Chapter 10 Study Guide

Western Europe: Its Land and Early History

Part 1

In Part 2, you will take notes from your book using the standard outline form, which I have started for you by putting in headings and subheadings. Be sure to use the following bold vocabulary terms in your descriptions: city-state, polis, Aegean Sea, oligarchy, Athens, philosopher, Aristotle, Alexander the Great.

II. Ancient Greece

1. The Land and Early History of Greece – Land was rocky and tough to cultivate but they were able to grow olives and grapes. Surrounded by water – great for trade.

a. The formation of the City-State – Grew as the ancient population of Greece grew. City-state included a polis – central city – and surrounding villages. Had its own laws, government, languages religion and ways of life.

b. The Growth of Colonies – By mid-eighth century, Greeks were leaving the peninsula to search for better land. They built dozens of communities on the coastline of the Aegean Sea. Once established, they traded with each other.

c. Individual Forms of Government –

  • Oligarchy – Some Greek city-states were governed by a few powerful, wealthy individuals.
  • Others were ruled by tyrants, individuals who took control of the government against the wishes of the community.
  • Democracy – Rule of the people. Other city-states formed an early form of democracy where citizens take part in the government.

2. Athens and Sparta

  • Athens – Centrally located on the Greek peninsula, it was one of the largest and most important city-states. It was a democracy, where citizens took part in debates and voted on laws. Women, slaves, and foreigners could not take part in government.
  • Sparta – Athens’s chief rival, Sparta was an oligarchy. Located in the south, it was ruled by two kings and had a powerful army.

3. Learning and the Arts

a. Literature – Ancient Greeks created myths and wrote poems and plays.

  • Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides – playwrights who wrote tragedies.
  • Aristophanes – popular playwright who wrote comedies. Poked fun at important citizens.

b. Philosophy – Ancient Greece was the birthplace of some of the finest thinkers in the ancient world.

  • Socrates – Studied and taught about friendship, knowledge, and justice.
  • Plato – studied and taught about human behavior, government, mathematics and astronomy.
  • Aristotle – Taught and wrote about poetry, government, and astronomy.

c. The Spread of Greek Culture – The city-states were constantly at war. By the fourth century, BC, the fighting left them weak and King Philip II conquered ancient Greece. His son, Alexander took control after he died.

  • Alexander the Great – Excellent military leader. As his empire expanded, so did Greek language, culture, and ideas. After he died, his generals divided his territory, which marked the end of one of the greatest empires of the ancient world.

In Part 3, you will continue to use outline form to take notes on your next chapter, but you will also put the subheadings in. Be sure to use and define bold vocabulary words: Julius Caesar, Empire, Augustus, Constantine.

III. ANCIENT ROME

  1. The Beginnings of Ancient Rome –Began as a group of villages located along the banks of[ the Tiber River in Italy. Early settlers grew wheat, olives and grapes, and herded sheep.
  1. The formation of the Roman Republic– A republic is a nation in which power belongs to the citizens, who govern themselves through elected representatives.
  2. The Senate – An assembly of elected representatives. Single most powerful ruling body of Roman Republic.
  3. Patricians – A member of the wealthy, landowning family. Only citizens allowed to be judges.
  4. Plebeians – Ordinary, working citizens in ancient Rome, such as farmer or craftsman.
  1. The Expansion of the Roman World – By the third century, B.C., Rome ruled most of the Italian Peninsula and controlled the Mediterranean.
  2. From Republic to Empire – As the Roman Republic grew, its citizens became more diverse. In the middle of the first century B.C., Rome’s government changed.
  3. The end of the Roman Republic – Julius Caesar, a successful Roman general and famous speaker, eventually became a dictator, as he conquered more and more territories.
  4. The beginning of the Roman Empire
  5. His rule was cut short. He was assassinated on March 15, 44 B.C., by a group of senators who thought he was becoming too powerful.
  6. Caesar’s son, Octavian, was named the first emperor of Rome, which marks the official beginning of the Roman Empire.
  7. An empire is a nation or a group of territories ruled by a single powerful leader.
  8. As emperor, Octavian took the name Augustus
  9. The Augustan Age
  10. Rome continued to expand.
  11. Architects and engineers built many buildings.
  12. Great literature was also created. Virgil wrote the Aeneid, a long poem telling the story of Rome’s history.
  13. Period of peace called “PaxRomana.”
  14. The Rise of Christianity – Around A.D. 14, Christianity began to take hold. At first it was only popular in the east, but spread. Christians suffered persecution, and were punished and killed for their beliefs.
  15. The First Christian Emperor – In 306 A.D., Constantine became emperor and converted to Christianity. Christianity became the official religion of the empire.

In Part 4, be sure to define vocabulary words Charlemagne, Feudalism, Manorialism, guilds and Magna Carta

IV. The Middle Ages: A time of Change

  1. Western Europe in CollapseThe Roman Empire collapsed in the fifth century and more and more people fled to the country side to escape invaders. Towns and cities shrank or were abandoned. Travel became unsafe.
  1. The Beginning of the Medieval Era – Also called the middle ages. During this time, many of the inventions of the ancient world were lost. Europeans turned to military and the church.

2. Charlemagne and the Christian Church – Also known as “Charles the Great,” he worked to bring political order to the north western fringes of the empire in the late 700s, A.D.

a. A New Roman Emperor – Pope joined forces with Charlemagne and crowned him the Holy Roman Emperor. Helped strengthen education and government.

3. The Role of the Church– Communities were centered around church in medieval times

a.Monks and Nuns – Monks devoted their time to praying, studying, and copying and decorating holy books by hand. They lived in monasteries. Nuns were women who prayed, sewed, taught young girls, and cared for the poor.

4.Two Medieval Systems– All land was owned by powerful nobles. They developed a system known as feudalism.

a.The Feudal System – political ties in which nobles, such as kings gave out land to less powerful nobles, such as knights. In return, the noble, called a vassal, made a vow to serve the lord. The parcel of land he was given was called a fief.

b.Manorialism – On the manor, peasants lived and farmed but they did not own the land. In exchange for their lord’s protection, they contributed their labor and food. They were known as serfs and had few rights.