Unit I: Classical Era to the Renaissance
This unit will cover the foundations of our western civilization, starting with the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome and then jumping forward 100 years to Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
By the end of this unit you should understand:
The importance of early sources of law like the Twelve Tables and the Ten Commandments
The contributions of the Greeks and Romans to our culture and governmental systems
The daily life of people in Europe during the Middle Ages (manorial system, religion, towns, the plague, etc.)
The important cultural aspects of life during the Middle Ages, especially regarding Gothic art and architecture
The major ways that the Renaissance represented a new way of living compared to the Middle Ages, such as:
humanism instead of scholasticism
classical art instead of gothic art
nation states instead of feudal monarchies
new kinds of commerce and trade
Your Homework Assignment for this unit: (Due on September 25th)
Use your History book and the collection of online resources to create your own summary of this unit. Your summary needs to include the following items:
a one paragraph summary of each time period (Classical, Middle Ages, Renaissance)
a picture of a piece of art or architecture that is a good example of each time period and a brief explanation of what makes it a good example (you need one picture for each time period, therefore you'll need a total of three pictures with an explanation of each picture)
a picture, created by you, that compares the main ideas of the three time periods. You may choose to divide this picture into three panels (one panel for each time period).
Some links that will help you complete this assignment: