World History I

Chapter 7: Interaction and Adaptation in Western Eurasia: Persia, Greece, and Rome
550 BCE-600 CE

32: Mon, Jan 5, 2026

Please read the chapter and take the quiz by midnight on Sun, Jan 4, 2026.
Please also post in the forum for the day a short essay in response to this question:

Looking at the maps in your textbook chapter, consider the geography of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. You may also find it helpful to watch the following Scholars Online video presentation on the history of Greek natural philosophy.

• What opportunities and obstacles did geography present to Greece? To Persia? To Rome?
• How did technologies such as seafaring and roads serve as a resource in the ancient Middle East and Mediterranean and help shape the civilizations that grew up there?

Consider the spread of ideas, institutions, and technologies. Discuss examples from your reading.