Dear Future Self

As my freshman year comes to an end, I can easily say this year has been a roller coaster of ups and downs. This had to have been my craziest year of school yet. Going into this year I was so scared because I didn't know anybody else coming into the school, I was scared of the workload and getting lost, and just being submerged into a whole new setting. By the end of this year I had joined the equestrian team who has become my bets friends and family, I have learned the school, got First Honor Roll, and just been super happy. I have been able to open up and put myself out there a bit more. Over the course of this year I have been happy, sad, excited, nervous, overwhelmed, stressed, and beyond all, grateful. This year has taught me so much about myself and how strong I am. I can really get through the hard parts of life as long as I keep fighting. This pandemic has also taught me so much. It has taught me to be grateful for everything in life. I have become more grateful for the little things like the freedom of being able to go into a store whenever, seeing my friends at school, and just seeing friends over the weekend. I will never take any of these things for granted again because now I know how hard it is when those are no longer options. This pandemic has caused lots of stress and overwhelming feelings. Online school seemed as though it would be fun, but after a week it feels juts like isolation. It is the worst feeling to feel as though you are trapped. It has been three months of quarantine and by now it is my new normal. I don't remember the feeling of just walking into stores, eating at restaurants, not leaving the house without a  mask, or completing school work in school. Online work is so stressful trying to manage work of six different classes with tests and all the distractions. I wake up at 8 am and don't finish till around 3 pm, so that is 7 hours of work daily that I wake up and start all over each day. I am constantly stressing and overwhelmed, but it is finally coming to an end and I could not be happier. I am expecting summer to be quite slow. There is still not much to do, but things are already starting to open back up. I am excited to just relax this summer and take a break from the stress of society. I am hoping next year is just a regular year wear we go to school and do work there, see friends, see teachers, and just be around people in general. That is something I would have dreaded last year, but that is all I am asking for now. This time in society is strange and it really has impacted so many people in different ways. We are living through a major moment in what now will be history that felt as if the entire world stopped to shut down. It is hard to describe the feelings from this pandemic. It is all about the question of when will it end and will life go back to normal? Nobody knows these answers, but I am ready to find out. For my future self, I hope you have made sure to never take anything for granted again. Live life in a way that you can appreciate everything that happens in some way and appreciate everything you have. Life is full of lessons, but don't let anything stop you or hold you back. Things can get hard, stressful, overwhelming, and tough in general, but if you keep going you will get through it. Keep your good friends and family close because they are the ones who will be there to help you when you need it. Stay strong and keep going.

Octavian and Future Emperors

After Caesars assassination, his nephew and adopted son Octavian took over power at the young age of 18. Octavian, Mark Antony( an experienced general) and Lepidus(an strong politician created the Second Triumvirate. This Triumvirate ends as Octavian forces Lepidus to retire and once Mark Antony became Octavian rival. Mark Antony joined forces with the Egyptians and caused a battle to which Octavian won, the Battle of Actium. This is when Rome became an empire instead of a republic. Octavian became "Augustus" or "exalted one". He was also called the "imperator" or the supreme military commander.  Octavian was a great leader. He ran for 40 years (27Bc-14AD), he began the Pax Romana, or era of peace and prosperity for 207 years (27BC- 180 AD). Other accomplishments of his were; expanding the Roman Empire into Africa, setting up civil service to run the gov't/empire(building roads, collecting taxes, setting up police and fire departments, building major facilities, and more). Octavian then died of natural causes. Octavian's power was then passed down to many different emperors with different styles of running Rome. The first one was Tiberus, a ruler from 14-37AD. He was a great general, but not so great as an emperor. He exiles himself after
the death of his son and he left his prefects in charge of Rome. He later died at age 77. Next came Caligula from 37-41 AD. He was a cruel ruler and closer to a modern tyrant. He won power after the death of Tiberus, but he was assassinated by a group of praetorian guards. After Caligula's death, Senators and imperial court tried to re-establish the Republic which failed in the end. Next came Cladius. He ruled from 41-54 AD. He took over because he was the last adult male in his family. He was not the average ruler, he had many infirmities, but he was a good ruler who built roads, aqueducts, canals, and started the conquest of Britain. He eventually died from poisoning from his wife. Next came Nero, the son of Cladius and ruler from 54-68 AD. Nero emphasized the arts and wanted to rebuild Rome to become more majestic. He was not wise in his spending on money to the point of over spending and raiding temples in search of money.

The Plebeians and Julius Caesar

I will be taking my test on Tuesday, June 2nd at 1:25pm-2:15pm.

The first few slides discuss the benefits of tending to the needs of the plebeians. It discussed giving the bread or food and circuses for entertainment. The ruler Tiberius Gracchus was the one to trying pleasing the plebeians first. Military generals worked to get them a share of the land conquered. This also helped to gain the loyalty of soldiers to their military leader rather than Rome or the Republic in general. Julius Caesar was one of the most successful generals. His leadership was from 100-44BC and during this time he conquered the territory of Gaul or modern France. He was highly liked for tending to the common people and even liked by more popular people. Two of the higher up or powerful people were Pompey, conqueror of Syria and Palestine, and Crassus, richest man of Rome and even close to all time, to which he later formed the First Triumvirate("rule of three men"). Caesars ruling was as a consul for one year and him appointing himself governor of Gail. The First Triumvirate was soon broken as Pompey became a rival of Caesar over jealousy. This rivalry cause a clash of army from Caesar's army and Pompey's in Greece, Asia, Spain, and Egypt with Caesar becoming out victorious. In 44 BC Caesar became dictator in the beginning for six months, which later became for life. As part of his dictator ship, he made many reforms such as; granting citizenship to people in provinces, expanding the Senate by adding his friends, creating jobs for the poor(public work projects), increase pay of soldiers, and starting colonies for those without land. The republic came to an end after Caesars assassination. He was assassinated by Even Brutus, Caesars ally, because the Senators thought Caesar's rise in power was a threat to their political power. They killed him by stabbing him 23 times after luring him into the Senate, to which the Senators were never punished. The next heir was Octavian, and this was the end to the republic. 

Rome Essay Topic

For my Rome essay, I have decided to to choose topic A.) Compare and contrast the government of ancient Rome with the government of modern-day United States. I would begin with discussing the change in Romes gov't from a tyranny, to a monarchy, aristocracy, and finally a democracy. The Romans rebelled against their tyrants because of how poorly they were treated. They then got a king who was just as bad as a tyrant, Lucius Tarquinias Superbus, who seized power. Within that family there was a lot of jealousy and violence between everybody. There was murder for power, cheating, and lies. This family was finally expelled from Rome and all agreed to never be ruled by a king again. Next came the aristocracy. This is where two consuls were elected officials. There terms in office lasted one year. The consuls were always the aristocrats, or in Rome the Patricians. The duties of these consuls involved dealing justice, making law, and commanding the army. Another interesting thing is that the consul could veto one another power. The fifth century BCE the patricians held the most power although 98% of the population was the plebeians or common people. The patricians held this power by having plebeians serve in the army, plebeians could not hold office power, the plebs were threatened with debt slavery, and they had no legal rights. These laws and code was officially written in The Law of the Twelve Tables in 450BCE. This is where the tribunes were elected as leaders. This is the next part of the essay describing the similarities in the Roman gov't. Both have a the three branches of gov't; executive, legislative, and judicial. Both also have their written legal code. The differences are what each branch and code have within. The first branch is the executive.
Rome: Untied States:
Two consuls(leaders) President and Vice President
one year term Four year term
can appoint dictator for a six month term Veto power of proposed laws
Veto power from each leader

Both: Two main leaders(just different power to each) and in charge of military

Legislative
Rome: United States:
Senate of 300 aristocrats with lifelong terms Senate 100 people(two from each state)
Assemblies of 193 to later 373 members(lifelong) Six year terms
House of Representatives 435
members(2 year term)
Both: have group of Senate and large group of members to represent the people

Judicial
Rome: Untied States:
Praetors Supreme Court (nine members)
Chosen by the Centuriate Assembly Lifelong terms
One year term Appointed by President, Confirmed by Senate

Legal Code
Rome -Twelve Tables Untied States- Bill of Rights
Publicly displayed in the Forum First ten amendments of the Constitution
Gave rights to plebeians(common) and rich Gives freedoms and rights to everybody
Only protected free-born male citizens

The two governments are very similar. Most of the differences between the branches are number of officers elected, their terms, and the power they have. Rome was not as fair as the United States is to the common people. In the United States everybody is given the same rights and equality. The United States is known for the freedom and diversity among the people. Rome was a little more in favor of the aristocrats who were given more power. The Romans did not settle to things they did not want. That is a lot like the United States, this country was founded on wanting Independence and a voice.

Leadership and Life in Rome

Many problems surfaced after the Punic Wars. One of the largest problems was form the economic struggles. The wealthy citizens of Rome owned large estates and had enslaved people as workers. These enslaved workers took up 1/3rd of Romes population by 100BC. The poor citizens, often former soldiers or farmers, could no longer compete with the wealthy class. The former poor landowners had sold the land they had to the plebeians for money, but that led to many homeless and jobless citizens. The Gracchus brothers were two tribunes who attempted to help Romes lower class. They proposed reforms such as limiting estate size and giving land to the poor. These brothers were not liked and both had terrible deaths, Tiberius died in 133BC and Gaius died in 121BC. Generals began to take control and they would choose the poor citizens to take as soldiers. They would do this by offering them pay and land to join. One military leaders was Julius Caeser in 60BC. He was voted consul in 59BC along with Crassus and Pompey to become triumvirate group or group of three leaders. He was a governor of Gaul (modern France) from 59-50 BC and he gained many of the peoples trust and loyalty. He was a strong military leader and he took absolute power or control in Rome. He granted citizenship, increase pay for soldiers, and creating jobs for the poor. Caeser was then murdered due to many peoples fear of his success and power. Once he died, civil war broke out a second time just like the deaths of the Gracchus brothers. Three people who banned together after Julius Caesers death were his grandnephew and adopted son Octavian, an experienced general Mark Anthony, and a politician named Lepidus. This group was the Second Triumvirate that ruled for 10 years together. This triumvirate ended due to jealousy and violence troubles. Octavian forced Lepidus to retire and Mark Anthony became a rival. This broke out in a civil war. Octavian then changed his name to Augustus and was called a imperator, or "supreme military commander". Rome was then empire or ruled by one man. The Pax Romana was a time of peace for 207 years during Augustus ruling. Augustus stabilized the frontier, glorified Rome with amazing public buildings, set up a government that'd last years, and setting up a civil service (the pay for those employed in the civil administration of government. The trade and agriculture is what kept them well in economics. Ninety percent of the people were engaged in farming and the Romans would trade to gather whatever else they needed with places such as China, India, Greece, Russia, and more. High values in Rome consisted of discipline, strength, and loyalty. The poor citizens lived in the countryside to work on their farms or land. The smaller cities were filled with merchants, soldiers, foreigners, slaves, and philosophers. This created a very diverse society. Slaves were an important part of Roman life. Slaves consisted of all different people; men, women, children. The slaves could be bought, sold , rewarded, set free, put to death, and bought as their owners saw fit. The powerful or divine forces were called numia. The gods and goddesses were honored in hopes to gain favor and avoid misfortune. In Rome, government and religion were linked. Important gods and goddesses were, Jupiter, father or the gods; Juno, his wife and watched over women; and Minerva, goddess of wisdom and the arts. Worship of the emperor was part of the official religion of Rome. The lifestyle was the rich lived expensive lives while the common people lived with the necessities. 

Punic War

The Punic War was a group of three major wars for Rome. This war was the Roman Legion against Carthage from 246-146BC. The Roman legion was 5000 soldiers who were apart Romes elite infantry. Some of their common weaponry were shields, swords, daggers, armor, and tunics. One of their strong strategies was on horseback with their cavalry. The first of the three wars was from 264-241 BC. This was a battle of the navy located on the island of Sicily in which the outcome was Rome winning this battle. The Second Punic War was from 218-201 BC. In this battle, Carthages general Hannibal took control for Carthage. He attacked from from the North after crossing Iberia or Spain and the Alps. This battle was once again won by Rome. The final war of the Punic Wars was from 149-146 BC. Rome was tired of the attacks and threat of Carthage so strong leaders such as Scipio and Tiberius Gracchus helped to attack Carthage. The Romans burned the city and sold all 50,000 people left in the city to slavery. The rest of Carthage's land was annexed and taken over by Rome. This then led to millions of slaves entering Italy. The poor or common people began to lose lots of their earnings to the wealthy to pay back debt. The economics were changing due to wars. Slaves were now put to work on farms for aristocrats or the wealthy. This change benefited the wealthy, but hurt the poor.

Tarquin and the Roman Gov't

Tarquin was a very harsh and careless ruler of Rome. He seemed to be heartless. He gained power by seizing and killing the previous king, Tarquins grandfather(fifth king). The entire family was found to be in scandals where they cheated, blackmailed, threatened, and even killed innocent people. Tarquin was extremely cruel to everybody, which is why he and his wife were thrown out of Rome he was the final tyrant of Rome. The next to discuss is the republic gov't. The rulers in the type of gov't were consuls. These two rulers were elected officials who were patricians. They had an important role of dealing justice, making laws, and commanding the army. One consul could even veto the other or reduce the power of the other. Plebeians were 98% of the population, but the patricians still had majority power around 5th century BC. The written law of the Romans were The Law of the Twelve Tables in 450BC. The Romans had a mix of democracy, aristocracy, and monarchy with the peoples assembly and the tribunes, the senate, and the consuls. Both our current democracy and the Roman republic have the three branches of gov't as executive, legislative, and judicial. The Twelve Tables of Rome is their legal code like the Untied States Bill of Rights. 

Rome First 8 Slides

The Etruscans were the ones to settle in Rome. They came from the north-central peninsula. There mmost common occupations were metalworkers, artists, and architects. Two myths they have that was Virgil's Aneneid where Aeneas escapes Troy and the story of Remus and Romulus. The Greeks also had a major impact on the settlement of Rome. The Greeks had colonies set up around the Mediterranean Sea where the Romans took ideas such as: religious beliefs, alphabet, art, military techniques, and weaponry. The first settlers were the Latins. The Latins are descendants of Indo- Europeans. They settled on the banks of the Tiber which was an important port for trading ships and transportation. Palatine was one of the major settlements of Rome. The Tiber was an important river in Rome. Marshy areas in between the cities were called Forums. The Cloaca Maxima was one of the largest ancient drains built into the Tiber. Tarquin (Lucius Tarquinias Superbus) the Proud's grandfather was the one to build Cloaca Maxima. Lucius Tarquinias Superbus was the seventh and final king of Rome. He was a tyrant in the old way, just a powerful leader, and the modern sense being harsh and cruel.

Chi Cago Rome Song

Today we got to listen to the Rome song. I enjoyed the song. I thought it was a fun song and I enjoyed listening to this song because it was catchy to me. Often songs that are catchy are easy for me to remember. This song will be able to help me in the future if I can remember the lyrics. It was entertaining and I also like the original song so it more enjoyable to listen to. It was quite funny, but effective. I also thought the name Chi Cago was quite funny. It was nice to get a break from all the just book work and just take a minute to laugh. This reminds me of all the Egypt and Mesopotamia songs. I can't imagine how long it takes to create these songs with the right words to fit the unit and beat.

Roman Twelve Tables

The Twelve Tables in Rome was their written law. These laws were written down in 451BC to give the Plebeians or lower class reassurance that their laws are set in writing.  The Plebeians asked for this because during this time they were just the lower class. They had little to no rights and no voice within politics. The laws written down helped ensure that they would get their voice. These laws were written on clay tablets by 10 men. They also began to have assemblies where laws were proposed, discussed, and voted upon by citizens. The main goal or idea was that all free citizens would have the right to the protection of law. The Twelve Tables gave Plebeians a voice in politics. The Patricians no longer had overall ruling, the Plebeians would assemble their consul to be their representatives. The Roman government went through many phases staring with monarchy, aristocracy, and then resembling a democracy. The noble and wealthy could no longer overrule the common people. The Twelve Tables reminds me of the United States Constitution since it sets our morals and laws for the people to follow and view. It sets a standard and makes them put into place. They both also allow for the reforms to better our country and government.

Roman Aqueducts

 This is a picture if a Roman aqueduct. I think these are very pretty to look at, but they also have an interesting background.I love arches so these are just pretty to me. I think it looks beautiful in the water and how open they are. The purpose of these aqueducts were used to pump water and bring it to Rome from far away places. These aqueducts were most commonly found underground. Some of these are still in use today which is crazy to me. I can't imagine having to create something like this, but the Romans did it in 312 BC.The engineering for this and idea is incredible for how long ago they built these. They were so useful and can even be found in modern times in the United States. I think this is just a pretty piece of architecture that is also beneficial in society.

Social Status in Rome

The Romans main social classes consisted of the Plebeians and the Patricians. The plebeians were the common people in Rome. They were the larger group out of the two. These people had regular jobs and they also did not have as much power compared to the wealthy class. Common jobs for plebeians were farmers, artisans, and merchants. The patricians were the wealthy class. These people had the most power in Rome . They were the land owners and royalty in Rome. This is very similar to how it was in Greece at the time. Greece had the common people who had little power in the beginning, but over time they were treated more equally to Aristocrats. Aristocrats were the wealthy land owners who held the most power. These classes are almost exactly alike. The two classes are split by wealthy and landownership. The majority of the population falls under the common people. The common people are not given as much power in society as the wealthy are.

Rome Definitions

• Republic - A type of government where citizens held most power. They had the right to vote for their leaders.
• Patrician - The wealthy landowners who held the most power. The highest class at this time. 
• Plebeian- The common people in Rome. Most plebeians were farmers, artisans, and merchants.
• Tribune- Representatives elected by plebeians at an assembly who protected the rights of the plebeians from unfair acts of patrician rulers. They gave a voice and justice for the common people. 
• Consul- Officials or rulers whose power was limited to command the army and direct the government.
• Senate-The legislative and administrative functions in the republic.They were 300 wealthy aristocrats chosen by the citizens. They had great influence on foreign and domestic policy. 
• Dictator- A leader who gad absolute power to make laws and command the army. They had a short span of time in power. They were chosen by the consuls and then elected by senate. 
• Legion- Large organized military units of Roman soldiers.

• Punic Wars- A long war fought in 246BC against Rome and Carthage

• Hannibal- A young, strong leader who was a Carthaginian general. He was very strong with his military and he wanted to avenge Carthage's earlier defeat.

Potential Essay Questions

 For a five-paragraph essay, the main topic could be about the major tyrants of Ancient Greece. The first paragraph can describe what a tyrant’s role is in that society, to be a powerful leader who seizes power by appealing to the common people support. Describe how tyrants impacted the Greek society and their importance. The second paragraph can be about Draco. This paragraph can describe his ruling during 621BCE and his strict rules or laws: all Athenians ae equal under law, death is most common punishment for crimes, debt slavery is allowed. The third paragraph would be about the next tyrant Solon(594BCE) who brought reforms, which included; outlawing debt slavery, all Athenian citizens can speak at the assembly, and any citizen can press charges against wrongdoers. The fourth paragraph can be about Cleisthenes from 500BCE. Cleisthenes brought some of the most changes to Ancient Greece since he brought the first ever democracy. Some of his reforms included; All citizens could submit laws for debate at the assembly, created Council of Five Hundred( almost like a jury system by having members at random to meet and consider laws), and only free adult male property owners born in Athens were considered to be a citizen, and women, slaves, and “foreigners” aren’t citizens . The fifth paragraph is the conclusion to what a tyrant is and their impact on Greece.  

Five Questions for a Test

Here are five potential questions for our test.

Which of the following is not a type of Greek drama?
A.) Tragedy
B.) Romance
C.) Comedy

Which of the following was a group of strong, warlike people, who had one of the strongest infantries?
A.) Athenians
B.) Phalanx
C.) Spartans
D.) Zeus

Match the God/Goddess to their ruling:
1.Poseidon        2.Wisdom, skill, and warfare
2.Athena           4.Music, arts,healing (Sun) 
3.Zeus               5.Love, beauty, desire
4.Apollo           1.The Sea, rivers, floods
5. Aphrodite     3. Sky, thunder, law, order

Which one of the following philosophers taught Alexander the Great?
A.) Aristotle
B.) King Phillip II
C.) Socrates
D.) Plato

Which of the following were tyrants in Ancient Greece?
A.) Solon
B.)Cleisthenes
C.) Draco
D.) All of the above

Platos Best and Worst Ideas Video

1.) Plato defines The Forms as the ideal versions and concepts of ideas of the things around us. These are main concepts in  life that often have a higher potential that has not been reached yet. These Forms are the fullest version of the potential in ideas of life. Plato promoted that people strive to get the fullest versions of the ideas and concepts.
2.) Three groups in Plato's ideal society were like three social classes. There were the producers, the military, and the rulers. These were supposedly the three major groups within Plato's idea. 
3.) Plato's thoughts on women were sometimes inconsistent. Some of his ideas that women were equal in the sense that they should be able to have part in ruling the society, but he also compared women to children.  Another bad idea from Plato was about the womb within a women. He had said that a womb is like a live-animal that moves around within women. It makes that sound bad or even embarrassing to women.
4.) The Noble Lie that Plato proposed was that we are all born with either gold, silver, or a mixture of brass and iron. These composure's determined a persons role in life. This almost sounds like a Caste system. The things that a person is born with determines their role or life in terms of society standards.

Bucephalus Poem

Here is my best attempt at writing a poem. I am not the best with poetry. I am not sure if it was close to being good, but I did try my best;
He was a mighty horse with coarse hair
I had never seen a horse so rare
Alexander was the only one who could care for Bucephalus
We could get close if he'd let us
He would ride into battle with Alexander in the saddle
Alexander was the source of this loyal horse
Alexander was the only one he loved
Bucephalus would follows Alexanders lead
He had the strength and speed
That would be all he'd need.

Architecture in Athens

Young, Sarah P. “The Acropolis Of Athens: A Golden Age Legacy.” Ancient Origins, Ancient Origins, 19 Mar. 2020, www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/acropolis-athens-0012388.

This first image is of a Greek Acropolis. An acropolis is a building set on top of a hill. I think these are beautiful and I would love to be visit. I love the view looking over the hill and the way the sun hits the building. Most buildings are built for the Gods and Goddesses and I think that is why they would build these on top of great hills. These temple structures also are full of columns which is one thing I adore.

Nerenberg, Ira, and David Porter. “Visiting The Parthenon: Athens, Greece.” The Roaming Boomers, 29 July 2017, www.theroamingboomers.com/visiting-the-parthenon-athens-greece/.

This is an image of the Parthenon in Athens. This building was for Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and War. This was also an acropolis. These temples are massive and were originally made with limestone and marble, the best for the Gods and Goddesses. I love the Greek architecture because it is filled with old ruins and temples made for higher beings. I love the looks of the columns in all buildings and even the buildings that had fallen apart. The buildings resemble and fit each other without being the same. 

Theaters in Greece

1. In ancient Greece, plays were first done as a source of entertainment originating in Athens. This was a sign of both civic pride and a tribute to the gods. There are three kinds of theater performances. The first kind of drama was tragedy. This type of drama was serious and had main topics of love, war, hate, or betrayal. These often had main heroes with an advantage of some sort, but a flaw in character often brought them down. One famous writer of these plays was a man named Aeschylus. The opposite if those dramas would be the comedy. These would feature "slapstick situations and crude humor"(136). These would often make fun of politics and respected people or ideas. Aritophanes wrote the first comedy drama. The fact that people were allowed to make fun of Athens at the time gave an idea to how freely they were allowed to speak within their democracy at the time. The final creative thing done was the writings of epics to account for history. Herodotus was famous for his accurate reporting of then current events in Athens such as during the Persian War. Other writers like Homer wrote of epics and great stories at the time which were unsure to be real or not. Thucydides was one of the best historians to tell of political events that helped future historians know about those times.  

2. A movie I had watched recently "Titanic". This reminded me of a Greek tragedy drama. This movie has love between two main character, Jack and Rose. There is hate between Jack and Roses' fiancee, and there is a disaster of the boat sinking, killing many people. This movie has a serious story line and serious topics within it. There was even a flaw in one of the major characters, Roses' fiancee, where he was too cocky with his wealth and power that he Rose had left him for Jack. All of these things remind me of a Greek tragedy drama. 

3.

Katz, Brigit. “The Acoustics of Ancient Greek Theaters Aren't What They Used to Be.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 24 Oct. 2017, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/acoustics-ancient-greek-theaters-may-no-longer-be-so-great-180965360/.

This is a Greek theater. It seems like a large circle that have seating all around the stadium. At the bottom is a flat spot where the performance occurs. This is pretty much the same as current theaters, other than the fact that the Greek theaters are outside and are built from concrete. Modern theaters are most often inside built to boost performance qualities like sound and lighting as well as comfort for the audience. 

COVID-19 Challenege

This whole experience of COVID-19 is shocking. This is new to everybody and it is full of unknowns. I am honestly nervous about the future and I have no idea what to expect from all this. I am hoping it ends soon, but I have a feeling it will not. The cyber school forcing students to teach themselves is one of the worst parts. It is really hard for me to focus on five or six subjects a day trying to teach myself new things in each. It makes me worry that I am able to do the work, I may not be truly retaining any of this information. I can't quite tell and that is something that worries me. I am also worried about the possibility of exams. Are exams still in place? I have no idea, but that continues to be a question I have running through my head. While at home I have stayed my honest self. I know I can do the work on my own so that is what I have done. I have kept my integrity and done my own work. This being said, I don't think this crisis is changing people into bad people. I believe that this crisis is just messing with peoples minds in a way that has never happened before. We have been stuck inside, or at least we should be, for three weeks now. People are stressing and panicking because nobody is really sure what to do or how long this could last. I can say for myself I have no idea what is to come, but I am staying hopeful that things will get better fast.

The Great Plague of Athens Compared to COVID-19

The Great Plague of Athens was very similar to COVID-19. Both were a large epidemic disease that swept through Greece after it was brought over through trading. This part alone reminds me of the Corona Virus. The Corona Virus has become a pandemic at this point and is sweeping through the world. In both disease and the virus, it is spreading very fast. Both are were spread form person to person and both made people resort to staying at home. People were terrified of the plague and would refuse to leave their home in hopes that could help save them. Now people also are being told by officials to stay home, unnecessary stores have been closed temporarily, and people are and were scared. Many symptoms of the plague and the COVID-19 are similar such as fever and flu like symptoms. Both illnesses came from another region and were brought to a new location. I am nervous about COVID-19 because it is spreading like wildfire. I see celebrities getting it and I have been watching numbers grow around me. Also, both illnesses seem to spring up onto the people. The leaders of Greece at the time of this plague did not expect to receive the plague along with their trade, so they were unsure of how to fix it. The plague had to takes its course. As COVID-19 began to spread, many officials and people were unsure what to do. It was a known possibility, but the United States was not prepared to actually be effected. People are still unsure of how to solve this pandemic other than quarantine, but scientists are quickly trying to resolve this issue.

Biographies of King Phillip II, Alexander the Great, and Darius III

Today I will be writing biographies of King Phillip II, Alexander the Great, and Dariuis III. The first biography will be of King Phillip II. Phillip II was born around 382 BC. He had grown up being apart of generation long ruler ship of Macedonia in Greece. He had two older brothers who were expected to take the throne before Phillip II would. During some of his younger years he spent some time as a hostage in a place called Thebes( A strong Greek city-state). This time spent there around 370 BC was very beneficial to him because this is where he was able to learn about military strategies. He then returned to Macedonia carried on the legacy of ruling Macedonia to become king in in 359 BC. This happened after his two brothers had passes, so he took over the throne. He was a strong military leader and hoped to avenge the Persian invasion of Greece. He carried on many victories for Macedonia with his strategic and brilliant war strategies of the phalanx formation or his use of cavalry. His final victory was the battle of Chaeronea where Macedonia defeated the Greeks. He was seen as a threat to surrounding cities due to his power. He was killed by being stabbed by a a former guardsman in 336 BC. The next biography will be of Alexander the Great. Alexander was born in 356 BC and he was the son of King Phillip II. Around the age of 13, Alexanders father requested that one of the most well known philosophers at named Aristotle to tutor Alexander. At the age of 16 he was first introduced to the idea of him ruling Macedonia as his father went to war. Just like his father, Alexander had a strong knowledge of war strategies and had the potential to be a great leader. He became king in 336 BC after his father had been assassinated while Alexander was only around 20 years old. Around 6,000 Thebans had attempted to rebel, but Alexander showed his strength by either selling the survivors into slavery or killing the others. This when the people began to respect and listen to him. After this, he finally wanted to carry out his fathers wishes of invading Persia so he gather thousands of soldiers to invade. This was one of his most major victories as he conquered the Persian empire.At the age of 32, Alexander became extremely ill and ended up passing away. The final biography will be of Darius III. Darius III was born around 380 BC. He grew up in a wealthy and royal family. He took over the throne of part of the Persian Empire around 336-330 BC. He was also the last leader from the Achaemenid Empire and legacy. The biggest defeat he had faced was when Alexander the Great had invaded their empire and took over. Darius III attempted to send peace offerings and agreements to Alexander, but Alexander rejected all of them. This is when Darius III quickly became desperate to not lose his empire. Darius was later captured and murdered in a desert at the age of 50. This was the biographies of Phillip II, Alexander the Great, and Darius III.

Alexander and Bucephalus

The relationship between Alexander and Bucephalus was definitely and interesting story to be told. Bucephalus was a horse Alexander had earned through his miraculous transformation of the horse. Bucephalus began as a gift to Alexanders father, King Phillip. Bucephalus was a beautiful, massive black horse, but he seemed to be "untameable" . Because he was such a spooky horse, Phillip almost got rid of Bucephalus. Alexander did not want to see this horse sent away so decided to work with this horse. There was even a bet between the king and some other men whether Alexander could not handle this horse or not. Alexander stayed calm and gentle towards Bucephalus and the horse grew trust towards Alexander. Alexander was able to see that horse was afraid of its own shadow so Alexander helped Buceohalus by moving him into the sun so he would not face his shadow. As time went on Alexander was the only one person Bucephalus trusted and would allow to ride him. Alexander from that point on would ride Bucephalus into battle as his noble companion. This was the relationship between Alexander and Bucephalus. 

My Thoughts on Cyber School

Now that the first week of cyber school is coming to an end, I still have mixed feelings about it. So far I have woken up around 8:00AM everyday to get work done early and keep myself on a schedule. It is still a little difficult to keep myself focused, but I have gotten better at it. The first day was definitely the worst for me. I had gotten a bad grade on my test, stayed up till 9:00PM doing homework, and stressed all day. The thing that has helped me most is being able to have all day to complete work. Since I am constantly distracted at home it takes me more time to get work done. As time goes on I feel better about the cyber days, but I do wish I could be back in school. I miss seeing people everyday rather than sit in my house all day. After I get my work done I have nothing to do and it's not fun sitting home all day. I don't think the workload has been that bad. I have been thinking recently that I am not sure if I am retaining information or just flying through my work to get it done. I am hoping this won't last too long but at this point I have no idea how long we will be out. I am questioning what will we do about exams? I am not sure , but I am beginning to get the hang of the cyber days.

Why Philosophers Would Question Traditional Beliefs

Socrates and Sophists like Protagoras would start questioning traditional beliefs at this particular point because Athens had just lost a major war which left Athens without their empire, wealth, and power. Since this was such a major loss, the people began to question whether their democratic government was truly going to work for them anymore. The loss made them lose faith in their strength and abilities in their government and the leaders at hand. This is when the philosophers decided to question their lifestyles and seek the truth. The philosophers focused on logic and reason to determine their state of mind. The ideas philosophers had was very new to the Greeks because nobody questioned their beliefs and morals the way philosophers had like Socrates and Protagoras. These philosophers wanted people to think for themselves on what they believe. This was so new that many people began to threaten philosophers for questioning the morals and beliefs that the Greeks always had. It was intimidating to people and many disagreed with this idea, but others began to trust and believe the philosophers point of views.

Pericles War Plan Outcome

In the Peloponnesian War, Sparta was the first to push Athens and invade. Sparta started by burning Athens farmland around the city. This is where Pericles plan was put into play. Pericles insisted that the Athenians waited within the city as Sparta attacked. Pericles idea was that Athens could have resources such as food sent to them by boat to substitute the loss of their farmland. The next problem was brought into play by the boats that had delivered the food and resources. The boat had carried a massive plague over to Athens. As time went on this plague began to kill hundreds at time since the citizens were still told to stay within the city walls. The symptoms from this plague such as inflammation of the eyes and extreme fever got so bad that many citizens would have rather died than suffer anymore. Many Athenians did not understand their suffering and almost killed 1/3rd of their populations including Pericles. Once Pericles died, it was little time before the next person was fighting to become ruler. This plan had gone completely wrong for Athens and ended with people questioning Pericles authority. Although Pericles tried his best to be a strong leader for Athens his plan did not end with victory. The plan slipped through from an unpredictable outcome for him.

Pericles, Direct Democracy, and the Delian League

For the first portion of my paragraph, I will be discussing some facts about Pericles. Pericles was a highly valued leader in Athens from around 461-429 BC. Pericles was born into an aristocratic family. He was said to be fair, honest, a good politician, well respected all around. The Athenians called this time period a Golden Age for Athens. His three major goals was to strengthen Athenian Democracy, to hold and strengthen the empire, and to glorify Athens. Pericles was very fair to all citizens. For example he allowed for any citizen of Athens to run to be in office if elected or chosen. He did not favor the wealthy or exclude the poor and he kept all citizens open to the government. This is what a direct democracy is. A direct democracy is when the citizens can be directly involved with their government like how the Athens had their voting systems or meetings in the argora with male citizens. The people were allowed to speak their opinions directly to the leaders at the time and had voting systems that majority ruled on the citizens votes. The final topic was how a Delian League worked. The Delian League was an organized group fulled of combined Greek city-states. This league was formed to somewhat untie parts of Greece to create an all powerful clan of citizens. This league was most beneficial for the money from the groups and during times of war to have one major alliance.

Last Day Before Cyber School

Today was out final class before cyber school began. I am super anxious and nervous for cyber learning. As I wait for the email to explain everything that will be happening, I am think about the possibility. Everybody is nervous and still unsure of what is coming in the future like how cyber school will be or when we will even be back in school. This seems like history in the making. I have never heard or seen anything like this so this is new to everybody right now. In a  way it feels like the entire world is shutting down and locking themselves away. I can't believe, but I am prepared to be out for a while. I am also nervous that I was not able to meet with all of my teachers today. I am excited to be home with my dog and sleep in though. It has been so nice outside so it is unfortunate that everything is beginning to close while spring is just beginning. Next week will be a whole new type of week for me and I am sure many others.

School Update

I was not sure if I was supposed to do a blog post today, but here it is anyway. Today in class we discussed fully on the current pandemic of the Corona Virus. As time goes on I am beginning to worry more and more about this virus and the possible outcomes. To me it feels like an apocalypses that is starting to tear down the world. I am trying to take as many precautions as my family and I can, but I am still nervous. I am also not excited by the idea of cyber days. I am worried I will get confused or somehow mess up schedules not being in school. I am worried that it will mess me up not being organized and having a specific knowledge of what I need to do and when. I am nervous to teach myself things and figure cyber days out on my own since I have never done them before. I will be glad to be home, but that would have to be it. I am nervous for my health and the health of all others. This would be all for today.

Day 2 of the Revolution Video on Greece

We began this video discussing with of Athens grew with their wealth as trade over the Mediterranean grew for the Greeks olive oil. Another major trading point for the Greeks was there pottery like the vases. These vases were often made by the poorest people of Greece. These vases had patterns like simple figures and geometric patterns. Today, these Greek vases are extremely valuable. Making these vases allowed for ordinary people to show their talents. Next the part of the video talked about the chain of rulers and or tyrants to follow in Greece. Peisistratos, father of Hippias, was the first ruler discussed. This was a good ruler who helped Greece to grow, but when he died in 527BC, his son Hippias took over the ruling. In 514BC Hippias brother was murdered causing Hippias to become bitter to the people. This was when he became a tyrant out of revenge towards the people of Athens. The video said, " He had no cause but self preservation". In 510BC Cleisthenes overthrew Hippias by trapping Hippias and banning him. This was Cleisthenes heroic act by saving the people. The next ruler was an Athenian aristocrat named Isagoras. Isagoras tried to overthrow Cleisthenes with the help of Sparta. Isagaros brought his troops to the acropolis and then ostracized Cleisthenes and his family. This is when the ordinary people of Athens revolted against Isagoras to push him and the Spartans out of Athens after three days of surrounding them. This is when in 508BC the first democracy began as the people fought for power for themselves. Cleisthenes was then brought back to Athens to unite Athens by giving the people a voice to govern themselves. Every 9 days there were meetings with the people where they had direct votes on things like taxes, roads, and war using white or black rocks to answer yes or no.  The next portion of the video was discussing the "Olympics" of Greece on Olympia. This was the origin of the modern Olympics where any Greek man could visit from all over Greece to watch or participate in 776BC. Women were not allowed to participate or even watch. Some of the games included chariot racing, boxing, and wrestling. Participating in these events helped to show heroic abilities of the men. The video ended by bring up the Persians from the East becoming a threat to Athens.

The Greeks Crucible of Civilization Part 1

Today in class we watched a video called The Greeks Crucible of Civilization, episode one.  Here are some of my notes during the video. First the video began with describing 508BC which was first revolution in Athens, Greece demanding freedom. Cleisthenes was the ruler at this time. He believed that the people should have the ability to govern themselves and have their own voice. Cleisthenes was born into a rich family meaning he is an aristocrat. Herodotus was a historian of the time. He claimed Cleisthenes grandfather helped a great king with a favor. An acropolis was an outcropping of rock in the center of the city in Athens. The life expectancy in Athens at the time was around 15 years old. The social classes were the Aristocrats as the elites and the ordinary people to be the lower class. At Cleisthenes time there were around 1,000  independent city-states. Sparta had the military power and Athens had the Naval power. Helots were the name for the normal people under the government. 
Ancient story tellers were loved by passing on the stories as oral tradition. Homer wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey to tell about great warriors and heroes. The heroic ideal was to have the glory, greatness, bravery, strength, and to be the best version of yourself. Pisistratus was a tyrant who got power by lying saying he was summoned by Athena. He gained trust by asking the people for advice , reducing taxes, and provide free loans. The East Mediterranean was the best market for trade. This is as far as we got today. 

Philosophers Continued

Today we continued to learn about primary philosophers. A philosopher is a "lover of wisdom". Aristotle was the next philosopher we discussed. We began with Socrates, to Plato, to Aristotle. Aristotle was a student of the Plato at his school. Aristotle helped foster the idea of Athens as an intellectual destination.His school, the Lyceum, focused on cooperative research building on knowledge gathered from all over the world. He had dreamed of having knowledge being able to be accessed in one location such as the way online information is found. Some of his primary writings focused on topics such as logic, physics, biology, ethics, politics, rhetoric, motion, theater, poetry, metaphysics, psychology, dreams, and more. He also tutored Alexander the Great as a request from the King. Alexander took those teachings and brought them throughout life with him. These were all the notes we took today. I am feeling pretty good with this information, but I struggle when it comes to the wars and battles of the time. Otherwise I feel confident I know about the philosophers and a little bit of the gods/ goddesses.

Philosophy in Ancient Greece

Today we discussed major philosophers in Ancient Greece. We began by talking about what philosophy is which was thinking and challenging the mind. Socrates was one of the first and most well known philosophers. Socrates looked to science compared to logic which was strongly against the Greek idea that gods are the explanation to how the world works. The Socratic Method fostered major beliefs of critical thinking and finding deeper thoughts without forcing another opinion onto another person. Socrates had also once said: "The unexamined life is not worth living". Socrates was later charged with "impiety"(disrespecting the gods) and "corruption of Athens youth". Over half of jury of 500 men found Socrates guilty of these crimes. Socrates never denied what he did. He was forced to drink Hemlock which is a type of poison. Even though he was offered the chance to escape the jail, he decided to take his punishment to stay true to the democratic system. Plato was the next major philosopher. Plato was a student and follower of Socrates. Plato would write Socrates teaching to ensure they are not forgotten. One of Plato's most influential writings was called "The Apology" to describe the teachings of Socrates. "The Republic" was another one of his writings was based on a discussion of justice and the ideal state.This was as far as we got in class today. 

Wars in Greece

Today in class we began to learn about wars. The Greeks were strong warlike people. Spartans were especially warlike. Spartans were tough and had a ruthless infantry(Soldiers who fought on land). Spartans had a strong Army. Athens had a great infantry, but nothing could compare to their Navy. Athens most effective weapon was the trireme- massive, fast, agile, battle ramming ship. Next is the Phalanx- close rank, defense grouping warriors. They were armed with long spears interlocking shields. Soldiers would advance slowly toward the enemy, until they broke through their ranks.
Persian Empire vs. Greece
Persians have a huge army, and nearly unlimited resources. The Persians were massive compared to Greece. Greece had an easier advantage being able to defend their home rather than attack another land.
Greece Advantages and Disadvantages:

• Iron weapons meant ordinary citizens could defend themselves
• Foot soldiers(Hopilites) trained at an early age
• Armed with spears, swords, shields
• Phalanx formation
• On their "home field"
• Motivated to win to save preserve their democracy

Persian Army Advantages and Disadvantages:

• First Archers(Does damage from a distance)
• Calvary(Disrupt communication between generals and soldiers)
• Lightly armored infantry
• Carried spears, bows, sword
• Huge numbers
• Long way from home
• professional Army(Mercenaries) 

Wars lasted from 546-480BC.

 546BC- Persian conquer Greece in Ionia

499-494BC- Ionian revolt(Greece wins) 

490BC- Persians war on Athens, but Athens lost

480BC- Greece win at Persia sea by help with Delian League(Greece list in the end)

The Delian League is when Athens and other city states combine and pay to be in an  alliance.

Greece Gods and Goddesses

Today in class we took notes. Some of my notes were:
Gods and goddess interacted with humans. These gods were explanations for the natural events in the world. Some of these gods and goddesses included;
Zeus:

• Ruler of heaven and earth
• father of Athena
• God of sky, weather, thunder, lightening, law, order, and justice
• had a temper and was known for throwing thunderbolts

Poseidon:

• God of the sea, rivers, floods, earthquakes
• brother of Zeus
• King of waters and sea
• interfered with Odysseus trying to return home

Aphrodite:

• Goddess of love, beauty, desire, beauty, sexuality
• Had lovers of both gods and mortals such as; Ares( god of war), Adonis(demi-god of desire), Anchises( mortal human)

Athena:

• Goddess of wisdom, skill, warfare, peace, intelligence, battle strategy, and handicrafts
• Born from Zeus' head fully formed and armored
• A special of patron of hero- such as Odysseus , she was a patron of Athens(city named after her)

Apollo: 

• God of music, arts, healing
• Zeus father Artemis sister associated with moon and Apollo with the sun

Adonis:

• Demi-god of desire
• Anchises- mortal

Demeter:

• Goddess of grain, harvest, agriculture
• Zeus' sister

Greece Test Day Part I

Today in class we took our Greece test. I felt prepared for this test after studying all night last night and this morning. I reviewed with Dan's quizlet and the slideshow on the blog. I was super stressed because I feel my grade is always a make or break in this class. I get extremely nervous, but I feel better now that the test is over. This was the last quiz of this week for me. I felt that I know a good amount about Greece since I have had this unit before in other grades so I am happy to get this test over with. It is funny how even minutes after I take a quiz or test I feel like I forgot what answers I put on the test. Now I so relieved and I am excited to get home. Yesterday was just a very off day for me so now I am starting to feel better today. I am glad I studied lots for this test because otherwise I think I would not have done well at all. I feel good about the test and I think I imagined it to be worse. The worst part was about the time frames that events occurred.

Final Review of Greece

Today we finished studying for Greece with talking about Cleisthenes and democracy. Cleisthenes was a member of elite, very rich, insulated from the "hoi polloi" or the lower class. He was also a very smart politician. Only 1/5th of Athenians were citizens. Athens became a direct democracy around 500 BC. A Direct Democracy is when a state, or in this case city-state, is ruled by citizens. Rules is based on citizenship and majority rule decides vote. The politics were discussed at the agora. This is where citizens argued, made speeches, and voted with stones. White being yes and black being no. This then described the first democracy around 508 BC.
Those were all my notes, but I am so nervous for the test tomorrow. I am not quite sure why, but the geography scares me along with the rulers. I am not good with time frames so I am nervous to mix the time frames up or forget what happened in each time.

Start of Review for Greece Quiz

Here are some of the main study points for our Greece quiz on Thursday.
Five major rivers
China- Huang He River
India- Indus River
Mesopotamia- Tigris and Euphrates River
Egypt- Nile River
 Geography of Greece:
Greece is mountainous and rocky causing for little arable(farming) land and rough land to cross. There were limited resources causing the Greeks needing to sail for trade or travel route. This was due to the peninsula of Greece. Greece was full of city-states. Greeks diet consisted of grains, grapes, olives, and fish. They had good climate for outdoor life and activity.
Mycenaean- 2000BC, they dominated Greece Peloponnese for 200 years
Mionian- 1200BC, absorbed culture from Mycenaean
Dorians- 1150-750BC, final people to take over war torn city, no written record, economy, culture and trade collapsed
Homer- The Homeric Question "Did he truly exist or was he just another blind story teller
His story the Odyssey is about a man trying to find his way back home. The Iliad was about the Trojan War.
Polis- City-state surrounded around politics unit
Monarchy- Ruled by a single person (king)
Aristocracy- Rule by group of small, noble, rich families
Oligarchy- Wealthy group trying to gain power with the help of military
Aristocrats- Members of the ruling class
Symposium- Meeting or gathering where politics were discussed

Draco- 621 BC, Harsh, all classes were equal, death was punishment for all crimes
Solon- 594 BC, Reform to make life easier/better for citizens, outlaw debt slavery
Cleisthenes- 500 BC, More reforms and involving citizens more to become closer to a democracy(Council of Five Hundred)
Hippias-Tyrants from 527-510 BC, eventually expelled from Athens( later ostracized), after his brother was murdered he turned evil, revenge began as he worked with Persian king Darius I, helping them to invade Marathon
Isagoras and Cleisthenes(both ostracized) . Isagoras has support from support from aristocrats and Sparta while Cleisthenes had majority support from Athens.
Isagoras became Archon Eponymous (tyrant), ostracized Cleisthenes, Cleisthenes( Athenians) revolted around against Isagoas was trapped and fled. He then took over from 508 BC(First Democracy)

Pericles in Athens

Today in class we began with a pop quiz. This quiz sacred me when it was brought up. I was super nervous because I was not confident, but I got a good score on the quiz. We then took some notes on Pericles. Pericles was liked by the people and was in charge for around 32 years. He had three major goals for Athens. The three goals were to beautify Athens, make a stronger government, and strengthen the empire. He spent lots of money to strengthen the Athens navy for trade and military purposes. He had many artists and architects to beautify the city. He had bought things like ivory, stone and marble to build magnificent statues and buildings like the Parthenon built for the goddess Athena. Pericles had made a strong government by having the people run the government without representatives and having any male citizen join the government. Both rich or poor could work with the government and have a word. This made a stronger government for Athens and gained power over other cities. I think Pericles sounds like a great leader for Athens and was willing to work with the people for the first sign of the democracy. The final notes I took was beginning to read about the wars with surrounding cities starting with Sparta.

Politics in Greece

Today in class we took lots of notes on the politics in Greece. Here is some of the vocab:

Polis- policy, political and formal name for a city state

Monarchy- rule by a single person such as a king

Aristocracy- rule by a group of noble, very rich, landowning families

Oligarchy- wealthy groups, dissatisfied with aristocratic rule, who seized with power(military help)

Tyrant- powerful individual who seized control by appealing to the common people support

Hoplites-Well armed soldier

Tyrant- Someone who rules outside the framework of the polis. 

During the 6th-7th century BCE, aristocrats ran most of Greece. Aristocrats were the ruling class of ancient Greece. The aristocrats attended symposiums which consisted of elite men, enjoy wine, poetry, performances by dancers, acrobats, and hetears while discussing politics. Only male citizens of Athens were allowed in politics. No women,middle class, slaves, or foreigners were allowed in politics. There were even certain aristocrats who were excluded for not having connections or who fell out. The aristocrats sometimes even formed alliances with hoplites and set up on alternative form of gov't called a tyranny. Next we discussed major rules of Ancient Athens. First there was Draco around 621 BCE. His code was;

• All Athens(rich or poor) are equal under the law
• Death is the punishment for many crimes( harsh punishments for minor crimes) 
• Debt slavery is OK( Work as slave to repay debt

Solon's Reform in 594BCE consisted of; 

• Outlaws debt slavery
• All Athenian citizens can speak at the assembly
• Any citizen can press charges against wrongdoers

Finally was Cleisthenes Reforms in 500BCE; 

• All citizens could submit laws for debate at the assembly 
• Created the Council of Five Hundred, members chosen randomly who would meet to council the assembly and consider laws
• Only free adult male property owners born into Athens were considered to be a citizen
• Women, slaves and "foreigners" are not citizens

Thats as far as we got today. 

Mycenaean, Minoan, Dorian's, and Homer

Here are some notes from class today:

We began with the Mycenaean's and how they started their influence of Greece around 2000 BC. Mycenae was located near the Peloponnesus protected by a 20 foot wall.  The Mycenaean king ruled Greece from 1600-1100BC. Around 1400 BC Mycenaean invaded Crete and absorbed Minoan culture such as the writing system, language, art, politics, literature, religion. Then we discussed the Trojan War. This war was fought around 1200 BC. The gods and goddesses were not real and told about in stories. The next group of people to invade this region a group of "mysterious sea people" took over Mycenaean people and burnt the multiple buildings. The Dorian's were the next  400 years. (1150-750 BC) The Dorian's were far less advanced compared causing a collapse in the economy, no written records, and a decline in culture. Finally we discussed a famous story teller named Homer. Homer was said to be a blind man who told great stories or epics about the Trojan War. This was also apart of the Greek oral tradition of passing on stories. He composed these epics from 750-700 BC. Two of his most famous ones are The Iliad and The Odyssey. The Iliad is one of the last conquests of the Trojan War. The Odyssey is about Odysseus attempts to return home after the Trojan War led by temptation by god of the sea. One of the major questions about Homer is the "Homeric Question" was did Homer exist. The answer is unknown to this question. This was as far as we got today. 

Allegory of the Cave Video

Today we watched a video on the Allegory of the Cave by Plato. I like this story because I feel like it can have multiple deeper meanings. Here are some notes I took from this video:
Plato had lived from around 423-347 B.C. Plato said that philosophy is the "therapy of the soul". Another key piece of philosophy that was a concern for Plato was his idea to compare the effect of education and the lack of it on our nature. In the allegory the cave goers thought if you watched the shadows on the you would be educated, enlightened and successful.The man who got out of the cave previously looked at phantoms while in the cave, but once he got out he saw the true being of nature. A thought is that the cave dwellers are humans before philosophy and the sun is the light of reason. The alienation of the returned philosopher is what all truth tellers can expect. Finally the video discussed the "Socratic Method". That is done by questioning things without being forced to believe one side compared to another. It makes you find your own beliefs through questions and gets people to think.

Geography of Greece

Here are my notes from this class:
We began with the fact that the worlds greatest civilizations are located on or around water. These are most often rivers. Examples are the Huang He River in China, the Indus river in India, the Nile River in Egypt, finally the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia. Next we discussed the geography of Ancient Greece. Important locations to Greece were the Aegean Sea, the Ionian Sea, the Adriatic Sea( just north of the Ionian Sea), the Pelopennesus, Athens, Sparta, Crete, Asia Minor and Macedon. Next we discussed how Greece is a peninsula covered with mountains. These mountains do cover 3/4th of Greece leaving only 20% of the land to be arable or suitable for farming within the fertile valleys. There are around 2000 islands in the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea around Greece. The geography impacted the culture by allowing for many skilled sailors, shipbuilders, weavers, farmers, metalworkers, and pottery. The lack of many natural resources due to geography also led to new trades of resources they did have such as olives, grains, grapes, and fish. The lack of resources also led to Greek colonization. Those were also keys parts of their diet. They also developed individual or independent city-states all over Greece which later caused problems for unity. Finally, the climate was very good year round. In the winter the temperature average was around 40 degrees Fahrenheit and in the summer the average temperature was around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. I find Greece to be beautiful and its always been a place I wanted to travel to so I am excited to learn about it.

Platos Allegory of the Cave

Today we read the Allegory of the Cave in class. I thought it was easy to find a deeper meaning to this story early on. Within the story there was lots discussion of pain that came when it was time for a change. Being dragged out of the cave caused pain, the sunlight caused pain, being brought back down and shackled brought pain. This was all do to the change within the characters life. From beginning in the bottom of a cave with little to no light and shackled down since childhood, to being the first person set free, this character was so unsure what to do with themselves. Change often does bring pain, but it helps people to grow in their own ways. The pain felt by the character soon went away after he adjusted to all the new things in life. He finally got to stand up, go outside, and see the sunshine after he got time to adjust to all these new things. I think him eventually being brought down to the cave was a step backwards for the character. They had just gotten all these new experiences to live a new life with freedom, but being brought back down to the cave left them in darkness, solitude, and left with the guilt of having that freedom compared to others. Change can cause many different emotions. Fear of the new life, hard times accepting a  different life, guilt for leaving your past behind. No change truly comes easy. Whether is it a small or large occurrence of change it will take time to adjust and figure out how to overcome.

Greek Questions

1.) Write each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance.

• Mycenaean- These were the settlers on the Greek mainland around 2000 BC. named after their leading city Mycenae. 
• Trojan War-A war during the 1200's BC, the Mycenaean's fought a ten year war against Troy, located in Anatolia. 
• Dorian- The new group of people that took over and moved into the countryside . They spoke a dialect if Greek and were possibly distant relatives of the Bronze Age Greeks. 
• Homer-A blind storyteller who was extremely famous for his stories
• Epic- Narrative poems celebrating heroic deeds
• Myth- A traditional story about gods, ancestors, or heroes, told to explain the natural world or the customs and beliefs of a society

3.) What Impact did nearness to the sea have on the development of Greece?

The nearness to the sea allowed for trade, transportation, and the little agriculture Greece had. The sea allowed for trading between cities for the resources did not have like the lack of food since the geography was rocky, rough, and mountainous. The transportation allowed for this trading and traveling on water and in the sea. The water helped to grow little crops although the geography was not fitting. 

4.) What aspects of culture did the Mycenaean's adopt from the Minoans?

The Mycenaean's adopted many parts of culture from the Minoans such as the writing style, Greek language, pottery or art with Minoan designs, Greek religion practice, art, politics, and literature. 

5.) Why were the epics of importance to the Greeks of the Dorian period? 

The epics were important during the Dorian periods since there were little to no written records of the Dorian period. They gave the archaeologist an idea of the events at the time and their beliefs. It showed the idea of arete which is the virtue and excellence. This is also because the Dorian's collapsed from being less advanced from the Mycenaean's. 

Classic Greece

Today in class we had a quiz and then took notes on Greece. Here is some of my notes:
In ancient times, Greece was not a united country, it was a collection of separate lands.
Geography Shapes Greek Life:
Mountainous peninsula into the Mediterranean Sea. There are 2,00 islands in the Aegean and I Ionian Sea.
The Sea: The sea shaped Greek culture/ civilization. The Aegean Sea, the Ionian Sea and the Black Sea were important transportation routes for the Greek people. Greeks lacked natural resources such as; timber, previous metal, and usable farmland. This made trade important and a priority.
The Land:
Rugged mountains covered 3/4th of ancient Greece while the other fourth was fertile valleys. The mountain chain went northwest to southeast along the Balkan Peninsula. Mountains divided the land. Each region had it's own government chain. Uneven terrain made transportation difficult, roads were dirt paths. Most land was stony which made unsuitable farming land.
Small streams that covered the land were not suitable for suitable for large-scale irrigation. No food or farming left Greece with a small population.
The Climate:
The climate varied from an average temperature in winter being 48 degrees Fahrenheit to 80 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. This climate allowed for outdoor life and activities such as public events, exchange news, and active civic life.

Quiz Prep Day

Today in class we went over notes for the quiz tomorrow. I feel pretty good, but I still want to study so I can be prepared. I am nervous because the last pop quiz we took got me a bad grade. I am hoping that I can do well on this quiz. I am going to reread all my notes and blogs to get prepared. I am so tired today and I have had an awful day so far. The thought of studying is not fun, but I will do it to get a good grade. I am nervous about questions on the geography like what a delta is or how long the Nile is. I did this unit in 7th grade so I think I know this information pretty well, but I cannot be too sure. I have two quizzes tomorrow and I am super nervous and have lots of studying to do.

Egyptian Pop Quiz

Today we began class with a student having to finish a test. I am not too happy with the grade I got on my Mesopotamia quiz. I wish I could have done better since I had felt that I did much better. I think I could have studied more to get a better grade, but this past two weeks have been a little strange. I have gotten so busy recently that I forget about tests or quizzes. I also often end up mixing up days that I have tests or quizzes on. This past quarter was quite hard for me so I am coming into this quarter with a new perspective hoping to do my best. I am also pretty tired today. I couldn't fall asleep yesterday for some reason, but I did eat a good breakfast so that is making the day better. Next we had a pop quiz. My heart dropped when he said it, but I feel confident in my answers. I think I did alright. The only thing that gets me is that there are so little questions that if I get one wrong my grade will drop significantly.
Early Writing:
Created in 3100 B.C. was hieroglyphics. This was pictures that symbolize words, sounds, and phrases. Hieroglyphics was written in ink on papyrus made from mashed Nile reeds.
Technology:
The Egyptians were some of the most inventive groups of people. They created a 12 month long calendar with 365 days. This invention gave them better sense of seasonal cycles. Advancements in medicinal purposes like potions and cures for a number of ailments. They had an excessive amount knowledge of anatomy for checkups. They also created wooden sailboats for increased transportation on the Nile.
Pyramids:
 The pyramids are the massive stone tombs originally covered with marble. The temple of Amon at Karnak was the largest religious building in the world. Stone sculptures and interior depicted humans and gods.

Egyptian Culture and More

Egyptian Culture:
Egyptians believed that souls which were lighter than a feather passed as purity and would then have eternal life. Other wise the heavier souls would be eaten by a demonic monster. Royal and elite Egyptians were buried and mummified. This is the process of embalming and drying the corpse to prevent it from decaying. The bodies were then placed into a coffin within a tomb to live on there. Many civilians brought offerings and gifts to these tombs such as;clothing, food, cosmetics, jewelry, and hymns from The Book of the Dead. These tombs were most of built by the peasants.
Life in Egyptian Societies:
The socials pyramid began with the royalty( kings and queens) on top. Next came the upper class which consisted of wealthy merchants, government officials, priests, and army commanders. After that came the middle class with merchants and artisans. Finally there were the lower class with peasants, farmers, and laborers. The slaves could earn freedom from loyal service, marriage, and success in jobs. Highest positions needed to read and write to gain opportunities. Women and men also shared equal rights.
Egyptian Writing:
The Egyptians early form of writing was their Hieroglyphics. That means "sacred carving" or having pictures stand for an idea. Overtime these pictures also stood for sounds like letters. They wrote on papyrus which was a split reed that was crafted to end up like paper.
Egyptian Science and Technology:
Most inventions were driven from simple needs like a calendar to help predict and track flood season, numbers for counting and money, architects for building (homes, stone columns, temples, pyramids), and medicine to cure the sick with surgery and checkups.
Invaders Control Egypt:
The Old Kingdom ended due to the power of pharaohs declining( 2180B.C.) Strong pharaohs then regained control in 2040-1640 B.C. as a mark of the Middle Kingdom. These strong pharaohs restored law, order, trade, and transport. Finally in 1640B.C. Hyksos from Palestine invaded and ruled Egypt from 1630-1523B.C. This was not the end, for Egypt would soon rise again.

Egyptian Life

Today in class we went over a PowerPoint on Egyptians. The Upper Egypt was a 500 mile long strip of fertile land along the Nile down South. The Lower Egypt was the wide land of the Nile delta, emptying into the Mediterranean Sea up North. The Nile was the major provider of life for the Egyptians. round 3100BC the two lands were untied under a single king or "pharaoh".(Narmer AKA Menes). Pharaoh was an all powerful and worshiped as a god and intimately connected to the other major Egyptian gods and goddesses. Egyptians relied on a harmony and balance of the universe, which the called "Maat". Pharaohs had multiple wives and social success were through the palace. Women could inherit money from their husbands and divorce, but very few women had political power. Some gods or goddess were represented by animal heads or bodies and possibly a mix. Egyptians also had an afterlife called Ka. This is where they were mummified to preserve the bodies for the post-death life. All souls would need to justify themselves at the  point of death and be either sent to an after-world paradise or eaten by the jaws of a monster. This is as far as we got today.

Mesopotamia Quiz Day

Today in class we took our Mesopotamia quiz. I was super nervous because I felt as though I would forget little information from the book. I feel quite confident with my quiz and my answers, but I am still nervous. I studied a bit for this quiz last night and today. I am currently super tired and ready to sleep. Mr. Schick told us that the first page at least was done well by the class so that helped me feel better. I also took a grammar quiz today and did well, so that made me happy. I only have one test tomorrow, so I have to study for that. I am excited for the dress down day tomorrow because it is free and I can be comfy all day. I am not too sure what to wear yet, but I will choose later. Now I will be going to sleep and study. 

Mesopotamia Review

Today in class we went over the Mesopotamia information for our quiz tomorrow. We watched a song about Mesopotamia and we looked over the power point. Along with that we read off some questions that could be similar to the quiz. This review was helpful, but I will still need to look over my own notes or blogs. Then we watched a few other random videos for fun made from John Carroll students and some about them. One was a video of a graduated student who went on to American Idol. That was pretty cool to see. Now I have to begin studying for this quiz. I am a little nervous since it is the first quiz of the semester. This week has been pretty long for me so far, which is making quizzes difficult. Other than that it has been pretty good. I think I can remember the definitions, but anything else I may forget.

Quiz Review Day

Today we began to review for our quiz on Wednesday. A few questions that will possibly be on the quiz would be:

Cultural Diffusion- mixing or trading ideas or beliefs to different cultures
Fertile Crescent- A region between two rivers with extreme fertile land
Mesopotamia- Land between rivers
Polytheism- The belief in multiple gods
Irrigation- diverting water from its main source for agricultural purposes
Cuneiform- One of the earliest forms of writing found in Mesopotamia
Dynasty- Series of rulers often form the same family
Ziggurat- Sumerian temple built on top of a mountain for the gods
Modern day countries found at the fertile crescent- Iraq, Syria, Turkey
Neolithic Era (New Stone Age)- Advanced for its time with improved technology and advancements with stone, tools and tech
Paleolithic Era- Old Stone Age
City State- A political state or area arranged by its own government
Gilgamesh- Part of an old story telling of a great flood like in the Bible with a story of Moses
Hammurabi's Code- 282 Set laws made by the King Hammurabi, one of the earliest set of laws and earliest seen engraved in stone for everybody to see
Silt- Soil left behind after flood water recedes

Bonus: On which river was a US Military base attacked? The Tigris.
This was as far as we got in today's class. 

Civilization in Mesopotamia

Here are some notes from today's class. We began with talking about wandering nomads who drove their herds around some land. In Sumer nomads had drove their cattle down south towards Arabia. In 2350 BC the Akkadians conquered Sumer. The Akkadians brought new gods to take the place of the previous gods that had been worshiped.  The citizens were then forced to worship the new gods brought upon them. King Hammurabi of Babylon came up with his new series of laws called Hammurabi's Code. One of the major laws was "an eye for an eye". Other laws were focused on regulations for marriages, divorce and punishments for crimes. These laws are crazy to me and they seem extremely harsh. I cannot imagine seeing these punishments take place for the criminals. I understand the points behind some of these laws, but I do think many of these are extreme. I am just wondering what happened to bring some of the laws into action since most of them end with death.

Hammurabi's Code

Hummarabi's code covered many area's for their early civilization during 1792 BC. This was the first single, uniform code of law to unify diverse groups within the empire. They used existing rules, judgement, and laws for Hummurabi's code. This code had 282 specific laws for family relations, business, conducts, crimes and protection for women and children against unfair treatment . The government knew they were responsible for their societies actions. This code represented the beliefs and values for Mesopotamia. One of his most popular codes entailed, "An eye for an eye" and "A tooth for a tooth". This code was engraved in stones and copied for the town. The laws were applied to everyone, but punishments differed from the rich and the poor. These early laws were kept and used in later civilizations.

City-States in Mesopotamia

Vocab:
Fertile Crescent- A region with a curved shape and rich, fertile land.

Mesopotamia- Land between rivers facing a plain and the Mediterranean Sea. It was between the Tigris and Euphrates river.

City-State - A city and its surrounding land. It has its own government and rulers.

Dynasty- Series of rulers from a single family.

Cultural Diffusion- The spread of new ideas or products from one culture to another.

Polytheism- The belief in more than one god.

Empire- Several people, nations or previous independent states states under the control of one ruler.

Hammurabi- A strong well like leader during 1792. He was a military leader, diplomat, and noble lawgiver.

Three environmental challenges  vs. advantages for the Sumerians:
Disadvantages:

• Unpredictable flooding or little to no rain
• No natural barriers for protection
• Natural resources were limited

Solutions:

• Irrigation ditches carried water to fields for crops
• Built city walls with mud bricks 
• Traded grain, cloth, and crafted tools for wood, stone, and metal. 

Lazy Day

Today we got to Human Geo late because of our class meeting. The meeting talked about school safety of what to do if there are intruders. I feel pretty safe but, I feel like there is not too much preparing to do because you are not sure of what to do unless you are in that situation. I would want to hide the most and I think that is the safest idea. We then discussed who is in our class next semester. I am in the larger class and its not unusual for me since in middle school I had 40 kids in my class, but I still don't want to be in the larger class. I'm not sure who everybody is in my schedule, but I am excited for change. Then we continued to watch Jeopardy again. This time we watched college addition. I am also excited to have a three day weekend to relax and sleep.

Watching Jeopardy

Today we watched Teen Jeopardy in class. We watched the show and attempted to answer the questions. This was fun and made me laugh. I was surprised that most of these questions were easy to answer. It was so much easier to answer than the regular Jeopardy. I am so relieved that this quarter is over and that we don't have to worry about a final and learning anything. I hope we can continue this tomorrow. I am tired so I am happy to have an easy day today so far. When I get home I want to sleep and have no homework. Jeopardy surprises me on how smart some people are and how many random things people know. I can't imagine having to know the answers to these questions on TV. This week has been super stressful trying to catch up and watch my grades so I am thankful its over. I am ready for a new semester and a fresh start.

Guns, Germs, and Steel Quiz

Today we took our Guns, Germs and Steel quiz. I was super nervous to take this quiz because I feel like there was a lot I could possibly mix up the domesticated animals or the two early civilization cites. This quiz was also super stressful for me because it is one of our last grades for this semester. This grade could make or break my current grade so I am nervous to see my results. I want to do well, but I am not positive I got the potential score I wanted. I watched the entire video over again and studied my notes so I feel as if I should have done somewhat decent. By the end of this semester I am happy to say I tried my best. I gave this semester my all and I wouldn't change anything I had done. I worked super hard for my grades and I am proud of how I did. I am also thankful that my first semester is finally over. It has been a stressful one trying to keep up with my grades. I am glad it is over and I'm excited for the next semester to come.