2.9: Ancient Greece and Rome

Ancient Greece & Rome

Lesson 2.11

Multiple Choice

Bellringer: Zoroastrianism share similar traits to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

• TRUE

• FALSE

Lesson Overview

Learners can:

• differentiate between the types of government used in ancient Greece and ancient Rome

• identify the cultural characteristics of Greece and Rome

• illustrate how Greek and Roman society influence their lives today

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Vocabulary:
Aristotle, Athens, city-state, constitutional monarchy, democracy, Julius Caesar, monarchy, oligarchy, patrician, Plato, plebeian, representative democracy, republic, Socrates, tyranny, Western world

Democracy In Greece

Ancient Greece was not a single state, but rather a collection of city-states, independent cities and their surrounding towns.
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These city-states existed around the Mediterranean Sea.

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They were separated from each other by mountains or sea. They included Athens and Sparta, participants in the Persian Wars.

Types of Governments

The Greek city-states had separate governments. These governments had different forms:

• In a monarchy, states were run by a king or queen whose rule would pass on to the ruler’s son or, rarely, daughter. The rulers, called monarchs, consulted with advisors who helped them make decisions.

• In an oligarchy, a few people held power. These people were wealthy and upper class, and they forcefully ruled over the larger population of working people.

• In a tyranny, one person had absolute authority. This leader, usually a military person, gained power by overthrowing the existing ruler.

Democracy In Greece

Around 508 BCE, the Greek city-state of Athens created a new form of government called a democracy. In a democracy, all citizens share power in the government.

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Government positions opened to people of several social classes rather than only the ruling aristocrats. Any citizen could speak in an assembly and vote.
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Athens was a direct democracy, meaning all citizens could serve in the assembly and vote to make decisions about laws. This government differs from a representative democracy, in which citizens elect leaders to represent them in decision making.

​Athenian politician Pericles speaks to the Assembly.

Democracy In Greece

At town hall meetings, residents could gather and discuss issues to help leaders make decisions.

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The influence of these meetings continues in the United States government today. Your city might have town hall meetings open to the public where people can voice their opinions on local issues.
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Only about 20 percent of Athens’ population were citizens. Citizenship was open only to free men over the age of 18.
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Women, enslaved people, and residents born outside of Athens did not have citizenship rights.

Categorize

Options (3)

a king or queen rules after inheriting the position of ruler

a person overthrows the leader and becomes the new leader

all citizens share power in government

Organize the description to the government type.

Monarchy

Democracy

Tyranny

Philosophers of Classical Greece

Greece and the Persian Achaemenid Empire fought a series of wars called the Persian Wars. During the conflicts, the Persians burned down and destroyed Athens. When the Greeks rebuilt the city, Greece entered a period of cultural flourishing known as the classical period of ancient Greece.
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It lasted from 479 BCE to 323 BCE. During the classical period, philosophy was a major part of Greek culture. In fact, the word philosophy is Greek for “love of wisdom.”

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Greek culture and philosophy had lasting impact on the Western world, often called the West, which is a broad term that generally encompasses much of the culture of Europe, North America, and Australia.

Philosopher Socrates

Socrates (SAH-cra-teez) was famous for asking questions to prompt people to think about their opinions and learn about themselves.

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He might ask his listeners, “What is love?” and ask follow-up questions to help them examine their ideas. This approach, called Socratic method, is still used in teaching today, including in the United States.
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Socrates challenged commonly held beliefs of Athenian society and criticized the city-state’s system of government. The Athenian court accused him of corrupting his listeners and not following Athens’ religion, and they sentenced him to death.

Philosopher Plato

Plato (PLAY-toh) was a follower of Socrates. He believed that Athens’ political leaders made immoral decisions, especially the decision to execute Socrates.
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He established a school called the Academy, shown in the image, where students could learn philosophy, mathematics, and science to prepare for jobs as political leaders. Some scholars see the Academy as an early version of today’s colleges.
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Plato’s writing The Republic describes an ideal government in which kings rule wisely and each social class contributes to society according to its responsibilities. These ideas influenced government forms in later history, including communism and socialism.

Philosopher Aristole

​Aristotle studied at Plato’s academy for 20 years. He promoted the use of logic to draw conclusions. His ideas later influenced the scientific method, which scientists use to ask questions, make observations, and form conclusions.

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Aristotle believed that the best form of government was a constitutional monarchy—rule by a king or queen with powers limited by a constitution. He thought that a democracy was ineffective because leaders could use bribery to gain political power.
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Aristotle is also notable for advising king Alexander the Great, who conquered the Achaemenid Empire.

Video Question

Greek sculptures aimed to depict which of the following?

Multiple Choice

Greek sculptures aimed to depict which of the following?

• Idealized human bodies

• Abstract forms

• Animals

Republic in Rome

The city of Rome is located in what is now Italy.
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On the map to the left, locate the city of Rome (in Italy, highlighted in green) and notice its proximity to Greece (highlighted in yellow).
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Greece and Rome shared many cultural traits, including governments where citizens had a voice.

Republic in Rome

In 509 BCE, a group of Romans rebelled against the Roman king and established a republic, a government in which the people elect their leaders. This system differed from Athenian democracy, where citizens directly voted on laws rather than electing leaders who made laws. It is similar to a representative democracy.

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While a representative democracy allows the majority decision to rule, a republic has a constitution that protects certain rights and prevents the majority from taking these rights away from the minority.
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Like in Greece, political participation was limited to free men. Women and enslaved people could not vote for leaders or hold political positions. People in Rome could become citizens if they were released from slavery. Roman society had a hierarchical structure with three classes.

Rome's Social Structure

Patricians were priests, politicians, and the wealthy elite. When the republic began, only patricians had the right to hold public office.

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Plebeians were commoners, such as farmers, merchants, and craftspeople. Men had the right to vote. For about 200 years beginning in 494 BCE, they protested and gained more political power, such as government positions reserved for plebeians.

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Enslaved people made up 20 to 30 percent of the population. They were forced to work in mines, farms, and wealthy households. They did not have any political rights, were often treated cruelly, and had no legal protection against abuse. Most of these people became enslaved after Rome captured them in war.

The Roman Republic's Government

The republic's government had three parts:

1. The magistrates were a group of 20 elected leaders who served one-year terms. The two most powerful magistrates were called consuls. They created laws and led Rome’s army. The two consuls could veto each other, preventing one person from becoming too powerful.

2. The Senate consisted of 300 elected leaders who kept their position for life. They advised the consuls and made decisions about foreign policies, finance, and laws.

3. The assembly protected the rights of Rome’s plebeian class. The assembly elected a group of ten people called tribunes who had the power to veto the magistrates’ or Senate’s decisions.

The Roman Republic's Government

When the United States' founders designed their new country's government, they used ideas from the Roman Republic.
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The power of the veto is part of United States government today, where the President can veto a bill passed by Congress.
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The United States government also reflects Rome’s separation of powers: Rome had the magistrates, senate, and assembly, while the United States has the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.

​An 1889 Italian painting of the Roman Senate

​The Roman Empire

In the 50s and 40s BCE, a political leader named Julius Caesar gained popularity among Rome’s populace by leading a series of successful military campaigns that expanded Rome’s power.
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He gained the position of dictator for life.
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A group of Senators feared that Caesar had become too powerful and would replace the republic with a monarchy, so they assassinated him in 44 BCE. Rome fell into civil war as powerful figures fought for the throne.

​The Roman Empire

​After 14 years, Caesar’s nephew Octavian emerged victorious. The Senate gave him the name Augustus, Latin for "majestic."
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He became the first emperor of Rome, replacing the Roman Republic with the Roman Empire.
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Rome continued to expand its territory, eventually controlling much of western Europe and parts of western Asia and northern Africa.
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In the Roman Empire, succession of rule passed to a member of the emperor’s family. Roman leadership experienced frequent violence as emperors' relatives murdered potential political rivals to secure their claims to the throne.

Video Question

How did Rome incorporate diverse cultures into its own?

Multiple Choice

How did Rome incorporate diverse cultures into its own?

• By isolating itself from other civilizations

• By enforcing a single cultural identity

• By adopting cultural aspects from conquered lands

The Roman Empire

Roman society was much more orderly than among the leadership.

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Beginning with Augustus's reign, Rome experienced a period of peace and prosperity called the Pax Romana, Latin for "Roman peace." Cities in the Roman Empire had a unified architectural look and included features such as theaters, temples, and aqueducts that carried water through the city.
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Latin served as a common language. A unified currency and a network of roads made trade easier and increased unity throughout the empire. Places throughout Rome used the same calendar.

​The Pont du Gard is an aqueduct built in the first century CE in the Roman colony of Nimes, located in present-day France.

Rome’s Art and Culture

Rome borrowed heavily from Greek influence in its art and architecture, including the use of columns in buildings and the realistic style of sculptures.
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Rome developed its own techniques from these influences, which in turn have spread to other cultures.
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The Pantheon, a temple in the city of Rome completed in 126 CE, has a domed shape that influenced architecture around the world. Rome also invented concrete, a common construction material used today.

​The inside of the Pantheon. Notice the domed shape of its ceiling.

Rome’s Art and Culture

Greece also influenced Latin, the language of Rome. Rome adapted the Greek alphabet to form the Latin alphabet.
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The Latin alphabet formed the basis for the alphabet used today in English and many other languages. Spoken Latin, too, forms the basis of some languages today.
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Modern Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Romanian are based on Latin. About two-thirds of English words contain Latin roots.

Rome’s Art and Culture

Ancient Rome’s religion was also based on Greek culture. Greece and Rome both worshiped many gods and goddesses that had specific roles.
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For example, in the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the god of thunder and the king of the gods. The Roman god Jupiter was the Roman religion's equivalent to Zeus and had the same roles.
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Names of Roman gods, including Jupiter, appear in the English language today as names of planets.

Categorize

Options (5)

Citizens voted on laws.

Residents had town hall meetings to discuss decisions.

Only men could vote.

Citizens elected leaders to make decisions.

Two consuls could veto each other’s decisions.

Organize the characteristic of Greek or Roman government into the appropriate category. [HINT: The "Both" category only has 1 characteristic]

Roman Republic

Both (same)

Greek Democracy

Summary

In this lesson, you learned:

• Athens’ democracy and Rome’s republic had lasting influences on government.

• Greek and Roman philosophy, learning, and language are important parts of Western cultural heritage.

• Rome’s republic became an empire that had violence among leaders but stability among the populace.

Multiple Choice

Exit Ticket: In the United States, citizens vote on leaders. These leaders represent the people and make decisions about policies and laws. Which government is this more similar to?

• Athen's Democracy

• Rome's Republic