Classical Civilizations: Big Era 4 Overview: The Classical Period lasted from about 500 BCE - 500 CE. The four main civilizations of this period were Ancient Greece, the Gupta and Mauryan Empires of India, the Qin and Han Dynasties of China, and Ancient Rome.
Ancient Greece begins with a Dark Age. This doesn't mean the world was DARK! A dark age is classified by a period of years where the art of writing is lost. This meant that people passed on history through oral tradition. This is not great for historians, but it IS one of the reason Greek mythology became so popular! Legends from Heracles to the Trojan War were passed along from person to person, and we see many references to them in pop culture today.
Greece emerged from the dark ages as city-states began to pop up on the peninsula and island of Greece. The most popular were Athens and Sparta. These two city-states were VERY DIFFERENT. Athens focused on the arts, education and democracy, whereas Sparta limited trade, had a large slave population of helots, and focused on the military.
Along the city-states were all different, they all came together to fight Persia during the Persian Wars. United, the Greeks were very strong. However, after the Persian Wars, Sparta and Athens fought, each other in the Peloponnesian Wars. This war weakened the Greeks. This allowed for Alexander the Great to conquer the Greeks shortly after. Alexander was a fan of Greek culture though!
Ancient Greece Resources:
Minoans and Mycenaeans (Ducksters)
Reading/ assignment is in google Classroom
Greek Religion (Ducksters)
Greek Geography
Athens and Sparta Reading 1
Persian Wars (Ducksters)
Peloponnesian Wars
Ancient Greece Activities:
Iliad Play
Travel Agency Project
News Report
Alexander the Great Debate
Agenda
Learning Goals, Vocabulary, Timeline
Characteristics and Things the Romans “borrowed”
Achievements of the Classical Period
Geography, and trade of the Classical Civs
How the Classicals gained and maintained power
The influence of Roman Democracy on the United States
The Roman Expansion and the loss of civic power/ participation
Human Rights in Rome and beyond - Amistad and Spartacus
Rise of monotheistic religions
The Jewish Diaspora
Decline of the Classicals
Assessment: The Classicals