crucible of civilization

1. What was the situation in Athens in 508 BC?  
   The city turned on the rulers and demanded freedom.

2. What class did Cleisthenes come from and what kind of power did this group exercise over Athenians? 
   Cleisthenes was an aristocrat, this group ruled Athens.

3. How did Aristotle describe life for most Athenians in the 6th century BC?  
   Life in Athens in the 6th century was tough, there was no reading/writing and there was rarely any true justice, life expectancy after birth was 16 years.

4. Where were the great civilizations in Cleisthenes day and how was Greece geographically different than these?  
   Greece had many mountains and hills. East to Persia and west to Egypt.Greece was different because it seperated into city-states. 

5. What Greek city seemed the most likely to dominate all others politically during Cleisthenes lifetime?  
   Sparta because they were raising an army and were taught only about fighting skills and were disciplined well. They also expanded very quickly.

6. What specific stories inspired Cleisthenes and his fellow Greeks?  
   Iliad and the Odyssey, he liked ancient tales and myths especially the kinds with mighty battles, struggles, and heroes.

7. Describe Arete, the Greek ideal or vision of a hero. 
   A life of greatness and glory through strength and valor and to become a real life hero.

8. What surprising political move did the ruler Pisistratus make in order to consolidate power in Athens?  
   He asked the common athenians for support instead of the aristocrats and he lowered taxes and introduced free loans.

9. What was Athens' most valuable trading commodity? 
   Olives, soap, and moisturizer.

10. What Athenian product that was almost worthless at the time now commonly fetches millions of dollars on the Antiquities market? What were the artisans who made these products main motivation in doing such good work?  
    The vase, when doing such good work they would paint a vase that resemble each other.

11. How was Hippias a different ruler than his father Pisistratus? What did he do to his father's reforms?  
    Hippias was a tyrant and he stripped away the reforms and freedoms.

12. What did Cleisthenes do in 510 BC? How was Greek society in Athens changing at this time? He overthrew Hippias and succeeded. he changed the government. 

13. How had the Olympics changed from their founding to the days of Cleisthenes and how did this festival influence ordinary Greeks? 
    They used to be a competition for the wealthiest Greeks but changed for anyone to participate.

14. Who did Isagoras turn to in 508 BC to help him overthrow Cleisthenes?
    Sparta

15. What happened in Athens while Cleisthenes was in exile? What did this do for Cleisthenes? There was a revolution Cleisthenes gained power and led Athens.

16. What did Cleisthenes carve out from the hillside that was near the Acropolis and why did he do this? What was this the beginning of?  

He carved out a meeting place for the citizens so even the common people got a say on what they wanted and their opinions.This was the beginning of their democracy.

The Greek Polis: Warring City States

Part A Reading Guide

1.The Sparta treated the Messenians very bad, they made them slaves and demanded half of their crops. 

2. The Sparta dedicated their society to becoming a strong military after the revolt.  

3. The Athenians avoided major political upheavals by moving their people into a Democracy. 

4. Solon outlawed debt, slavery, four social classes, and press charges to initiate economic and political reformation.  

5. The Cleisthenes organized citizens in districts that could submit laws and a council of 500 was randomly chosen. 

6. The Greeks had phalanx unlike the Persians.  The Greeks were disciplined and the Persians had lighter armor so poorer people would join. 

7. The consequences of the Persian Wars was Athens trading freely and flourishing and the Delian league formed. 

TERMS & NAMES 1. For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance.
• polis • acropolis • monarchy • aristocracy • oligarchy • tyrant • democracy • helot • phalanx • Persian Wars

Polis means the city- state.  The acropolis was like a temple that each individual city-state had at their highest point and each was set up mostly the same.  The Aristocracy were the land owning class of people, AKA the highest class.  The Demos were the average citizens.   A Monarchy is a single ruler; king or queen.  The Aristocracy was also a system of government where the wealthiest were in power.  Oligarchy is two or more rulers.  Tyranny was a system where one tyrant would be appointed to have power in a time of emergency and crisis, usually a small period in time.  Phalanx is a very powerful fighting force in the ancient world where you hold a spear in one hand and a shield in the other.  The Persian Wars were fought between the Persians and the Greeks. 

USING YOUR NOTES
2. Which of the events on your time line do you think was the most important for life today? Explain.

 The Greeks defeating the remaining Persian army was the most important event for life today because if they hadn't, life now for the Greeks could be far behind how advanced they are today and they could've gone through a very bad period of loss.

MAIN IDEAS
3. How does an aristocracy differ from an oligarchy?

An Aristocracy is made up of nobles and an oligarchy is just powerful/ wealthy people. 

4. What contributions did Solon and Cleisthenes make to the development of Athenian democracy?

Solon outlawed debt slavery.  Cleisthenes broke up the power of nobility by organizing citizens into groups based off of where they lived no their wealth.  He also let all citizens to submit laws. 
5. How did Athens benefit from victory in the Persian Wars?

Athens became the leader of the Delian League which had grown into at least 200 city-states.

cultures of the mountains and sea

1. For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance.
• Mycenaean • Trojan War • Dorian • Homer • epic • myth

Mycenaean were the people who settled on the Greek mainland around 2000 B.C.

The Trojan War was in the 1200s B.C., the Mycenaeans fought a ten-year war against Troy, an independent trading city located in Anatolia. According to legend, a Greek army besieged and destroyed Troy because a Trojan prince had kidnapped Helen, the beautiful wife of a Greek king.

The Dorians were much less advanced than the Mycenaeans. The Dorians spoke a dialect of Greek and may have been distant relatives of the Bronze Age Greeks.

Homer was the greatest storyteller and was a blind man.

Epics were narrative poems celebrating heroic deeds, sometime between 750 and 700 B.C.

Greeks developed myths, traditional stories, about their gods.

USING YOUR READING GUIDE NOTES
2. Which of the cultures on your
chart do you think contributed
the most to Greek culture?
Explain.

I think the Minoans contributed the most to Greek culture-
1. sea trade taught them sailing
2. they adapted the Minoan writing system
3. adapted their art which is seen in vases
4. religion, politics, culture

MAIN IDEAS
3. What impact did nearness to the sea have on the development of Greece?

Since the Greeks lived so close to the sea they became excellent sailors. They used this ability for trade because Greece lack natural resources like timber, metals, and farmland. The seaways also linked most parts of Greece together.

4. What aspects of culture did the Mycenaeans adopt from the Minoans?
One of the many things that the Mycenaeans adopted from the Minoans was sea trade. They sent out their traders on boats to trade with different countries. They also adopted their language, writing system, religion, political aspects, and their literature.

5. Why were the epics of importance to the Greeks of the Dorian period?

The Greeks believed that he epics were stories from their past, their history.

6. DRAWING CONCLUSIONS How did the physical geography of Greece cause Greek-speaking peoples to develop separate, isolated communities?

Greece is a very mountainous country. It was difficult for people to travel between each community, so this caused people to stay where they were and travel less.

Pyramids of the Nile

Lo1: Describe the geography of Egypt
Lo2: Identify the role of pharaoh in Egyptian culture
Lo3: Describe the cultural and technological achievements of the Egyptians

1. What role do you think the Nile River played in Egypt’s prosperity? Do you think ancient Egypt could have become  a majestic civilization without the Nile?

The Nile River provided consistent water source, food, transportation, and fertile soil for Egypt.  No, consistent food and water is necessary for civilization which the Nile gave them.  

2. What were some of the ways Egyptians harnessed the power of the Nile? What was the  primary route of transportation they developed, and what were the techniques ancient Egyptians used to develop them?

Egyptians used the Nile for irrigation and transportation.  The primary route for transportation was to sail upstream (south), and float downstream (north).  They built canals for east/west travel.  

3. How would you describe the power structure of ancient Egypt? What does it mean to describe Egyptian kings and queens as “divine”? What powers did they believe this enabled them?

Ancient Egypt had absolute power meaning they could command major projects to be built, regardless of coast.  They believed that since they were seen as divine, their subjects were devoted to their afterlife.  Pharaohs believed they would be reborn to be like the sun god

4. What were  some examples of the challenges laborers faced in constructing Egypt’s monuments? What do you think motivated them?

They were challenged with feeding, equipping, funding of the workers, and transporting large stones over sand.  They were motivated by the deep-seeded belief in the Pharaoh's divinity.

5. What  are some of the connections between Egyptian engineering and the expansion of its empire?

The control of the Nile River allowed for a sustained food source which could feed large armies.  Also building serious forts helped them control Nubia, a big source of gold, which was needed for funding and decoration temples.  

6. Why are Egyptian obelisks considered one of the most amazing architectural feats ever achieved? Do you think they could be constructed today?

They are the most amazing architectural features ever because to chisel out, transport, and stand up right without cracking it seems impossible.  It would be difficult for modern people to do but I'm sure it's possible. 

the code of Hammurabi

LO1- Define Hammurabi, Hammurabi's Code
LO2- Describe the historical significance of the code of Hammurabi
Thinking Historically: Case Study: The Code of Hammurabi

Hammurabi was a Babylonian King, reigning from c. 1792 BC to c. 1750 BC who conquered Elam and the city-states of Larsa, Eshnunna, and Mari.  He has 289 codes.  The first set focuses on crime and punishment.  Hammurabi's Code holds people responsible for their actions.  Hammurabi's Code is significant in history because it was one of the earliest set of laws or legal codes.  It brought up the idea of crime and punishment.  The punishments were meant to discourage people from committing crimes but even a death penalty won't stop some people.    

early river valley civilizations 3500 BC- 450 BC

LO1- Define... Mesopotamia, Sumer, city-state, dynasty, cultural diffusion, polytheism, Hammurabi
LO2- Identify the region of Sumer and discuss aspects of Sumerian culture. 

LO3- Explain the impacts of the Agricultural Revolution on the development of Sumerian civilization

TERMS & NAMES

1. The Fertile Crescent is the region's curved shape and rich land.  
Mesopotamia which in Greek means “land between the rivers.”
City-states functioned much as an independent country does today.
A dynasty is a series of rulers from a single family. 
Cultural diffusion is the process in which a new idea or a produce spreads from one culture to another.
Polytheism is the belief in more than one god.
An empire brings together several peoples, nations, or previously independent states under the control of one ruler.
Hammurabi recognized that a single, uniform code of laws would help to unify the diverse groups within his empire.

2. Which of the problems you listed required the most complex solution? Explain.

3. What were the three environmental challenges to Sumerians?
The tree challenges to Sumerians were unpredictable floods, no natural barriers for protection and     limited resources.  
4. How did the Sumerians view the gods?
They were polytheists.  They believed in over 3,000 gods to explain everything in nature. 
5. What areas of life did Hammurabi’s Code cover?
Hammurabi's Code lists 282 laws dealing with everything that affected the community including family relations, business conduct and crime.  

The First Civilization

Reflection: 
We consider Ur to be the first civilization because it was the first place that met all the requirements we later came up with to be what was needed for a civilization.  Like a modern day city, Ur established a hierarchy (AKA a complex institution).  They had rulers, priests, priestesses, and wealthy merchants that held more power over other people.  Also like a modern day city, they had an advanced population- a population with many people.  They had about 65,000 people which is very big especially for their time.  Of course nowadays, we have more advanced technologies than back then but for their time, they had advanced technologies.  They also had record keeping which nowadays is similar to a newspaper or news station.  Nowadays we do still have specialized workers like they did in Ur.  Ur is considered to be the first civilization because it met all the five requirements we count as a civilization today.