Ancient Europe

Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece was the most highly developed civilization. It was the birthplace of the first Western
civilization. It was located in the continent of Europe. Also, Greece is peninsula and it is on a land near
the Mediterranean Sea. it is the most advanced ancient civilization because the Ancient Greeks
introduced some very significant contributions to the world such as certain things in philosophy, art and
architecture, and math and science.
Additionally, the ancient Greek had organized social factors. The ancient Greek had an organized and
advanced way of living. Greece in the archaic period (ancient Greece) was made up from city-states
which were called Polis. The two most important city-states were Athens and Sparta.The society was
primarily broken up among free people and slaves. The slaves were owned by the free people and were
used as servants and laborers. As the society evolved, the free men were separated between Citizens and
Metics. Citizens were born with Athenian parents and were the more powerful group. They could take
part in the government of Polis. However, Metics were of foreign birth and had to pay taxes and
sometimes serve in the army. The social classes only applied to men since women took their statuses
from their husbands and were not allowed to take part in public life. The ancient Greeks also had a very
sophisticated government.
The majority of Greek states were governed by rich landowners, called aristocrats c. 800 BC.
Furthermore, there were three main forms of government in ancient Greece.
 Democracy - rule by the citizens of a city.
 Monarchy - rule by an individual who had inherited power. 
 Oligarchy - rule by a select group of powerful or wealthy individuals.

Athenian Democracy

Athens was one of the largest of the Greek city-states

and also one of the most democratic. Today, we
remember it as the birthplace of democracy.

Athenian democracy developed gradually. Over many decades,

monarchy gave way to aristocracy, aristocracy to oligarchy, and
then oligarchy to democracy. The Athenians also had to get rid of a
few tyrants. Over the years, more and more people won the right to participate in government. By 500 BCE, a
recognizably democratic system was firmly established.
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 At the center of Athenian democracy was the Assembly. The Assembly passed laws, imposed taxes, and
voted on issues of war and peace. All Athenian male
citizens were allowed to participate in the Assembly.Before deciding an issue, the members of the Assembly
would debate the proposal. Then they would vote by holding up their hands. If a majority of those present
supported the proposal, it would be accepted.

Limits of Athenian Democracy

It is important to understand that Athens was not completely democratic by modern standards. You read
earlier that all Athenian citizens were allowed to participate in the Assembly. However, not everyone in
the polis was a citizen. To qualify as a citizen, a person had to be:
• male
• at least eighteen years of age
• not enslaved
• the son of two Athenian parents

Athenian Education
Because the Athenians believed that every citizen should play a role in the
government of the city-state, they took pains to prepare young men to become
good citizens. They believed a good education would benefit the polis as well
as the individual.

A citizen needed to be able to take part in debates in the Assembly and law
courts. He also needed
to know how to argue, how to defend his own
opinions, and how to criticize the ideas of others. This is why the Athenians
taught their sons rhetoric.
Along with rhetoric, Athenian schools taught logic, reading, writing, arithmetic, and music. Boys learned to
play a stringed instrument called the lyre and memorized sections from two epic poems attributed to the ancient
Greek poet Homer, The Iliad and The Odyssey.

Agriculture
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Greek land was rocky, so only about 20 to 30 percent of it was good for farming. Even so, more than
half of all Greeks were farmers or herders. Most farmland was located in the valleys between
mountains. In Greek society, landowners were part of the upper class. In general, only men owned
property. A person who owned land could support himself. He had enough wealth to pay for
equipment such as helmets, shields, and swords. This allowed him to serve in the army and defend his
homeland. As a result, people respected landowners, who had a higher place in society than merchants
or poor people. In order to get more farmland, the Greeks founded colonies in other regions. The
western end of Anatolia had broad plains and rivers. The Greeks founded many colonies there.

Resources
The lack of farmland was not the only problem. Greece also lacked natural resources such as precious
metals. The Greeks had to find those resources somewhere else. One resource that Greece did have
was stone for building. Greece also had plenty of good sites for harbors.

Greek Gods and Myths

To the Greeks, the gods were not distant beings. They became involved in people’s lives, and the
Greeks loved to tell stories about them. These vivid tales showed that the gods were sometimes cruel
and selfish.

The Gods of Greece: The Greek gods had both divine and human qualities. For example, they
were very powerful and could shape human events. Yet they had a wide range of human emotions,
including love, anger, and jealousy. The gods and goddesses of Greece constantly competed with one
another.

Zeus : was the ruler of the gods. The Greeks believed that he and 11 other major gods and goddesses
lived on Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece. The Greeks also worshiped many less-
important gods. Zeus was the father of many other gods. Some of his children were Aphrodite, Apollo,
Athena, and Hermes.

Each city had a special god or goddess to protect it. For example, Athena (one of the 12 who lived on
Olympus) was the protector of Athens. She was the goddess of wisdom, a warrior, and the patron of
crafts such as weaving.

Greek Mythology Myths are stories that people tell to explain beliefs about their world. Myths
often begin as oral stories. Later they might be written down.
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 The Greeks created myths to explain the creation of the world and of human beings. Many myths
described the gods and goddesses and how they related to one another and to humans. For example, the
myth of Prometheus tells how he stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans. Zeus punished him for
this by chaining him to a rock. Every day, an eagle ate his liver—which grew back every night. Today,
Prometheus is seen as a hero who defied unjust authority. Other myths portrayed Greek heroes and
heroines. The myth of a young woman named Atalanta, who was a skilled hunter and runner.

Honoring the Gods

Like other ancient peoples, the Greeks believed it was important to honor the gods. An angry god
could cause trouble. The Greeks created statues of the gods and built temples as places for the gods to
live. They also held special events to honor the gods.

Holy Festivals: Certain days of each month were holy to different gods and goddesses or to
aspects of nature. For example, each month began with the new moon, and the festival of Noumenia
was held. People celebrated holy days with sacrifices and public ceremonies. The most important
festivals honored the 12 Olympian gods. For example, there was a great festival to honor Athena. A
new robe was woven for her statue in the main temple. The festival also included a procession, races
and other athletic games, and poetry recitals.

The Olympics In Greece, games were always part of religious festivals. The largest and most
elaborate of these were the Olympics. The Olympics were games held every four years as part of a
major festival that honored Zeus. They took place in a stadium built in the city of Olympia. Only men
competed in these contests.

The oldest records of winners at the Olympics date to 776 B.C. But the games might have been going
on for centuries before that. The first Olympics included only a foot race. Over time, longer races and
other events were added. Events included wrestling, the long jump, the javelin throw, and the discus
throw. These games tested skills that were valuable to soldiers.

Unmarried girls competed in a festival to honor the goddess Hera. Hera was Zeus’ wife, and her
festival was held at the same time as the Olympics. This festival featured a foot race in three different
age categories.

Other Greek Gods And Goddesses

Ares god of war
Aphrodite goddess of love
Artemis goddess of the hunt
Hephaestus god of fire
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Hera Wife of zues;protector of marriage
Hermes Messenger of gods
Hestia goddess of home life
Poseidon god of the seas and earthquakes

The Ancient Rome

Beginning in the eighth century B.C., Ancient Rome grew from a small town on central
Italy’s Tiber River into an empire that at its peak encompassed most of continental
Europe, Britain, much of western Asia, northern Africa and the Mediterranean islands.
Among the many legacies of Roman dominance are the widespread use of the Romance
languages (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian) derived from Latin, the
modern Western alphabet and calendar and the emergence of Christianity as a major
world religion. As legend has it, Rome was founded in 753 B.C.  by Romulus and Remus,
twin sons of Mars, the god of war.

Rome’s era as a monarchy ended in 509 B.C. with the overthrow of its seventh king,
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, whom ancient historians portrayed as cruel and tyrannical,
compared to his benevolent predecessors. A popular uprising was said to have arisen
over the rape of a virtuous noblewoman, Lucretius, by the king’s son. Whatever the
cause, Rome turned from a monarchy into a republic, a world derived from  res publica,
or “property of the people.”

Rome was built on seven hills, known as “the seven hills of Rome”—Esquiline Hill,
Palatine Hill, Aventine Hill, Capitoline Hill, Quirinal Hill, Viminal Hill and Caelian Hill.  

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Roman Architecture

Roman architecture and engineering innovations have had a lasting impact on the
modern world. Roman aqueducts, first developed in 312 B.C., enabled the rise of cities
by transporting water to urban areas, improving public health and sanitation. Some
Roman aqueducts transported water up to 60 miles from its source and the Fountain of
Trevi in Rome still relies on an updated version of an original Roman aqueduct.

Roman cement and concrete are part of the reason ancient buildings like
the Colosseum  and Roman Forum  are still standing strong today. Roman arches, or
segmented arches, improved upon earlier arches to build strong bridges and buildings,
evenly distributing weight throughout the structure.

Roman roads, the most advanced roads in the ancient world, enabled the Roman
Empire—which was over 1.7 million square miles at the pinnacle of its power—to stay
connected. They included such modern-seeming innovations as mile markers and
drainage. Over 50,000 miles of road were built by 200 B.C. and several are still in use
today.

Ancient Romans built public baths and amphitheaters (outdoor arenas).

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 EBENEZER SCHOOL
History Assignment

Group members:

1.

Submitted to: T/r

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Content Page number

Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------i

1. The Mesoamerican civilization -----------------------------------------------------------1

1.1. Aztec civilization-----------------------------------------------------------------------1
1.1.1. The Emergence of Aztec Empire------------------------------------------- 2
1.2. Mayan civilization --------------------------------------------------------------------8
1.2.1. Tikal Copan Palenque --------------------------------------------------------8
1.2.2. Maya mythology ---------------------------------------------------------------9
1.2.3. The Mayan Calendar ----------------------------------------------------------10
1.2.4. The Fall of Maya ----------------------------------------------------------------11
1.3. Incan civilization-----------------------------------------------------------------------11
1.3.1. Beginnings of the Empire-----------------------------------------------------12
1.3.2. Structure -------------------------------------------------------------------------13
1.3.3. Religion---------------------------------------------------------------------------14
1.3.4. The fall of Inca ------------------------------------------------------------------15
2. The European civilization -----------------------------------------------------------------17
2.1. Ancient Greece--------------------------------------------------------------------------17
2.1.1. Athenian Democracy----------------------------------------------------------18
2.1.2. Athenian Education------------------------------------------------------------18
2.1.3. Agriculture----------------------------------------------------------------------19
2.1.4. Resources -----------------------------------------------------------------------19
2.1.5. Greek Gods and Myths--------------------------------------------------------20
2.2. Ancient Rome --------------------------------------------------------------------------22
2.2.1. Roman Architecture ----------------------------------------------------------22
2.2.2. The fall of Rome ---------------------------------------------------------------23

Summary----------------------------------------------------------------------------24

Reference ---------------------------------------------------------------------------26

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 Introduction
Since mankind started to build community over the centuries many kingdoms,
empires have risen and fallen all around the world. As history states in these
assignment we are going to uncover the history of the rise and fall of civilization
that have risen and fall (due different circumstances) in Mesoamerican or which
include Southern North America and most of Central America and European
Empires.

In these assignment we will see about the emergence, fall, growth background,
architectural and astronomical contribution they have given to the world of those
two ancient civilization and empires.