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)(

Weekend Blog

So its Sunday once again and school is starting to wind down. Last week was the last big tests for the year and now its time to start getting ready for exams. Hopefully all goes well and these next couple of weeks go by fast. If I am correct, we only have 9 days of regular school left which is great. I am really looking forward toward the summer.

Test and Notes

I got a 98% on my test so I am very content. Now for more notes....

Feudalism: a political, military and economic system based on land holding and protective alliances
(the system is based on personal loyalty to people who can help you)

Rich dude (LORD): "I own land; I need people to work and defend it"
Tough Dudes(VASSALS): "There are a lot of us, we can help the rich dudes hold on to their land"

Feudal Pyramid

King
Vassals, Nobles, and Bishops
Knights- mounted warriors who received fiefs for defending Lords land
Peasants- mostly serfs - Landless, powerless, moneyless, righ less- just working the land for "the man"(Lord)

Manor: the lords estate

•  the lords manor house
• a church
• some workshops
• 15-30 families
• all on a few square miles

Good news: its a self sufficient community
Bad news: its harsh if your a peasant

Peasants are poor AND pay high taxes

• tax on grain
• tax on marrigage
• church tax (tithe- 10% of their income)

They lived in crowded cottages
live with animals and insects
eat VERY simply
Church says that this is your lot in life
God determines your place in society - so chill

Absent

So I was absent today and did not get to take the big rome test. This kind of upsets me because now I have to restudy all of it still so I do not forget it. I think that I should do well on this test though. I had 4 tests today, and now I have to make all of them up which is pretty annoying. Hopefully they all go well.

test tomorrow!

Last test I took caught me by surprise and I ended up getting a C. To prepare for this test, I created a quizlet of all of things that I was not comfortable with. I then quizzed my self until I got a 100%. I think that I should do well on this next test. For some reason, I never do well on the tests, even though I know the material.

Notes on notes on notes on notes

AD: 180 Rome Had problems

• economic problems - trade became risky, taxes were high, food supply was dropping
• military problems- frontiers were hard to patrol, Roman generals fought for control, soldiers loyalty declines and mercenaries appeared.

Diocletian divided into two

• Greek-speaking East ) had more resources)
• Latin-speaking West (Rome, tradition)

Diocletian

• born in Illyria - a territory to the south of the middle stretch of the Danube
• became the main recruiting ground for the empire's overstretched armies
• Named emperor by his own men
• Son of freed slave
• At the end of his reign, he persecuted the Christians

• AD 324 - Constantine becomes emperor over both halves of the empire
• moves the capital from Rome to Byzantium (renamed to Constantinople), where Asia met Europe ( now Turkey)
• after his death, empire is divided again
• this time "barbarian invaders" (Huns, Vandals, Visigoths, Angles, Saxons, Franks) overrun the empires frontiers
• that's it for the Roman Empire (AD 476)

Rome Fades Away

Two Emperors

- Diocletian

• rules 284-303
• its cool to persecute Christians
• Rome needs a big army (400,00 strong)
• Rome needs a big government (20,000)

Constantine

• rules from 306-337
• its cool to BE a christian
• conversion to Christianity via a cross in the sky (conquer by this)
• 313 - his Edict of Milan proclaims freedom of worship
• built new capital in the East
• Byzantium, soon to be known as Constantinople

Edict of Milan

• the ending of persecution to Christians, claims that Christianity is good

struggle of the peasants

• life in the fourth century
• country dwellers are getting bankrupted by endless tax collection
• new farming system: peasants work for elite landlords on large farms
• peasants can avoid pating taxes, but they are getting hit to hard by landlords
• paying of debts and being "allowed" to live on the land, in exchange for endless back breaking work
• landowners hold local power as counts and bishops, wielding more real power than the faraway empire
• foreshadowing feudalism

the western empire crumbles

• Romes power is decreasing, while nomadic barbarians gain power
• Western Empire is too poor, neglected
• Huns migrate from China to eastern Europe
• Visigoths take over Spain, and even capture and loot Rome itself in 410
• Vandals control Carthage and the western Mediterranean
• Other barbarian tribes
• Ostrogoths in Italy
• Franks in Gaul
• Angles and Saxons in Britain

  End of an era

From the beginings...

• 500 BC - the monarchy is aboloshed
• 450 BC- twelve tables are established

through the glory days....

• 44 BC - end of the line for Julius Caesar
• 27 BC-180 AD - the Roman Peace (Pax Romana)

to the bitter end...

• constant fifth century invasions by barbarian tribes left the western Roman Empire shattered and crumbling
• the last emperor was a teenage boy installed in 475 by his father
• barbarians deposed Romulus Augustulus without bothering to kill him

More and more and more notes

•  Christians and Jews were monotheistic, conflicted with Roman beliefs
• Christianity appealed to the poor
• Roman leaders began to embrace Christianity
•  AD 313: Constantine has a battlefield conversion
• He issues the Edict of Milan
• Not only no persecution, but the approval of Christianity
• Christianity becomes the official religion of Rome
• Edict of Milan

•  200 BC- 600 AD
• Christianity kept on spreading throughout Europe to barbarians in middle ages
• Catholic Church became a powerful force
• Emperor vs. Christianityt

Surprise Test

So I completely forgot that we had a test today, but I think I still did well. I was not here yesterday, and that was the main study day where we went over everything. I just studied with Cameron the first ten minutes of class and I think I actually may have gotten an A. The only part that tripped me up was the last section of matching the different Roman rulers. I probably messed up on two or three of the matching, and possibly one of the multiple choice. That means that the lowest grade I will probably get is a 90%, which I am fine with. For not knowing we had a test, I think I did pretty darn well.

Not in class

So I was not in class today because I was on a field trip to the Shakespeare folger museum/theatre in Washington D.C. The trip was not bad but the play itself was not entertaining at all. It was aimed towards little kids and just was not meant to be for teenagers. Overall it was still a good trip because we missed school and got Chipotle on the bus ride home.

More Rome Notes

• Octavian - AKA: Caesar Augustus
• Begins the Pax Romana- a period of peace and prosperity
• Built roads, aqueducts (brought water to the cities)
• Set up civil service, grain supply, postal service
• Augustus dies at age 76 in AD 14, and passes power
• Jesus was a Roman citizen and a practicing Jew
• Romans planned his execution when Jesus said that his kingdom was not on this Earth
• Paul tells the world about the death resurrection and message of Jesus
• Caligula- Tiberius grandson
• Started off well, getting rid of treason trials, granted bonus money to those in military, made government spending a matter of public record
• First seven months of Caligula's reign were "completely blissful"
• He began to fight with the senate
• Claimed to be a god and had statues displayed of him
• Became cruel and insane
• Assassinated by his own aides, AD 41 (age 28)
• Next came Claudius
• Was ostracized by his family because of being limp, slightly deaf, and possible speech impediment: was thought to have cerebral palsy or polio
• Was last adult male in his family when Caligula died
• Rose to the occasion: conquered Britain; built roads, canals, and aqueducts; he renovated the Circus Maximus
• Had a bad marriage to Messalina, who was a bad wife- so Claudius killed her and her other lover
• Christianity and Judaism: monotheistic
• Romans had many gods, plus at time the emperor was viewed as a god
• Ad 66: a group of Jews called the Zealots tried to rebel, but Roman troops put them down and burned their temple (except for one wall)
• The Western Wall today is the holiest of all Jewish shrines
• Half a million Jews died in the rebellion
• Romans were harsh toward those who would not worship the emperor
• Especially Christians, who were viewed as followers of a new, upstart religion: cult
• Often used to entertainment purposes in the Colosseum (thrown to the lions etc.)
• Despite the oppression, Christians grew quickly - by AD 200, around 10 percent of the people in the Roman empire were Christians

Ruler of the Emperors

Assassination and Another Caesar

• Caesar managed to secure a vote from senate to make him dictator for life
• Caesar became too powerful, so they needed to take him down as they did all great tyrants, assassination.
• The senate invited him to the Senate house where they stabbed him with daggers
• The death of Caesar created an outrage and there were new people trying to establish power
• Mark Antony and Octavian
• Marcus Lepidus and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius in the battle for Rome
• Julius Caesar was declared a "Divine Being"
• He was not a God, but was far above any mortal
• The land was divided so Octavian was based around Rome, Lepidus in the North Africa, and Antony in Alexandria.
• Octavian pushed Lepidus out of power
• This led to a battle between Octavian and Antony for Greece, where Octavian won and Antony went to Egypt

• Augustus's government system became similar to the popular Roman Republic
• The Romans based their work off of the Greeks, but improved it immensely
• "The era of the Roman Peace was one of massive social, religious, and cultural changes that would form a new pattern of Western civilization"
• Made soldiers volunteer for reform
• Augustus- title given to emperor
• Roman Peace- relative stability and prosperity that Roman rule brought to the Mediterranean 

Make up notes

I was not in class yesterday but I now have notes courtesy of Brad

The Roman Empire.

• Octavian- Caesar Augustus. He was Julius Caesar's grandnephew.
•  begins the Pax Romana- a period of peace and prosperity.
• built roads, aqueducts (brought water to the cities)
• Set up civil service to take care of roads, the grain supply, even a postal service.
• Augustus dies at age 76 in A.D. 14, and passes power to Tiberius.
• Jesus
• was a roman citizen and a practicing Jew
• at 30, he began his ministry (A.D. 31-33), preaching to the poor (and there were lots of them) in the empire, and reaching out to outsiders.
• statements like "My kingdom is not of this world" made the Romans (and the Jews) nervous, and they began to plan his execution.
• The governor of the Roman providence of Judea, Pontius Pilate (promoted by Jewish high priests), sentences Jesus to death by crucifixion.

Not in Class

So today at the beginning of class I had to leave for my lacrosse game so I do not have much to blog about. It was pouring down rain, and the field was pretty much a swamp by the time the game ended. It was quite the experience. I am really just trying to hold out these last couple weeks until school ends. Summer just keeps on feeling farther and farther away. Anyways, thats my blog.

Julius Caesar

Today in class we focused a lot on Julius Caesar. I had already knew a lot about Julius Caesar because I had to read the Shakespeare book for Honors English. It is pretty cool learning about it now in West Civ, because I get to learn about how he really was and it makes connections to the story of his power. I thought I would put in some of my notes.

• Caesar now has money, power, and an army
• While Caesar is conquering Gaul, Crassus is being defeated
• Pompey is jealous of all that Caesar has.
• If you become my enemy, I will kill you.
• Caesars men killed Pompey
• Caesar makes himself Supreme Ruler
• He became a tribune
• Caesar is setting himself with all the power he can for a long period of time
• Caesar does not listen to the Senate
• Invite Caser to the Senate, and they stab him to death

Roman Projects

So we are finally done with all of the projects on Rome. Some of them were very cool interesting while others were boring and dumb. Most of our projects were food, including mine. Most of the food was not the best, but it was still edible. I think it was a good representation though because back in ancient Rome, I bet they tasted similar because of their lack knowledge of cooking. Overall, I would say that it was a successful assignment.

Rome notes

1. 3 main groups in Rome
1. Latins
1. First to settle
2. Etruscans
3. Greeks
2. Geography
1. Located on the Tiber River
1. Found out how to drain the water from the marsh and used it to build
2. They felt they were located in the very center of world and that they were destine to rule
3. Targuin the Proud
1. He was the last ruler of Rome
4. Res publica
1. The people's business
2. Republic
1. Democracy
1. Assembly/house of representatives
2. Monarchy
1. 2 consuls
3. Aristocracy
1. senate
5.   Plebeians
1. Middle class me
1. Farmers, artisans, craftsmen, etc.
6. Patricians
1. Upper class
1. Rich
2. Powerful
7. Slaves
1. Bottom of the hierarchy
8. The senators were old rich men
1. To become a senate the king would choose from the leading patricians
9. Monarchy was abolished when they overthrew Targuin
10. The assembly is the house where the plebeians elect their leaders
1. People were elected as tributes
11. Pg 95, 96, 97

Punic wars

• Rome vs Carthage
• 3 wars
• 1st - Sicily
• 2nd- Hannibal
• Rome won each war
• Carthage is on the north coast of Africa
• Carthage controlled
• At their peak they conquered from Egypt to Spain. Most of the land surrounding Italy

1. Roman Legion
1. Legion - 5000
2. Century - 80 men
3. Infantry
4. Calvary

Worksheet Questions

1. How did geography affect the development of Rome?

The geography of Rome really helped it kick off as a successful civilization. It'c location was key. There we located in the center of the Mediterranean Sea which gave them lots of opportunities for traveling, trading, and advantages in battle. They also had mountainous areas which allowed for high vantage points, along with lots of mountain spring water.

2. How did the Etruscans influence the development of Rome?

Rome started out with an Etruscan monarchy where a king ruled over everyone and everything in Rome. With Rome's great success, they overthrew the king and Rome developed into a republic where people could have a say in their leaders. Along with that, they layed out the city of Rome and chose what it's design would be like. They set up lows and made Rome into almost a grid.

3. Which were the main groups that competed for power in the early Roman republic?

There were two main groups competing for the power of Rome, the nobles and the common people. The nobles were higher up in society, so they had dominated the power in the earliest of the Roman republic. As time went on, and Rome developed, the commoners began to get more power and more rights. Luckily, the rule in Rome was that everyone in Rome was protected by the government.

4.What is the significance of the Twelve Tables in Roman law?

The Twelve Tables set a part Rome from other civilizations. People were started to be treated equally and not just based on their money or power. In the past, if you had money or power, you could do anything. Now with the Twelve Tables, all free citizens are protected by the law. The Twelve Tables were even posted in a public place for all to see, and to remind. These were some of the first set code of laws.

5. How did Rome regain control of Italy after the sacking of the city by the Gauls?

After the battle with the Gauls, the Romans needed to regroup and begin to gather an empire. They invaded other nearby enemies and eventually gathered up enough people to counter the Gauls, and take back what was rightfully theirs.
 France = Gauls

Weekend Blog

Its the weekend once again after an extremely long week. I found out that this past week was the first full week of school since winter break, which is insane. It's just one more week until spring break, which is great. I really just need some time just to relax, refresh, and re-boot so I can take on the rest of the school year. It is pretty crazy how fast my freshman year has been. The first entire first semester felt shorter than the third quarter. I really hope this week goes fast, I need spring break.

Into Rome

Today in class we began to go over some of the key features of Rome. From what I know, I feel like Rome will be a similar story to Greece. Rome seems like it will be an interesting section. I am not quite certain what I will end up doing my project on but I might make another video. This time it will be a little different, but its not final. As of now i'm not working with anyone but I will most likely end up pairing with someone else.

New Project

Today was April Fools day. Nothing crazy happened but there were some good pranks. This morning I got up early to finish my homework and I received a message from my dad. He said that we had a 2 hour delay, so I went back to sleep. I was later woken up at regular time where I found out it was all a prank and I had not finished all of the work I needed to do. Today we talked about a new project in west civ that should be a lot of fun. It offers the creativity of last project, but also offers a lot of variety on what you want to do. As long it has to do with Rome, of course. I think that this will be great because last project, not everyone was very familiar with making a video. I am really looking forward to this

Roman Families

Since I do not actually have my book to use, I will still attept to write about Roman families with the power of Google.

Back in Ancient Rome, family life was not what it is like today. In Rome, the man is the dominant and powerful sex. This also comes into play in the role of the family. The Men were so dominant, that if they were angry with their child, they could legally disown, or even kill them. As the counter part to the men, there were the women. Women did not have much say in the family life, and more so obeyed what they were asked. They were married in their teenage years to older men, and they bared children to continue on the family name. Today's families are a lot different. In the family, usually everyone has a say. The mother and the father both have power and responsibility in raising children if they have any.

There is my attempted, no book, information on Roman families. enjoy

Test Day

Today we took our Greece test for west civ and I think I did fairly well on it. Going into it, I had not clue that we would be able to use our blogs to help with the test, and it ended up helping out a lot. It feels pretty great knowing that it is almost the weekend because we do not have school on Friday. I am curious to see what western civ will bring to the table next.

Because I have nothing else to say, enjoy Nicholas Cage

Review Day

So I am back in school again today. Today in class we took a solid 10 minutes just to get the video running, and then we started to go over the video to review for the test tomorrow. I am planning on going over the quizlet that is posted on the west civ blog. Hopefully we will all do well on the test and make Mr. Schick proud :D Overall a pretty relaxed day

Absent Blog

Today I was not in school because I had to go to the hospital to get a colonoscopy. I was not able to eat anything for almost 24 hours and felt very fatigued. I got back a few hours ago and am starting to feel a little better but am still very tired from the anesthesia. Apparently we are supposed to get more snow tomorrow which will be so great if we get another cyber day.

 

Sick today

Today I was out sick. I have had really strange stomach bug that is extremely painful. I ended up sleeping from 9:30 last night, to 2:30 in the evening today. I feel very strange having gotten all of that sleep but hopefully I will be able to go back to school tomorrow. Dear summer, come soon.

Suprise! Another sub day

Once again, we have another sub day, leading up to us doing nothing in class. Its all good though, I understand that people have other commitments. The quarter is almost over at last. With all of the crazy weather and missed days, this quarter has been very crazy and stressful. Hopefully the last quarter brings better things.

Cyber Day.....again.

Another Cyber Day, another day of busy work. Answers for the blog below

1. Mostly fertile land is not a characteristic of Greece.

2. Approximately 2/3 of Greece is covered by mountains.

3. The term barbarian as it was originally used in the ancient world. The word came from the Greek “barbarous." which originally meant "Non-Greek."

4. A megalithic structure is made of massive rough-cut stones used to construct monuments and tombs.

5. The term tribe refers to a social and political unit consisting of a group of communities held together by common interests, traditions, and real or mythical ties of kinship. 

6. Tribes were governed by warrior kings or queens, chieftains, and tribal leaders.

7. The first European barbarians to make contact with civilization were the Greeks.

8. The United States would not be considered a member of “Western civilization”

9. The Ionian Sea is the name of the sea located west of the Greek mainland

10. The Aegean Sea is the name of the sea located east of the Greek mainland
11. The major crops of the Aegean people were onions, wheat and beer.

12. The Minoan, civilization arose on the island of Crete.

13. The Mycenaean civilization established settlements along the Greek mainland’s southern shore and on islands.

14. The Mycenaean civilization built massive walls to protect themselves from attacks.

15. The Dark Ages is a period of Greek history in which the population dropped, ships no longer sailed, and writing fell out of use.

16. Following this time period, the Greeks joined the Phoenicians as the leading commercial and seafaring nation of the Mediterranean?

17. In historical writing, the letter “c” might appear before a date, as in “c. 1500 BC.”  That means around, about and or circa.

18. By 600 BC, Greek city-states dotted the coastlines around the Mediterranean Sea.  These were called colonies.

19. Although they varied in size, ancient Greek city-states most closely resembled counties as a modern-day geographical feature.
20. Oligarchy, which in a small group of citizens dominated, and the power of the majority was limited in various ways.

21. In a democracy is where decisions were made by the majority of adult male citizens.

22. A dictator held self-proclaimed  power.

23. Power is held by a single ruler, and is often passed along from father to son.

24. Oligarchy was used for the Spartan government system.

25. At what age seven Spartan males begin their military training.

26. The wealthiest city-state in the ancient Greek world was, Athens.

27. The high fortified citadel and religious center of an ancient Greek town was known as the Parthenon.

 28. Peloponnese is the southern peninsula where Sparta was located 

29.Triremes were massive fighting ships with three banks of oars, used to ram or board enemy ships.

30. A Hoplite was a heavily armed and armored citizen-soldier of ancient Greece.

Short Answers

1. It started in 1100 BC and ended in 800 BC

2. The titles of these stories were the Odyssey and the Illiad.

3. The word originally meant, middle earth.

4. They were called Aristocrats

Another Friday Sub

Today in class we didn't really do much. We had Mr. Teter as our sub, who was my human geo teacher last semester. We just sat around, watched the video that was on the blog, and did some other work. Not sure why all of my teachers haven't been here lately

Finishing Presentations

Today in class we got to finish our blogs. They all seemed pretty good, and hopefully your are pleased with them, Mr. Schick. I really like doing video production, and I am signed up to take T.V. production next year so that should be a really interesting and fun class. I am kind of curious to see what section we will end up doing next. We still need to take a test on Greece, hopefully before the quarter ends. I would love to have more projects like that for class.