Western Civilization

2/28/20 Questions 1,2,3,5 on Page 139 1.   Direct democracy is a form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives Greek sculptors' values of harmony, order, balance, and proportion became the standard of classical art A tragedy is a serious drama A comedy is a light hearted drama The Peloponnesian War is a war lasting 431 to 404 BC in which Athens and its allies were defeated by by Sparta and its allies The meaning of philosophers is "lovers of wisdom" One critic of Sophists was Socrates Plato was a student of Socrates Aristotle was a philosopher who questioned the nature of the world 2. I think that Pericles' goal of glorifying art and architecture had a great impact on the modern world because we still use it today in many things like buildings and in a lot of  different kinds of art 3. One step was to increase the number of public officials who were paid salaries. Second step was to  introduce direct democrac

2/27/20 I wasn't at school because I was sick

2/26/20 I wasn't at school today because I was sick

2/24/20 Clash of the Tyrants 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 I , helping them invade Marathon with Hippias gone, Isagoras and Cleisthenes (both were aristocrats - surprise!) engaged in a power struggle Isagoras had support from some fellow aristocrats, plus from Sparta/ upper class Cleisthenes had support of the majority of Athenians/ middle class Isagoras wins 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 two days - on the third day he fled and was banished all happened in 508 BCE Cleisth enes and Democracy Cleisthenes - definitely a member of the elite very rich insulated from the “hoi

2/21/20 Democracy and Greece's Golden Age Main Idea:democratic principles and classical culture flourished during Greece's golden age Why it Matters Now: Greece set lasting standards in art, politics, literature, and philosophy that are still influential today Terms: direct democracy classical art tragedy comedy Peloponnesian War philosopher Socrates Plato Aristotle Pericles' Plan for Athens Pericles led Athens during much of its golden age he held onto popular support for 32 years was a politician, speaker, and general  dominated life of Athens from 461 to 421 B.C. / the Age of Pericles he had 3 goals;1. to strengthen Athenian democracy 2. hold and strengthen empire 3. glorify Athens Stronger Democracy increased # of public officials who were paid salaries now the poorest citizens could serve  if elected this reform made Athens into one of the most democratic governments in history

2/20/20 Warring City States polis : fundamental political unit, made up of a city and the surrounding countryside/ politics (affairs of the cities), policy, political, 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 Transformation of government During the 7th and 6th centuries BCE, aristocrats ran the show in most of Greece Back then, rich people wielded much more influence in society, and held much more governmental power, than the middle class or the poor Aristocracy they attended symposiums , meetings where the elite men would enjoy wine and poetry, performances by dancers and acrobats, and the company of hetaeras (courtesans) while discussing politics Polit

2/18/20  Mycenaeans+ Trojan War + Dorians+ Homer Myceneans their influence began around 2000 BCE Mycenae is located on a rocky ridge on Peloponnesus,  protected by a 20-foot thick wall Mycenaean kings dominated Greece from 1600-1100 BCE- controlled trade in the region 1400 BCE-  Mycenaeans invaded Crete and absorbed Minoan culture ( writing system, language, art, politics, literature, religion ) Dorians Dorians were far less advanced the trade-based economy collapsed writing disappeared for 400 years Homer Greek oral tradition - stories passed on by word of mouth Homer lived at the end of these “Greek Dark Ages” he composed stories (epics) of the Trojan War c. 750-700 BCE 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 the angry god of the sea, Poseidon

2/14/20           Happy Valentines Day!! Today in class we reviewed what we had done last class on the "Ancient Greece is the Word" slideshow. Mr. Schick handed out candy hearts to the class. I love candy hearts! We also had students in class go up in font and become teachers for the day. It was a really fun class. We also had a discussion on whether or not students are allowed to use the bathroom during class. Heres what is going to be on the quiz: Note the significance of Greece’s location Describe Greece’s topography Look at Greece’s surroundings How would all this affect their culture What bodies of water surround Greece? What large island is to the south/southeast? Describe where Athens and Sparta are located relative to the sea, and to each other be able to identify the following: Aegean Sea Ionian Sea Adriatic Sea (it’s just north of the Ionian Sea) Peloponnesus Athens Sparta Crete Asia Minor Macedonia

2/13/20 Ancient Greece is the Word The world's greatest civilizations all located on water (usually river) Mesopotamia~ Tigris and Euphrates rivers Egypt~ Nile River India~ Indus River China~ Huang He River Culture of the Mountains and the Sea Describe Greece’s topography Look at Greece’s surroundings How would all this affect their culture ? What bodies of water surround Greece? What large island is to the south/southeast? Describe where Athens and Sparta are located relative to the sea, and to each other Be able to identify the following: Aegean Sea Ionian Sea Adriatic Sea (it’s just north of the Ionian Sea) Peloponnesus Athens Sparta Crete Asia Minor Macedonia Geography Greece is a mountainous peninsula mountains cover three-quarters of Greece approximately 2000 islands in the Ionian and Aegean Seas this combination shaped Greece’s culture they had many skilled sailors and shipbuilders also farmers, meta

2/11/20 Warring City States Main Idea:  the growth of city states in Greece led to the development of several political systems, including democracy Why it Matters Now: Many political systems in today's world mirror the varied forms of government that evolved in Greece Terms Polis - a Greek city-state-- the fundamental political unit of ancient Greece after about 750 B.C. Acropolis - a fortified hilltop in an ancient Greek city aristocracy - a government in which power is in the hands of a hereditary ruling class or  nobility oligarchy - a government in which power is in the hands of a few people-- especially one in which rule is based upon wealth tyrant - in ancient Greece, a powerful individual who gained control democracy -  a government controlled by its citizens, either directly or through representatives helot - in the society of ancient Sparta, a peasant bound to the land phalanx - a military formation of foot soldiers armed

2/10/20 I wasn't at school because I was sick

2/7/20 Main Idea - in the Greek city state of Athens, a new form of government developed, democracy, in which citizens exercised power Cultural Interaction - Alexander the Great spread Greek culture throughout much of Asia. Greek Egyptian, Greek, and Asian cultures then blended to create Hellenistic culture Empire Building-  Athens assumed control of a defense league and eventually built it into an empire. Later Alexander conquered the Persian Empire and beyond to create a vast new empire of his own Geography Shapes Greek Life Ancient Greece consisted of a mountainous peninsula jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea and about 2,000 islands in the Aegean and Ionian seas The Sea  the sea shaped Greek civilization just like Egyptians and the Nile Greek live not on land but around the sea seas were important for travel and linked most parts of Greece  trade and travel helped Greek because the lacked natural resources The Land  mountains covered 3/4 of Ancient Greec

2/6/20 The Writing and the Words of God 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 Calendars and Sailboats 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 Pyramids and Temples 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

2/4/20 Egypt Land of the Pharaohs- the Nile and the "Two Lands" Upper Egypt => a 500 mile long strip of fertile land along the Nile Lower Egypt => wide land of the Nile delta, emptying into the Mediterranean Sea The Nile was the major provider of life for the Egyptians and was much revered in lore and writing around 3100 B.C. the two lands were united under a single king ( Narmer , AKA Menes ) Government by a God-King Pharaoh was all powerful, worshipped as a god, and intimately connected to the other major Egyptian gods and goddesses Egyptians relied on a harmony and balance of the universe, which they called “ maat ” (personified by the good goddess Maat; bad goddess Isfet) Pharaohs had multiple wives, and all routes to financial and social success were through the palace Women could inherit money and land and divorce their husbands, though only a tiny few ever wielded real political power Gods, Humans, and Everlasting Life God

2/3/20 I wasn't at school because I was sick