西方文明史Review

1、A Brief Historyof Western CivilizationA ReviewDo you understand these phrases?“A wolf in sheeps clothing”Someone who seems kind and harmless but has malicious intent“Let there be light”May there be understanding“The apple of my eye”Someone cherished above all others“a Good Samaritan smritn”Someone w

2、ho helps another with no thought of rewardStereotypesIn a group, a stereotype is applying a fact that is true about a part of the group to the entire groupApplying these stereotypes to an individual of that group, only because he or she is part of that group, is called prejudiceHistory Explains WHYO

3、ne key to understanding a different culture is to understand why they believe, value, or do certain thingsCulture is shaped by history and is constantly changingWe understand the present and the future in light of the pastSummary Israel was a small nation with a very unique religion It fared surpris

4、ingly well for its small size Their main explanation is that their God did wonders among them The Hebrews believed that God made humans in his image Their purpose was to love and take care of the earth However, the first humans chose to not follow their purpose Abraham was the father of the Hebrews

5、Moses is believed to have led the Hebrews out of Egypt They eventually conquered Canaan and settled thereSummaryAfter conquering Canaan and becoming a nation, Israel formed a theocracyThe Judges were the leaders of Israel during the “cycle of disobedience,” during which they were constantly taken ov

6、er by other nationsThe first kings of Israel were Saul, David, and SolomonDavid was known for his courage and military mightSolomon was known for his wisdom, wealth, and fameEach king had a major flawAfter Solomons death, Israel split into two nations: Israel and JudahThe new kings rejected the Hebr

7、ew God and followed foreign godsThe foreign gods Baal and Asherah caused Israel to commit some immoral actsProphets were sent to Israel and Judah to call them back to the Hebrew God, to remind them of the Covenant, and to warn of future consequencesIsrael is portrayed as an unfaithful bride that dis

8、honors her groom and runs after other menSummaryIsrael falls to the Assyrian Empire in 722 B.C.Judah falls to the Babylonian Empire in 586 B.C.The Persian Empire frees the exilesThey return home and rebuild JerusalemThe prophets offer a final prophecythey tell of a man who will come to save the peop

9、le and establish an eternal kingdomThe newly freed Jews fall under Roman rule in 63 B.C.SummarySummary The mountains and islands in Greek topography created autonomous, isolated city-statescity-states The two greatest were Sparta and Athens Greek mythology Greek mythology consists of many stories th

10、at make up their polytheistic religion Explains phenomena in nature The only remains of Minoan CreteMinoan Crete, the earliest civilization in the Greek region, was a palace in Crete The MycenaeansMycenaeans were the first Greek civilization, consisting of many powerful monarchies10Summary HomerHome

11、r wrote the Odyssey and the Iliad, which describes the Trojan Warthe Trojan War “Achilles heel” “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts” The Spartans are known for their strong military, which is largely due to their military statemilitary state The Persian Empire Persian Empire invaded Greece twice, but an

12、 outnumbered, unified Greece defeated the invaders The Greeks used a military formation called the phalanxphalanx, which emphasized defense and coordination11Summary The Athenians are known for their economic and governmental reformsgovernmental reforms, which led to monarchy, oligarchy, tyranny, an

13、d the first democracy A democracydemocracy gives power to the majority through voting and election and keeps the leaders in check The Delian League ended up becoming the Athenian EmpireAthenian Empire, which sought to control all of Greece The Peloponnesian War Peloponnesian War ended the Athenian E

14、mpire with Spartas victory The MacedoniansMacedonians conquered the Greeks, who agreed to finally unify under Macedonia12Summary Alexander the Great Alexander the Great defeated the Persian Empire and conquered all the land between Greece and India in 9 years His conquest spread Greek culture throug

15、hout the land and gave birth to the Hellenistic eraHellenistic era Western and Eastern logic differ in how they reason about contradictioncontradiction Western logic is based on Greek formal logicformal logic Eastern logic is based on dialectical thinkingdialectical thinking PythagorasPythagoras cam

16、e up with basic mathematical concepts (point, line) and analyzed the physics of music13Summary Herodotus and Thucydides wrote the first historieshistories Greek architecturearchitecture used math and science to create stable, effective buildings The first OlympicsOlympics were held in honor of the G

17、reek gods, and winning was the greatest honor for a man Socrates argued that knowledge came from questioningquestioning Plato thought “IdeasIdeas,” not material, was reality and that society needed a certain type of rational staterational state Aristotle believed analyzinganalyzing the real world wa

18、s the key to knowledge and that a constitutional government constitutional government was the best form of government14Summary Rome began as a pastoral community Developed into a city, it formed a republic It slowly conquered all of its neighbors, unifying Italy Romes conflict with Carthage began th

19、e three Punic wars Rome bested Carthage and conquered Spain, Greece, and all of the MediterraneanSummary The Romans success is largely due to its political wisdom and military network The rise of powerful nobles created an oligarchy The Punic wars devastated small land-owning farmers and weakened th

20、e army Consul Marius created the first volunteer army Gave power to generals and laid a path to dictatorshipSummary Caesar took complete power of Rome and ended the Roman Republic Augustus established the Roman Empire The Roman religion adopted religions from conquered areas and focused on performan

21、ce of rituals The Roman legion formed the core of the new armySummary Nero used Christians as scapegoats for Romes fire Christians were unified, not easily controlled, and seen as a threat to the state Persecution only established and strengthened Christianity The five “good emperors” brought the Ro

22、man Empire to its height of prosperity and expansion Developed a social welfare program and building projectsSummary In 212, all free people were made Roman citizens, with a population of 50 million The gladiatorial games entertained idle masses with contests to the death The empire was weakened by

23、a series of crises Famine, plagues, population loss, economic collapse The frontiers were vulnerable to barbarian tribesSummary The political system became a corrupt military anarchy The weakened empire attracted many invasions Constantine attempted reforms to save the empire Christianity was legali

24、zed and later became the state religion The empire divided into the Western and Eastern empire In 493, the Western empire fell to German invadersSummaryThe last Hebrew prophecy predicted the coming of the Messiah Over 300 detailed prophecies needing to be fulfilledWhile Jews disagree, Christians bel

25、ieve Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled these propheciesJudean society was a hierarchical theocracy Scholars/Pharisees - sinners - tax collectors The Jews expected a military leader to free them from Roman rule and become their new kingYear 0 marks Jesus birth on the Western calendarSummaryChristmas is a f

26、estival celebrating the birth of Jesus by the virgin, MaryJesus went throughout Palestine preaching, healing, and doing many miraclesJesus taught that the state of ones heart was more important than following the Hebrew lawJesus taught an upside-down value system “Love your enemies” To be the greate

27、st, one must be the lowest He called the Pharisees hypocrites and spent time with sinners and tax collectorsSummaryJesus claimed to be the Hebrew GodThe Pharisees tried to trap him, but failedJesus predicted that he would be killed and then raised back to life He told his disciples that they might h

28、ave to die as well if they follow himJesus is betrayed by one of his disciples, arrested, and crucified (execution by the cross) The cross was the worst form of Roman executionSummaryWhen Jesus followers visited his tomb, they found it was emptyJesus then appeared to many people, aliveHis greatest m

29、essage: Humans were made for a purpose, but they chose to sin Unless they do their purpose, they will never be happy and there will be consequences Jesus came to die and take their punishment Now people can live out their purpose once againJesus then ascended to heavenSummaryJesus disciples formed t

30、he ChurchThe Church grew really quickly due to how the Christians livedThe Jews attempted to stop the religion from spreading and killed many Christians Stephen was the first martyrSaul was a Pharisee who arrested Christians He converted and changed his name to Paul Paul would spread Christianity to

31、 all the RomansConstantine legalized Christianity in 313SummaryThe Medieval Times, following the fall of the Roman Empire, had many kingdoms and no unityFeudalism was a social system Lords gave land to vassals; vassals fight for lords Serfs gave freedom to lords; lords protected serfsThe many kingdo

32、ms are the source of the modern European nationsWarfare changed to adapt to the use of castlesKnights were elite, heavy soldiers on horses that valued a code of chivalry, honor, and valorSummaryThe Medieval Church was a hierarchy with the Pope as the highest leaderThe Church unified Europe and grew

33、in powerPower corrupted the Church It became more powerful than kingdoms People would join the clergy just to gain power The Bible was only in Latin, which only the clergy read The clergy taught things contrary to Jesus teachingsIslam was a new religion from the East that came out of ChristianitySummaryThe Crusades were a religious war between Christians and Muslims The Pope claimed it was the will of God They tried to regain Palestine, the Holy LandThe Medieval Church went against Jesus teaching Humility, not power