Essays

Today we had to write 3 essays.  He gave us the essay topics ahead of time.  I picked topic C, topic D, and topic E.  Topic C asks " Compare the social hierarchy of Ancient Egypt with that of ancient Rome."  Topic D asks "Compare and contrast the government of ancient Rome with the government of the United States in the year 2015."  Topic E says "Give a thoughtful analysis of the following statement:  'The unexamined life is not worth living.'"  They each had to be at least three paragraphs.  It wasn't hard, but it wasn't easy either.  Topic E said you can relate it to your freshman year, so I did.  I hope I did okay on the essays.  Today was also the last day of class.  Now we have exams, then we're done for the school year!

Exam Review

Today we reviewed for the exam since tomorrow is our last class.  Mr. Schick also talked to us about the essay we're writing a little.  Then we went over the Rome test.  I only got 2 wrong, so I knew most of the answers already.  I'm scared about the essays tomorrow.

Rome test

Today we took our Rome test.  It was pretty easy, easier than I thought it would be.  There were forty questions, and they were all multiple choice.  I knew mostly everything.  There were some really funny questions on the test, or some funny answer choices.  Some of them were obvious, like who was in the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.  In the beginning of class, Mr. Schick told us that he made a mistake, so he gave us an answer.  If worse comes to worse and it wasn't as easy as I thought, at least I'll have that one question right!

I got a 95%.  I think that means I got 2 or 3 wrong.  Thankfully, it won't bring my grade down.  I'm happy with my grade.

no test!

In class we didn't have a test, which was originally planned.  Instead, we reviewed.  He talked about the essay for the exam, which we'll be doing on Thursday. He's giving us the questions beforehand. Then we reviewed for the Rome test.  I hope I do well. 

More Projects

Today we had 3 more projects.  First, Jayla went with her pottery.  I really liked her project.  It was really creative.  Then Alex and Arthur went.  They are so cool and funny.  Their project was really creative also.  It was about Roman architecture.  AND THE CAT.  MADE.  MY.  DAY.  Then Caitlyn and Trish went.  Their project was really creative.  They made a Roman diary, comparing the lives of a plebeian girl and patrician boy.  They wrote it all by themselves, and it was very good writing.

Projects

Today we started presenting our projects. My group was the very first to go.  We made a Roman Meal.  Megan made the appetizer, I made the entree, Zaire made the dessert, and Rosemary made the drink.  It was actually a big success.  Everyone liked the food, and we had a pretty good presentation.  Before the class, I had to heat up my food, and we finished just in time.  It was really fun.  Then Evan, Steven, and Adam (who showed up late) made a song parody of Iggy Azalea's Fancy.  I was so great!  Then David went with his PowerPoint of the Circus Maximus and the Colosseum.  It had a lot of information, which is good for a PowerPoint.

Class 5-15

In class we watched a video of BB King singing "Why I Sing the Blues."  Mr. Schick talked a little bit about him.  Afterward, we found out when we are presenting our project.  My group is presenting 1st on Tuesday.  I'm a little nervous that we're first out of everyone in our class, but I know we'll do great.  Our group finished the paper we have to write and I made a PowerPoint with all the ingredients, since we're cooking.

Rome Notes

Today we took a few more notes:
Poor plebs (literally)

• How did you keep the plebs happy (or at least keep them from revolting)?
• the poet Juvenal said the people "anxiously hopes for 2 things: bread and circuses"
•  bread (free grain from the state) and entertainment (Circus Maximus, Colosseum), partly to keep them alive, partly to keep them quiet

A change in rule

• Tiberius Gracchus recognized the advantages of courting the plebeians (even though he was ultimately unsuccessful)
•  military generals worked that angle - led an army that conquers a land, then give them a share in the spoils
• soldiers loyalty was to their military leader, not necessarily to Rome or the Republic

Nobody did that better than Caesar

• Julius Caesar (100-44 BC)
• a highly successful general
• he conquered the huge territory of Gaul

He could play the game (of politics)

• made common folks happy
• made friends in high places
• Pompey (a general who conquered Syria and Palastine)
• Crassus (the richest man in Rome, one of the richest men in all of history)
• These three men formed the first Triumvirate ("rule of three men")

Pop Quiz

Today Mr. Schick gave us a pop quiz about Rome.  I got an 80%.  Surprisingly, it didn't bring my grade down.  I should've gotten a 9, but we only had 10 seconds so I didn't have time to erase the wrong answer all the way.  Because of that, there were 2 answers on one question.  Oh well, I'll do better next time.  We had the second lowest average, and we always get the highest average. That was a little depressing, but one class can't always be perfection.

Finishing the Video

Today in class we finished the BBC Rome video.  It was a very entertaining movie.  Mr. Schick replayed on part ("Just grab some land") at least 5 times.  It was so funny.  He would always point out the best parts, but that was definitely the best.  Mr. Schick found a gif, so I had to put it in my blog.  JUST GRAB SOME LAND.

His father's face was really creepy.  It was really upsetting when it broke though.  I didn't understand why they didn't give him a proper funeral after they killed Tiberius Gracchus. 

Projects

In class, we worked on our projects since Mr. Schick wasn't there.  I was looking up history on Roman entrees and worrying I wasn't going to find all of the ingredients for my chicken.  I found a pasta that sounded delicious.  After I chose the pasta, I started working on the essay a little.  I kept looking on the website and saw gnocchi, a potato dish.  Then, I was really confused.  I read gnocchi was introduced by the Roman legion.  On a website where we found all of our information, it mentioned that potatoes were foreign to the Romans, so I ended up going with the pasta.  I'm really excited to make it!

Rome video

Today we started a video about Rome.  It was about Tiberius Gracchus and the third Punic War. 

In the beginning of class, Mr. Schick had computer problems.  At first, he couldn't get the video working.  Then he got the video to work, but there was no sound.  We got it working on Evan's computer eventually, but we didn't see as much as he wanted us to.

Rome Notes

Here are more Roman notes we took today:

that's a Roman legion, clear as day

• 5000 soldiers, not in it for pay (not yet)
• the Roman army's elite heavy infantry
• recruited exclusively from Roman citizens
• group of eighty's a century
• on horseback is the cavalry
• shield, sword, dagger, and armor and tunic

 fightin' 'gainst Carthage in Wars that are Punic

• the Punic War (264-146 BCE)
• Rome vs Carthage
• three wars

two empires fighting for control

• First Punic War (264-241 BCE)
• naval battles for control of the strategically located island of Sicily
• Rome wins this one

The (Carthaginian) Empire Strikes Back

• Second Punic War (218-201 BCE)
• 29 year-old Carthaginian general Hannibal almost took Rome
• attacks Rome from the NORTH after crossing Iberia (Spain) and the Alps
• lays seige to much of the peninsula for 15 years, but he never can get to Rome
• Rome 2, Carthage 0

Third (and final) Punic War

• 149-146 BCE
• Rome wanted to fully remove the threat of Carthage
• Scipio, Tiberius Gracchus, and others mercilessly attacked the city
• Carthage was burned for 17 days; the city's walls and buildings were utterly destroyed
• when the war ended the last 50,000 people in the city were sold to slavery
• the rest of Carthage's territories were annexed, and made into the Roman province of Africa.

economic change, social upheaval

• slaves poured into Italy (50,000 Carthaginians, 150,000 Greek POWs, etc.)
• by the end of the second century BCE there were over a million slaves in Italy
• small farmers lost their land to aristocrats (for little or no money) if they couldn’t pay their debts, sometimes because the men of the farm were fighting battles
• slaves did the work on the farms for the rich
• the big farms became massive estates called latifundia

Rome Notes

Today we took a lot of notes:

Hey we got three governments rolled into one Patricians and plebeians havin' some fun

•  Rule of kings is replaced by rule of two consuls (“gotta be better than one”)
• consuls are elected officials
• term of office: one year
• always aristocrats (patricians)
• patricians traced their descent from a famous ancestor, or pater (“father”)
• duties: dealing justice, making law, commanding the army
• one consul could veto the other (reducing the power of the individuals 

Then a challenge from the "regular folks"

•  fifth century BCE - patrician dominance of the government was challenged by the plebs (“people”) 
• plebs were 98% of the population
• how did the patricians dominate?
  • plebs had to serve in the army, but couldn't hold office
  • plebs were threatened with debt slavery
  • plebs had no legal rights 

"no legal rights" you say?

• plebs were victims of discriminatory decisions in judicial trials
• Rome had no actual laws, just unwritten customs
• patricians could interpret these to their own advantage

So, plebs refused to serve in the military until…

• laws were written out (The Law of the Twelve Tables)

• these laws (on tablets) were posted in public (in 450 BCE) 
• tribunes (“tribal leaders”) were elected 

SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanum

• designated any decree or decision made by the Roman Senate and people
• res publica - the people's affairs
  

Brand new republic, ready to run

• democracy (the people’s assembly and the tribunes
• aristocracy (the Senate - approx. 300 members)
• plus monarchy (the consuls)
• not a tyranny

Government: ancient Roman/US

• originally, the US modeled their new government on the model used by the ancient Romans
• is it exactly the same?  not quite…
• but both have three branches of government
• executive
• legislative
• judicial
• and both have a legal code

3 branches

• executive

Rome: 

• two consuls 
• one year terms
• each has veto power
• controls the military
• could appoint a dictator in a crisis for a six-month term 

US:

• President (and VP)
• four year term
• can veto proposed laws
• commander-in-chief

• legislative

Rome:

•  Senate -- 300 people -- aristocrats -- members for life
• Assemblies -- members for life

US:

• Senate -- 100 senators (2 from each state) -- six year term
• House of Representatives -- 435 members -- two year term

• judical

Rome:

•  Praetors
• chosen by the Centuriate Assembly
• one-year term

US:

• supreme court
• nine members
• appointed by the President
• confirmed by the Senate
• lifetime terms

Legal code

Rome:

• Twelve Tables
• publically displayed
• gave rights to plebeians, not just aristocrats
• only protected free born male citizens (not women)
  

US: 

• Bill of Rights
• first ten amendments of the constitution

Homework

Today in class we were ahead of everyone in class, so Mr. Schick let us work on our homework.  I worked on my Spanish, so I don't have to worry about it this weekend.  I didn't have math today, so I left my textbook at home.  I wish I didn't because I could've done my math homework too.  I only had the Spanish to do, so for the rest of the class I listened to music.  Nothing else happened in class.

Grandparents' Day

Today was Grandparents' Day at John Carroll.  We had so many grandparents in our classroom, Mr. Schick said it was a record.  In the middle of class, half the class left with their grandparents for a luncheon. 

We talked about Rome for the class.  I took some notes:

Etruscans

• came from the north-central part of the peninsula
• metalworkers, artists, and architects
• two foundation myths: Virgil's Aeneid (where Aeneas escapes from Troy), plus the story of Remus and Romulus

Greeks

• they had many colonies around the Mediterranean Sea
• Romans borrowed ideas from them, such as:
• religious beliefs
• alphabet
• much of their art
• military techniques and weaponry

Latins

• descendants of the Indo-Europeans
• settled on the banks on the River Tiber
• situated so trading ships - but not war fleets - could navigate as far as Rome, but no further
• a commercial port, but not susceptible to attack... built on seven hills

...they drained a swamp...

• many streams flowed into the Tiber
• there was a marshy area called the forum, between Palatine and Capitoline Hills
•  Tarquin the Proud's grandfather built the Cloaca Maxima (largest ancient drain), which channeled water into the Tiber

Now Tarqin's kinda proud, but he got a little loud...

•  Lucius Tarquinias Superbus
• the seventh and final king of Rome
• known as Tarquin the Proud (sometimes referred to as Tarquin the Arrogant)
• a true tyrant, in the old and modern sense of the word
• Tarquin seized power like an old school tyrant

Projects

Today we got together with our group and decided what we're going to do.  I'm in a group with Rosemary, Megan, and Zaire.  We are doing a Roman meal.  Megan is doing the appetizer.  I'm doing the entree.  Zaire's doing the dessert, and Rosemary is making a Roman drink.  I'm really excited for our project because I think it'd be fun to do.  I love to bake and cook, and this seems like a really interesting project.  I was having a little bit of trouble with my portion sizes though.  I don't want to make 23 chickens, so I might cut the number in half.  (I'm making Chicken With Stuffing.)  I am very excited to work on this project!

Baltimore Riot

Today in class we had a discussion about the Baltimore Riot.  Mr. Schick also told us a few stories.  One story was about Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination when he was a kid.  Another story, which really interested me, was about a man he used to work with when he did movies.  He was a black man, who just happened to have a nice car because of his talent and the money he made.  He got pulled over one day for "DWB" (driving while black).  I had never heard of DWB before, but I don't think it's necessary.  Black people are just as good as white people.

For the Baltimore Riot, I didn't get to say my opinion.  I think there is a reason to be upset, but they might be going a little overboard.  Yes, there have been a few people killed by police officers, but that doesn't mean you need to burn down your entire city.  I also think that they're doing this riot to get free stuff.  My reason for this is because people are running into different stores and grabbing different things, then running or driving away.  I hope the riot calms down because it could get more dangerous than it already is.

Fill in for the entire week

I forgot to blog the entire week, but I thought I should say what happened.

Tuesday:
On Tuesday, we took notes about Rome:

• Ninth century B.C.- Etruscans, Greeks, and Latins move into Italy
• Tiber River in the middle of the peninsula; in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea

City-state and Empire

• Italy and it's people
• Indo-European tribes moved into the Italian peninsula and some settled along the Tiber River, creating the city-state known as Rome
• The Etruscan people, originally from the East, had settled in the North of Italy and were an early influence on the Romans
• Remis and Romulus
• The Roman Republic
• Originally, Rome was a monarchy on the Etruscan model with a council of elders called the "Senate"
• C. 500 BC, the Romans overthrew their monarchy and established a "Republic
• Since the senate was populated only by patricians (aristocratic men), the plebeians (ordinary citizens) fought for a vote in Rome's government
•  Each year the Senate elected two rulers, "consuls", who each served a term for one year
• As in the Greek city-states, the Romans would appoint a single dictator in times on war or conflicts
• 12 tables, sometimes known as 12 tablets
• Res Publica - People's Buisness
• Tarquin the Proud
• ruled from 534-510 BC
• LAST OF THE ROMAN KINGS

After we took all these notes, Mrs. Fogarty called saying Mr. Schick had a visitor.  This is where we met Chi Cago.  He sang us a song about Rome.  Here's a preview from it:

 

 

Wednesday:

On Wednesday Mr. Schick graded all of our papers.  While he was doing that, we got to work on any homework or projects we needed to do.  After he graded them, we got them back.  My group got a 90% on it, which I'm fine with.  Then, Mr. Schick taught us about grammar for the rest of the class.  One mistake that was really stupid was owers instead of ours.  Overall, our class didn't have that many grammar problems.

Thursday:

We went over Chi Cago's song more thoroughly on Thursday.  Then, learned about Tarquin the Proud (notes are above).

Friday:

I wasn't in class on Friday because I was at NDP for a choral festival.

Trinity Lutheran Concert

I wasn't in class on Friday.  I went with band, chorus, and orchestra to Trinity Lutheran to play music.  They did videotape the class for me, so I'm okay.

Figuring Out Project for Rome

Today in class, Mr. Schick realized that we probably didn't want to do another PowerPoint and 1000 word essay, so he asked us what we wanted to do as a project for Rome (our next  unit).  Some of the ideas given, while others, not so much.  We almost made a movie, a board game, or cooked a Roman meal and shared them with people.  Those were my favorite ideas.  Then there were the ideas that were not as good.  For example, battling Mr. Teter's class, building the building from popsicle sticks, and blowing up the football field.  There were other ideas, but those are the one's that stood out.

We ended up choosing to be Roman gods and goddesses on The View and interviewing each other.  I found out what The View was in Latin, so that might be our title.  I love our project idea.  I think it's going to be very creative and fun to make.  After w came up with that idea, I was happy for the rest of the day.  I am really excited to do our project.

The Allegory of the Cave

Today we watched the animated version of Allegory of the Cave by the philosopher Plato.  It was a little confusing, but interesting.  Afterwards, we had a discussion.  He let us say our own interpretations, then he hinted to us what he thought.  We mostly talked about the media, and how Plato "predicted" how media affects everyone in the modern age.  We also talked about how we are just looking "at a projector" to get our information and everything that influences our decision.  By the end of the class we started talking about democrats and republicans and Hillary Clinton and all the people running for president.  (I don't know how that came up.)

Going Over Greek Test

Today we went over the Ancient Greece test.  He didn't give is the test we originally took until after we went over it.  He said we had to get the answer from our minds.  I feel like I knew more answers while we were checking instead of while we were actually taking the test. 

After we checked the test we had an assembly.  A man named John O'Leary came, who burned 98% of his body when he was 9, and told us his story.  He was very inspiring and funny.  I enjoyed the assembly a lot.

Ancient Greece Test

I'm pretty sure I failed that test.  I had no idea what most of the answers were, so I guessed on almost everything. I'm not saying it was hard, because I probably would've known them if I were there for the 2 days I needed to be there. There were only 3 questions on the topic from my essay, so that didn't help much.  I didn't have that much time to study last night because I was working on 2 essays plus extra homework.  Who knows, maybe I had a really good guess.  I guess I'll find out when Mr. Schick grades the tests.  

At least I know I got one right, because Mr. Schick told us the answer to number 8, which was Dorians, so thanks Mr. Schick.

I got a 82.  Not as bad as I thought

Progress on Essay

Today we realized we needed to get working on the essay.  We made huge progress in one class that was only 1 hour and 14 minutes.  We went from 143 words to 764, which is really great.  I'm really proud of the essay.  I finished it after school, and I'm happy how it turned out.  I'm pretty sure Mr. Schick is going to love it. 

Tomorrow we have a test, so I'm freaking out a little.  I watched the video and I have some notes from the PowerPoints that we saw plus Mr. Schick's PowerPoint, but I'm still nervous.  I'm sure I'll do fine.  I've learned a little about Greece in the past, and I can study today and tomorrow.

Also tomorrow is April Fools Day, so I have a feeling I'm going to get fooled a lot, especially by the teachers.  AND TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY UNTIL SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!  That's obviously exciting, since this has been somewhat of a stressful week.

Class 3-27

Today, there was a little bit of progress with the essay.  I still haven't written anything, but at least it's made.  I'll try to work on it over the weekend.  I'll make sure it's finished by Wednesday.

I watched the rest of the video today.  It had a lot of useful information that I can use to study for the test.  After I finished the video, I looked at the Google Slides Mr. Schick made us and studied a little more.  It was only a few minutes of class left, so I only went over a few slides.  I'm really preparing myself for the test so I can get a good starting grade for the quarter so I don't have to try and catch up towards the end of the year. 

Class 3-26

Today in class, we got a choice to watch the video "Greeks - Crucible of Civilization," study for the test that will be on April 1, or work on the 1000 word essay.  I decided to watch a little bit of the video to see if there was anything on my topic about gods and goddesses (and I didn't know where to start).  Since our topic is so broad, it might be a little hard to write it.  Maybe someone in my group will have an idea of how to write it.  1000 words seems like a lot.  I hope it's easier that it sounds.

The video was very interesting, and it definitely helped me for the test.  I feel like I will do well with the test.  I have to study a lot more. The video, unfortunately, did not help me with the essay as much.  I'm sure I'll find something on the topic to help me get started.

Last Presentations

The last presentations went today, my group being one of them.  Megan wasn't at school today, so Adam and I did it alone.  We went first because I had to leave early from class to escort people to the Spanish Placement Test.  Since I went first, I only took notes on the second group.  Here are the notes I took about aristocracy, tyranny, and democracy.

• form of government in which power is in the hands of a small, privileged class
• hereditary
• seized property of small landowners and made harsh laws for underclass
• Solon broke out against the law
• aristocrat rulers abused their power for themselves
• tyranny government arose in Greece during the mid 600s B.C.
• tyrants changed law: aided poor, canceled debts, gave citizens a say in government
• Hippias born 510 B.C.
• harsh ruler
• democracy born 508 B.C.
• ekklesia=executive
• first democratic institution
• boule: chosen by lots, not by elections
• end of democracy: 460 B.C.

Mr. Schick showed us a PowerPoint after that, but I didn't write any notes down.

More Presentations

I still haven't done my presentation yet.  I'll probably do it tomorrow.  I took some notes from the five presentations today.

The first presentation was on Pericles and the Golden Age:

• Pericles started his career in law courts
• born in 495 B.C.
• general, supporter, and speaker of the arts
• brought democracy to Athens
• passed laws that allowed the poor to attend plays
• had a costly strategy of seaborne attack
• plague hit Athens
• died in 429 B.C. from plague
• Golden Age started from 449-431 B.C.
• mainly grew around Athens
• Pericles uplifted people
• architecture and arts were built
• architecture built on acropolis
• sculptures started as stiff poses, but gradually became more lifelike
• tragedies and comedies
• plays written about 430 B.C.
• philosophers: Socrates, Plato
•  Peloponnesian War ended Golden Age

The next was about Hoplites and Triremes.  I went to the bathroom for the first half of their presentation, so I hope I didn't miss anything important.

• helmets protected head, neck, and face
• weapons: doru, xiphos
• hoplon: round shield; used to bash into other people
• breast plates
• greaves: shin guards; protect lower legs
• lokhor groups
• fought in ranks: phalanx formation
• up to the age of 60 -  called to war
• hoplites were organized into regiments
• triremes - had 3 banks of oars; fast and graceful
• large in size, but light enough for the crew to get on shore
• built by pine, fir, and other softwoods
• mostly used in Persian Ward\

After was a presentation about the Philosophers.

• Socrates lived in 470-399 B.C.
• Socratic method influenced scientific method
• disrespected the gods and corrupted the youth of Athens
• Aristotle disagreed with Plato's philosophical practices
• tutored Alexander the Great
• contributed to physics, biology, etc.
• Plato born 420 B.C.
• Socrates became mentor to Plato
• Republic - most influential work

The last presentation was about Art and Architecture.

• orders: doric, ionic, corinthian order
• doric: simplest
• ionic: recognized by it's capital
• looks more slender; usually taller
• corinthian: most decorative
• most modern
• makes the columns straight
• sculpture - huge part of Greek art
• major material: marble and bronze
• skill level went up during classical period
• hellenistic: peak of Greek sculpture

Presentations

In class, we started presenting.  Caitlyn, Trish and Rosemary went first.  Their presentation was about Athens, Sparta, and the Peloponnesian War.  I wrote a few notes from their presentation:

Athens

• capital of Greece
• Athenian diet: 2 meals a day
• light lunch
• Boys education: taught reading, writing, mathematics, music, poetry, sports, and gymnastics
• women's job mostly focused inside of the house
• weapons:
• Doru - spear
• Saurator - spearheads
•  Xiphos

Sparta

• women in class - unusual for Greece
• boys start learning to fight at age 7
•  men forced to be a soldier
• full-time soldiers until they were 60
• women had most freedom
• they were shared with other men - had babies with them
• wives were in charge
• had deadliest weapons
• mainly used spears, swords, and sheilds

Peloponnesian War

• started April 4, 431 B.C.
• ended April 25 , 404 B.C.
• Sparta won

Then, David, Steven, and Evan went.  Their project was about Homer.  Here are the notes I wrote:

• born in 800 B.C. in Smyrna, Turkey
• told stories about Trojan war
• brought Greeks out of "Dark Age"
• shaped Greek culture
• many think he didn't exist
• some think he is a single person; others think he was a group
• thought to be blind
• died around 701 B.C. - unknown how he died
• most famous poems: Illiad and Odyssey
• both over 1200 lines

Odyssey

• Odysseus spent 10 years getting home after he won the war
• Poseidon tried to get back at him for blinding his son
• he put different obstacles in Odysseus's way, like storms and cyclops

We didn't have any time to do any others.

More Greece Notes

In the beginning of class, someone hid Jayla's cup of soda, so we spent the first five minutes playing the hot and cold game.  After Jayla found her cup, she grabbed a Styrofoam sword and pointed it at Adam.  It was so funny!  We also went over the projects that are due tomorrow and the 1000 word essay due.

Anyway, here are the notes from today:

Next in line...

• with Hippias gone, Isagoras and Cleisthenes (both were aristocrats) engaged in a power struggle
• Isagoras had support from some fellow aristocrats, plus from Sparta
• Cleisthenes had support of the majority of Athens

Isagoras wins! (but not for long)

• Isagoras becomes archon eponymous (tyrant)
• He ostracized Cleisthenes
• Cleisthenes's supporters - and the ordinary Athenian citizen - revolt against Isagoras's tyranny
• they trap Isagoras on the acropolis for two day - on the third day he fled and was banished in 508 B.C.**

Cleisthenes and Democracy

• Cleisthenes -  definitely a member of the elite
• very rich
• insulated from "hoi polloi" (common people)
• a crafty politician
• gave regular people a voice

Class 3-18

Today Mr. Schick threw water on everyone because he got mad at Steven.
In other news, we actually did take notes, so lets rewind and go over the notes we wrote today. (Little side note, the bolded words are the words I should know)

Transformation of Government

• During the seventh and sixth centuries BCE, aristocrats ran the show in most of Greece
• Rich people held more power in society, and held much more governmental power, than the middle class or poor

Aristocracy

Greek symposium

• Aristocracy is ruled by aristocrats
• they attended symposiums, meetings where the elite men would enjoy wine and poetry, performances by dancers and acrobats, and the company hetaeras (courtesans) while discussing politics

An exclusive club

• No women (except the entertainment")
• no middle class
• certainly, no slaves
• sometimes, even certain aristocrats (who didn't have the right connections or who fell out of favor) were excluded
• what to do if you're "on the outside"
• ostracized

Tyrants seize control

• Sometimes aristocrats would form alliances with hoplites (well-armed soldiers) and set up alternative form of  government called a tyranny
• tyrant: someone who rules outside the framework of the polis
• modern meaning of tyrant: an abusive or oppressive ruler
• the Greek meaning of tyrant: someone who simply seized power (usually with hoplite help)

Clash of tyrants

• Hippias was a tyrant who ruled from 527-510 BCE
• his brother was murdered and his rule became harsh
• eventually, he was expelled from Athens (this is called being ostracized)
• in revenge, he began working with the Persian king Darius I, helping them invade Marathon

Hippias

Still sick

I'm still sick, so I wasn't in class today.  I will be tomorrow

Sick

Today I wasn't in school because I'm sick.  I might not be in school tomorrow either.  I went to the doctor and she said I had tonsilitis.  I'll be back Thursday.

Cyberday #6 - Philosophers

Plato

Plato was born around 428 B.C. in Athens.  His birth name was Aristocles.  He gain his nickname, Platon, meaning broad because of his broad build. He studied music and poetry when he was young, and, according to Aristotle, developed the foundations of his metaphysics ("the branch of philosophy that is concerned with the fundamental nature of reality") and epistemology ("a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially with reference to its limits and validity") by studying the doctrines of Cratylus, and the works of Pythagoras and Parmenides.  From 409-404 B.C, he was in military service.  Plato joined the Athenian oligarchy of the Thirty Tyrants after the Peloponnesian War ended in 404 B.C, but the violence of this group quickly caused him to leave it.  When democracy was restored in Athens, he tried following his first goal of a political career.  In 399 BC, Socrates's death had a huge effect on Plato, so he left Athens with some of Socrates's friends and traveled for 12 years to places like Cyrene, Italy, and Egypt.  This is where Plato began to write a lot, but it is still debated whether he started writing before or after Socrates's death.  The order of his writing is also unknown.  Most scholars have divided Plato's work into three groups: Socratic Dialogues, which include texts such as Crito, Laches, Lysis, Charmides, Euthyphro, Hippias Minor and Major, and Apology.  The second group is called Plato's "middle" or "transitional" period.  He may have written the Meno, Euthydemus, Menexenus, Cratylus, Rebulgic, Phaedrus, Syposium, and Phaedo.  His final group is called the "Later" dialogues, which include the Parmenides,  Theatetus, Sophist, Statesmas, Timaeus, Critias, Philebus, and Laws.  Plato is still important to this day because he taught that every human soul has the impulse to reach for a higher, purer, and more spiritual truth that will light up our lives and change our world.

Citations:

• "Plato - Biography." Plato. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Mar. 2015. <http://www.egs.edu/library/plato/biography/>.
• "Epistemology." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2015. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epistemology>.
• "Metaphysics." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2015. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metaphysics>.
• "5 Reasons Why Plato and Aristotle Still Matter Today." PublishersWeekly.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2015. <http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/tip-sheet/article/60264-5-reasons-why-plato-and-aristotle-still-matter-today.html>.

CYBERDAY #5

This is now cyberday #5, cool.  Today we have to find 3 examples of Greek architecture, post a picture of it, and write "when and where they were built, what style they were built in, what materials were used to build them, what architectural details were included, and why the Greeks built these particular structures," according to Mr. Schick.

1. Parthenon

The Parthenon was built in 447 B.C. in Athens, Greece after the Persians destroyed by the Persians. It became the model of Classical architecture and its style has affected architecture for many centuries after it was built.  This temple was built of ivory and gold.  The Parthenon is a Doric peripteral temple, meaning that it is made up of a rectangular floor plan with a sequence of low steps on every side and a row of Doric columns extending around the edge of the entire structure.

2. Erechtheum

The Erechtheum was built in 421 B.C. on the north side of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.  It was built to house the ancient wooden cult statue of Athena and generally glorify the great city at the height of its power and influence.  This temple, considered the holiest of all temples in Greece, is also Classical architectural, but instead it is Ionic order.  The ionic shafts were taller than Doric ones, which made them look thinner.  Ionic order shafts also had flutes (lines carved into the shafts from top to bottom), entasis (a little bulge in the columns to make them look straight), a frieze, bases, and capitals that looked like scrolls above the staff.  It is the representative of the special features of the Ionic Order at its finest.  The temple was made of pentalic marble, terracotta, wood, and Eleusinian.

3. The Temple of Zeus

Built around 456 B.C, it is Classical agricultural and Doric order, like the Parthenon.  It is located in Olympia, Greece, on the western coast of Greece.  The main structure of the building was made out of a somewhat bad standard limestone that was coated with a thin layer of stucco, which gave the temple an appearance of being made of marble.  All of the sculptural decoration on the temple was made of Parian marble.  It was built to honor the chief of the gods, Zeus.  Unfortunately, only remains of the Temple of survived.

Day of Nothing

Today we hardly did anything.  Mr. Schick said that we're probably not going to be in school tomorrow, so he told us what we might be doing for cyberday tomorrow.  We also might not be in school on Friday, considering the ice we have now, plus the ice we're going to get tomorrow and the seven to ten inches of snow we're supposed to get.  Mr. Schick said tomorrow we're probably going to be doing a blog about architecture of the Greeks.  He also said we might do something about the Greek philosophers if we have a cyberday on Friday.  Then he said he might find inspiration and do a Greek recipe and you get extra credit if you make it.  I will so do that Mr. Schick.  I think you should consider it!

Ancient Greece

Today we looked at a PowerPoint on Ancient Greece.  Here are the notes I wrote:

• Great Civilizations/Key River
• Mesopotamia/Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
• Egypt/Nile River
• India/Indus River
• China/Huang He River
• 1400 islands off coast of Greece
• peninsula
• Mediterranean - "middle of the earth"**
• mountainous
• Adriatic Sea - west sea; Aegan Sea - east sea
• Crete
• Athens and Sparta
• into city-states; no Greek flag to unite
• Athens on water; Sparta in land

Since this is a short blog, I wanted to talk about what else happened in class besides the PowerPoint. Before class and before Mr. Schick walked in, I cut a little piece of my hair off that was longer than the rest.  I asked Mrs. Zurkowski if I could use her scissors to do so, and she surprisingly said yes.  I also found out that Mr. Schick LOVES Greece.  He said a lot about Greece that I didn't know whether to write down or not, so I didn't.  We'll probably get there (hopefully).  I also found out that we weren't focusing a lot on Greek mythology.  I find Greek mythology interesting, so it's upsetting we're not doing it.  My whole day was really great today!

Cyberday Makeup

SO right now I doing the cyberday assignment from February 26.  You had to write questions that you thought would be on the test.  I already took the test, so I'll try my best.

1. On the pyramid challenge, what was the right angle for setting the walls of the pyramid?
      A. 60 degrees
      B. 32 degrees
      C. 52 degrees
      D. 90 degrees
      E. 45 degrees

2. Egyptians relied a harmony and balance of the world, which is called what?
     A. Music
     B. Maat
     C. Cleopatra
     D. Ra
     E. Seshet

3. Who was a female pharaoh?
     A. Seshet
     B. Beyonce
     C. Veronica
     D. Cleopatra
     E. Ra

4. The earliest Egyptian writing was formed when?
     A. 3100 B.C.
     B. 4500 B.C.
     C. 1000 B.C.
     D. 8140 B.C.
     E. 1023 B.C.

5.  Which was NOT a invention from the Egyptians?
     A. sails
     B. calendar
     C. ox-drawn plow
     D. papyrus
     E. granary
 
   
   

Test

The reason I'm writing my blog on Sunday when it was due Saturday at midnight is because my blog wasn't letting me log in all weekend.  It just let me.  I hope you'll give me the points.

Now that I got that out of the way, on Friday we had a test on Egypt.  It was pretty easy.  I'm proud of the grade I got.  I got a 88%.  Since Mr. Schick saw so many of those, he did a little half ding with his bell if someone got that, so I got a half ding.  One of the questions said "Who was a female Pharaoh" and one of the options was Beyonce.  I almost started cracking up in the middle of a test.  It was great.  Before class ended, Mr. Schick let me ring the bell.  It is honestly one of the happiest noises ever, especially in Western Civ.  It was a good class.

Egypt

Government by a God-King

• Pharaoh was all powerful, worshipped as a god and intimately connected to the major Egyptian gods and goddesses.
• Egyptians relied on a harmony and balance of the universe, which they called "maat."
• Pharaohs had multiple wives, and all routes to financial and social success were through the palace.
• Women could inherit money and land and divorce their husbands, though only a tiny few ever wielded political power.

Gods, Humans, and Everlasting Life

• Gods were often portrayed with animal heads or bodies.
• Egyptians believed in an afterlife and mummified bodies to preserve them for this post-death journey
• All souls need to justify themselves in the point of death and be either sent to an after-world paradise or the jaws of a monster

The Writing of the Words of God

• Earliest Egyptian writing formed c. 3100 B.C. and were small pictures known as hieroglyphs
• Hieroglyphs represented religious words or parts of words, and most commonly adorned temples
• Hieratic script was a shorthand developed by scribes and priests
• Hieratic script was usually written in ink on papyrus, which was made from mashed Nile reeds
• Papyrus, the precursor to paper, was stored in scrolls and these scrolls were the books of ancient Egypt.

Calendars and Sailboats

• Egyptian astronomers made a calendar with 12 months and 365 days to make better sense of the seasonal cycles
• Due to their excellent knowledge of human anatomy, Egyptian doctors wrote extensively on health issues and created potions and cures for many common ailments 
• Wooden sailboats were constructed to increase transport ability on the Nile

Pyramids and Temples

• The pyramids were massive stone tombs, originally covered in marble but the marble was later stripped off during the Muslim conquest
• The Temple of Amon at Karnak is the largest religious building in the world, also made out of huge blocks of stone
• Stone sculptures and interior painting depicting humans and gods in a series of regulated poses, often in profile and without perspective, but were highly effective.

Torture

Today in class we made a pyramid in pairs. I worked with Rosemary.  It was called "Pyramid Challenge." At first I thought it would be easy, but trust me, it's not.  Basically, you have to go through all the steps in the game, and if you mess something up you have to start everything over.  EVERYTHING!  You needed to have the perfect workforce, a quarter of craftsmen to farmers and no slaves because there was none in Egypt (why was that a choice?), the right things to give your workers, etc.  And in the middle of the game, there was this stupid boat thing you had to do, which we failed every time.  I didn't realize that you could just hit "finish game" and it would go right to the harbor.  (Mr. Schick told us after we failed it 5 times). The whole game was torture! I hated every minute of it.  I am never doing this again.

The grading was worse.  Mr. Schick said that the first two people that make it get an A, the next two get a B, the next people get a C, and whoever doesn't finish it in class gets a 0. Thankfully, we finished, but we got a C.  I was about to cry.  It was so stressful and I hated it.  Probably the worst day I've ever experienced in Western Civ.

Second Cyberday: Writing about Egyptian Inventions/Breakthrought

For our cyberday assignment, we need to find five inventions/breakthroughs from Egypt.  I am writing this in the pattern of most importantly ranked to least importantly ranked.

One invention of ancient Egypt is an ox-drawn plow.  Even though it's not the technology we have nowadays, it was Ancient Egyptian technology.  It appeared at around 2500 B.C.  Skilled metal working and animal cultivation were probably required in order to form a workable plow.  Even though most of the Egyptian land was dessert, the nation also had rich soil along the banks of the Nile River.  This soil makes a very good environment for growing crops such as wheat and a large number of vegetables.  Egyptian inventions, such as the ox-drawn plow, made farming much easier and more profitable.

Everyone knows Egyptians for their unique writing system.  Cave paintings date all the way back to 30,000 B.C, but drawings and paintings didn't develop into the first written language until the first writing systems appeared in Egypt and Mesopotamia.  Their writing system began with pictograms, the first dating back to 6,000 B.C.  Pictograms were simple pictures of the words they represented, but it had restrictions.  Over time, Egyptians added other components to their writing system, like alphabet-like symbols that stood for certain sounds and other characters, allowing them to write names and theoretical ideas.

The Ancient Egyptians also have the honor of having not only invented the 365 day calendar, but also the leap year system.  Ancient civilizations recorded and marked time using a lunar calendar system. Our modern day calendar, established by the solar system with twelve months with thirty days each and five extra days, was first made by the Egyptians.  They also invented the leap year calendar of adding an extra day every fourth year in 238 B.C.  Without the calendar, we wouldn't have known how to track the days, weeks, or months.

One breakthrough was the fact that illnesses were no longer treated by magicians and medicine men. There is evidence that people existed who were referred to as physicians and doctors.  An Ancient Egyptian love poem written in abut 1500 B.C says, 
"It is seven days from yesterday since I saw my love, 
And sickness has crept over me, 
My limbs have become heavy, 
I cannot feel my own body.
If the master-physicians come to me,
I gain no comfort from their remedies.
And the priest-magicians have no cures,
My sickness is not diagnosed.
My love is better by far for me than my remedies.
She is more important to me than all the books of medicine."
Physicians were very clean and feared illness and disease.  They did all they could to prevent illness, including bathing and purifying patients bodies habitually, shaving off men and women's head and body hair, and staying with a diet that excluded "unclean" animals, like fish. 

The Egyptian's inventions also included sails.  Since they lived so close to the Nile River, it would have been important that they devise productive methods of water transportation.  Enough said.

There are more, but I was only told to put what I thought were the most important.  



Here are the websites I used:

• 10 Amazing Ancient Egyptian Inventions (#9)
• Ancient Egyptian Inventions
• Ancient Egyptian Medicine

Egypt

Today we went over the Prezi that Mr. Schick made us as a cyberday assignment.  I didn't put that many notes since I already had most of the stuff he told us to write down.  I put a few notes about the Nile River

• The Nile flows from South to North
• Has 5 cataracts- water gets really rough
• 4000 miles long

That's the only notes I needed to put down.  We didn't really do anything else for class.

First Cyberday

Today was a Cyberday.  After four days of having all, we have Cyberdays, where we have to do schoolwork even if we're not in school.  It's not as bad as it sounds, because now school isn't extended or time isn't cut in to Easter break.

Ok,  now that we all know what a Cyberday is, let's get in with what Mr. Schick told us to do.  Mr. Schick made a Prezi about Ancient Egypt, and we were told to take notes.  Here are the notes I took:

• Geography
• Egyptian life is centered around the Nile River
• Water for drinking, for irrigating, for bathing, and for transportation
• Every July it floods
• Every October it leaves behind rich soil
• The delta is a broad, marshy triangular area of fertile silt
• Managing the river required technological breakthroughs in irrigation
• Daily life
• Most important people greatest to least:
• Pharaoh
• Government Officials - Nobles, Priests
• Soldiers
• Scribes
• Merchants
• Artisans
• Farmers
• Slaves and Servants
• Slaves/servants helped the wealthy with household and child raising duties
• 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
• Money/barter system was used - merchants might accept bags of grain for payment - later, coinage came about
• Scribes kept records, told stories, wrote poetry described anatomy and medical treatments
• They wrote in hieroglyphs and in hieratic
• Soldiers used wooden weapons (bow and arrows, spears) with bronze tips and might ride chariots
• Upper class, known as the "white kilt class" - priests, physicians, engineers
• Religious and political leader
• Pharaohs
• the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people, holding the titles: "Lord of the Two Lands" and "High Priests of Every Temple."
• As "Lord of the Two Lands" the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt.  He owned all land, made laws, collected taxes, and defended Egypt against foreigners.
• Hatshepsut was a woman who served as pharaoh
• Cleopatra VII also served as pharaoh, but much later (51-30 BC)
• Goddesses and Gods
• Over 2000 gods and goddesses
• They "controlled" the lives of humans
• Pyramids
• The Great Sphinx of Giza
• Built 2555-2532 BC
• A recumbent lion with a human's head
• Oldest monumental statue in the world

(There were 2 videos in the Prezi, but I didn't take any notes on them.)

Yesterday's class

In class yesterday we went over both of the tests that were taken.  One from a few weeks ago, which I got a 96% on, and the other I took a few days ago, which I got a 76% on.  I like going over the tests, because I'm going to need to know the answers for the exams.  While I was going over the tests, I realized why I'm terrible at tests.  It wasn't because I didn't understand it, because I understood everything.  It was because I think too much when I'm taking tests.  (Just thought I should throw that in there.)  From now on, I'm not going to think as much as I do on Mr. Schick's test and see how I do.  Next test I'm going to do great on (I hope).  I guess we'll have to see.

Test

Today we had a test.  We got ten minutes before class to study.  Karson quizzed Zaire and I.  I only knew about half of it, so I learned a lot more.  Thanks for that guys! The test overall was pretty easy. There were 25 questions about Guns, Germs, and Steel and Jared Diamond.  I know I didn't get a 100%, but I'm pretty sure I got a good score on it....

I got a 76%.  I definitely think I could've gotten a lot better.  Hopefully it doesn't bring down my grade a lot.  I guess we'll have to see.

Present today

Our presentation went well.  We went first, and people were talking almost the whole time.  On the goat slide, we had a song.  The audio wasn't working on Mr. Schick's laptop, so Steven decided to play it.  We wanted to keep going with our presentation, but it kept going, so naturally I told him to turn it off.  Apparently, it was very loud and everyone said "whoa" like they were surprised, which they shouldn't have been.  Then people complained about me not having a zebra kicking and I asked if they wanted me to find a video of a zebra kicking.  I guess I was screaming, because Mr. Schick said "this is the screaming class."  Everyone liked the pictures.  At the end, the GIF below played and only like 5 people laughed.  We thought everyone was going to crack up. I liked our presentation and I'm proud of our group.

Guns, Germs, and Steel presentation

Today in class we got into groups and made PowerPoints for a certain project.  I was in a group with Zaire, Kendall, Karson, and Ellee.  Mr. Schick took a hat with numbers.  Kendall picked the number and we got to pick first.  We got animals.  (Thank God!)  We had the best group and the best topic. We chose the animals pigs, llamas, horses, cattle, goats, zebras, and sheep.  We researched different things about the animals, then found either cute or funny pictures.  On the goat slide, we put the song "I Knew You Were Trouble" with a screaming goat.  At the end we put a hilarious GIF. I'll put on my blog tomorrow.  I don't want to ruin the surprise.

Guns, Germs, and Steel ending

Today we finished Guns, Germs, and Steel.  I only took a few notes:

• Jordan
• people made houses out of plaster
• burned with fire in 1000 degrees
• learning to make plaster was the first step
• climate was too dry to grow crops
• 20 million tons of wheat a year eaten by Americas
• New Guineans acquired pigs
• the answer to Yali's question is geography

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Today we continued Guns, Germs, and Steel: 

• can shoot arrows 
• barley and wheat: better native plants
• drought: lasted 1,000 years
• Draa: first civilization ever found
• Granary: holds grains; wheat and barley
• domestication; changing the way a plant would be for people to eat
• China grew rice
• Americas grew corn, squash, and beans
• Africa grew sorghon, millet, and yams
• People have been planting in New Guinea for ten thousand years
• New Guineans eat spiders, and taro root
• had tobacco
• GEOGRAPHIC LUCK
• animal domestication
• with certain animals, you can have a lot of advantages
• Goats and sheep were the first domesticated animals
• used mostly  for their meat
• only muscle power in New Guinea is human muscle power
• ideal domesticated animals can give birth after one or two years of their life
• if they're social animals, and you can control the leader, you can control the herd
• 14 animals have been successfully domesticated:
• goats
• sheep
• pigs
• cows
• horses
• donkeys
• bactrian camels
• Arabian camels
• water buffalo
• llamas
• reindeer
• yaks
• mithum
• bali cattle
• Llamas are from South America
• The other 13 are from North Africa
• Cows, pigs, sheep, and goats are native to the Middle East