Why Athens was great - 7th Grade Social Studies - Home



Graphic OrganizerBig Ideas CardBig Ideas for Lesson 3, Unit 4Power is the ability, strength, and capacity to do something. Authority is the right to use power to enforce rules or give orders. Empires in Era 3 wielded power and authority in different ways.The global pattern of development for human societies during Era 3 included the emergence of large empires in most of which an individual ruler held most of the power.Not every major society existed as an empire. Both empires and other types of civilizations during Era 3 organized power and authority in different forms including democracy, republics, and oligarchy. Empires exercised power and authority over vast geographic areas and many, many people during Era 3, thereby having an enormous impact on the development of civilization in general.Word Cards 9 power the ability, strength, and capacity to do something 1870710-95821500Example: By commanding the strongest army in the world, the emperor had the power to take over foreign lands and their inhabitants. (SS070403)10 authority1617980-55181500the right to use power to enforce rules or give orders Example: Empires in Era 3 wielded power and authority in different ways.(SS070403)15697208826500 11democracy rule by the people or a government in which many people are able to participateExample: The United States’ government is a representative democracy.(SS070403)22840958763000 12 dictatora ruler with absolute powerExample: Although Sulla was the dictator of Rome for only two years, he had total power for that time.(SS070403)13900154762500 13republic a government with elected leadersExample: After the development of the United States Constitution, the U.S. became a republic.(SS070403)192659014160500 14citizen someone officially recognized as a full member of a nation or kingdomExample: When the United States was first formed, Native Americans and African-Americans were not considered citizens.(SS070403)21774157429500 15aristocracya government in which a few elite citizens rule and have powerExample: The members of the Roman Senate could be considered aristocracy.(SS070403)18097507112000 16autocracy a system of government in which all power is held by one personExample: Rome became an autocracy when it turned into the Roman Empire and had an emperor.(SS070403)Student Handout 1 – Introduction to Athens and Athenian DemocracyRead the following introduction to the Greek city-state of Athens. Take notes on this side about who had POWER (who could make decisions, vote, participate in the court system, etc.)Introduction to Athens and Athenian DemocracyOn this side, take notes on who did NOT have power (who was excluded from the decision-making process in society)Take notes below on how citizens could be a part of making important decisions.Why Athens was greatAthens was the largest city in Greece, and controlled a region called Attica. Between the many mountains were fertile valleys, with many farms. Athens became rich because Attica also had valuable sources of silver, lead and marble. Athens also had the biggest navy in Greece.Athens was a beautiful and busy city. People came to the city from all over Greece, and from other countries, to study and to trade. The city's most famous building was the temple called the Parthenon. It stood on a rocky hill called the Acropolis. Inside the Parthenon stood a statue of the city's protector-goddess Athena.People powerIn the early 500s BC a new way of government was invented in Athens. It was "democracy" or "'rule by the people". Not everyone had a vote though. Only a male citizen had a say in how the city was run. There were about 30,000 citizens. The ruling Council had 500 members, all men, and chosen for a year at a time. Women could not be citizens, nor could slaves or foreigners. The citizens met to vote on new laws put forward by the Council. Usually around 5,000 citizens met, every 10 days or so on a hill called the Pnyx. In Athens, you can still see the stones of this historic meeting place. Guilty or not guilty?Athens had law courts with trial by jury. Juries were larger than the ones we have today - 500 citizens normally, but sometimes more. There were no lawyers, so people spoke in their own defense. After listening to the evidence, jurors voted by placing metal discs into one of two jars - one for guilty, one for not guilty. Punishments included the death penalty. Speeches were timed by a water-clock.Citizens also voted to get rid of people they did not like. They wrote the name of the person they wanted to remove on a piece of broken pottery, called an ostrakon. Any person who received more than 6,000 votes was banished from the city for 10 years.SlavesOf the 250,000 to 300,000 people in Athens (at its biggest around 400 BCE), between a quarter and a third of them were enslaved. Some slaves were captured in wars. Others were born slaves. Some people were forced into slavery when they could not afford to pay money they owed or as a penalty for criminal behaviour. A few slaves had special skills, such as nurses, teachers, or pottery painters. Most slaves did the hardest and most unpleasant jobs. A lucky slave might save enough money to buy his freedom.Take notes below on what life was like for slaves.Source: “Ancient Greeks: Athens.” Primary History. BBC. 24 February 2013 <;. Student Handout 2 Introduction to Ancient Rome….. Republic to EmpireWorking with a partner, read the following excerpts from primary documents about the Roman Republic. Skim the document and the guiding questions for notes before reading. Use the summaries in the middle column to help you understand the documents. Think about your purpose for reading each document, and then take notes in response to the prompts as you read. You can talk quietly about the important ideas with your partner to help you take notes, but stay focused! Write directly in the note-taking column. Constitution of the Roman Republic - A translation of an account written by Polybius, a Greek historian who lived in Rome and observed the transition from Republic to Empire firsthand.Gary Edward Forsythe: Assistant Professor of Classical Languages and Literatures, University of Chicago. Author of The Historian L. Calpurnius Piso Frugi and the Roman Annalistic Tradition.? Robert A. Guisepi:? Author of Ancient VoicesPolybius 6.11-18: [Polybius here sets forth a general analysis of the Roman constitution at the time of the Second Punic War.] Text Excerpts:Summary: Note Taking column…. answer the questions:I have already mentioned the three divisions of government in control of state affairs. All three were so equally and fittingly set out and organized in all respects as regards their respective roles that no one, not even any of the Romans themselves, could say for certain whether their system of government was aristocratic in its general nature, or democratic, or monarchical. And this uncertainty is only reasonable, for if we were to focus on the powers of the consuls it would appear to be altogether monarchical and kingly in nature. If, however, we were to focus on the powers of the Senate, it would appear to be a government under the control of an aristocracy. And yet if one were to look at the powers enjoyed by the people, it would seem plain that it was democratic in nature. As for the parts of government controlled by each element, they were at that time and (with a few exceptions) still are as follows:The government had three parts. These three parts seemed equal to each other in power. There was a part that was more aristocratic (controlled by a small group of wealthy people), a part that was more democratic (controlled by a larger group of people), and a part that was monarchical (controlled by one person, like a king).The consuls were sort of like kings. The Senate was like an aristocracy (small group of rich guys). Yet the larger population had some power too, so that was more democratic.How was this government, with consuls, a Senate, and the people, similar to and different from Athens?The consuls, when in Rome prior to leading out their armies, are in charge of all public affairs. For all of the other public officials, with the exception of the tribunes, are below the consuls and subject to their authority, and it is the consuls who introduce foreign ambassadors to the Senate. In addition to the powers just mentioned, the consuls introduce to the Senate urgent matters for its consideration and bring about the detailed implementation of its decrees. Moreover, it is the consuls' duty to consider all matters of public concern which are to be decided by the people… Furthermore, they enjoy nearly autocratic powers as regards preparations for war and the conduct of military affairs. …Copy the underlined phrases from the passage to the left in the space below:As best you can, see if you can re-write these phrases and list the powers of the consuls:The Senate, first of all, has control of the treasury, for it has complete authority over all revenues and expenditures. For the quaestors are unable to disburse funds for any particular need without a decree from the Senate, the only exception being in the case of the consuls [see above]. The Senate is in charge of by far the most important and the greatest expenditure of public funds -- that which the censors make every lustrum [i.e. every five years] for the repair and construction of public works: it is through the Senate that the funds are allocated to the censors. Similarly, whatever crimes committed in Italy require a public investigation -- for example, treason, conspiracy, poisoning, willful murder -- these all fall under the jurisdiction of the Senate. Copy the underlined phrases from the passage to the left in the space below:As best you can, see if you can re-write these phrases and list the powers of the Senate:… the people alone amid the organs of state have jurisdiction over the conferring of rewards and punishments, these representing the sole bonds by which kingdoms and states and, in a word, human society are held together. ... The people pass judgment, then, whenever the punishment for a crime involves a substantial penalty, and especially when the accused have held high office. And the people alone can pass judgment in capital cases. ... It is the people who grant offices to the deserving, the most noble prize for virtue in a state. They also have authority over the ratifying of laws and -- the greatest of their powers -- they deliberate and pass judgment concerning war and peace. They also confirm decisions concerning the various military alliances, truces, and other treaties, rendering them valid or rejecting them. The result is that, with a view to these powers, one might reasonably say that the people have the greatest role in the state, and that the constitution is democratic in nature.Summary:The people get to decide guilt or innocence in public trials. The people get to elect some of their leaders.The people get to vote to pass laws.The people have a voice in decisions relating to war and peace. Do you think that all people really had these powers? Did they have this power in Greece? Who do you think “the people” included?-8945230783Turn and Talk, and then Stop and Jot below:In the Roman Republic, based upon what you read above, how were decisions made? How is this similar to Athens? How is it different? Who had power and authority in the Roman Republic?00Turn and Talk, and then Stop and Jot below:In the Roman Republic, based upon what you read above, how were decisions made? How is this similar to Athens? How is it different? Who had power and authority in the Roman Republic?Student Handout 3- Power in the Roman EmpireIn the column below, there are excerpts from a primary document, “The Deeds of the Divine Augustus,” in which Caesar Augustus, emperor of Rome, celebrates his own deeds. Read each of the passages from this document. Check off which type of power you think it represents. For example, if it has do with taking an army to fight another country, you could check off both military and foreign. You may work with a partner. The Deeds of the Divine Augustus, By Augustus, Written 14 C.E. Translated by Thomas Bushnell, BSGThe excerpts below from “The Deeds of the Divine Augustus,” describe power and authority in the Roman Empire. It explains how he subjected most of the world known to the Romans to the rule of the Roman people. This document was inscribed on two bronze pillars, which were set up in Rome.Excerpts from the Deeds of the Divine AugustusMilitary (war, armies, soldiers)Economic (money, taxes, food)Cultural(art, religion, architecture)Legal(Laws, courts, crime)Foreign(other nations, treaties, peace, trade)Domestic(life in Rome, food, work, business)2. I drove the men who slaughtered my father into exile with a legal order, punishing their crime, and afterwards, when they waged war on the state, I conquered them in two battles.3. I often waged war, civil and foreign, on the earth and sea, in the whole wide world, and as victor I spared all the citizens who sought pardon. As for foreign nations, those which I was able to safely forgive, I preferred to preserve than to destroy.8.... I conducted a lustrum, after a forty-one year gap, in which lustrum were counted 4,063,000 heads of Roman citizens. (A lustrum was kind of like a ceremonial blessing after a census, a counting of the population).18. ... when the taxes fell short, I gave out contributions of grain and money from my granary and patrimony, sometimes to 100,000 men, sometimes to many more. 20. I rebuilt aqueducts in many places that had decayed with age, and I doubled the capacity of the Marcian aqueduct by sending a new spring into its channel. (aqueduct=channel that carried water to people)21. I built the temple of Mars Ultor on private ground and the forum of Augustus from war-spoils. I built the theater at the temple of Apollo...22. Three times I gave shows of gladiators under my name and five times under the name of my sons and grandsons; in these shows about 10,000 men fought. ...Twenty-six times...I gave the people hunts of African beasts in the circus, in the open, or in the amphitheater; in them about 3,500 beasts were killed. 25. I restored peace to the sea from pirates. In that slave war I handed over to their masters for the infliction of punishments about 30,000 captured, who had fled their masters and taken up arms against the state.26. I extended the borders of all the provinces of the Roman people which neighbored nations not subject to our rule. I restored peace to the provinces of Gaul and Spain...31. Emissaries from the Indian kings were often sent to me, which had not been seen before that time by any Roman leader.... the kings of the Albanians, of the Iberians, and of the Medes, sought our friendship through emissaries.Stop and Jot: How would you describe the power of an emperor? How does this seem different from decision making during the Roman Republic?Student Handout 4As you read this, look for key events that caused the Roman Republic to become an Empire. Underline events you think might be important.The Fall of the Roman Republic and the Rise of the EmpireIn 100 BCE, the people of Rome lived in what was known as the Roman Republic. Although the most important positions in the government were held by wealthy men, these men were elected by mass assemblies of citizens (free Roman men). The assemblies could also vote on laws and important government policies. Roman people were proud they lived in a “Republic” in which many people shared some of the power. While rich Roman men had more power, other Roman men could at least participate in the process.This system of government eventually fell apart however, and it was replaced by the Roman Empire. The problems of the Republic perhaps began around 133 BCE when a young aristocrat (rich guy!) name Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was a tribune, an elected official supposed to represent the common people. Gracchus wanted to return some land taken by the government to poor farmers, and instead of asking the Senate (the usual procedure), he presented his idea to a mass assembly of the people. He managed to kick out another tribune who went against him, and he got the bill passed. Not long after though, Gracchus was murdered by a group of angry senators. This conflict between officials weakened the government of the Republic. Meanwhile, Rome was growing as it fought several wars and conquered different places. Many of the Roman soldiers had been farmers, and when they came home from war they found that their farms had been taken over by wealthy Romans. Conflict over land and the treatment of returning soldiers became an issue too for Rome. Some years later, Gracchus’ brother became a tribune too, and he was also murdered when he proposed big changes to help people with less power and money. Wealthy senators did not want to compromise or give up their land or power.As Rome gained new land through war, some military leaders gained lots of power and influence too. One Roman military leader, Sulla, took over Rome with his troops in 82 BCE and declared himself “dictator.” Sulla ruled for two years and killed many, many people who spoke out against his power. This was a big change from the early days of the republic.These types of conflicts continued as different military and political leaders competed for power. Two leaders emerged eventually, both of whom had been important generals in Rome’s wars: Pompey and Julius Caesar.Caesar wanted to change the Roman system like Gracchus - giving land and more power to former soldiers. However, Pompey wanted to keep the system the way it was and protect the wealthy. In 49 BCE, a civil war erupted in which Pompey and his supporters fought against Caesar and his supporters. By the end of 48 BCE, Pompey had been defeated and beheaded, and Caesar took power, becoming the first emperor of Rome, even if he did not take that title. Caesar began changing laws and giving away land to former soldiers. In 44 BCE though he too was killed by a group of senators. More conflict followed as the followers of Caesar fought with his killers and their supporters over who should take power. This conflict marked the end of the Roman Republic.In 31 BCE however, Octavian, Caesar’s nephew and adopted son, won an important battle and defeated his opponents. Octavian called himself Caesar Augustus and declared himself emperor of Rome. He ruled for 40 years and established the Roman imperial system that would hold on for the next 400 years. He took control of all Roman territories as well as the entire Roman Army. He also invested a lot of resources in making Rome a more advanced city by building new roads and other things. He died in 14 CE and his stepson Tiberius took power. Adapted from “Republic To Empire.” The Roman Empire In The First Century. PBS. 24 February 2013 < the space above, identify a few key events that led to the change from Republic to Empire in Rome (summarize them from the reading).Student Handout 5EmpireDescription of size... how many people lived under its control, and how much land did it cover?Who had the power? How was government structured? Who didn’t have any power?AthensRoman RepublicRoman Empire ................
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