1. The Mediterranean world
1.1. western european civilization began thousands of years ago
1.2. climate was moderate. not too hot and not too cold
1.3. lots of food could be grown and large populations could be supported
1.4. lots of towns were built and many civilizations formed
1.4.1. jutes
1.4.2. franks
1.4.3. romans
1.5. the sea itself was an excellent source of food and trade
1.5.1. Traders came from as far as India and china
1.6. Greece fell to Rome in 150 b.c.e
2. The Romans
2.1. roman empire conquered most of Europe
2.1.1. very advanced for it's time
2.2. Most successful army in western Europe
2.2.1. Roman legions
2.3. Established trade throughout mediterranean
2.3.1. Pax romana
2.3.1.1. A treaty made by the Romans to encourage peace and trade
2.4. Women, slaves and non-Romans were denied citizenship
2.5. The Colosseum could seat 50,000
2.5.1. Gladiator battles, beast fights and chariot races were held in the colosseum
2.6. The Fall of Rome
2.6.1. in 410 c.e., Rome was conquered by the Goths
2.6.2. the empire was stretched so thin, that it grew hard to defend
2.6.3. Rome grew weak under constant attacks by Germanic tribes
2.7. Latin
2.7.1. The main language of Rome was latin
3. The Franks
3.1. conquered most of Gaul(France)
3.2. all men went about armed with a francisca
3.3. both men and women were fond of jewellery
3.3.1. both wore their hair long
3.4. The Merovingians
3.4.1. a frankish royal family that ruled for 300 years
3.4.2. Clovis I, reigned from 480 to 511 C.E and was most successful Frankish ruler
3.5. Salic Code
3.5.1. wergild was a person's value by law
3.5.2. solidi were gold coins worth at most $100 today
3.6. Frank = Free
4. Charlemagne
4.1. The Carolingian Empire was the name of Charlemagne's empire from 770 to 814 c.e.
4.2. came to power in 768 c.e.
4.3. his father, Pepin the Short threw out the last of Merovingian rulers and made himself king
4.4. on christmas day 800, pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans
4.5. ordered the death of 4000 Saxons for not converting to christianity
4.6. he encouraged education so he built many schools and churches
5. The Anglo-Saxons and The Celts
5.1. after the fall of Rome, Britain was invaded by the Angles, Saxons and the Jutes
5.2. large numbers of these invaders pushed the Celts into Wales, Cornwall, Scotland and Ireland
5.3. the Celts(kelts) inhabited most Europe from Spain to Russia
5.4. the Anglo-Saxons started out as farmers and lived in small villages
5.5. they had skilled metal and sculptors. They were also amazing storytellers who created epics such as Beowulf
6. The Vikings
6.1. the Vikings were a proud civilization from Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden and Denmark)
6.2. they raided all over Europe from Ireland to Constantinople
6.2.1. the Vikings could not conquer the Byzantine Empire
6.3. they travelled in vast longships able to hold up to 32 warriors
6.4. Viking raids consisted of small hit and run tactics and when they were done, they burned the villages down
6.5. men and woman had equal rites in Viking society
6.6. they kept slaves called thralls who could be killed by their masters at any time
6.7. thrall = slave
6.8. Freydis Eriksdottir
6.8.1. she led an expedition to Newfoundland in the early 1100s