Ancient Greece & Roman Empire (PDF) - Fall 2024

Ancient Greece & Roman Empire İstanbul Bilgi University EC179 Social Issues and Critical Thinking Fall 2024 The Bronze Age (3300–1200 BC)  Late Bronze Age Civilizations The possible causes for the colla...

Ancient Greece & Roman Empire İstanbul Bilgi University EC179 Social Issues and Critical Thinking Fall 2024 The Bronze Age (3300–1200 BC)  Late Bronze Age Civilizations The possible causes for the collapse of the Bronze Age: Natural Catastrophes (earthquakes) Climate Change (which caused drought and famine) Internal Rebellions (class wars) Invasions (primarily by the Sea Peoples) Disruption of Trade Relations/Systems Collapse (political instability)  The (Late) Bronze Age Collapse Major cities were destroyed, whole civilizations fell, diplomatic and trade relations were severed, writing systems vanished, and there was widespread devastation and death on a scale never experienced before. Only a few powerful states, particularly Assyria, the New Kingdom of Egypt (albeit badly weakened), the Phoenician city-states survived the Bronze Age collapse.  Emergence of Greek city-states After the collapse of Mycenaean kingdoms at the end of the Bronze Age, - the peoples of Greece were illiterate and mostly rural. - without a powerful, centralized state, smaller governing bodies created political order. Emergence of Greek city-states a city-state or polis was a fortified area or citadel which offered protection during times of war. Because of the relative safety these structures afforded, people flocked to them and set up communities and commercial centers. Over time, poleis—the plural of polis—became urban centers whose power and influence extended to the surrounding agricultural regions, which provided resources and paid taxes. hundreds of independent city-states forming a network of communities with a shared religion and language that sometimes led to a sense of common belonging. Some of the most important city- states were Athens, Sparta, Thebes, Corinth and Delphi. Of these, Athens and Sparta were the two most powerful city-states. Athens was a democracy and Sparta had two kings and an oligarchic system, but both were important in the development of Greek society and culture. Greek Poleis Greek Due to the increasing populations of the city states and the Colonization insufficient resources available, many Greeks began to look outward and create settlements outside of mainland Greece. Between 8th and 6th centuries BC, hundreds of colonies were established on the coasts of the Mediterranean and Black seas. Later, Greek communities would settle in modern-day Sicily and southern Italy, even as far as modern-day southern France. Eventually, more Greeks lived in these settlements than on mainland Greece. Greek colonization invigorated the networks of trade and exchange throughout the Mediterranean. Greek language and culture spread throughout the region. PHONECIANS: The other power around the Mediterrenean Two cultural powers around the Greek and Phonecian city-states throughout the Mediterranean world in 8th-6th centuries Alexander the Great (353-323 B.C) At its height, the Hellenistic world comprised the modern countries of Greece Albania Macedonia Southern Italy including Sicily Southern France South-eastern Spain Southern Ukraine Turkey Armenia Azerbaijan Syria Lebanon Israel Jordan Egypt Eastern Libya Iraq Iran Afghanistan much of Pakistan a large slice of central Asia. ROMAN EMPIRE  Lasted more than 500 years as an empire.  Foundation of all of the later Western Civilizations Monarchy triarchy At its height (c. 117 CE), the Roman Empire stretched from Italy through Europe to the British Isles, across North Africa, down through Egypt and up into Mesopotamia and across Anatolia. An estimated 50 to 90 million inhabitants (roughly 20% of the world's population at the time.) Legacy of the Roman Empire  Government  Law  Technology and engineering  Cultural transmission and adaptation  Public servants  Commerce and customer service  Cuisine and fast-food  Military & religious organization  Language & leisure activities 284: Administrative division of East-West. (“tetrarchy”) 324: Constantine becomes the sole emperor. 330: Constantinopolis becomes the capital of the Roman Empire 395: Division of Rome: Western Roman Empire & Easttern Roman (Byzantine) Empire 479: Fall of the Western Roman Empire 1453: Fall of the Eastern Roman Empire During the 5th century, the Western Roman Empire - lost military strength and political cohesion - attacks and invasions by numerous nomadic Germanic peoples - pressure from population growth and invading Asian groups  Ostrogoths, Visigoths, and Lombards made their way into Italy;  Vandals, Burgundians, Franks, and Visigoths conquered much of Gaul;  Vandals and Visigoths also pushed into Spain, with the Vandals additionally making it into North Africa;  the Alamanni established a strong presence in the middle Rhine and Alps.  In Denmark, the Jutes merged with the Danes;  In Sweden, the Geats and Gutes merged with the Swedes.  In England, the Angles merged with the Saxons and other groups (notably the Jutes), and absorbed some natives, to form the Anglo-Saxons (later known as the English).  Essentially, Roman civilization was overrun by these variants of Germanic peoples during the 5th century.