Chapter 5: Greece and Iran, 1000-30
B.C.E.
Maps
Early
Distribution
of Indo-European Languages
IndoEuropean
Languages
Today
Central
Asia/Persia
The
Empire
of Cyrus II
The
Mediterranean
Basis
Mediterranean:
A
View from Above
IAM
Map
Index
The
Aegean
Region
Greece
Index
of Maps of
the Ancient Greek World
Greek
Colonies
The
Persian
Wars
Alexander
the
Great Web Site Information
Alexander
in the
East
The
Hellenistic
World after the Breakup of Alexander's Empire, 310
B.C.E.
Perseus
Project
Atlas
Historical
and
Cultural Atlas Resource
Images
Cyrus
the
GreatThis site includes images of Persian ruins as well as
contemporary
artists' reconstruction of Persian army
regalia.
The Splendor
of
PersiaThe links at "The Great Kings" and "Persepolis: The
Sacred
City" offer images from the Achaemenid
period.
The
Detroit
Institute of Arts: Persepolis/Ancient IranThis site
offers a
few images from this museum's collection of Persian
art.
University
of
Chicago Oriental Institute: Persepolis and IranThis site
contains
999 black and white photos of ancient Persian
ruins.
Images
from
History: Median and Achaemenid EmpireThis site
provides
numerous examples of Persian art and ruins from Persian
cities.
PersepolisThis
site contains a nice image of the "Gate of all Nations"
from the
ruins of this famous Persian city.
Iran Photo
AlbumUse
the frames on the left-hand side and the bottom to navigate
this
site. By clicking on "Album" at the bottom and then
"People" and
"Places" in the left frame, you can access images of
Cyrus, Darius, and
Persepolis.
Greek
Art and
Architecture This comprehensive site includes artwork
representing
a broad period of time and from various places in the
ancient Greek
World.
The
Metropolitan
Museum of Art: Greek and Roman ArtAnother
fantastic
collection from this famous museum. Be sure to limit
your exploration
to the images from ancient
Greece.
Images
from
History: Classical GreeceNumerous images from the Archaic
and
Classical periods.
Dr
J's
Illustrated Athenian AcropolisExplore this famous Greek ruin
using
the wide array of images at this site.
Ships
of
the Ancient Greek on the World Wide WebThis unique site
provides
images of a variety of nautical vessels used by the ancient
Greeks.
The
Coins
of MacedoniaThe images of Greek coins here range from the
Archaic
to the Hellenistic Period.
Alexander
the
Great Web Site InformationWithin this site are many
images
from the world of Alexander.
Activity One:A major
theme in this chapter on Greece
and Iran is the development of
sustained contact between the Mediterranean
world, the Middle East,
and Persia between 1000-30 B.C.E. One way to
demonstrate this
development is through the use of Maps. Click
on and study the
Maps at
The
Hellenistic World after the Breakup of Alexander's Empire, 310 B.C.E.
Explain how these Maps demonstrate the growth of contact and exchanges between the Mediterranean world, the Middle East, and Persia from 650 B.C.E. to 310 B.C.E. What developments led to this sustained contact? For example, what role did trade play in uniting these regions? What role did military clashes and conquest play? According to these Maps, who were the dominant political forces in this broad region during this time period? According to Chapter 5, "Greece and Iran, 1000-30 B.C.E." in
The Earth and Its Peoples (Second Edition), what were the attitudes of these dominant political powers toward contact and exposure to other cultures?
Activity Two:While ancient Greeks and Persians were guilty of ethnocentrism, or believing that their culture was superior to their neighbors, their policy and practices between 1000
and 30 B.C.E. encouraged the exchange of goods, peoples, and ideas in this part of the world. The Achaemenid (or ancient Persian) Empire, for example, developed and help to spread Zoroastrianism, one of the first world religions. A world religion refers to a theology that is not exclusive to one ethnic group. Any person, in theory, can convert to the religion without losing their ethnic identity. To find out more about Zoroastrianism, read the first chapter from
Exploring Ancient World Cultures: The Selections of Zadspram. Who is Ohrmazd? Who is Ahriman? Which one created mankind? Why? Locate and review verse fourteen. What role did human beings play in the conflict between Ohrmazd and Ahriman? What was their reward for following Ohrmazd? What was their punishment for following Ahriman? Zorastrianism was a religion in which all human beings faced the same demands. It influenced many peoples in the Middle East during the time period covered in this chapter and beyond. Indeed, Zoroastrianism remained a major religious force in Persia and Central Asia until the rise of Islam (See Chapter 9 "The Sasanid Empire and the Rise of Islam, 200-1200). A small minority of people in this area still practice it today. Even though its presence today is small, Zorastrianism had a strong influence on Western Asian and world history. Go to
Babylon, Persia and Judaism and read the section "Persia, Zoroastrianism and the Jews." How did Zoroastrianism influence Judaism (and indirectly Christianity and Islam - two monotheistic religions that sprung from the Judaic tradition)? One of the legacies of this time period in this part of the world is the continued development of monotheism as a religious force.
Activity
Three:The Greek philosophical tradition also
profoundly
influenced this part of the world during this time period.
Many
intellectual achievements occurred during the Classical period
of
Greek history (480-323 B.C.E.). Two of the more famous
philosophers
of this era were Plato and Aristotle. Read the
essays at
Philosophy
of
the Greeks: Plato and Aristotle and
Aristotle.
How
did Plato and Aristotle attempt to explain how the universe
operated?
(Hint: Don't think about their specific works, but
their overall
approach.)
Review "New Intellectual Currents" on
pages 128-129 of
The
Earth and Its Peoples (Second
Edition). Why did Greek
philosophers abandon religion as an
explanation for how the universe
operated?
For the impact of
this approach on the broader world, continue to the
next
activity.
Activity Four:Review the
material at
Britannica.com:
Hellenistic
Age, Science and Medicine (scroll down for this
section).
Also review "The Hellenistic Synthesis" on pages
136-139 of your
textbook.
How did Hellenistic achievements in
science and medicine reflect what your
textbook calls "a great
multicultural experiment ... as Greek and Middle
Eastern cultural
traits clashed and merged" (page 139). Summarize
your
response in two to three paragraphs. To help answer
this
question, first review Activity Three to understand the Hellenic
approach
to science. Then go to
History
of
Mathematics: Topics Index and read the first five
topics.
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