WORKSHEET FOR GREEK AND ROMAN CIVILIZATION

A. Tell whether each of the following people lived the Hellenic Age (800-323 B.C.) or the Hellenistic Age
(after 323 B.C.). Also be able to identify their most significant contribution:

1. Thespis 2. Sappho 3. Thales

4. Sophocles 5. Aristotle 6. Euclid

7. Euripides 8. Democritus 9. Archimedes

10. Aristarchus 11. Eratosthenes 12. Hippocrates

B. Tell whether each lived during the period of the Republic or the Empire and why they important:

1. Ptolemy 2. Antony 3. Ovid

4. Spartacus 5. Galen 6. Vespasian

7. Virgil 8. Marcus Aurelius 9. Hannibal

10. Trajan 11. Augustus 12. Julius Caesar

13. Augustine 14. Attila 15. Pontius Pilate

16. Romulus Augustus 17. Paul 18. Diocletan

C. Tell the importance of the following in the ancient times:

1. augurs 2. Aqueducts 3. Gladiators

4. Etruscan art 5. Latifundia 6. Plutocracy

7. gerontocracy 8. Ochlocracy 9. Pax Romana

10. The City of God

D. Tell the difference between:

1. Aeneid : Almagest

2. Battle of Cannae: Battle of Zama

3. Law of Nations: Twelve Tables

COMPREHENSION CHECK:

Answer in less than 7 sentences for items which call for an explanation, unless otherwise specified:

1. a. Map interpretation. A strait is a narrow pas- sage of water joining two larger bodies of water. The
Hellespont and Bosporus are examples. Check their location and be able to explain why these straits
were important for Greek trade. Explain in no more than 5 sentences.
 b. The volcano Vesuvius erupted and buried the towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii. The modern
town of Resina has been built on the site of ancient Herculaneum. Look into the classification of Mt.
Vesuvius and what is the significance of knowing this important event in history to the modern
world?

2. Through their maps, written observations, and mathematical calculations, the following ancient
Greeks advanced the early study of geography: (a) Strabo, (b) Eratosthenes, (c) Ptolemy. Find
information about his accomplishments. (no more than 5 sentences for each geographer)

3. Why was the development of the scientific outlook an important advance in the history of

4. a. Socrates shared some of the Sophists beliefs, but he said that their philosophy had failed. Why?

b. What solution did he offer? (c) Why did his approach anger Athenians?

5. a. Why is it said that Greek philosophy reached its height with Aristotle?

b. What sub- jects did he discuss in his writings?

6. a. What were the major differences in the teachings of Epicurus and those of the Stoics?

7. a. Why did Alexandria become a center learning during the Hellenistic Age?

b. What advances in mathematics and science came from Alexandria?

8. a How did the Punic Wars expand Rome's power?

b. What new provinces were acquired by 133 B.C.?

9. a. What were the political reforms desired by Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus?

b. Why were these reforms opposed by the Senate?

c. How did the conflict between the Senate and the Gracchus brothers eventually weaken the Ro- man
Republic?

10. a. Why did the Senate accept Octavian (Augustus) as emperor when it had opposed Julius Caesar?

b. In what ways was Augustus an effective ruler?

11. a. How did the Romans' policies toward conquered peoples enable them to administer their large
empire peacefully?

b. What were the benefits of the Roman Empire to the people of the provinces?

c. Give an example of the harsh side of Roman rule.

12. a. What did Cicero mean by saying, "We are servants of the law in order that we may be free?

b. Why is law considered to be one of the Romans' greatest contributions to Western civilization?
13. Discuss differences in Roman society under the Republic and under the Empire. In answering,
include references to the treatment of slaves, the authority of Roman fathers over their families, and
the status of women.

14. What problems arose in the Roman army during the third century A.D.? How was the fall of the
Roman Empire directly related to these problems?

15. How did efforts to halt Rome's decline affect Roman citizens?

16. How did the barbarian invasions contribute to the decline of Rome?

17. a. What was the significance of the growth of the latifundia in the third century A.D.?

b. What other factors weakened the Roman economy?

18. a. Why did the early Christians come into conflict with the Roman state?

b. Why and how did Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire?

19. a. What was the importance of the Persian War for the ancient Greeks? Why is it considered as a
turning point in Western civilization?

20. What role did Alexander the Great play in spreading Greek culture through the Mediterranean?

READING PRIMARY SOURCES

A. Thucydides described his efforts to discover the truth about the events of the Peloponnesian
War. Read the passage. Then answer the questions below.

And with regard to my factual reporting of the events of the war, I have made it a principle not
to write down the first story that came my way, and not even to be guided by my own general
impressions. Either I was present myself at the events which I have described or else I heard of them
from eyewitnesses whose reports I have checked with as much thoroughness as possible. ... Even so, the
truth was [not] easy to discover; different eyewitnesses give different accounts of the same events,
speak out of partiality [favor] for one side or the other or else from imperfect memories. And it may well
be that my history will seem less easy to read because of the absence in it of a romantic element.

Answer in less than 5 sentences:

a. In what two ways did Thucydides get his in- formation?

b. What problems did he experience with the testimony of eyewitnesses?

c. Why, do you think, did he decide not to use either his own general impressions or the first
information that came to him?

d. What do you think he meant when he said that his story might seem hard to read because it
lacked "a romantic element"?
B. During the early Republic, Roman officials began to publish lists of laws they planned to enforce.
From these simple beginnings Roman law evolved into legal principles that applied to peoples
throughout the Empire. Read the Roman legal principles quoted below. Then answer the
questions that follow the quoted material.

In the case of major offenses, it makes a difference whether something is committed purposely or
accidentally. In inflicting penalties, the age and inexperience of the guilty party must be taken into
account.

The principles of law are these: to live uprightly, not to injure another man, to give every man his
due. No one is compelled to defend a cause against his will. No one suffers a penalty for what he
thinks. Every individual is subjected to treatment in accordance with his own action and no one
(inherits) the guilt of another. The burden of proof is upon the party [accusing], not on the party
denying. The credibility of witnesses should be carefully weighed [in judging their testimony). ...
[One should take into account whether a witness's] life is honorable and blameless or on the
contrary he is a man branded with public disgrace, ... whether he is hostile to the party against
whom he bears testimony or friendly.

a. How did the law protect persons accused of crimes?

b. Which of these principles protect the liberties of individuals?

c. Which of them places the interests of society above those of the individual?

d. The United States Constitution guarantees citizens freedom of religion and of speech. Do any
of the Roman legal principles you have just read indicate that the citizens of Rome enjoyed these
freedoms? Explain.

C. In A.D. 98 the historian Tacitus wrote a description of the early Germanic tribes with whom the
Roman troops had been fighting along the Rhine and Danube rivers. This passage from his
record describes the Germanic soldiers. Read the passage. Then answer the questions that
follow.

Only a few of them use swords or large lances: they carry spears ... with short and narrow blades,
but so sharp and easy to handle that they can be used as required, either at close quarters or in
long- range fighting. Their horsemen are content with a shield and a spear; but the foot-soldiers also
rain javelins on their foes: each of them carries several, and they hurl them to immense distances. ...
Their horses are not remarkable for either beauty or speed, and are not trained to execute various
(turns] as ours are. ... [The Germans'] strength lies in infantry rather than cavalry. So foot-soldiers
accompany the cavalry into action, their speed of foot being such that they can easily keep up with
the charging horsemen.....

a. What was the Germanic soldier's most important weapon? Why was it particularly useful?
b. Which do you believe did Tacitus believe to be superior, the Germanic horsemen or the
Roman horsemen? Why?
c. What was the strongest part of the Germanic army?