5-24

• Feudalism: A term coined by historian to describe the type of government institutions, as well as the general social and political relationships, the existed among the warrior-landholders in much of Europe during the middle ages
• Feudal Compact: An arrangement between a lord and his vassal involving the exchange of property for personal service
• Fief: A grant of land and accompanying government responsibilities and power
• Vassal: A name for the relationship between the lord, and the knight
• Knight: A mounted soldier serving under a feudal superior in the Middle Ages
• Homage: A vassal's act of promising loyalty and obedience to his lord
• Serf: The lowest class of a peasant, who is bound to the land, it is a lifelong status & you can't work your way out of being a serf
• Baron: A great lord who exercised government authority over vast family territory 
• Peasantry: The status or character of a peasant 
• Estates: In the Middle Ages, the groups that made up society: often defined as those who pray, those who fight, and those who work
• Manor: The principal farming property and social unit of a medieval community, usually belonging to a member of the feudal nobility or to a church institution 
• Three-field-system: A method of crop rotation designed to maintain the fertility of the soil and to provide for a regular supply of fall and spring crops
• Internal colonization: The process of cultivating and settling in formerly wild land in medieval Europe
• Suburb: The are composed of much districts
• Guild: An organization of merchants or craftspeople who regulated the activities of their members and set standards and prices
• Master: A craftsman who had the right to operate workshops, train others, and vote on guild businesses 
• Journeyman: A licensed artisan who had served an apprenticeship and who was employed by a master and paid at a fixed rate per day
• Apprentice: A "learner" in the shop of a master
• Water mill: A mill operated by a water wheel
• Iron plow:

5-23 - Last Chapter of the School Year

• The Feudal Compact
• Feudalism is a term used by historians to describe the governmental system and the relationships between landowners and warriors
• Warriors, known as knights, would pledge his allegiance to a lord, who would in turn give that knight land
• The lord would grant a fief (property) to the knight who would them become the lord's vassal (servant) this was called the "feudal compact"
• The vassal might fight for the lord when he needs it and attend his court once a month
• a lord is the owner of the land that you work for, not an actual lord that we worship, but similar
• Homage and Knighthood
• A vassal was required to pay homage to his lord, usually this meant kneeling down and taking the lord's hands in his while speaking an oath of loyalty
• Men were apprenticed to older knights before they could become a full knight themselves
• When a knight died, his fief would revert to his son, though his lord would be protector of that son if he was underage, or if it was a daughter
• The Feudalization of the Church
• Some clergy were known to fight as knights themselves
• Feudal States
• Barons were lords of large territories who usually paid homage to the king
• Often a baron's army could outnumber that of a king, which kept a check on the king's power
• The Manorial Estate
• Medieval society was divided into three "estates" : the clergy, the nobility, and the common people
• Usually the peasantry farmed  on large plantations, known as "manors" which were owned by a lord or lady of the nobility (or a member of the clergy)
• Iron plows and water powered grinding mills helped with agricultural production, but the yield was still minuscule by today's standards
• To maintain the health of the soil, the "three-field system" was used where two fields were planted and one field was left to reconstitute its fertility then they were rotated
• Villages sprung up on and around manors with small cottages for the peasants and a large manor house for the lord and lady
• Peasants and Lords
• The lord was in charge but he gave other people things to do
• The lady of the house ran household operations, oversaw servants, entertained guests and ran the manor when her husband was away
• Most peasants were serfs, meaning they were bound to the lang and to their lords for "labor service" a few days each week
• The serfs were responsible for the "internal colonization" of Europe, that is the cultivating and settling of previously uninhabited land
• Art was not given very much attention back then
• The Growth of Trade
• After 1000 many towns established across Europe
• Items like spices and silks came overland from port cities like Venice and Genoa, who received the goods from eastern capitals like Constantinople
• England and Low Countries were particularly known for their trade in wool and cloth
• Europeans exported wool, linen, horses, weaponry and slaves, to name a few
• Farm produce and animals were solid in towns and people with wealth bought their luxury items there
• Trade and Towns
• Most medieval towns were surrounded by fortified walls
• Residences also sprang up outside the walls in the suburbs
• Towns were dominated by a main church and a central marketplace
• Buildings for the craft guilds and the wealthiest families would also be in the center of the town
• Though townspeople were free, unlike serfs, they still had a hierarchy: merchants at the top, then skilled craftsmen and artisans, then unskilled laborers and apprentices
• The Guilds
• Merchants, craftsmen, and artisans,, formed their own group called guilds which regulated their trade and protected its members
• Craftsmen were classified as masters, journeymen, and apprentices 
• Once became a master after spending years learning as an apprentice, working as a paid journeyman for a number of years, a completing his "masterpiece"
• Guilds participated in religious feasts and festivals, social organizations and usually provided well for charities

5-20-13

Today we didn't have class because we watched a really awesome performance by jugglers at out freshman retreat!

5-17

• After Rome: 500-700 AD
• Germanic Kingdoms:
• Barbarian warlords and their families who assimilated intom Roman culture became the "nobles" or aristocrats of medieval Europe
• Germanic tribes who ruled former Roman lands sought to conquer and assimilate other barbarian peoples who lived beyond the frontiers and were still pagans
• The angles and Saxons invaded Britain and assimilated the native Britons
• Most of the Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christianity in the 7th century
• The most powerful Germanic tribe was the Franks
• the real power lay with the "mayors of the palace" who were royal officials and nobles themselves
• Eastern Empire:
• The Eastern Roman Empire continued on while the west was now divided up by the barbarian tribes
• When the emperor Justinian came to power in 527, he decided to reunite the entire Roman Empire by re-conquering the western territories
• Justinian successes for a time, but the land he re-took was soon conquered by a new barbarian tribe and a massive plague depopulated much of the west
• Greek Byzantine emperors saw themselves as Roman emperors and the heads of the Christian Church
• Byzantines preserved Greco-Roman art, architecture, philosophy and writings despite much of it being non-Christian
• Justinian built the massive domeed Hagia Sophia ("Holy Wisdom") in Constantinople, considered to be the most glorious church on earth at the time

5-16-13

• Diecletion ruled from 284-303
• Constantine ruled form 306-336
• Constantine thought that it was "cool" to be a Christian, and taught other people that
• The Edict of Milan said that it was okay to practice and religion
• 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 paying taxes, but they are getting hit just as hard by the landlords
• paying off debts and being "allowed" to live on the land, in exchange for endless back-breaking work (such a deal!)
• landowners hold local power as counts and bishops, wielding more real power than the faraway empire
• foreshadowing feudalism
• Western empire is too poor, being to be neglected
• Huns migrate from China to eastern Europe
• Visigoths take over Spain, and actually capture a lot of Rome itself in 400
• Other tribes:
• Ostrogoths in Italy 
• Franks in Gaul
• Angles and Saxons in Britain
• End of an era:
• fron the beginnings
• 500 BC: the monarchy is abolished
• 450 BC: the 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)
• 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
• 476: the last roman emperor ever.
• barbarians deposed Romulus Austulus (teenage emperor) without bothering to kill him

5-15-13

Today in class we took a test, in all honesty I don't think that I did to good on it, I think my highest school is possibly an 80!

Stuff that will be on the test on Wednesday

• Constantine's army: 500,000
• He moved the capital to Peasntitum and named it after himself
• Jesus hung out with the poor people, and prostitutes when he was preaching because there were more poor people in Rome and other places, than there were rich people. He did this to get more followers.
• This caused christianity to grow quickly
• Gospel means "good news"
• **Know what Constantine's vision was
• He fought the Battle Of Milvian Bridge right after he got this vision
• Vision: he prays to the Christian god and it he said "By this conquer"
• He ended the persecution against christians
• Diecletion:
• He wanted to burn all the churches and wipe out the religion completely
• demanded that the books must be demolished
• the christian careers should be destroyed
• take out the hierarchy of the church
• Have to make a sacrifices to the roman gods to be free
• You are not aloud to assemble anymore in public
• It didn't encourage people to stop their religion
• Edict of Milan: Said you couldn't persecute anyone for their beliefs
• 300 A.D: 60 million people lived under the Roman empire, several million were christians
• Predestination: The idea that God knows from your birth what's going to happen to you
• The four gospel writers are: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

Struggles after Pax Romana (what I missed)

• Epidemic dieses
• Too many poverty
• Emperors loose hold on power
• Hard to defend against barbarians
• In 284 A.D-Dicletians reforms
• Increase army to 400,000
• Divide Roman territories into smaller provinces
• New government had 20,000 officials
• 300 A.D
• 60 million population
• More christians
• Some gaining power
• Dicletian ruled from 285-305
• Undertook most systematic persecution for christians
• Conantine
• Ruled 306-336 A.D
• Restructured empire
• Adopted christian cross formary

5-12-13

I wasn't in class on Friday, or Thursday because I was in Florida.

Christianity in the Pax Romana

• Caesar Augustus was in charge of the Pax Romana
• "Gospel" means "good news"
• Jesus was Jewish itinerant preacher inn Judea who set himself apart from other "Messiahs"
• Jesus taught that one must strive for perfection since God was perfect, and Jesus sought out the imperfect in society
• Most of what we know of Jesus comes from the "Gospels" of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
• He was a preacher who went place to place
• Jesus' followers believed he was the "Messiah" who had come to end the world and bring the truly faithful into the kingdom of God
• Jesus was believed to be both man and the son of God; both human and divine
• Jesus was deemed a threat to Roman rule and was crucified, though his followers believed he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven
• The followers of Jesus who attempted to spread the word of his teachings were knows as apostles 
• Paul of Tarsus was a Jew who became a follower of Jesus after a miraculous vision on the road of Damascus
• Paul talked of "predestination" which meant that God chose who was to be saved and who was to be damned
• Paul was well-traveled, he helped found churches is many places, and he kept in touch with these new Christians by letters (Corinth, Thessalonia, Rome, Ephesus)
• 
  

5-6-13

Today in class we took a test, i'm hoping I got a good grade on it, I did study last night but when the questions came I was only certain of about four or five, some I think I got right, but others I wasn't to sure, especially the first one. Now after the test we are reading a portion of Lo2 about chapter 10 and taking notes. I am highlighting important not that pop out to me, than I will post it to my blog in case we are aloud to use blogs for the chapter 10 test/quiz, and also to study for any future work, and/or exams.

5-3-13

Today in class we got into partners and are working on a project. My partner is Taylor, and we are continuing to e-mail each other about the project, hopefully i'll get a good grade on this so I can maintain a high grade in West Civ. I'm very excited to write this, but it must be very good since Mr.Schick was a English teacher!

Movie 5-2-13

• Proletarian-someone who doesn't own property, a low class citizen
• War Profiteers used their wealth to buy up ruined farms
• Small plots were merged into large estates
• Displaced farmers could not compete with the low cost of hiring slaces (carthage)
• In 150 BC slaves made up 1/3 of the population of Italy
• In the second century BC the Gracchi brothers attempter to carve out special rights for the poor, but their attempts were opposed and they were eventually murdered by their enemies in the senate
• They wanted to resettle many of the cities poor on small farms (MAINLY TIBERIUS' PLAN)
• provide a public subsidy of grain for those who remained in Rome
• this would raise the number of independent, self sufficient farmers
• would also reduce the gap between rich and poor
• with Tiberius in the assembly as a tribune, this should've worked
• The reason it didn't work was because he ran out of time, since the tribunes could only have ran for one year
• They killed Tiberius and over 300 of his supporters
• His younger brother Gaius, meanwhile he got his head cut off, and they were told that whoever brought back his head would be paid in weight and gold. He put all the money he got from it, and put it into the public treasure.
• The senate already saw Tiberius as a dangerous troublemaker
• The rise of Julius Caesar
• a talented patrician, formed a unique government with two former Sulla allies, Pompey and Crassus, knows as the triumvirate
• Pompey was an accomplished general, Crassus the richest man in Rome, and one of the richest men in history
• Pompey was jealous and the Senate is worried
• they tell Caesar to disband his army before returning to Rome
• instead he and his army cross the Rubicon and make a grand, heroic entrance
• this causes a near civil war between Caesar's forces and Pompey's troops
• Pompey is defeated in Greece, and is killed in Egypt where he had taken refugee
• 46 BC: Caesar returned to Rome in triumph and was declared "Father of the Fatherland"
• JC has himself appointed tribune, supreme pontiff, consul, and dictator-some at the same time
• he didn't get shot because he had the Senate name him "Dictator for Life"
• Julius resettled war veterans on farmland in Italy and in the provinces and he extended Roman citizenship to parts of Gaul and Spain
• He was murdered by the Senate on March 15th, 44 BC
• Mark Antony and Octavius battled each other then joined forces against JC's assassins, then became rivals again
• Octavian pushes out Lepidus then defeats Antony and Cleopatra in the naval battle of Actium
• This is all in a course of about 18 years
• Octavian is the supreme warlord, and picked up where JC left off
• This is the beginning of Pax Romana (roman peace)

4-29

I wasn't in class today because I am sick!

4-25-13 Lo3 notes

Today in class we took a quiz/test and I honestly have no clue how I did on it! But after we took the test we had tor read Lo3 and here are the notes that I took on it!

• Rome ruled an empire far larger than that of any earlier city-state
• Citizens who lived far from Rome and mostly had no voting rights
• A universal monarchy replaced it like those that ruled every other vast empire
• A proletarian is an ancient Rome, a propertyless but voting citizen
• Rome grew and became on of the Mediterraneans great metropolis cities
• They used their wealth to buy up ruined farms, restock them, and turn them to new purposes
• By 150 B.C slaves made up one third of the population of Italy
• Owners often free their slaves as a reward for loyal services
• Scipio Aemilianus was the conqueror of Carthage in 146 B.C
• Cornelia was a patrician wife of a plebeian, Tiberius Graachus
• Univira means "one-husband woman"

4-24-13 - Test Tomorrow

Today in class we talked more in detail about that song, and took a lot of notes on what the quiz/test will be about tomorrow. I think I will do decent, considering 50% of the the test is about the song. There is 25 multiple choice questions, no BCRs or long answers. Study Lo1  &Lo2, 1st stanza, 2nd stanza, and a little of the third stanza, also the vocabulary for the test. Everything about the Punic Wars will be on there, including the first and second one, who fought in it, who won and everything about it. Rome (3) Carthage (0)

• The rich paid really terrible wages
• To entertain the people, they would perform gladiator fights with people and wild animals, they also had chariot races
• "res republic" means the peoples affair in Latin which is republic 
• The assembly represented the Roman government, the people who were in the assembly were called tribunes
• Aristocracy represented the senate, they were in the office for one years
• Patrons or Clients won't be on the quiz
• Lucipertita is the name of the woman who was raped, and was considered a matron

4-22-13

Today in class we viewed each groups extra credit projects, my group got all 10 extra credit points and we are going to post the link on YouTube, which I will attach to this page. I really enjoy learning about Rome and am looking forward to the next test because I think I will do good. I am gonna try very hard to get a good grade in this class this quarter. We also discussed very little of the song, but will talk more in detail about it in our next class, which is on Wednesday.

Explanation of the song

• Latins were the first ones there
• They gave us our language
• Traced from the Romans (Romance language)
• The ancient people loved their location
• Important to be at an elevation
• They were in the middle of the peninsula/Mediterranean sea
• Thought it was destiny, because of their location
• Tarkain was the last king of Rome
• he was harsh, unfair, abused his power
• Rome used to be a monarchy
• Tarkain's son raped someone and none of the people did anything about, he was not punished
• The woman who was raped killed herself
• 1/3 of the people of Rome were slaves
• After they overthrew the government they looked to Greece to see that they had a democracy - Demos was the leader
• Res publica - where the word "republic" came from
• means "the peoples affair" in Latin 
• Patricians-Land owners, wealthy, connected
• Plebeians-Regular, middle and lower class people, not really any connections with the government
• Aristocracy-Rich, connected, formed the senate
• 300 people, they have their own branch of government
• Assembly was formed to give the plebeians rights
• 
  

4-17

Today in class we worked more on our projects, which now aren't counting as test grades, but extra credit! Hopefully we will finish tomorrow so I can post it to my blog!

4-15

Today in class we got partnered up with two or three other people, and we are creating a music video to the song that Mr.Schick made! I am very excited and think that this will be a success! Hopefully we will finish next class, which is Wednesday, and I can post it onto the blog!

Rome Rome Rome

Well, you got the Etruscans and the Greeks

But the Latins came first

To the shores of the River Tiber

They drained a swamp (They drained a swamp)

Next thing you know

Livin’ in Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome

Now Tarquin’s kinda proud

But he got a little loud (little loud)

They turned around and ran that tyrant outta town (hey!)

Next thing you know (next thing you know)

No kings no more

Happened in Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome

 

Hey, we got three governments rolled into one

Patricians and plebeians havin’ some fun

Two consuls gotta be better than one

Brand new republic ready to run

Democracy

Aristocracy

Plus monarchy

Not a tyranny

Ho-o-o-old up wait a minute, do I see what I think I… hey!

That’s a Roman legion clear as day

5000 soldiers not in it for pay

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

Hannibal riding on elephant back

Crossing the Alps just to launch his attack

So now you get the picture (picture)

All the rich are getting richer (richer)

And they’re livin’ on the latifundia

Farmers can’t cope (They just can’t cope)

They’re low on hope

They moved to Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome

I can hear the brothers Gracchus

Sayin, “Rich, please don’t attack us” (don’t attack us)

“We got a feeling that the senators will whack us” (hey!)

They hit the floor (they hit the floor)

Next thing you know

It’s civil war, war, war, war, war, war, war, war

Hey, let me take you back to 60 BC

It’s the start of the rise of Julius C

He grabbed two dudes and he formed a team

It’s a triumvirate -- that’s a group of three

“Crassus (come on), Pompey (come on), I’m JC! (come on)

We three will rule!

What you think I'm playin, baby girl?  I'm the man!

I'm conquering Gaul!”

All of his soldiers gave him their devotion

That’s why he swept over Gaul just like an ocean

Pompey couldn’t understand all the commotion

When he crossed the Rubicon, he kept up motion

It’s just like a potion

Caesar had self-locomotion

Power’s an ambitious emotion

Dictator is not a demotion

It’s promotion

But in 44 BC (BC)

On a day called March 15 (Ides of March)

Brutus and the Senate murdered Julius C

He hit the floor (he hit the floor)

Next thing you know

Caesar’s no more, more, more, more, more, more, more, more

You know he’s so depressed

23 stab wounds in his chest (in his chest)

He saw his friend and he raised one last protest (hey!)

“Et tu, Brute?” (Et tu, Brute?)

That’s what he say

Cuz he felt low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low

 

Only eighteen, Octavian makin’ the scene

He says, “I tell you what,

Got a new triumvirate

Here’s my boy Lepidus

And Mark Antony I trust”

(‘Til Marky met this chick

Cleopatra from Egypt)

Octavian was freakin’

Lust for power started peakin’

“Don’t try to play me or my navy,

At Actium you won’t slay me”

“O” won that game

Did explain

Now Augustus was his name

All his subjects did proclaim

He’s in the Roman Hall of Fame

Twenty-seven BC (BC)

For a couple hundred years (207)

Pax Romana is the word that brings the cheers (Yay!)

They’re on a roll (they’re on a roll)

They built some roads

Leading to Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome

Slaves don’t have many rights and

Then there’s gladiator fightin’ (OW!)

People find the Circus Maximus excitin’ (hey!)

Blood on the floor (knee-deep in gore)

And now you know

All about Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome, Rome

(C'mon!)

Notes on Lo2 - Roman Exspansion

• The romans were military people
• Their first wars were against Etruscans, Italian tribes and barbarian invaders
• Carthage was founded about 700 B.C
• It spread its influences across North America, southern Spain, Sardina, Corsica, and Sicily
• By 250 B.C all of Italy south of the River Po was in Roman hands
• In 146 B.C Carthage was captured after bitter fighting
• Carthaginian general was name "Hannibal" and he invaded Italy and defeated several Roman armies
• The Second Punic War ended in 202 B.C and Carthage was disarmed and helpless
• In 202 B.C Rome won control over the western Mediterranean
• Romans unified most of Italy about 250 years before 500 B.C and in the next 250 years they would spread their rule from the eastern Mediterranean to the British Isles

comic

I worked with Taylor, and this is my comic: http://www.pixton.com/create/comic/rq25zezc

4-10

Today in class we watched Mr.Schick and his daughter perform a "rap" about Rome, ancient times, and Civil War. I'm not gonna lie, it is kind of stuck in my head. I am waiting for him to upload the lyrics so I can learn it and be extra ready for the test! My notes I took today are posted on the previous post.

Notes on the Rise of Rome

Important Dates

• Ninth Century BC: Etruscans move into Italy
• Eighth Century BC: First Greek colonies in southern Italy; settlements near the mouth of the Tiber River join to form the city-state of Rome
• Seventh Century BC: Etruscans conquer Latium
• 500 BC: Rome overthrows Etruscan ruler
• 450 BC: Twelve Tables, first written Roman legan code
• 264-146 BC: Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage
• 250 BC: All of Italy south of the River Po is in Roman hands; plebeians share political rights with patricians 
• 202 BC: Rome wins control of western Mediterranean
• First Century BC: Most non-Romans in Italy win citizen rights; Romans expand into the eastern Mediterranean and then into western Europe
• 44 BC: Julius Caesar becomes dictator for life; members of the Senate assassinate him
• 31 BC: Octavian's forces defeat Antony and Cleopatra; Octavian becomes supreme ruler of rome

Key Words:

1. Patricians-Upper-class citizens who belonged to the oldest and noblest Roman families
2. Republic-In reference to ancient Rome, the system of city-state in which decision-making power was shared between the Senate and assemblies of male citizens.
3. Plebeians-The Roman common people, including workers, small farmers, and wealthy people who were not patricians.
4. Senate-In ancient Rome, a government assembly appointed by the king, and under the Republic by consuls; originally all members were patricians, but in time wealthy people plebeians were appointed as well.  
5. Consuls-In the Roman Republic, two senators who led the government and military for one-year terms an appointed their own successors.
6. Dictator-In the Roman Republic, a single leader with full decision-making powers, appointed for a maximum of six-month term during times of emergency.
7. Tribunes-Magistrates elected by the plebeians, who eventually gained the power to initiate and veto laws.
8. Client-A person who provides personal services in return for money and protection from a patron.
9. Patron-A wealthy person who supports others with money and protection in exchange for personal services.
10. Pontiff-In ancient Rome, one of the Republic's leading priests.
11. Paterfamilias-The "family father" in ancient Rome, who had unlimited power over his household.
12. Matron-Title of honor given to a married woman in ancient Rome.
13. Proletarian-In ancient Rome, a propertyless but voting citizen.
14. In ancient Rome, an alliance of three politicians that enabled them to control the Republic's decision making.

Notes

• The Roman soldiers were the most feared soldiers of their time
• Rome is in the middle of the peninsula, they looked at it as an opportunity and advantage (perfect location)
• The three people who founded the Italian land : The Tuscans(2), The Greeks(3), then The Latins (first)
• Romans improved Government and Warfare
• Warfare:
• Government started as a monarchy with kings because they wanted to be like the Greeks, had a council of elders that provided the kings with thinking(senate-comes from latin "senax" which means old men) (the men had money, experience and were tied in) If a kind died the senate would meet and decide who was going to be in charge, usually chose one of their own to replace the king, may not even be related to the king - res publica (where the word republic comes from) means "the peoples business" Got rid of monarchy and king
• Patricians - Upper class, oldest families, land owners, the big shots, the "fathers" of the countries, comes from the same word as father, has connections and is in charge of land
• Plebeians - The common people
• 
  

3-22

Today in class a couple people presented about "Alexander The Great," we will continue and maybe finish the presentations on Monday. I learned the following: King Phillip is the father of Alexander, and they didn't get along with each other. He was also the ming od Macedonia, and had many wives, and had a brilliant military mind. Olympia, was the mother of Alexander, who was an ambitious and violent ruler, and married King Phillip in 357 B.C.E. Zeus was thought to be a man and a god combined, he was one of the greatest military leaders of his time, and the most highly regarded greek god. Also, Olympia taught Alex that Zeus was his father since King Phillip wasn't around. King Phillip was assassinated in 336 B.C. There were two theories these presentation focused on, the first theory is that we was killed by his bodyguard who "liked" him, they say he killed him because of jealousy. The second theory is that Olympia and Alexander killed him. Alexander took over in 334 B.C, there was a huge argument of who would take over, but Alex defeated the Thracians and Triballians, and proved to the people that even though he was young he could still hold power. King Phillips body guard got payed off by the persians. Alex was the king at age 20, he wasn't a good student either, but his favorite book was "The Iliad" he carried the book everywhere he went, people said he even slept with it. He used the book to 'guide his decisions,' and Alex was born in 356 B.C.

3-21

Today in class I took a test, I don't think I did that good.

3/18

Today I was not in class because I am sick.

3/15

I was not in class on Friday because I was on a field trip.

3-14

Today in class we had a large class discussion on a topic. In the discussion we would all take a part saying something, but we had to understand other people's thoughts, and we couldn't go against what they were saying, or disagree. We did this because that is how Socrates did it in the Parthonon  It was very fun and cool, I loved it!

3-13

Today in class we watched more of the movie, hopefully we are getting close to the end. But this time it focused on Socrates a lot more, and I learned that he was a critic and was arrested for undermining the religion an corrupting the youth, he was also put to death by Hemlock, which was part of the traditional way to die in Greek time. Also, plague killed 1/3 of the population of Athens. The greeks believed that the "un-examined life is not worth living." Lastly, the spartans won the Peloponnesian war, and the Peloponnesian's blamed Socrates for this loss.

3/11

Today in class we went over our test, on which I got an 81 on, and we discussed the correct answers and talked about the essays and short answers. Other than that we didn't do anything, it was an easy Monday.

3/8

Today in class Mr.Schick wasn't there, and we watched more of the movie that we've been watching for the past two days, this part didn't have as much information as the other two, but it still talked about some interesting things I thought would be important to jot down. For example, Parody's wanted a city that was fit to Roman Empire, so he created the Parthonon  which would now be home to Athena, who originally live in Acropolis. To create the Parthonon it required 20,000 tons of marble, which would cost over a billion dollars in todays money, not to mention it took years to build. Inside of the building, there was a statue of Athena that survived over 2,000 years. Also, Athens was the heart of a cultural revolution. Lastly, in 429 B.C. Paraclys died.

3/7

Today in class we continued to watch the movie. The world's first democracy was created when Persia invaded Greece. After the war was over, it turned out that Greece beat the Persian Empire, while the Persians had Daris as their king. Persia had slaves, and Greece' middle class had more freedom that the empire of Persia, wich was a monarchy/tyranny. Not to mention, from Atens to Marathon, it was 26 miles.
There are two main important dates and they are 418 B.C a d 486 B.C, in 418 Phitidates went on a quest to not be conquered by the Persian Empire, the second, 486, was when Xerxes avenged his fathers Daris' defeat. Xerxes wanted to burn Athens to the ground, therefore the persian army set out for Greece. The Greeks lost 200 ships after the battle, and Themistocles fought at Marathon, he was the athenian leader (democracy) he is also one of histories greatest leaders and savior of his city.

2/6

Today we did not have class because we were off of school due to the snow.

3-4

Today in class we continued watching more of the movie about the Greeks, who are in the middle of an ordinary civilization. The Athenians found their wealth and prosperity on the ride. Also, at its own time pottery wasn't a big deal, but now people will pay a lot of money for it, and people who create pottery are pretty wealthy people! Today we noticed three important dates, 514 B.C was when Hippias' brother was murdered, in 527 B.C Hippias took over, and it created a tyranny, and lastly in 776 B.C is when they held the olympics in olympia every four years. The olympics were cherished all throughout Greece because it was the only time when a lower-class man could play against an aristocrat, and get credit for it. If there was a war going on they would stop the war, watch or compete in olympics and then continue the war.

***To be ostrosized is to be expelled from a city state.

2-28

Today in class we watched a movie called "The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization," in this movie it was actual facts that happened, but in form so we could watch it and see what it was like! The Greeks built their own empire that stretched across the Mediterranean Sea! In 508 B.C, in Athens pandaemonium ruled the streets, which is wild and noisy behavior. During the time in Athens Cliesthenes was a ruler of Greece since birth, he was considered an Athenian nobleman. Socrates was the most famous philosopher of the time. In 570 B.C Cliesthenes was born, he was an aristocrat, and it was passed down through generation. In the 6th century B.C the aristocrats ruled the town Acropolis(Athens). A rare skill to have was reading and writing, and a lot od people lost their children at birth, the life expectancy was as little as 15 years old. The lower class had no say in anything and Greece was divided into countless places called "city states." The Corinthians dominated Greek trade, while Sparta had military power, and the Spartans were grown up from birth to be soldiers. The soldiers lived in areas called "barriks," their food was so bad that they were willing to die. The rest of Greece was always a threat to Sparta. The Greeks were inspired by their stories/myths by muse, which is their word for inspiration. Pisistratus came into town with a tall/beautiful woman and convinced people it was Athena, he was a really good tyrans, and reduced taxes and gave out free loans. He turned to the commoners and the noble people for power.

2-27

Today in class some people, including me, finished their tests. I fixed a lot of answers, hopefully that will increase my score a little bit. But mainly, we worked on our study guides and prepared for the next unit. There's a lot of important dates, and important names to remember. It's going to be difficult, but I think i'll be able to stick through it and get a decent grade on it.

2-25

Today in class we took a test on Lo1 and Lo2. It wasn't very difficult, but I think my overall grade is a B.

2-22

Today in class we talked more about Lo2 and focused more a little on it because we have a test tomorrow on it. I used to think Sparta was a democracy, but it is actually an oligarchy, Sparta is the most wealthiest after 300 years because of oversea trade. Also, Athens was the power in Greece and most influential. Greece produced and traded wine, weapons, good metalworks, oil, and pottery. We learned two important words as well. They were aristocrats  and demos. Aristocrats are people who own land, and demos are middle working class who work for the aristocrats usually. Lastly, the aristocrats and the demos became allis! In 500 B.C. Greek produced the first democracy.

2-21

In Greece you would join the army because you wanted to, not because you were forced or asked to, everyone felt it was an obligation, and it was important to protect their country, family and friends. Also, Sparta was independent and isolated. They never relied on other countries for trading, or seeing how they do things.
There were four types of governments. Oligarchy, which is a group of people who makes decision. A monarchy, who has kings who make the rules and lead the country, and a democracy which has the people vote for the leader and also decisions. Lastly, a tyranny which is a country who has a dictator.

2-20

Today in class we viewed a presentation that Mr.Schick came up with, the presentation is on his website, and my notes focus in detail on the important slides. One important date out of many was 4,000 B.C, and that is when farming and village life spred through the continent of Europe. Another is in 3500 B.C, the population increased and the increased wealth led to complex religious structures. The barbarians came in contact with civilization in 2000 BC-1000 AD. That is very important because that was one of the very first structured civilizations, and that is what we base society off of today, and it helped us become the structure we are today. The first time the Europeans came in contact with the Greeks was labeled as a "western" civilization. A western civilization is an emerged civilization.

2-19-12

I wasn't in class today because I am in Florida. I also feel a little sick. I will be in school tomorrow though, I think we are following up on the presentations, and also working on our projects.

2-14

Today in class we worked more on out power points. Again we assigned each other parts in the small groups. We all were pitching in ideas about how to evenly split up the project, so we decided to do two slides each. We finished up and touched up on Lo1, and started Lo2. My part specifically was the "minoan" civilization in Greece. The part that I found the most interesting, and maybe want to do further research on in the future is the "minotaur" which the King Minos's half bull, half human son. In honor of the minotaur, Athens has bull racing as their anual sport.

2-13

Today in class we go into out groups and worked on our project about Ancient Greece, in our small groups we were assigned different parts. My part was to find out the important times of that area. We are almost finished Lo1, which means we will start Lo2 tomorrow. Mr.Schick wasn't here today, but was keeping us all updated through e-mail which was very good.

2-11-13

Today in class we started a new section, and that is Greece. I think I am going to like this section the things we are starting to talk about are very interesting to me. In the powerpoint that Mr.Schick showed to us, it say that the Acropolis was the highest point in Athens, which is a good thing because when enemies come, they are visible and they are more able to protect themselves. The Greeks also had another famous structure that is well known, and that is the Parthonon, it is one of the most beautiful structures even today. In american money, it would've costed around $1,000,000,000 which is so insane to think of, especially back then! Another amazing structure is Stone hedge, which is a circle of extremely heavy rocks which mysteriously showed up thousands of years ago. That structure is called a megalithic structure. 2500 B.C is an important date, and that is when the nomads moved to Europe and lived a barbaric way of life, a barbarian is a person who is very uncivilized, barbarians move in tribes. I hope to learn more, and go deeper in the Greek culture.

2-8-13

In class on Friday we took a test on the first unit. I think I did an okay job on the multiple choice, but when it came to the essays I don't think I did that good of a job. I think my overall grade will be a 78.

2-7-13

Today in class we went over a powerpoint that we previously viewed a few classes ago, this class we discussed the powerpoint in depth and focused on main points. Not only was the Nile just used to transportation, but it was a main provider for Egyptian life. 3100 B.C. was when the lands were first united. "Maat" was a word that means in what we say today that everything happens for a reason, also "all is right with the world" it is when everything is going well in life. There were a lot of places in Egypt where people came in contact at, but the main place where finical and social success occurred was at the palace! Not to mention, the pharaoh had multiple wives, and some who were his sisters, which is illegal now, but legal then. The married women could inherit money and land, and were able to divorce their partners. The gods of the time were made out to be seen that they had either an animal head, or an animal body, the egyptians believed that there was an afterlife and after you died some people would get mummified but there were requirements to and those included: only pharaohs, rich people and worshiped people. An egyptian astronomer created the first calendar and it was incorrect, but then revised it to say that we actually do have 365 days in a year. They used ta certain type of paper called prapryus that stayed for a long time, they also preserved painting and letters on it that are still here today. Lastly, whenever an artist would draw a person or animal they would only draw them from their profile, not head on,because they were not mastered at doing full faced art.

2-6-13 (pyramid game)

Today in class we got into partners and worked on a game. The game was building pyramids, you had to choose the angle of the pyramid, what to built it out if, the location, the number of workers, what leader and many more. Not only was it all picking things to design, but you had to use your keys and race your boat down the Nile river to get to your location, it took me and my partner Taylor several tries to finally succeed but we did and we scored an 8/10 on it. It was very fun and enjoyable, we played it throughout both mods. Tomorrow in class I think that we will talk about the game, our decision and what the outcome was and also why some of the decisions we made didn't work out.

1-30-13

Today we took a pop quiz on pre-history, and we immediately got our scores on it, and I got a 60%. Also, on the blog for West Civ, there was an assignment that we had to complete. The assignment was to take brief notes on a section we were assigned to read. My notes include the following:
-Steppes-vast semiarid grasslands or plains
-People of the Nile moved toward civilization (neolithic age)
-Egyptian civilization is more stable the Mesopotamian 
-Pharaoh-The rulers of ancient Egypt
-Egyptian civilization was linked with a single state under a single ruler
-Pharaohs are like "presidents"
-Pharaohs were identified with three of the country's ruling deities
-Thousands of priests daily served the gods and goddesses in hundreds of temples  up and down the Two Lands
-The Pharaohs had many other wives besides their principle wife
-Most of the wives had to live apart form the pharaohs
-The most successful ruler was Hashbesut, who resigned as king after 1500 B.C.

1/24/13

Today in class we watched a video on youtube of a author/comedian who was doing a segment on prehistory, which is what we're learning now. The video was very interesting, and I enjoyed it, even though he talked a bit to fast. As well as watching the video, we had a discussion on the domestication of animals, mainly cows and chickens, and how they are raised in some atmospheres, compared to how they are raised in others. The part of the video that was interesting to me what when it said that in 15,000 years a humans went from hunting and gathering their necessites, to creating airplanes, the internet, and burgers, etc..that sparked my attention because i just find that amazing that we accomplished all those creations in a little amount of time. It's also weird to think that about 12,500 years ago people hand processed their own food, and now we have machines that do it for us. A word was brought up in the video and it is "palio-biology" and i didn't know what it meant, until Mr.Schick brought it to our attention, and it means how people lived in the pre-historic ages. Not to mention, it has "Palio" like paleolithic stone ages, which is the old stone ages. Next, instead of what i was used to saying, hunting and gathering, they used something different, forging and hunter. Forging was another name for gathering. Lastly, they touched up on the agriculture some more, and i found out and was refreshed about how llamas are the only domesticated animals native to the Americas. People needed it domesticate animals grains in order to produce alcohol, and one the seeds were planted, they automatically germinate.

1/23/13

Today in the beginning and middle of class we had a large class discussion about where technology will be when we get older. Since technology has advanced so much in just the past 50 years, from having the first phone invented to being able to video call while in different states using your phone. That took only a matter of years. I personally think the cars will be able to drive themselves, and there will be a way to lose weight without even working out. While looking over the powerpoint that was being presented I noticed two words: Paleolithic and neolithic, while looking them up i found out that paleolithic means old and neolithic means new. The humans in past generations were a part of a migratory group, they hunted, fished, and gathered plants and vegetation. 14,000 years ago people were on all the continents, and explored everywhere. During the agricultural revolution, populations grew due to increased ability to care for young children. Also, villagers were polytheistic, which means they believe in more that one god, and they thought there was multiple nature, and human and animal gods. The labor was divided up into two sections, men and women. The reason was because men are genrally stronger than women, and it is just more likely for a man to fight, and hunt rather than the woman who usually will be the housewife, collect berries, care for the children, and cook the food. Lastly, the wheel and plow was invented, which made it easier for food to be produced and stored.

1/18/13 - W-Civ assignment & day's blog post

Today in class we reviewed and read the first chapter of our Western Civilization books, as well as taking notes on good and easy way to take notes, which will also help us in future classes and collage. In the beginning of the chapter is talked about how the basic features of human existence include the following: language, religion, art, technology, farming, family life, and village communities. All of which originated from prehistoric times. Since we the chapter is talking so much about pre-history, it was important to know what the word means, and prehistory means the billions of years people lived on the earth. The very first civilizations on earth that are known is Mesopotamia  and Egypt. The paragraph also talked about economic structures which include the following: governments, writing systems, religious beliefs, scientific/technical achievements, literary/artistic styles. Those achievements began to spread to each other and neighbors. Civilizations interacted for a variety of bad and good reasons, the bad reasons included wars, stealing, and disagreeing with one another. Good reasons included sharing ideas, helping each other, and etc. The spread of civilizations never ends, and never will. In 1200 B.C. that was where the international regions of civilizations became local versions of Mesopotamia/Egypt. Mesopotamia is in the "fertile crescent" which also relates on Jared Diamond. The second chapter talked about (Before Civilization) the beginning talked about how 2.5 million years ago that is when humans first appeared on the earth. Also, a 1,000 of centuries to take their first steps before civilizations. The pre-historic era finally ended with the rise of civilized societies. The first human like species appeared in East Africa. Lastly, 14,000 years ago the human race became world wide.


Assignment: Was Jared Diamond on track with his theory of "geographic luck?"

Some say Jared Diamond wasn’t on point with geographic luck, which is the theory Jared Diamond created, of which why the European conquest of the Americas was so successful. Personally I think he was. While reading about his theories in previous units, and now looking at actual historical facts, his theory matches up to the book we are now reading, which is Western Civilization: WCIV. I do understand where people are coming from when they don’t believe in his theory, it is very difficult to think that humans changed over time. The human mind may think that we were naturally always the way we are, and never will change. I would disagree with Jared if he didn’t use as much facts to support it, as well as having evidence of when he traveled all over the world, and to places including New Guinea, which is still living in the past. Overall, I do support and agree with Jared Diamonds theory of Geographical Luck.