Chapter 3 notes

The first European civilization : the Greeks, 2200-400 BC

quote: "within classical Greek civilization there appeared idea, art forms, and types of government whose influence on western civilization has lasted down to the present day" 

• the Greeks began as one of many European barbarian peoples that is, they have distinctive way of life, based on farming and warfare, that was widespread in western Europe 
• the earliest Greek civilization was very much an offshoot of the ways of life of their eastern neighbors.

megaliths- massive rough-cut stones used to construct monuments and tombs 

tribe- a social and political unit consisting of a group of communities held together by common interests, traditions, and real of mythical ties of kinship 

EUROPEAN BARBARIANS

• over three thousand years up to the time of the Persian Empire, civilization had spread from its Sumerian and Egyptian homelands right across southwestern asia and northeastern Africa, and other regions of civilization had also arisen in india, china, and the western hemisphere 

THE EARLIEST EUROPEANS

• even before this historic encounter, the way of life of the peoples of europe had undergone many changes and advances. 

THE BARBARIAN WAY OF LIFE

• The early europeans cannot have had any sense of a common identity but in time most of them came to share a distinctive way of life. 

"when a leading warrior died, his horse and chariot, his bronze swords and daggers, and his gold and silver drinking cups would all go to the grave with him- presumably so that he could go on riding, fighting, and drinking as a comrade of the gods in the afterlife"

stonehenge- the most famous of megalithic structures was built by a farming and trading people in the west of England about 2000 BC, contemporary with the beginning of the Babylonian empire in Mesopotamia and the founding of the Middle Kingdom in Egypt. the wealth, skills, and organization to build great monuments were no monopoly of the peoples of the Euphrates, the Tigris, and the Nile 

short answer

a. 
         The technological inventions of the Egyptians were the sail boat, pyramids, and the calendar. The sail boat was used a transportation around to fish or collect fresh water and it was also a way for the Egyptians to have fun. The pyramids were made to keep the bodies of pharaohs, that were mummified, and to preserve their body for the afterlife. Finally, the Egyptians invented the calendar, with 365 days, as a way to make better sense of the seasonal cycles and as a way to keep track of their days.

b.  
         Three important features of the pyramids were that they were made to honor the pharaoh and when he, or she, died they would keep their body in the pyramid to preserve it for the after life. Second, the chambers inside the pyramid that would lead to different rooms where the pharaoh was kept. Finally, the treasures and the interior paintings were to honor the gods and to tell stories that depicted humans and gods. 

Snow day essays

Social Hierarchy:

          The social hierarchy of ancient Egypt was used to rank people into different social classes. The hierarchy was used based on a system of importance or authority. Your place on the hierarchy was based on your job as well. Women were known to be low in the hierarchy. A hierarchy usually started with the pharaoh because they were the most important and had the greatest authority.

          Following the pharaohs are the government officials which are the nobles and priests then the soldiers, scribes, merchants, artisans, farmers and then, finally, the slaves. The slaves were the least important and helped the wealthier people with household and child raising jobs. Moving up the chain were the farmers, the farmers raised wheat, barley, lentils, onions, and other vegetables from irrigating the Nile. The artisans would carve statues and acted as the artists. The merchants would bargain for people and would accept bags of grain until coins started coming about. Scribes kept records, told stories, wrote poetry and were in charge of writing medical or anatomy book. They were considered doctors to some extent and were supposed to write medical diagnoses. The scribes wrote their books in hieroglyphs. Next came the soldiers, they used wooden weapons with bronze tips and might ride chariots. The upper class which were also known as the white kilt class, were the priests, physicians and engineers. Then at the very top were the religious or political leaders, the pharaoh, they were known as the “lord of two lands” they owned all land, (upper and lower Egypt) and were in charge of the military. They were also known as the “high priests of every temple”.

          The hierarchy was a way to rank people in Egypt and no one would over rank another person. Every ranking on the hierarchy was treated a different way as well. The slaves and the lower class were not treated nearly as well as the pharaohs and upper class. If you were in the lower class, you were seen as less important or littler then the upper class. The pharaoh was all powerful and was treated with the greatest amount of respect. Once the pharaoh died there would be a new pharaoh and no one would be able to overpower him or her.

The Nile River:

          The Nile River was a major provider for the people of ancient Egypt. All Egyptian life centered around the Nile. Its water was used for drinking, irrigating crops, bathing, and transportation.

          The Egyptians invented the sail boat as a way of transportation. The sail boat was known as one of their technological advances. The sailboat was a way for the Egyptians to move around the Nile River. They could use the sailboat to fish, collect fresh water or even just for entertainment.

           The Egyptians all lived around the Nile because they used its water for drinking and bathing. Every July the Nile was known to flood but then in October it would leave behind fresh soil. Managing the river required technological breakthroughs in irrigation. The delta, which was near the Nile, was a broad, marshy triangular area of fertile soil. The Nile River flowed south to north and was one of the longest rivers. The Rivers water helped the Egyptians to grow crops and was a great source for them to get fresh water. 

Video Review

Since there is a big snow storm tomorrow we didn't do much in most of my classes today. In west civ we have been taking notes on Ancient Egypt the past few days and today we watched a video to review. The video was made by John Green and it was basically just a review of what we previously took notes on. There wasn't anything new that I learned from the video. He talked about the pyramids and the different chambers inside them and some of the pharaohs that have been mummified. For example, King Tut. He is very famous because his tomb was broken into. John also talked about the Nile but he made a mistake when he was talking about the direction it flowed. The Nile flows from South to North but instead John made a mistake and said North to South. We have a test coming up depending on the day we get back to school. We were told to bring all of our books home in case we were off because we will still have work to do. Hopefully this will be a big storm and we will be off for a few days. Because of the storm it will give me a few extra days to study! Hopefully because of the extra studying I will get a good grade on the quiz!

five elements

five elements:
1. geography
2. daily life
3. pharaohs 
4. gods/goddesses
5. pyramids 

geography: 

• Egyptian life centered around the Nile
• water for drinking, irrigating crops, bathing and transportation
• every July it floods
• every October it leaves behind fresh soil
• managing the river required technological breakthroughs in irrigation 
• the delta- is a broad, marshy triangular area of fertile soil

pyramids 

the great Sphinx of Giza

• built 2555-2532 BCE
• a recumbent lion with a humans head 
• oldest monumental statue in the world

daily life

• hierarchy

            pharaoh

  gov. officials- nobles/ priests 

            soldiers

            scribes

          merchants 

            artisans 

            farmers 

             slaves

slaves: helped the wealthy with household and child raising work

farmers: raised wheat, barley, lentils, onions, from irrigating Nile

artisans: would carve statues

merchants: bargain for people/ would accept bags of grain until coins came about

scribes: kept records, told stories, wrote poetry, were in charge of writing medical/ anatomy books

     - wrote in hieroglyphs 

soldiers: used wooden weapons with bronze tips and might ride chariots

upper class: (white kilt class), priests, physicians, engineers

religious/ political leader (pharaoh)- "lord of two lands"- owned all land, (upper and lower Egypt) in charge of military, "high priest of every temple" 

Hatshepsut- served as pharaoh 

Cleopatra VII- 51-30 BC last pharaoh 

notes on Egypt

Land of the Pharaohs: Egypt

• The Nile and the “Two Lands”

• The Nile was a  major provider of life for the Egyptians
• The Nile flows south to north
• One of the longest rivers
• 3100 BC:
• Lower and upper Egypt were under one Pharaoh

Government by a god-king

• Pharaohs

• Pharaohs were all powerful
• Egyptians relied on a harmony and balance of the universe which they called "moat"
• Pharaohs had multiple lives; often their own sisters
• Women had few rights but were still less important than men

Gods, humans, and everlasting life

• Gods were often portrayed with an animal head or bodies
• Egyptians believed in an afterlife but only for some important, special people
• Mummified the dead bodies to preserve them for the afterlife
• Your soul needed to justify itself

The writings

• Wrote using pictures
• Writing was formed 3100 BC
• Pictures were known as hieroglyphs
• Used papyrus as paper
• Scribes were known to write down things and once done, roll them in a script 

Calendars and sail boats

• Egyptian astronomers created a calendar with 365 days to make better sense of the seasonal cycles
• Technological advance:
• The sail boat
• Used sail boat for transportability

Pyramids and temples

• Were massive stone tombs
• Were originally covered in marble
• Stone sculptures and interior painting depicted humans and gods 

LO3 notes

steppes: vast semiarid grasslands or plains 

The Narmer Palette: this Palette was used got grinding makeup for the divine images in an Upper Egyptian temple about 3100 BC. 

Map 1.3 Ancient Egypt: Egyptian civilization grew up in a thin strip of fertile land where the Nile crosses the North African desert, and in the boarder region of the river's delta

The Nile and the "Two lands"

pharaohs: the rulers of ancient Egypt

Government by a God-King 

Tending the "cattle of God" 

"Hail to thee, O Nile, that issues from the earth and comes to keep Egypt alive! Hidden in his form of appearance, a darkness by day, to whom minstrels have sung. He that waters the meadows which Re created, in order to keep every kid alive. He that makes to drink the desert and the place distant from water: that is his dew coming down (from) heaven 

Men and women under the Pharaohs:

• the women who were closest to the Pharaoh, the king's mother and the king's Principal wife, also had a touch of divinity for it was a god who made them pregnant and a god to whom they gave birth. 

Caption: the great sphinx: this famous monument, carved out of solid rock in the royal burial area at Giza, expresses the Egyptian belief in the Pharaoh as god-king.

gods, humans, and everlasting life

• many Egyptian deities, tracing to the stone age, were originally conceived in the form of animals; during historic times, the divine images often had animal heads and bodies  

pyramid: a massive structure with sloping sides that met at an apex, used as a royal tomb in ancient Egypt 

pyramids and temples

• the most spectacular Egyptian technical feats, however, were in the field of building 

caption: king menkaure and his queen: the queen has her arm protectively around her husband, that is a typical Egyptian pose in statues of married couples that testifies to the status and power of upper-class women 

the rhythm of Egypt's history: to hold the Egyptian state together for many centuries on end was no easy matter 

quote: "I crushed a million countries by myself": a scene from the battle of Qadesh in Syria