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Today was a fun class. We didn't really do anything but watch each make fun of one other. Then Colby walked into our class and Mr. Schick wanted to see if he could switch places with Zach in class. I don't really know what happened after that. A nice western civ class to have before SPRING BREAK (:

Daily Post

Today in class we got our tests back.
I didn't do so good, Mr. Schick passed out the sheet with the questions from the test.
I wrote down all the correct answers so I could see what I got wrong and study them for exams!
Mr. Schick also assigned projects over spring break. My project is on Greek philosphers.
After that we are going to start our unit on Rome!

Test Day

Today in Mr.Shick's class we had a test on Greece.
It included names of the important people and places that were in the movie.
I don't think I good on it. Better luck next time!

The Greeks Day 5

Notes :

• Pericles was born into one of Athens most elite family
• He knew what the people wanted a city fit for a emperior 
• Parthenon was a massive building with a huge 40 ft. statiue of Athenia, goddess, in it 
• Made of marble, irony, gold, and gews 
• Friezes, 500 ft. long, were inside that were narrow marble shells carved to show regular people doing farming and battle ect. 
• A testament to the common man 
• They built narrower at the top so it looks more taller
• Pericles planned everything
• It was and still is the most glorious part of Athens emperor
• Cost about 1 million dollars to build, they could afford to because they had high employment and trade
• Aspsia was a high price, smart, beautiful women 
• Pericles divorced his wife for her 
• She was included with his discussions with very important people
• She wasn't born in Athens and she was a women, 2nd class to men
• They invented drama and theater, story-tellers
•  Big acting and gestures 
• The fatal faul, when you have everything and you do something wrong, when you mess up everything 
• Pericles thought he could have everything if he conqueced Sparta, he could ruled all of Greece 
• Hubris, aigate where you could everything, having to much pride

Daily Post

We continued watching the movie.
I took more notes under The Greeks movie - Day 4.

Daily Post

Today in class we finished the movie and started another one.
I have more notes below under The Greeks, Day 3

Daily Post

Today in class, we continued watching the movie, The Greeks.
I took more notes under "The Greeks" day 2.

Ancient Greece

Notes :

Crucible 

Geography of Greece

• Mountainous Peninsula
• Cover 3/4 of Greece
• 1,400 islands in the Aegean and Ionian Seas
• Location shaped its culture
• Skilled sailors 
• Poor natural resources
• Difficult to unite the ancient Greeks because of the terrain
• developed small, independent communities call city states
• Only 20% of Greece was suitable for farming
• Fetile valleys cover 1/4 of peninsula
• Because of geography the Greek diet consists of grain, gapes, and olives 
• Lack of resources most likely led to Greek colonization
• Right on the Med. sea
• Temperatures range from 48 in the winter to 80 in the summer
• Made them very physical active people

Mycenaeans 

• Began around 2000 BC
• Mycenae is located on a rocky ridge and protected by a 20 ft. thick wall
• Mycenaean kings dominated Greece from 1600-1200 BC
• Controlled trade in the region
• 1400 BC Mycenaean invaded Crete and absorbed Minoan culture and language

Culture in Decline

• Around 1200 BC sea people began to invade Mycenae and burnt palace after palace
• The Dorians moved into the war-torn region
• Far less advanced
• Economy collapsed
• Writing disappeared for 400 years

Homer and Myths

• Only stories were kept and passed on by word of mouth 
• Homer lived at the end of the "Greek Dark Ages"
• Recoreded stories of the Trojan War in The lliad and The Odyssey (written 750-700 BC)
• Trojan war was probably one of the last conquests of the Mycenaeans 
• They would remember all these stories by singing or music

Greek Concepts

• Arete
• virtue and excellence
• Epics
• narrative poems celebrating heroic deeds
• Myths were created to explain creation
• Zeus : leader of the gods
• Hera : Zeus' wife
• Athena: goddess of wisdom

Movie - The Greeks

Notes:

• The Greeks formed the civilization that formed that world
• 508BC, 5 century before in the birth of Christ, in a town called Athens the people turned all their rulers
• Celitanieis, a knight, would set the Greeks to the path of emperor
• He was called a artisiocat
• Reading and writing was a hard skill
• Life expetancy was less than 15 years
• The great civilations in his day lied in Egypt and Persia 
• Greece was a place with lots of mountain ranges
• Greece was divided into little groups called city states, each different
• Argos - ships went across the Mediterrian 
• Corinth
• One cite state had miltary power called Sparta 
• They were raised in fields, away from their families, they were made to be soldiers 
• Red cloaks  
• Sparta conquered more than 40 miles of Greece, became rulers
• Ancient tails and stories inspired the Greeks 
• Stories shaped Celitanieis and other Greeks
• Two tales are still told today, they tell about the battles and heros who won power 
• Images of hero's are found all over Greek art
• One day a man rode into the city of Athens with a woman, goddess of Athens, he was welcome as a ruler but he wanted more than gain and pass on the power so he would have to find an allies. Hightrosit reduced taxes and increases farmers ?and began a change 
• He gained power by her
• He cut cut taxes and lent money from gov. (below)
• Started to prodice olives, the best in the world, not only over Greek but over the seas 
• Greeks were scattered, like ants or frogs around a pond
• Everyone had something to sell, gold, silver, art, wine and everyone was willing to trade for their olive oil
• The vase was Athens first greatest innovation
• What was inside the pot was more then the outside 
• Poverty had been important throw the ancient world
• Using designs based on Egyptians
• Greeks started a different style of art 
• Made art of each other 
• Shown their compassion for achcivement
•  527BC the ruler died and was layed in the graveyard
• His son took over, and started things like his father did
• 524BC, his son was muried 
• Hippieas finally thought it was the right time to go for ruler
• He want to over throw Hiptraiate
• 510BC and Clitainese was finally ruler
• The competion of the games was found in 77BC, before he was born
•  The Qlypmics games were to display to heroic feeling
• Chariot ranings, running, wreslting, or boxing
• No price just the fame and glory
• 40,000 Greeks would gather for the games
• They would travel hundreds of miles to see the games
• Anyone would win or compete, even a farmer 
• The only rule is you get what you get
• You have to show they you can win
• 508BC, this would be Athens first chance to seize power for the people
• For the first time in history, Athens in under a law
• Cletheneis was asked to create a government 
• They had a gathering place, so they would diciside the future for their state 
• White pebble - yes
• Red pebble -no
• A system in which know we call democratic
• To the raising of taxes, to . .
• They are the government
• Democratic presented a heroic, it showed that even those who where poor would have glory and power

Day 2 :

• Artisocats were people with power and money, part of the ruling class
• Acropolis - named of the big rock, means highest city or peak, good place to pick a village so they could see their enemies

• Artisocats were people with power and money, part of the ruling class
• Acropolis - named of the big rock, means highest city or peak, good place to pick a village so they could see their enemies
• Because they were sepreated by mountains, they didn't get along, they fought wars, these places were called city states
• Artee - philospy that you do everything you can 
• If you are a pottery, you make the best pots
• If you are a solider, you fight for your city state and not for yourself
• They didn't take shortcuts
• The Odyssey is preversed until now 
• They had to memorizes this long book and memorized it 
• Written by Hormer
• Tirent 
• Pisistratus is Clethesis brother-in-law
• He cuts taxes
• He lent them money, so they can grow things themselves or buy new equipment
• He became friends with the articocats 
• Everyone thought that Greece was in a good condition to around with everyone around them
• The Vase was Athens first artist fantasy
• inside the pot was worth more than the pot itself
• They drew each other on the outside, with geometric patterns 

Day 3 :

• Hipipas murder his mother
• He became bitter and supsation for anyone because of what happen to his brother
• His brother got killed, so he took it all out on the people
• Clethesis wanted to overthrow Hippias to gain power 
• Hippias would be captured and banthed from Athen forever
• The Olympic games were those wealth but Clethesis made it so a farmer can fight a nobleman
• (games and more info above)
• Probably 40,000 Greeks would gather to see the games
• Travel 100 of miles to see the games
• Impower the poor people so they could have money
• You have to go in there and show that you can win
• Hipsaarous. a artisocat, also wanted power
• He couldn;t do in alone 
• He went to the Spartans, which the Greeks feared
• He would betray his city, Athens
• He got control of Athens
• He and his troops would rule the high point of Athens
• Over 700 houses were ruined or burnt including Clenthesis
• Cl. left his house and left Athens to the Spartans 
• Ishgirs and his troop went on top of the large rock (name above)
• For 2 days and 1 nights 
• This was the first revolution of the people, and overthrow a leader
• Ishgirs throw out Clethesis, and the people were mad 
• Athens is know control of the law
• The people turn to one man, Cl.
• Agora was there meeting place where they would discussion things for their country (more above)
• A system which we now more of democratic 
• They would meet every 9 days and vote, everyone got to say they opinion, mugity rules
• Anybody could go up there and speak 
• First time ever since anyone did this
• White Pebble - yes
• Red Pebble - no
• 419BC - Pheideppides ran the first marathon 
• He ran is not for glory but for survival
• Persia had lots of power
• The head of the emperior, was Enthies 
• The Greeks emphasis freedom and Persia would emphasis power, with slaves
• The heart of the Athenian force was a hoplite, is a professional solders 
• Pheidppides ran 140 miles in just 2 days
• 1 story : To inform the Athens the Sparta was coming and then he died on the spot
• 2 story : Went to Sparta and said that they were are all Greeks and we have to fight the Spartans 
• He deviered a message that needed to be sent
• The Athens spundered the Spartain 
• The Athens returned home to celeabrate there victory
• But there war with Persian had just begen
• Themistocles had risen to power by democratic
• He learn his leadership skills on the polumdn 
• One of the first guys to rise up to, 'anyone could have power' 

Day 4 :

• Pheidppides was a regualur person like as, who rose up to be the gerenal of the navy because he was very good at his job
•  He would be the savor of his city
• He made sure that if the Persians were going to come again, they wouldn't be defeated
• Trireme - battleship of its time, stated of the art ships
• To ram the enemies ship, they used it as a weapon 
• 170 guys are trained to row in the same direction in unison 
• Had over 200 triremes in their nations because of Clethesis, the greatest navy force in Greece
• They were very expensive
• In 483BC, the Greeks found silver
• The people wanted to shared the silver but Chethesis wanted to spend it on ships
• Xerxes is Darious son who is still upset that his father lost to Greece
• He gathered his forced
• His army had over 2 million men, the greatest the world has ever since
• The Greeks who where scared of the Persians invaded went to a Oraere, fortune teller, in Delphi 
• They could them they were domed and to run away
• They had a plan to fight the Persians at sea 
• They were going to evaluate Athens, leave their homes and possessions  
• Salamis - place they were going to fighting in the Straits of Salamis, body of water between them
• The Persian  burned the templetes in Athens 
• The Persian's navy is 4 times larger than the Greeks
• The Greeks defeated the greatest emperor of the time, out numbered by land and sea
• Delian League became Athens emperior, making money to protect themselfes
• Became a city of a fast trade emperior, goods came shipped from all over the place
• 
  

Daily Post

Today we went over our Greek projects. I haven't been in class for a while, so i didn't know what we were doing but I figured it out. Mr. Schick assigned me a topic to reach on. I got Themistocles. He was a great commender and general of Athens. For more information on him, go to the slide.

Links:
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AdUU_awE1hVjZGNidHAyamtfMTUxd2JxZzl0Zmo&hl=en

Daily Post

Today in class, we took a test on ancient and modern Egypt. I think I did pretty good. 

Test Review - Modern Egypt

ON HIS BLOG

Egypt's economy

• Tourism, biggest industrial in Egypt right now
• Oil, natural gas, manufacturing 
• Agriculture - making the most of their limited arable land (3%)
• They grow cotton (very good), corn, rice, wheat, beans
• The old pattern of dealing with the Nile has been changed since 1970 of the Aswan High Dam, the dam controls the flooding of the Nile, and increases the amount of reclaimed land
• Akhet - inundation
• Peret - land emerges from the flood
• Shomu - water is short 

Egypt's demographics 

• 79 million people - biggest population of Middle Eastern nations - third biggest African country
• Cairo : 6.7 million 
• NYC : 8.3 million
• Most of the people live near the Nile, other land is mostly desert   
• Offical language : Arabic (English, French, German, etc.)
• Religion : around 90% Muslim (Egypt is the 12th in religious violence, 5th worst for religious freedom), most of the rest are Christian, but there are major conflicts 

Egypt - politics, goverment, revolution

• 1922 - end of protectorate with the United Kingdom
   
  1953 - Egypt declared a Republic
   
  1954-1970 - ruled by Gamal Nasser
  • nationalizes the Suez Canal
  • forms allegiance with Soviet Union

   
  1970-1981 - ruled by Anwar Sadat
  • switches allegiance to the United States
  • attacked Israel over Sinai Peninsula, but later made peace
  • Sadat assassinated in 1981

   
  1981-2011 - ruled by Hosni Mubarak
  • kept alliance w/ US (helped in the Iraq war)
  • accused of corruption, political persecution, human rights violations
  • driven from office following mass demonstrations last month

Who's next for Egypt?

• Egypt currently ruled by military junta, but democratic elections in September
• Some want Mubarak arrested and tried for embezzling from the government 
• Revolution is in the air throughout the Middle East and northern Africa
• Libya has been ruled by Muammer Gaddafi since 1969
• he is vioently opposing Libya's uprising 
• Libya may desend into full civil was
• the east is controlled by rebels, but he still holds the capital 

Daily Post

Today in class we went over more notes on the test that were having on Monday. I have the review notes on a blog below. Thanks Mr. Schick for giving us the mod off (:

Test Review for Monday

The test on Monday is mostly about : 

• Geography 
• Daily Life
• Pharaohs
• Goddess & Gods
• Pyramids

Geography :

• Egyptian life is centered around the Nile River
• Use it for planting crops, transpiration, drinking, bathing, for irrigating
• Lives there because most other places are deserts and dry
• Flows north, only river in the world that flows north
• North because country's below have mountains with higher elevation
• First people to invent to sail so they could sail north and south
• Every July it floods
• Every October it leaves behind rich soil and slit 
• Manging the river required technological breakthroughs in irrigation
• First people to use a calender 
• They figured out night and day, the moons to tell the months, the seasons colder and hotter at a certain time, and then a year 
• Then you can tell where specialized workers when to work
• The Delta is a broad, marshy triangular area of fertile silt 
• The Great Sphinx of Giza 
• Face - Is a wise person
• Body -  a laying lion, relaxed and watching
• a recumbent lion with a human's head
• oldest monumental statue in the world, 45 hundred years
• built 2555-2532BC
• Notes on Video :
• The Greeks had a myth about what were in those pyramids 
• When they were built, gold bricks stuck together that you couldn't fit a knife between them
• Classes lowest to highest : Slaves and servants, farmers, artisans - craftsmen, merchant, scribes - educated and knew how to write, soldiers, government officials - nobles and priests, pharaohs
• Slaves/Servants : helped the wealthy, with housework and child raising
• Farmers : raised wheat, barley, lentils, onions - benefited from irrigation of the Nile 
• Artisans : would carve statues and reliefs showing military battles and scenes in the afterlife 
• Merchants : money/barter system was used - merchants might accept bags of grain for payment - later, coinage and money came about and a system of money
• Scribes - kept records, told stories about the soliders and pharaohs, wrote poems, described anatomy and medical treatments, they wrote in hieroglyphs and in hieratic, which were ABC's
• Soldiers: used wooden weapons (bows,arrow, spears) with bronze tips and might ride chariots
• Upper class, known as the 'white kit class' priests, physicians, engineers 
• Pharaohs : Religious and political leader of the Egyptian people holding the titles, 'Lord of the Two Lands' 
• As 'Lord of the Two Lands' the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt, He owned all land, made laws, collected taxes, & defended Egyptian foreigners  
• Hetshepsut was a women who served as pharaoh 
• Cleopatra VII also served as pharaoh, but much later (51-39 BC) more on her when we study Greece