world civilization i
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Hist 100World Civilization I
Instructor: Dr. Donald R. Shaffer
Upper Iowa University
Lecture 5Rise of the Persian Empire
The Persian Empire arose in what is today Iran Much of the success of
Alexander the Great arose from conquering this empire
Background People of Iran: Indo-European Coalesced from Medes and
Persians Medes: northern Iran Persians: southern Iran
Medes conquered the Persians and joined the Babylonians in over-throwing the Neo-Assyrians
Cyrus the Great created the Persian Empire by overthrowing the Medes and then the Babylonian
Persian Empireat its furthest extent
Lecture 5Persian Governance
The reason why the Persian Empire lasted much longer than the Neo-Assyrians was they governed conquered people more wisely Persian governance model
established by Cyrus the Great
Respected the autonomy of subject peoples, allowing them to retain their laws, language, and customs
In return, Persians demanded taxes and allegiance
Loyalty guaranteed by satrapies and road network
Cyrus the Great(559-530 BCE)
Lecture 5Zoroastrianism (1)
The ancient religion of Persia, that although today having few adherents is believed to have been highly influential on major modern faiths, such as Judaism and Christianity
Zoroaster Iranian religious thinker Lived around 600 BCE Like Jesus of Nazareth, little known
about him outside of religious literature In this case the Zend Avesta, a
collection of hymns and poems Also like Jesus, he proved highly
influential
Modern depiction ofZoroaster
Lecture 5Zoroastrianism (2)
Theology Life is a battleground between the
forces of good and evil Ahura Mazda embodies good and
Ahriman embodies evil Ahura Mazda and Ahriman locked
in a battle for control of humanity People obligated to choose sides in
this battle Zoroaster promised Ahura Mazda
would eventually win
Influence Post-exile Jewish theology Mithraism Manicheism
A “faravahar” or symbol forAhura Mazda inZoroastrianism
Lecture 5Classical Greek Origins: “Dark Age” Greece It appears that after the end of
the Mycenaean period that civilization went into decline from 1100 to 800 BCE Literacy largely disappeared and
living standards seem to have become more basic Pots became more simply
decorated Smaller and fewer settlements Scarcity of foreign artifacts
suggests a collapse in international trade
Most common explanation for collapse is the Mycenaean’s overtaxed the environment
This dark period followed by a revival which ushered in Classical Age Greek civilization
A MycenaeanGreek pot
A “Dark Age”Greek pot
Lecture 5The Greek Polis In classical Greece geography
and economic realities helped determine social organization Geography tended to isolate
Greek population concentrations from each other
This led to decentralized government centered around the “polis” or city-state
Polis: a city-state in classical Greece and territory surrounding it that was under the city’s control
The Greek polis usually has a fortified center Relations between different
polis tended to be bad, although Greeks would readily unite to meet foreign invaders
Hoplites: citizen soldiers
Plan of the polis ofMiletus (c. 470 BCE)
Lecture 5Ancient Greece: Cultural Significance (1)
What makes it worth studying the Greeks is their enormous cultural significance Classical Greece is considered
to be the source of Western civilization
Greek Philosophy Greek philosophers emphasized
reason and inquiry Although they probably not the
first to do so, they systematized and taught their findings to an unprecedented extent Socrates Plato Aristotle
Socrates
Plato
Aristotle
Lecture 5Ancient Greece: Cultural Significance (2)
Politics: Cradle of Democracy Greece, Athens specifically
given credit as the birthplace of democracy
Democracy in Athens: developed gradually in the 6th and 5th century BCE All adult males who had
completed their military training could vote
It also was direct democracy in that all voters decided on laws, no representatives (impressive considering electorate ranged from 30,000-60,000 men)
Greek social structure: women, slaves, foreigners, and minors excluded
Athens: birthplaceof Democracy
Lecture 5Ancient Greece: Cultural Significance (3)
Other classical Greek cultural contributions Science
Develops out of philosophy Ex. Aristotle’s model of the
universe will stand unchallenged for nearly 2000 years
Literature and Drama The Iliad and the Odyssey
continue to inspire, as do countless classical works of Greek literature
History Besides being an important
source on ancient Greece and the ancient world, Herodotus considered the father of History
Olympic Games: begun sometime in the 9th or 8th century BCE
Herodotus
Olympia
Lecture 5Spreading Greek Civilization
Greek civilization would not have its present significance had it not spread beyond Greece
Colonization Greeks established colonies
beyond the Greek homeland Colonization made necessary by
limited resources and population growth
Admired and propagated by later civilizations Romans Islamic scholars, whose writings
will be a source of rediscovery of classical knowledge in Europe
Lecture 5Alexander the Great
Arguably the greatest practical propagator of Greek civilization was Alexander the Great
Son of Macedonian King Philip, he was the greatest conqueror of the ancient world His empire stretched from
Greece east into the Indus Valley
All the more amazing because his conquest only took about a decade
Although Macedonians considered uncouth by other Greeks, Alexander tutored by Aristotle himself
Lecture 5Hellenistic Civilization (1)
After Alexander’s sudden death in 323 BCE, there followed 43 years of conflict in which his generals and others vied to control his empire
Eventually, Alexander’s empire split in three parts Selucid Kingdom: controlled the
bulk of the eastern empire, including Persia, Mesopotamia, and Anatolia
Ptolemaic Kingdom: Egypt and Palestine
Antigonid Kingdom: Macedonia and Greece
Lecture 5Hellenistic Civilization (2)
Alexander and his successors sought to solidify their rule over his empire by importing Greeks to become the ruling class of the East
Many thousands of Greeks answered the call
Through the process of contact and intermarriage, the Greeks introduced their culture into the Near East
The result was acculturation: both groups influenced each other and the resulting Hellenistic culture was a mixture of Greek and local culture
Coin depictingPtolemy IV
(222-204 BCE)
Coin depictingCleopatra
(51-30 BCE)
Lecture 5Hellenistic Civilization (3)
There were limits of the spread of Greek culture in the East Its impact was greatest on the
wealthy and educated people If one wanted to get ahead, one
embraced Hellenism Geographically
Strongest spread in the Mediterranean
Weakest in Persia
Cultural influences also went the other way For example, as time went on
many Greeks in Egypt embraced Egyptian culture and religion
Most entranced by eastern religion
Sepphoris: Hellenizedcity not far from Nazareth
(Jesus’ hometown)