustus' sister, he lived openly in Alexandria with Cleopatra.  Augustus Caesar worked to turn Roman public opinion against Antony, and after he obtained a copy of Antony's will that promised substantial lands to his children with Cleopatra, was able to convince the Roman Senate to revoke Antony's powers and declare war. 

​

​Known for initiating two centuries of peace in Rome.

​

After the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra and the end of the civil war, Augustus Caeser worked to covertly consolidate power.  On January 16, 27 BCE the Senate gave him the new titles of Augustus and Princeps, effectively marking the end of the Roman Republic and the begining of the Roman Empire.  

As Rome’s first emperor, Octavian (Augustus Caesar) (63 B.C.–A.D. 14) is best known for initiating the Pax Romana, a largely peaceful period of two centuries in which Rome imposed order on a world long convulsed by conflict. His rise to power, however, was anything but peaceful.

​

​He gain some titles: Caesar, Augustus, Emperor, Pontifex Maximus, Princeps Civitatis, and posthumous Divinum Augustus.

​

Multiple Choice

The Roman Empire experienced a period of peace or ... where the rule of law was upheld, conflicts were resolved, corruption was eradicated, and welfare development was carried out evenly throughout the region. All this could have happened during the reign of Octavian Augustus.

• Veni vidi vici

• In hoc signo vince

• Pax Romana

• Mare claustrum

​NERO: does he deserve his bad boy reputation?

​Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was a Roman emperor who lived during the 1 ^st century AD. He was the fifth and last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, which had been founded by Augustus. Most of the information we have today about Emperor Nero comes from the works of Tacitus, Suetonius, and Cassius Dio, all of whom were writing after Nero’s reign. These men belonged to the senatorial class, who hated the emperor very much. Nero has a prominent place in the history of Christianity, as he is remembered as a great persecutor of the Church, and was widely considered by early Christians to be the anti-Christ.

​He was originally known as Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, and was the son of Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina the Younger. Nero had close links to the Julio-Claudian dynasty, especially through his mother. Agrippina the Younger was a sister (and reputed lover) of Caligula, and a daughter of Agrippina the Elder, the granddaughter of Augustus through Julia the Elder. This meant that Nero was the nephew of one emperor, i.e. Caligula, and the great great-great grandson of another, i.e. Augustus.

​

​

​Before becoming emperor, Nero went through the reign of 2 previous emperors namely Caligula who was killed in a plot to overthrow him, and the reign of Claudius (his adoptive father) who was poisoned by Agrippina (Nero's mother).

His reign began with good governance. But then it got worse, culminating in the burning of the city of Rome, which also caused an economic crisis and food crisis for its inhabitants. When they blamed him for this disaster, Nero shifted the accusation that the Christians were responsible for the disaster. Then there was massive persecution of the early Christians throughout Rome.

​

​Note: Nero kills (with poison), Brittanicus who is the adopted brother and biological son of Claudius. He also ordered the assassination of his own mother, Agrippina

​

​

Death of an Anti Christ.​

​His popularity deteriorated, rebellion broke out and in 68 AD the rebels declared a new Emperor, Servius Sulpicius Galba. Abandoned by the Praetorian troops, Nero then fled Rome. And died by suicide.

The persecution of the Christians only ended after this religion was made the state religion by Emperor Constantine who ruled from the new capital of Constantinople.

Multiple Choice

An event of faith made Caesar ... decide to confess Christ as Savior and use the flag of the cross with the words "In hoc signo vince" in the great battle against the political rivals he defeated. That is why he recognized Christianity as the official religion for Rome.

• Octavianus Augustus

• Nero

• Constantine "The great"

• Tiberius

Multiple Choice

What was the real name of the Byzantine (eastern Roman Empire) Capital?

• Constantinople

• Istanbul

• Byzantium

• Alexandria