The Greeks: The First European Civilization

Lo1:To Identify the Greeks as the first European Civilization
Ancient Greek civilization, the period following Mycenaean civilization, which ended about 1200 BCE, to the death of Alexander the Great, in 323 BCE It was a period of political, philosophical, artistic, and scientific achievements that formed a legacy with unparalleled influence on Western civilization.
Lo2:Define the 3 periods of Greek history
-In the Archaic Period there were vast changes in Greek language, society, art, architecture, and politics. These changes occurred due to the increasing population of Greece and its increasing amount trade, which in turn led to colonization and a new age of intellectual ideas, the most important of which (at least to the modern Western World) was Democracy. This would then fuel, in a rather circular way, more cultural changes
-Between 480 and until 323 BCE Athens and Sparta dominated the Hellenic world with their cultural and military achievements. These two cities, with the involvement of the other Hellenic states, rose to power through alliances, reforms, and a series of victories against the invading Persian armies. They eventually resolved their rivalry in a long, and particularly nasty war that concluded with the demise of Athens first, Sparta second, and the emergence of Macedonia as the dominant power of Greece. Other city-states like Miletus, Thebes, Corinth, and Syracuse among many others played a major role in the cultural achievements of Classical Greece. Many City-States
-The Hellenistic period covers the period of Mediterranean history between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire as signified by the Battle of Actium in 31 BC and the subsequent conquest of Ptolemaic Egypt the following year.
Cultures of the Mountain plus the sea Part One

Geographic Characteristic or Historical Event	Influence on history and culture
Location “around” a sea	They didn’t have to travel more than 85 miles to reach a coastline. Certain Sea’s such as the Aegean Sea, Ionian sea, and the Black sea were very important transportations for the Greek’s. The seaways linked mostly linked the parts of Greece. They were able to travel faster over water to then trade with others since they were lacking resources.
Rugged Mountains	There were many mountains that divided land into many different regions. This helped influence the political life of the Greek’s. They had small and independent communities within each of the regions and their surrounding mountains.
Little Fertile Farmland	Since there was so little farmland that was available and was able to be used, the Greek’s were never able to support a huge population due to the lack of food production.
Moderate climate	Their temperatures were never very cold, and also never very hot. So, this helped out with their outdoor life because the weather was always fine. This allowed the men to hold public outdoor events more often.
Mycenaean adaption of Minoan culture	When they met, the Myceneans found the value in trading over water or the seas. They then started making much more trades because they were able to trade with more people via the seas. The Minoans also helped influence the Mycenaeans religious practices, arts and politics.
The Trojan War	They were fighting over a Trojan prince who had kidnapped Helen, who was the beautiful wife of a Greek King. Lasted 10 years, They were fighting against Troy which was an independent trading city in Anatolia.
The Collapse of Mycenaean civilization	They collapsed shortly after the way against Troy and the Trojan Prince. There was sea raiders who attacked them, and they burned many of their cities.

Part 1

Term or Name	Significance
Mycenaean	the last phase of the Bronze Age in Ancient Greece, spanning the period from approximately 1600–1100 BC. It represents the first advanced, and distinctively Greek, civilization in mainland Greece
Trojan War	This eventually led to the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization, because shortly after the war they were sneak attacked by seamen and they weren’t ready coming back from another war
Dorian	They were a tribe that attacked the Mycenaeans and they were less advanced, but they were able to help the downfall of the Mycenaean civilization
Homer	to provide a common set of values that enshrined the Greeks' own ideas about themselves. His poems provided a fixed model of heroism, nobility and the good life to which all Greeks, especially aristocrats, subscribed
Epic	Long poems that recounted the heroic deeds, although the term has also been used to describe novels.
Myth	The leaders and the best people at the top of Greece were always looking over at everyone and watching over them

Part 2: I think the Dorians had the most effect on the Greeks because they were the ones involved in the war that happened right before the collapse of their civilization. Part 3: Since they were near all of the different seas, they were able to go on the water to s trade with other civilizations instead of just the ones they could get to on land. The seas that were surrounding them also helped link together Greece do that people always have a vast idea of where they are.
Part 4: This is when they were learning the importance of trading via the water so that they would be able to trade with more people and get better trades. This would therefor help lead them to be a more successful civilization especially when they were lacking natural resources, because they could earn them back by the trading. Part 5: Because the poems that were written were most of the time written about very famous and important people of their civilizations. These people were mostly either, famous, important, or did some form a heroic deed. Part 6:

The Code of Hammurabi

Lo1:Define Hammurabi, and Hammurabi's code
Hammurabi-the sixth king of the first dynasty of Babylonia, reigned 1792–1750 bc. He extended the Babylonian empire and instituted one of the earliest known collections of laws
Hammurabi's Code-The Code of Hammurabi was a comprehensive set of laws, considered by many scholars to be the oldest laws established; they were handed down four thousand years ago by King Hammurabi of Babylon
Lo2:Describe the historical significance of the code of Hammurabi
The Code of Hammurabi allows historians to take a look at daily life in ancient Babylon. It is particularly fair for its time as it demands for a trial by judges, rather than vigilante justice. It symbolizes not only the emergence of justice in the minds of men

Pyramids on the Nile

Lo1: Describe the geography of Egypt
Egypt relates to two regions: North Africa and Southwest Egypt has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea, the River Nile, and the Red Sea. Egypt borders Libya to the west, the Gaza Strip to the northeast, and Sudan to the south.
Lo2: Discuss the role of Pharaoh in Egyptian society
One of the roles of the pharaoh was as an intermediary between the gods and the people. The pharaoh then deputized for the gods; his role was both as civil and religious administrator
Lo3: Identify the cultural and technological achievements of the Egyptians
One of the greatest cultural achievements of Ancient Egypt was undoubtedly in their architecture associated with religion. Temples, tombs and pyramids
The Egyptians invented and used many simple machines, such as the ramp and the lever, to aid construction processes

Homework:
Reading Guide

Question	Answer
Why is Narmer a legendary hero in ancient Egyptian history?	Narmer was the 32nd-century B.C. founder of Pharaonic Egypt and celebrated throughout the region's ancient period for uniting Upper and Lower Egypt
How did the role of Egyptian pharaohs differ from the role of Mesopotamian rulers?	Pharaohs were the gods whereas in Mesopotamia Rulers were representations of the gods. As a result of this, the Egyptians built great pyramids for their kings as they were expected to reign forever
Why did the Egyptians build great pyramids for their kings?	the pyramids were meant to shelter the pharaohs in the afterlife

Question	Answer
How did Egyptian religious beliefs compare with those of the Mesopotamians?	One major difference in the religious beliefs of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia was there belief in eternal life. Mesopotamians believed that once you died, you then ceased to exist in any world and there was no afterlife. On the contrary, Egyptians went to great lengths to preserve the dead in order for them to flourish in the afterlife
What social classes made up Egyptian society?	The social structure of ancient Egypt can be sorted into a social pyramid. At the top of the social pyramid was the pharaoh with the government officials, nobles and priests below him/her. The third tier consisted of the scribes and soldiers with the middle class in the fourth level.
What were significant achievements of the ancient Egyptians in science and technology?	The Egyptians invented and used many simple machines, such as the ramp and the lever, to aid construction processes. They used rope trusses to stiffen the beam of ships.
How did the Egyptian writing system compare with the Mesopotamian system?	Mesopotamians used a writing style called cuneiform that was different than the Egyptian writing style of Hieroglyphs

Homework Section Assignment
1)

Term or Name	Significance
Delta	Deltas' greatest importance to human activities, fish and wildlife lay in their characteristic highly fertile soil and dense, diverse vegetation.
Narmer	The unification of Egypt by means of the conquest of Lower Egypt by Upper Egypt.
Pharaoh	Monarchs of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty
Theocracy	Theocracy is a form of government in which God or a deity of some type is recognized as the supreme ruling authority
pyramid	The pyramid always symbolizes bigger consciousness of strength and energy
mummification	Made a great impact on the amount of knowledge they had gained on the body. Mummification was very sacred in the lives of the Ancient Egyptians
hieroglyphic	Hieroglyphics was important to the Egyptians because it helped them state monuments
papyrus	The papyrus was a natural symbol of life itself and the primeval marsh from which all life came

2) I think the most important achievement was creating the lever and ramp because those two things are made into many different contraptions that may still be used today. Two simple things but they go a long way because they can make many different things
3)Being surrounded by deserts benefit Egypt in the fact that no one could attack or conquer them. no group could ever cross the Sahara to get to Egypt for they would die half-way in.
4)The Ancient Egyptians viewed their Pharaohs as a living god. They changed Pharaoh's when the last one died, his eldest son would inherit the throne
5)They use the Mummification because the Egyptians believed that when someone would die there soul would the there body.

Early River Valley Civilizations

Lo1: Define Mesopotamia, Sumer, city-state, cultural diffusion, polytheism, Hammurabi
Mesopotamia-an ancient region of southwestern Asia in present-day Iraq, lying between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Sumer-an ancient region of southwestern Asia in present-day Iraq, comprising the southern part of Mesopotamia. From the 4th millennium bc it was the site of city states which became part of ancient Babylonia.
city-state-a city that with its surrounding territory forms an independent state.
cultural diffusion-Cultural diffusion is the intermingling of one or more cultures. It is the outcome of the spread of literacy and education
polytheism- the belief in or worship of more than one god
Hammurabi-the sixth king of the first dynasty of Babylonia, reigned 1792–1750 bc
Lo2:Identify the region of Sumer and discuss aspects of Sumerian Culture
Sumer is In southern Mesopotamia also known as modern day Iraq. It is one of the first civilizations in the world along with ancient Egypt and the Indus valley.The plow for agriculture, the wheel for trading carts, sail boats for moving bulky goods up the river and above all writing.
Lo3:Explain the impacts of Agricultural Revolution on Sumerian Culture
The Agricultural Revolution had an effect on Samaria of an increase in food and population making them way more successful than they were prior to the revolution. They had many people even before the revolution so they had to make sure that they could have food for them so that they can survive and wont starve to death.

Chapter 2 section 1 reading guide

The Problems	The Solutions
With flooding of the rivers unpredictable, how could farmers water their fields during the dry summer months?	To provide water, they dug irrigation ditches that carried river water to their fields and allowed them to produce a surplus of crops.
With no natural barriers, how could villagers protect themselves?	For defense, they built city walls with mud bricks.
With limited natural resources, how could Sumerians get the materials for tools and buildings?	Sumerians traded their grain, cloth, and crafted tools with the peoples of the mountains and the desert. In exchange, they received raw materials such as stone, wood, and metal.
How should the Sumerian city-states be ruled?	They chose a person who is a strong person and a person that could command the cities soldiers.
What could be done to please the gods and earn their protection in life?	The people were building Ziggurats, which were huge pyramidal temple towers built in the ancient Mesopotamian valley & western Iranian plateau.

Religion	Literature	Architecture	Inventions
The Sumerians believed in a primeval sea that gave birth to a cosmic mountain containing both heaven and Earth. An, the god of heaven, was male, and ki, the goddess of the Earth, was female. They were also Polytheistic making them believe in multiple gods	Most Sumerian literature is preserved indirectly, via Assyrian or Babylonian copies.	They built many different things out of many materials such as stone, or even mud to make houses and such. But they are famously known for their building of ziggurats, which was one of their ways to please the gods	They had many inventions such as: -Writing -Hydraulic Engineering -The chariot -The plow -Mathematics -Metallurgy But they were most famously know for their creation of writing called cuneiform.

Section Assignment
1)

Fertile Crescent	the region where the first settled agricultural communities of the Middle East and Mediterranean basin are thought to have originated by the early 9th millennium bce.
Mesopotamia	Mesopotamia is a region of southwest Asia in the Tigris and Euphrates river system that benefitted from the area’s climate and geography to host the beginnings of human civilization.
City-state	City-state, a political system consisting of an independent city having sovereignty over contiguous territory and serving as a centre and leader of political, economic, and cultural life
dynasty	a succession of rulers of the same line of descent
Cultural diffusion	Cultural diffusion is the spread of cultural beliefs and social activities from one group of people to another. Through cultural diffusion, horizons are broadened and people become more culturally rich.
polytheism	Polytheism is a word that indicates the presence or belief in several gods, it belongs to people who as a doctrine
empire	An empire is a political construct in which one state dominates over another state, or a series of states.
Hammurabi	Code of Hammurabi is historically significant as the first time law was put into a permanent, accessible form.

2) I think the toughest problem was the one where they had to find the materials to build what they needed. They had to find others to trade with and when they are trading they had to make good trades. It was very important because they needed the materials to build their ziggurats which were a way for them to please their gods
3) The three environmental challenges were unpredictable flooding, no natural barriers, and natural resources were limited. Un predictable flooding can be a huge factor because if it comes without anyone knowing that means that no one will be prepared, which could cause a high amount of damage. No natural barriers can be a bad thing because if they get into an unexpected war than they wont have any cover to help which makes them easy targets.
4) they admired them and they always wanted to please them so they help them when they are in need
5) It represented all things in life from privacy, to rights, to appearance everything they needed to worry about was covered in the code.