World History Homework Two Answers - Student 12

Answers by FrederickT3 12:22, 12 September 2011 (EDT) (incomplete)

1. When did the Greek empire exist, and what events mark its beginning and its end?

A true Greek empire only existed very briefly, between 334 B.C., when Alexander began his conquests, and 323 B.C., the year of his death. Before, Greece was split into numerous city states (poleis), each of which ruled over a fairly small territory. After Alexander's death, his empire almost immediately split into smaller states, many of which were governed by former generals in Alexander's army.

2. What is your favorite Aesop's Fable, and why? Explain.

I'm afraid (and almost ashamed) that I've never actually read any of Aesop's fables. I'll have to put them on my reading list. If you permit me to pick a different work of Greek literature, I would pick "Iphigenia in Aulis" by Euripides. This tragedy tells the story of how Agamemnon, the leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War, is led by an oracle to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia to overcome a lack of wind which has grounded the Greek fleet at Aulis. The play is deeply psychological, and describes the conflict between love for the daughter, political loyalty and submission to the gods. The story has obvious similarities to the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac, which makes me wonder whether Euripides may actually have heard of that?

3. Pick one of the Greek philosophers and compare and contrast him with another Greek philosopher.

4. Explain how the expansion and influence of the Greek culture became useful to the growth of Christianity. Mention the role played by Alexander the Great.

5. Pick two of the important ancient empires other than the Greek empire, and briefly describe them.

6. Write 150 words on any aspect of the lecture, or describe 3 important terms from the lecture (such as adding them to the study guide above).

Honors Questions (answer any 2 in addition to the above questions)

7. Write an essay of 200 words on any aspect of one or more ancient languages, such as their development or origins (or add 5 terms with descriptions to the study guide).

Latin was initially the language of a small region (called "Latium"; the modern Italian province is still called "Lazio") around the town of Rome. It was only one of a number of related languages in the South of the Italian peninsula, others being Oscan and Umbrian. Due to the expansion of Rome, Latin soon overpowered the other languages, and finally became the dominant language across the Roman empire, although in the eastern parts Greek was actually more important. Latin reached its peak as a language of culture towards the end of the Republic, in particular in the speeches of Cicero, and the epics of Virgil and Ovid. With the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, Latin ceased to exist as a living language, although it continued to be used as a language in science and philosophy until the 18th century or so, and is still in Christian (especially Catholic) liturgy. The form of Latin spoken by the people (so-called "Vulgar Latin") gave rise to a number of daughter languages which are still widely spoken today. Examples are French, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian. The English language was also strongly influenced by Latin, and many English words have Latin roots. An example is "conservative", which derives from the Latin verb "conservare".

8. What weaknesses, if any, do you see in the ancient Greek democracy?

9. Discuss the ancient Persian empire, and suggest reasons why it could not withstand the expansion of Alexander the Great.

10. Discuss any aspect of the lecture.