笔记内容概述：欧洲文化传统期末考试笔记，涵盖美索不达米亚文明、埃及文明、希伯来文明、基督教文化等与之相关的重难点信息。该笔记有帮助同学成功通过期末考核，避免补考之神效。

欧洲文化传统期末考试

考核要求：

简答题 5×2%

判断题 10×1%

选择题 40×1%

连线题 20×0.5%

论述题（4选2）2×15% （200词）

考试范围：

1.    西方文化的摇篮：美索不达米亚文明、埃及文明、希伯来文明概述

2.    了解古希腊民主制度

3.    希腊文学：神话与史诗，古希腊悲剧与喜剧的主要区别，能辨识主要作家

4.    古希腊哲学简介（能辨识主要的几个哲学家及其主要观点，能列举几个哲学流派）

5.    罗马历史沿革简介（史前，王政，共和国及帝国）

6.    罗马人的法律和治国政策体现在哪些层面

7.    罗马人的贡献（现代国家法律，文学，艺术，建筑等）

8.    基督教等主要教义，简要发展过程，分支

9.    《圣经》故事及其文学意义

10.   基督教文明对现代西方文化的影响（能举例说明）

一、 The Cradle of European Civilization

1.    Mesopotamian (the Fertile Crescent)

Two rivers: Euphrates + Tigris

Location：In the middle east (Iraq)

Cultures: Sumerian + Babylonian + Assyrian

Favorable conditions:

1.    Relatively easy irrigation → yield heavy crops, fish, wild fowl

2.    Cities ← urbanization

Handicrafts + city administration + military defense

Import raw material (clay → build houses, create tablets)

Stone and wood → rare

Cultural achievements

Mathematical and astronomical science (sexagesimal → clock)

Architecture and art (antiquity: ziggurat)

Cuneiform writing (Enuma Elish, Gilgamesh, the code of Hammurabi)

Matriarchy 母系社会

Banking

2.    Egyptian

River: The Nile River

Location: the northeastern Africa

Time: 3300BC—30BC

Favorable conditions:

1.    The highlands of East Africa → Sudan, Egypt → Cairo → delta → Mediterranean Sea

2.    Seasonal rains + floodwaters → a rich black soil

3.    Sun →heat + light

4.    The Nile River → the source of life-living water

5.    Natural barriers provide good protection from other people

Two wanders: The Pyramids at Giza + The Light house at Alexandria

Cultural achievements:

papyrus →hieroglyphs 象形文字

Arithmetic and geometry

Medicine and dentistry

A 365-day calendar

Emphasize life after death

Pyramid & Mummification (dehydrated)

Statues combining human and animal forms (animal symbol)

Religion: worship the sun and the moon → polytheism

Create the world’s first national government (King: Pharaoh)

3.    The Hebrews

Ancestor: Abraham

Living places:

Ur in Mesopotamia→ Canaan (Palestine) → Egypt →Sinai Peninsula → Canaan

Ancient Middle East + Mesopotamia

    Babylon → Egypt →Greece → Rome

Traits: Closely-knit, war-like, wandering tribes

progenitor祖先 →monotheism, law, a new history for the west

Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

Religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam

The kingdom of Judah ← Babylonians

    The kingdom of Israel ← Assyrians

Great significance:

Only one divine creator → monotheism

Hebrew: first to believe in God

Judaism: first monotheism in the world

Ethical element: almighty creator, righteous 正义的

Literature: stirring language, the source of endless literary creation

二、 Greek Democracy

1. Government: City-states 城邦制

basileus部族首长（abolished completely，greatly reduced in power）

Governing functions were distributed among several officials

Council of aristocratic “elders” 长老院

    Assembly of people 公民大会

2.    Athenian 雅典

Two bodies of government function

Assembly (policy decision-making)

Council (policy implementation administrative matters)

Citizen

Qualities:  ① adult male

          ② demonstrate both your parents are Athenians

          ③ good at war and peace

Power:  ① civic affairs

        ② political power

Duty: decision-making + decision-enforcing

3.    Sparta 斯巴达

Regime: totalitarian集权主义

Education:

To produce well-drilled, well-disciplined marching army

believe in life of discipline, self-denial, simplicity, loyal

to build a perfect body

Government:

Dual Kingship双王位: commander-in-chief + supervised domestic matters

The council of Gerontes (“elders” 28 men over 60)

Ephors 监督官

Assembly

The mixed constitution

The Peloponnesian war

三、 Greek Literature

1. Myths 希腊神话

To explain the world

Deeds and misdeeds of gods, goddesses and heroes

Polytheism

Human lifestyle

Homeric Epics

Starting point of European imaginative literature

Constituting the Prototype for all subsequent western epic poetry

Poets wandered from village to village shying or reciting folk songs, ballads, long poems, describing heroes and great events

《The Iliad》 + 《The Odyssey》→ Homers

Oral composition

Lyric Poetry    Sappho + Pindar

2.    Drama 戏剧

Tragedy & Comedy

Distinguish ways: ① Rhetorical tradition → the Middle age

                   comedy: fiction, not true, believable

                   tragedy: fiction neither true nor believable

                ② Aristotelian tradition → the Renaissance

                   comedy: below average, bad → good, everyday language

                   tragedy: above average, good → bad, elevated language

Tragic flaw: Aristotle

In honor of Dionysus → the god of wine

Tragedians: 主要悲剧作家

1.    Aeschylus

Father of tragedy

Moral sense

The second actor, chorus → conflict

Prometheus Bound, trilogy...

2.    Sophocles

Third actor

Abolish trilogy form

Oedipus the King

3.    Euripides

gods → human

Women

Stage philosopher

Media

Comic Playwright: Aristophanes   political satire

Historical writing: Herodotus & Thucydides

四、 The Influence of Bible 圣经的影响

1. Politics

Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address

The Declaration of Independence of America

2.    Literature

a beautiful prose

Dante’s divine Comedy

English Bible      KJV

3.    Art

Painting

The last supper: Leonardo da Vinci

Last judgement: Michelangelo

4.    Architecture

Notra-Dame de Paris

Milan Cathedral” the biggest Gothic Church

5.    Daily life （Sunday+ Language+ Marriage）

6.    Festival

五、 Christian

History of Christian

1.    Early History（1AD）

Twelve apostles（十二使徒）, Produce theology（神学）

2.    During the Roman Empire（4AD）

Nicene Christianity（尼西亚信经）

Orthodox+ Constantinople

3.    Middle Age in the West（5-17AD）

Missionary activity+ cathedral schools =University (like Oxford)

4.    After Enlightenment

1517 Martin Luther ‘reformation, Protestant

5.    Modern Time

Skepticism+ political ideologies (such as socialism, liberalism)

Core Belief: Through belief in and acceptance of the death and resurrection of Jesus, sinful humans can be reconciled to good and thereby are offered salvation and the promise of eternal life.

Trinity: The Union of three divine persons: the father(God), son(Jesus), the Holy Spirit in one good=Trine

六、 Three Branches of Christian

Roman Catholic 罗马天主教

Time: after Christ’s death

Major Figure: Pope(教皇), authority (interpretation of the Sculptures)

Areas of Influence: Iceland, Poland, France, Spain.

Eastern Orthodox 东正教

Time: Roman split in Western and Eastern empire

Areas of Influence: Russia, Greece, Romania, Ukraine, Armenia

Protestant 新教

Time: during Reformation (1517)

Doctrine: the scriptures speak for themselves （信仰得救，因信称义）

Areas of Influence: Scandinavia, England, the Netherlands