Test Day on ancient Greece Part 1!!!

Today in class, we took a test on ancient Greece (part 1). I think I did pretty well. There were about 40 questions, I think. One of them was an opinion question. I was kind of in between on the "Homeric question," but on the test, I said that I believed in him. Below is my answer. Next week, we are starting ancient Greece part 2 consisting of the gods, the Spartans, the Persian war, etc.

I think Homer really existed, but I think that the story was exaggerated as time went on. Historians keep adding something significant to his story and keep building it up even though it's not necessarily true. I believe that he wrote up the Iliad and The Odyssey, but not as extreme and interesting as it turned out to be. He told it the right way, but then people just had to spice it up more to create this fake story. This is why we should leave the story as it is.

Cleisthenes

Today in class, we finished up on ancient Greece part 1 notes. We will have a test tomorrow consisting of multiple choice, short answer, and fill in a map of Greece. Below are the notes from today's power point. The test will cover slides 1-32 from Mr. Schick's power point and pg. 123-133 from the textbook.

Cleisthenes- definitely a member of the elite; very rich

• insulated from the "hoi polloi"
• crafty politician
• saw the value of tapping into the talents, intelligence, and energies of the non- aristocrats... if only he gave women some power.
• What Cleisthenes did was a huge step forward- getting "regular folks" involved in governing.
• citizens could participate- but only 1/5 of Athenians were citizens (free adult male property owners born in Athens)

After several years... direct democracy

• where the state is ruled by citizens
• rule is based on citizenship
• majority rule decides on the vote
• in the agora, citizens argued, made speeches, and then voted with white stone for yes and black stones for no

Tyrants and Rulers of Greece

Today in class, we reviewed some of the key objectives that will be on the Greece test (part 1) on Thursday, February 27. We also took some more notes on to some of the rulers in Athens at the time. Below are the notes from Mr. Schick's power point.

Hippias- a tyrant who ruled from 527 to 510 BCE.

• His brother was murdered, and his rule became harsh.
• eventually, he was expelled (ostracized) from Athens.
• in revenge, he started working with the Persians and helped them invade Marathon.

When Hippias was gone, Isagoras and Cleisthenes (both who were aristocrats- meaning none of these rulers were from the middle class) engaged in a power battle.

• Isagoras had support from some fellow aristocrats and also from Sparta.
• Cleisthenes had support from the majority of Athens.

Isagoras becomes archon eponymous (tyrant)

• He ostracized Cleisthenes.
• Cleisthenes' supporters- and the ordinary Athenian citizens!- revolt against Isagoras' tyranny.
• They trap Isagoras on the acropolis for two days- on the third day, he fled and was banished.

Athens

Today in class, we took a pop quiz. I did not do well. Although, I'm pretty sure can get my grade up before the end of the quarter in about 4 weeks. We also took notes from the textbook. Below are some of the notes from today.

• Pericles led Athens during most of the golden age.
• The age of Pericles- Pericles dominated the Athenian life

Pericles had 3 main goals:

• to strengthen Athenian democracy
• to hold and strengthen the empire
• to glorify Athens

Athens had more citizens engaged in self-government than any other city-state in Greece

• direct democracy- a form of government in which citizens rule directly and no through representation.
• After the defeat of the Persians, Athens took over leadership and dominated all of the city-states in it.
• The Athenian navy was the strongest in the Mediterranean.
• The Athenian military allowed Pericles to treat other members of the Delian league as part of the empire.
• Some cities in Peloponnesus (Sparta) resisted Athens and created their own alliances.
• Pericles used the league's money to beautify Athens.
• The Parthenon was built to honor Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
• Inside the Parthenon, there's a statue of Athena.
• classical art- the art of ancient Greece and Rome.
• Greek plays were about leadership, justice, and duties owned by Greece.
• tragedy- serious drama about themes like love, hate, war, and betrayal.
• comedy- contained scenes filled with slapstick situations and crude humor.
• Herodotus' book on the Persian War is the first work of history.
• Peloponnesian War- war between Athens and Sparta.
• Sparta had a stronger army, but Athens had a stronger navy.
• Sparta burned Athen's food supplies; Athens brought everyone inside the city walls.
• Athens got struck with a deadly plague, yet they still fought.
• In 421 BC, the two sides signed a truce.

Greece's Government

Today in class, we took notes on the Greeks' government. Below are the notes form Mr. Schick's power point. We also related their meetings with golf. Most business owners talk their proposals while playing golf, so it doesn't get too boring. Golf is my favorite sport, so I would love to propose my idea while playing golf. Hopefully, the golf team at John Carroll will improve my skills.

• polis- fundamental political unit, made up of a city and the surrounding countryside.
• monarchy- rule by a single person (a king).
• aristocracy- rule by a small group of noble, very rich, landowning families.
• Oligarchy- wealthy groups, dissatisfied with aristocratic rule, who seized power (often with military help).
• Tyrant- powerful individual who seized control by appealing to the common people for support.
• During the 7th and 6th century BCE, aristocrats ran the show in most of Greece.
• Aristocrats- members of the ruling class
• They attended symposiums, meetings where the elite men would enjoy wine and poetry, performances by dancers.

Politics- an exclusive club

• no women (except the "entertainment")
• no middle class
• certainly, no slaves
• sometimes, even certain aristocrats (who didn't have the right connections or who fell out of favor) were excluded.
• Sometimes, aristocrats would form alliances with hoplites (well armed soldiers) and set up an alternative form of gov't called a tyranny.

Draco- (621 BCE)

• All Athenians (rich or poor) are equal under the law; but death is the punishment for a lot of crimes.
• debt slavery is OK (work as a slave to repay debt)

Solon's reforms (594)

• outlaws debt slavery
• all Athenian citizens can speak at the assembly
• any citizen can press charges against wrongdoers.

Cleisthenes- more reforms (around 500 BCE)

• allowed all citizens to submit laws for debate at the assembly.
• created the council of 500 (members randomly chosen)
• but... only a few adult male property owners born in Athens were considered citizens.

Trojan War

Today in class, we took notes from Mr. Schick's power point. Below are the notes. The information on the Trojan War is my favorite part out of this information.

• The Mycenaeans' influence began around 2000 BCE.
• Mycenae is located on a rocky ridge on Peloponnesus, protected by a 20 ft wall.
• Mycenaean kings dominated Greece from 1600-1100 BCE.
• They controlled trade in the region
• 1400 BCE- Mycenaeans invaded Crete and absorbed Minoan culture.
• Trojan War- fought around 1200 BCE; part of Greek mythology- until the 19th century, many thought that it was fictional because gods and goddesses got involved.
• The goddess Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera were given the "apple of discord."
• Aphrodite made Helen, who was married, fall in love with Paris, who took her back to Troy.
• Around 1200 BCE, the mysterious "sea people" began to invade Mycenae, and burnt it down.
• Then the Dorians moved into the empty place (1150-750 BCE).
• Dorians were far less advanced; the trade-based economy collapsed; writing disappeared, talk about culture declined.
• Greek oral tradition- stories passed on by the word of mouth.
• Homer lived at the end of the "Greek Dark Ages."
• He composed epics of the Trojan War even without seeing what he was writing.
• The Iliad- possibly one of the last conquests of the Mycenaeans (the Trojan War).
• The Odyssey- Odysseus attempts to return home after the Trojan War, being thwarted by Poseidon, the god of the sea.
• The Homeric question- Homer may have been a mythical creation himself; a blind wandering minstrel; a heroic figure.

The Allegory of the Cave Pt 2

Today in class, we watched a video on Plato's story: The Allegory of the Cave. Below are the notes from the video and the link to the video. The video was pretty good. It took 45 minutes to get through one video consisting of 6 minutes:)

• Plato's philosophy- the effect of education and the lack of it on our nature
• The prisoners thought the shadows were real; the shadows were created by casting light from the fire onto the wall.
• One of the prisoners leaves the cave into the burning sunlight.
• Once his eyes adjust, he can see the real world, and not just from looking at the shadows.
• He sees a real wolf, the real sun, and other real things.
• Then the guy feels guilty and goes back into the cave to tell the other prisoners about the outside world.
• The other prisoners mock him and plot to kill him (poor guy) :(

Video Link-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWlUKJIMge4

Greece's Geography

Today in class, we took notes of ancient Greece on Mr. Schick's blog. Below are the notes.

• The world's greatest civilizations... all located on water (usually rivers).

Great civilizations/ Key rivers

• Mesopotamia/ Tigris and Euphrates River
• Egypt/ Nile River
• India/ Indus River
• China/ Huang He River

Greece's geography

• Note the significance of Greece's location
• Describe Greece's topography
• Look at Greece's mountains

The key locations in Greece

• Aegean Sea
• Ionian Sea
• Adriatic Sea (just north of the Ionian Sea)
• Peloponnesus
• Athens
• Sparta
• Creed
• Asia Minor
• Macedonia

Greece is a mountainous peninsula

• mountains cover about 3/4 of Greece
• approximately 2,000 islands in the lonian and Aegean Sea

This combination shaped Greece's culture

• they had many skilled sailors and shipbuilders
• also had farmers, metal workers, weavers, painters, etc.

They had poor/ limited natural resources, so they needed to trade.

It was difficult to unite the ancient Greeks cause of terrain.

• The developed small, independent countries (city-states; that's who they were loyal to.

Although fertile valleys cover one quarter of the peninsula, only about 20% is suitable for farming.

Greek Diet- consists of grains, grapes, olives, and fish.

• Lack of resources most likely led to Greek colonization
• back then, temperatures usually ranged from mid 40s in the winter to low 80s in the summer- although it could get hot in the summer, it was pretty nice year-round.

The "Allegory of the Cave"

Today in class, we read a story written by the philosopher, Plato. In the story, Socrates is talking with Plato's brother, Glycon. Part 1 talks about how the prisoners in the cave are chained to the wall where they can't see the big fire behind them nor the guards behind the wall in front of them. However, they can see the tips of the weapons that the guards carry and their shadows. Whenever the guards are talking to one another, they prisoners think that the shadows are talking. Part two talks about freedom. They choose one prisoner to release into the real world. Once they remove his chains, he automatically feels pain. He can now see the fire, but the light is too bright for his eyes which are used to the darkness. They literally have to drag him out of the cave. When they get out, they leave him out in the burning sunlight. It takes a while, but his eyes eventually adjust to the bright light. Now he can see the environment (river, people, land) that he's never seen before. However, he can't remember the talking shadows. Over time, the man went back into the cave feeling a little guilty that he was free but the rest were not. So he went back in thinking that he could persuade them to leave. Not only could he not persuade them, but he was also killed because he was acting like a threat. This reminds us of Socrates who was killed because he was thought of as a threat for corrupting the youth and impiety.

The Mycenaeans

Today in class, we took more notes on Greece. We also had to answer questions 1,3,4, and 5. Below are the questions and answers.

For each term or name, write a sentence explaining its significance:

• The Mycenaeans, with the help of the Minoan culture, formed the start of Greek religious practice, art, politics, and literature.
• The Trojan War was a war in which the Mycenaeans attacked Troy, an independent city.
• The Dorians moved into Mycenae when raiders attacked and destroyed the country.
• Homer composed epics in which the Trojan War was the backdrop for one his great poems.
• The epics told of people celebrating heroic deeds; for example, the Iliad was one of the best.
• The myths told of the gods best accomplishes.

What impact did nearness of the sea have on the development of Greece?

• The sea had a great impact on trade with other civilizations nearby.

What aspects of culture did the Mycenaeans adopt from the Minoans?

• They adopted the seaborne trade, the writing system, and the Minoan designs.

Why were the epics of importance to the Greeks of the Dorian period?

• It tells of importance and achievements of the warriors, gods, and/or kings.

Test Day!!! Greece

Today in class, we took a test. I did not do as well as I thought I would. We are moving on to Greece now. Below are some of the notes from the book.

• Ancient Greece consisted mainly of a mountainous peninsula and jutting on the Mediterranean Sea; the sea shaped Greek civilization.
• In a sense, the Greeks didn't live on land, but around sea.
• The Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the Black Sea acted as important transportation routes.
• Sea trade was very important because the Greeks lacked natural resources.
• 3/4 of ancient Greece was rugged mountains.
• Instead of a single government, the Greeks developed small independent communities within each little valley and the mountain that separates it from the rest of the country.
• Because of the uneven terrain, it made land transportation hard.
• there were not many roads; the roads that they did have were mostly made up of dirt.
• The mountains also made farming difficult (very few fertile valleys for farming).
• Because of the farming difficulty, Greece was never able to support a large population.
• In the summer, the 80-degree (Fahrenheit) weather allowed the Greeks to hang outside.
• Mycenaeans- a group of people (Indo-European) who settled in Greece were from Mycenae which is located in southern Greece.
• Mycenae is surrounded by a protective wall keeping enemies out, and the Mycenaean rulers controlled cities like Athens.
• The Mycenaeans came into contact with the Minoans.
• They saw the value of seaborne trade and traveled throughout the eastern Mediterranean.
• They adapted the Minoan writing system to the Greek language, and decorated vases with Minoan designs.
• This art was the beginning of the Greek religious practice.

Review for Test on Egypt Tomorrow

Today in class we reviewed for the test tomorrow. It will be a 75-point test on Egypt. We talked about the key terms that will be on the test. Mr. Schick told us a joke that will help us remember the name for the afterlife. Below are the key terms and joke. We also watched a video on mummification and King Tut. The mummification video wasn't as disgusting as I thought it would be. The Egyptian song by Mr. Nicky was good, but I prefer his song on Mesopotamia more. The King Tut video (featuring Steve Martin) was a little funny. Below are also the links to the videos.

Key terms:

• papyrus- a tall reed that's found in the Nile delta; paper like
• mummification- embalming and drying the corpse to prevent it from decaying.
• hieroglyphics- an ancient Egyptian writing system in which pictures were used to represent ideas and/or sounds.
• pharaoh- King of ancient Egypt; considered a god as well as a political and military leader.

Egypt Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=960mk5JRSBk

Mummification Process:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MQ5dL9cQX0

Egypt (Papyrus, temples, and Pyramids)

Today in class, we relaxed a little bit while Nick took the quiz. Then we took notes on Egypt on Mr. Schick's blog. Below are some of notes from today.

• Earliest Egyptian writing formed c. 3100 B.C. and were small pictures known as hieroglyphics.
• Egyptian script was usually written in ink on papyrus, which was made from mashed Nile reeds.
• Papyrus, the precursor to paper, was stored in scrolls and these scrolls were the books of ancient Egypt.
• Egyptian astronomers created a calendar with 12 months and 365 days to make better sense of the seasonal cycles.
• Due to their excellent knowledge of human anatomy, Egyptian doctors wrote extensively on health issues and created potions and cures for a number of common ailments.
• Wooden sailboats were constructed to increase transportation ability on the Nile.
• The pyramids were massive stone tombs, originally covered in marble, but the marble was later stripped off during the Muslim conquest.
• The Temple of Amon at Karnak is the largest religious building in the world, also made out of huge blocks of stone.
• Stone sculptures and interior painting depicted humans and gods in a series of regulated poses, often in profile and without perspective, but were highly effective.

Egypt's New Technologies

Today in class, we took more notes on Egypt from the textbook. Below are the notes from the text.

• Slaves served in homes of the rich or toiled endlessly in gold mines of Upper Egypt.
• Egyptians weren't locked in the social class.
• If people wanted to be in a higher class, they would have to know how to read and write.
• Women held many rights as men held; they could own property and trade, propose marriage and seek divorce, and were entitled to 1/3 of their husband's property.
• hieroglyphics- an ancient Egyptian writing system in which pictures were used to represent ideas and sound; for example, a picture of a man symbolized a man.
• Hieroglyphics could be used almost like letters of the alphabet.
• They started writing it on stone, but then used papyrus.
• Papyrus- a tall reed that grows in the Nile delta, used by the ancient Egyptians to make a paper-like material for writing on
• When papyrus dried, the plant's saps glued into a paper-like sheet.
• They developed a calendar to help keep track of floods.
• the start, Sirius, appeared right before the floods came in.
• Egyptians developed a system of written numbers for counting, adding, and subtracting to help assess and collect taxes.
• They used geometry to help reset buildings after the floods came.
• Egyptian architects were the first to use stone columns for houses, temples, and other buildings.
• Their medicine was very famous in the ancient world.
• doctors checked heart rates by feeling pulses, set broken bones with splints, handed treatments for fevers, and sometimes performed surgery to treat the people.
• The pharaoh's power ended in around 2180 B.C.
• They regained power in the Middle Kingdom and restored law and order; the power didn't last.
• A group called the Hyksos came and ruled Egypt for a while.
• Egypt would rise again in the New Kingdom.
• About the same time as the Old and Middle Kingdom, civilization was emerging in the Indus River Valley.