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Greece, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire

Purpose of Course  showclose

This course will focus on the rise and decline of the Greek and Roman civilizations between the first millennium BCE and the first millennium CE.  We will focus on the political, economic, and social factors that shaped the development and maturation of these two Mediterranean civilizations during the period of classical antiquity and examine how they influenced the social and cultural development of later generations of Europeans.  The course will be structured chronologically.  However, please note that we will place greater emphasis on the Greek period, because Greek culture would be the most important influence on the Roman civilization and the Western World more generally.  Each unit will include representative primary-source documents that illustrate important overarching themes, such as the rise and expansion of Greek civilization, the contrast between democratic and autocratic forms of government in Greek city-states, the development of the Roman Republic, the gradual shift from republican to imperial government in Rome, the expansion and gradual decline of the Roman Empire, and the continuity of Greek and Roman political and cultural influences in Europe.  By the end of the course, you will understand how these ancient Mediterranean civilizations developed and recognize their lasting influences on European culture.

Course Information  showclose

Welcome to HIST301: Greece, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire.  Below, please find some general information on the course and its requirements.
 
Primary Resources: This course is comprised of a range of different free, online materials.  However, the course makes primary use of the following materials:
Requirements for Completion: In order to complete this course, you will need to work through each unit and all of its assigned materials.  Pay special attention to Unit 1 to learn about the background of Greek civilization; this unit lays the groundwork for understanding the exploratory material presented in latter units.  You will also need to complete:
  • The Final Exam
Note that you will only receive an official grade on your Final Exam.  However, in order to adequately prepare for this exam, you will need to work through all resources in the course.
 
In order to “pass” this course, you will need to earn a 70% or higher on the Final Exam.  Your score on the exam will be tabulated as soon as you complete it.  If you do not pass the exam, you may take it again.
 
Time Commitment: This course should take you a total of 132.75 hours to complete.  Each unit includes a “time advisory” that lists the amount of time you are expected to spend on each subunit.  These should help you plan your time accordingly.  It may be useful to take a look at these time advisories and to determine how much time you have over the next few weeks to complete each unit, and then to set goals for yourself.  For example, Unit 1 should take you hours to complete.  Perhaps you can sit down with your calendar and decide to complete the introduction to subunit 1.1 and sub-subunit 1.1.1 (a total of 3.5 hours) on Monday night; sub-subunit 1.1.2 (a total of 3 hours) on Tuesday night; subunit 1.2 (a total of 3.25 hours) on Wednesday night; etc.
 
Tips/Suggestions: Make sure to review the learning outcomes for the course and those set out for each unit.  Keep these in mind as you work through and take notes on each of the resources in the course.  These notes will be a useful review as you study for your Final Exam. 

Learning Outcomes  showclose

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  • Think critically about the development, maturation, and decline of Greek and Roman cultures during the first millennium BCE and the first millennium CE.
  • Identify the cultural origins of Greek civilization in the Mediterranean basin.
  • Compare and contrast the political and social organization of Greek city-states. 
  • Evaluate the impact of the Persian War and the Peloponnesian Wars on the city-states of Greece.
  • Assess the political, social, and cultural legacies of Alexander the Great’s military conquests in the Mediterranean basin and Southwest Asia.
  • Identify the origins of the Roman Republic and evaluate the impact of political and economic expansion on Roman society.
  • Assess the political, social, and economic factors that led to the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.
  • Compare and contrast the accomplishments of Roman emperors during the first three centuries CE.
  • Identify factors that destabilized the Roman Empire during the third century CE.
  • Assess how Roman leaders responded to destabilizing forces and restructured the Roman Empire in the fourth and fifth centuries CE.
  • Evaluate the political, social, and cultural legacies of the Greek and Roman civilizations for the nations and peoples of Europe.
  • Analyze and interpret primary source documents from the period of classical antiquity using historical research methods.

Course Requirements  showclose

In order to take this course, you must:

√    Have access to a computer.

√    Have continuous broadband Internet access.

√    Have the ability/permission to install plug-ins or software (e.g. Adobe Reader or Flash)

√    Have the ability to download and save files and documents to a computer.

√    Have the ability to open Microsoft files and documents (.doc, .ppt, .xls, etc.).

 √    Have competency in the English language.

√    Have read the Saylor Student Handbook.

Unit Outline show close


Expand All Resources Collapse All Resources
  • Unit 1: Bronze Age Civilization in Greece  

    Sedentary, agricultural societies emerged in mainland Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean basin during the Bronze Age (approximately 3000 BCE).  The cultures of the region developed written languages and distinct styles of artistic expression.  Extensive trade networks linked the peoples of the region.  On the island of Crete, the Minoan civilization built monumental palaces and exerted considerable political and economic influence over the region.  Around 1600 BCE, Minoan civilization collapsed due to an invasion by mainland Greek peoples collectively known as the Mycenaeans.  The Mycenaeans incorporated Minoan culture and technology into their society and flourished for nearly 500 years.  Around 1100 BCE, Mycenaean civilization collapsed, possibly due to foreign invasion, and the peoples of mainland Greece entered a 300-year period that historians and archaeologists refer to as the “Dark Age.”  In this unit,  you will examine the development of proto-Greek civilizations in mainland Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean basin during the Bronze Age.  You will also look at Bronze Age art and architecture from the region and discuss how archaeologists and historians have used this art and architecture to learn more about the peoples of Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean.

    Unit 1 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 1 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 1.1 Introduction to Bronze Age Greece (3300-1100 BCE)  
  • 1.1.1 Early Bronze Age Greece  
    • Reading: Foundation of the Hellenic World’s “The Bronze Age on the Greek Mainland:” “Early Bronze Age: Habitation”

      Link: Foundation of the Hellenic World’s “The Bronze Age on the Greek Mainland:” “Early Bronze Age: Habitation” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: As indicated in the previous reading, Bronze Age or ‘Helladic’ civilization on the Greek mainland is divided into Early, Middle, and Late periods.  The ‘Early’ period (3000-2000 BCE) will be explored in this sub-subunit.  In 1.1.2, we will turn to the Middle period (2000-1600 BCE).  The Late period (1600-1100 BCE), also known as ‘Mycenaean’ Greece, will be studied in subunit 1.3.  Please take notes as you work through these resources and record the major changes in social structure and culture from one period to the next as well as the explanations proposed by researchers to account for these differences.   
       
      We begin with Early Bronze Age habitations.  Please click on the link above, read the first webpage, and then proceed to the links for “Settlements,” “Fortifications,” “Architecture,” and “Urbanization.”  The texts and images contained in this resource will provide you with further details on the geographical dispersion of Early Bronze Age settlements on the Greek mainland, the material culture and living conditions of the people involved.  This reading should take you approximately 45 minutes to complete.
       
      Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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  • 1.1.1.1 Early Bronze Age Society and Customs  
  • 1.1.1.2 The Early Bronze Age Economy  
  • 1.1.1.3 Early Bronze Age Material Culture  
  • 1.1.2 Middle Bronze Age Greek Settlements  
  • 1.1.2.1 Middle Bronze Age Society and Customs  
    • Reading: Foundation of the Hellenic World’s “The Bronze Age on the Greek Mainland:” “Middle Bronze Age: Society”

      Link: Foundation of the Hellenic World’s “The Bronze Age on the Greek Mainland:” “Middle Bronze Age: Society” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the entire webpage, which tells us more about the ways of life and social structure of Middle Bronze Age Greece.  Then, please proceed to the links at the top of the page marked “Coming of the Indo-Europeans,” “Demography,” “Religion,” and “Burial Customs.”  As you will find, researchers believe that the social structure, fortifications, and religious sensibilities of the people involved differed markedly from those of the Late Helladic or Mycenaean period—differences which have led to debates within the scholarly community over the factors responsible for these changes.  What are some of the interpretations discussed in these readings?  This reading should take you approximately 45 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 1.1.2.2 The Middle Bronze Age Economy  
  • 1.1.2.3 Middle Bronze Age Arts and Material Culture  
  • 1.2 Minoan Civilization (2700-1400 BCE)  
  • 1.2.1 Technologically and Culturally Advanced  
    • Reading: Dartmouth College: Professor Jeremy B. Rutter’s “Lesson 5: The Early Minoan Period: The Settlements” and “Lesson 12: Minoan Architecture: The Palaces”

      Link: Dartmouth College: Professor Jeremy B. Rutter’s “Lesson 5: The Early Minoan Period: The Settlements” (HTML) and “Lesson 12: Minoan Architecture: the Palaces” (HTML)
       
      Instructions:  To access these readings, please use the link for ‘Lessons’ on the right hand side of the webpage.  Turning first to Lesson 5, read the ‘Narrative’ section, and then view the collection of photographs included in the ‘Images.’  Please return to the main Lessons page and follow the same instruction for Lesson 12.  As you will find, these texts discuss how the Minoans became the most advanced Bronze Age culture of the Aegean Sea as well as aspects of their civilization that remain the subject of ongoing research.  Specifically, Lesson 5 details the problems faced by archeologists when attempting to provide reliable dates for Minoan history and how they have tried to resolve them.  Lesson 12 provides an in-depth description of one of the most famous symbols and accomplishments of Minoan civilization:  the great palace of Knossos in Central Crete.  These readings also cover sub-subunits 1.2.2–1.2.5.  This reading should take you approximately 1 hour to complete. 
       
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  • 1.2.2 Palace Culture  

    Note: This subunit is covered by the reading assigned beneath sub-subunit 1.2.1.  Focus specifically on the sections titled “architecture” in the first reading and the totality of the second reading.

  • 1.2.3 Trade and Cultural Expansion  

    Note: This subunit is covered by the reading assigned beneath sub-subunit 1.2.1.  Focus specifically on the sections titled “External Relations.”

  • 1.2.4 Material Culture  

    Note: This subunit is covered by the reading assigned beneath sub-subunit 1.2.1.  Focus specifically on the sections regarding pottery and metalwork.

  • 1.2.5 Minoan Art  
    • Reading: The Saylor Foundation’s “Minoan Art”

      Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Minoan Art” (PDF)
       
      Instructions: Please read this article about Minoan art. As you will find, the palaces and other architectural accomplishments of Minoan civilization were also the site of great wall paintings or frescoes from which archaeologists have learned much about Minoan society, culture, and religious practices-a subject that is treated more fully in the next subunit. Some aspects of Minoan art indicate the influence of neighboring cultures, an outcome that may not come as a great surprise given the trading relationships that the Minoans developed with the surrounding world.

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  • 1.2.6 Minoan Religion  
    • Reading: Dartmouth College: Prof. Jeremy B. Rutter’s “Lesson 15: Minoan Religion”

       Link: Dartmouth College: Prof. Jeremy B. Rutter’s “Lesson 15: Minoan Religion” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this entire text, which describes how historians and archaeologists have attempted to interpret the figures and rituals displayed in Minoan art and crafts.  As you will find, researchers remain divided over the “exact beliefs” which the images contained in these artifacts may be said to convey.  This reading should take you approximately 30 minutes to complete.  
       
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  • 1.2.7 Collapse of Minoan Culture  
    • Reading: Dartmouth University: Aegean Prehistoric Archaeology: “The Explosion of the Theran Volcano”

      Link: Dartmouth University: Aegean Prehistoric Archaeology: “The Explosion of the Theran Volcano” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link to Part 4 (“The Explosion of the Theran Volcano”).  Read the text from “The Explosion of the Theran Volcano” up until “Mainland Greece.”  These resources will provide you with an introduction to some of the most popular theories concerning the cause of the decline and fall of Minoan civilization.  (Please note that the author often uses the letters ‘LM’ or ‘Late Minoan’ to refer to certain time periods)  As you will find, the decline of Minoan civilization is often linked to the Mycenaeans, a people from mainland Greece whose history is discussed in the following sections.  This reading should take you approximately 45 minutes to complete.     
       
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  • 1.3 Mycenaean Civilization (1600-1100 BCE)  
  • 1.3.1 Mycenaean Settlement Patterns and Centers of Power  
    • Reading: Foundation of the Hellenic World’s “Mycenaean Greece:” “Habitation”

      Link: Foundation of the Hellenic World’s “Mycenaean Greece:” “Habitation” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: In this section of the course, you will return to the collection of resources used previously to explore Early and Middle Bronze Age civilization on the Greek mainland.  Please click on the link above, and read the main webpage in its entirety for an introduction to the types of settlements found in Mycenaean Greece and their comparison with those of earlier mainland cultures and Crete.  Then, proceed to the links at the top of the page marked “Mycenaean Geography,” “Toponyms,” “Citadels,” “Palaces,” and “Domestic Architecture.”  This reading will take you approximately 45 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 1.3.2 Social and Political Organization  
    • Reading: Foundation of the Hellenic World’s “Mycenaean Greece:” “Society”

      Link: Foundation of the Hellenic World’s “Mycenaean   Greece:” “Society” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, read the entire main webpage, and then proceed to the links marked “Hierarchy,” “Political Organization,” “Burial Customs,” “Dress and Beauty Care,” “Sports and Music.”  As you will find, these readings portray the Greek mainland as politically-divided by a collection of small kingdoms.  Unlike the communities described in the preceding Middle Bronze period, the Mycenaean kingdoms displayed a high degree of internal social and political stratification.  This reading will take you approximately 45 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 1.3.3 The Mycenaean Economy  
  • 1.3.4 Mycenaean Religious Culture  
  • 1.3.5 Arts and Material Culture  
  • 1.3.6 Achievements and Legacies  
  • 1.4 The “Dark Age” in Greece (1100-800 BCE)  
    • Lecture: YouTube: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “The Dark Ages” and “The Dark Ages (cont.)”

      Links: YouTube: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “The Dark Ages” (YouTube) and “The Dark Ages (cont.)” (YouTube)
       
      “The Dark Ages” also available in:
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      “The Dark Ages (cont.)”
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      Instructions:   Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lectures (download via links above using iTunes, an mp3-compatible player, and/or QuickTime 7.2; the lectures are 1:08 and 1:12 hours respectively).  In the first lecture, Professor Kagan explores the earliest history of Greek civilization.  Pay special attention to Professor Kagan’s analysis of the Bronze Age society and his descriptions of Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece.  In the second lecture, Professor Kagan addresses what scholars label “the Homeric question:” which society does Homer's poetry describe?  These lectures will take approximately 2.5 hours to complete.
       
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    • Reading: The Saylor Foundation’s “The Greek Dark Ages”

      Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “The Greek Dark Ages” (PDF)
       
      Instructions: Please read this article about the Greek Dark Ages, when the Greek world entered a time of decline during which important trade links were broken and towns and villages were left abandoned.  Community life appears to have declined to the level of small-scale or kinship-based societies. The archaeological evidence for the period is sparse and shows no significant works of construction.  This long period of stagnation finally gave way to an eighth century “Renaissance,” or a time of recovery during which settlements (which would eventually become thriving cities) were established across the Aegean Sea.

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  • 1.5 Homer and the Pre-Socratic Philosophers  
    • Reading: The Internet Classics Archive: Daniel C. Stevenson’s version of Homer’s The Odyssey: “Book 5: Sweet Nymph and Open Sea”

      Link: The Internet Classics Archive: Daniel C. Stevenson’s version of Homer’s The Odyssey: “Book 5: Sweet Nymph and Open Sea” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: In the preceding text (subunit 1.4), Dr. Pomeroy described the works of Homer.  These epic poems told the tale of the Trojan War (The Iliad) and the difficulties suffered by a hero from that struggle when attempting to return home (The Odyssey).  In the course of narrating these events, Homer also provided a view of Bronze Age mythology, social and political customs, moral codes, gender roles, etc. of inestimable value.  Please click on the link above, and read the entire text, which represents Book 5 of Homer’s The Odyssey.  As you do so, give some thought to how the situations and characters portrayed in the story illustrate some of the conventions of ancient Greek society described by Dr. Pomeroy.  This reading will take you approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete.
       
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    • Lecture: King's College London’s History of Philosophy: Professor Peter Adamson’s “Created in Our Image: Xenophanes against Greek Religion”

      Link: King's College London’s History of Philosophy: Professor Peter Adamson’s “Created in Our Image: Xenophanes against Greek Religion” (Adobe Flash/mp3)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and listen to this entire lecture in which Professor Peter Adamson provides us with some valuable insights on the interests of “Pre-Socratic” philosophers and their attitudes toward the works of Homer.  The main subject of Professor Adamson’s lecture is the philosopher Xenophanes.  Although the importance of Homer to Greek culture was immense (Professor Adamson calls the poet an essential part of the “shared culture which binds together Greek civilization”), critics could be found, such as Xenophanes, who rejected the “all too human” depiction of the gods displayed in his works.  As Professor Adamson suggests, the questions raised by philosophers such as Xenophanes also provide an important preview of the ideas which interested later generations of Greek thinkers.  This lecture should take you approximately 30 minutes to complete.     
       
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  • Unit 2: The Greek City-States  

    Around 800 BCE, the peoples of mainland Greece emerged from the “Dark Age.”  Local tribes began rebuilding towns and cities and organizing small kingdoms based around these communities.  Later, tyrants (popular leaders of non-royal lineage) overthrew many of the local kings and established autonomous city-states with various forms of popular and non-popular government.  By the fifth century BCE, powerful city-states such as Athens and Sparta had emerged in mainland Greece.  These two city-states played an important role in defending Greece from invasions by Persian military forces in 490 and 480 BCE.  Following the Persian Wars, Athens emerged as a significant imperial power and threatened the balance of power in mainland Greece through its control of the Delian League.  Sparta organized an opposing coalition of allied city-states known as the Peloponnesian League.  Late in the fifth century BCE, these two coalitions clashed in what became known as the Peloponnesian Wars.   Spartan forces eventually defeated Athens and controlled much of mainland Greece, but the wars devastated the Greek city-states and left them vulnerable to outside forces. 

    In this unit,  you will examine the political, economic, and social development of city-states in mainland Greece following the Greek “Dark Age” and look at how these city-states established Greek political and cultural influence over much of the Eastern Mediterranean basin in the sixth and fifth centuries BCE.   You will also investigate the origins of the Peloponnesian War and consider how this conflict affected the city-state of Athens in particular.

    Unit 2 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 2 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 2.1 Archaic Greek Culture (800-400 BCE)  
  • 2.1.1 Phoenician Contacts and Cultural Influences  
    • Reading: University of North Carolina, Greensboro: “Greek Alphabet”

      Link: University of North Carolina, Greensboro: “Greek Alphabet” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read all of this text, which provides an overview of the development of the Greek alphabet.  Originally adopted from the Phoenicians—an ancient people from the region known today as Lebanon—the Greek alphabet later became the basis for the Latin.  The development of these alphabets as well as the language groups to which each belongs is depicted in the lower section of the text.  This reading should take you approximately 15 minutes to complete.
       
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    • Web Media: University of Oregon’s “Mapping History: Colonies and Emporia”

      Link: University of Oregon’s “Mapping History: Colonies and Emporia” (Adobe Flash)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and then press “play” to view the interactive map.  Read the text that accompanies the timeline.  Instead of pressing “play,” you may view the text at a slower pace by clicking on the arrow keys by the timeline.  This resource provides an excellent overview of the development of Greek and Phoenician trade and colonization throughout the Mediterranean.  The information presented here also helps to indicate the interactions between the various peoples of the region, one important outcome of which was the circulation of the alphabets described above.  This reading should take you approximately 30 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 2.1.2 Rise of City-States  
    • Lecture: YouTube: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “The Rise of the Polis” and “The Rise of the Polis (cont.)”

      Link: YouTube: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “The Rise of the Polis” (YouTube) and “The Rise of the Polis (cont.)” (YouTube)
       
      “The Rise of the Polis”
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      “The Rise of the Polis (cont.)”
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      Instructions: Please listen to or watch these two lectures (view via YouTube or download via links above using iTunes, an mp3-compatible player, and/or QuickTime 7.2).  These lectures are approximately 1:08 and 1:15 hours, respectively.  In the first lecture, Professor Kagan describes the Greek heroic code of ethics.  He demonstrates that, in the Greek community, honor was extremely important and even worth dying for, as the case of Achilles makes clear.  In the second lecture, Professor Kagan tells the story of the emergence of the polis from the Dark Ages.  Kagan claims that the polis was a center of justice, law, community, and cultural values that united the Greeks.  How does Professor Kagan explain the development of the polis?  These lectures should take you approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 2.1.3 Emergence of Mercantile Class and Trade Networks  
  • 2.1.4 Archaic Era Art, Poetry and Culture  
    • Reading: The Saylor Foundation’s “Archaic Greek Art”

      Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Archaic Greek Art” (PDF)
       
      Instructions: Please read this article about the archaic Greek art. Pay special attention to the transition from the abstract geometric patterning that was dominant before the seventh century to the more naturalistic style influenced by the Near East and Egypt.

      See a broken link? Please let us know!

    • Reading: The Stoa Consortium: Mary R. Lefkowitz and Maureen B. Fant’s Women’s Life in Greece and Rome: A Sourcebook in Translation: Translations of Sappho’s Poems

      Link: The Stoa Consortium: Mary R. Lefkowitz and Maureen B. Fant’s Women’s Life in Greece and Rome: A Sourcebook in Translation: Translations of Sappho’s Poems (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this translated collection of poems from the 6th Century poet Sappho.  These verses recall many of the characters familiar to readers of Greek mythology and the Homeric epics, but re-imagine them in new and novel ways.  Viewed in this light, the fragments of Sappho’s work found here offer a hint of both her prodigious talents and the impressive range of ways in which Greek literary artists of the Archaic Age made use of their common cultural inheritance.  This reading should take you approximately 15 minutes to complete.   
       
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  • 2.1.5 Power Struggles: Aristocrats Versus Popular Tyrants  
  • 2.2 Sparta  
    • Lecture: YouTube: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “Sparta” and “Sparta (cont.)”

      Links: YouTube: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “Sparta” (YouTube) and “Sparta (cont.)” (YouTube)
       
      “Sparta” also available in:
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      “Sparta (cont.)” also available in:
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      Instructions: Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lectures (via YouTube or download using iTunes, an mp3-compatible player, and/or QuickTime 7.2; the lectures are approximately 1:15 and 1:13 hours respectively).  In the first lecture, Professor Kagan explores the rise, fall, and significance of tyrannies in the Greek polis.  Pay special attention to the effects (both positive and negative) of the various tyrannies in the Greek world.  In the second lecture, Professor Kagan explores the development and defining characteristics of Sparta.  How were the Spartans able to create a distinct military culture? These lectures cover sub-subunits 2.2.1-2.2.5.  These lectures should take you approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete. 
       
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    • Reading: Oxford University Press: Dr. Sarah B. Pomeroy, et al.’s A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture: “Chapter 4: Sparta”

      Link: Oxford University Press: Dr. Sarah B. Pomeroy, et al. ’s A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture: “Chapter 4: Sparta” (HTML)
           
      Instructions: Please read Chapter 4 in its entirety.  This reading describes the development of culture, society, and the political assembly of Sparta, the most powerful city in the Greek world for the majority of the archaic and classical periods.  This reading covers sub-subunits 2.2.1-2.2.5.  This reading should take you approximately 30 minutes to complete. 
       
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  • 2.2.1 Dominant Military Land Power in Greece During Classical Period  

    Note: This topic is covered by the lecture and reading assigned below subunit 2.2.  In the reading, please make note of the bullet point on military in the article.

  • 2.2.2 Political Structure  

    Note: This topic is covered by the lecture and reading assigned below subunit 2.2.  In the reading, please focus on the text toward the end of the article that centers on the discussion of the gerousia (the council of elders).

  • 2.2.3 Social Structure  

    Note: This topic is covered by the lecture and reading assigned below subunit 2.2.  In particular, focus on the beginning half of the reading to learn about gender hierarchies, education, marriage, and other social aspects of the culture.

  • 2.2.4 Economy  

    Note: This topic is covered by the lecture and reading assigned below subunit 2.2.  In the reading, focus on the discussion about economy in the middle of the article (14th paragraph).

  • 2.2.5 Role in Persian War  
  • 2.3 Athens  
    • Lecture: YouTube: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “The Rise of Athens” and “The Rise of Athens (cont.)”

      Links: YouTube: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “The Rise of Athens” (YouTube) and “The Rise of Athens (cont.)” (YouTube)
       
      “The Rise of Athens” also available in:
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      “The Rise of Athens (cont.)” also available in:
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      Instructions: Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lectures (via YouTube or download using iTunes, an mp3-compatible player, and/or QuickTime 7.2; these lectures are approximately 1:11 and 1:13 hours respectively).  In the first lecture, Professor Kagan concludes his description of the Spartan constitution.  How does it compare to the Athenian constitution?  In the second lecture, Professor Kagan traces the development of Athens.   Pay special attention to Professor Kagan’s analysis of the causes of the political and social turmoil in Athens.  These lectures cover sub-subunits 2.3.1-2.3.3.  These lectures should take you approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete. 
       
      Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.

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  • 2.3.1 Dominant Naval Power in Greece during the Classical Period  

    Note: This topic is covered by the lecture assigned below subunit 2.3. 

  • 2.3.2 Political Organization  

    Note: This topic is covered by the lecture assigned below subunit 2.3.

  • 2.3.3 Reforms of Solon  
  • 2.3.4 Reforms of Cleisthenes and Rise of Athenian Democracy  
  • 2.3.5 Social and Cultural Values  
  • 2.3.6 The Persian War  
  • 2.3.7 Formation of Delian League  
  • 2.4 Rivalries during the Classical Period (400-300 BCE)  
  • 2.4.1 Athenian Imperialism  
    • Lecture: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “The Athenian Empire” and “The Athenian Empire (cont.)”

      Links: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “The Athenian Empire” (YouTube) and “The Athenian Empire (cont.)” (YouTube)
       
      “The Athenian Empire also available in:
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      “The Athenian Empire (cont.)” also available in:
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      Instructions: Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lectures (download using iTunes, an mp3-compatible player, and/or QuickTime 7.2; these lectures are approximately 1:20 and 1:15 hours respectively).  In the first lecture, Professor Kagan traces the development of the Persian Empire.  Why and how did the Persian empire and the Greek world come into conflict?  Pay special attention to Professor Kagan’s account of the events of the battle of Marathon, in which the Athenians defeated the Persians.  In the second lecture, Professor Kagan examines the developments that took place after the Greek victory over the Persians in 479 BC.  Why was the Delian League formed?  Pay special attention to Professor Kagan’s analysis of the role of the Delian League in the creation of the Athenian empire.  This reading covers sub-subunits 2.4.1-2.4.2.  These lectures should take you approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete. 
       
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  • 2.4.2 Balance of Power  

    Note: This topic is covered by the lecture assigned below subunit 2.4.1. 

  • 2.4.3 Classical Culture in Athens  
    • Lecture: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “Athenian Democracy” and “Athenian Democracy (cont.)”

      Links: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “Athenian Democracy” (YouTube) and “Athenian Democracy (cont.)” (YouTube)
       
      “Athenian Democracy” also available in:
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      “Athenian Democracy (cont.)” also available in:
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      Instructions:  Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lectures (download using iTunes, an mp3-compatible player, and/or QuickTime 7.2; these lectures are approximately 1:10 and 1:14 hours respectively).  In the first lecture, Professor Kagan describes the mechanics of the Delian League and its transformation into the Athenian empire.  Note how this transformation enabled Athens to rival Sparta as an equal in power and prestige.  According to Professor Kagan, how do the workings of Athenian democracy compare to modern American democracy?  In the second lecture, Professor Kagan continues his discussion of the constitution of Athens by focusing on the judicial system.  Pay special attention to Kagan’s analysis of the role of women in Athens.  These lectures should take you approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 2.4.4 The Peloponnesian League and Sparta  
  • 2.5 The Peloponnesian Wars  
    • Reading: Livius Onderwijs: Jona Lendering’s “Peloponnesian War”

      Link: Livius Onderwijs: Jona Lendering’s “Peloponnesian War” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this text in its entirety.  Note that the Peloponnesian War was fought between the Athenian Empire and the Sparta-led Peloponnesian League between the years 431–404 BC.  How did this war break out?  This reading should take you approximately 45 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 2.5.1 The First Peloponnesian War  
  • 2.5.2 Pericles and Athens  
  • 2.5.3 The Second Peloponnesian War  
    • Lecture: YouTube: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “The Peloponnesian War, Part II” and “The Peloponnesian War, Part II (cont.)”

      Links: YouTube: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “The Peloponnesian War, Part II” (YouTube) and “The Peloponnesian War, Part II (cont.)” (YouTube)
       
      “The Peloponnesian War, Part II” also available in:
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      “The Peloponnesian War, Part II (cont.)” also available in:
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      Instructions:  Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lectures (via YouTube or download using iTunes, an mp3-compatible player, and/or QuickTime 7.2; the lectures run approximately 1:15 and 1:10 hours respectively).  In the first lecture, Professor Kagan focuses on the causes of the Peloponnesian War and the possible motivations for Thucydides' book, The History of the Peloponnesian War.  Professor Kagan parts ways with Thucydides and argues that the war was not inevitable and that the Athenians under Pericles followed a policy of deterrence that was aimed at peace.  Was Thucydides being objective or subjective?  In the second lecture, Professor Kagan examines Pericles as a general.  Pay special attention to Professor Kagan’s analysis of the Athenian war strategy.  These lectures should take you approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 2.5.4 Athenian Defeat—Brief Spartan Hegemony  
  • 2.5.5 Declining Power of Greek City-States  
    • Lecture: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “Twilight of the Polis” and “Twilight of the Polis (cont.)”

      Links: Yale University: Professor Donald Kagan’s “Twilight of the Polis” (YouTube) and “Twilight of the Polis (cont.)” (YouTube)
       
      “Twilight of the Polis” also available in:
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      “Twilight of the Polis (cont.)” also available in:
      Quicktime/mp3
      iTunes U
       
      Instructions:  Please listen to or watch the entirety of the lectures (via YouTube or download using iTunes, an mp3-compatible player, and/or QuickTime 7.2; the lectures run approximately 1:11 and 1:16 hours, respectively).  In the first lecture, Professor Kagan describes the growth of Thebes.  How did Thebes come to be a major power?  In the second lecture, Professor Kagan tells the story of the rise of Philip and identifies his early accomplishments: unifying Macedon, defeating barbarian armies, and creating a professional, national army.  Pay special attention to Professor Kagan’s evaluation of Demosthenes’ actions especially with regards to his defense of Athens.  These lectures should take you approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 2.5.6 Intellectual Life in Greece  
    • Reading: Oxford University Press: Dr. Sarah B. Pomeroy, et al.’s A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture: “Chapter 9: The Fourth Century: Changing Ideas, Continuing Warfare”

      Link: Oxford University Press: Dr. Sarah B. Pomeroy, et al.’s A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture: “Chapter 9: The Fourth Century: Changing Ideas, Continuing Warfare” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read “Chapter 9” in its entirety.  This text provides an introduction to the life and works of some of the greatest philosophers associated with the Classical period of Ancient Greek history—Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.  Please pay attention to the information presented on the first two of these figures as they will be the subject of greater study in the resources which follow.  This reading should take you approximately 30 minutes to complete.
       
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    • Lecture: King’s College London’s History of Philosophy: Peter Adamson’s “In Dialogue: the Life and Works of Plato”

      Link: King’s College London’s History of Philosophy: Peter Adamson’s “In Dialogue: the Life and Works of Plato” (Adobe Flash/mp3)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and listen to this entire lecture, which provides valuable insights into the life and thought of Plato (431-351 BCE).  In addition to offering important biographical details about this famous philosopher, Professor Adamson introduces us to the questions that preoccupied him and the factors that may have led him to present his ideas in the form of dialogues.  As you will find, the main character of Plato’s dialogues was his teacher Socrates.  In the final resource of this section, we will read Plato’s account of Socrates’ trial (described briefly by Dr. Pomeroy above) in the Apology.  This lecture should take you approximately 30 minutes to complete.
       
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    • Reading: University of Missouri-Kansas: Douglas Linder’s version of Plato’s Apology: “Socrates Responds to His Accusers”

      Link:  University of Missouri-Kansas: Douglas Linder’s version of Plato’s Apology: “Socrates Responds to His Accusers” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: This version of Plato’s Apology was translated by Benjamin Jowett.  Please click on the link above, and read this entire text, which provides Plato’s account of Socrates’ response to his accusers in the days preceding his execution.  As indicated in the first resource from this section, Socrates was put on trial in 399 for a number of alleged crimes against the Athenian state including “corrupting the young.” After hearing the final judgment against him, Socrates is later said by Plato to have made a few additional remarks, uttering at one point the famous words: “the unexamined life is not worth living.”  Considering the points made by Socrates in the passages read here, how would you interpret the meaning of this statement?  This reading should take you approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete.   
       
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  • Unit 3: Macedonia  

    In the mid-fourth century BCE, the kingdom of Macedonia emerged as the most powerful state in the Eastern Mediterranean.  Under the leadership of Philip II, Macedonian forces conquered numerous city-states in northern mainland Greece.  Following Philip’s assassination, his young son Alexander claimed the Macedonian throne and continued his father’s campaign to unify mainland Greece under Macedonian rule.  Once Alexander secured control of the Greek city-states through political and military coercion, he turned his attention to the Persian Empire.  In a series of decisive battles, Alexander’s forces defeated the Persians and seized control of their great empire.  Alexander also conquered Egypt and extended Greek rule as far east as India.  By the time of his death in 323 BCE, Alexander the Great had created the largest empire in human history.  Following Alexander’s death, his military commanders squabbled over control of the empire and eventually divided it into smaller administrative units.  Each of these kingdoms continued to exert Greek influence over the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean through the end of the second century BCE.  In this unit, you will learn how Philip and Alexander expanded Macedonian rule and seized control over a vast empire. You will also evaluate the consequences of Alexander’s imperial ambitions for the peoples and cultures of the regions he conquered.  

    Unit 3 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 3 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 3.1 Philip II and the Rise of Macedonia  
    • Reading: Oxford University Press: Dr. Sarah B. Pomeroy, et al.’s A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture: “Chapter 10: Philip II and the Rise of Macedon”

      Link: Oxford University Press: Dr. Sarah B. Pomeroy, et al. ’s A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture: “Chapter 10: Philip II and the Rise of Macedon” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the text and all embedded links in their entirety for an account of how Philip II of Macedonia restored internal peace to his country, came to dominate Greece through military and diplomatic means, and laid the foundations for further expansion.  This reading covers sub-subunits 3.1.1-3.1.3.  This reading should take you approximately 30 minutes to complete. 
       
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    • Reading: Livius Onderwijs: Jona Lendering’s “Philip II of Macedonia”

      Link: Livius Onderwijs: Jona Lendering’s “Philip II of Macedonia” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, read this text in its entirety, proceeding through the links at the bottom of the page to parts 2, 3, and 4.  Pay special attention to Philip’s military skills and his expansionist vision of Macedonian greatness.  This reading builds upon the introduction to the subject found in the previous resources and more fully depicts the diplomatic and military challenges faced by Philip.  Please focus especially on parts 3 and 4 of the reading, which provide important details of the strategy followed by Philip to create an army capable of achieving domination over Greece.  These readings cover sub-subunits 3.1.1-3.1.3.  These readings should take you approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete. 
       
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  • 3.1.1 Macedonian Society  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned below subunit 3.1. In particular, focus on the Ch. 10 reading to learn about the rise of Macedon.

  • 3.1.2 Rise of Philip II  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned below subunit 3.1.  In particular, focus on the “Philip II of Macedonia”reading to learn about King Philip II.

  • 3.1.3 Domination of Greece  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned below subunit 3.1.  In particular, review “The Road to Hegemony” in Part I of the “Philip II of Macedonia” reading.

  • 3.2 Alexander the Great  
  • 3.2.1 Consolidating Power  
    • Reading: Livius Onderwijs: Jona Lendering’s “Alexander the Great: Restoring Order in Greece”

      Link: Livius Onderwijs: Jona Lendering’s “Alexander the Great: Restoring Order in Greece” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this text and all embedded links in their entirety.  This reading focuses on Alexander the Great’s most challenging tasks: to be recognized as his father’s true successor and to put down the rebellion of Greece after Athenian orator Demosthenes wrongly proclaimed Alexander’s death following the Illyrian campaign.  Pay special attention to how these two challenges shaped Alexander’s political and military career.  This reading should take you approximately 30 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 3.2.2 Conquest of Eastern Mediterranean  
  • 3.2.3 Conquest of Persian Empire  
  • 3.2.4 Conquest of Central Asia  
  • 3.2.5 The Indian Expedition  
  • 3.2.6 Return to the West  
  • 3.2.7 Death of Alexander  
    • Reading: Livius Onderwijs: Jona Lendering’s “Alexander the Great: Death in Babylon”

      Link: Livius Onderwijs: Jona Lendering’s “Alexander the Great: Death in Babylon” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the links above, and read this text and all embedded links in their entirety.  Although the political entity created by Alexander the Great failed to survive him, Alexander succeeded in creating a uniform Graeco-Oriental economic and cultural world that stretched from Gibraltar in the South of the Iberian Peninsula to the Indus River.  This reading should take you approximately 30 minutes to complete.
       
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    • Reading: Massachusetts Institute of Technology: The Internet Classics Archive’s “Alexander by Plutarch”

      Link: Massachusetts Institute of Technology: The Internet Classics Archive’s “Alexander by Plutarch” (HTML)
       
      Also available in:
      PDF
      Kindle ($8.99)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this text in its entirety.  In this short biography, Roman historian Plutarch focuses on the life of Alexander the Great of Macedon.  Plutarch discusses Alexander’s ancestry, his youth, and his preparations for his military conquests in Asia.  He concludes with Alexander’s stunning victory over the Persians, in which he overthrew the vast Persian Empire.  To access in PDF format, select the “PDF” link above; from the list, select the link for “The Life of Alexander the Great, by Plutarch” (note: site is in Portuguese, but title is in English).  This text was translated by John Dryden (1631-1700), an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright.  This reading should take you approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 3.3 Succession Struggles and Civil War in the Hellenistic World (325-150 BCE)  
  • 3.3.1 Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt  
  • 3.3.2 Seleucid Dynasty in Western Asia  
  • 3.3.3 Antigonid Dynasty in Macedonia  
  • 3.3.4 Achaean League Versus Aetolian League in Greece  
    • Reading: University of Chicago: Bill Thayer’s “Achaean League”

      Link: University of Chicago: Bill Thayer’s “Achaean League” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text and all embedded links in their entirety.  This reading compares the Achaean League (a 3rd century BC confederation of the towns of Achaea in ancient Greece) to the Aetolian League, a federal state in ancient Greece that became one of the leading military powers in Greece by c.340 BC.  As in the case of the preceding resource, this text ends with a description of conflicts between the member states of the Achaean League and the growing power of Rome.  This reading should take you approximately 30 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 3.3.5 Early Conflicts between Greeks and Romans  
  • 3.4 Hellenistic Culture  
  • 3.4.1 Art and Architecture  
  • 3.4.2 Philosophical Schools: The Epicureans and Stoics  
    • Lecture: King’s College London’s History of Philosophy: Peter Adamson’s “Am I Bothered: Epicurean Ethics”

      Link: King’s College London’s History of Philosophy: Peter Adamson’s “Am I Bothered: Epicurean Ethics” (Adobe Flash/mp3)
       
      Instructions:  Please click on the link above, and listen to this entire lecture (approximately 23 minutes), which provides an introduction to the thought of the Hellenistic age.  As indicated above, this term is used by scholars to distinguish the political and cultural developments of this period from the Classical world which came before.  In this lecture, Professor Adamson provides a valuable overview of the ideas and principles espoused by the Epicurean philosophers, a school of Hellenistic thought that exerted a great influence on contemporary and succeeding generations of Greeks and Romans.  As you listen to this podcast, give particular thought to what Epicurus had in common with his philosophical predecessors as well as the ways in which he departed from them.  What, for example, does Professor consider to be some of the most novel features of Epicurean philosophy?  This lecture should take you approximately 30 minutes to complete.  
       
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    • Reading: The Stoic Legacy to the Renaissance: Ben R. Schneider, Jr.’s version of Lucius Annasus Seneca’s Moral Essays: “On Anger”

      Link: The Stoic Legacy to the Renaissance: Ben R. Schneider, Jr.’s version of Lucius Annasus Seneca’s Moral Essays: “On Anger” (HTML)

      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this entire text from the Roman philosopher Seneca (1-65 CE).  As indicated above, the philosophy of the Hellenistic age had a heavy influence on Roman culture.  This was particularly true in the case of Stoic thought, a school of philosophy that developed alongside the Epicurean.  Stoic philosophy enjoyed a great following among Roman elites and found a particularly famous acolyte in the figure of the emperor Marcus Aurelius.  In this text from Seneca, you will encounter some famous attitudes of the Stoics toward emotion and especially anger (described by the author as perhaps the greatest of all human “vices”).  Do you detect any similarities between the ideas represented here and those found in the survey of Epicurean thought above?  This reading should take you approximately 2 hours to complete.  
       
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  • Unit 4: Italy in the Pre-Roman Period  

    Like the Greeks, the people of the Italian peninsula were influenced by sustained social, political, and economic interactions between various regional cultures.  Greek settlers had colonized parts of coastal Italy in the eighth and seventh centuries BCE.  By the mid-seventh century BCE, the Etruscan people had established control over the central-western portion of the Italian peninsula, and the Latin and Sabine tribes had also established city-states in the same area.  These groups all vied for control of lucrative trade routes across the peninsula.  Archaeological evidence indicates that the community of Rome was established by the Latins around the eighth century BCE and later conquered by the Etruscans as they established control over the region.  Near the end of the sixth century BCE, the Latin people successfully challenged Etruscan rule and reorganized the Roman city-state as a republic.  In this unit, you will examine the various cultures that inhabited the Italian peninsula before the formation of the Roman Republic and look at how they interacted with one another.  You will also evaluate how this interaction shaped the development of early Roman settlement and eventually led to the creation of the Roman Republic at the end of the sixth century BCE.  

    Unit 4 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 4 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 4.1 Greek Colonization  
    • Reading: Classic Encyclopedia’s “Magna Graecia”

      Link: Classic Encyclopedia’s “Magna Graecia” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text and all embedded links in their entirety for a brief description of Magna Graecia, a group of ancient Greek cities along the coast of southern Italy.  Remember that the people of this region were known to the Greeks as Italiotai and to the Romans as Graeci.  This reading should take you approximately 30 minutes to complete.
       
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    • Reading: University of Texas at Austin: Professor Karl Galinsky’s “Map: Greek Colonies in Southern Italy and Sicily (Magna Graecia)”

      Link: University of Texas at Austin: Professor Karl Galinsky’s “Map: Greek Colonies in Southern Italy and Sicily (Magna Graecia)” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above to access the map, and pay close attention to the Greek settlements in Italy and Sicily.  This reading should take you approximately 15 minutes to complete.
       
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      The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.

      Submit Materials

  • 4.2 Etruscan Civilization  
  • 4.2.1 Settlement in Italy  
  • 4.2.2 Political and Economic Power  
  • 4.2.3 Gender Roles and Social Mores  
  • 4.2.4 Regional Conflicts  
  • 4.2.5 Declining Fortunes in the 6th Century BCE  
  • 4.3 Latin Tribes  
  • 4.3.1 Founding of Rome  
    • Reading: Taylor & Francis Books: Antony Kamm’s “The Origin of Rome”

      Link: Taylor & Francis Books: Antony Kamm’s “The Origin of Rome” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this text and all embedded links in their entirety for a description of the legends of the foundation of Rome and the three key figures in these accounts: Aeneas, Romulus, and Remus.  This reading will take you approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 4.3.2 Common Social and Cultural Values  
  • Unit 5: The Roman Republic  

    After the Latin people established Rome as a republic, they began expanding their control over central and southern Italy in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE.  They subdued the Etruscans and eventually seized control over the remaining independent Greek colonies at the beginning of the third century BCE.  Rome also established her own overseas colonies in Sicily, which brought the Romans into conflict with the Carthaginians.  In a series of three wars, the Romans defeated the Carthaginians and established Roman dominance over the Central Mediterranean.  Later Roman conquests of Macedonia and the Seleucid Empire of Western Asia in the second century BCE made Rome the most powerful state in the entire Mediterranean basin. 

    External conquests led to internal strife in the Roman Republic.  Elite political leaders gained great wealth through Rome’s conquests, but poor farmers, who made up much of Rome’s military might, could not afford to maintain their lands and pay taxes.  This led to conflict between the upper and lower classes.  Political efforts to impose land reforms failed and resulted in large numbers of landless men who had more loyalty to the Roman military than the Roman state.  This led to civil unrest and threatened the very core of the Republic.  In this unit, you will examine the political evolution of the Roman Republic and look at how Rome became the most powerful civilization in the Mediterranean region.  You will also evaluate how Rome’s expansion undermined the social, political, and economic foundations of the Republic and led to bloodshed and outright rebellion by the first century BCE.

    Unit 5 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 5 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 5.1 Emergence of the Republic  
  • 5.1.1 Political Organization  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned beneath subunit 5.1.  Focus specifically on the first paragraph of the first reading. 

  • 5.1.2 Social Organization  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned beneath subunit 5.1.  Focus specifically on the second reading. 

  • 5.2 Unifying the Italian Peninsula in the 5th and 4th Centuries BCE  
  • 5.2.1 Conquering Etruscans  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned beneath subunit 5.2.  Focus specifically on the first reading by Professor Steve Muhlberger.

  • 5.2.2 Conquering Latin Tribes  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned beneath subunit 5.2.  Read in their entirety both the first text by Professor Steve Muhlberger and the second by Livius. 

  • 5.2.3 Conquering Greek Colonies  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned beneath subunit 5.2.  Focus specifically on the first reading by Professor Steve Muhlberger. 

  • 5.3 Regional Expansion in the 3rd and 2nd Centuries BCE  
  • 5.3.1 Punic Wars Against Carthage  
    • Reading: Boise State University: Professor E. L. Skip Knox’s “The Punic Wars”

      Link: Boise State University: Professor E. L. Skip Knox’s “The Punic Wars” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the links on the left side of the page, and read the texts in all embedded links in their entirety for an overview of the wars fought between Rome and Carthage between 264 and 146 BC.  These wars are collectively known as the Punic Wars. This reading also covers the topics outlined in sub-subunits 5.3.2 and 5.3.3.  These readings will take you approximately 1 hours and 30 minutes to complete. 
       
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    • Reading: Livius Onderwijs: Jona Lendering’s “First Punic War” and “Hannibal”

      Links: Livius Onderwijs: Jona Lendering’s “First Punic War” (HTML) and “Hannibal” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the links above, and read these texts and all embedded links in their entirety, paying special attention to the role of general Hannibal—one of the greatest military leaders of antiquity—in developing a distinctive Carthaginian warfare.  This reading also covers the topics outlined in sub-subunits 5.3.2 and 5.3.3.  These readings will take you approximately 1 hour to complete. 
       
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    • Reading: Fordham University’s Ancient History Sourcebook: Paul Halsall’s version of “Polybius (c.20-after 118 BCE): The Character of Hannibal”

      Link: Fordham University’s Ancient History Sourcebook: Paul Halsall’s version of “Polybius (c.20-after 118 BCE): The Character of Hannibal” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this text in its entirety.  In this document, Roman historian Polybius describes the great Carthaginian general Hannibal, whom he characterizes as a great force in Roman history.  Polybius also argues that Hannibal’s reputation for cruelty was due to the actions of his close associates rather than his own desire to punish the Romans.  Polybius concludes that it is impossible to know Hannibal’s true character, since his legacy has been shaped by the conflicting opinions of the Romans and the Carthaginians.  This reading also covers the topics outlined in sub-subunits 5.3.2 and 5.3.3.  This reading will take you approximately 30 minutes to complete. 
       
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  • 5.3.2 Wars in the Eastern Mediterranean  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned beneath subunit 5.3.1.  Focus specifically on the sections regarding the First Punic War in the four readings. 

  • 5.3.3 Conquest and Colonization of Spain  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned beneath subunit 5.3.1.  Focus specifically on the sections regarding the Second Punic War in the four readings.

  • 5.4 Impact on Roman Republic  
  • 5.4.1 Domestic Strife  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned beneath subunit 5.4.  Focus specifically on pages 2-6 of “The Crisis of the Gracchi.”

  • 5.4.2 Widening Gap Between Social Classes  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned beneath subunit 5.4.  Focus specifically on pages 2-6 of “The Crisis of the Gracchi.”

  • 5.4.3 Gracchi Rebellion  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned beneath subunit 5.4.  Focus specifically on pages 5-8 of “The Crisis of the Gracchi.”

  • 5.4.4 Land Reform Blocked  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned beneath subunit 5.4. Focus specifically on pages 5-8 of “The Crisis of the Gracchi”

  • 5.4.5 Political Violence  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned beneath subunit 5.4. Focus specifically on pages 5-8 of “The Crisis of the Gracchi,” and pages 1-3 of “The Imperial Republic: Gaius Marius.” 

  • 5.4.6 Marius’ Reforms, Civil War, and Sulla Dictatorship  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned beneath subunit 5.4. Focus specifically on pages 1-7 of “The Imperial Republic: Gaius Marius,” and pages 1-6 of “The Fall of the Roman Republic.” 

  • Unit 6: Imperial Ambitions  

    By the mid-first century BCE, the Roman Republic faced grave danger from disgruntled military leaders.  Julius Caesar, who had achieved significant military victories in western Europe, entered a secret pact with two other Roman military and political officials to seize control of the Republic.  This led to a civil war between the forces controlled by Caesar and those controlled by the Roman Senate.  Caesar emerged as the victor and was proclaimed dictator of Rome.  His assassination a few years later led to a second civil war, in which Caesar’s adopted son Octavian defeated the anti-Caesarian forces.  Octavian took the name Augustus and ruled Rome as its new emperor.  His successors maintained power for nearly 100 years, despite scandals and political intrigues that threatened the stability of the Roman Empire.  When Nero, the last of the Julio-Claudian emperors died, a civil war led to the rise of the Flavian Dynasty.  The Flavian emperors rebuilt Rome and made it into the most architecturally and technologically significant city of the western world.  They also restored stability to the Empire and centralized government authority in the hands of the Emperor. 

    In this unit, you will examine the Roman state’s shift from Republican to Imperial government, exploring the ways in which that shift affected the people of the Empire in the first and second centuries CE.  You will also study how the Julio-Claudian and Flavian Dynasties shaped Rome into a grand, imperial capital for their vast empire.  Finally, you will analyze the economic, political, and social tensions that gradually began to threaten the cohesiveness of the Roman Empire at the beginning of the third century CE.

    Unit 6 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 6 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 6.1 Julius Caesar and the End of the Republic  
  • 6.1.1 Political Life in the Late Republic  
  • 6.1.2 The First Triumvirate  
    • Reading: Livius Onderwijs: Jona Lendering’s “Triumvir”

      Link: Livius Onderwijs: Jona Lendering’s “Triumvir” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read sections: “Triumvir” and “First Triumvirate” in their entirety.  This reading will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete. 
       
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  • 6.1.3 Rise and Fall of Julius Caesar  
  • 6.1.4 The Second Triumvirate  
    • Reading: Livius Onderwijs: Jona Lendering’s “Triumvir”

      Link: Livius Onderwijs: Jona Lendering’s “Triumvir” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read the section “Second Triumvirate” in its entirety.  The Second Triumvirate, formed by Mark Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian (later known as Augustus), would become Octavian’s stepping stone to absolute power.  This reading will take you approximately 15 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 6.2 Rise of Augustus Caesar and the Julio-Claudian Dynasty  
  • 6.2.1 Defeat of Anthony and Lepidus  
  • 6.2.2 Augustus Claims Absolute Power  
  • 6.2.3 Scandal and Intrigue  
  • 6.2.4 Civil War  
  • 6.3 Flavian Dynasty  
  • Unit 7: The Empire Matures  

    When Domitian, the last of the Flavian emperors, was assassinated in 96 CE, his supporter Nerva gained control of the Roman Empire.  Nerva’s successors ruled for nearly 100 years.  Under the Nerva-Antonine Dynasty, the Roman Empire reached its zenith in political, military and economic power.  The Empire stretched from the British Isles to Central Asia and exerted unprecedented economic and cultural influence over the peoples of Europe, North Africa, and Asia.  Following the death of Commodus in 192 CE, the Empire once again entered a period of chaos and civil war until Septimius Severus gained power and established the Severan Dynasty.  The Severans ruled until 235 when the last of the Severan emperors was assassinated.  His death paved the way for a period of political, economic, and social crisis that lasted nearly 50 years and precipitated the decline of the Roman Empire in the west.  The crisis ended when Diocletian secured control of the Empire in 284 and attempted to restore civil and economic order.  He divided the Empire into eastern and western administrative units with junior co-emperors for each section in an attempt to establish better regional control of the Empire.  This policy led to further political and military infighting following Diocletian’s death.  The conflicts ceased when Constantine seized control of the Empire as sole emperor in 324 CE.  Under Constantine’s rule, the seat of imperial power shifted east to the Greek community of Byzantium.  There, Christianity became the official state religion.  Constantine’s reforms secured Rome’s political and military strength in the East, but severely weakened the western half of the Empire.

    In this unit, you will study the ways in which the Roman Empire changed politically, economically, and socially in the second and third centuries CE.   You will also look at how the crisis that followed the downfall of the Severan Dynasty fundamentally altered the nature of the Empire and set in motion broader trends that undermined its cohesion and strength. 

    Unit 7 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 7 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 7.1 Nerva-Antonine Dynasty  
  • 7.1.1 “Five Good Emperors”  
  • 7.1.2 Roman Empire Reaches its Zenith  
  • 7.1.3 Greater Balance of Power with Roman Senate  
  • 7.2 Severan Dynasty  
  • 7.2.1 Social and Political Upheaval Following Death of Commodus  

    Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below subunit 7.2.

  • 7.2.2 Restored Peace and Order  

    Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below subunit 7.2.

  • 7.2.3 Major Political Turmoil  

    Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below subunit 7.2.

  • 7.2.4 Crisis of the Third Century Due to Plague, Invasion, and Economic Depression  
  • 7.3 Diocletian  
  • 7.3.1 Empire Split by Contending Factions  
    • Reading: WebChron: Kara E. Bettin's “The Emperor Diocletian (284-305)”

      Link: WebChron: Kara E. Bettin's “The Emperor Diocletian (284-305)” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this text and all embedded links in their entirety.  This article offers a brief overview of the life and times of Diocletian (245-316), the Roman emperor whose reorganization of the fiscal, administrative, and military machinery of the empire laid the foundations for the Byzantine Empire in the East and temporarily shored up the decaying empire in the west.  This reading will take you approximately 30 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 7.3.2 Breakdown of Trade Networks  
  • 7.3.3 Emergence of Serfdom  
  • 7.3.4 Diocletian: Victor of Civil War  
  • 7.3.5 Persecution of Christians  
  • 7.4 Constantine  
    • Reading: Encyclopedia Britannica’s “Constantine I”

      Link: The Saylor Foundation’s “Constantine I the Great” (PDF)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above and read this article for an in-depth look at the life and times of Constantine I, the first Roman emperor to profess Christianity. As indicated in sub-subunit 7.3.4 above, the emperor Diocletian “retired” in 305 AD. The present reading describes the early experiences of Constantine in the imperial court, his victory in the power struggles that ensued upon the abdication of Diocletian, and his major policies as emperor.

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  • 7.4.1 Christianity Become Official Religion of Empire  
    • Reading: WebChron: Corrie Ferguson and Amy N. Grupp's “Constantine Coverts to Christianity (312)”

      Link: WebChron: Corrie Ferguson and Amy N. Grupp's “Constantine Coverts to Christianity (312)” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this text and all embedded links in their entirety.  In this reading, the author discusses Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity and explores the effects of the “Edict of Milan,” which commanded official toleration of Christianity and other religions.  As you will find, this text adds some valuable historical context and detail to the circumstances surrounding Constantine’s conversion, the subject of which was introduced in sub-subunit 7.3.9 above.  This reading will take you approximately 30 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 7.4.2 Civil and Military Reforms  
    • Reading: Loyola University of Chicago: Professor Leslie Dossey’s “Recovery of Fourth Century”

      Link: Loyola University of Chicago: Professor Leslie Dossey’s “Recovery of Fourth Century” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read “II. Constantine” in its entirety.  In this reading, Professor Dossey compares the administrative reforms carried out by emperors Diocletian and Constantine.  Pay special attention to the description of their efforts to achieve imperial centralization.  As indicated in the reading, these efforts appear to have been successful in strengthening the Eastern Empire.  This reading will take you approximately 30 minutes to complete.
       
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  • Unit 8: Empire in Crisis  

    During the fourth and fifth centuries CE, the Western Roman Empire faced significant internal and external threats.  Political turmoil and a declining economy weakened the empire internally while barbarian invasions from the north and east strained its military resources.  Germanic tribes sacked Rome repeatedly in the fifth century CE and finally forced the last Roman emperor to abdicate in 476 CE.  In the East, the Byzantine rulers secured their empire’s borders and attempted to repossess Roman territories in the West.  Their efforts were largely unsuccessful.  The Italian Peninsula was further devastated in the sixth and seventh centuries CE.  The Byzantines also faced a serious threat from the emergence of Islamic states in the eastern Mediterranean in the seventh and eighth centuries CE.  The Byzantines eventually stopped Muslim expansion and reached an uneasy settlement with the new Muslim kingdoms. 

    In this unit, you will examine the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and look at how the Byzantine Empire maintained its stability despite similar threats.  We You will also look at how the Byzantine Empire adopted Greek social and cultural institutions while maintaining Latin political institutions that dated back to the early days of the Roman Empire. 

    Unit 8 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 8 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 8.1 Decline of the Western Empire  
  • 8.2 Fall of the Western Empire  
    • Web Media: iTunes U: Oxford University Professor Bryan Ward-Perkins’ “The Fall of the Roman Empire”

      Link: iTunes U: Oxford University Professor Bryan Ward-Perkins’ “The Fall of the Roman Empire" (iTunes)
       
      Instructions:  Please click on the link above, then select “View in iTunes” to launch the lecture, and listen to all of this interview of a leading scholar of late Roman history.  Professor Ward-Perkins revisits the important questions explored in previous resources concerning the causes most responsible for the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the meanings attached to the concept of a subsequent “Dark Ages.”  As you will find, both speakers offer valuable context on frequently-cited explanations of Rome’s fall such as economic decline and the employment of foreign mercenaries.  In addition to these important topics, the scholars provide a wealth of insights on how the fall of the empire may have been experienced by people (both Romans and others) at the time.  Please take careful notes as you listen and be alert for the speakers’ description of the enduring challenges faced by historians who study the period.  What in fact are some of the questions that especially puzzle researchers?  This program will take you approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete.
       
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  • 8.3 Gothic Wars Devastate Remnants of Western Empire  
  • 8.4 Survival of the Eastern Empire  
    • Reading: The University of Kansas Lawrence: Professor Lynn Harry Nelson’s “The Reign of Justinian, 527-565”

      Link: The University of Kansas Lawrence: Professor Lynn Harry Nelson’s “The Reign of Justinian, 527-565” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please read this text in its entirety.  In this article, Professor Nelson discusses the role of the Gothic Wars in Justinian I’s reign. In addition to describing the emperor’s efforts to secure the western borders of the empire, the reading also addresses the growing challenge from the east of Islamic kingdoms.  This reading also covers the topics outlined in sub-subunits 8.4.1 and 8.4.2.  This reading will take you approximately 1 hour to complete. 
       
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  • 8.4.1 Justinian Secures Boarders of Eastern Empire  

    Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below subunit 8.3.

  • 8.4.2 Challenged by Rise of Islamic Kingdoms  

    Note: This topic is covered by the reading assigned below subunit 8.3.

  • Unit 9: Transformations and Legacies  

    In our final unit, you will examine the social and cultural legacies of the Roman and Byzantine Empires.  While the Western Roman Empire collapsed politically at the end of the fifth century CE, the Catholic Church remained a powerful social and cultural force in European society.  It maintained and transmitted Roman cultural heritage to later generations of Europeans.  In the East, the Byzantine Empire continued to serve as a tangible link to Rome’s imperial heritage throughout the Middle Ages while preserving cultural artifacts from ancient Greek civilizations.  Eventually, Europeans in the late Middle Ages began to rediscover Greek and Roman political, social, and cultural works thanks to centuries of preservation by Catholic, Byzantine, and Muslim scholars and scribes.

    Unit 9 Time Advisory   show close
    Unit 9 Learning Outcomes   show close
  • 9.1 Cultural Hegemony of the Catholic Church  
  • 9.2 Byzantine Empire of the Middle Ages  
    • Reading: Columbia University: Department of Art History and Archaeology’s “Byzantine Empire”

      Link: Columbia University:  Department of Art History and Archaeology’s “Byzantine Empire” (HTML)

      Instructions: Please read this article in its entirety.  Pay special attention to how the Byzantines developed a unique historical and cultural character based on a synthesis of Greek, Roman, and European elements.  This reading covers the topics outlined in sub-subunits 9.2.1 through 9.2.3.  This reading will take you approximately 45 minutes to complete. 
       
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  • 9.2.1 Survival and Expansion in the Middle Ages  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned beneath subunit 9.2.  Focus specifically on the sections titled “The Early Period,” “The Middle Period,” and “The Late Period.”

  • 9.2.2 Preservation and Transmission of Greek Cultural Heritage  

    Note: This topic is covered by the readings assigned beneath subunit 9.2.  Focus specifically on the section titled “Influences on its Neighbors.”

  • 9.3 Rediscovery of Classical Antiquity  
  • 9.3.1 European Renaissance  
    • Reading: The City University of New York, Brooklyn College: Department of English’s “Renaissance”

      Link: The City University of New York, Brooklyn College: Department of English’s “Renaissance” (HTML)
       
      Instructions: Please click on the link above, and read this text in its entirety.  The European Renaissance was characterized by a surge of interest in Classical (Roman and Greek) learning and values.  Pay special attention to how the works of classical thinkers were reinterpreted at this time.  This reading will take you approximately 1 hour to complete.
       
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  • 9.3.2 Muslim Cultural Transmission  
  • 9.3.3 Classical Antiquity and the Modern World  
  • Final Exam  

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