2/28/14 west civ class

         Today in class we watched two videos that were inviting people to visit Baltimore and Los Angeles. The people who made the Baltimore video were very boring and did not show all the great things that Baltimore had to offer. On the other hand the Los Angeles video showed countless tourist attractions with upbeat fun music and really made you want to fly into Los Angeles a soon as possible. After watching the videos Mr. Schick assigned us a project where we have to make a story board for a commercial or an actual commercial that is fun and persuasive that convinces a person to visit or move to ancient Athens or Sparta. I think I am going to do Athens because they have more things to persuade people with, for an example art, culture, military, navy, philosophers, etc..  I also know that I am just going to do a story board but I have know idea what I am going to put in my commercial yet.

2/26/14 west civ class

     Today in class we reviewed our notes that we took when Devon was "teaching" our class. As he reviewed I added even more notes on Greece that I didn't add before. Here are some new notes on Ancient Greece:  

Greece

• Athens made fun of Sparta way of life and thought it wasn't worth winning
• Athens was a more water based and navy like while Sparta had an army and fought more on land
• Athens had Triremes, they were huge ships that made Athens have one of the most feared navies
• Even though Athens wasn't as war like as Sparta and their lives didn't revolve around war they were still ruthless and very aggressive in battles
• Sparta had a very thin population because they were so isolated, that's why their men trained so hard for war
• Athens controlled lots of trade because they controlled the sea because of their strong navy
• The Spartans used the "phalanx" tactic when in war
• In Athens democracy all land owning men who weren't foreign could only vote
• Aristocrats were wealthy and powerful and owned land
• Aliens were people who came from other parts around that particular area of Greece (foreigners)
• When being banished from Athens for ten years this was a process called ostracism
• Four main types of government: Monarchy, Oligarchy, Democracy, Tyranny
• Monarchy was the first government that covered Greece before others were created
•  Seas that surrounded Greece: Aegean sea, Ionian sea, Mediterranean sea, and Adriatic sea

  

2/25/14 west civ notes: More on Greece

Geography

• Mountainous peninsula- mountain covers 3/4
• Location shaped the Greeks culture
• Skilled sailors
• Poor natural resources
• Because of the terrain the Greeks had trouble uniting so small independent communities formed
• Diet was grapes, grains, and mainly olives
• lack of resources led to Greek colonization
• Trees in the area were used for ship building
• Temperature ranged from 45 in the winter to 80 in the summer

Mycenaean

• Began around 2000 B.C.
• Mycenae is located on a rocky ridge and protected by a 20ft thick wall
• Kings dominated Greece from 1600-1200 B.C. so they controlled trade in the region
• 1400 B.C. the Mycenaean's invaded Crete and absorbed Minoan culture and language

Dark Ages

• 1200 B.C. sea people began to invade Mycenae and burnt palace after palace
• Dorian's moved into war-torn region
• Dorian's were far less advanced, economy collapsed, and writing disappeared for 400 years

Homer and Myths

• Stories were passed on by the word of mouth
• Homer lived at the end of the dark ages
• He recorded stories of the Trojan wars in "Iliad" and "The Odyssey" (written in 750-700 B.C.)
• Trojan War was probably one of the last conquests of the myceneaens

 

2/24/14 west civ notes

Citizens and Communities: The Greek City-States

• Lo3- compare the city-states of Athens and Sparta, describe how Athenian form of democracy operated
• City-State- small towns with a few square miles of surrounding countryside
• Greece was becoming a land split by different city-states and Athens and Sparta were the two main and largest ones
• acropolis- combination of a fortress and a temple precinct
• It was believed by the Greeks that each city-state had their own god to protect them, for an example Athens god was Athena
• Hoplites- soldiers in the Greek army
• soldiers equipped themselves with bronze helmets and armor, round shields, long spears with iron blades and short iron swords
• In the earliest Greek times civilization in city-states were usually monarchies and were ruled by a king
• Soon new types of government began  to form in different city-states, Sparta became an oligarchy, a type of government were a small group of people rule over everyone else
• In large city-states their was usually lots of confusion in power and it would eventually lead to tyranny, a self proclaimed dictator, but the tyranny wouldn't last long and democracy would start to form in these states
• A democracy was used in many states because it allowed the majority of all the men in the state to make all the decisions, the power was given to the people
• The biggest city-state that used this government was Athens
• Athens was more educated and sophisticated and believed in equality, they also welcomed foreigners to their country and had high interest in the music and arts, Sparta was very warlike with a very strict government and liked to isolate themselves from other states
•  During Athens golden age (460-430) which came after the Persian wars when Athens led the Greek city-states to victory, the Athens community was very confident
• This age ended when the Peloponnesian war occurred, this was a war between Athens and Sparta where Sparta was victorious
• Women were treated somewhat fairly an were allowed to be educated
• there were thousands of slaves that were used across Greece they were usually non-Greeks

 

Sparta

• Sparta's government power consisted of a council of elders, two kings or high priests and army commanders, and the people who had the most power was five officials who were elected annually and were called ephors meaning overseers
• All boys were trained through their lives to become a full time hoplite warriors

Athens

• One of the wealthiest and most powerful city-states
• Athens became a trading and manufacturing center throughout the years
• powerful and wealthy descendants of long established Athenian families that traditionally ruled the city sates were called aristocrats

2/21/14 west civ class

      Today in class I learned that not everyone can teach a group of students. Since Mr. Schick is not going to be in school on Monday he held auditions for the Monday "sub" today. Some people did ok and others did absolutely terrible and I wasn't learning anything new at all. Luckily Mr. Schick stepped in and went over the notes that he took on this chapter. Here are some extra notes that I was able to add on to my original notes:

Greek Notes Continued

• The Greeks were also very advanced in technology and created many of the things that we use today
• They were the first civilization to use democracy
• They came up with many different skilled warfare tactics which made them do great in battle
• Their whole life was centered around loyalty, courage, and battles 

2/19/14 west civ class

     Today in class we got our tests back and we reviewed over them. I was very happy about my grade but frustrated at the same time. I got a B on the test which is pretty good but my percentage was an 88% which means I was probably one question away from getting an A and a "ding". The most frustrating part out of all of it was that I got an answer wrong because I didn't even give an answer, I skipped right over it without even filling in a bubble. On the bright side I still got a good grade and I learned a valuable lesson, and that lesson is to check over my test more carefully next time before turning it in. So that way I don't make the same stupid mistake.

2/18/14 west civ class

      Today in class I played one of the most frustrating educational games in the world. Since we just got out of our Egypt unit we had to play a game where we had to construct are very own successful virtual pyramid by the end of the class. I was not able to finish mine because my pyramid kept failing its requirements so I had to keep starting over. I am very thankful that I never leaved in ancient Egypt because I would hate having to build a pyramid in real life even more than I hate it now. I'm very impressed how the Egyptians were able to build these massive structures because even virtually it took a huge amount of time, thought, focus, and self control.

2/17/14 west civ notes

The First European Civilization: The Greeks

• 2,200-400 B.C.
• LO1: describe the way of life of the barbarian peoples of Europe after the agriculture revolution
• Greeks began as one of many European barbarian peoples, they had a life based on farming and warfare
• In 2000 B.C. people began migrating to into southeastern Europe Greek city states were the first to practice citizen participation in government
• Europeans were the first to use the agricultural plow
• In 3500 B.C. some people lived in western Europe
• Tribes- groups of villages or farmsteads that shared common interest and tradition
• Stonehenge- most famous of megalithic structure that was built by trading and farming people in western Europe in 2000 B.C.
• The Greeks were the first barbarian people of Europe to make contact with civilization
• Megalithic- Greek word meaning large boulder, megalithic structures were huge structures made out of large boulders
• The Greeks believed in many gods and goddesses
• The tribes that occurred would usually battle each other for metals, slaves, and other goods
• tribes usually didn't last very long because the group would usually end up fighting over the goods they won in battle
• The classical Greek civilization that we know today didn't emerge until 800 B.C.
• The Greeks also believed in the afterlife
• The Greeks settled in mainland Greece from about 2000 B.C. and onward, between 1200-800 B.C. they spread to islands and eastern coastlands of the Aegean sea
• As the Greeks began spreading across Europe and Asia the Aegean region still remained the center of the Greeks world    

Cyber Day Short Answer Responses

Technological Innovations of the Egyptians 

   

The Egyptians created many things but one of the three big inventions that made was the first ever paper, writing system, and the 365 day calendar. They Egyptians created papyrus which was the precursor for paper, they recorded things down on papyrus. if it wasn't for the Egyptians we might not have the paper we use today. They also created one of the first writing systems, hieratic, this allowed Egyptians to write letters and record laws down. Finally they created the 365 day calendar based of the moon and the seasons, we still use this calendar today.

 

 

Features of Egyptian Pyramids

    

 Pyramids were built out of huge blocks of stone that were put into tiers to make the shape of a pyramid, Egyptians had to use many safety precautions and huge ramps to lift these heavy stones to great heights. These Pyramids were huge tombs built for ancient pharaohs, inside the pyramid is a burial chamber that holds the mummified pharaoh in its sarcophagus. The inside of the pyramid also consisted of many false chambers and traps that attempted to stop thieves from raiding the tombs. Unfortunately these traps usually failed and many tombs were raided of their gold and jewelry during ancient times.

 

 

Cyber day Essay posts

Hierarchy of Ancient Egypt

      

       There was many differences in the Egyptian community during the ancient times. The social groups consisted of the upper class that dealt with laws and religious beliefs. The middle class where people created some of the greatest structures that stand today. And the lower class where people worked for the higher class people. This hierarchy worked for the Egyptians because it allowed them to have one dominant ruler, the pharaoh, and they were able to create laws that helped organize their society. With this order the Egyptians were able to build stable villages that led to them having one of the longest periods of unbroken stability in history.

      The upper class consisted of soldiers, scribes, government officials like the priests and nobles, and of course the pharaoh. Soldiers defended the Egyptian villages and fought in wars for their country. They used wooden weapons with bronze tips and they usually rode on chariots. The scribes wrote everything down for the Egyptians in hieroglyphs or hieratic. They also told stories and recorded medical treatments for many diseases and injuries that they found. This is one of the reasons why the Egyptians were so successful, they were very medically advanced. Next is the government officials, these people helped the pharaoh make decisions for his country. Which leads me into the supreme ruler of Egypt, the pharaoh. This man  ruled over everyone and owned al of the land, he also made every political or religious decision. He created the laws and collected all the taxes. It was believed by the Egyptians that the pharaoh was just another god.

       Next was the middle class, merchants and artisans were considered to be in this class. The merchants bartered with people to get animals and crops for their country. But later coins were created and merchants began buying and selling goods using the coin system. Artisans designed and created some of the most well known structures that stand today. They constructed the pyramids for Egypt which are giant tombs for great pharaohs, and the Great Sphinx which was built from 2555-2532 B.C. This giant monument depicted the image of a giant lion body with a human head. This structure still stands today and is visited by many people from all over the world.

     Finally we have the lower class, these people were very common and did most of the hard work that the pharaohs needed done. These people were farmers and slaves, farmers domesticated animals to help with the farming. They also grew wheat, barley, lentils, and onions that provided the society with enough food to eat. The slaves helped and did all the work for the wealthy.

 

The Importance of the Nile River

   

 The Nile river helped the Egyptians become so successful during the ancient times. It provided the Egyptian people with the basic needs of life, it was worshipped strongly by the Egyptians like it was a gift rom god. All Egyptian societies were built along the Nile which flowed from south to north, it provided them with water, food, transportation, and an irrigation system. if the Nile wasn't used by the Egyptians they would have never been as successful as they were.

    The Egyptians used the Nile a lot for transportation, they shipped food and resources our the Nile on boats, this saved a lot of time and hard work. Also because the Egyptians used boats so much they were able to upgrade them and created sailboats. This allowed the Egyptians to use wind power to push their boats along the Nile. With this new technology that they made they were also able to create even more technology that helped their society greatly even more.

      The Nile gave the Egyptians almost all of their food and water supply. The river gave them water for their crops and for them to drink, also all of the animals that lived in the Nile like fish provided the people of Egypt with plenty of food to eat. If that wasn't enough the Egyptians also used the Nile for irrigation. They used the river to water their farm land so they could grow crops and create even more food for them. They also used the Niles current to push heavy things down the coast which saved a lot of man power and time. If it wasn't for the Nile, Egyptians would of had to worry about food and water supply too much, especially since they lived in the dry climate of Egypt. If they spent all of their time trying to find food and water they would have never created some of the technological advances that we still use today.      

2/12/14 west civ class

     Today in class we watched a video about ancient Egypt, the video was made by John Green. He reviewed a lot of good information about the facts that we learned about Egypt and hopefully it was enough to help me pass the test that will be given to me soon. I took a couple of new notes but I had most of the facts that Green explained written down. That is why I believe that I am well prepared for the test and think that I will get an A.  

2/11/14 wes civ class

    Today in class we had a substitute so we worked quietly by ourselves. We reviewed our notes on Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, and prehistory. This was a great opportunity to make sure that I had all the notes  needed and to make sure that I was well prepared for class. I now believe I have all the information needed and  that I will do well on the upcoming test.   

2/10/14 west civ notes

Egyptian Life

Geography

• every July the Nile floods
• Nile provides water, transportation, and irrigation
• managing the river required technological breakthroughs

Pyramids

• Sphinx was built 2555-2532 B.C. (lion with human head)
• Sphinx is the oldest monumental statute in the world today

Daily life

• Slaves/servants  helped the wealthy
• farmers farmed wheat, barley, lentils, and onions
• Artisans carved statues and reliefs
• Merchants used the barter system until coins came into existence
• Scribes kept records, told stories, and wrote medical information down
• Soldiers fought in wars and used wooden weapons with bronze tips and rode chariots
• upper class consisted of priests, engineers, physicians, nobles
• pharaoh was religious and political leader

Pharaohs

• They owned all the land, made the laws, and collected taxes
• Hatshepsut's were women pharaohs (very rare)

Gods and goddesses

• Over 2000 gods and goddesses
• They controlled the lives of the people 

2/7/14 west civ notes

More on Ancient Egypt

• Earliest Egyptian writing was known as hieroglyphics and it was created in 3100 B.C.
• Hieratic script was a short hand developed by scribes and priests
• Egyptians also made papyrus, the precursor to paper, they were put in scrolls and were the ancient books for Egyptians
• Egyptian astronomers created the first 365 day calendar and doctors created many potions and cures for many illnesses and common ailments
• wooden sailboats were constructed to increase transport ability on the Nile
• Pyramids were massive stone tombs built by them
• Temple of Amon was constructed by them and is still the largest religious building that stands today
• Egypt's history is one long period of unbroken stability, punctuated with occasional periods of turmoil and disruption     

2/4/14 west civ class

     We talked about Egypt today in class and how they changed technology in the world. Egypt is made up of the Nile and the two lands that make up Egypt. Upper Egypt was a 500 mile long strip of fertile land across the Nile while lower Egypt was a wide land of the Nile delta. The Egyptians worshipped the Nile because it provided them with many needs for life. In 3100 B.C. the two lands were unified under one king or Pharaoh. Egyptians relied on the harmony of the universe that they called "maat", the pharaohs responsibility was to keep maat. The pharaoh was all powerful and was treated like a god. It was believed that the pharaoh had a connection to other Egyptian gods or goddesses that were portrayed with animal heads or bodies. Because the pharaoh had so much power he usually had multiple wives. The Egyptians also believed in the after-life, they mummified their loved dead ones and covered them with jewelry and objects that they will need in the after-world. Each persons souls will either be sent to the jaws of a monster or to an after-world of paradise based on whether they lived a good life and how pure their soul was.

2/3/14 west civ notes

 

The Land of the Pharaohs: Egypt

 

• Contrast the ancient civilization of the Nile with that of the Tigris- Euphrates, and discuss the defining features of Egyptian life
• During Neolithic Age people of the Nile (Egypt) had moved toward civilization in response to the cities of Sumer, but Egypt civilizations were more stable then Mesopotamian
• Egyptian settlements depended on the Nile river
• In 3,100 B.C. the two lands of Egypt were unified under a single king or ruler
• Pharaohs- the name for kings and rulers in Egypt
• The Egyptians, from the start, linked a single state under a single king unlike Mesopotamia
• Egyptians believed that the universe had to be kept in harmony in order for them to live and for the cycle of nature to continue, this job belonged to the pharaoh
• Hatshepsut- female  pharaohs, eventually erased from Egyptian tradition
• The Great Sphinx- Famous monument in Egypt that expressed the belief in the pharaoh as god king, the sphinx body is a lion, symbolic of the God Re, and its face is that of King Khafre (2,500 B.C.)
• Many Egyptian deities in the stone age were conceived in the form of animals
• By 1800 B.C. Egyptians believed that every deceased persons soul had to stand before Osiris, the underworld king, each persons heart (character) was weighed on a balance if the persons heart was good and pure the soul would live in the garden of paradise, if the soul was bad it was cast into the crocodile jaws of a monster
• In 3100 B.C. Egyptians drew their earliest writings called hieroglyphs, they were carvings and paintings made to honor pharaohs
• Egyptians created the demotic script which allowed them to write books and record things
• Egyptians also created the calendar that we use today and created the 365 day solar year
• Egyptians believed that illness was caused by demons so they created "magical potions" to make demons go away
• Egyptians recorded their knowledge about types of illnesses and found cures, they also established many medical libraries and schools
• Mummification- Taking organs out of a dead persons body and then wrapping the person completely in cloth, the organs were put in spiritual jars, this process was practiced by the Egyptians
• By 3100 B.C. the Egyptians had created boats with sails that allowed them to get around on the water more efficiently  
• Egyptians were mostly known for the buildings they constructed
• They built giant tombs called pyramids
• The temple of Anon was started in 1530 B.C. and was completed in 1300 B.C.
• The Egyptians had an enormous supply of stone
• Through 2700-1900 B.C. the Egyptians found themselves in turmoil over power in the kingdom but by the 1800 the internal conflict was renewed