HWH Study Questions

What was the Delian League? Why was it formed? Why did the other members get angry with Athens?

After the last Persian War ended, the Athenian leader Pericles convinced some of the Greek polis to join an alliance called the Delian League so they would be prepared if the Persians invaded again. In this alliance, Athens would supply the army and navy and the other members would pay dues to support them. Pericles angered other members of the Delian League when he used the league's funds to rebuild Athens.

Why was Alexander able to build such a huge empire?

Alexander is going to be able to build such a large empire because he governs it well in a very similar way to the Imperial System. He brings in Greeks to be the head of gov't in the area but he then uses locals as bureaucrats. The Greeks were efficient supervisors that Alexander paid well to avoid corruption and the local people liked dealing with bureaucrats who was one of their own. Alexander keeps taxes low and makes no changes in the culture except to use Greek education, art, and architecture.

Why was the Greek culture spread to so many places?

Alexander the Great was the greatest military commander of the ancient world and built the largest empire to his time in history. He was also Aristotle's greatest student. Because of the influence of the Greek teaching, Alexander the Great spread Greek culture throughout all his conquered lands. Therefore, Greek culture spread to many different places.

Why was Alexander called "the Great"?

Alexander was the greatest military commander of the ancient world. He built the largest empire to his time in history. One of his greatest accomplishments was spreading the Greek culture. Because of all these reasons, he is called Alexander "the Great".

How did Julius Caesar rise to power?

All three of the men in the First Triumvirate were ambitious men who realized this arrangement was temporary and each began to maneuver to take sole power. Julius Caesar had the least support in the beginning and he planned to use military victories to make him popular with the Roman people so that they would elevate him to the position of ruler. After adding Gaul to the Roman Empire, he returned to Rome to a hero's welcome from the people. With the total support of the army and the Roman people, the Senate has no choice but to make Julius Caesar consul for life.

How did geography affect the development of Greece?

Ancient Greece was very much affected by its geography. Greece was smaller in area than the earlier civilizations and the Greek civilization is located at the tip of the Balkan Peninsula and the surrounding islands. Both the peninsula and the islands are very mountainous and the soil is very rocky. The Greeks had very little arable land and therefore, never had enough food. Because they could never grow enough food to feed their people, the Greeks turned to the sea to get food by fishing and through trade. The mountains limited the size of the Greek cities because the cities had to fit in between the valleys of the mountains. The mountains also made it impossible for the Greeks to unite under one government. Since Greece could not unite under one government, Greece was broken down into individual polis which were ruler by individual leaders. Because of these reasons, it is very clear that geography affected the development of Greece.

Explain the heliocentric and geocentric theories.

Aristotle is given credit for developing the geocentric theory which states that the earth is the center of the universe and everything else revolves around it. Aristarchus used math to develop the heliocentric theory. Unlike the geocentric theory, the heliocentric theory stated that the sun is the center of the solar system and the earth and other planets orbit around the sun. It also stated that the earth constantly rotates on its axis.

Why was Rome able to keep from losing the First Punic War?

At the beginning of the First Punic War, it looked as if Carthage was going to win. The war was mostly fought at sea and therefore, Carthage had an advantage because it a great navy and a good army while Rome had a great army and very little navy at all. Early in the war, Carthage dominated the victories until the Romans learned to adapt land tactics to the war at sea. After the Romans win a victory in at Drepaña, Carthage's leaders decided to ask for peace. Because of Rome's skills and intelligence, it was able to keep from losing the First Punic War.

Why was Philip able to capture the Greek city-states so easily?

Because the Greek polis are fighting among themselves, Philip is able to easily capture the Greek city-states. The Greeks failed to listen to Demosthenes to stop fighting until every polis had fallen except for Athens, Thebes, and Sparta.

Why was Egypt considered to be the gift of the Nile?

Egypt is the gift of the Nile. Because the rest of the area is desert, the Egyptian civilization is limited to the Nile flood plain. The Nile supplies water for the people to drink and irrigate their crops. When the Nile floods, it also leaves behind an area of silt which provides fertile topsoil. Therefore, Egypt is the gift of the Nile.

How did geography affect the development of Rome?

Geography was the key to Rome's success in many ways. Geography made Rome almost invulnerable to attack. The city was on the Italian peninsula which made it impossible to invade on three sides because of oceans. The fourth side was covered with the Alps Mountains, the second largest mountain range in the world. The huge losses to Hannibal's army in the second Punic War showed the difficulties of crossing the Alps. Rome was constructed on seven hills which made it very difficult to attack since the attack would have to be uphill. Geography also set Rome up for economic success. The Italian peninsula was near the midpoint of the Mediterranean Sea which made it great for trade. Rome was also always going to have surplus amounts of food due to its location. It was located on the Latium plain which had enormous areas of fertile soil to grow grain. The nearby Apennine Mountains had valleys of rich soil and rolling hills where vineyard crops would grow. Therefore, geography affected the development of Rome in a very positive way.

What are the characteristics of all Greek art? What was the Parthenon?

Greek art and architecture is characterized by both beauty and balance. The greatest work of Greek architecture was the Parthenon. Pericles had the Parthenon constructed as a temple to the goddess Athena.

Why was Hammurabi's code so important? What were punishments like under this code?

Hammurabi's code was important because it was the first written law code in history. It covered both criminal and civil law which means it governed many aspects of the Babylonians' lives. Under this law code, punishment for crimes was based on an "eye for an eye". For example, if a boy stole two sheep from a shepherd, then he would have to repay the shepherd with two sheep of the same quality or something of the same worth.

Why is Thucydides considered a historian and Herodotus not?

Herodotus does extensive research on historical events so that he can write interesting stories. While he does provide us important facts about the Persian Wars, he is not considered a historian b/c some of his facts are inaccurate or exaggerated to provide an interesting story. Thucydides was the 1st true historian and the greatest historian of the ancient world. He was more interested in presenting a clear picture of events than telling a story.

Why is Hippocrates considered the "Father of Modern Medicine"?

Hippocrates was the 1st person in the ancient world to teach that illness and disease have natural causes and can therefore be cured(Hippocratic oath). Because of this, he is called the "Father of Modern Medicine."

What drew followers to the teachings of Jesus? Why did Christianity spread so far so fast?

Jesus had formed a group of 12 close followers called the Disciples by teaching about a loving God who was forgiving and merciful. Jesus began preaching about God and attracted hundreds who would follow him from place to place calling him rabbi. Christianity spread so far and so fast for many different reasons. Because Jerusalem was a trade center, there were many kinds of people from many places that witnessed the events of Jesus's ministry, death and resurrection. Jesus's followers were determined in their efforts to spread the word. The well-organized Roman empire made it much easier to spread new ideas. Jesus's message of love, forgiveness, and inclusion was also popular among the poor masses. Therefore, Christianity was able to quickly spread throughout the Roman Empire.

What was latifundia? How was it hurting Rome?

Latifundia is the term for the consolidation of most of the farm land in Rome into the hands of a small group of large landowners. This was destroying Rome's economy b/c the small farmers who lost their land had no way to feed their families. These landless people then drifted into the cities looking for work creating a dangerous situation b/c they still had no way to feed their families.

Why did Sparta build a strong army and Athens a strong navy?

Life in Sparta is dominated by farming and the military. Sparta was one of the few polis that could grow enough grain to feed all their people. The labor on these farms was performed by slaves called helots. Because the helots outnumbered the Spartans, Sparta had to have a strong military to prevent helot revolts. Athens required all men to serve in the military, but it kept only a small standing army. To protect its trade, Athens built a huge powerful navy.

Why did the pharaohs need pyramids for tombs? Why were they mummified in the Old Kingdom and nobody else was?

Pharaohs were buried with all their possessions so that they could have those possessions in the afterlife. To protect the pharaoh's possessions, the Egyptians built structures called pyramids which contained a maze of tunnels, traps, and other devices to prevent grave robbers from taking the treasure. Because only the pharaoh and nobody else living in the Old Kingdom was considered a god, his body had to be preserved for use in the afterlife. To preserve his body, the Egyptians used mummification.

Prove that Phidias was the greatest of the Greek sculptors.

Phidias was the greatest of the ancient Greek sculptors. One reason why we can assess this is because he was chosen to do the statue of Athena that was placed in the Parthenon. Phidias carved the frieze above the entrance to the Parthenon. The Parthenon was the greatest example of Greek architecture, and so, we know that the Greeks held the Parthenon in high value. Phidias also sculpted the statue of Zeus which is one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Because Phidias's work was chosen to contribute to the Parthenon and his work was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, he was the greatest of the Greek sculptors.

Why were there so many slaves in Rome? Who was Spartacus?

Slavery was more widespread in Rome than in any other ancient civilization. This was due to the fact that the Romans will have a large number of conquests and the Romans were willing to enslave their own people. There were several slave revolts but the only one that nearly succeeded was led by the Greek slave, Spartacus. Finally, Spartacus and his slave army was defeated by a Roman army led by Marcus Crassus and Spartacus and his 6000 men were crucified.

What belief about wisdom did Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle share? How did this affect their teaching methods?

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle believed that truth and ability to use facts in a rational argument were within each person and that by answering tough questions each person could find wisdom. Because of this, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle all taught using the Socratic Method. To teach by asking questions is the Socratic Method.

What methods did the Sophists use? How were they different from the Socratic Method? What was the effect of each method?

Teachers in Athens were called sophists and they taught their students by getting them to memorize rote(random) facts without teaching them the value in the use of the facts. Unlike the sophists, Socrates believed that truth and ability to use facts in a rational argument were within each person and that by answering tough questions each person could find wisdom. To teach by asking questions is called the Socratic Method. The Sophists method just got people to memorize facts without learning how to apply those facts to life. The Socratic Method actually helped people to learn facts and apply them to their lives.

Explain using examples from the ancient civilizations how religion affected the development of science and engineering.

The Egyptians built pyramids for their pharaohs so they could be buried with all their possessions(protect these possessions) because they believed their pharaohs were gods that had an afterlife(religious belief). The Greeks built the Parthenon as a temple to the goddess Athena(religious belief). The Sumerians built ziggurats with temples on top where they believed their gods lived(religious belief). The Romans built the Pantheon as a temple to all their gods(religious belief). Therefore, religion affected the development of science and engineering tremendously.

Why was the First Triumvirate necessary? How did Cleopatra affect the history of Rome?

The First Triumvirate was very necessary. After Lucius Sulla ruled Rome for 10 years, he retired without naming a replacement. Because no single person has enough power to take over the gov't by himself, Gnaeus Pompey, Marcus Crassus, and Julius Caesar form the First Triumvirate. Once Julius Caesar became consul for life, he goes on a tour of the empire and when he reaches Egypt, he makes it a Roman protectorate and is introduced to its regent, Cleopatra. During his reign, Julius Caesar greatly angered the patricians but the last straw for the patricians occurred when Cleopatra showed up in Rome with Julius Caesar's son. Because of Cleopatra, two of Julius Caesar's friends, Gaius Cassius and Marcus Brutus, led a conspiracy that assassinated Julius Caesar. After Mark Antony killed Julius Caesar's assassinators, he toured the eastern empire where he will go to Egypt, meet Cleopatra, fall in love with her, and allows her to influence him to turn against Octavian. Cleopatra convinces Mark Antony that he would be a better ruler for Rome than Octavian and so they form armies and navies to go attack Rome. Octavian defeated Marc Antony and Cleopatra at the battle of Actium. Right before the next battle, Mark Antony commits suicide and after being arrested by Octavian, Cleopatra also takes her own life. Rome's history was very much affected by Cleopatra.

What were the characteristics of all Greek plays?

The Greeks were the 1st people to write and perform plays just for entertainment. All Greek plays were performed by 3 male actors who used masks to show emotion. An all-male chorus spoke the lines and chanted information on the plot. There was very little action in Greek plays because the emphasis was on the story's message. All Greek plays based on myths and epics.

Why did the Greeks start the Olympic Games?

The Greeks' 12 most important gods and goddesses lived on Mt. Olympus which was the highest peak on the Balkan peninsula. Beginning in 776 B.C. the Greeks staged athletic competitions every 4 years to honor their gods in the valley beside Mt. Olympus. These competitions were called the Olympic Games.

What were the characteristics of Judaism? How was it different than the other religions in the area?

The Hebrews were different than every other group in the Fertile Crescent because they were monotheistic and believed in a universal God named Yahweh. The Hebrews greatest gift to civilization was their religion called Judaism. Judaism is one of the world's 5 major religions and Christianity and Islam are based on Judaism. Parts of the Jewish holy book called the Talmud are found in the holy books of both the Christians and the Muslims.

Compare and contrast the Julian emperors with the Good emperors.

The Julian emperors and the Good emperors were very different and not very similar. One of the only similarities between the Julian emperors and the Good emperors was that they were all emperors of Rome. The Julian emperors were all related to Julius Caesar, and they rules Rome with an iron hand, destroyed the senate, and treated threats, real or imagined, with brutal punishment. The Julian emperors nearly destroyed Rome and in fact, Nero, the last of the Julian emperors, set Rome on fire. After the damage of the Julian emperors, Vespesian, the first of the Good emperors, restored respect to the office of emperor and set many new and improved reforms. Unlike the Julian emperors, the Good emperors helped to improve Rome in many different ways including the construction of the Pantheon.

What was the Imperial System?

The Persian empire was maintained using the Imperial System which was created by Cyrus the Great. Under the Imperial System, the conquered people were allowed to stay in their homes, keep their own religion and culture, and basically live the same way they had always lived. The people did have to supply men for the Persian army and pay small tax. Because the conquered people were so pleased, they were no threat to revolt and so the Persians did not have to leave part of their army to guard them.

What were the Punic Wars? What started each of the three Punic Wars? Why wasn't Hannibal able to defeat the Romans when he invaded the Italian peninsula?

The Punic Wars were a series of 3 wars fought between Rome and Carthage. The First Punic War started when a war broke out between Messina and Syracuse on the island of Sicily, and the Romans sent an army in to try to stop the war. In reaction, Carthage declared war on Rome. After winning the First Punic War, Rome believed they could take advantage of Carthage and so, Rome sent in an army and conquered the islands of Corsica and Sardinia which belonged to Carthage. Because of this, the Second Punic War began. After being defeated by the Romans once again, Hannibal was given the job of rebuilding a section of Carthage that had been destroyed in the war and so he began organizing workers to accomplish the task. The Senate took advantage and informed the Assembly of Centuries that Hannibal was raising another army so the Assembly of Centuries declared war on Carthage for a third time. Although Hannibal and his army were able to roam up and down the Italian peninsula defeating every army that the Romans sent against him, he was not prepared when Scipio Africanus the Elder was able to sneak a Roman army out of Rome and invade North Africa. When this happened, Hannibal returned home to defend Carthage and the two armies met at the battle of Zama where the Romans won an easy victory.

How was the Roman Republic like an oligarchy and like a democracy?

The Roman Republic had characteristics of both an oligarchy and a democracy. A democracy is any government where the power rests with the people. In Rome, all of the parts of the republic were elected by the people. The Senate was elected by a vote of the heads of the patrician families. The Assembly of Centuries was elected by a vote of the officers in the Roman army. The Assembly of Tribes was elected by a vote of the plebeians. Since the people selected all the members of each part of the Roman legislative branch, it was a democracy. An oligarchy is a government ruled by a privileged class. That privileged in the Roman Republic was the patricians. The patricians had dominant power over the much larger plebeian class. Patricians elected the Senate which held most of the Republic's power by controlling taxes and tax money. Only patricians could be senators. Only patricians could be consuls, praetors, censors, and since only patricians were officers in the army, members of the Assembly of Centuries. Because this represented most of the governmental power, Rome was an oligarchy.

Why did the Romans persecute the Christians?

The Roman gov't was tolerate of other religions as long as the people would also worship the Roman gods and emperor, but when the Christians refuse to worship the Roman gods, they became outlaws. The persecution of the Christians including mass executions and crucifixions began with the emperor Decius. Hundreds of thousands of Christians became martyrs which are people who die for their beliefs.

What was the Roman Confederation?

The Romans named the alliance that they have with the northern part of the Italian peninsula the Roman Confederation, which is their version of the Imperial System. Members of the confederation would take an oath of loyalty to Rome, and provide Rome with tax money and soldiers. The city-states would then be allowed to have representatives in the Roman gov't and to keep self-rule.

Prove that the Romans were influenced by the Greeks. The Etruscans?

The Romans were influenced by both the Greeks and the Etruscans. From the Greeks, the Romans learned how to grow olives and grapes, an alphabet, and were entertained by Greek plays. The Romans also adapted their republic from the Greek idea of democracy. The Romans took a polytheistic religion from the Greeks and adapted it to their culture by changing the names of most of the gods. Because patrician boys were generally taught by Greek tutors, they were influenced by Greek culture. From the Etruscans, the Romans got the idea for their oligarchy, their patrician class from the Tarquins, and their family religion was based on Etruscan gods. Because of these reasons, it is clear that the Romans were influenced by both the Greeks and the Etruscans.

Compare and contrast the ancient Egyptians with the Romans

The ancient Egyptians and the Romans were very different and very similar in many different ways. Both civilizations were very successful and they affected the course of history. Their governments were different. The Egyptians had a monarchy with a pharaoh as their leader. Unlike the Egyptians, the Romans began with a republic and over history their republic declined and was replaced by an empire ruled by one leader. Both the Egyptians and the Romans had a polytheistic religion and they both built structures because of their religious beliefs. The Egyptians built pyramids for their pharaohs who they believed were gods that had afterlives so they could be buried with their possessions. The Romans built the Pantheon as a temple to all their gods. Both the Egyptians and Romans were successful because of their location. Since Egypt was surrounded by deserts mostly, it was very difficult to invade. Rome was also difficult to invade because it was located on a peninsula with oceans on three sides and mountains on the other. Both civilizations had an economy that consisted of trading with other civilizations.

Compare and contrast the ancient Egyptians with the Greeks

The ancient Egyptians and the ancient Greeks were very different and very similar in many different ways. Both civilizations were very intelligent and successful and affected the course of history. Their governments were very different. The ancient Egyptians had a monarchy with a pharaoh as the leader, and the Greek's government was a combination of an oligarchy and democracy. Both the Egyptians and the Greeks had a polytheistic religion, and they both built structures because of their religious beliefs. The Egyptians built pyramids for their pharaohs who they believed were gods that had afterlives so they could be buried with their possessions. The Greeks built the Parthenon as a temple for their goddess Athena. The Greeks and Egyptians were also different because the Egyptians always had surplus food and the Greeks never had enough. Because of this, the Greeks and Egyptians were great trading partners.

Compare and contrast the ancient Greeks with the Romans

The ancient Greeks and the Romans were very different and very similar in many different ways. The ancient Greeks and the Romans were very similar because the Romans assimilated much of their culture from the Greeks. The Romans adapted their republic from the Greek idea of democracy, and so their governments were very similar. Both the Greeks and the Romans had a polytheistic religion because the Romans took a polytheistic religion from the Greeks and adapted it to their culture by changing the names of most of the gods. The Greeks and the Romans also built structures because of their religious beliefs. The Romans built the Pantheon as a temple to all their gods, and the Greeks built the Parthenon as a temple to their goddess Athena. Because patrician boys were generally taught by Greek tutors, they were influenced by Greek culture and knew much of Greece's history. They did have some differences though. While the Greeks believed in the simplicity, beauty and balance of art, the Romans believed bigger was better. Because of this, the Romans also went on to build a much larger empire than the Greeks. Both civilizations had successful economies and were excellent traders.

How did geography affect the development of Egypt?

The development of Ancient Egypt was very much affected by its geography. The Egyptian civilization was limited to the Nile flood plain because the rest of the area was desert. The Nile supplied water for the people to drink and irrigate their crops. When the Nile flooded, it left behind an area of silt which provided fertile topsoil for farming. Without the Nile, there was no Egypt and therefore, geography affected the development of Egypt tremendously.

How did geography affect the development of Mesopotamia?

The development of Mesopotamia was tremendously affected by its geography. Mesopotamia was the land between and around the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Unlike Egypt, this area had no vast deserts nor seas to protect it from invasion and so many different people will conquer the area. Each group that comes to power in the region will add to the culture. Also, the floods of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers occur at random times, are violent, kill large numbers of people and do severe damage. But, these rivers do leave behind silt for topsoil and provide water for irrigation and drinking. Because of these reasons, geography severely affected the development of Mesopotamia.

What started the first Persian War? What started the second Persian War?

The first Persian War broke out when the Greek polis began sending aid to the Greek colonies in Asia Minor to help them in revolts against Darius who was the Persian leader. Darius believed he could crush the revolts and add Greece to the Persian empire at the same time so he invaded Greece. After the defeat of Darius in the First Persian War, Darius's son Xerxes wanted to get revenge for his father's defeat. He started the Second Persian War by invading Greece.

What dominated the history of the Roman Republic?

The history of the Roman Republic is going to be a constant struggle by the plebeians to gain more rights. Rome's citizens were divided into 2 social classes and political rights were given according to class. The wealthy landowners who have owned large estates for a long time are the upper class called patricians. Patricians are eligible to vote and eligible to hold most political offices. The great majority of the Roman people made up the other class which are called the plebeians. The plebeians could vote only for the offices they were eligible to hold which were few.

What conclusions can we draw from the assassinations of Tiberius Gracchus, Gaius Gracchus, and Julius Caesar?

There are certain conclusions that we can draw from the assassinations of Tiberius Gracchus, Gaius Gracchus, and Julius Caesar. The Gracchus brothers were patricians who tried to save the republic by pushing through reforms to help the plebeians after the effects of latifundia. Both Tiberius Gracchus and Gaius Gracchus were assassinated by assassins that the patricians hired. The patricians believed that the Gracchus brothers had committed treason against their own class when they were elected tribune and began setting reforms to help the plebeians. As consul for life, Julius Caesar greatly angered the patricians whenever he made helped the poor. His attempts to help the plebeians led to his assassination. Although he was assassinated when Cleopatra arrived in Rome with his son, the patricians had wanted Julius Caesar gone long before then. Because of these reasons, we can draw the conclusions that the patricians of Rome were not tolerant of leaders who tried to help the plebeians.

Why did Rome decline and fall?

There were many causes and events that led to the fall of Rome. The empire faced a lack of leadership because the transition from one emperor to the next became more difficult and lengthy. Wars against invaders and inflation forced the empire into deep debt. Romans lost interest in serving in the military so most of the army was made up of mercenaries. Also, a long decay of Roman morals and values had lessened Rome's desire to fight off invaders. Because of all these reasons, the Roman Empire slowly decayed and fell.

What was the Peloponnesian War? What were the results of the war?

When Pericles tries to force Corinth to join the Delian League, Sparta declares war on Athens. The Peloponnesian War is a civil war between Athens with its allies and Sparta with its allies. After Sparta won the war, it could not rule Greece and so civil war breaks out among all the polis.

Why did the Greeks start colonies?

When the Greek polis's population grew to be so large that it couldn't feed its people the polis would establish a colony. A colony is a settlement that is created and ruled by another land. People from the polis would move to the colony decreasing the population and they would grow enough grain to feed themselves and send some back to the polis.