Western Civilization 201

February 28th, 2020 Greece Terms Direct Democracy - a form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives Classical Art - the art of ancient Greece, in which harmony, order, and proportion were emphasized  Tragedy - a serious drama about common themes, such as love, hate, war, or betrayal Comedy - contained scenes filled with slapstick situations and crude humor Peloponnesian War - a war lasting from 431 to 404 B.C., in which Athens and its allies were defeated by Sparta and its allies Philosophers - great thinkers who were determined to seek the truth, no matter where the search led them; "lovers of wisdom" Socrates - a philosopher who believed that absolute standards did exist for truth and justice, and encouraged Greeks to go farther and question themselves and their moral character Plato - a student of Socrates that write down the conversations of Socrates Aristotle - a philosopher who questioned the nature of th...

February 27th, 2020 Greece Test Today in class we took a test on Greece. The test had many more questions than we have had in the past. I feel as if I did okay on the test, but I know I got a few answers wrong. The test asked about Greece's geography, the different types of governments, and tyrants. I felt ill-prepared for the test because I was not in class for most of the unit. Although I did read over Mr. Schick's slideshow and take notes, I still feel as if I was not as prepared as I could have been. I chose not to use Quizlet just in case Mr. Schick let us use our blogs. It was very time consuming to write notes on the slideshow and then put them on my blog. We will continue to learn about Greece in our next class. I like learning about Greece in this unit. 

February 26th, 2020 Greece Terms Polis : the fundamental political unit, made up of a city and the surrounding countryside 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 the aristocratic rule, who seized power (often with military help) Tyrant : a powerful individual who seized control by appealing to the common people for support; rules outside the framework of the polis Tyrant (modern meaning): an abusive or oppressive ruler Tyrant (Greek): someone who simply seized power Aristocrats: members of the ruling class Symposiums: meetings where elite, aristocratic men would enjoy wine and poetry, performances by dancers and acrobats, and the company of hetaeras while discussing politics Hetaeras: courtesans Hoplites: well-armed soldiers Debt Slavery: work as a slave to repay debts Council of Five Hundred: members chosen at random,...

February 24th, 2020 Greece Trojan War - fought around 1200 B.C.  - was part of Greek mythology until the 19th century  - most historians thought it was fictional because the story included gods and goddesses getting involved  - the goddesses Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera were given the "apple of discord"  - Paris judged Aphrodite as "the fairest"  - Aphrodite made Helen (who was married) fall in love with Paris, who took her back to Troy "sea people" and Dorians - around 1200 B.C. the "sea people" began to invade Mycenae, and burned palaces - the Dorians moved into this war-torn region, dominating from 1150-750 B.C. the Dorians were far less advanced the trade-based economy collapsed  writing disappeared for 400 years Greek oral tradition - stories passed on by word of mouth Epic - narrative stories that celebrate heroic deeds Dactylic Hexameter - a form of the meter or rhythmic scheme in poetry Homer the bard - li...

February 21, 2020 The Flu Once again I didn't come to class because I am still sick. I will be returning to school on Monday.

February 20, 2020 The Flu I did not attend our class again today because I am still sick with the flu.

February 18, 2020 The Flu Today I was not in class because I have the flu.

February 14th, 2020 Our Crazy Class           While in class today some students got to teach the class. The students read from Mr. Schick's slideshow on Greece. The students who went to the front to teach the rest of the class were Trevor, Connor, and Mateo. They would read over the slides and tell Mr. Schick to move to the next one when needed. Most of the class was spent reviewing the previous lesson, but we took some new notes. Mr. Schick talked about how too many students were using the bathroom. He pointed out that some students were using the bathroom six or seven times a day. He asked the class to think of some ways that he could help to reduce this problem. The class couldn't think of any ideas to help him. Today our class was fun and it gave us a nice break from work on Valentine's Day.

February 13th, 2020 Ancient Greece Terms Arable - suitable for farming Slideshow Notes Greece is a mountainous peninsula Mountains cover 3/4 of Greece There are approximately 2000 islands in the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea The combination of the mountains and seas shaped Greek culture Greeks were skilled sailors and shipbuilders because they commonly traveled by ship Greeks had many different jobs including farmers, metalworkers, weavers, and potters Greece had poor and limited natural resources which forced the Greeks to trade for materials It was hard to unite the Greeks because of terrain Greeks were loyal to their city-states (ex: Athens) Fertile valleys covered 1/4 of Greece, but only 20% was arable The Greek diet consisted mostly of grains, grapes, olives, and fish The lack of resources caused Greek colonization The temperatures were in the mid-40s during the winter and in the low 80s in the Summer Main Points All great civilizations were located...

February 11th, 2020 Warring City-States Terms Polis - city-state; made up of a city and its surrounding countryside Acropolis - a place where citizens gathered to discuss city government Monarchy - government ruled by a single person called a king Aristocracy - a government ruled by a small group of noble, landowning families who often gained political power after serving in a king's military calvary Oligarchy - a government ruled by a few powerful people Tyrants - powerful individuals, usually nobles or other wealthy citizens, sometimes seized control of the government by appealing to the common people for support Democracy - ruled by the people Helots - peasants forced to stay on the land they worked Phalanx - a battle formation where soldiers stand side by side while holding a spear and shield Persian Wars - wars between Greece and the Persian Empire Draco - a nobleman who took the first steps towards a democracy in Athens Debt Slavery - ...

February 10th, 2020 Classical Greece Book Notes After 1500 B.C. - Mycenaeans met Minoan civilization either through trade or war Mycenaeans saw the value of Seatrade through contact with the Minoans The Mycenaeans sailed through the Eastern Mediterranean Sea making stops at Aegon islands, coastal towns in Anatolia, and ports in Syria, Egypt, Italy, and Crete Mycenaeans adopted the Minoan writing system and decorated vases with Minoan designs Western civilization has roots in these 2 early civilizations 1200's B.C. - Mycenaeans fought a 10-year war with Troy Troy was an independent trading city in Anatolia Historians thought the Trojan War was fictional, but excavations in Northwestern Turkey in the 1870s by German Archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann proved them wrong After the Trojan War, the Mycenaean civilization collapsed c. 1200 B.C. - sea raiders attacked and burned many Mycenaean cities The Dorians moved into the Mycenaeans place They spoke Greek and had...

February 7, 2020 Classical Greece Terms Mycenaeans - Indo-Europeans who settled on the Greek mainland in about 2000 B.C.  Trojan War - a Greek army besieged anf destroyed the city of Troy because a Trojan king kidnapped Helen, a beautiful wife of a Greek king Dorians - peoples who moved into war-torn countryside Homer - a great storyteller who was blind Epics - narrative poems celebrating heroic deeds Myths - traditional stories  Book Notes  Greece is mainly a mountainous peninsula jutting out into the Mediterainan Sea It included about 2000 islands in the Aegaen and Ionian Seas and some land on the eastern edge of Aegean The Mediterainean Sea shaped Greek civilization The people of Greece rarely had to travel more than 85 miles to reach the coastline The Aegean, Ionian, and Black Seas linked most  areas of Greece and were important transportation routes As Greece became more advanced,  sea travel connected them to other societie...

February 5, 2020 Ancient Egypt Slideshow Notes In 1822, Jean François Champollion deciphered the Rosetta Stone hieroglyphics  The earliest Egyptian writing was formed c. 3100 B.C. and were small pictures called hieroglyphics Egyptians scripts were usually written in ink on papyrus and were made from mashed Nile reeds Papyrus was the precursor to paper Papyrus was stored in scrolls Scrolls were the books of Ancient Egypt Egyptian astronomers created a calendar with 12 months and 365 days to have a better understanding of seasonal cycles Egyptians had excellent knowledge of human anatomy Doctors wrote on health issues and created potions and cures for common ailments Wooden sailboats were used to increase transport in the Nile The Nile is 4100 miles long The Nile is longer than the  United States from coast to coast Cataracts  - rapids Pyramids were massive stone tombs that were originally covered in marble, but the marble was later on st...

February 4, 2020 Ancient Egypt Slideshow Notes Upper Egypt - a 500 mile long strip of fertile land along the Nile Lower Egypt - wide land of the Nile delta, empties into the Mediterrainian Sea Nile flows from the south to the north The Nile was a major provider of life, much revered in lore and writing 3100 B.C. - Upper and Lower Egypt unite Namer was also known as Menes Pharaohs were all powerful, worshipped as gods, and were thought to be connected to other gods and goddesses Egyptians relied on the harmony and balance of the universe Maat - goddess, the opposite of the goddess Isfet Pharaohs had multiple wives All routes to financial and social success were through the palace Women could inherit money and land, divorce their husband, and rarely get political power Gods were often portrayed with animal heads or bodies The Egyptians believed in the afterlife (ka) They mummified bodies to preserve for the post-death journey Belived that all souls must justi...

February 3rd, 2020 Ancient Egypt Terms The Rosetta Stone  - an inscribed message written in 3 different languages (hieroglyphics, simple hieroglyphics, and Greek); deciphering took many years  Kohl  - makeup the Egyptians used made from minerals mixed with water  Book Notes Egyptians were not locked into their social status, they could move up to higher roles Women had the same rights as men Egyptians made calendars They made a system of written numbers for simple math Egyptian doctors set broken bones with splints, had effective treatments for wounds and fevers, and had some successful types of surgery 2040-1640 B.C. - Middle Kingdom - strong pharaohs who restored law and order in Egypt Egyptians dug a canal from the Nile River to the Red Sea for transportation Farmers grew wheat, barley, fruits, and vegetables They used cosmetics for work and beauty purposes Makeup protected field workers from the sun and heat Both men a...