Funeral Orations in history: Pericles vs Lincoln

Many funeral orations have been made throughout the course of history. Each is very different, some better than others, but one may wonder if there are any connections between them. One may take a look at Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address and Pericles' funeral oration. Lincoln wrote his Gettysburg address during the American Civil war, while Pericles' speech was delivered after the Peloponnesian War. Both of these speeches were made to honor the dead for all of the good they have done for their country, and to show that it is noble to fight hard for one's country. Though it may not seem it at first, these speeches have many connections because both speakers have great love for their nation.

Both Pericles and Lincoln use different appeals in their speeches, including appealing to Patriotism. When soldiers die in battle, fighting for their country, they show the most extreme form of patriotism. In his speech, Lincoln says “These died will not have died in vain” and Pericles says that the Athenian men “nobly fought and died." It is obvious that everyone respects those who die for their country.

Another appeal used is pride. Through their patriotism and other references to the greatness of their country, the speakers show pride for their country, while implying that all listeners should as well. Lincoln glorifies the beginning of America: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." Pericles done the same: "In short, I say that as a city we are the school of Hellas, while I doubt if the world can produce a man who, where he has only himself to depend upon, is equal to so many emergencies, and graced by so happy a versatility, as the Athenian." When a leader is speaking so highly of the country in which one lives, how could they not be proud?

Making the people proud of their nation is easy if one glorifies and honors the accomplishments it has made. Lincoln says that a tough time is coming, but he wtill glorifies the nation by saying: “Now we are engaged in a great civil war. . .testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated. . . can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war.”

"For Athens alone of her contemporaries is found when tested to be greater than her reputation, and alone gives no occasion to her assailants to blush at the antagonist by whom they have been worsted, or to her subjects to question her title by merit to rule". (Pericles).

Conclusion

Throughout history, wars have gone on. Soldiers that die in war have always been honored, so one can see this in many funeral speeches. The people that deliver the speeches want to show how honorable these people were, fighting hard for their great country. This is why many funeral speeches in history are similar and connected.

Pericles vs Lincoln combined outline

Introduction

Many funeral orations have been made throughout the course of history. Each is very different, some better than others, but one may wonder if there are any connections between them. One may take a look at Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address and Pericles' funeral oration. Lincoln wrote his Gettysburg address during the American Civil war, while Pericles' speech was delivered after the Peloponnesian War. Both of these speeches were made to honor the dead for all of the good they have done for their country, and to show that it is noble to fight hard for one's country. Though it may not seem it at first, these speeches have many connections because both speakers have great love for their nation.

Appeal to patriotism

Both Pericles and Lincoln use different appeals in their speeches, including appealing to Patriotism. When soldiers die in battle, fighting for their country, they show the most extreme form of patriotism. In his speech, Lincoln says “These died will not have died in vain” and Pericles says that the Athenian men “nobly fought and died." It is obvious that everyone respects those who die for their country.

Appeal to pride

Another appeal used is pride. Through their patriotism and other references to the greatness of their country, the speakers show pride for their country, while implying that all listeners should as well.

Lincoln: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

Pericles: "In short, I say that as a city we are the school of Hellas, while I doubt if the world can produce a man who, where he has only himself to depend upon, is equal to so many emergencies, and graced by so happy a versatility, as the Athenian."

Pericles: "For Athens alone of her contemporaries is found when tested to be greater than her reputation, and alone gives no occasion to her assailants to blush at the antagonist by whom they have been worsted, or to her subjects to question her title by merit to rule".

Appeal to Honor, Glory, Nation, etc

“Now we are engaged in a great civil war. . .testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated. . . can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war.” (Lincoln)

Conclusion

Throughout history, wars have gone on. Soldiers that die in war have always been honored, so one can see this in many funeral speeches. The people that deliver the speeches want to show how honorable these people were, fighting hard for their great country. This is why many funeral speeches in history are similar and connected.

Primary source comparison outline

Outline

I Explanation of events leading up to each Oration (with reference sources)

Thesis- There are many connections between Lincoln's Gettysburg address and Pericles' funeral oration, even though many cannot see it.

Many funeral orations have been made throughout the course of history. Each is very different, some better than others, but one may wonder if there are any connections between them. One may take a look at Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address and Pericles' funeral oration. Lincoln wrote his Gettysburg address during the American Civil war, while Pericles' speech was delivered during the Peloponnesian War. Both of these speeches are

II Primary Sources: Pericles vs. Lincoln (use quotes) support topic: Appeal to Patriotism?

Both Pericles and Lincoln use different appeals in their speeches, including appealing to Patriotism.

Lincoln: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

Pericles: "In short, I say that as a city we are the school of Hellas, while I doubt if the world can produce a man who, where he has only himself to depend upon, is equal to so many emergencies, and graced by so happy a versatility, as the Athenian."

III Appeal to Pride?

They both appeal to pride, and it sort of ties into Patriotism. They both state good things aout their country or city, and imply that the people should be proud of this.

IV Appeal to Honor, Glory, Nation, etc.

V Conclusion

Sum it up, talk about why these speeches would have connections:

Throughout history, wars have gone on. Soldiers that die in war have always been honored, so one can see this in many funeral speeches. The people that deliver the speeches want to show how honorable these people were, fighting hard for their great country.

Restate thesis

http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/P/al16/speeches/gettys.htm

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/pericles-funeralspeech.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Address

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pericles'_Funeral_Oration

Notes 3/26- The year 1066

1066. Three major battles happened which sealed the fate of Europe
1. The vikings of norway make a major raid into English and send more than 3000 ships.
2. Normans under William, the English under Harold.
2. The battle of Fulford.
2. In September

Could Rome have risen to power without slavery?

Rome was such a powerful civilization back in its day, so why would anyone question it? In truth, there was much more behind Rome than most people think. Most people do not know that many Romans had slaves. There were a lot of things expected of these slaves, which brings people to question of whether or not Rome could have risen to power without slavery. Slaves were so highly depended on by their masters, that it would have taken a much longer time and would have been much more difficult to gain power without the use of slavery.

Slavery was going on throughout all of the Mediterranean countries in antiquity, but not nearly as much as it was going on in Rome. The Romans depended more on their slaves than any other people. For example, the aqueducts were a vital part of Roman civilization, and are an invention that affects how we live today. There were around 700 slaves that worked on the aqueducts alone. In some households there were around 400 slaves. (John Madden- Slavery in the Roman Empire). Another man, Gaius Caecilius left 4116 slaves in his will, and some other people had so many slaves that they had to use a nomenclator to identify them. Although not every rich household had this many slaves, one may wonder why some people needed so many slaves. These slaves did a lot of work for their masters, and the masters highly depended on them.

Slaves had a lot of expectations and guidelines to follow. According to Plautus in Menaechmi, act V, scene four, “this is the proof of a good servant: he must take care of his master's business, look after it, arrange it, think about it; when his master is away, take care of it diligently just as much as if his master were present, or be even more careful.” He makes it sound like slaves did most of their master’s work for them. Slaves are expected to put their master’s needs first, far before his own. With slaves doing all of this work for their masters, it was easier for the masters to be in the military, or become more powerful. The masters were able to contribute to the rise of Rome, with the slaves doing most of the dirty work in the background.

Slaves did not have many rights in Roman society. Besides the fact that they must be completely loyal to their masters, they had many other unfair rules. They were not allowed to marry and they were beaten when they misbehaved, which made many slaves tried to escape. Slaves could be sold like property, and were not thought of as human beings. They made up 25% of Rome’s population (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_ancient_Rome), which is an outstanding amount. Cato the elder tells of what slaves should have been given from their owners: “As for clothes, give out a tunic of three feet and a half, and a cloak once in two years. When you give a tunic or cloak take back the old ones, to make cassocks out of. Once in two years, good shoes should be given.” (Cato- Agriculture) It is doubtful that their owners ever gave them more than this, which is very sad. If only more citizens of Rome, or even other people, had realized how much the slaves helped them rise to power, maybe these great people would have been more appreciated.

The story of these slaves in Rome shows a great message. Even though these slaves were thought of as nothing, and people did not even have the respect to talk to them, they were probably the only reason Rome became as powerful as it did. It shows that people thought of as unimportant are really the opposite: they may even be the cause of success. Without the use of slavery, Rome would never have been one of the greatest civilizations in history, nor one that we still remember today.

Sources:

"Slavery in Ancient Rome." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 25 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_ancient_Rome .

Cato the Elder. Agriculture. "Ancient History Sourcebook: Slavery in the Roman Republic." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 25 Mar. 2010. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/slavery-romrep1.html .

Plautus. Pseudolus. “ Ancient History Sourcebook: Slavery in the Roman Republic." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 25 Mar. 2010. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/slavery-romrep1.html .

Madden, John. "Slavery in the Roman Empire: Numbers and Origins." Ancient History Sourcebook. 1996. Web. 25 Mar. 2010. http://web.archive.org/web/20031211005259/www.ucd.ie/classics/96/Madden96.html .

Primary Sources

The number one source is the Internet Sourcebook.

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook.html

Review from Mesopotamia to Charlemagne

Samaria/Mesopotamia

• Cuneiform is the earliest script, and started in Samaria.
• Samaritans gave us writing, and laws.
• The Code of Hammurabi comes from the Samaritans- ex: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
• A Zigurat is a temple.
• The scriptures describe the Garden of Eden being in Mesopotamia.
• Mesopotamia is the "country between two rivers", the Tigris and the Euphrates.
• Up until the 19th century, we really did not understand much about Mesopotamian culture.
• A Zigurat was excavated, before that it would have been a big pile of dirt, which archaeologists call a tel. It "tells" you that you may want to dig there.

Egypt

• Tutankhamen- King Tut
• King Tut had lots of treasure in his tomb
• Death, in the Egyptian religion, is the single most important thing about Egyptian culture. They put all of their money and time into the pyramids, which are basically big tombs.
• The Pharaoh was not just the leader of Egypt, he was the God on Earth, and he controlled the necessary flow of the Nile river
• The Egyptians believe that everyone has a life force called your ka.
• your ka waited around to see if you made it to the afterlife. There are lots of paintings and such on the wall to entertain the ka.
• After this, one's heart is weighed against a feather, which decides whether your soul is destroyed or whether you get to go to the afterlife. The feather Ma'at is held by the God Horus. He weighs the feather against the heart. It is good if the heart is lighter.
• The annual flood of the Nile river
• On either side of the Nile there is unmanageable desert land. The flood of the Nile makes good land, and the Nile floods 4 months out of the year.
• The Nile itself creates sort of a partition through Africa.
• The Pharaoh was responsible for the rise and fall of the Nile because he was a God on Earth.

The Minoans

• The legend: The Minotaur lives in a labyrinth underneath the palace, King Minos demanded sacrifice from Athens, and children are killed by the Minotaur.
• Listen for more in audio notes
• Thera was the volcano that erupted, which then caused tsunamis, which wiped out a lot of the Minoan civilization. The sulphuric acid hung around in the air, killing all th crops and causing drought, so the civilization fell.

Invasion, technology, and natural disasters are the biggest causes of falls of civilizations

The Mycenaean civilization

• The Trojan wars: between the Mycenae Greeks against Troy.
• Some think that the Trojan war did not really happen, that it was really an earthquake.

• Herodotus- A Greek historian, considered the first historian.
• Herodotus was the first to write down history in the narrative, in an actual book.

Good guy? Bad guy?

Who’s a good guy? Who’s a bad guy? If only this question was as simple as it sounds. No longer can it be easily determined by whether or not the person in question is helping or hindering the princess in a story, like most children do. It seems so easy for them to decide and call out “That’s the bad guy!” But to truly answer this question one must take many different sides and go through a number of steps. In actuality, being a good guy or a bad guy is all relative; no two people can view someone in exactly the same way.

There are many things one must realize while pondering this question. The first is that people have different opinions of what is good or bad. While many people have basic ideas of what they should and shouldn’t do, sometimes there are some factors that get in the way of their judgment. Judgment is a big part of this question; goodness or badness is just a matter of how a person judges another person, and how that person judges good and bad. For example, one factor that may cloud one’s judgment is power. Take Adolf Hitler for example. He was, in most eyes, a terrible person who killed many and did horrible crimes. But, in the eyes of the Nazis, maybe his intentions were good. Maybe they just wanted power, and therefore convinced themselves that he was the good guy. (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/hitler.html). At any rate, this is a prime example of conflicting views of the same person. One’s past experiences can really shape what they believe in as wrong or right later in life. But what a person classifies as wrong or right is not the only thing affecting the decision.

Goodness or badness depends which side you are on. The “good” side is seen as the enemy to the “bad” side, just as the “bad” side also believes that what they are doing is correct and ultimately “good.” Again, with Hitler as an example, we can see obvious sides. There were many, many Nazi’s that thought that Jews truly were terrible people and that they should be killed. They may think that they are doing the world a favor. The Jewish people, on the other hand, believe they are the “good” ones. Most people agreed with this and sided up against Hitler. Holocaust survivor Charlotte Guthmann Opfermann says “I spent my teenage years as a prisoner of the Nazis.”(http://history1900s.about.com/od/theresienstadt/a/opfermann.htm). She was obviously aon a different side than the Nazis. But just because more people are on one side than the other does not make that side right or wrong, good or bad. The example of Hitler is very extreme; some people may be more neutral than Hitler was. For example, some people tell a few lies here and there, which is not a good habit, but are they considered a “bad guy?” Not usually. There are many poerple that can be described simply as being average. In movies, it is easy to see who is a bad guy because they are powerful, important people. In real life, there are more “average” people than powerful or well known people. These people are never really thought about as good or bad. The goodness or badness of something, as you can see, is very dependent on the level or size of a person’s actions.

As another example of the good/bad scenario, one could look at Vikings(http://www.crystalinks.com/vikings.html). Lots of people, even today, picture Vikings as crazy barbarians who raided villages and killed lots of people. But did the Vikings see their actions as bad? Definitely not. This is what they did to survive. They lived in a place that was hard to prosper in, and it was a tough life. They then developed a “fear-factor”, which gave them power to raid more and more villages. They lived off of the hard work and riches of other villages or civilizations. Obviously, no one wants to have their belongings stolen, so they saw the Vikings as bad guys. This is just simply another example of opposing viewpoints, and could be argued strongly for each side.

The question “who is a good guy and who is a bad guy” is not really a question that has one definite answer. There are infinite possibilities, as being a good guy or a bad guy is completely based on each person’s thoughts and opinions.

Sources:

"Interview with a Survivor -- Charlotte Guthmann Opfermann." 20th Century History. Web. 20 Mar. 2010. http://history1900s.about.com/od/theresienstadt/a/opfermann.htm.

"Adolf Hitler." Jewish Virtual Library - Homepage. Web. 20 Mar. 2010. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/hitler.html.

"Vikings - Crystalinks." Crystalinks Metaphysical and Science Website. Web. 25 Mar. 2010

http://www.crystalinks.com/vikings.html .

Photographs from:

Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia, 30 Nov. 2008. Web. 19 Mar. 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hitler_as_young_man.jpg.

Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia, 09 Apr. 2005. Web. 19 Mar. 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Villianc.jpg.

Viking Costume

These are pictures of me dressed up like a female viking. Mr Wojo said that because I have already done enough daily blogs for the week, I can just post up the pictures to get the extra credit.

I am holding a bow, which is one of the weapons males vikings use when raiding villages, along with axes, spears, and swords.

Charlemagne

During the reign of Charlemagne, France brought back some of the classical Mediterranean art forms and styles. This art form and the more northern form of art blended together, making a new form of art, called Carolingian art. The same sort of thing happened with Carolingian architecture. Charlemagne really wanted to be the kind of leader who accomplished things and was remembered in the past, in the way of art. He wanted any advancements and changes in the form of art during the time he reigned to be associated with his own. Therefore, he influenced things like architecture and literature a lot.

Charlemagne wanted to change up the art a little bit, but also wanted to preserve the old art forms and culture. That is why we see influence of other culture or older times in art of that era. Charlemagne was also the first person to introduce Christian monumental religious sculpture. While ruler, Charlemagne influenced art so much that after he died there was a decline in the quality of art for about three generations.

Carolingian architecture was also consciously combined with another culture's art form. One can easily see the early byzantine and early Christian influences in the art. Charlemagne was into religion, so it is obvious why that was a big part of the art he enjoyed. The empire at the time of his rule was not as large as it once had been, at the height of its growth. But, Charlemagne tried to unite all citizens under Christianity. He was a very good emperor, and liked learning from others and absorbing old cultures and traditions that he could use in his own empire. He also copied old German leaders. They would buy luxurious jewelry to show off their wealth, and Charlemagne enjoyed this too. Overall, Charlemagne was very thoughtful; coming up with great ideas to mix culture, but was careful to preserve it.

Sources:

"Medieval Sourcebook: Einhard: Life of Charlemagne." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/einhard1.html>.

"Carolingian Art - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia." Ow.ly - Shorten Urls, Share Files and Track Visits - Owly. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. http://ow.ly/1nOX3>.

"Carolingian Architecture - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia." Ow.ly - Shorten Urls, Share Files and Track Visits - Owly. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. http://ow.ly/1nOX4>.

"Carolingian Art | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." Ow.ly - Shorten Urls, Share Files and Track Visits - Owly. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. http://ow.ly/1nOX2>.

Photographs from:

Photograph. Wikimedia Commonshttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ivory_cover_of_the_Lorsch_Gospels,_c._810,_Carolingian,_Victoria_and_Albert_Museum.jpg>.

Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia. Web. 19 Mar. 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carlo_Magno.png>.

Notes 3-18, Charlemagne

Here is a link to the medieval source book page on the life of Charlemagne:
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/einhard1.html

• While the vikings are attacking Greenland and Ireland, Charlemagne is trying to bring back some of Ancient Rome into Europe.
  
• He is a legendary figure. There are many poems, stories, and legends written about him.

The Creation story of Vikings

The Viking story of creation can be found in the Poetic Edda, one of their sacred texts. There were nine worlds of the Gods. Before these worlds had come to be, there was nothing but a large gap. No sand, seas, grass, Earth or Heaven above. Then Bur's sons; Othin, Vili, and Ve; lifted up the land and made Mithgard, the "Middle Dwelling", which was the world of men. This is where all the Vikings and other people lived(but not yet). The sun was brought up from the south, and it warmed up the earth. The ground became green, and leeks began to grow. The moon came up from the south, and so did the stars, but they didn't know where their place was. So they went to the Gods. The Gods decided what noon would be, and what twilight would be. They named morning as the time when the moon waned, and they called the time when the moon was up night and evening. After this, all of the Gods met at Ithavoll, where there were many shrines and temples. They set forges and smithied ore, to make tools. Three giant-maids came up to the Gods, and they held a council to decide who should raise the race of dwarves. All the dwarves are created, and then the maidens left.

Source:

"The Poetic Edda." Internet Sacred Text Archive Home. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe03.htm>.

Photographs from:

Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yggdrasil.jpg>.

Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Full_Moon_Luc_Viatour.jpg>.

Comparisons of articles on the end of the Roman Empire

The first article, by Edward Gibbon, has a very different view than the second article, by Arnold Toynbee does about the fall of the Roman Empire. Gibbon's article says that Rome was maybe a little barbaric, as were all of the other countries in Italy. He seems to say that fighting was very important to them. Overall, he says that many things affected Rome's fall, but invasions and battles from and with other civilizations played a big part in its downfall. Also, Rome was such a huge, powerful, and successful empire, so it had to fall sometime. The stress of being on top for so long finally helped take them down.

The second article, by Arnold Toynbee, states completely different reasons. Also, this article was written after Gibbon's, and Toynbee looks at the article that I reviewed above, and criticizes it. He agrees with some parts, but disagrees with others. He says that the fall was more caused by inherent defects of Rome, and religion may play a little part in it, but not too much. He is not explaining his view as much as he is trying to disprove the thought that religion was the cause of Rome's downfall. He does say that at one point, Rome had sort of an inner war, with lots of street fighting and such. The emperor wanted to sail away, but his wife persuaded him to stay. This show the weakness of the ruler, and this is one of the reasons that Rome fell. Over all, Toynbee is saying that Christianity greatly affected many civilizations, but was indeed not the cause of Rome's downfall.

In Toynbee's article, he states one thing that was a major mistake of Gibbon. Gibbon thought that the fall of Rome began in the second century CE, whereas Toynbee thought it began five centuries before Christ. Both of these articles have some truth, and it really shows how many ways one can view the fall of Rome.

Sources:

Gibbon, Edward. "Medieval Sourcebook: Gibbon: The Fall of the Roman Empire."FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/gibbon-fall.html>.

Toynbee, Arnold. "Christianity and Civilization." Welcome to MYRIOBIBLOS - The Etext Library of the Church of Greece. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/toynbee.html>.

Photograph from:

Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia, 30 Apr. 2007. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colosseum_in_Rome,_Italy_-_April_2007.jpg>.

Notes 3-17- More Vikings

• Used Long ships
• First raided monasteries
• (Check viking videos for more notes)(in post right before this)
• Harold, when he comes back after the civil war between the vikings, he becomes king.
• That moves us into the modern era of Scandinavia.
• (Mr Wojo video called his friend, Joel, that was born in Sweden) (we talked to him about vikings)
• The vikings DID NOT have horned helmets.

Barbarians- the vikings

Edda and Heimskringla

Notes 3/16- Vikings

• People living in Gaul were the Celts.
• Gaul is modern day France.
• Middle ages- 6th century through the 14 into the 15th century
• The vikings were the people who lived in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland.
• The Vikings were not Christianized in the early middle ages, unlike the Celts. This was because the Vikings lived outside of the Roman empire.
• The Vikings attack england, and go right down through Ireland, and are probably there the 7th through 9th centuries.
• There are nine worlds in Norse mythology:
• Midgard- this is where we lived(middle)
• Alfheimr- this is the north of us, where the elves live(north)
• Svartalfaheim- elves live here, and this is behind us(South)
• Vanaheimr- (east)
• Muspellheim- The world of fire, where the sun comes up in the morning((east)
• Jotunheimr- (eat)
• Niflheim- (west)
• Asgard- (up)
• Hel- (down) netherworld
• Ginnugagap- (across?)

• The Edda- There are two, the old and new. They contain the stories of the Gods (they are books)
• Yggdrasil Tree.
• Runes- the alphabet
• Ragnarok- kind of like the end of the world
• Heimskringla- Another book. It is about the great Kings and heros of Norse culture. Written by Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century
• Viking stories are called Sagas.
• 
  

Speaking of Vikings........

Will Brett Favre be back next year? -- Or, Why are Vikings such common mascots in American sports?

Honestly, I have no idea about Brett Favre because I am not an avid football watcher. I do however, know why many teams are named after Vikings. In their day, actual Vikings were strong, powerful people. They were feared by many, and very difficult to stop or overpower. Today many people picture them as scary warrior-like people that were not to be messed with. Now, if you were on a sports team, would you not want to get this message across to your enemies? Although Vikings were not the most friendly or agreeable people, they do portray a figure that is victorious. This is also a quality most sports teams want to have, so why wouldn't they want the Viking as their mascot?

Source:

"Vikings - Crystalinks." Crystalinks Metaphysical and Science Website. Web. 15 Mar. 2010. http://www.crystalinks.com/vikings.html>.

Photograph from:

Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia, 19 Sept. 2008. Web. 15 Mar. 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Norsemen_Landing_in_Iceland.jpg>.

Interactive Games

Indus Valley

The Indus Valley games takes you on a adventure with the archaeologist Professor Indus. With the help of your laptop, digital camera, compass, and brush, your goal is to discover the lost city of Mohenjo-Daro and learn about the people who once lived there before the civilization disappeared. The games seems like it is made for younger children in the way that it breaks down what an archaeologist is and points out the location of the middle east. It may become a little tedious to the older crowd that stumble upon this game but, it is still mildly entertaining.

Done in classic RPG/Adventure style, this game sends you on a quest with a Greek hero that you get to name yourself, to the three cities of Olympia, Sparta, and Athens. At each city you much visit on of the leaders to receive a mission from them. While you are travelling around on the missions the people you encounter dish out facts about the three main cities that you are going to. This game will bring back many memories and be very entertaining for the former gamers who play Pokemon on their GameBoys.

Farming in Mesopotamia

In my opinion this game is mundane. It is solely based on clicking down a list of commands and watching animations come across the screen. Personally I do not think that it will capture anyones attention. There needs to be some challenge within the game for me to actually learn something.

Ancient Arcade: Greece

The Ancient Arcade is a matching game that makes you compare Greek gods and their items. You can learn from these like you do flashcards while having the added stimulation of images and a god popping up on your screen.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/roman/aqueductjava.html

This site is a very good resource for learning about Ancient Rome, and the way that Romans lived. In ancient Rome, people used aqueducts as the method of bringing water to the city. These were very important, as water is indeed necessary to live. This game is very detailed in describing how aqueducts were made and use. One can read about aqueducts, and even look at an aqueduct manual. The manual tells the "builder" which pieces go where; for example, that tunnels should be built through mountains. Then the "builder" can create their own aqueduct for themselves! The game also further simulates ancient Roman times and how these builders felt. The "emperor" may tell you to read the instruction manual if you are making to many mistakes. Overall, I think this is an excellent game.

http://earth.google.com/rome/

Although not a game, this virtual tour can really capture the attention of the viewer. Many underestimate the things that Google earth can do, so this is a surprise to many. This site allows for the download of Google earth 5, which in turn can allow the viewer to be taken into the magical world of ancient Rome. This site explains to the reader how to enable a virtual 3D tour of ancient Rome. The viewer can learn about ancient Rome, and each individual site or monument, view 3D replicas of these monuments, tour the entire city, and learn about how the Romans lived. It is very realistic, and is an awesome compliment to any class learning about ancient Rome. While today's pictures of ancient buildings are interesting, they are nothing compared to being able to imagine what Rome looked like in its time of Glory. This site can be very beneficial and fun to anyone.

Notes- 3/15 Rome......

Late antiquity- Hadrian's time was the height of the Roman empire, that was as large as it ever got. Hadrian builds a wall in Britain which limits the expansion of the Roman empire in the north.
Marcus Aurelius limits the empire in the west against Germany. This is the era when the expansion of the Roman empire stops.
Commodus was kind of crazy
Septimius Severus was the first African emperor of Rome.
Caracalla, his son, is next and he is very brutal and was murdered.
After this, emperors fight, become assassinated, may be even
Diocletian becomes emperor in 284 and changes the government into a dominate (do-min-ot- ey)
Sets up tetrarchy which is Greek for "rule of four"
Two guys control eastern part of empire, two control west.
War breaks out between the tetrarchs, and the two most powerful rise up: Maxentius and Constantine.
They go to battle- the battle of the Milvian Bridge- October 28, 312.
Constantine wins the battle
Constantine sayts that that morning he looked up in the sky and saw a vision of the Chi-Rho. (the first to letters of "Christ" in Greek.
He had his soldiers paint it onto their shields, and he won the battle and makes Christianity illegal in Rome.
Constantine becomes the sole ruler, moves the capitol of Rome to Constantinople, and the religion is Christianity.

The Roman empire came to an end or the Roman empire evolved?

Early Christianity- In early Christian art, Jesus was depicted differently than we picture him now. Because Christianity was illegal, they made neutral art so that there was not conflict between religions.

Catacombs- burial vaults.

Basically, early Christianity is:

beginnings of early Christianity- visual art

The use of symbols

Underground movement, was illegal until Constantine

The Byzantine Empire- Runs through the city of Ravenna(a city in Italy). Under the rule of Justinian.

If you want to be a successful ruler, you have to have the church and the army on your side.

Hagia Sophia Jesus- looks more like we picture Jesus today.

Electronic Notecards

Did Rome Really "Fall"?

Ancient Rome was a remarkable civilization. Though it fell from its glory a very long time ago, it was a very complex civilization; much more complex than many people realize. So many things that we do today were influenced by Ancient Rome, and so many things that we have learned originated there. From things like bridges and architecture to theories and systems, we, even in America, have felt the power of Ancient Rome. In its day, it was one of the greatest civilizations around also. It grew rapidly and set an example for how much power a civilization could earn if they worked hard. When contemplating Ancient Rome, one may wonder why such a large and powerful empire could fall. It seemed to be almost impossible, which raises a question. Did Rome really fall? I, personally, do not believe so, although many professionals may disagree.

Rome changed many times throughout its existence. It started out, believe it or not, as just a small agricultural community. It grew and grew, and has passed through phases of being a monarchy, a republic, and an empire. So, yes, technically the power of Rome in the world did fall, or lower, after these three stages, but I do not think that it was completely lost. Afterwards, it is true that they were not very powerful, but it was just another phase of Rome’s existence. Rome suffered a great defeat while they were weaker, which lead to their downfall. Even after this, however, Rome was still there, if only in the background.

Although Rome was a very powerful country, it had faults. These faults are probably part of what caused their eventual downfall. Some emperors were not very good, while others were wonderful and made excellent accomplishments in bringing Rome up to the top. Caligula, for example, was one of the not-so-good emperors. Suetonius says “Yet even at that time he could not control his natural cruelty and viciousness, but he was a most eager witness of the tortures and executions of those who suffered punishment, reveling at night in gluttony and adultery, disguised in a wig and a long robe, passionately devoted besides to the theatrical arts of dancing and singing…” (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/suetonius-caligula.html). Other emperors, like Augustus, laid down framework for other emperors in the future and made huge breakthroughs for Rome. So the type of ruler that Rome has had a big influence n how much they developed.

Along with the situation of who is leading, many people think that there were also other situations that affected Rome. Rome was so unbelievably powerful, that one must assume that it was hard work. They began to have monetary and military problems. This is understandable because, eventually, they would need a break from being on top. But all of these problems came at once, and caused Rome’s downfall. They had already reached the top, so we know that the civilization had to go down sometime.

It is also said that Rome fell because of many changes. They tried to cope with these changes, but apparently not well enough. (http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/romefallarticles/a/fallofrome.htm). Change can be very hard to deal with, and Rome must have had to go through a lot of it. Being on the top brings a lot of attention, and it is a very difficult situation to hold onto. However, I do not believe that Rome’s downfall was caused by any single thing. As you can see, there are many, many different opinions on why Rome “fell”. One can believe one, combine all, or just take it as a change in Rome, but the truth is still the same. The once all-powerful, top of the ancient world civilization lost its place and became a small civilization again.

Sources:

"Fall of Rome - Why Did Rome Fall." Ancient / Classical History - Ancient Greece & Rome & Classics Research Guide. Web. 13 Mar. 2010. http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/romefallarticles/a/fallofrome.htm .

"The Fall of Rome." The Roman Empire. Web. 13 Mar. 2010. http://www.roman-empire.net/articles/article-003.html .

"Ancient Rome." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 13 Mar. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Rome .

"Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Main Page." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 13 Mar. 2010. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook.html .

Photographs from:

Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia, 24 Jan. 2005. Web. 13 Mar. 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caligula_bust.jpg .

Photograph. Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia, 26 July 2006. Web. 13 Mar. 2010. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aug11_01.jpg .