city-states - Evan Hoke

• The focus of Spartan life was on obedience and war.
• For many years, Spartan armies provided much of the defense of the Greek lands.
• As an Athenian, you could get a good education and could pursue any of several kinds of arts or sciences. You could serve in the army or navy, but you didn't have to.
• Sparta seemed content to keep to itself and provide army and assistance when necessary.
• Athens, on the other hand, wanted to control more and more of the land around them. This eventually led to war between all the Greeks.
• This was the Peloponnesian War. After many years of hard fighting, Sparta won the war. In true Greek spirit, Sparta refused to burn the city of Athens.
• Instead, the culture and spirit of Athens was allowed to live on, as long as the Athenians no longer desired to rule their fellow Greeks.
• Both Athens and Sparta had an Assembly, whose members were elected by the people.
• Sparta was ruled by two kings, who ruled until they died or were forced out of office. Athens was ruled by archons, who were elected annually.
• Because both parts of Athens' government had leaders who were elected, Athens is said to have been the birthplace of democracy.

A map of Athens, Sparta and their allies.

Info: "Athens and Sparta: Different Yet the Same." 25 Sep 2008 <http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/worldhistory/athenssparta.htm>.

Photo: "Ancient Greece."  27 February 2008.  HowStuffWorks.com. <http://history.howstuffworks.com/ancient-greece/ancient-greece.htm>  25 September 2008.

direct democracy

Persian Wars

Meghan Edwards

• By 800 BC, many Greek city-states were becoming over-crowded, and many Greeks were lacking work.  So, they began to move along the eastern edge of the Aegean Sea.
• Persian dictators became angered at the Greeks for trying to establish new city states, and tried to tax them.
• Lasted twenty years
• First Persian Invasion = 490 BC.
  • Darius (Persian King) sent delegates to Greece, but Sparta and Athens refused to accept his authority and killed the Persians Darius had sent
  • Darius became angered and brought his troops to fight the Greeks at Marathon Beach
  • Persians lost this battle
  • After the Greek victory, a runner was sent to Athens to report the good news...this is how the Marathon Race got its name
  • The Persians had no weapons left after this battle, and had to return home
• Second Invasion = 480 BC
  • Xerxes was Persian King at this time
  • Persians attacked the Greeks at Thermopylae
  • Persians burned Athens
• Persians finally defeated by Greeks in a battle at sea
  • Spartans and Athenians took on the Persians
• Persians and Greeks never fought again, although the Greeks feared the return

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_greece/persian_war.htm

http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/PERSIAN.HTM

King Leonidus of Sparta

http://history.boisestate.edu/westciv/persian/ 

Peloponnesian Wars

Alexander the Great

-Maggie Dillon

Alexander the Great lived before Christ, but he was driven by a vision of global unity as modern as today. Alexander is seen in many roles in our culture. The most famous of these is being a great general and conqueror of the world. During his short life, Alexander conquered the known world and helped spread the culture of the Greeks. Much of what he accomplished must be viewed in the circumstances of his time and his upbringing. Without these we may not have had the spread of Greek culture or even heard of the man called Alexander.

A few of his conquests include Anatolia, Syria, Phoenicia, Judea, Gaza, Egypt, Bactria, and Mesopotamia. Alexander died after 12 continious years of campaigning away from his home. It was though that he died either of malaria, poisioning, fever or effects of alcoholism.

  Mosaic of Alexander

Homer and His Works

- Lewis Dalrymple

Homer was a legendary epic poet, whom historians today doubt existed. If he was real, historians believe that he lived around 850 BC.

• Supposedly wrote the Illiad and the Odyssey (historians today think that it may have been a conglomeration of stories told orally for many years)
• Illiad is the oldest work of Western Literature
• Many legends surround Homer's life, ranging from him being the son of Telemachus and Epikaste (Son of Odysseus), to him being from the Ionian region of Asia Minor
• Legends of him being blind may have arrisen from the fact that his name means blind in certain cases
• Illiad based on the Trojan War, in which Achilles is the most prominent character
• Odyssey follows the travels of Odysseus, the King of Ithica who is attempting to get back to Ithica from Troy, but is cursed by Poseidon.

Statue of Homer outside the Bavarian State Library in Munich

Idealized portrayal of Homer dating to the Hellinistic Period

Socrates and Plato

Aristotle and the foundations of western thought  John Caudle

        Aristotle was a Greek philosopher that lived from 384 B.C. to 322 B.C.

        Studied many subjects including:

              Physics

              Metaphysics

              Logic

              Ethics

              Politics

              Biology

        Along with his teacher Plato and Socrates (Plato’s teacher) he was one of the founders of Western Philosophy

        Studied with Plato for 20 years (367 B.C. – 347 B.C.)

        Stressed the importance of virtue which included moral philosophy with moderation and balance in human behavior; he said that good humans could exercise this function by being rational, which falls into the foundation of Western thought

        In vastly studying human actions Aristotle found a necessity for slavery in all societies.  

        Aristotle created Realism which consists of:  1. Substance and 2. Form

        He also discovered the Scientific method which starts with observation and experimentation, then analysis and conclusion

        Many of Aristotle’s discoveries, along with others, help establish the basis for Western thought.  His in depth studies, politically, socially and scientifically paved the way for the Western philosophers that followed him.  He created made numerous breakthroughs in different fields bringing him much acknowledgement.    

www.philosophyforum.com

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/philoponus/#2.2

Frescoe done by Raphael called "School of Athens,"  shows Plato on the left and Aristotle on the right, as two of the great Western Philosophers.

http://lizawisner.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/aristotle.jpg

Hellenistic culture-Colt Burgin

• Hellenistic mens the spreading of Greek culture over non Greek people.
• Hellenistic period lasted from 300 B.C.E. to 100 B.C.E. It began when Alexander the Great died in 300 B.C.E.
• The name Hellenistic comes from the influence of the Hellenes
• Hellenistic culture is a mixture of Greek and Oriental culture.
• It eventually gave Christianity the opportunity to spread.
• Greece as a nation was gone but its culture was spreading throughout the world.
• Culture-
• Many Hellenistic cities flourished in trade.
• The city of Pergamon became a major book producing city. It had a library of over 200,000 volumes. This was second only to the 700,000 volume Alexandria Library.
• The city of Athens had some of the most prestigious higher education schools in subjects like philosophy.
• The iland of Rhodes had famous schools for politics and diplomacy.
• Cicero and Mark Anthony were 2 famous graduates of the schools in Athens and Rhodes.
• Religion-
• The Hellenistic religion is a mixture of the different beleifs and practices of the citizens that lived under Greece's influence in the Roman Empire and Hellenistic period.
• The Hellenistic religion was considered on of the most creative religions of the period.
• Philosophy-
• Philosophy was a major part of Hellenistic culture. There were many famous philosophies that made up the Hellenistic culture. Including-
• Platonism- Philosophy of Plato that believs in the Theory of forms.
• Peripateticism- philosophy of the followers of Aristotle.
• Cynicism- philosphy that believes that you should live in harmony with nature and that you should not be worried with worldly possessions and wealth.
• Cyrenaicism- philosophy that believes that pleasures is the ultimate good
• Epicureanism- Philosophy that believes the universe is governed by chance and the gods do not interfere.
• Stoicism- philospy founded by Zeno of Citium that believed the main goal in life was to live in harmony with nature.
• Pyrrohonism- philosophy built on skepticism and the belief that nothing can be proven as true.
• These are just some of the philosophies that made up the Hellenistic culture. They were essential to the culture and played important roles in the formation of culture.

 This map represents the Hellenistic world. Everything inside the red lines was the Hellenistic civilizations. The Hellenistic period began in 300 B.C.E. when Alexander the Great.

Citations-

"Encyclopedia>Hellenistic Civilization." nationmaster.com 25 September 2008 http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Hellenistic-civilization .

"Alexander Spreads Greek Culture" kidspast.com 25 September 2008 http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0075-alexander-spreads-greek-culture.php .

"Hellenistic Civilization" wikipedia.org 25 September 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenistic_civilization.

"Hellenistic Religion" wikipedia.org 25 September 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenistic_religion.

"Hellenistic Philosophy" wikipedia.org 25 September 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenistic_philosophy.

Stearns, Peter. World Civilizations:The Global Experience.4th. Pearson Longman, 2006.

Pericles (Golden Age)- Cody Bunch

• Pericles was a renowned Greek political figure in the 5the century B.C.
• Although he was an aristocrat he was part of a democratic political structure. 
• In this democratic structure citizens could participate in the making and passing of laws and elections much like the US today. 
• Pericles ruled much like presidents do today with influence from peers and by negotiating with the people and what they wanted. 
• Pericles was also a key player in trying to keep the Athenian democrats from aggressing and expanding the empire for wealth and to build the economy. 
• Even through all of his efforts he could not stop the war that developed between Athens and Sparta, this led to the decline of both great cities.

A view of the Acropolis over Hadrian's Gate, built in 5th century BC by Pericles during the golden age of Athens.

Picture found at:

www.flickr.com/.../in/set-72157594364695018/www.flickr.com/.../in/set-72157594364695018/

Info:

Text book World Civilizations AP Edition

Stoics

Josh Broach

The hellenistic philosophy of stoicism was founded in early third century BC Athens. The fundamental ideology of stoicism is that moral excellence is acheived in accordance to nature. They considered their philosophy to be a way of life and it was very much a popular institution until its closing with the other schools in 529 AD. Their principles of obtaining accordance with nature was through reasoning that provided clear judgement and an inner calm that strayed away from negative emotions or feelings. They also believed in early psychological ideas such that the stimulus being interpreted comes from sensory detection which is then transfered to the mind where an impression is left. This impression is either approved or rejected and in turn a sense of reality is established. Famous emperor Marcus Aurelius was one of the most significant stoic philosophers of its era. He was the last of the "Five good Emperors". Christianity also automatically assessed stoicism as a pagan worship due to its ancient Greek origins.The following are quotes from famous Stoic followers:

Epictetus:

• "Freedom is secured not by the fulfilling of one's desires, but by the removal of desire." (iv.1.175)
• "Where is the good? In the will. Where is the evil? In the will. Where is neither of them? In those things which are independent of the will." (ii.16.1)
• "Man is disturbed not by things, but by the views he takes of them." (Ench. 5)

Marcus Aurelius:

• "Get rid of the judgment, get rid of the 'I am hurt,' you are rid of the hurt itself." (viii.40)
• "Everything is right for me, which is right for you, O Universe. Nothing for me is too early or too late, which comes in due time for you. Everything is fruit to me which your seasons bring, O Nature. From you are all things, in you are all things, to you all things return." (iv.23)

  Zeno of Citium was the founder of Stoicism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Zeno2.jpg

 Roman Republic

Will Boggs

• The Roman Republic was a phase during the Romans reign when a republic overthrew the typical monarchy.
• The Republic lasted for approximately 450 years and was ruled by means of a complex constitution.
• During these 450 years the Roman Empire expanded from just Italy to the whole Meditterannean world.
• The constitution that ruled during the 450 years was actually unwritten and not even official however it was followed. The constitution called for a Senate and another form of legislative body.
• The Roman Republic had five phases. The first phase was in 509 BC when the republic overthrew the monarchy. The final phase was in 27 BC when the republic was overthrown.
• Historians have disagreed what the official transition from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire was. Some historians believe it was when Julius Casear becamse the dictator, others thought that it was the Battle of Actium, and others thought it was when Octavian was given powers by the Senate.
• During the time of the Roman Republic the area controlled by the Romans increased by 195 times.

 "Roman Republic." Wikipedia. 24 Sep 2008. Wikipedia. 24 Sep 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Republic>."

This is the flag of the Roman Republic.

"Flag of the Roman Republic." Wikipedia. 09 Feb. 2006. Wikipedia. 24 Sep 2008 <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Flag_of_the_Roman_Republic_(19th_century).svg>."

Dalyn Bellingham

• Plebeians vs. Patricians
  • The patricians were the wealthy land owners, nobility, and upper class.
  • The plebeians were the lower class (everyone but the patricians).

• Same
  • The families were structured in the same way in both classes, with the oldest male at the head of the family.
  • Both classes had slaves to do the work if they could afford it.
  • The adult freemen from both classes were citizens of Rome.
  • Both classes worshipped the same gods and worshipped together.
  • Both classes attended activities in the Forum.

• Different
  • The two classes did not meet socially and it was illegal for them to intermarry.
  • The patricians had elegant homes, beautiful clothing, and wore lots of gold jewelry.
  • The plebeians, even the wealthy merchants, typically lived in apartments called “flats”. They generally wore shabby clothing, and jewelry of painted clay.          

"Plebeians and Patricians ." Ancient Rome for Kids.      

23 Sep 2008 http://rome.mrdonn.org/plebs.html.

Patricians-Upper class, wealthy, Noble

Plebeians-Lower Class

Majority of the power was with the Patricians

Carlton, "The Birth of Rome." Rome Unit. 23 Sep 2008 http://www.sbceo.k12.ca.us/%7Evms/carlton/Rome/Rome_Reading_1.html.

Punic Wars- Adam Barr

The First Punic War

• Fought from 264 B.C.E. until 241 B.C.E. between Rome and Carthage
• Fought on land in Sicily and Africa, and on the seas
• Rome was victorious and demanded a large tribute payment
• Rome gained control of Sicily at the conclusion of the fighting

The Second Punic War

• Fought from 218 B.C.E. to 201 B.C.E.
• Fought in Italy, Hispania, and Sicily
• The Carthaginians were led by Hannibal, a brilliant tactician who came up with the idea of invading Italy from the north by crossing the Alps.
• The Romans pushed back the Carthaginians by defeating the local cities in their homeland in Hispania, and then turning to attack Carthage itself.
• Hannibal took his army back to Carthage to face the Roman armies, and was soon defeated.
• As a result of the war, Carthage was reduced to ruling only the city itself. It was also forbidden to own a large army or navy.

The Third Punic War

• The Third Punic War was an extended siege of Carthage between 149 and 146 B.C.E.
• Romans decided that the complete demolishment of Carthage was necessary, so they made ridiculous demands on the Carthaginians to force them into war.
• In 146 B.C.E., the city of Carthage was sacked and then burned to the ground, ending the Punic Wars.

"Punic Wars." Wikipedia. 2008. 22 Sep 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punic_wars.

Hannibal and his men crossing the Alps. 

Julius Caesar

Augustus Caesar – Cameron Tripp

• Real name was Gaius Octavius Thurinus
• Grand-nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar
• Member of the 2^nd Triumvirate (Made up of Lepidus, Mark Antony, and Augustus)
• 2^nd Triumvirate ended when Augustus forced Lepidus to retire and later defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra’s forces in Egypt and became the first emperor of Rome.
• Ushered in the Pax Romana (Roman Peace) in which Rome flourished
• Expanded the Roman Empire and built a network of roads.
• Had a strict moral code and was very religious
• Lived a simple and frugal life, with a modest home

"Augustus." Wikipedia. 24 Sep 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustus

Bech, Roger. World History: Patterns of Interaction. McDougal Littell, 2002..

A statue of Augustus Caesar

Five Good Emperors-Sara Toomey

The Five Good Emporers were a series of exceptionally good emperors in Rome.  Unlike their predecessors, they gained the cooperation of the senate.

Marcus Cocceius Nerva

• ruled from 96-98C.E.
• promised to be fair with the senate and never put any of them to death
• he secured the good will of the public
• started the system of adopting heirs that would be good for the future

Trajan

• ruled from 98-117C.E.
• killed all leaders of a group who shamed Nerva
• was given the nickname Optimus Maximus or "the best"
• increased free distribution of food
• repaird roads

Publius Aelius Hadrianus (Hadrian)

• ruled from 117-138 C.E.
• abandonded conquest because of the expense
• traveled amongst the provinces and really listened to the people

Antonius Pius

• ruled from 138-161 C.E.
• had no desire for expansion
• restored the staus of the senate
• improved the bureaucratic machinery

Marcus Aurelus Antonius

• ruled from 161-180 C.E.
• warfare
• suffering
• plague from the East
• the end of this series of emperors is characterized by his death in the frontier

Berg, Meridith. "The Five Good Emperors." WebChron. 19 Oct 1997. 25 Sep2008 http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/Mediterranean/FiveGood.html.

This is Nerva, the first of the Five Good Emperors

Kush and Axum – Russell Stewart

• Aksumites settled in northern Ethiopia, in the northeast tip of Africa
• The Aksumites traveled across the red sea from the Arabian peninsula to settle
• Axum serves as a center for trade between the cities of Nubia and Yemen
• Aksumites spoke primarily Semitic languages
• The city Adulis emerged as one the most important port cities in Africa the first century AD
• Adulis, Aksum, and Matara became extremely wealthy as a result of ideal trade location
• Aksumites believed in a polytheistic religion based on Arabic religion
• In the 4^th century, Axum leader, Ezana, converted to Christianity and declared the Axum a Christian state
• Axum continued to thrive until the 7^th century with the creation and growth of Islam,
• Kush existed in the 4^th millennium BC in the floodplain along the Nile’s third cataract
• The capital city of Kush was Kerma
• Kush’s golden years were 1700-1500 BC
• In 1000 BC Kush conquered Nubia to the north, giving Kushites access to gold mines
• Following Kush’s reemergence in 1000 BC, Kushites considered themselves to be Egyptian
• Kush’s close relations with Egypt ended in the 900’s BC when Assyrians pushed the Kushite empire further south
• New Kush served as a key trading city between south and north Africa
• The Kush Empire was defeated by the Nuba people in the late BC centuries

"Axum."Civilizations In Africa. 2008. 25 Sept 2008

http://wsu.edu/~dee/CIVAFRCA/AXUM.HTM

"Kush."Civilizations In Africa. 2008. 25 Sept 2008

http://wsu.edu/~dee/CIVAFRCA/KUSH.HTM

The Axum Empire was located across the Red Sea from Mecca, in Northern Africa

Japan and Shintoism - Andrew Steiner

-         Shintoism provided for the worship of political rulers and the spirits of nature

-         It became unified into a single national religion in Japan by 700 AD

-         Developed when “national politics” in Japan arose around 400 AD, in which one regional ruler would win the loyalty of other leaders and become emperor in Japan’s imperial house and was worshipped as a religious figure

-         With no binding dogma, Shintoism attempts to mediate between humans and kami, which can be gods or spirits of nature, through a collection of rituals

-         Became a formalized state religion of the Empire of Japan during the Meiji Restoration (of imperial rule)

-         Was increasingly used to popularize nationalism and militarism from the 1890’s until Japan’s defeat in the war in the Pacific in 1945

"Shinto." Wikipedia. 2008. 24 Sep 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto.

A Japanese Torii at a Shinto Shrine in the Hiroshima Prefecture

Northern Europe- Lise Ross

Decline Classical Northern Europe

-one of the most backwards civilizations at this time
-no written language
-ruled with regional kingdoms
-primitive agriculture and hunting
-religion was Gods and rituals dealing with nature
-Latin imports
-Christianity didn’t come around to unite them until around 1000 CE

I found the information above from a world history book at my school and I found that they weren’t paid attention to much during the Classical era at:
"Classical Antiquity." Wikipedia. 2008. 24 Sep 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe#Classical_antiquity>.

This is hard to see but it is a classical map of Europe and Asia, sorry guys I couldn't find one of just Northern Europe.

The Americas (include the Olmecs)-Abby Pardue

• The Americas were home to many classical civilizations. The first American civlization was the Olmec culture. Most civilizations that developed made their home in Central or South America.
• The Olmecs left many great things behind such as artistic forms found in precious stones such as jade, religious statues and icons, and evidence that they developed a calendar.
• Although the Olmec civilization abruptly disappeared around 400 BCE, its descendents developed a hieroglyphic alphabet as well as the first big city, Teotihuacan. The Mayan civilization descended fromt the Olmecs, both residing in Central America.
• The Incan civilization developed in modern day Bolivia and Peru, near the Andes Mountains. The elaborate cities and religious monuments made for an impressive discovery much later.
• The Aztecs developed their civilization in modern central Mexico in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Their impressive temples and religious monuments are considered amazing wonders today. Their religion and culture was highly developed.
• The Toltecs were a culture from Northern Mexico that ruled after the fall of Teotihuacan. They did not rule Central America for a long time but they did influence the culture by merging with other civilizations such as the Maya and Aztec.

Hooker, Richard. "Civilizations in America." World Civilizations. June 6 1999. Civilizations in America. 25 September 2008, http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/CIVAMRCA/ABOUT.HTM.

I also used my text book "World Civilizations"

Above is a picture of a Mayan ruin found in Chichen Itza, Mexico.

Asiatic Huns-Rebecca Overcash

• Also known as Xiongnu, were one of the nomadic peoples of Ancient Central Asia.
• Thought to have descended from various Turkic peoples known as Xianyun, Xunyu and Hongyu.
• Date back to 4th-3rd centuries BC when a Xiongnu army had defeated a Zhou army at the Battle of Northern Xansi and signed a peace treaty.
• The earliest known Xiongnu ruler was Touman, who reigned between 220 BC and 209 BC. During his reign, he united the nomadic tribes living in Mongolia and he invaded Northern China.
• Played a vital role in trade routes by transporting goods like silk long distances.
• Produced important technological advancements like the stirrup.
• Rome fell to the Germanic invaders, which were being harassed by the Asiatic Huns, which was the only reason the Germanic were fighting.
• Asiatic Huns invaded Rome themselves, causing great destruction.
• Overthrew the Guptas in India.
  

"Xiongnu Empire, Central Asia."Timeline Index.com. 25  

        25 Sep 2008 <E:Xiongnu Empire, Central Asia -    

      Timeline Index.mht>.

Ihsan, "The Xiongnu Empire." Allempires.com. 25 Sep 2008 <http://www.allempires.com/article/index.php?q=The_Xiong_Nu_Empire>.

Cent

  The Xiongnu Empire in 135 BC

Yellow Turbans- Elayne Monjar

·         Daoist leaders who promised a golden age which would be brought by divine magic

·         Attacked the weakness of emperor and self-indulgence of bureaucracy

·         Caused 30,000 students to protest against the current government

·         Protests failed and the Chinese population growth and properity declined

Adas, Michael, Marc Jason Gilbert, Stuart Schwartz, and Peter Stearns. World Civilizations: The Global Experience, Single Volume Edition, Atlas Edition. New York: Longman, 2006.

This is a picture of the rebels, the Yellow Turbans

Constantine (Rome)-Taylor McAlister

-born near the year 272

-Roman Emperor from 306 and undisputed emperor from 324-327 C.E.

-his mother and him are known as saints to the Eastern Orthodox Church

-passed Edict of Milan which allowed religious tolerance in 313

-transformed Byzantine into new Byzantium capital, Constantinople

-was not baptized until around his time of death

-supported the Church financially, built Christian buildings, and put Christian people into high ranking offices

-Helped build the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Old Saint Peter's Basilica

"Constantine I" Wikipedia. 2008. 25 Sept 2008.

<http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I#Foundation_of_Constantinople

This is a bust of Constantine The Great. 

Sassanid Empire

Polynesia- Jordan Hubbard

• Widely-scattered islands over the Pacific covering an ocean area of approximately 10 million square miles.
• Populated by the descendants of a common ancestral group that migrated out from the islands of Tonga and Samoa between 1600-1200 BC.
• Accomplished by using outrigger canoes that despite being built with stone and coral tools and navigated by observation and training not instruments were capable of traveling up to 2000 miles.
• Common ancestry obvious. They look and speak alike with similar cultural practices and manufactured products.
• Transported 72 identifiable plants, pigs, dogs, chickens and rats between the islands.
• By time of arrival of Europeans in 16^th century most islands inhabited for hundreds of years.
• Kawaharada, Dennis. "The Settlement of Polynesia, Part I." 28 Sep 2008 http://www.paulwaters.com/migrate.htm.

Syncretism (Duncan Holter)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Syncretism is the practice of assimilating other cultures into another cultural identity. Often used by religious authorities and emperors to facilitate the peaceful turning of an area to their control, syncretism has also corrupted the practices of many religious traditions. Rome and the Catholic church are famous for the use of this technique, Rome assimilating the gods and ideas of other cultures, and the Catholic church assimilating holidays and celebrations from pagan religions.

Direct Democracy

Justin Ford

The first democracy was experimented in the Athenian Democracy of ancient Greece around 508 B.C.E. For two centuries in went on, the government officials were randomly selected, this was a general assembly of all males. One representative charged command to the armies.

Roman democracy began 449 BCE which was reffered to as citizen lawmaking, the citizens would write and pass laws and also veto them. This lasted around four hundred years after the death of Julius Caesar. Athenian democracy was the first to form government so it can be said that the Roman democracy is based from Athenian.

 Sassanid Empire (226-651)

Kimberly Martinez

• Name used for the 3rd Iranian dynasty and the 2nd Persian empire.
• Founded by Ardashir I after he defeated the last Parthian King in 226 AD.
• Sassanid Empire ended when last king Shahanshah lost a 14 year fight to drive out early Arab Caliphate. (begining of Muslim conquest and adoption of Islam) in 651 AD.
• Sassanid Empire's territory included modern- day Iran, Iraq,, Armenia, Afghanistan, as well as parts of Turkey, India, Syria, Pakistan, and central Asia.
• Rule characterized by strong centralization, ambitious urban planning, agricultural development, and technological improvements.
• Sassanid rule and social stratification were reinforced by Zorastrianism, which became the state religion.   The Zoroastrian priests became very powerful.
• The Sassanid era is considered to be the highest achievement of Persian civilization, and one of Iran's most important and influential historical periods.

  This is a map or the Sassanid Empire.