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.