Greece Notes for Monday, October, 1st

•Unit 2 – The “Classical Era” in the West    Greece

•Quote of the Day
•“No person was ever honored for what they received.  Honor has been the reward for what they gave”
»Calvin Coolidge

•The Glory of Greece
•The Minoan civilization flourished on the island of Crete from 2000B.C. to 1400 B.C.
•The Minoans developed their own form of writing, used copper & bronze, & were skilled at shipbuilding. (Successful traders)
•The Minoan civilization mysteriously collapsed around 1400 B.C.

•The second ancient Greek civilization thrived around Mycenae & the coast of Asia Minor from 1400 B.C. to 1200 B.C.
–(Possibly when the Trojan War took place.)
–(Between Mycenae & Troy.)
•At this time the Dorians, a group of people from northern Greece, conquered the Greek mainland.
The Geography of Greece
•Ancient Greece consisted of a large mountainous peninsula, the islands of the Aegean Sea, & the coast of present-day Turkey.
•Because of Greece’s hilly terrain, farming the land was quite difficult. (20% farmland)
•Much of Greece is stony & suitable only for pasture.
 
The Geography of Greece
•Its people came to rely on trade. (Became skilled sailors.)
•Greeks produce wine, olive oil, & pottery, which they traded with other peoples of the Mediterranean.
•Through these contacts, the Greeks became exposed to key achievements of other ancient civilizations, such as the alphabet, a way of writing, invented by the Phoenicians.
 
The Rise of the Greek City-State
•Mountains & the sea caused Greek centers of population to be cut off from one another.
•As a result, separate city-states developed, each with its own form of government & system of laws.
•In Greek, the word for city-states was polis.
The Rise of the Greek City-State
•At the same time, Greeks also shared in a common culture based on:
–Their language
–Traditions
–Close economic ties
–Religious beliefs
 
The Rise of the Greek City-State
–Religious beliefs
•All Greeks believed in the same gods & goddesses.
–Zeus, Athena, Apollo, etc…
–Believed to live on Mount Olympus
•Citizens from all the Greek city-states participated every four years in Olympic games in honor of Zeus & the other Greek gods.
•The Greeks believed their gods were pleased by strong, graceful human bodies.

Military Sparta
•One of the most important city-states was Sparta.
•Sparta is located in the southeastern part of Greece, called the Peloponnesus.
•In 725 B.C., the Spartans conquered their neighbors.
•They forced these people known as helots, to farm for them.
•The Spartans constantly had to use force to maintain control over the helots.
•Due to this threat, life in Sparta was organized around military needs.
•Individualism & new ideas were discouraged.
•Strict obedience & self-discipline were valued.
–For example, if a newborn Spartan baby was found to be unhealthy, it was left on a hillside to die.
 
Democratic Athens
•The city-state of Athens developed a unique system of government.
•Every citizen could participate in government directly by voting on issues to be decided by the city-state.
•The main governing body of Athens was the Citizens Assembly.
–It was open to all citizens, but only the first 5,000 or so citizens who gathered could attend its meetings.
–It met regularly, at least ten times a year.
–The assembly directed foreign policy & made laws for Athens.

•The Glory of Greece

•Citizens who served on a council, jury, or a magistrate were paid a reimbursement for lost earnings.
–This ensured that even poor citizens could participate in government.
•This type of government, which Athens was the first to introduce, is known as a democracy.
Democratic Athens
•In a democracy, ordinary citizens participate in government, either directly or by elected representatives.
•Democracy means “rule of the people” in Greek.
•In Athens, only a minority of city residents were actually citizens.
–Women, foreigners, & slaves were not citizens & could not participate in government.
 
The Golden Age of Greek Culture
•In the 5th century B.C., the Persian Empire tried to conquer the Greek city-states.
–Surprisingly, the Persians failed.
•After the war, the Greeks enjoyed a “Golden Age.”
•Pericles championed democracy.
•He collected revenues from other city-states to rebuild Athens.
•Arts, literature, & philosophy all flourished.
Philosophy
•The Greek believed that human reason was powerful enough to understand the world & to solve its problem.
•A series of three philosophers (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle) asked important questions & tried to find answers.
 
Philosophy
•Socrates questioned his students about the
    use of moral terms: What is goodness? What is morality & justice?
–In 399 B.C., Socrates’ enemies persuaded the Athenian Council to condemn Socrates to death for corrupting the young.
•Plato was Socrates’ most famous student, took Socrates’ method of questioning a step further.
–He concluded that values like goodness, beauty, & justice actually exist as independent ideas that are more real than the changing “appearances” we see in daily life.
–In The Rebublic, Plato described an ideal city-state ruled by philosopher kings.
–He defined justice as the rule of reason over appetite (our desires).
•Aristotle, Plato’s most famous student, was less concerned with abstract concepts.
–Aristotle collected & classified things from animals to city-state constitutions, & studied their relationships.
 
Art & Architecture
•Greek sculptors & architects tried to design statues & buildings with ideal proportions.
•Greek Buildings & statues were not the white marble you see in museums today.
–They were brightly painted with bold colors
•The Parthenon, a splendid marble temple with beautiful columns, was constructed on a hill known as the Acropolis.
–Inside was a giant statue of Athena, patron goddess of the city.

Science & Mathematics
•Eratosthenes, a geographer, showed the Earth was round & calculated its circumference.
–He created a device (sieve) for discovering all prime numbers up to any limit.
Acrhimedes is considered one of the greatest mathematicians of antiquity.
–His contributions in geometry revolutionized the subject.
–He studied levers & pulleys, measured volume & density, designed catapults, & invented a large screw-like device inside a cylinder to pump water.

Peloponnesian Wars (432 B.C. – 404 B.C.)
•A rivalry soon developed between Athens & Sparta.
•The Athenians had used their power to force some other city-states to pay them taxes.
•Sparta finally declared was on Athens in the Peloponnesian Wars.
•After 30 years of fighting, Sparta emerged as the victor.
•The Peloponnesian Wars greatly weakened the Greek city-states.
–The economic costs were considerable.
–Poverty became widespread.
–Athens was completely devastated.
–Sparta emerged as the leading city-state.

Women in Ancient Greece
•In ancient Greece, men generally regarded women as inferior & excluded them from public life.
•Women managed the home, subject to their husband’s will.
•Spartan women enjoyed greater status than elsewhere in Greece.
•Many were given an education & physical training.
•Athenian women could own clothing & slaves, but they could not own land or enter contracts.
 
Alexander the Great
•In 338 B.C., the King of Macedonia, an area located north of Greece, brought all the Greek city-states under his control.
•His son, Alexander the Great, was taught by Aristotle.
•He went on to conquer most of the Mediterranean world, including Persia & Egypt.
•His conquests took him as far as the Indus River Valley.
•However, Alexander died at a young age, & his empire quickly fell apart.
 
Hellenistic Age
•Wherever Alexander went, he spread the Greek culture.
•His followers also absorbed Eastern ideas & styles.
•Hellenistic culture refers to the fusion of Greek culture with the cultures of the Middle East & India.
•The greatest Hellenistic achievements were in mathematics & science.
•Alexander’s construction of a great library at Alexandria encouraged scholarship.
•Hellenistic sculptors aimed at more emotional representations in art.
•Statues of the heads of ordinary people with their imperfections became common during this period.
•Many wealthy members of society, including women, began to study  philosophy & to attend lectures of popular philosophers.

•Review     

 Ancient Greek Achievements 
Democracy
•Athens developed the first known democratic government.
–A system in which citizens take part in government.

Art & Architecture
•The Greek ideal of beauty was based on harmony & proportion.
•In architecture, the Greeks built temples with beautiful columns, such as the Parthenon in Athens.

 
Science & Mathematics
•Key advances were made by Pythagoras, Euclid, & Archimedes.
 
Lecture & History
•The Greeks developed the first known dramas & historical writings.
Philosophy
•Greeks believed in the dignity of the individual.
•Through the use of reason, they believed humans could understand how the world worked.
•Greek Philosophers included Socrates, Plato, & Aristotle.

Quiz Tomorrow (9/21)

QUIZ TOMORROW

OVER ISLAM AND JUDAISM

Textbook Scavenger Hunt: Islam

We are introducing the world religions this week in class.  Today we will be focusing on Islam.  Students need to answer the following questions.

IMPORTANT REMINDER!

When we are discussing religions in class we will only focus on the following things: its history, its beliefs, and how the religion has impacted the world.  We will NOT discuss or share our personal beliefs or opinions of the religions.  

We will be covering: Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism.

It is important to understand the major religions in order to be a more informed citizen of the world.  It helps you understand why religious groups act they way they do and to understand what motivates them.

Islam Textbook Scavenger Hunt

1. Not all Muslims are Terrorists.  Not all terrorists are Muslim.
   
2. Importance of Abraham:



    
3. List & Explain the five pillars of Islam.
    
4. What are their holy places?


    
5. What is the holy book?

   
6. Who was Muhammad?
    
7. How did they spread their religion?


    
8. What is Ramadan?



    
9. What are the two different types of Muslims?
    
10. How do they treat/view women?

REMINDER! POSTER PROJECT DUE MONDAY!!!

DON'T FORGET THAT YOUR CODE OF HAMMURABI POSTER PROJECTS ARE DUE ON MONDAY.  

The project information sheet is posted below.

Unit 1 Exam Review

Unit 1 Exam Review  

Key Terms:


1. domestication
2. agriculture
3. hunter-gatherers
4. Civilization
5. artisans
6. cultural diffusion
7. hieroglyphics 
8. empire
9. polytheism
10. monotheism
11. mummification
12. caravans
13. barter
14. irrigation

Key People:

1. Hatshepsut
2. Amenhotep IV
3. The Hyksos
4. Scribes
5. Abraham
6. David
7. Sargon

Key Ideas:


1. Neolithic Revolution
2. Pyramid Building
3. 3 Characteristics of a civilization
4. Invention of the plow
5. Stone Age
6. Bronze Age
7. Rise and fall of the Egyptian Kingdoms
8. Egyptian Farming
9. Egyptian Social Classes
10. 10 Commandments

Code of Hammurabi Poster Project

Code of Hammurabi
Poster Project


Directions:

Using your knowledge of Hammurabi’s Code and the basic structure of emerging societies, create your own code of law.  Your code of law would be for modern day America.  Your code of law must address at least the following issues:
Roles of men
Roles of women
Roles of children
Religion
Government
Agriculture
Crime & punishments
Buying & selling of property
Marriage/divorce
Education

You have to write this code of law as if there were absolutely no laws in place today.  Also, you must give a 1 or 2 sentence explanation as to why each law is necessary and how it benefits the people as a whole.  Your justifications need to be turned in as an attachment to your poster

There must be at least 30 entries in your Code. 

Title your Code “Code of _________________” Fill in the blank with your name.

Code is due on MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH.

We will not work on the code in class – it will have to be done on your own time. 

Your code will need to be able to be displayed just like Hammurabi’s was.  You will need to write your code down on posterboard (no larger than ½ of a sheet). 


Again, we will not be working on this in class, so make sure you are steadily working on it at home!!!!!

Ancient Civilizations PPT

Click the link below to access the entire powerpoint online.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B7xQN7GyomHPTnl3THI0Yi1YNWM

Wednesday, September 5th Notes

The Old Kingdom
Huge construction projects took place during this time.
The Sphinx and the early pyramids
Egyptian people were split into two social classes.
Lower Class (Peasants & Farmers)
Required to serve in the army and work on construction projects
Upper Class (Pharoah, Royal Family, Priests, Scribes, and Government Officials)
The Old Kingdom
The Upper Class controlled all the decision-making for the Egyptian people, even though they were only a small percentage of the total population.


The Old Kingdom
By the end of the Old Kingdom, the Pharaoh began to lose power to the nobles.
This lead to a series of civil wars between Egyptians loyal to the Pharaoh and those loyal to the nobles.

The Middle Kingdom
After the civil wars, a new line of Pharaohs came to power and re-united Egypt.
This is called the “Golden Age of Egypt”

The Middle Kingdom
During this time, the Hyksos people from Asia invaded Egypt.
They fought with chariots and other tools of war.
Their victory over the Egyptians marked the end of the Middle Kingdom.

The New Kingdom
Eventually, the Egyptians were able to regroup and drive out the Hyksos people.
They created a powerful army using the technology brought by the Hyksos.
Acquired large amounts of new land-expanding the Empire.

Empire
Form of government in which an individual or small ruling class rules over many people and their territories.

Hatshepsut
1st Female Pharaoh
Shared power with her young son.

Amenhotep IV
Brought monotheism to Egypt.
Believed in only the sun god.
People heavily resisted this practice and quickly return to polytheism.

Decline of Egypt
A series of weak Pharaohs signaled the end of the Egyptian Empire.
Eventually the Assyrians, Nubians, and Persians conquered them.

Notes from Friday, August 31, 2012

Civilizations
This new grouping of people allowed for accomplishments that were previously impossible.

Why was it impossible before? Remember Maslows

Now that people had other areas in which to focus their talents and efforts into other areas like construction projects and other city improvements.

Skilled Laborers
If you weren’t needed to grow crops, to feel important to the group you had to focus your efforts in other areas.

People began learning new skills and began trading with other nearby civilizations.

Mutual Exchange

Cultural Diffusion
While traveling to different areas to trade goods and services, cultures began to mix.
This exchange of ideas is called cultural diffusion.

You took the experiences you have and the knowledge you gain and apply it to your homeland to make it the best it can be.

River Valley Civilizations
These were the first civilizations to move into and then out of the Stone Age.
They began making crude tools out of stone to make the work easier.
They moved on to metal tools soon after.

What makes metal tools superior to stone?

The first metal tools were bronze and easily damaged. Later switched to iron.

Family & Religion
1st evidence of gender-specific roles.
Women managed the family:
Cared for children
Cooked/prepared food
Made clothing

Prior to the invention of the plow, women were heavily involved in farming as well.

Family & Religion
People were polytheistic in their beliefs.
They believed these gods were responsible for all the things around them.
They prayed and offered sacrifices to these gods, hoping to gain their favor.

Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
What key feature is necessary for a civilization to thrive?
Nearly all of the great ancient civilizations were located directly next to or within close proximity to water.
Nile River floods 2x per year, providing the surrounding area with VERY fertile farm land.

Ancient Kingdoms of the Nile
Farmers would dig canals from the river to their farmland, this lead to their ability to produce a surplus of crops.
Also, the weather in the area was conducive to year-round growing.
Also, the natural geographical barriers surrounding the area protected them from invasion.

Egyptian Kingdoms
The Nile Civilization split into two separate kingdoms: Upper & Lower Egypt.
After 3200 BC, King Menes united the two into one kingdom and founded a dynasty.
What’s a dynasty?
Royal, ruling family. Power is passed down from generation to generation.
Is that a fair and just way to decide power?

The Egyptian Dynasty
Divided into three time periods:
Old Kingdom
Middle Kingdom
New Kingdom

History Channel's Engineering an Empire.

The video below is what we watched clips of the last few days. If you missed anything, or wanted to finish it-you can watch it here on YouTube.