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The Ancient Civilizations and
Government Structures
Standard 10.1 Students relate the moral and
ethical principles in ancient Greek and
Roman philosophy, in Judaism, and in
Christianity to the development of Western
political thought.
Influences on Western
Civilization
• Western governments are the
product of thousands of years of
trial and error. Many of our ideas
that we use to govern today were
taken from the Greeks and the
Romans.
• In this power point we are going to
look at various civilizations and
their practices that have shaped
our thinking and the way we live:
– The Mesopotamians
• Law
– The Hebrews
• Morals
– The Greeks
• Civil Duty and democracy
– The Romans
• Early Romans (polytheistic)
Finland is ranked the – Republic/senate and Law
most free, the U.S. is • The early Christians
–
ranked 15th, and
Values and Morality
Myanmar is ranked 150th
6/13/2012 Page 1 Introduction
Hammurabi the Law Giver
In 1792 B.C., Hammurabi
ruled in Babylon. He was
known for building temples,
and irrigation canals, but
mostly for his law code
called The Code of
Hammurabi.
This
picture 282 Laws
shows
Shamash, Strict Justice
the sun
god, giving “Eye for an Eye”
the laws to
Vicarious Punishments
Hammurabi.
Social Inequality
Page 2 Code of Hammurabi
Hammurabi’s Law Code REVIEW
• The code had 282 specific laws.
• The law dealt with contracts, inheritances,
leases, perjury, debts, theft, murder,
adultery, marriage, children, and property.
• Punishments were harsh, usually requiring
the criminal to lose a limb, or to lose his or
her life.
• Social Inequality in punishments.
• Slaves
– Born into slavery
– Sold into Slavery
– Captured (their country lost)
– Sold oneself or child into slavery to pay off
debts
Why did the Ancient To Keep track of
Sumerians write down their trade!
language (Cuneiform)?
The Hebrew Civilization
• Called the Hebrews, Jews or
the Israelites (today Israelis)– a
Semitic speaking people.
• Location – Israel (Palestine)
• Religion – Credited as the first
monotheistic religion
• Government and Law – based
on morality, equality, and
justice.
– Ten Commandments
The Religion of the Hebrews
• Monotheistic – They
believed in one god they called
Yahweh.
– Their religion is called Judaism.
– A stateless religion: God can
follow you!
– He punished his people, but was
also merciful.
– A personal relationship with God
called a covenant (promise).
– Prophets – religious teachers
• Predicted the future Their holy scripture is
• Thought the rich should share called the Torah – the first
with the poor. 5 books of the Christian
• Social Justice Bible.
Hebrew Law
• The Ten
Commandments:
– If you follow God’s laws, he
will bless you, if you don’t,
he will punish you.
– God does not have human
attributes.
– Social Justice – no social
distinction.
– God expects you to be
good and moral.
• Morals – a distinction
between what is right or
wrong.
Judeo-Christian Influence on the West
• Judaism Both • Christianity
– Covenant with
God Individual Worth – Brotherly love
– The Ten Morality – Charity
Commandments – Humility
– The Torah Monotheism
– The early church
Social Equality – becomes the
Catholic Church
– Doctrine derived
from the Old and
the New
Testament
Legacy of the Monotheistic
Religions:
Islam, Christianity, Judaism
• It is the duty of the
individual and the
community to combat
oppression.
• The individual has worth
regardless of his or her
social status.
• People are equal before
God.
• Sparta and
Athens
– Location
– The Polis
– Culture
– Government
– Law (Civic
Duties)
– Philosophy
– Contributions to
Western Political
Thought
Ancient Greek Theater
Geographical Location – Athens and Sparta are located in
modern day Greece on the Peloponnesus.
Xerxes from the
movie 300
The Polis (City-state)
• Characteristics:
– Where the people lived.
– Economically independent
– Protected by a deity
– Governed by a set of laws.
– Small (Athens had only
250,000 people)
– Different types of
governments.
• Sparta – Oligarchy
• Corinth – Tyranny
• Athens – Direct
Democracy
City –State of Athens Acropolis (Parthenon)
• Spartan Men
– Left their mothers at
the age of seven.
– Taught self-discipline
and military training.
– Entered the military at
age 20 and served
until age 60.
– Taught to die for their
country.
Check out the movie 300,
For more info see page 142 but only with your parent’s
of your textbook. permission!
Sparta’s
Government
Oligarchy – government ruled by a
few powerful people – usually
wealthy merchants, or in some
cases the military.
Two Kings- headed military • Aries and
campaigns. Artemis
are
Five Ephors (supervised associated
education). Elected! with
Sparta as
Council of Elders - 28 citizens patron
deities.
over the age of 60.
Corinth
• Government – Tyranny
– Rulers who seized power by force and
did not have to obey the same laws
their subjects did.
– They had the support of rich traders
and poor peasants.
– Hired soldiers to help them keep power
– Betrayed their people
• Self-interest and greed
The Culture of Athens
• Center of learning for the
Ancient Greek world –
“The School of Greece.”
• Men were educated,
women were not.
• Birth of philosophy.
• Home to many of the
great poets and writers
such as Sophocles.
• Athena was the patron
deity and her temple was
called the Parthenon.
Acropolis (City
of the Gods)
The Greek Tragedies
• Sophocles (496-406 B.C.)
– Wrote the Oedipus Cycle:
Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at
Colonus, and Antigone.
– Antigone was the daughter
of Oedipus and his mother
Jocasta.
– The book is about
Antigone’s attempt to give
her brother Polynices a
proper burial.
– Takes place in Thebes
• Direct Democracy – Citizens of
Athens participated directly in
the decision making process.
– Laws
– War or peace
– Elections
• Only males 18 or over that
were born in Athens and had
parents that were born in
Athens could be citizens and
therefore vote.
• Out of 250,000 only 6,000
actually participated in
government.
Choosing by Lot = one year
of service.
Different Democracies
• Athenian Democracy • U. S. Democracy
– Citizens: male at least 18 – Citizens: born in the U.S. or
years of age, with citizen completed citizenship
parents. process.
– Only people born in Athens – Representatives elected to
could be a citizen. propose and vote on laws
– Laws voted on and – Elected president
proposed directly by – Executive branch made up
assembly of all citizens. of elected and appointed
– Leader chosen by lot – officials
most served only I year. – Juries composed on 12
– Executive branch was a jurors
council of 500 men – Defendants and plaintiffs
– Juries varied in size have attorneys; long
– No attorneys; no appeals; appeals process.
one-day trials
Athens – History Makers
• Solon (638 - 594 B.C.) • Cleisthenes (508 B.C.)
– Gave order to Athens – Called the father of
during their crisis period. democracy.
– Released farmers from
– Balanced power between
slavery.
the rich and the poor.
– Cancelled land debts.
– Created the Council of Five
Hundred
• Legislation was debated
openly in the assembly.
• All male citizens voted on
it.
The Golden Age of Pericles
• 461-429 B.C.
• The Golden Age of Greece.
• People became very attached
to the idea of civic duty
(participating in your
community/government).
• The center of learning – art
flourished.
• The birth of philosophy.
– Death of Socrates
• War between Sparta and
Athens resulted in the downfall
of democracy!
The Greek Philosophers
• Philosophy – An
organized system of
thought!
– The use of logic and
reason to investigate
the nature of the
universe, human
society, and morality.
• Socrates
• Plato
• Aristotle
• Mr. Mudd
Socrates Socrates, who set the
foundations of
western philosophy
was executed for
corrupting the youth
of Athens.
He was forced to
drink poison.
He was considered a
gadfly, an annoying
thorn in the side of
the Athenian
government,
Socrates taught his students
constantly
through the Socratic Method-
questioning
the idea that all knowledge is
democracy and what
present in each person, it just
was moral and just.
takes questioning and critical
thinking to bring it out. He was your modern
*Question and answer method. day Michael Moore.
Guardians
Mrs. Thayer is
Plato
always right
• . Everyone Else
Warriors
• Wrote Republic
• Plato did not trust democracy!
– He believed that most people
were too immoral and stupid
to make rational decisions.
– Ideal government =
Philosopher King
– Three classes of people
• The Guardians (Educated)
• The Warriors (Protectors)
• Everyone else – motivated
only by their own selfish
desires.
Aristotle’s Politics
• Distrusted Democracy – • “…intelligence, above all else,
because it only had at heart is man.”
the interests of the needy.
• He said that an Aristocracy • “Man is by nature a political
only had the interests of the animal: it is his nature to live in
wealthy. a state.”
• He said that a kingship or – An excerpt from The Politics
Monarchy only had the
interests of the ruler.
• A Constitutional
Government was the
best form.
The Philosophers- Review
• Socrates Plato Aristotle
Encouraged his Did not trust Used reason to answer
students to examine democracies. life’s mysteries.
their most closely He thought
held beliefs. Said man is a political
that society
animal and has the ability
Used the question should be
to reason.
and answer governed by a
approach known as philosopher Distrusted democracy said
the Socratic king. it had the tendency to only
Method cover the needs of the
Three classes:
poor.
Distrusted 1. The Guardians.
Democracy – Just A middle class is vital!
2. The Warriors.
because the Thought a constitutional
majority says it’s 3. Everyone else
government was the best
right, does that form of government.
mean that it is?
Rome (509 B.C. to 476 B.C.E)
• Rome as a republic
– Government
– Society
– Law
• Rome as an empire
– Administration
– Achievements
• Christianity
• Roman influences on
Western Political
Thought.
• Christian influences
on the West.
Julius Caesar
Type of Government
• Government: A republic is a form of
government in which the leader is not a
king, citizens can elect representatives,
and certain citizens have the right to
vote.
– Two Consuls ran the government
and led the Roman army. They
were elected every year.
– The praetor was in charge of civil
law.
– The Senate was a group of 300
landowners who served for life.
• Centuriate assembly – elected
officials, was made up of the
wealthy.
• Council of the Plebs – for
commoners only.
Julius Caesar
Roman Society – Two Groups
• Patricians: • Plebeians: Council of
Centuriate Assembly the Plebs - farmers,
artisans and merchants.
• Landowning aristocrats.
Roman Law – The Twelve Tables
• An important victory for
the Plebeians was the
written law code called
the Twelve Tables.
– The laws were written
down for everyone to see.
– The Plebeians were given
more power and were
allowed to hold public office
– Everyone had to obey the
laws, and citizens had
rights that the government
had to protect.
These tablets were publicly
displayed for people to read.
Contributions of Roman Law
• Even though the Roman
Empire came to an end,
elements of their criminal
and civil law still exist in
our government today!
– Everyone is innocent until
proven guilty.
– The right to try your case
before a judge.
– The right to representation if
you can’t properly represent
yourself.
– The jury system.
The Influence of the Roman Empire
1. THE LATIN LANGUAGES: ITALIAN, FRENCH, AND
SPANISH.
2. SENATE/Republic
3. The Court system/law
4. Equal treatment for citizens
5. The burden of proof rested with the accuser rather than the accused.
6. A law that is unreasonable or grossly unfair could be set aside.
7. ELECTED OFFICIALS SERVING TERMS OF OFFICE.
8. RHETORIC (THE ART OF PERSUASIVE SPEAKING)-
POLITICIANS AND LAWYERS.
9. Architecture and engineering
Rome and Christianity
• During the early years of the
Roman Empire a prophet named
Jesus spread a new message to
the Jews that spread rapidly
throughout the West (following
Roman trade routes).
– Love one another
– Be Humble
– Be charitable
They always ask you how
Christianity spread
throughout Europe!
The Appeal of Christianity
• Offered eternal life and
happiness.
• Close, personal
relationship with God.
• Contained elements from
other popular religions.
– Cult of Mithra
• Individual worth.
• The feeling of belonging
to a community.
• Equality – Christianity
appealed greatly to the
poor classes.
Christianity and the Roman Empire
• Since Jesus preached
that man should only
follow man’s laws if
they don’t interfere
with God’s laws, the
early Christians were
persecuted.
– Nero
• Punished them by
torture or death.
Christianity
Spreads
• In 313 C.E the
emperor
Constantine
issued the Edict
of Milan allowing
for religious
tolerance of
Christians.
• By 395 C.E.,
Christianity
became the
official religion of
the Roman
Empire under
Theodosius. Picture of Constantine’s vision of the
Cross that led him to convert to
Christianity.
CONTRIBUTIONS
• Greco-Roman (pre- • Judeo-Christian values
Christian) values – Be good people
– Obligations to the – One God (monotheism)
state
Both – Covenant with God
– Emphasis on
wealth, status and – Brotherly love
material gain – Humility
– Pantheon of Gods
Individual – Charity
that were worth! – Emphasis on the afterlife
associated with a – Equality
particular area
– Emphasis on religious
– Concerned with life scripture
on earth
– You must obey man’s laws
– Philosophy/ and God’s laws – if man’s
individualistic laws contradict God’s laws,
thinking don’t obey them.
– Your allegiance is – Social Equality before God
to the state.
– Equality under the
law
Justinian Code
• 528 C.E.
• 5,000 Roman
Laws
• Became a guide
on legal matters
for Western
Europe.
• Rulers were held
accountable under
the law just like
common people.
The Crusades
• After the fall of Rome,
many of the Greek
and Latin texts were
destroyed. Some
were hidden by
monks, others hid
them in secret
personal collections,
and many were stored
in libraries and in
Jerusalem to be
discovered by the
Crusaders.
The Roman Catholic Church
• The Roman Catholic
Church controlled most of
everyday life, and most
European governments.
– Banned certain books
– Did not encourage learning
beyond the sacred texts
– Controlled Kings
– Only people who could
read Latin could read the
Bible.
The The Vatican In
Pope Rome (Italy)
The Renaissance weakened the power of the church by changing the emphasis on the afterlife to life here on
Earth.
The Renaissance
• As more and more of
the Greek and Latin
texts were discovered
and copied (due to
the invention of the
printing press) people
began to read Greek
philosophy, Roman
Law, and science
flourished, along with Lorenzo De
art and literature. Medici
All that was lost during the dark ages came back during the Renaissance and changed the way people
thought about life here on earth, learning, and man’s ability to be rational and rule govern himself.
Michelangelo
The Birth of Venus
Botticelli
The Reformation
• The Reformation of
the 1500s further
weakened the church.
– 95 thesis
– Vernacular (common
Language)
– Public Education (for
boys and girls)
Protestant faiths stem from the
Protestant Reformation! They
PROTESTED the abuses of the
Catholic Church. Martin Luther
Forms of Government
• Monarchy – King or Queen rules
• Aristocracy – a small group of people who own a lot of land rule
the country.
• Oligarchy – small, powerful elite (usually from the business
class- merchants) rules the country. SPARTA
• Democracy – government gets its power from the people
(popular sovereignty) U.S.
• Direct Democracy (in Athens) – the citizens took part in the
day to day affairs of government (everybody was involved daily).
• Republic – government in which officials (representatives) are
chosen by the people to rule the government. ROME
• Tyranny – a person seizes power, usually with the support of the
poor, and then rules as he/she wants without laws betraying
his/her people. CORINTH
Timeline Assignment
• In groups of two, create a horizontal
timeline using your lecture notes and
your textbook. Include the date, a
brief description, and a picture for
each:
– Mesopotamia and Hammurabi’s Law
Code
– The Hebrews – Moses and the Ten
Commandments, King David, King
Date Event and Picture
–
Solomon, and the Great Diaspora
The Greeks
description
• Sparta
• Greeks
• Peloponnesian War
– The Romans
– Christianity
– Justinian’s Law Code
– The Crusades
– The Renaissance
– The Reformation
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