Rome 4

March 25, 2011

Diocletian- a strong-willed army leader and son of a slave, became an emperor
Constantine- a dashing young commander competing for power after the retirement of Diocletian
Eastern Empire- the best side of the empire, held more of a "city" type structure; where trading took place
Western Empire- soon became the middle of nowhere, not the "middle of everything" anymore, Rome, etc.
Edict of Milan- Costantine made it illegal to persecute Christians
Constantinople- The new capital of Eastern Rome, named after a city of Constantine
Huns- nomadic people from central Asia
Attila- New leader of the Huns, a short man with a flat nose and thin, graying beard
Leo I- First truly powerful pope of Rome

1.  What economic problems did the empire face in the third century?
Rome experienced inflation in their trade, products and silver.  They were trading with Asia, but Asia had no want in any of their "simple" products.

2. By the third century, how had Rome's army changed since the days of the republic?
Rome's army fought only for money.  They were not loyal and couldn't be trusted.  Usually the emperors tried to find only barbarions because they would fight for a lower amount.

3. A) What important religious change did Constantine bring about in the empire?
Constantine brought Christianity into the empire.
B) What political change did he bring about?
He split the empire into a Western and Eastern half because Rome was so large.  Also, he changed the capital to the eastern side being "Constantinople."

4. A) Why did Germanic tribes invade the empire in the 400's?
The Germanic tribes invaded the empire because they were easy to take over and were easy to "loot."
B) Why was the empire unable to drive the invaders out?
The empire was too weak and didn't have a large enough military.

5. A) List three reasons why Diocletian should be considered a successful emperor.

B) List three reasons why he might be considered a failure.

May 18, 2011

Today in our western civ class, we reviewed everything about Rome, for out test tomorrow.  I learned that Christianity started out very similar to being a cult.  During the second mod we continued to study, but in small groups.

may 16, 2011

Today in our class we reviewed what we learned from the video on the early Roman Empire.  Coming down from Julius Caesar came Caesar Augustus, Tiberious, Caligula (the sun of Germanicas), and then Claudius.  We also were able to look at Jesus as a historical figure instead of just a biblical hero.  We were able to see how often, power can change a person's perspective on almost anything.  On Thursday we will have our test so that the people on the field trip today (to watch a Shakespeare play), can catch up to be where we are at now.

Rome

Roman Empire started w/ Julius Caesar
By year 14; Greece, Spain, Northern Africa, and Syria were all a part of Rome,
Rome ruled the entire surrounded of the Mediterranean sea except for a small part of land

Tiberius in Government:

3 brothers were killed by being dragged around, starvation and committing suicide

Jesus- outraged, turned tables, free'd doves at the temple.
arrested for political subversion - crucified (which took 3 hrs)

Roman perspective of crucifix: getting rid of a rebel-rouser, keeping peace within the roman empire
Followers perspective of crucifix: Jesus was now their hero, dieing for what he believed in

Crucifix: main reason was because of how Public it was, it was horribly painful and sent a warning message to any rebels

Caligula in Government at 25 years old: - Emperor

2 years into role, he led an army north to invade Britain
- ordered all soldiers to collect sea shells
- went to kill an animal for sacrifice to god's but killed a priest instead

Eventually he was killed by his own aids, whom thought he was mentally insane

Claudious - @ infancy was disfigured for the rest of his life
In year 41 AD, he was heir to "emporercy"

Claudius in government:

**Suddenly an Emperor after everyone made fun of him,
instead of being cold-hearted because everyone made fun of him, he was extremely modest
-Increased womens privileges
-Apologized to patrons

took rule in Britain

important

May 5, 2011

Etruscans had written langauge 

Latins were first to live in roman area- had huge influence on language

Civilized along Tiber River

Once civilized; they had a king named Tarquin nicknamed (Tarquin the proud)

became a dictator and everyone hated him,
so the Romans soon realized how bad dictators could be so they came up with the 

Roman Republic.

Latifundia- huge estate or Villa

sold to wealthy people after wars, worked by slaves

produced oil/wine for exportation

gracchus brothers, served as tribunes:

Attempted to pass a land reform that would redistribute huge pieces of patrician land among the plebians; both assassinated for their attempts

Julius Caesar was a roman general and statesman, and was son of Gaius Caesar and Aurelia

He was appointed dictator for ten years in 47 BC,

Had alliance with Pompey/Crassus known as the first triumvirate

Lasted until Crassus's death in 53 BC,

"Dictator in perpetuity" <- Dictator for life

Who- Julius Caesar

What- Stabbed by Gaius Cassius Longinus, Marcus Junius Brutus, and many other senators

When- Ides of March, March 15, 44 BC

Where- Theater of Pompey

Why- The senate was afraid he was getting to powerful

His last words were "Et tu Brute?" "You too Brutus?"

Rome 3

Proletariat- The poorest class of Rome, dangerous mob within the city
Gladiator- A person who fought other warriors or wild beasts as a form of public entertainment
Tribune- officials who spoke on behalf of the plebeians
Triumvirate- a political regime dominated by three powerful individuals
Civil War- a conflict between political groups

1. How did victory in the Punic Wars change society?
   Farming was treated strictly as a business, previous farmers and now veterans sought city jobs, Rome brought back over thousands of pounds of silver, and homes were furnished with expensive goods.
2. How did slavery undermine Roman society?
   Wealthy people bought the farms hiring slaves from the wars to work them.  Because of this, the original farmers were out of jobs and forced to move into the city.
3. What reforms did the Gracchi try to make?
   They tried to equal out the citizens, by breaking down the larger estates and giving some of the land to the poor.
4. How were military leaders able to gain political power in Rome?
5. A) What tactics did Julius Caesar use in his rise to power?
   B) What groups supported Caesar?
   C) What groups opposed him?
6. A) Why did Octavian and Mark Antony join forces?
   B) How did Rome come under the rule of one man?

Chi Cago

The rise of Julius Caesar began in 60 B.C.

On March 15, 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was murdered

The Roman Legion consisted of 5,000 soldiers

Hannibal was Carthage's general during the Punic Wars

The "Circus Maximus" was a place of entertainment for the citizens, 

most commonly known for their horse chariot races

Mark and Cleopatra had a "thing" even though he had a wife.  

Also, she could talk him into doing anything.

The first people of Rome settled along the Tiber River.

Brutus was the man who set-up the murder of Julius Caesar.

Rome started off with only foot soldiers (infantry) and horse-back soldiers (cavalry)

Patricians were the "higher class" of Rome, while the plebeians were the "regular" people.

April 28, 2011

Today in western civilization, we started the class out by talking about the Tornado warning we just had.  It's something completely new to our school.  The first one they've ever had since it's been open, (1964.)  After this, we went over the reading and questions we completed for homework last night called "Rome two."  This reading talked about the early Roman army and government.  Miraculously, Rome was victorious in many battles in which they were easily looked at as the “under-dog.”  

Rome 2

Define :
Consul- Like kings, commanded the army and directed the government however there was two instead of only 1 king
Veto- "Forbid"
Senate- The aristocratic branch of the Roman government
Assembly- The democratic branch of the government, filled with citizen-soldiers
Dictator- A leader who had absolute power to make laws and command the army
Mercenary- soldiers who fight in any countries army for pay

Answer:

1. (A) Why were many plebeians dissatisfied with Rome's government in the early years of the republic?Plebeians were dissatisfied with Rome's government in the earlier years because it barred them from being able to hold most government positions, commanding armies or serving as high priests.
     (B) How did they win reforms?
   The plebeians won the reforms because they refused to fight in the Roman army unless the patricians agreed to certain reforms.
   (C) What changes did they bring about in Roman government?
   The plebeians demanded a written law of Rome, which established the idea that all free citizens had a right to the protection of the law.
   
   
2. Why did Romans consider that they had a balanced government?
   The government of Rome was partly Monarch, partly an aristocracy and partly a democracy.  They believed this mixture was balanced because it allowed them to have the best features of all types of government.
   
   
3. Once Rome had conquered most of Italy, how did the Roman government win the support of the conquered people?
    The Roman government won the support of the conquered people because the closer they were to Italy the more roman privileges and rights they were offered.  As the Roman government stretched further out it allowed it's conquered lands to rule themselves, as long as they do not make treaties of friendship with any other cities.
   
   
4. (A) At the start of the Punic wars, why might Carthage have appeared as the stronger power?
   Carthage's population was about 3 times larger than Rome, also, Carthage had a navy of 500 ships while Rome had absolutely no navy what so ever.  Carthage also was well off financial due to all the trade, so they were able to pay off mercenaries to fight in their army.
   
5. (B) Why was Rome, in fact, the victor?Rome became victorious because while Carthage spent it's previous years striving for wealth from trade, Rome directed it's energy towards winning wars.  Since Carthage became wealthy, they were able to afford mercenaries, although they were defeated by Rome because the Roman army was faithful and put their hearts into it unlike the mercenaries, whom which did it solely for the ca$h.
   
   
6. Why was the battle of Zama, a major turning point in history?
   The battle of Zama was a major turning point in history because if Carthage were to have won this war, it is quite possible that it would have been the greatest empire, rather than Rome.  Western Civilization would have been influenced by Carthage instead of Rome.
    
7. (A) Why did the Greeks at first welcome Roman armies?
   The Greeks rejoiced the Roman armies when they freed them from the rule of Philip V of Macedon.
   (B) Why did the Greek attitude change?
   The Greek attitude changed when Rome started getting in the way of Greek politics.  A few Greek city-states tried to free themselves of Rome, but failed.  Rome used Corinth as an example of to others, massacring or enslaving their citizens, wrecking walls, and burning homes and temples.

April 27, 2011

Today in our western civilization class, we reviewed our homework from yesterday; which was to read the article on Rome, Define eight words and answer six questions.  Thankfully, Mr.Schick must have been feeling better because he wasn’t crying to us like he basically was yesterday.  Also, after school today, I’m going to finally take my Greek test that I missed while I was out sick last week.  Today is our first day going over earlier Roman civilization in class.  One of the important things that we went over is that their society was split into two sides, patricians and plebians.

April 26, 2011

After being gone all last week, I came back to Mr.Schick's class listening to him vent about the terrible Easter break he had.  Unfortunately, we had to listen to him complain most of the class.  After this, we started reading about Rome, since we are now starting off our Roman empire unit.  I was okay with reading the article, but I much rather prefer to watch a movie and/or documentary.  Following are the answers to the questions asked from the reading:

Define:
Republic- A political unit that is not ruled by a monarch, and in which citizens with the right to vote choose their leaders
Gravitas- the important virtue that emphasized discipline, strength and loyalty.
Pater Familias- "Father of the family" Held complete control over the family/property and represented the family
Toga- A loose garment worn by the citizens in Rome
Patrician- The "higher class" that dominated the Roman society.
Plebian- The common farmers, artisans and merchants
Legion- The massive military unit of Romans made up of 4-6,000 armed foot soldiers
Century- 80 person fighting unit within a legion

1. How did geography help Rome?
   The Italian peninsula is near the midpoint of the Mediterranean, dividing the sea into an eastern and a western half.  Rome itself, is located midway between the Alps and Italy's southern tip.  Which makes the city of Rome a central point within a central peninsula.
   
   
2. Why was each of the following groups important in Rome's development?
   (a.) Latins- The Latins were the very beginning of Rome's development, as they were the first people to settle in this region.  Rome began as a settlement of Latin shepherds.
   (b.) Greeks- Greek settlers established about 50 colonies in southern Italy and Sicily.  They brought this area into closer contact with Greece, making it become a greater civilization.  Also, the Greeks had great influence on the Roman Religious ways, as they worshiped the same god's, just using different names.
   (c.) Etruscans- The Etruscans were most importantly known for developing the Roman alphabet.  They also had influence on the architecture and trade of the early Roman civilization.
   
3. What were the values of early Roman society?
   
4. (A) How was the Roman household organized?
   The eldest man of the family the "Pater Familias" ruled the family/property and could sell or kill any family member without penalty, although usually they acted as the families protector.  However, the mother of the family was in charge of the daily running of the household.  She had the right to own land and testify in court although she did not have the right to vote.
   (B) What freedom's did women have in society?
   Women had the freedom to own property and testify in court, although she did not have the key right to vote.
   
   
5. How was the army linked into roman society?
   Both Plebeian and Patrician men were forced to live double lives, contributing their time to the army as well as being a farmer, artisan, etc.  All the men were required to serve in the army for 10 years, before he was aloud to hold a seat in the public office.
   

Alexander the Greatttt

Today in our western civilization class we watched clips of the movie, Alexander.  Unlike Dionysus, Alexander fought WITH his army.  He was a much more honorable leader and conquered most all of the known world by age 25.  Although he didn’t have a good relationship father, he had an extremely good relationship with his mother, who made him believe that he was actually the son of one of the ancient Greek gods.  He attained his great horse Bucephalus by being the only person able to tame it.  He realized Bucephalus was actually just afraid of his own shadow, so he turned him away from the sun.  

the unexamined life is not worth living

Today in our western civilization class, we finished up the documentary “crucible of change.”  Today was focused mainly on Socrates- the ancient Greek philosopher.  During a war with Sparta, Athens was hit by a plague killing 1/3 of the population, including Paracleithes and all of his sons.  There were no “higher” people left to rule, so the democracy was led by “mob rule- whoever could stir up the crowd the most.”  The citizens decided to try to take over Sicily, which the only outcome of that was Athens was destroyed.  Since Athens became so weak, Sparta and Persia teamed up to attack, leaving them with nothing but 12 ships and torn down city walls.  Searching for someone to blame, they chose Socrates.  Socrates was tried and put to death, while Aristotle and Plato carried on his legacy. 

4/13/2011

Alexander's Conquest:

1. Power was from Ionian Sea all the way to Himalayas
2. Spread Greek culture around the world
3. Road a horse named Bucephalus- which meant " ox head "
4. Could have died of alcohol poisoning, syphilis, fever, typhus

90/100

Homer:

1. Lived around the 8th century BCE
2. What was he most well known for?  Writing the Iliad and Odyssey
3. Some argue that Homer never really existed

100/100

Greek Presentations

Monday, April 11, 2011

The Hellenic Age

1. Polyclitus of Argos- one of the most important (classical) sculptors
2. Alexander the great grew up and ruled in this age

80/100

Greek Battles

1. Main formation used for battles was called Phalanx
2. Soldiers were well armored, but had limited sight from the helmet
3. During battles, both sides sing a battle hymn

100/100

Socrates Trial

1. Came up with the theory that the earth doesn't revolve around the gods and wasn't the center of the universe
2. Euclid & Pythagoras was on his side
3. Jury of 500 people sentenced him to death
4. Had until a jug of water ran out to plead his case
5. Charged with Blathsmy and corrupting the minds of the youth

100/100

April 7, 2011

Greek Science & Math advancements:

1. who invented geometry? Euclid
2. who figured out pie? Pythagorous
3. Pythagorous created the pythagrean theory which does what?  Helps you find the circumference of a triangle

important*: Science has an explanation for everything, instead of saying "the God's made it that way"

90/100

Alexander the Great's youth:

1. Alexanders mother convinced him that his father (the leader of Macedonia) was not really his father, but that his father was a Greek god
2. Alexander tamed a wild horse when he was only 12, after he did finally tame it, he named it Bucephalus, and then named a city after it
3. Taught by Aristotle
4. Always treated the conquered lands nicely, known as one of the greatest generals, never lost a battle
5. Died at age 33, bit by a mosquito and died from Malaria

100/100

Parthenon:

1. first example of what styled architecture?  Doric style
2. How many pillars are on the inside/outside of the Parthenon?  46 inside, 19 outside
3. Who designed the Parthenon?  Phideous

100/100

Greek Philosophers: 

1. What is western philosophy? The thought and work of the western world and how it differs to the Eastern world
2. What is playto's real name?  Aristocles

• socrates: encouraged his students to examine their beleifs

The Olympics

1. The first olympic games were held in Olympia, Greece, in 776 BC
2. An olympic truce was enacted so athletes could travel from their countries to the games without being attacked by other countries.
3. The original Olympic Games contained only one event called the [stadion race- short sprint that was between 180-240 Meters or the length of the stadium]


90/100

Ancient Greek Art

1. What pattern was the Parthenon constructed in?  Doric Pattern
2. What colors were used on pottery? Black, white, red, yellow
3. Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian styles were used for what?  Architecture

100/100

3 Questions

April 4, 2011

Peloponnesian war:

1. How many years did the war last?
2. Would this be considered a civil war, since this was all within Greece?
3. About how much of the Athenian population did the plague kill, and how many waves of the plague were there?

90/100

march 23, 2011

Today in my Western Civilization class, my classmates and I took a 58 point quiz to test our knowledge and note taking skills on Ancient Greece.  It took up most of our whole two mods, but when we were done we could play on our computer.  Although I believe we are only half way through our Ancient Greece unit, I guess it was a good way to see where we are, so we don't become too far behind point, if that is to happen.

Aristocrat- member of the ruling class; has wealth & power

Athens - Town built around the acropolis

Acropolis - big outcropping of rock where Athens sits.
good advantage because you can see your enemies approaching

Cleisthenes - set Greece up on a path to empire

Arête- everything you do, you do it to the best of your ability

The Iliad and the  odyssey - Bards (storytellers) - were told in Cleisthenes Athens as a child to make him believe that he would become who he was

Homer wrote the Illiad and the Odyssey -blind

Tyrant - (ruler) ordinary man Pisistratus was Cleisthenes' brother in law 

Turned to common Athenians for support

He reduced taxes, they were able to keep more of the money they made

He started treating regular people really well

He offers loans- from government

Went into seizing power by bringing in a tall woman and saying she was a goddess - Athena

Becomes friends with everyone who was NOT an aristocrat

514 BC- Hippias went into law

The freedom that the common Athenians had gained from Pisistratus, was taken away

He was a paranoid dictator

Anti-democratic

Cleisthenes throws over Hippias

Greek society was changing,

Isagarus was an Athenian aristocrat, who grew up thinking that power WAS his right

Old friend of Spartans, and they immediately backed up his bit for power and betray his city

They ruled from the acropolis - top part of their city

Cleisthenes, - feeling betrayed started a revolution

After three days of fighting, Isagarus was forced to surrender

• This was a revolution of the common people.

508 BC - for the first time the people of Athens had changed the government

Agora-In the shadow of the acropolis, the citizens of Athens came to discuss the decisions they will make for the state;

The beginning of a democracy, a congress, etc.

Met and voted every 9 days to vote on things; black pebble for no; white pebble for yes

Athenian democracy - they ARE the government

Regular people can be heroes

Worlds first democracy tested in war with Persia;

490 BC - 18 years after the first start of democracy

Phidippides - ran the first marathon for the reason of saving his country;

Desperate mission was to run for help from Marathon to Sparta

Ran 140 miles in just 2 days

Athenians slaughtered over 6,000 Persians in 1 day

Themistocles - Athenian general who had fought on the line at the Persian war

He didn't come from aristocrats

Learned skills of leadership at the Agora

One of the worlds greatest leaders - the savior of his city

Created the trireme-

Trireme-  greatest battle ship of it's time; could move very quickly; lethal (could take another ship out very quickly)

483 BC - found riches

Athenians wanted to split the money among themselves but Themistocles wanted to buy more ships;

Athenians had the greatest naval force

Xerxes - Darius's son - a Persian king who was still pissed that the Persian were defeated by the Greeks;

Attempted to get revenge

Rumors had leaked back Athens

480 BC - the Persian army had set out for Greece

Xerxes drank rivers dry, Ravaged lands,

Xerxes was very confident

Athenians; scared, sent messages to the oracle to find out their fate;

Oracle- a priests who can community with the gods, most well-regarded one could be found at Delphi - (considered to be the center of the universe)

Basically told them to "run away, they are doomed, you won't be able to win"

Ordered the evacuation of Athens for the first time in their history:

Wanted to fight in the sea rather than on land; stronger navy

Themistocles wanted to fight in the little body of water between Athens and Salamis ( A small island to the left of Athens )

Persian navy is 3X the size of the Greeks

Themistocles was outnumbered on land & sea but had better equipment and strategy so Athens won the battle again

"Athens was put into the right situation to start building an empire"

Delian League- All contributed money to Athens

So they would protect them and be under their gov't

Athens became a vast trading network

Pericles- born into one of Athens's most elite families- Aristocratic origins

Started out as Aristocrat but ended up letting the people continue to rule their own government;

Came up with the idea of the Parthenon & was directly involved in the planning project

Began to plan a new adventure - Brought Athens not Glory, but the loss of their empire

Sparta was the only city state who matched Athens in power

The fatal flaw - You have a great person who does so many things but they have one flaw that they can't give up;

Huberous- excessive pride and arrogance

Parthenon- massive, beautiful building; with enormous statue of Athena in it

Cost over a billion in todays terms

It is the most glorious symbol of Athens

Statue of Athena was over 40 feet tall - taller than JC

Done as a labor of love

A bunch of friezes [ A narrow shallow little piece of marble; 2 1/2 inches thick in depth]

500 feet of these surrounding the statue- in the form of farmers, artisans, etc.

Glorifying the common people as well, democracy

Makes democracy come to life

Aspasia - a prostitute

Pericles treated her as a normal person

Thought to have written Pericles's speeches

She was not from Athens - Foreign born

Astonishing that she had so much to say, so much input; while the women of Athens were to be seen but not heard

Athenian population would gather twice a year to watch popular entertainment at their theatre- they invented drama/theatre.

Greeks - people who emphasize freedom

Persians - put far more emphasis on obedience

Persians landed on Marathon;

Every male citizen came to the defense of his state;

Hoplite- closest thing to a professional army at that time

"a professional soldier"

Athenians were outnumber 2:1

Greek's created the vase - first artistic deal;

Artisans had no special or distinct respect

Life expectancy @ birth was less than 15 years

Regular Athenian citizens had no say in anything

Each city state was extremely independent and had it's own culture

The Corinthians dominated Greek trade

Spartans dominated in military instincts;

Children were brought up from a young age in camps to train to be a strong military man

march 21, 2011

Pericles- born into one of Athens's most elite families- Aristocratic origins

Started out as Aristocrat but ended up letting the people continue to rule their own government;

Came up with the idea of the Parthenon & was directly involved in the planning project

Began to plan a new adventure - Brought Athens not Glory, but the loss of their empire

Sparta was the only city state who matched Athens in power

The fatal flaw - You have a great person who does so many things but they have one flaw that they can't give up;

Huberous- excessive pride and arrogance

Parthenon- massive, beautiful building; with enormous statue of Athena in it

Cost over a billion in todays terms

It is the most glorious symbol of Athens

Statue of Athena was over 40 feet tall - taller than JC

Done as a labor of love

A bunch of friezes [ A narrow shallow little piece of marble; 2 1/2 inches thick in depth]

500 feet of these surrounding the statue- in the form of farmers, artisans, etc.

Glorifying the common people as well, democracy

Makes democracy come to life

Aspasia - a prostitute

Pericles treated her as a normal person

Thought to have written Pericles's speeches

She was not from Athens - Foreign born

Astonishing that she had so much to say, so much input; while the women of Athens were to be seen but not heard

Athenian population would gather twice a year to watch popular entertainment at their theatre- they invented drama/theatre.

march 18, 2011

483 BC - found riches

Athenians wanted to split the money among themselves but Themistocles wanted to buy more ships;

Athenians had the greatest naval force

Xerxes - Darius's son - a Persian king who was still pissed that the Persian were defeated by the Greeks;

Attempted to get revenge

Rumors had leaked back Athens

480 BC - the Persian army had set out for Greece

Xerxes drank rivers dry, Ravaged lands,

Xerxes was very confident

Athenians; scared, sent messages to the oracle to find out their fate;

Oracle- a priests who can community with the gods, most well-regarded one could be found at Delphi - (considered to be the center of the universe)

Basically told them to "run away, they are doomed, you won't be able to win"

Ordered the evacuation of Athens for the first time in their history:

Wanted to fight in the sea rather than on land; stronger navy

Themistocles wanted to fight in the little body of water between Athens and Salamis ( A small island to the left of Athens )

Persian navy is 3X the size of the Greeks

Themistocles was outnumbered on land & sea but had better equipment and strategy so Athens won the battle again

"Athens was put into the right situation to start building an empire"

Delian League- All contributed money to Athens

So they would protect them and be under their gov't

Athens became a vast trading network

march 17, 2011

Isagarus was an Athenian aristocrat, who grew up thinking that power WAS his right

Old friend of Spartans, and they immediately backed up his bit for power and betray his city

They ruled from the acropolis - top part of their city

Cleisthenes, - feeling betrayed started a revolution

After three days of fighting, Isagarus was forced to surrender

• This was a revolution of the common people.

508 BC - for the first time the people of Athens had changed the government

Agora-In the shadow of the acropolis, the citizens of Athens came to discuss the decisions they will make for the state;

The beginning of a democracy, a congress, etc.

Met and voted every 9 days to vote on things; black pebble for no; white pebble for yes

Athenian democracy - they ARE the government

Regular people can be heroes

Worlds first democracy tested in war with Persia;

490 BC - 18 years after the first start of democracy

Phidippides - ran the first marathon for the reason of saving his country;

Desperate mission was to run for help from Marathon to Sparta

Ran 140 miles in just 2 days

Athenians slaughtered over 6,000 Persians in 1 day

Themistocles - Athenian general who had fought on the line at the Persian war

He didn't come from aristocrats

Learned skills of leadership at the Agora

One of the worlds greatest leaders - the savior of his city

march 16, 2011

Aristocrat- member of the ruling class; has wealth & power

Athens - Town built around the acropolis

Acropolis - big outcropping of rock where Athens sits.
good advantage because you can see your enemies approaching

Cleisthenes - set Greece up on a path to empire

Arête- everything you do, you do it to the best of your ability

The Iliad and the  odyssey - Bards (storytellers) - were told in Cleisthenes Athens as a child to make him believe that he would become who he was

Homer wrote the Illiad and the Odyssey

Tyrant - (ruler) ordinary man Pisistratus was Cleisthenes' brother in law 

Turned to common Athenians for support

He reduced taxes, they were able to keep more of the money they made

He started treating regular people really well

Greek's created the vase - first artistic deal;

Artisans had no special or distinct respect

Life expectancy @ birth was less than 15 years

Regular Athenian citizens had no say in anything

Each city state was extremely independent and had it's own culture

The Corinthians dominated Greek trade

Spartans dominated in military instincts;

Children were brought up from a young age in camps to train to be a strong military man

crucible of civilization

crucible of civilization - "Athens was the center of the world"

cleisthenes - father of Athenian democracy
broke up power of nobility , so that not just the rich and aristocrats had all of the power.

Geography of Greece:

• Mountainous peninsula - Mountains cover 3/4 of Greece
• Approx. 1400 islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas
• Location shaped it's culture
• skilled sailors (easiest way to get around the land)
• Poor natural resources
• Difficult to unite the ancient Greeks because of the terrain; developed small, independent communities - city states
• only 10% suitable for farming
• fertile valleys cover 1/4 of Peninsula
• Greek diet due to geography - grains, grapes & olives
• lack of resources most likely led to colonizations
• temperatures range from 48 in winter to 80 in the summer

Mycenaean's:

• began around 2000 BC
• Mycenae is located on a rocky ridge and protected by a 20 ft. thick wall
• Mycenaean kings dominated Greece from 1600-1200 BC - controlled trade in the region
• 1400 BC Mycenaean's invaded Crete and absorbed Minoan culture and language
  Decline of Culture:
• 1200 BC sea people began to invade Mycenae and burnt palace after palace
• The Dorian's moved into the war-torn region
  -far less advanced
  -economy collapsed
  -writing disappeared for 400 years

Homer and Myths:

• Only stories were kept and passed on by word of mouth
• Homer lived at the end of the "Greek Dark Ages"
• Recorded stories of the Trojan War in The Iliad and The Odyssey (written 750-700 B.C.)
• Homer was probably blind
• Trojan war was probably one of the last conquests of the Mycenaeans

Concepts:

• Arete - virtue and excelle
  do everything as well as it should be done
• Epics - narrative poems celebrating heroic deeds
• Myths were created to explain creation:
  Zues: leader of the gods
  Hera: Zeus' wife
  Athena: goddess of wisdom

march 11, 2011

After starting our new unit on Ancient Greece, we watched a movie/documentary on it.  I think a really strong point they were trying to stress to you is that the country was "physical" one of the least expected areas to grow to be such a strong nation, due to all of their mountains.  By the end of the day, it was easier to sail along the coast to get from West to East than to walk across the mountains themselves.  Also, Spartans were born as fighters.  Boys were taken from their family at a young age to go train in their barracks.  Spartan boys were warriors. 

march 9, 2011

Today in western civilization class we started our unit on Greece.  As a class, we created a Google docs power-point and my topic was Herodotus; an ancient Greek historian who had been renamed " The father of history."  He was said to be born in 490 BC.

Daily life :

S o c i a l h i e r a r c h y ;

Pharaoh

Government officials - Nobles, Priests

Soldiers

Scribes

Merchants

Artisans

Farmers

Slaves and Servants

slaves and servants helped the wealthy with household and childraising duties - not abused and sheckalled like USA slaves

farmer raised wheat, barley, lentils, onions- benefitted from irrigation of the Nile

artisans would carve statues and reliefs showing military battles and scenes in the afterlife

merchants - the money/barter system was used - merchants might accept bags of grain for payment - later, coinage came about

scribes-  kept recordds, told stories, wrote poetry, describes anatomy and medical treatments

soldiers used wooden weapons (bows&arrows, spears) w/ bronze tips and might ride chariots

Upper class known as the "white kilt class" - priests physicians, engineers

pharaohs- the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people,

holding the titles: Lord of the Two lands

and High priest of every temple

Hatshepsut was a woman who served as pharaoh

10 Questions For Sarah

1. What different countries have you traveled to?
2. What part of Egypt do you live in?
3. Does your country already have a new "president" in mind?
4. Will this change you're whole government or just your president/vp?
5.  Do you think this will change the amount of unemployement in your country?
6. Did you participate in the walk on January 25th?
7.  Do you plan on staying in egypt for the rest of your life?
8. Have you ever been to America?
9. Do you think a lot of the rules will change when a new government officer step in?
10. At what age did you start learning english?

February 23, 2011

Today in Western Civilization we listened to raps on Egypt.  I found them to be very funny!  Also, we started talking about what was going on there, as far as the leader being thrown out of office.  We watched a mini documentary on a citizen named "Gigi's" perspective.

February 17, 2011

Today in Western Civilization class, we made power points on all that is Egypt.  


Notes on Egypt:

1. King Tut (Tutankhamen) - Pharaoh of Egypt during the 18th dynasty
2. Hieroglyphics - formal writing system used by ancient Egypt written by scribes
   Used figures like animals, objects & people
3. 3 Types of Hieroglyphics - Ideogram, Phonogram, Pictogram
4. The Nile is THE main river of Egypt

Absent

I have been absent from school on Monday the 14th, (Valentines day) Tuesday the 15th, and Wednesday the 16th, because I went to Madison Square Gardens in NEW YORK CITTTTTTTTTTTTY!

Pyramids

February 11, 2011

Today in our western civilization class, we started to research ancient Egypt.  My group decided to learn about the pyramids.  Do you know who built the pyramids?  You we're probably going to say the slaves right?  Wrong!  The pyramids were actually built by permanent employee's of the pharaoh.  Although it is possible that women helped build the pyramids, there are no ancient depictions of women builders.

Essay Test Question

February 10, 2011

Topic:  Discuss the significance of a food surplus.

Chasing the Food

What are the three basic necessities of life?  Water, food and shelter.  Remember back when you had to travel all over continents to find the yummy nutritious wheat?  Just kidding, you don’t, you aren’t that old.  A food surplus in a newly civilized area or when a civilization is being created is a big deal and holds great significance.  So much can change or stay actually, due to the amount of food available.

                Nomads would follow the food.   Before there was ever such thing as a civilization or “building,” people would travel with the time of year, to wherever the greatest amount of food was.  Other than the change in climate, the nomads would also have to build only temporary shelters.  The people of this time were never able to rest because they were always doing something whether it was hunting, gathering or building.  Geographically, some places were capable of doing more than others, but for the most part it was all the same. 

                When a surplus in food comes about to a civilization, you are able to change your way of life.  You can build a more permanent shelter because you don’t have to keep walking to find the food anymore, and you don’t have to keep rebuilding shelters to live in while doing this.  Finally, you can stay in one place for a while.  This means that people can do separate jobs and eliminate the amount of time they have to work, and increase the amount of relaxation they have in a day.  Food surplus was the beginning of advancing the world, because it gave people the time to create things such as clothing and many more ideas.  

February 9, 2011

Today in Western Civilization we started off the class by reviewing for our test we are about to have that covers Papua New Guinea (Civilized and Non-Civilized) as well as Guns, Germs and Steel. Also, we discussed the importance of domesticated animals. A social hierarchy is important in a “pack” of the group. If you can tame the animal at the top of the hierarchy, you’ve got them all. Also, we talked about Jarod Diamond’s relation to this trip/documentary. Wrapping things up, we basically talked about Papua New Guinea’s Transformation towards the 21’st century.

February 7, 2011

Today in western civilization we learned nothing about western civilization.  We are two days further ahead, than the rest of the classes, so Mr. Schick gave us the day to catch up on any work we needed to catch up with in any class we need.  THANK YOU SO MUCH.

February 4, 2011

Today in our Western Civilization class, we continued searching the internet (most "CIA" world fact book), to find more information on modern Papua New Guinea, with partners. About half way through the class we started sharing our information with the rest of the class. An important thing I learned was that they live in a democracy; this surprised me after watching Guns, Germs and Steel. I was shocked that they had a government at all. The information we found on Papua New Guinea seems very different than the footage we saw in the movie. Also, it was surprising to read that mostly all of their population practices some type of Christianity.

February 3, 2011

Today was student appreciation day at John Carroll!  My western civilization teacher brought in cookies for everyone then continued to make fun of me for showing dogs, ha-ha.  After this, we finished watching Guns, Germs and Steel.  In this movie I learned that despite having some of the most nutritious crops on the planet, the Fertile Crescent’s climate was too dry to continue the intensive farming, which was occurring.  To sum up Diamond’s conclusion, he believes that the world has been split into haves and have not’s due to their region they’ve been put into, in the world.

February 2, 2011

Today in our Western Civilization class, we reviewed what we went over on Monday, before our snow day off.  Shortly after, we continued on watching Guns, Germs and Steel.  A large step into civilization in the Middle East was the domestication of nature.  Humans started to control the animals breeding and eating.  There are no native animals in Papua New Guinea, so there was no way of using a plow.  The only type of power in the area is with humans.  Papua New Guinea has the issue of the lack of food/nutrition, so it would be even more difficult to feed your animals as well as the “community.” 

List of domesticatable animals over 100 pounds:

1.            Pigs

2.            Goats

3.            Sheep

4.            Horses

5.            Camels

6.            Camels

7.            Water Buffalo

8.            Donkeys

9.            Llamas

10.          Reindeer

11.          Yaks

12.          Mithans

13.          Cows

14.          Bali Cattle 

No School

February 1, 2011

No school - Snow day

Today in Western Civ

January 31, 2011

Today in “Western Civilization” class we looked through Mr. Schick’s blog at some of the students snow day pictures then reviewed the little bit of the movie “Gun, Germs and Steel” that we had previously watched last Monday.  We then continued to watch more, taking notes as well.  I learned that:

·         To go back to pre-history before there were “haves and have not’s” you would have to go back some 13-thousand years to when the cave men were hunters and gatherers.  

·         Although, in the rain forests of Papua New Guinea, they still exist.  Gathering is done by women, as they try to find a “Sago” tree as they strip it down, for its pulp

·          In the Middle East, gatherers pick Barley and Wheat which is a simple but far more nutritious grass when compared to sago. 

·         In the Middle East, a “community” came up with the idea to build a Granary (building where they can keep plant that they harvest from animals and weather taking its toll on them).

·         While doing this, they were able to split jobs such as “making food, building shelter etc.) because they no longer had to hunt and gather.

·         The Middle Eastern people then started to grow their own food, for the first time in the world. They were the first farmers.  This is when people started to control nature “Domestication.” 

·         New Guinea crops are low in protein compared to wheat, and are harder to plant because they must be done one at a time when compared to wheat where you just shake your hand. 

·         Inequalities in the world are started by the crops and they shape the course of haves and have not’s.

Guns Germs and Steel

Jared Diamond, a biologist in training that enjoys the study of bird watching, travels deep down into Papua New Guinea and creates the documentary “Guns, Germs and Steel.”  Diamond, has become a leading expert on bird life, and feels that Guinea has some of the most fascinating to watch.  While watching and studying there, he has been shocked by the cultural diversity and adaptability that the people of Guinea share.  He was shocked after meeting a man at the beach, whom first questioned why the “white man” has so much of a larger amount of cargo compared to the “New Guineans.”  

GG&S Notes

• Papua New Guinea - where they are
• Name: Jared Diamond
• Biologist in training
• Passion: Studying birds
• Leading expert on bird life
• among the most culturally diverse and adaptable people on the earth
• Cargo was "evidence" of the white mans power
• Believed power was determined by race