Greece and Rome Test

Question 1

Which civilization had a more favorable geographic setting for expansion? Greece or Rome?

Answer 1

Rome

Question 2

Effects of geography on Greece

Answer 2

Mountains made it difficult to expand; limited resources and access to the sea resulted in them developing extensive Mediterranean trade; they didn’t unify, but instead lived in independent city-states (polises)

Question 3

Effects of geography on Rome

Answer 3

The Italian peninsula is in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, so it was able to control trade once it defeated Carthage in the Punic Wars. Rome continued to expand by sea all around the Mediterranean coast, and then took advantage of the flatness and relative openness of areas to the north of Italy to expand into most of Western Europe. The good farmland encouraged population growth

Question 4

Why were Athens and Sparta usually enemies of each other?

Answer 4

Different cultures–Sparta focused on creating and sustaining a strong military and didn’t value arts and other culture; Athens was democratic and encouraged culture and education

Question 5

What caused Sparta and Athens to work together?

Answer 5

Common enemy–the Persian Empir

Question 6

Was the Persian Empire tolerant or intolerant of people within the Empire who were different from them?

Answer 6

They were tolerant; it was a diverse empire that permitted freedom of religion and culture as long as its citizens obeyed the laws and paid their taxes.

Question 7

How did the Persian Wars affect the Greeks?

Answer 7

It was a big win over an enemy that people thought was invincible. Soon after their victory they entered their Golden Age

Question 8

What was the effect of the Peloponnesian Wars on the Greek city-states?

Answer 8

Sparta technically won, but all of the city-states were weakened

Question 9

What do all governments have in common?

Answer 9

They establish justice, ensure peace within their borders and when faced with an outside enemy, they promote the welfare of their people by providing basic services that the people can’t provide for themselves (roads, infrastructure, etc.)

Question 10

What is true of all democracies?

Answer 10

They are governments of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Question 11

In a democracy, what rights do governments guarantee their people?

Answer 11

Basic freedoms, such as speech and religious practice, as well as protection bot within its borders and from outside threats.

Question 12

In a democracy, what responsibilities do the people have toward their government?

Answer 12

They must obey the laws, pay their taxes, and participate in government by vote and/or participating in running the country

Question 13

What were the main differences between Athenian democracy and Roman democracy?

Answer 13

Athenian was direct democracy, in which the citizens run the government themselves. This form is found only in Ancient Athens. Roman democracy was representative, meaning that the citizens still voted but they elected people to represent their opinions and views in the government. This is called a republic, and it’s the type of democracy used in every other democracy in the world, even ours.

Question 14

Why was Alexander the Great so successful in conquering a large territory?

Answer 14

He was a military genius, had a loyal army, and encouraged cultural diffusion by allowing the conquered people to maintain their own cultures.He attempted to spread classical Greek culture but also incorporate the cultures of the other people he conquered.

Question 15

Where did Alexander the Great conquer?

Answer 15

Greece, Egypt, Persia, and the norther part of the Indus River valley.

Question 16

Why couldn’t the Romans have used the same kind of democracy that the Athenians used?

Answer 16

Rome was too big with too many people. having them all participate directly would have been impossible.

Question 17

What were the main components of Rome’s democracy?

Answer 17

Think about the specific government positions that kept the republic running smoothly. Look at the chart that shows the Senate, consuls, dictator and other magistrates. It began with all the power in the hands of the patricians but eventually included plebeians in greater and greater roles over time. After about 500 years the structure stopped functioning effectively, and the republic was replaced by an emperor.

Question 18

How did the Romans’ laws keep order in society?

Answer 18

They implemented the Twelve Tables, which contained both civil and criminal laws that applied to everyone and imposed penalties based on the severity of the crime. Maintaining a fair justice system was a primary goal.

Question 19

How did they compare to Hammurabi’s laws?

Answer 19

Some of the laws were very similar. Some of the punishments were more harsh and some were less harsh. See the
handout we did and the comparison question you answered on Google Classroom.

Question 20

How did the Romans gain control over the Mediterranean and the rest of the territory they eventually gained?

Answer 20

First the defeated Carthage in the Punic Wars, and then they expanded throughout the Mediterranean and then into Western Europe through conquest. They had an extremely effective army that could defeat their opponents wherever they fought. See the map we colored in class.

Question 21

How did the spread of Christianity affect the Roman Empire, both positively and negatively?

Answer 21

The government saw it as a threat when it first emerged, and they persecuted Christians for centuries. As time went on it had spread so far that it was impossible to stop it, and ultimately it unified the Empire by becoming the official religion.

Question 22

What other factors contributed to its collapse?

Answer 22

invasions by Germanic tribal groups who took advantage of the weakened military and government that Rome had been experiencing for 200-300 years.

Question 23

What replaced the Roman Empire in Western Europe after the Empire fell?

Answer 23

Europe was no longer unified, and the way was paved for the emergence of feudalism–a decentralized system of government–and the Middle Ages.

Question 24

Why were the Phoenicians important to the Classical period? Think about their connections to different civilizations and the contributions they made. Make sure you understand who they were and how they affected Greece as well as Rome.

Answer 24

They came from the eastern coastal region of the Mediterranean and made their fortunes as traders. They were called “carriers of civilization” because they brought ideas from western Asia and traded spread them to all of the people they traded with in the Mediterranean. They had a monopoly over trade of purple dye but they’re most important for the phonetic alphabet which formed the basis of the alphabet we use today. Phonetic means that it has symbols that represent sounds.