2. I. Ancient Greece
In Europe, civilization developed along the same lines that it had in Africa and Asia.
An important civilization that influenced later European and American civilization was
Greece.
Located on a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea, the Greeks were often separated
from one another because of the mountainous terrain.
This meant that they were
unable to create a unified
empire and had to sail to
reach one another and the
outside world, making
them skilled sailors and
wide traders.
3. II. Greek City-States and Culture
Greeks developed city-states, each a little different from one another.
For example, Athens was a democratic city-state known for its art and culture while
Sparta was a martial culture ruled by kings.
Despite their differences, Greeks were unified by sports, religion, and a common
language.
The Greeks were the basis of Western Civilization, giving us forms of art, architecture,
government, and philosophy seen in Europe and the Americas today.
4. III. Alexander the Great
Greek culture and civilization were spread through trade, but also through the
conquests of Alexander the Great, who conquered Greece, Asia Minor, Palestine,
Egypt, Babylon, and parts of India.
Alexander died during a military campaign in 323 BC, but the civilization that he left
behind blended Western and Eastern cultures, creating what is known as Hellenistic
culture.
Hellenistic culture ensured the survival and spread of Greek ideas, while also opening
Europe up to contact with older and more advanced Asian and African cultures.
5. IV. Rome
In Italy, a powerful city state
called Rome developed by
509 BC along the Tiber River.
By about 270 B.C., the Roman
Republic controlled most of
the Italian peninsula and had
developed a complex system
of law, which is the basis for
most European and American
law today.
However, as Rome expanded beyond the Italian peninsula into parts of Spain, Gaul
(France), Northern Africa, and Asia, economic turmoil made the government unstable.
6. V. Julius Caesar and the Birth of the Roman Empire
In 49 BC, a powerful Roman General named
Julius Caesar brought his army to Rome and
demanded to be made dictator, promising to
solve Rome’s problems.
Caesar was successful in instituting many
economic and political reforms, but the
Roman Senate, fearing the end of the Republic,
Assassinated him on the steps of the Senate.
A civil war followed his death and, in the end, Caesar’s great
nephew and adopted son, Augustus was victorious and
became Rome’s first emperor.
Thus the Republic ended and Rome became an Empire.
7. VI. Roman Civilization
The Roman Empire continued to spread, conquering most the Western world.
Rome brought its conquered territories (provinces) peace and stability, leading to the
creation of an advanced civilization.
The Roman Empire had extensive paved roads, complex architecture, plumbing,
sophisticated government, and many other advances.
8. VII. Christianity and Rome
Jesus lived in a province of the Roman Empire, and
was executed under Roman law by a common Roman
method: crucifixion.
Afterward, his message was spread throughout the
Roman Empire by his apostles and disciples.
Christians posed a problem for the Romans, as they
refused to make sacrifices to the Roman gods, which
was required by all Roman citizens at least once a
year.
As a result, Christians were persecuted by the Romans
until, in 326 AD, the Emperor Constantine granted
toleration to Christians.
9. VIII. The Decline and Fall of Rome
Eventually, the Roman Empire grew too
large to manage and was divided into two
halves with two capitals (Rome and
Constantinople), each with its own
emperor.
Economic turmoil also rocked the empire,
and foreign invasions slowly but surely
chipped away at the Roman frontier.
Unable to adequately defend itself, the western half of the empire fell in 410 when
the city of Rome was sacked in 410 AD.
Although the Eastern Empire (Byzantium) survived, most of the Roman Empire in
Europe had fallen, leading Europe into the so-called “Dark Ages”.
