Exam tommorrow

So on the blog there is a quick rundown of the exam

The first 25 questions are on ancient civilizations and ancient Egypt.

The next 40 questions are on ancient Greece.

Followed by 45 questions on Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome...

Finishing up with 23 questions on the Middle Ages.

That's right, 133 total objective questions.

You will also see the following written responses:

What was life like at the various levels of the Egyptian hierarchy?

What are some of the lasting effects of the ancient Greeks on today's world? - the olympics

How did Christianity evolve from an upstart, cultlike group into the world's largest organized religion?

Describe some possible causes for the decline of the Roman Empire.

What are the main differences between European life at the height of the Roman Empire, and life during the Middle Ages?

exam weekend

So its that time of year again. Exam weekend. I have a lot of studying to do, so I will keep it brief. Hopefully our west civ exam wont be too difficult. I am going to look over all of our past tests and combine them to make a study guide. Hopefully studying goes well this weekend.

Last test!

So we took our last test today and I did decent. I got an 87% which is pretty good considering out class average was a 70%. Hopefully I can pull my grade up 1 point and get it up to a 90 to have another A on my report card. Now that all of the tests are over it is time for exams, and I am really looking forward for everything to be done.

Final test notes and Exam review

So for today's class we are going over some of the important notes for our test tomorrow. DING!

• middle ages were from AD 476 - AD 1453 
• (this is a new society) The new society has roots in:
• classical heritage of Rome 
• Beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church
• customs of various Germanic tribes. 
• 5th century Germanic invaders overrun the western half of the Roman Empire. Causing:
• Disruption of trade
• downfall of cities
• population shifts to rural areas. 
• Effects of invasion
• Tribes had oral tradition, songs. but couldn't read Greek or Latin.
• Romance languages evolve. (French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian)
• Few besides priests were literate.
• Germanic warriors' loyalty is to the lord of the manor, he provides them with food, weapons, treasure.
• Result: 
• no orderly government for large areas
• small communities. 
• Clovis rules the Germanic people of Gaul, known as the Franks (Which is where "France comes from) 
• in 496 AD he had a battle field conversion- he and 3000 of his warriors become Christians
• In 520 AD, Benedict writes rules for monks. Rules are on power point
• Scholastica wrote similar rules for nuns. 
• They operate schools, maintained libraries and copied books. 
• Church revenues are used to help poor, build roads, and raise armies. 
• This is a Theocracy. (know definition)
• Gregory's spiritual kingdom (Christendom) extends from Italy to England, from Spain to Germany.
• a descendant of Clovis, Charles Martel was also known as Charles the Hammer. 
• Hammer defeats a Muslim raiding party from Spain at the battle of tours in 732 (if he hadn't won, western Europe could have become part of the Muslim empire) 
• Charles Martel's son is Pepin the short. 
• Pepin the Short's son was Charlemagne, meaning Charles the Great (a great warrior, 6'4")
• Charlemagne 
• fought Muslims in Spain, and Germanic tribes
• was the most powerful king in western Europe. 
• His heirs did a terrible job. 
• Louis the Pious was ineffective. 
• he had three sons. they split up the kingdom into three different parts. (Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD)

Weekend blog

So I had a very nice extended weekend. Friday night I did not do a whole lot, but I had my aunt in town and she stayed with us for the night. The next day, I was invited by my friend to go to the NCAA Mens Lacrosse final 4 at M&T bank stadium because he had extra tickets. So I went to that all day Saturday, and he ended up spending the night at my house. We opened up the pool that night and had the first swim of the year. The next day, my uncle Tom was in town and we had a 2v2 competition all day long. My dad and my uncle, vs me and my friend. Monday was a pretty relaxed day, I hung out around the house, and did some homework. I was pretty content with my weekend.

Because I don't have enough notes.

1. Main Idea
1. Many Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne's empire
2. Why it matters
1. Charlemagne spread Christian civilization throughout northern Europe, which is where many of use came from
3. Setting the Stage
1. Middle Ages = Medieval period
2. 500-1500 AD
3. Medieval Europe is fragmented

1. Invasions trigger changes in western Europe
1. Invasions and constant warfare spark new trends
1. Disruption of trade
1. Europe cities are no longer economic centers
2. Money is scarce
2. Downfall of cities
1. Cities are no longer centers of administration
3. Population shifts
1. Nobles retreat to the rural areas
2. Cities don't have strong leadership
2. Decline of Learning
1. Germanic invaders are illiterate, but they communicate through oral tradition
2. Only priests and church officials could read and write
3. Knowledge of Greek (and literature, science, philosophy) is almost lost
3. Loss of a common language
1. Dialects develop in different regions
2. By the 800's, French, Spanish, other Roman-based languages are evolving from Latin
2. Germanic kingdoms emerge
1. The concept of government changes
1. Roman society: loyal to public gov't
2. Germanic society: loyal to family
1. Germanic chief led warriors
2. During peace, he provided food, weapons, treasure, a place to live (the lords hall)
3. During wartime, warriors fought for the lord
3. "The king? Who's that? You want to collect taxes from me? Who the heck are you?"
4. Franks live in the Roman province of Gaul- their leader is Clovis
2. The franks under Clovis
1. Another battlefield conversion (Just like Constantine!)
2. Clovis and 3000 of his warriors are baptized by the bishop
3. The church in Rome approves of the "alliance"
4. Clovis and the Church begin to work together
3. Clovis military expertise + the church's support and money = strategic alliances between two powerful forces!
3. Germanic people adopt Christianity
1. (Pope) Gregory I expands papal power
1. Papacy = pope's office
2. Secular power = worldly power
3. So..under Gregory the great….
2. Papal Power (power of the pope) is political power presented from the Pope's palace
3. The church can use money to:
1. Raise armies
2. Repair roads
3. Help the poor
4. Gregory the Great began to act as mayor of Rome, and as head of an earthly kingdom (Christendom)
5. 511AD - Clovis unites Franks into one kingdom
6. 600AD - Church and Frankish rulers convert many
7. Fear of Muslims in southern Europe spur many to become Christians
8. Monasteries and convents
1. 520 AD - Benedict wrote the rules for monks and monasteries
1. Poverty, chastity, obedience, study
2. His sister Scholastica did the same for nuns in convents
3. 731 AD - the Venerable Bede wrote a killer history of England
4. Monks opened schools, maintains libraries, and copied books (Bibles, Greek texts)
4. A European Empire Evolves
1. Franks control largest European kingdom
1. The roman province formerly known as Gaul
2. Ruled b Clovis - the Merovinigan Dynasty
2. Major domo- mayor of the palace - ruled the kingdom
3. Charles Martel - Charles the Hammer
1. Extended the Franks reign to the north south and east
2. Defeated a Muslim army from Spain at the Battle of Yours in 732 - historic battle
4. Charles the Hammer's son - Pepin the Short
1. Possibly named for his unusual short haircut
2. Working for and with the pope, Pepin fought the Lombards
3. Pope Stephen II named Pepin "king by the grace of God" - beginning the Carolingian Dynasty 751 -987 AD
5. The pope can name someone "king"
6. Pepin the Short had two sons: Carolman and Charles
1. Carolman dies
7. Charlemagne takes center stage
1. Charlemagne - aka Charles the Great
2. Six foot four
3. Built the greatest empire since Rome
4. Fought the Muslims in Spain
5. Fought Germanic tribes
6. Spread Christianity
7. Reunited Western Europe
8. Became the most powerful king in Western Europe
9. Pope Leo III crowned him emperor in 800 AD after he defended him from an unruly Roman mob
10. This signaled the joining of Germanic power, the Church, and the heritage of the Roman Empire

Germanic Kingdoms Unite under Charlemagne

1. Main Idea
1. Many Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne's empire
2. Why it matters
1. Charlemagne spread Christian civilization throughout northern Europe, which is where many of use came from
3. Setting the Stage
1. Middle Ages = Medieval period
2. 500-1500 AD
3. Medieval Europe is fragmented

1. Invasions trigger changes in western Europe
1. Invasions and constant warfare spark new trends
1. Disruption of trade
1. Europe cities are no longer economic centers
2. Money is scarce
2. Downfall of cities
1. Cities are no longer centers of administration
3. Population shifts
1. Nobles retreat to the rural areas
2. Cities don't have strong leadership
2. Decline of Learning
1. Germanic invaders are illiterate, but they communicate through oral tradition
2. Only priests and church officials could read and write
3. Knowledge of Greek (and literature, science, philosophy) is almost lost
3. Loss of a common language
1. Dialects develop in different regions
2. By the 800's, French, Spanish, other Roman-based languages are evolving from Latin
2. Germanic kingdoms emerge
1. The concept of government changes
1. Roman society: loyal to public gov't
2. Germanic society: loyal to family
1. Germanic chief led warriors
2. During peace, he provided food, weapons, treasure, a place to live (the lords hall)
3. During wartime, warriors fought for the lord
3. "The king? Who's that? You want to collect taxes from me? Who the heck are you?"
4. Franks live in the Roman province of Gaul- their leader is Clovis
2. The franks under Clovis
1. Another battlefield conversion (Just like Constantine!)
2. Clovis and 3000 of his warriors are baptized by the bishop
3. The church in Rome approves of the "alliance"
4. Clovis and the Church begin to work together
3. Clovis military expertise + the church's support and money = strategic alliances between two powerful forces!
3. Germanic people adopt Christianity
1. (Pope) Gregory I expands papal power
1. Papacy = pope's office
2. Secular power = worldly power
3. So..under Gregory the great….
2. Papal Power (power of the pope) is political power presented from the Pope's palace
3. The church can use money to:
1. Raise armies
2. Repair roads
3. Help the poor
4. Gregory the Great began to act as mayor of Rome, and as head of an earthly kingdom (Christendom)(