Blog Post #32 -Presented-

     In Friday's class me and Grace finally presented our project. Here are my thoughts. First, everyone loved the food. I thought the Teganites were kinda gross but at the end of class there were none left along with the veggies on the toothpicks. We served the boys first because that's what they did back then. For the video part I feel like some people wrest really paying attention because I was handing out the food in the middle of it but it needed to be under 10 minutes. Then when we did the powerpoint I studied it but I didn't know what slide I was going to do plus I couldn't see that well so its seemed like I was just reading off the slide an didn't really know what I was talking about, even though I did. I think we either got a high B or an A on this project. Hopefully, because we spent a lot of time doing it.

Blog Post #31 -I Am Mad-

     Today in class we were supposed to present, considering me and Grace made the food last night and we both stayed up till 2am writing the paper and editing our video. However, we walk into Western Civ class seeing that we are supposed to present tomorrow (Friday). I am really mad at this because yes we still could've made the food last night but we wouldn't have had to stay up so late while having to do our other homework. Also, yesterday we had a sub so we went into a different room meaning we couldn't see that we were supposed to present tomorrow and not today. It gave me a lot of stress last night that I would've been okay with not having. Now to the part that I am even more mad about. We told Mr. Schick what was wrong and he asked us if we wanted to go first today since we had food and I'm thinking, it'll be fine we have a 45 minute class and we can go second. But no. The first group had to heat up their food, and they had two types of food to hand out, Plus their presentation was about 15 minutes. It was honestly a really good project that 100% deserves an A, but I just wish we could've went because our project would've taken about 7 minutes. We had the assembly bell today too which is why we couldn't present. Plus, the stress me and Grace went through last night wouldn't have been for nothing. Next time I have the opportunity to decide if I want to go first for a presentation or not I will make sure I go first.

Blog Post #30 -Project-

     Today in class we worked on our project for the entire time. Mr Schick wasn't there and so we had a substitute. Anyways, me and Grace worked on the powerpoint and figured out what we were going to do tonight. After school Grace had lacrosse practice but after that my mom picked her up and we went to get our ingredients for our food we were going to make. We went back to Grace's house to make the food. It was a lot of fun but then I needed to go home and edit the video. It took me about 3 hours to do it but it was worth it. Grace did the analysis paper. I would say we both did 50 50 on this project and I am pretty excited and nervous to present it tomorrow. I just need to study the powerpoint so I know what I'm talking about.

Blog Post #29 -Not in class-

Wasn't in class today due to the fact that I am the boys jv lacrosse manager so I had to leave at 1:15.

Blog Post #28 - Test Day -

     Today is Saturday night. I forgot to do my blog yesterday so thank go Mr. Schick gives us until tonight at midnight. Yesterday we took the test on Ancient Greece and I honestly think I got an A on it. I think I got 0-3 wrong if I can remember. My grade in the class right now is really close to an A so hopefully this test can bring it up by the end of the third quarter. Our presentation is also due Wednesday and I haven't even started on it so these next couple of days are going to be interesting. Especially since part of the project has to be done at home so I don't even know when I will be able to do it. I'm starting to get stressed but hopefully I will figure it out by Wednesday. Also my birthday is Monday so I am pretty excited about that.

Blog Post #27 - Ancient Greece (Powerpoint part 6)

Important Philosophers

Socrates
- unlike most people at the time he turned to science and logic, instead of mythological gods, for explanations on how the world worked
- socratic method fostered critical thinking ("The unexamined life is not worth living")
- charged with serious crimes of impiety (disrespecting gods) and corruption of Athen's youth
- did not deny what he did, sentenced to death by jury and had to drink hemlock poisoning

Plato
- was a student and follower of Socrates
- wrote out Socrates's teachings and described his trial in Apology (which at the time meant explanation)
- another famous book was Republic, which discussed justice and an ideal state
- it is one of the most influential books ever written
- all 3 Philosophers thought they should rule the government

Aristotle
- a student of Plato
- helped to 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 dreamed of having the sum of mankind knowledge all in one location (internet)
- he wrote extensive on topics such as logic, physics, biology, ethics, politics, rhetoric, motion, poetry, theatre, metaphysics, psychology, dreams, etc.
- tutored Alexander the Great

Blog Post #26 -The Persian War (Powerpoint Part 5)

     Today in class we took more notes on the powerpoint. Here are my notes:

- Greeks were certainly warlike people, especial the Spartans
- Spartans were known for their tough, ruthless, infantry (soldiers who fought on the land)
- Spartan boys trained from the time they were 7 years old
- Real Spartans were much more fearsome than in the movies

Athens had a good Navy because of their...
Trireme
- a technological marvel
- fastest ship in the world at the time
- rowed by up to 170 men on 3 levels of the ship
- could be used as batting ram
- agile, fast
Phalanx
- close rank, dense grouping of warriors
- armed with long spears interlocking shields
- soldiers would advance slowly toward the enemy, until they broke through their ranks

The Persian War (Persian Empire vs. Greeks)
-Greeks won even though they shouldn't have considering the Persian empire was absolutely massive compared to Greece

I have more notes but that'll be in the next blog.

Blog Post #25 -Sick-

     Today I wasn't in class or at school because I am sick.

Blog Post #24 -New Project-

     Today in class (well yesterday), Mr. Schick introduced us to a new project that will be due in a couple weeks. The project is finding and researching an aspect of Ancient Greece that interests us. We could be in a group up to four people. I decided to work with Grace so it'll be a pair of two. Our project will be the food in Ancient Greece. We started our research in class the other day and it has been really hard to find reliable sites that Mr. Schick approved of besides Wikipedia. At least we can use that to find some other resources. I am kind of excited for this project. We're going to end up bringing in food as well so that will be fun.

Blog Post #23 - Video -

     Today in class we watched a 55 minute video on Ancient Greece. Mr. Schick wasn't't here so we went into Mrs. Magner's room and she was our substitute for the class. We had to fill out a paper that had like twenty questions on it. I was very happy at the end of class because I got all the questions filled out meaning I didn't have to take it home and rewatch the video to try and answer the questions that I didn't get. The video also included Cleisthenes, his early life, and his ruling. Also, it involved Athens and Sparta and what went along with "The Revolution". The people ended up winning for once with was the conclusion of the video because that has never happened before in ancient Greek history. To be honest I actually did enjoy the video I just wish it wasn't so long. Although it did make class go by pretty fast.

Blog Post #22 -Ancient Greece (Powerpoint Part 4)

Today in class we took notes off the powerpoint. Here are my notes that I took in class today, I didn't have my notebook to write them down so I had to use my computer:

- Hippias was a tyrant who ruled from 527 to 510 BCE
- his brother was murdered, and his rule became harsh
- eventually he was expelled from Athens (this is called being ostracized)
- in revenge, he began working with the Persian king Darius 1, helping them invade Marathon

- with Hippies gone isagoras and Cleisthenes (both were aristocrats) engaged in a power struggle
- Isagoras had support from some fellow aristocrats, plus from Sparta
- Cleisthenes had support of the majority of Athenians

- Isagoras becomes archon eponymous (tyrant)
- he ostracizes Cleisthenes
- Cleisthenes' supporters, and the ordinary athenian citizens, revolt against Isagoras' tyranny
- they trap Isagoras on the acropolis for 2 days, on the thirds day he fled and was banished in 508 BCE

- Cleisthenes- definitely member of elite
~ very rich
~ insulted from the "hoi polloi" (common people)
~ a crafty politician
~ saw the value of tapping into the talents, intelligence, and energies of the non-aristocrats (the middle classs citizens)
~ too bad he didn't realize the value of women

- What Cleisthenes did was a huge step forward- "getting regular folks" involved in governing
- but this first democracy had its limits
- citizens could participate- but only one-fifth of athenians were citizens (free adult male property owners born in Athens)
- after several years, Athens practiced a direct democracy

direct democracy
- it's where the state (or in this case, the city state) is ruled by its citizens
- rule is based on citizenship
-majority rule decides vote
- the agora citizens argued made speeches then voted with white stones (yes) / (no)
- it was first practiced in Athen under Cleisthenes by around 500 BCE

Blog Post #21 -Ancient Greec (Powerpoint Part 3)

     Today in class we took notes on the powerpoint for the whole time. Here are my notes:

• During the 7th and 6th centuries BCE, aristocrats ran most of Greece

• aristocrats: members of the ruling class

- they attended symposiums, meetings where the elite men would enjoy win and poetry, performances by dancers and acrobats, and the company of "hetaeras" (courtesans) while discussing politics
- no women were allowed except the "entertainment"
- no middle class or slaves, and sometimes even certain aristocrats were left out

• sometimes aristocrats would form alliances with hoplites (well-armed soldiers), and formed alternative form of government called tyranny 

DRACO (621 BCE)

- all athenians, rich or poor, are equal under the law

- but death the punishment for many crimes

- debt slavery is OK (work as slave to reply debt)

- Draconian~ unnecessarily harsh

SOLON'S REFORM (around 500 BCE)

- allowed all citizens to submit laws for debate at the assembly

- created the Council of Five Thousand (members chosen at random, to counsel the assembly)

- but... only free adult mall property owners were considered citizens 

- women slaves were called "foreigners"

Blog Post #20 -Ancient Greece (Powerpoint Part 2)

     Today is class we started taking notes on a new powerpoint that is on a. new section of the chapter. It was going fine but then some students started making Mr. Schick mad so he made us take notes from the book for the rest of the class. Personally, even though I have to write, I'm started to like learning information from the powerpoint more only because I know thats how he will probably make his test. I'm just going to write what notes I got from the powerpoint today in my blog, I'll do the textbook notes a different day.

Warring City-States

• Polis: fundamental political unit, made up of a city and the surrounding countryside (city-state)

- politics (affairs of the cities), political, policy, metropolitan, etc.

• Monarchy: rule by a single person (a king, in Greece)
• 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

Blog Post #19 - Ancient Greece (Powerpoint Part 1) -

     Here's everything I wrote down from the powerpoint that I didn't already have in my notes:

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

Be able to identify the following (on the test):
-Aegean Sea
-Ionian Sea
-Adriatic Sea (north of Ionian Sea)
-Pelopnnesus
-Athens
-Sparta
-Crete
-Asia Minor
-Macedonia

Notes:
- 2,000 islands in Ionian and Aegean Sea
- they had many skilled workers such as sailors, shipbuilders, farmers, metalworkers, weavers and potters
- it was difficult to unite the ancient Greeks because of the terrain
- 20% of the land was arable (sustainable for farming)
- Greek diet was grapes, olives, grains, and fish
- the "Homeric Question" is wondering if Homer was actually a mythical creature himself
~ a blind wandering man and heroic figure
~ Iliad and Odessey may have been formed by many generations of storytelling
~ or he may have actually existed

Blog Post #18 -Ancient Greece Part 2-

Mycenaean Civilization Develops

- Mycenaeans were people that settled on the Greek mainland around 2000 B.C. and were from the city Mycenae
- Strong rulers controlled the areas around other Mycenaean cities such as Tiryns and Athens, these kings dominated Greece from about 1600 to 1100 B.C.
- Around 1500 B.C. Mycenaeans came in contact with the Minoan civilization, the Mycenaeans adapted the Minoan writing system to the Greek language and decorated vases with Minoan designs
- During the 1200's B.C. the Mycenaeans fought a 10 year war against Troy, and independent trading city located in Anatolia (The Trojan War)

Greek Culture Declines Under Dorians

- Not long after the war, the Mycenaean civilization collapsed
- A new group of people called the Dorians moved into the war torn countryside
- Greeks appear to have lost the art of writing from 1150 to 750 B.C. so only a little is know about this period inn Greek history
- The greatest storyteller was a blind man named Homer (750-700 B.C.)
- Epics are narrative poems celebrating heroic deeds
- The Trojan War comes from one of his great epic poems, Iliad
- Greeks developed a rich set of myths, or traditional stories, about their gods
- Theogony by Hesiod, are the source of much of Greek mythology
- Greeks attributed human qualities such as love, hate, and jeoaulusy to their gods

Blog Post #17 -Ancient Greece-

     Today in class we took our test on Ancient Egypt. I think I got all of them right except the last one. Anyways we took notes on Ancient Greece for the rest of class so here are my notes.

Cultures of the Mountains and the Sea
- Ancient Greece consisted mainly of a mountainous peninsula
- It also included about 2,000 islands in the Aegean Sea and the Ionian Sea
The Sea
- Shaped Greek civilization as much as rivers did to other ancient civilizations
- The Greeks lived around the Aegean, Ionian, and Adriatic Seas
- Sea trade became important because Greece lacked natural resources such as timber, precious metals, and usable farmland
The Land
- Rugged mountains covered about 3/4 of ancient Greece
- The mountain chains ran mainly from northwest to southwest along the Balkan Peninsula
- The Greeks developed small, independent communities within each little valley and its surrounding mountains
- Only 1/4 of land was arable (suitable for farming)
- The lack of fresh water and fertile farmland made Greece not be able to support a large population
- A desire for more living space, grassland for raising livestock, and adequate farmland may have been factors that motivated the Greeks to seek new sites for colonies
The Climate
- Temperature averaging from 48 degrees in the winters to 80 degrees in the summer
- Spent a lot of time outside
- They met often to discuss public issues =, exchange news, and take an active part in civic life

All the notes I got for today.