Presentation Plus! Glencoe World History
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The Period in Perspective
For hundreds of thousands of years, human
beings lived in small communities, seeking to
survive by hunting, fishing, and gathering food
and supplies in an often hostile environment.
Then, in the space of a few thousand years,
there was an abrupt change of direction. Human
beings in a few widely scattered areas of the
globe began to master the art of growing food
crops. As more food was produced, the
population in these areas grew, and people
began to live in cities, form governments, and
develop writing and art. Historians call this
process the beginnings of civilization. It occurred
at about the same time in the river valleys of
Western Asia, Egypt, India, and China.
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Unit Objectives
After studying this unit, you should be able to: 
• explain how the first civilizations emerged. 
• identify the similarities and differences between
the emerging civilizations in India and China. 
• describe the advances made by the Greeks and
reasons for the decline of the Greek Empire. 
• list and explain contributions of the Romans to
Western civilization.
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Explore online information about the topics
introduced in this unit.
Click on the Connect button to launch your browser and go to
the Glencoe World History Web site. At this site, you will find
interactive activities, current events information, and Web sites
correlated with the chapters and units in the textbook. When
you finish exploring, exit the browser program to return to this
presentation. If you experience difficulty connecting to the Web
site, manually launch your Web browser and go to
http://wh.glencoe.com
Click any of the
images on the left to
listen to the excerpt on
pages 182–183 of your
textbook. Then answer
the questions on the
following slides.
This feature can be found on pages 182–183 of your textbook.
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How does Achilles plan to avenge his
friend Patroklos’ death beyond killing
Hektor?
He plans to leave Hektor’s body
exposed, to be eaten by vultures and
dogs, instead of returning it to the
Trojans.
This feature can be found on pages 182–183 of your textbook.
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Who is Athena supporting in this
conflict?
Athena is supporting Achilles.
This feature can be found on pages 182–183 of your textbook.
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Explain Achilles’ concern with Hektor’s
armor.
The armor belonged to Achilles’ friend
Patroklos. The fact that Hektor
removed it from Patroklos after killing
him and is now wearing it angers him.
But, because Achilles knows the armor,
he knows where Hektor is vulnerable.
This feature can be found on pages 182–183 of your textbook.
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Critical Thinking What does Hektor’s
last request reveal about Greek
attitudes towards death?
It shows that the Greeks believed the
body is important in the death ritual.
This feature can be found on pages 182–183 of your textbook.
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This feature can be found on pages 134–137 of your textbook.
Click the Speaker Button to listen to the audio again.
Read the excerpt on pages
134–137 of your textbook.
Then answer the questions
on the following slides.
This feature can be found on pages 134–137 of your textbook.
Was there a Trojan War? If so, what was its
likely cause?
Historians and archaeologists disagree on
whether or not the Trojan War or Wars actually
occurred. Recent excavations suggest the
possibility that wars over trade routes and
control of the Dardanelles by Troy may have
indeed occurred. However, there is no
conclusive evidence to support this view.
This feature can be found on pages 134–137 of your textbook.
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What is significant about the strait called the
Dardanelles?
The Dardanelles is the quickest route between
the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. As
such, it is strategically, politically, and
economically very important to all countries in
the region.
This feature can be found on pages 134–137 of your textbook.
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• The terms Achilles’ heel and Achilles tendon
come from Homer’s Iliad. Achilles, who slayed
Hektor in the Iliad, was considered to be
vulnerable only at the heel, the part of his body
that his mother failed to dip in the River Styx. The
Achilles tendon is the strong tendon that joins the
muscles in the calf of the leg to the bone of the
heel.
This feature can be found on pages 134–137 of your textbook.
• The Trojan Horse, the large, hollow wooden
horse in which the soldiers of the Mycenae
supposedly hid in order to invade Troy, is not
mentioned in either the Iliad or the Odyssey. It
was reported in the Aeneid, which was written by
the Roman poet Virgil.
This feature can be found on pages 134–137 of your textbook.
• The character of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca
and the Greek leader during the Trojan Wars,
was originally portrayed as courageous, honest,
and heroic. Later interpretations portray the king
as crafty and sly.
This feature can be found on pages 134–137 of your textbook.
This feature can be found on pages 14–15 of your textbook.
This feature can be found on pages 14–15 of your textbook.
This feature can be found on pages 14–15 of your textbook.
This feature can be found on pages 14–15 of your textbook.
The Romans developed the principle that people
should be ruled by law rather than by the whims of
leaders. How did the United States ensure that
leaders would not place themselves above the law?
The United States Constitution was adopted as the
supreme law of the land, and all citizens, legislators,
and the president are legally bound to uphold the
Constitution. The system of checks and balances
also ensures that leaders will not place themselves
above the law.
This feature can be found on pages 14–15 of your textbook.
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