Egyptians Pyramids

Today in class, we took notes on Egypt from Mr. Schick's power point. I saw my test grade on veracross, and I'm content. Below are some of the notes from the book.

• Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was in charge even after death (eternal life force).
• pyramid- an immense structure that held the pharaoh tombs.
• kings were placed in tombs and were buried in a pyramid because of their power.
• Egyptians had a good amount of stone.
• The Egyptians were also polytheistic.
• They built temples to worship and honor their gods.
• Egyptians believed that they needed good deeds for the afterlife.
• To win eternal life, the heart can't weigh more than a feather.
• If the heart weighs more than a feather, the dead souls would pounce on it.
• Everyone planned for their burial in tombs if they get accepted into the other world.
• Mummification- embalming and drying the corpse to prevent it from decaying.
• They placed the mummy in the tomb surrounding it with items they want for the afterlife.
• Book of the dead- collection of texts that contained hymns, prayers, and magic spells to guide the souls to the afterlife.
• Peasants built most of the pyramid when the Nile flooded because they couldn't farm.
• The top of the pyramid held the king, queen, and the royal family.
• The next top class was the upper class (wealthy).
• The next class was the middle class (merchants).
• The lowest class was the largest class made up of peasant farmers and slaves.

Test Day!!! Egypt

Today in class, we took a quiz on Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent. I feel like I did well on it. I hope I did. We also took notes on Egypt. Below are some of the notes from Egypt.

• Yearly flooding brought water and rich soil.
• when the river receded, it left silt (fertile mud)
• Peasants prepared their wheat and barley fields before the sun could dry it out.
• watered their crops through a network of irrigation ditches
• Egyptians worshipped the Nile as a God, for it gave them an abundance of water.
• Historian Herodotus stated that Egypt was "the gift of the Nile."
• When the Nile's floodwaters were a little lower than usual, the silt and crops were reduced.
• When the Nile's floodwaters were a little higher than usual, the water flooded the houses.
• The hot desert on both sides of the Nile acted as barriers to keep enemies away, yet it trapped the people inside from the outside world.
• Upper Egypt- a skinny strip of land from the first Cataract to where the river starts "branching out."
• Lower Egypt included the Nile delta.
• Delta- marshy region formed by deposits of silt formed at the mouth of the river.
• The king wore a red crown for lower Egypt and a white bowling pin-shaped crown for Upper Egypt. 
• King Narmer was the king for both regions of Egypt.
• Pharaoh- king of ancient Egypt; considered to be a god as well as a political and military leader.
• theocracy- type of government in which rule is based on religious authority.

Reviewing For The Mesopotamia Quiz Part 2/ The Mesopotamia Music Video

Today in class, we reviewed some more for the quiz tomorrow and watched a video that will help us comprehend the material on Mesopotamia better. I liked it and watched it 2 more times after that. I like songs that teach me something. last year, my teachers showed us a couple of videos (mostly in science) that I thought were pretty neat, but my classmates weren't too thrilled. We also watched a bunch of videos from the TV Broadcasting class a few years ago and an American Idol audition from a previous JC student. She sounded very good and I'm happy that she was able to redeem herself for her and her brother. After that, we looked over Dan's quizlet. It was pretty good. I have a good feeling about this test tomorrow. Below are the YouTube site URL's from the videos we watched today in class.

John Carroll- HAPPY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MpG0CtEqfY

Mesopotamia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdblRch6m3g

John Carroll- I'm For Eddie!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6_XF3n9lNw

American Idol Audition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnz4tuygKsw

Reviewing Mesopotamia for the Quiz

Today in class, we reviewed for the quiz on Wednesday, January 29, 2020. It will consist of around 15-20 questions with some of them being multiple choice. Mr. Schick told us what important key ideas that will be on it and what we should study. Below are the questions and answers that will be on the quiz on Wednesday.

1. What age was marked by advanced tool making and beginnings of agriculture? The Neolithic Age
2. What was the earliest prehistoric age (Old Stone Age)? The Paleolithic Age
3. What is the belief in many gods called? Polytheism
4. What is the process in which a new idea spreads from one culture to another? Cultural diffusion
5. What is a thick bed of mud? Silt
6. What is a series of rulers from a single family? Dynasty
7. What is a city with its surrounding territory forming an independent state called? City-state
8. What is the earliest form of writing created by the Sumerians? Cuneiform
9. What is a Sumerian temple built onto a "mountain" of Earth? Ziggurat
10. What is a code of laws that included "an eye for an eye" and regulations of marriage, divorce, crimes, etc.? Hammurabi's Code

Hammurabi's Code

Today in class, we took notes on Hammurabi's Code. There were crazy punishments for even the tiniest crimes. Below are some of the crimes from Hammurabi's Code.

If a doctor killed a rich patient, then his hands were to be cut off. However, if a doctor killed a slave patient, he would owe financial restitution.
If a son struck his father, then his hands would be cut off.
If a man broke a bone out of a slave, then he would have to pay off half of the slave's value.
If anyone steals the property of a temple or of the court, he shall be put to death, and also the one who receives the stolen item from him shall be put to death.
If anyone buys from the son or the slave of another man, without a witness or contract, silver or gold, male or female slave, he is considered a thief and shall be put to death.
If the owner does not bring witnesses to identify the lost article, he is an evil-doer and shall be put to death.

Mesopotamia/ Key Definitions

Today in class, we took notes on Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent. We had to incorporate question number 5 into this blog. Below is the question and answer from today and key definitions.

What areas of life did Hammurabi's code cover?
It covers community, family relations, business conduct, and crimes. For example, if a thief snatched someone in the middle of the night and was caught, he or she would face a punishment for the crime.


Fertile Crescent- the region's curved shape and the richness of the land.
Mesopotamia- the lands facing the Mediterranean Sea and a plain.
silt- a thick bed of mud.
city-state- each city and the surrounding land it had controlled.
dynasty- a series of rulers from a single family.
cultural diffusion- process in which a new idea or a product spread from one culture to another.
polytheism- belief in more than one god.
empire- an extensive group of states or countries under a single supreme authority, formerly especially an emperor or empress.

Mesopotamia/ The Fertile Crescent

Today in class, we talked about the new semester, took notes in the new textbook, and chose new seats. I like the seat that I chose. It's not too far from the board, and it's not too close. We had to answer two questions from the textbook. Below are the questions and answers from the text.

The fertile crescent was the place where civilization started because of its agricultural advantages.
Mesopotamia is located inside of the fertile crescent and has the Tigris and the Euphrates River to flood it when it gets dry.
The Sumerians built many city-states which has allowed each one to have their own culture.
The first dynasty of Babylon contained the Code of Hammurabi which improved the earlier laws.
Cultural diffusion is important because of the development of cultures. They can lead to trading, traveling, or immigrating.
Empires are used as a stable government where the people feel secure knowing that their empire is strong and will protect them.
The people who lived in Mesopotamia were polytheistic and thought that there is not one god, but many.
Hammurabi was the ruler of Babylon who was known for his code of laws called the Code of Hammurabi. His codes helped Mesopotamia regulate their society and stabilize it.

What were the 3 environmental challenges to Sumerians?

1. Unpredictable flooding combined with little or no rain.
2. No natural barriers for protection against their enemies.
3. Natural resources were limited (building materials).

Jeopardy Part 2

Today in class, we watched more jeopardy and saw who our class next semester will be. My class next semester has 23 students in it. The other class has 13 students in it. I feel like my class will be very loud and kind of chaotic with 23 students in one room. But I'm somewhat happy with it. We watched the college competition on Jeopardy. The contestants were named Corey Schmalzle, Mohan Malhotra, and Allison Holley. I decided to test out an app that I found called Gradient. It tells you which celebrity most closely resembles you. It is a little bit flawed. It said that Mohan looked like Zac Efron. I kind of see it. It also said that Corey looked like Shawn Mendes. The hair looks a little similar to Shawn's. It says that Allison looks like Kathleen Kennedy. It kind of looks like her. Mohan won. I wanted Allison to win. 

 

Jeopardy

Today in class, we watched jeopardy. It was very fun. The contestants from the first video were named Lily, Porter (Nick), and Apurva. We named the guy Nick because he looks like the Nick in our class. Lily won. I kind of wish Porter won. He could've won if he hadn't failed the daily doubles. He did better than I would've though. The contestants from the second video were named Jack, Sabrina, and Emily. Jack kind of looks like the character Gabe from The Office. Emily looks like an older version of Velma from Scooby Doo. The Office is one of my favorite shows. My favorite character is Jim Halpert. I want Sabrina to win. However, she is behind in the competition, and I think Emily will win. This was the first time that I have watched a full episode of jeopardy. Normally, I just watch bits and pieces of the show when I'm at my grandmother's house while I'm waiting. It is a pretty good show.

Test Day on Guns, Germs, and Steel!!!

Today in class, we took a test on guns, germs, and steel. I think I did pretty well. We only have two more classes until we head into western civilization. Below are the test questions and answers that I remember.

Out of these sentences, what is something that Jared Diamond would say?
a) "You New Guineans are inferior compared to us."
b) "North America is better than Papua New Guinea."
c) "The geography separates the have and the have-not."
d) "I am better than you."
e) " Our lifestyle is better than yours."

Which is NOT a good characteristic for plant domestication?
a) It can be stored easily           c) It is healthier than sago       
b) It is not easy to store             d) It is easy to plant

Which is NOT an animal that has been domesticated?
a) llamas                   c) cows             e) pigs
b) reindeers              d) zebras

How many animals weighing over 100 pounds have been domesticated successfully?
a) 0                   c) 168                      e) 14
b) 1                   d) 2,000,000

Which was not one of Jared Diamond's hobbies?
a) Accountant                 c) biologist           
b) bird watcher               d) professor

Guns, Germs, and Steel Part 5 (Reviewing for the Test)

Today in class, we finished taking notes on guns, germs, and steel. We will have a test on Wednesday 15, 2020. It will consist of about 30 questions (multiple choice). Below are the notes that will be covered on the test and the notes that we took from the video today.

Animal Domestication:

• Eats plants
• Reproduces every 2-3 years
• provides clothing
• friendly with humans
• 14 animals per domestications

Reasons why Sago isn't the best food source:

• The sago from one tree is 70 pounds yet it can't be stored for a long period of time.
• It's not very nutritious.
• It's hard to dig up.

Jared Diamond:

• Professor at UCLA in California.
• Started as a biologist
• Real passion is birds
• Human physiologist

Plant Domestication:

• stored easily
• nutritious
• easy to plant

Fertile Crescent- surrounded by the Tigris and Euphrates river.

Civilizations thrive when they are near the equator because of the warmth.

Going back on Yali's question, Diamond said that the white people have more cargo than the natives because of geography. They live in a better place where cargo is.

Pow Wow!

Today, I went to the Pow Wow. I saw Mr. Schick there and my friend Riley. She took a photo of me. I saw David from my class there. It was fun! The gym was very loud though, so I mainly stayed in the cafeteria, eating Indian Fry Bread from the vendor and chips from the vending machine.

Guns, Germs, and Steel Part 4 (Animal Domestication)

            Today in class, we took more notes on guns, germs, and steel. We have a test on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. Below are the notes from today.

• Animal domestication is when you take care of the animals to your advantage.
• Humans use them for food, milk, and clothing such as leather garments.
• Goats and sheep were the first animals to be domesticated with the plow invention.
• Pigs and cows are second animals to be domesticated.
• Pigs aren't very useful in domestication because they can't provide clothing and they need to eat a lot of food.
• Large plant eating animals are the best for domestication.
• Elephants re tricky because they need to be fed a lot, stay with their family, and it takes 15 years until an elephant can have children.
• 14 out of 148 herbivore animals are domesticated; This includes goats, sheep, pigs, cows, horses, donkeys, Bactrian camels, Arabian camels, water buffalo, llamas, reindeer, yaks, mithans, and Bali cattle.
• None of these animals are from New Guinea.
• The Fertile Crescent is one of the places where civilization first began.
• Houses were being built with plaster which cost a lot of materials.