Last blog

We didn't have class or school Friday so Thursday was officially the last class of western civ of freshman year! I had a great year with Mr. Schick as my teacher and I had a great class. I can't wait to get through exams and for the year to be over. This is also my last blog of freshman year! I'm so happy to have finished the year strong with great grades. I will try my best to prepare for my exams and study as best as I can so I get good grades on all of them. 

One more class

We only have one more class left for west civ in freshman year! Today we took our last test and tomorrow we will get reviewing one more time for the exam. I got a 73 on my test which I am not too happy about. Even though my grade wasn't the best, I am happy I passed. I'm going to need to study a lot for this exam because I am not that great in social studies. I came a long way this year with studying hard for my tests so if I just study as hard as I did for my tests I will do just fine. I am so excited for the summer and the end of the year so it will be kind of difficult buckling down to study. Tomorrow in class I hope we have a good review day and get to review a lot of our information for next week. I need to listen to everything my teachers say about our exams because I want to do the best I possibly can.

Review for test

- the warriors loyalty is to the LORD OF THE MANOR
- he provides them with food weapons and treasure 
- Romans languages: French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian 
- Franks---> French
- in 496 Clovis had a battlefield conversion and his warriors became Christians 
- New roots:

• customs of various germanic tribes

- population shifts to rural areas 

- 511 franks were united into one kingdom

- in 520 Benedict writes rules for monks:

• vows of poverty- live in monasteries
• chastity- no martial relations 
• obedience- make copies of the bible 

- Benedict's sister Scholastica writes similar rules for the nuns 

- secular - Worldly power 

- church revenues are used to help the poor, build roads and raise armies

• this is a theocracy

- Christendom

•  extends from Italy to England Spain to Germany 
• a kingdom of Christians 

- most of the rest of Europe consists of smaller kingdoms (SEVEN IN ENGLAND)

- Charles the hammer defeats Muslims raiding party from Spain at the battle of tours in 732

- Charles Martel (charles the hammer) had a son named Pepin the Short 

-  Pepin the shorts son, Charlemagne, meaning Charles the Great

CHARLEMAGNE 

- built the greatest empire

- 6 foot four

- fought Germanic tribes

- spread Christianity

- reunited western Europe 

- most powerful king in western Europe 

- fought muslims in SPAIN

- Pope Leo III crowned him emperor in 800 AD after he defended  him form a roman mob

- just like JULIUS CAESAR

- visited every part of his kingdom 

- kept close watch on his huge estates

- encourages learning 

- had three sons 

• Lothair 
• charles the bald
• louis the german
• the sons split up the kingdom at the treaty of Verdun in AD 843

- his heirs were weak and ineffective

 

Review on notes

Since we had people absent yesterday we had a day to review everything we went over yesterday. I didn't have to take notes because I had everything in my notes! We reviewed Charlemagne and Charles the Hammer. We also reviewed Charles the Hammer's kids and when they died. We have a test on Wednesday and I want to get an A very badly! Since we already knew all of this stuff we have the rest of class to relax and study or talk. Mr. Schick took Jessica's headband and put it on and took a selfie. It was actually pretty funny! We also learned yesterday that Mr. Schick met Morgan Freeman and a bunch of other famous actors and actresses!! I never knew he met them and it was so cool! I had no idea that he did this and it was really cool to hear who he met and what he did.

Charlemagne notes

• Middle ages= medieval period
• 476-1453 AD
• (from the end of the roman empire to the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks)
• medieval Europe is fragmented 

This is a new society 

this new society has roots in:

• classical heritage of Rome
• beliefs of the roman catholic church
• customs of various Germanic tribes

5th century Germanic invaders

overrun the western half of the roman empire

causing:

• disruption of trade
• downfall of cities
• population shits to rural areas 

Effects of invasion

declining of learning 

• romance languages evolve (french, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian)

Germanic kingdoms emerge: AD 400-600

Germanic warriors' loyalty is to the lord of the manor 

he provides them w/ food, weapons, treasure 

result:

• no orderly government for large areas 
• small communities rule 

- pope Gregory I (Gregory the great) goes secular (worldly power)

- Church revenues are used to help to poor, build roads and raise armies

- this is a theocracy

- Gregory's spiritual kingdom (Christendom) extends from Italy to England, from Spain to Germany 

- hammer defeats a Muslim raiding party from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732 (if he hadn't won, western Europe could have become part of the Muslim Empire

Powerpoint notes: continued : charles the hammer

D. A european empire evolves
     1. franks control largest european kingdom 
          a. the roman province formerly known as Gaul
          b. ruled by Clovis- the Merovingian Dynasty 
*one of the most pivotal, crucial turning point when Charles the hammer took on a Muslim army.... and won**
     2. major domo- mayor of the palace-ruled the kingdom
     3. charles martel- charles the hammer
         a. extended the Franks' reign to the north, south, and east
         b. defeated a Muslim army from Spain at the Battle of Tours in 732- historic battle- Christians beat Muslims 
     4. charles the hammer's son- Pepin the Short
         a. possibly named for his unusual short haircut
         b. working for and with the pope, Pepin fought the Lombards
         c. Pope Stephen II named Pepin "king by the grace of God"- beginning the Carolingian Dynasty 751-987 AD
         d. Pepin the short had two sons: Carolman and Charles
         e. Carolman died... leaving Charles to take over 
E. Charlemagne takes center stage
     1. Charlemagne - aka Charles the Great 
         a. six foot four
         b. built the greatest empire since rome
         c. fought the Muslims in Spain
         d. fought Germanic tribes
         e. spread Christianity
         f. reunited western Europe
         g. became the most powerful king in western Europe 
         h. pope Leo III crowned him emperor in 800 AD after he defended him from an unruly roman mob
         i. this signaled the joining of Germanic power, the church, and the heritage of the roman empire  
      2. Charlemagne's government 
         a. he limited the authority of the nobles
         b. he regularly visited every part of his kingdom
         c. kept close watch on his huge estates
      3. cultural revival 
         a. encouraging learning 
         b. ordered monasteries to open schools
         c. opened a palace school
      4. but, his heirs were weenies...
         a. his son- Louis the Pious was ineffective 
         b. Louis' three sons- Lothair, Charles the bald, and Louis the German- split up the kingdom at the Treaty of Verdun in 843 AD 

Germanic Kingdoms Unit Under Charlemagne

MAIN IDEA

• many Germanic kingdoms that succeeded the Roman Empire were reunited under Charlemagne's empire

WHY IT MATTERS NOW!

• Charlemagne spread Christian civilization throughout northern Europe, which is where many of us came from

SETTING THE STAGE!

• middle ages= medieval period
• 500- 1500 AD
• medieval Europe is fragmented 

A. invasions trigger changes in western europe

 1. invasions and constant warfare spark new trends

     a. Disruption of trade 

          i. europe's cities are no longer economic centers

          ii. money is scarce 

     b. downfall of cities

          i. cities are no longer centers of administration

     c. population shifts

          i. nobles retreat to the rural areas 

          ii. cities don't have strong leadership 

 2. decline of learning

     a. Germanic invaders are illiterate, but they communicate through oral tradition 

     b. only priests and church officials could read and write

     c. knowledge of Greek (and literature, science, philosophy) is almost lose 

 *TEST QUESTION: what was the most common language: LATIN

 3. loss of a common language 

     a. dialects develop in different regions

     b. by the 800s, french, Spanish, and other roman-based languages are evolving from latin 

B. Germanic kingdom emerge

 1. the concept of government changes

     a. roman society: loyal to public government 

     b. germanic society: loyal to family

          i. germanic chief led warriors 

          ii. during peace, he provided food, weapons, treasure, a place to live (the lord's hall)

          iii. during wartime, warriors fought for the lord

     c. "the king, who's that? you want to collect taxes from me? who the heck are you?"

     d. franks live in the roman province Gaul- their leader is Clovis

 2. the franks under Clovis 

     a. another battlefield conversion (just like Constantine!)

     b. Clovis and 3000 of his warriors are baptized by the bishop

     c. the church in rome approves of this "alliance"

     d. Clovis and the church begin to work together 

C. Germanic peoples adopt Christianity

 1. 511 AD- Clovis unites Franks into one kingdom

 2. 600 AD- church+ Frankish rulers convert many 

 3. fear of Muslims in southern europe spur many to become Christians

 4. monasteries and convents

     a. 520 AD- Benedict wrote the rules from monks and monasteries

          i. poverty, chastity, obedience, study

     b. his sister scholastica did the same for nuns in convents

     c. 731 AD- the Venerable Bede wrote a killer history of England

     d. Monks opened schools, maintained libraries, and copied books (bibles, greek texts)

 5. (Pope) Gregory I expands papal power 

     a. papacy= pope's office

     b. secular power= worldly power

     c. so.... under Gregory the great...  

Papal power (power of the pope) is political power, presented from the pope's palace

     d. the church can use church money to:

         raise armies

         repair roads

         help the poor

     e. Gregory the great began to act as mayor of Rome, and as head of an earthy kingdom (Christendom)

Textbook notes review/ powerpoint

THE MIDDLE AGES

Today in class we went over our notes that we took the other night. We talked about what we said and how we are supposed to put the notes in our own words. But, unfortunately, none of us did that. We talked about a few new vocabulary words also. We learned that Christendom- is a combination of Christianity and kingdom we also learned that taxes/ tithe is giving 10% of what you earned from work and giving it to the church. We also learned that the eastern roman empire is known as the Byzantine Empire. In the roman empire, we learned that they were speaking Greek instead of Latin. 

- Socrates

- Plato 

- play writes

• you need to know how to speak and read Greek in order to do what these people did in their time period. 
• if we (people from this age) were alive back in the middle ages:
• we would not be going to school 
• we would learn to become a butcher (for boys) a house wife or being able to to take care of a family (women)
• we would learn from our parents 
• in order to learn and progress in the middle ages:
• we would need to know how to read or write 
• romans were not in the center of trade or in social life
• life back then in the Middle Ages was a lot more civilized than we thought it was 
• had a lot cleaner civilization 

POWERPOINT

• feudalism: a political, military, and economic system based on land-holding and protective alliances 
• in other words: the system is based on personal loyalty to people who can help you
• RICH DUDE (LORD): "I own land; I need people to help me work it and defend it"
• TOUGH DUDES (VASSALS): "there are a lot of us, we can help the rich dudes hold on to their land"

THE FEUDAL PYRAMID 

                                            - king

          - the most powerful VASSALS (nobles and bishops)

       -knights- mounted warriors who received FIEFS for defending                                        their lord's lad 

                           - PEASANTS (mostly SERFS)

            landless, powerless, moneyless, rights-less just working the                                land for "the man" (their lord)

• MANOR- the lord's estate 
• the lord's manor house
• a church
• some workshops
• 15-30 families
• all on a few square miles
• good news: it's a self-sufficient community
• bad news: it's harsh if you're a peasant

HOW HARSH WAS IT?

• peasants are poor AND pay high taxes
• tax on grain
• tax on marriage
• church tax (tithe= 10% of their income)
• the live in crowded cottages
• live with animals and insects 
• eat VERY simply
• but don't worry- the church says this is your lot in life
• God determines your place in society- so chill

Test Returned

We got our tests back in class today and I am so happy I got an A! I got my first ding for this semester and I was so happy. It didn't seem like a lot of people got dings this time. Only a few of us did. I got a 94, Hailey got a 98 and Carly got a 100! We all reviewed together right before the test and we all seemed to know the information pretty well. I am so happy that I got a great grade on this test because I studied very hard. I made a quizlet with all the information from the past three tests so I was sure to get an A!! My next goal is to get a 100 and get a double ding! The year is winding down but Mr. Schick said that we will still have a few more tests before exams. I have to be sure to study very hard for all of my exams. Science and west civ are the classes that I am most worried about. I need to be sure to study a lot and to not cram it all in in the last couple days. If I do that I think that I will be okay! I did okay on my first semester exams so I want to be able to do even better this time!

text book notes: After Rome

AFTER ROME
 "The upheaval of the early middle ages ended not in a collapse of civilization but in its renewal. and the first two early medieval centuries set the patterns for how this renewal would later take place in western and eastern Europe."

• the two centuries after the fall of Rome were a time of turmoil in Europe that would continue for five hundred years- a half millennium that counts as the "early" part of the middle ages. 
• in the Germanic kingdoms that had taken over the western half of the roman empire
• roman institutions gradually stopped working
•  cities ceased to be centers if trade and social life
•  warfare became more important than education and culture in the lives of the upper classes 
• the roman empire's surviving eastern half contributed to western Europe's chaos by efforts at reconquest, and then itself came under attack by newly powerful neighbors 

medieval- refers to the distinctive civilization of the middle ages which developed in Europe after the disintegration of the roman empire and before the emergence of the modern west 

noble- a member of the warrior-landowner group that formed the elite of medieval Europe 

5th century - Angles and Saxons invade Britain

486- Clovis leads Frankish confederacy against Romans and rival Germanic invaders in Gaul

527-565- reign of emperor Justinian in the eastern empire

542- plague hits Egypt, then spreads throughout the Mediterranean area and much of western Europe

568- Lombard conquer most of northern Italy

570-632- life of Muhammad

595- missionaries sent by the pope begin to convert the pagans of England 

711- Muslim invasion of Spain

800- Slavs occupy almost all of eastern Europe 

Rome fades away

ROME FADES AWAY

TWO EMPERORS

Diocletian 

• he rules from 284-303
• he thinks it's cool to kill CHRISTIANS
• looked at Christianity as a real problem because they won't worship the Roman gods
• Rome needs a big army (400,000 strong)
• rome needs a big government (20,000 officials)
• solution: take Roman empire and DIVIDE it in half
• east Roman empire- had all the money/ the better side
• west Roman empire- had all the trouble
• two completely different empires 

Constantine

• rules from 306-337
• he thinks its okay and cool to BE a Christian
• conversion to Christianity 

----via across in the sky (conquer by this!)----

• 313- his Edict of Milan proclaims
• edict: law/proclamation 

----freedom of worship----

• built a new capital in the East
• Byzantium, soon to be known as Constantinople

THE STRUGGLE OF THE PEASANTS

life in the fourth century:

• country dwellers are getting bankrupt by endless tax collection
• new farming systems: peasants work for elite landlords on large farms
• peasants can avoid paying taxed, but they are getting hit just as hard by the landlords
• paying off debts and being "allowed"to live on the land, in exchange for endless back-breaking work (such a deal!)
• landowners hold local power as counts and bishops, wielding more real power that the faraway empire
• foreshadowing feudalism 
• feudalism: whose the owner of the land/ system where one manner is owned by the rich and have servants to work for them and knights to guard them
• doesn't matter who is the leader or empire 

THE WESTERN EMPIRE CRUMBLES

• romes power is decreasing, while nomadic barbarians gain power
• western empire is too poor, begins to be neglected
• huns migrate from China to eastern Europe
• Visigoths take over Spain, and actually capture and loot Rome itself in 410
• Vandals control Carthage and the western Mediterranean
• other barbarian tribes
• Ostrogoths- Italy
• Franks- Gaul
• Angles and Saxons- Britain 

END OF AN ERA

from the beginnings...

• 500 BC- the monarchy is abolished 
• 450 BC- the twelve tables are established 

through the glory days...

• 44 BC- end of the line for Julius Caesar
• 27 BC-180 AD- the Roman peace (Pax Romana)

to the bitter end...

• constant fifth century invasions by barbarian tribes left the western Roman empire shattered and crumbling
• the last emperor was a teenage boy installed in 475 by his father
• barbarians deposed Romulus Augustulus without bothering to kill him

Decline of the Roman Empire

Rise of Christianity:

• Jesus spends three years preaching, is then killed by Roman leaders
• Jesus' followers think he's the messiah and the savior who has risen from the dead
• Saul (the persecutor) becomes Paul (the evangelist), spreading Jesus' message
• that there is one true God, not roman gods
• Christianity evolves from a cult status to an established official structure
• priest, bishops, pope (Bishop of Rome) 
• Christians and Jews are monotheistic (meaning they believe in one God)
• this conflicted with roman beliefs
• persecution against both groups was common 
• Christianity appealed to the poor, and since there were many poor people, their numbers grew
• as the numbers grew, even some Roman leaders embraced Christianity 
• AD 313: Constantine has a battlefield conversion
• he issues the Edict of Milan
• a law passed that was the approval of Christianity
• made Christianity the official religion of Rome 
• not only persecution, but actual approval of Christianity, eventually making it the official religion of Rome
• the Roman Empire and Christianity are now linked in power and influence 

Decline of the Roman Empire:

AD 180: Rome has problems 

• economic (trade became risky; taxers were too high; food supply was dropping)
• military (frontiers were hard to patrol; roman generals fought for control; soldiers' loyalty declined and mercenaries appeared)
• AD 324- Constantine becomes emperor over both halves of the empire
• moves the capital from Rome to Byzantium (renamed Constantinople), where Asia met Europe (now Turkey)
• after his death, empire is divided again
• this time "barbarian invader" (Huns, Vandals, Visigoths, Angles, Saxons, Franks) overrun the empire's frontiers
• that's it for the roman empire (AD 476) 

Diocletian divided the empire into two

• Greek-speaking East (had more resources(
• Latin-speaking West (rome, tradition) 

The changing world of Rome: Emperors, Christians, and Invaders

•  the greatest single change that began among the peoples of the empire during the era of the Roman Peace was the spread of a new form of monotheistic religion, Christianity
• the new religion began as a group within Judaism at a time of division and uncertainty among the Jews arising out of their encounter with the international civilization of Greece and Rome 
• the empire helped bring changes to peoples living outside as well as inside its borders
• The Germanic barbarians of northern Europe became wealthier, more highly organized, and military stronger as a result of living as Rome's neighbors during the era of the Roman Peace 
• roman peace: Pax Romana 
• barbarians grew stronger 
• from about 200 AD, they became such a formidable threat that the emperors could them off only by building up the army, replacing self-rule by centralized government, and openly ruling as absolute monarchs- changes that, in the long run, failed to hold the empire together
• but, these changes had lasting results for the future development of the West
• the empire was still strong enough to bring about the last and greatest of the changes in civilization and took place under its rule
• As long as Rome had prospered, the emperors had taken little notice of Christianity's growth and spread; in the empire's time of troubles, they sometimes harshly persecuted it and sometimes deliberately tolerated it 
• the rulers took Christianity into partnership as the official and majority religion

Roman Test

We took our test today on Rome and Caesar. I think I did really well! I made a quizlet a few nights before the test and added a few things to it last night. I added the test questions from the previous test we took before break. I knew more than half of the answers and I feel really strongly that I got a good grade. I hope Mr. Schick will grade ours in class because I'm anxious to know if I got an A. It would be the first A I got on a test this semester! Mr. Schick looked over my notes and quizlet I took in advisory and he said they looked great and that he thought I was good to go! We had a few minutes before the test to study so I studied with Carly and Hailey. Carly quizzed me and Hailey then we just looked over the quizlet one final time. I need to bring up my grade even more so I did the best I could to study for the test. Getting an A would be awesome but even if I didn't get an A I would still be so happy if I got a high B. I hope to find out my grade either in class or in the next day or two to see how I did. I studied a lot so I really hope it pays off.

Rome/ Caesar test

Who was the first emperor? Caesar Augustus

• began the period of peace and prosperity called Pax Romana
• after Augustus died (at age 76), they went to his grand-nephew OCTAVIAN in A.D. 14 to pass on the power to him 

CALIGULA

• he was Germanicus' son (28 years old when started being "in charge"
• he was Tiberius' adopted grand son and great-nephew 
• he started off well: granting bonuses to those in the military 
• he began to fight with the senate
• he claimed to be a god 
• when you start to claim yourself as a god as a very young age...it is starting to show your crazy
• he had many statues of him everywhere
• sacrilegious
• he was cruel and insane:
• he slept with other men's wives and bragged about it
• spent a lot of money (the empires money) 
• he tried to make his horse a consul and priest (that is what critics said)
• he was assassinated by his own government officials AD 41 (28 years old)

CLAUDIUS 

• a very miserable leader (but a great one)
• expanded the empire somewhat into Britain 
• conquered Britain; he built roads, canals and aqueducts; renovated the Circus Maximus 
• critics thought he had cerebral palsy or polio
• his own family used to make fun of him because of this 
• ostracized by his own family 
• married to a women named Messalina (who "messed" around a lot)
• she had a lover named Silius 
• she thought when Claudius died her lover could become emperor 
• Claudius heard about this and got Messalina and her lover (Silius) killed

RELIGIOUS TROUBLES

• Christianity and Judaism: monotheistic
• romans had many gods, plus at times the emperor was viewed as a god
• AD 66: a group of Jews called the Zealots tried to rebel, but Roman troops put them down and burned their temple (except for one wall)
• the western wall today is the holiest of all Jewish shrines
• half a million Jews died in the rebellion 

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS

• Romans were harsh towards those who would not worship the emperor
• especially Christians, who were viewed as followers of a new, upstart religion (cult)
• often used for "entertainment" purposes in the Colosseum (thrown to the lions ect.)
• despite the oppression, Christianity grew quickly- by AD 200, around 10% of the people in the Roman empire were Christians  

Text book notes: assassination and another Caesar

Page 101: Assassination and another Caesar

- Pompey was hasitily commissioned to defend thee Senate, but his forces were no match for Caesar's veterans
- Forced to flee from Italy, Pompey was later defeated by Caesar in Greece and murdered in Egypt, where he had taken refuge 
- Caesar moved swiftly to make himself supreme ruler of the Republic 
- The people's assemblies continued to exist, but they did little more than endorse Caesar's proposals 
- Caesar extended Roman citizenship to parts of Gaul and Spain and appointed citizens from the provinces to the Senate 
- He gave the Romans splendid public buildings and rods, and introduced reforms into every department and administration

• this is where Rome changes from Republic to empire  

- romans at home and abroad applaud Caesar's deeds, but these remained a stubborn core pf senators who were disturbed by his successors 
- Caesar appeared in the senate house, unarmed and unguarded, according to his custom, and a crowd of senators struck him down with their daggers 
- his murder did not restore the republic; instead, his death produced yet another crop of warlords and yet more bouts of civil war 

Page 103 The Roman Peace

- Augustus's new system of government kept many features of the Roman Republic, allowed subject peoples a good deal of self-rule, and brought Rome's destabilizing expansion to a halt. The result was two hundred years of stability that modern scholars call the Roman peace. 

- within the empire, the roman version of Greco-Roman civilization prevailed in the western territories and the Greek version was dominant in the east

- in many ways, the dominant international civilization undermined the traditions of other peoples of the empire 

Pages 104-107 LO1: The rule of the emperors

princeps: "first citizen" a traditional roman name for prominent leaders who were considered indispensable to the republic that came to be used by Augustus and other early emperors

• soon after Octavian's triumph at Actinium, the senate conferred on him a new title, Augustus ("revered one"), the name under which he has gone down in history  

THE AUGUSTAN SETTLEMENT 

• at the time, Augustus did his best to make it seem as if no such historic change was under way

THE FIRST CITIZEN

• unlike Sulla and Caesar, Augustus refused to offer a long-term dictatorship and referred to himself simply as pinceps (first citizen), a traditional name for prominent leaders who were considered indispensable to the republic 

THE DIVINE BEING

• in spite of avoiding Caesar's open exercise of supreme power, Augustus followed the dictator's even more arrogant-seeming example of accepting religious worship of himself 
• augustus also acquired the title of father of the fatherland and took seriously the fatherly duty of supervising the behavior of his "household"-- especially of the upper classes in rome

REFORM, RECONSTRUCTION, AND THE END OF EXPANSION 

• ensuring peace and stability involve not only changing the way the roman city-state worked but also reorganizing the whole of Rome's empire 
• first he brought the system of government appointments under his personal control
• second, Augustus showed respect for local institutes and encouraging provincial leaders to fulfill their responsibilities  
• third, he reorganized the army to ensure the loyalty of the rank- and- file soldiers 
• then he gradually brought about his single most drastic reform 

THE END OF ROMAN EXPANSION

• even after Augustus's troop cuts, his army was still far larger than the forces that Rome has usually maintained in the past
• he kept part of his arms in rome guarded to back up his power at the empires center but moved most of his forces to the frontiers of the empire 

 PERMANENT MONARCHY

• augustus was convinced that if romes new peace and stability were to last, the changes he had made in its government system must continue after his death  

caesar- the imperial title given to the designated successor of a reigning emperor

augustus- the imperial title given to a reigning emperor

roman peace- a term used to refer to the relative stability and prosperity that roman rule brought to the Mediterranean world and much of western Europe during the first and second centuries (AD)

LO2 LITERATURE AND THOUGHT IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE

- as rome's conquest brought it into closer contact with the Greek world, the romans began to share in the cultural traditions of Greece and Latin joined as a language of literature and thought 

Nero, a crazy man

Today in class we watched a movie about Nero Caesar. Nero was the ruler of Rome for a period of time. He was not what you would call a normal guy. Nero was crazy! After there was a huge fire in Rome he decided to re-build the city and change it completely. He killed dozens of people including his wife who was pregnant. The council wanted to kill him themselves but a slave who over heard them talking about their plan to attack him ran and told Nero before they could do it. Nero was confused and very scared but also furious. He called the men in and asked them if they were really planning to kill him. They lied and said they weren't planning on doing that but the slave interrupted and said that it was a lie and they were going to. Nero ended up killing many men in the council and also the slave. Everyone in Rome thought that Nero was crazy and all wanted to do something about it. But since he was the ruler, and was completely crazy, they were to afraid to actually do anything. They are currently planning on what they will do to Nero because they definitely need to get rid of him. He is crazy and an awful leader!

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar
- Got stabbed to death by senate
- took over at the age of 18
- "The honored one" 
- Brutus:

• one of his close friends
• stabbed him to death as well
• Et tu, Brute? Even you Brutus?
• thought to be his last words because Shakespeare wrote them

- Octavian (Caesar Augustus) 

• AKA: Caesars grand-nephew 
• began his rule at age 18
• became known as Caesar Augustus 
• begins the Pax Romana- a period of peace and prosperity
• built roads, aqueducts (brought water to the cities)
• set up civil service to take care of roads, the grain supple, even a postal service
• Augustus dies at age 76 in A.D. 14, and passes power to Tiberius 

from Jesus to Christianity:

• Jesus was a roman citizen and a practicing Jew
• at 30, he began his ministry (A.D. 31-33), preaching to the poor (and there were lots of them) in the empire, and reaching out to outsiders
• statements like "My kingdom is not of this world" made the Romans (and the jew) nervous, and they began to plan his execution
• the governor of the Roman province of Judaea, Pontius Pilate (prompted by Jewish high priests), sentences Jesus to death by crucifixion 
• Paul is an instrument in telling the world about Jesus
•  life, death, resurrection, and message
• 
  
• He travels far and wide: Cyprus, Anatolia, Athens, Corinth, Macedonia, Rome, Jerusalem, and maybe even spain and britain
• he writes letters to many of those he spoke to- these epistles are a part of the New Testament
• if not for the efforts of Paul, it is likely that Jesus remains an obscure preacher, instead of the central figure of the worlds largest religion 

honorific: to honor someone/ someone honorable 

august: to be honored 

 

Rise and Fall of an Empire

Ancient Rome Video: Julius Caesar 

- Rome was the greatest empire the world has ever known
- war was fought against Gaul and Romans
- 6 critical moments that shape the empire 

• the empire was great
• but also fell

- Alesia Gaul, 52 BC

• Tibus Lebinus:
• general of Caesars war/army 
• Mark Antony:
• general of Caesars army/war

- Romans attacked Gaul and won the war 

• Gaius Crastinus:
• veteran Centurion 

"The war is not over, it is just the beginning"

Caesar:

• in charge of the war
• had many men behind him wanting to fight for him
• very in charge of things
• a powerful dictator 
• a powerful soldier
• but also a powerful politician 

Underlining and Note taking

We had to get out our textbooks today in class because instead of copying notes we were underlining notes from our books. We were still continuing to talk about Rome and also the Gracchus brothers. We were also talking about the lifestyle and how the families were back then. One of the Gracchus brothers, Tiberius, tried to pass a law through the senate which the senate did not like, at all. So they beat him to death with a chair and threw his dead body in the Tiber river. We also talked about Julius Caesar and how he was a really smart and powerful dictator. He was eventually killed but when he was alive he always had a group of friends and soldiers to back him up. He got many people to do what he wanted just like Hitler did. Except, Julius wasn't crazy like Hitler was. We are going to be talking a little more about Rome tomorrow I think and sadly underlining notes in the book is not that fun. But, it is a lot better than a test or project and it is also a great way to study for any upcoming tests.

Pg 99-101 notes

SOLDIERS, WARLORDS AND CIVIL WAR
- with the changes in Rome's society and politics, the character of its armies and their commanders also changed

• triumvirate: in ancient rome, an alliance of three politicians that enabled them to control the Republic's decision making

JULIUS CAESAR

- came from an old patrician family that had come down in the world

- he entered the city's politics as a young man determined to regain the fame and power of his ancestors 

- came to the identity Rome's key problems at home and abroad

- with the help of his new friends he won an appointment as proconsul of a province that included the southern regions of Gaul

"But that which brought upon him the most apparent and mortal hatred was his desire of being king; which gave the common people the first occasion to quarrel with him, and proved the most specious pretence to those who had been his secret enemies all along."

ASSASSINATION AND ANOTHER CAESAR

- romans at home and abroad applauded Caesar's deeds but they remained a stubborn core of senators who were disturbed by his successes 

Rome Test

Today we took the test and I did not think I was going to do that great. After we finished Mr. Schick took the test down to the office and graded them. He came back and I did not do good at all. I'm really mad about my grade but I know I will study a lot more next time. The forms of government really messed me up because I was really confused on them. I'm happy we have the 200 point project because then I have a chance to move up my grade. We had the rest of the time to just relax so I talked to Carly and played 2048. I'm really mad about my grade so I know next time to focus on the more important things. I knew most of the vocabulary but the government brought me down. I also was not sure where Carthage was. On the test I put Europe but it was actually Afirca. Today is the last day until Spring break and I am so excited. I am going to be making my food for my project over break to see if it is good or not them I am making it on Monday right before we go back to school. I need to get a good grade on this project so I can bring up my grade.

Last day before Rome test

Roman legion:

• the soldiers 
• if you needed to attack someone they would do it
• the "police"
• or army 
• divided into two section:
• one legion is 5000 people
• they did not got paid
• people joined the legion because they were in it to do it
• no women

century:

• 80 people 

infantry:

• soldiers on foot, marching 
• "ground troops:

Calvary:

• soldiers/ men on horses 

Punic wars:

• three wars
• first war:
• fought over Sicily 
• second war:
• Hannibal 
• third war:
• romans attacked carthage 
• Rome won all of them 
• punic wars were important history 

- latifundia: great estate 

• men go off to war and leave their wives at home
• women are forced to sell the farm to a wealthy aristocrat 
• wives now have to work for the aristocrat 
• when the men come home they move to the city or Rome to try to find work
• everyone is there now because most of the women sold their farm

Gracchus brothers:

• rich are getting richer
• poor are getting poorer 
• middle class is evaporating
• came up with reasonable solution:
• went to senate and said that this isn't fair
• give some of the land back to the people that sold 
• got a law passed saying that the rich had to give back their land
• senate then came and beat to death and killed Tibirius Gracchus and threw his body in the Tiber river

- people buy up family farms 

- made chickens have bigger breasts as a way to get more money for the chicken but that isn't fair 

Catching up on the project

Today Mr. Schick explained to us how our Roman project will be graded and the work that needs to be done to get an A on the project. After he was done explaining he gave us the rest of the mod to work on our projects with our groups. Hailey Carly and I got together and decided that we would be making a google doc and a powerpoint about our project. We will be doing different slides about our foods. The slides will be about what the ingredients were, how we made the food, where the recipe came from, and background information about the food. We are making four different things: bread, globi cheese balls, roman cookies, and stuffed dates! I think all of the food sounds great! I just hope the class likes it! Mr. Schick looked to see some of the foods we are making and he said they sounded great too! We are going to put a lot of effort into this project and we hope to get a good grade.

Rome notes

Etruscans: 
- made grid section 
- skilled road builders 

• roads were mostly muddy, dirt piles patted down
• made roads:
• to get to places quickly
• the roads had to be dependable 

- romans did gladiator fighting's

• as entertainment purposes
• "bread and circuses" 
• make the people not want to rise up against leaders 
• distracted them from their everyday life

- patricians: money; land; government listened to; high up; government influence 

- plebeians: lower class; ran the shops; farmed  

FORMS OF GOV. 

- senate:

• the aristocrats 
• if your father was in the senate you would be in the senate 
• if you are elected to the senate you are called a senator 

- the 12 tables:

• the first laws that were written down and publicly posted
• plebeians stood out and grew from the result of the 12 tables 
• plebeians were still lacking their own place in the gov 

- the assembly:

• like the senate but for plebeians 
• if your elected to the assembly you are called a tribune

- the consuls: monarchy

• 2 consuls
• they had 2 because they could keep an eye on eachother 
• consuls were only on the job for 1 year
• could run for consul again in 10 years after served once

- dictators:

• given all of the power 
• not an evil person 
• only a dictator for 6 months then you go back to the senate
• only for 6 months to get through the issue
• made big financial decision
• when there is an emergency the dictator would make the decision 

homework:

1. Rome and Carthage fought in the Punic wars from 264 to 146 BC
2. Rome won all the Punic wars

  

Rome Project

Since it was Friday Mr. Schick gave us the whole class to work on our Rome project. He said since it was the end of the week and we were tired because it was first mod, he said we could work on our project if we promised to get at least some work done. Since Hailey, Carly and I are baking food there wasn't much we could do. We couldn't do much except find more food online that we could potentially bake. Carly got a book from the library on Roman cooking also! We decided that Hailey is going to make Roman cookies, I will be making cheeseballs and Carly is going to find something in her book to make. I think that all the food were making sounds good! I just hope the class and Mr. Schick like it! It should be fun trying different Roman dishes that my classmates make. Not everyone is making food, but the majority of the class is. Baking sounded like the most popular topic for everyone, not only because it is probably the easiest, but because it would be fun!

Text Book Notes

Today in class before we all walked in, Mr. Schick was standing at the door with the text book in his hands. I was walking with Hailey and since we needed our text book we had to go to our lockers to get it. Hailey's locker is on the third floor and lucky for me my locker is on the first floor the same as the class room! Hailey decided to keep her book in my locker because her locker is all the way on the third floor. Once we got back to the classroom Mr. Schick told us to get out a highlighter or pen and to be ready to highlight because that is what we will be doing all class! He told us everything we needed to know. We went through a few pages and were talking about the Romans and the culture they had. I learned that women were not treated fairly when it came to women and men. I also leanred that men were so powerful that if they, for some reason, had to kill their child they could because they were the child's "owner". It is so much different now than it was back then! A lot of the Greek gods/goddesses and some buildings they had were copied by the Romans because they loved what the Greeks were doing! Like I said before, it is just so much different then by the way women were treated and the lifestyle than it is today.

Rome by Chi-Cago

- Etruscans and Greeks- first people to arrive in Italy- Latins very first 
- Mediterranean- "middle earth"
- Remus and Romulus:

•     two twin boys who were raised by a wolf
• Romulus- Rome
• get Rome from Romulus
• a mythological founding of Rome

- Tarquin "The Proud"

• last king in Rome
• got to angry "got a little loud"
• his town ran him out
• his town formed a new government 
• took 3 governments and rolled them into one
• democracy
• aristocracy 
• plus monarchy- some
• we (the US) model our gov like the Romans 
• Judiciary
• executive- monarchy
• legislative- Aristocracy/ democracy- house of representatives 
• respublica- the business for people- where we get republic 

Mr. Schick likes to rap!

Today was April fools day!! Not many of my teachers pulled tricks on us but Mr. Schick did something I did not expect! Once all of our class got into the class room Mr. Schick came in with sunglasses, a hat that was on backwards and a sweatshirt. He said his name was "Chi-Chago" and he was going to rap for us! I didn't really know what to expect! The whole class pulled out there phones and got into the back of the classroom and started to record Mr. Schick. He sang to the song "Low" by Flo-Rida but he changed the lyrics so it was about Rome! I was actually really impressed with his song because he wrote it by himself and it was really good! I had no idea he came up with it when I first started to hear him rap! But sadly the rap ended and we had to get back to class. Mr. Schick then explained a project that we will be doing before and a little after Spring break. We could work with a partner or in a group of two and we have a list of things we get to chose from. My group is Hailey, Carly and I and we are going to be making Roman food to bring into class. I think it sounds like a fun project! Overall, today was a really fun class!

Class Discussion

We didn’t have class on Friday because we didn’t have school so Friday was our last class of the week! Mr. Schick decided to make it like a college class so we didn’t use our laptops or took notes, we just had a discussion. We talked about the Greeks and some old stories that were told ages ago. The story was about prisoners that were kept in this cave ever since they were little kids and had chains around their legs so they couldn’t move. They had to sit and stare at a wall for their whole life! There was a big fire behind them but they could not see it because they couldn’t turn around. Some people, that weren’t prisoners, would use signs that looked like animals and people and walk across this bridge and carry the signs. The signs would create an image on the walls in front of the prisoners and the prisoners would try to guess what the image was. The images usually would tell a story. The prisoners would play games to try to guess what each of the sings were and would get a prize. We talked about how if those prisoners were given the chance to be set free and live in the real world would they? They know nothing other than what they learned being a prisoner in a dark cave! I say that personally, if I were the prisoner, I would want to be set free but I wouldn’t know what to do or how to live on my own! It would be very difficult. 

Took the test

We had our test today and I thought it went pretty well. Mr. Schick showed me the test in advisory and I thought it would be very hard but I thought it was alright! We got to use our blogs and luckily I had a lot of notes in my blog! It was very helpful because I think that I did really good! I really need a good grade in this class because I am only a point away from an A. I really hope to get straight A's by the end of the year. I have been trying my best to study as much as I can to bring up all of my grades. I'm really happy we got to use our blogs and I will be sure to put more notes in my blogs now just incase we are allowed to use it. We had a map on the test that I wasn't sure of where the places where ( the seas). I tried my best to remember what it was and I hope I got it right. I hop to get the test back soon so I can see how I did and hopefully it will bring up my grade!

Test Tomorrow

Today in class we watched more of the Greek video to review for the test. Tomorrow is our test which is on the people of Greece. We have a quizlet we can study, a worksheet, and we can also watch the video again. I get very confused when it comes to dates and people. It's hard for me to remember who is who. I've been reviewing the quizlet and I think I will do pretty well on the test. I really want to get straight A's so I hope I can bring up my grade in this class. I am one point away from an A! I need to do great on this test so I can get the A I really want. I am going to review the powerpoint a few more times to make sure I know all the vocabulary. There will be a lot of information on this test so I hope I can keep it all straight and come out with a good grade!

The Greeks

Aspasia- 

• had an influence on government 
• got together with Pericles 
• might have written speeches for Pericles

odysseus-

• many adventures trying to get back to his wife from the trojan war

agora

• central meeting place

olympics

• sporting events

arete

• meaning excellence

homer 

• composed many books including "the Iliad" and "the odyssey"

dorians

• less advanced people
• writings disappeared for 400 years and the economy collapsed

edipus

• was a character in a play and had to marry his mother and kill his father
• stabbed his eyes out

darius

• commanded the first persian invasion of greece which ended the defeat in the marathon

isagoris

• last of the dictators to run greece
• mean; bad guy 
• son was charged for rape

oricals

• flights of birds
• read insides of animals 

trireme

• big boat used to ram into other boats
• 
  

Isagoris 

• last of the dictators to run Greece 
• mean; a bad guy, corrupt 
• had a son who was charged for rape
• for three days, the Athenians threw him out

Cleisthenes

• an aristocrat 
• was told he should rule Athens
• a smart guy
• decided to take over
• was the reason for the inventions of democracy
• shared power with everyone 
• was ostracized by his people 
• got to big for his britches 
• wanted to build up military 

xerxes:

• sat on a thrown and watched his army be defeated by persians in salamis

xerxes and darius:

• natural enemies 
• Greeks and Persians had different completions
• Persians could have made a big empire but couldn't because of Greece
• Darius wanted to take over the Mediterranean
• two groups 
• one fighting to fit in
• one for existence

Pheidippides 

• ran 26 miles
• ran to another Greek city-state for help
• ran to Sparta to warn them but dies

Salamis

• "straight"- water way
• tried to lure ships (Persians) into the straights to attack and trap them 
• a man comes in and pretends to be a trader and tricks Persians to go into straights where Greeks attacked 
• Persians won and destroyed the Greeks 

Pericles 

•  made a bad decision 
• hubris: meaning: so arrogant you can't go wrong, making decisions based on yourself 
• hated Sparta and wanted to attack 
• everything went wrong
• built a wall around Athens 
• wanted to surround Sparta with Athens Navy 
• Sparta took out Athens 
• Athenians hid behind wall
• ships who were bringing supplies brought people with the plague into Athens 
• Pericles got plague and died 
• Persia and Sparta got together and took out Athens 

Oricals 

- flights of birds

- read the insides of an animal 

mycenaeans 

• first people to speak greek

barbarian

• meaning non greek
• came from the word "barbaros"

megalithic structure

• massive rough cut stones used to construct monuments and tombs

tribe

• social and political unit consisting of a group of communities held together

tribes governed by:

• warrior kings and queens
• chieftains
• tribal leaders

greeks

• the first european barbarians to make contact with civilization 

major crops the aegean people subsisted from:

• grain 
• vines
• olives

besides farming, what else did the people of the aegean engage in?

• shipbuilding, piracy, metalworking, and lumberjacking

when did the mycenaean civilization develop?

• no later than 1600 bc

the society mycenaeans are closely linked to:

• minoans

what brought the mycenaean civilization to an end?

• we dont know

a new city-state settled in oversea territory 

• colony

how many letters were in the Greek alphabet?

• 30

three great civilizations of the ancient world by 500 BC

• mesopotamia, egypt and the greeks

fortified location of the parthenon; high fortified citadel

• acropolis

a unit of several hundred hoplites who close ranks by joining shields

• phalanx

a state governed by a single hereditary ruler 

• monarchy

a state governed by a small group

• oligarchy

conquered peoples of Locania and Messenia that served as slaves to sparta

• helots

Test Next Week

We haven't had class much this week because of the snow and the meeting all the teachers had to go to. We were supposed to have a test tomorrow but since we haven't had much class time, Mr. Schick rescheduled the test. He said that the test should be sometime next week. That is fine with me because I still need some time to study. Mr. Schick needed a little time to catch up with things so we were able to sit and talk. I sat with Carly and Hailey and talked with them then helped them study for their math test. At the very end of class Mr. Schick asked us who was preparing for drivers ed. Most of us raised our hands and then Mr. Schick showed us a video of people recklessly driving! It was very funny! Today was a very easy class and even though we probably won't be allowed, I wouldn't mind having another class like that!

Gym Assignment

1. Most fertile land isn't a characteristic of Greece.

2. Approximately 3/4 of Greece is covered by mountains. 

3. Barbarian was used in the ancient world as a word that came from the Greek word "Barbaros", meaning "Non-Greek".

4. A massive rough-cut stones used to construct monuments and tombs is known as a megalithic structure 

5. The term tribe refers to a social and political unit consisting of a group of communities held together by common interests, traditions and real or mythical ties of kinship.

6. Tribes were governed by warrior kings or queens, chieftains and tribal leaders that were chosen by warriors.

7. The Greeks were the first European barbarians to make contact with civilization. 

8. The United States is one of the modern-day countries that is not considered a member of "Western Civilization".

9. The sea that is located just west of the Greek mainland is the Ionian Sea

10. The sea that is located just east of the Greek mainland is the Aegean Sea 

11. The major crops the Aegean people lived on were grain, vines, and olives. 

12. Minoan was a civilization that arose on the island of Crete.

13. The Mycenaean civilization established settlements along the Greek mainland's southern shore and on some islands. 

14. The Mycenaean civilization built massive walls to protect themselves from attack.

15. The period of Greek history in which the population dropped, ships no longer sailed, and writing fell out of use was known as the Dark Ages.

16. The Greeks joined the Phoenicians as the leading commercial and seafaring nation of the Mediterranean.

17. In historical writing, the letter "c" might appear before a date as in "c 1500 BC." It means around, about or circa.

18. By 600 BC, Greek city-states dotted the coastlines around the Mediterranean Sea. These were known as colonies.

19. Although the Greek city-states varied in size, they most closely resembled countries. 

20. An oligarchy is a form of government in which a small group of citizens dominated, and the power of the majority was limited in various ways.

21. Democracy is a form of government in which decisions were made by the majority of adult male citizens. 

22. A form of government in which a self-proclaimed dictator held power is known as a tyranny.

23. Monarchy is a form of government in which power is held by a single ruler, and is often passed along from father to son.

24. Spartans used oligarchy as their training at age seven.

25. Spartan males began their military training when they were seven years old. 

26. The wealthiest city-state in the ancient Greek world was known as Athens.

27. The high fortified citadel and religious center of an ancient Greek town was known as the acropolis.

28. The name of the southern peninsula where Sparta was located was known as Peloponnesus 

29. Triremes were massive fighting ships with three banks of oars that were used to ram or board enemy ships.

30. A hoplite was a heavily armed and armored citizen-soldier of ancient Greece.

short answer:

1. You recall the time period when the Greek population dropped, ships no longer sailed, and writing fell out of use.  What years did this period begin and end?

This age was known as the Dark Age. The Dark Age lasted about four centuries  from about 1150 BC to 800 BC. 

2. During the time period when writing fell out of use, the poet Homer is said to have told stories of the Trojan War, and of a war hero attempting to return to his home.  What are the titles of these two stories?

The two stories Homer wrote were "The Odyssey" and "The Iliad." 

3. The word “Mediterranean” originally meant _____________________ .

The word "Mediterranean" originally meant "center of the earth". "Medi" stood for middle and "terranean" meant earth. 

4. What were prominent and long-established Athenian land-owners called?

They were known as the Aristocrats and they were usually the rulers of the city-states.