World Civilization I

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


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


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


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)


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)

Spiritual

World Civilization I