Greek and Roman History

Importance of studying history: see this TED Talk at 14:30.

One of the ways we would like to deal with the sophistication of the modern world is through politics. And sadly, you can have humane moral principles, you can classify, you can use logic on abstractions, and if you are ignorant of history and of other countries, you can't do politics. We've noticed the trend among young Americans that they read less history and less literature, and less material about foreign lands. They are essentially ahistorical. They live in the bubble of the present. They don't know the Korean War from the War in Vietnam. They don't know who was an ally of America in World War II. Think how different America would be if every American knew that this is the fifth time western armies have gone to Afghanistan to put its house in order, and if they had some idea of what had happened on those four previous occasions. And that is, they had barely left and there wasn't a trace in the sand. Or imagine how different it would be if most Americans knew we had been lied into four of our last six wars. The Spanish didn't sink the Battleship Maine. The Lusitania was not an innocent vessel but was loaded with munitions. The North Vietnamese did not attach the seventh fleet. And of course Sadaam Husein hated Al Quaeda, and had nothing to do with it. And yet the administration convinced 45% of the people that they were brothers in arms.

Timelines...

 Brief timeline handout

Important Dates - Greece

1200BC - Trojan War

776BC - First Olympic Games

490BC - First Persian invasion, Battle of Marathon

480BC - Second Persian invasion, Spartan 300 at Thermopylae, Battle of Salamis

461-429BC - Pericles, Athens Golden Age (circa 450BC)

431-404BC - Peloponnesian War (404BC Athens defeated)

399BC - Death of Socrates

371BC - Sparta defeated by Thebes

338BC - Battle of Chaeronea, Philip II rules over united Greece

336-323BC - Alexander the Great (323BC Alexander dies)

Important Dates - Rome

*753BC - Founding of Rome, Romulus

*509BC - Tarquin Superbus deposed, beginning of Roman Republic

264BC - Rome rules all Italy, First Punic War (vs Carthage) begins

*218-201BC - 2nd Punic war, Hannibal

146BC - Third Punic War, Carthage razed

133BC - Tiberius Gracchus tribune

81BC - Dictatorship of Sulla

59BC - First Triumvirate: Caesar, Pompey, Crassus

*44BC - Caesar murdured

43BC - Second Triumvirate: Octavius, Antony, Lepidus

*27BC - Octavius Augustus Caesar made Emporer, beginning of Roman Empire

14AD - Augustus dies

64 - Great fire of Rome, Nero (37-68)

70 - Fall of Jerusalem, Vespasian (69), Titus

*117 - Largest extent of Roman Empire, death of Trajan, Hadrian rules

*161 - Marcus Aurelius

285 - Diocletian, administration split between east and west

*330 - Constantine (306-337), capital moved to Constantinople

395 - Theodosius dies, final split into east and west

*476 - Rome sacked, middle ages begins

*1453 - Constantinople conquered by Turks

Early Roman Monarchy

Romulus - legedary first king, raised by wolves, dispute with Remus over site, auguries, kills Remus, translated

interrex - establish tradition of electing kings, with confirmation by senate/patricians

Numa - sabine king, peaceful and religious

Tullus Hostillius - warlike king, Horatii, defeated peoples transplanted to Rome and made citizens

Ancus Marcius - religious rites restored

Lucumo Tarquin - emigrates from Corinth, rises in power to guardian of kings children, elected king, killed by conspiracy from Ancus sons

Servius Tullius - chosen heir of Tarquin, gains throne without election

Tarquin Superbus - seizes throne by force, wicked and tyranical, son Sextus rapes Lucretia, banished by Brutus

Brutus/Valerius first consuls - people swear not to have a king, Tarquins banished, Brutus mutually dies in fight with with son of Tarquin

Valerius (Poplicola) - Tarquins conspire and war to return, to no avail