Part A: Document Based Questions
The following documents will help you understand the various ideas and contributions of the Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans. Examine each document carefully, and answer the question or questions that follow each one.
Document 1: A philosopher’s view on life
This quotation is from the philosopher Socrates, who lived in Athens from about 470 to about 399 B.C.E.
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
What was Socrates suggesting about each person’s individual life in this quote?
TO EXAMIN YOUR OWN LIFE AND THE THINGS AROUND YOU.
Author: Who created the source? What do you know about the author? What is the author’s point of view?
Audience: For whom was the source created and how might this affect the reliability of the source?
The Main Idea: What point is the source trying to convey?
Prior knowledge: What do you know that would help you further understand the primary source?
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Document 2: Humanism in Ancient Greece
This quotation is from the philosopher Aristotle, who lived and taught in Athens from 384 B.C.E. to 322 B.C.E.
“Since human reason is the most godlike part of human nature, a life guided by human reason is superior to any other…For man, this is the life of reason, since the faculty [ability] of reason is the distinguishing characteristic of human beings.”
Vocabulary
Reason – Think, understand, and form judgments by a process of logic
1. Why did Aristotle believe human were so superior to other beings on this planet?
Human reasons
Author: Who created the source? What do you know about the author? What is the author’s point of view?
Audience: For whom was the source created and how might this affect the reliability of the source?
The Main Idea: What point is the source trying to convey?
Prior knowledge: What do you know that would help you further understand the primary source?
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Document 3: A Political Leader in Athens
This quotation is from the leader Pericles and his famous Funeral Oration (speech) given to his Athenians in about 430 B.C.E.
“Our plan of government favors the many instead of the few; that is why it is called a democracy…While every citizen has an equal opportunity to serve the public, we reward our most distinguished [respected] citizens by asking them to make our political decisions…A man may serve his country no matter how low his position on the social scale.”
1. What type of government was Pericles describing? What were his expectations for citizens in this type of government?
penicels was describing a democracy. The citezens was expected to serve the public and make politcal decsions for the goverement
Author: Who created the source? What do you know about the author? What is the author’s point of view?
Audience: For whom was the source created and how might this affect the reliability of the source?
The Main Idea: What point is the source trying to convey?
Prior knowledge: What do you know that would help you further understand the primary source?
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Document 4: Roads of the Roman Empire
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km of roads, including over 80,500 km of paved roads.
Document 5: Basics of Roman Law
The Twelve tables dates from the early Roman Republic (c. 449 BCE). Covering both civil and criminal matters, it was inscribed on large bronze plaques for all to see. Roman Laws focused on the following:
All free people have equal rights before the law.
A person must be considered innocent until he or she is proven
guilty.
Accused people should be allowed to face their accusers and
defend themselves.
Judges must interpret the law and make decisions fairly.
People have rights that no government can take away.
1. Which principle prevents a government from becoming too powerful?
2. Which principle prevents someone from going to jail based on a rumor that he or she committed a crime?
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