Friday, February 27, 2015

February 27

Today in class, we took our Egypt test. Since we did not have class yesterday for cyber day, some people thought the test would get moved. Luckily, I checked the blog and it said it was today. I studied all my notes from the Egypt power point and Prezi. For this test, I remembered to put the honor code, instead of getting points taken off like last time. The test was all multiple choice and the main theme was about the Nile River. Overall, I got an 88, and I hopefully bring my grade up to an A.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

February 25

Today in class, we took more notes from the Egyptian power point.
Land of the Pharaohs
The Nile and the "Two lands"
-Upper Egypt was a 500 mile long strip of fertile land along the Nile; Lower Egypt was the wide land of the Nile delta, emptying into the Mediterranean Sea
-The Nile was the major provider of life for the Egyptians and was much revered in love and writing
-around 3100BC the two land were united under a "pharaoh"

Government by a God-King
-Pharaoh- all powerful, worshiped as a god and intimately connected to the other major Egyptian gods and goddesses
-Egyptians relied on a harmony and balance of the universe, which they called the "Maat"
-Multiple wives, and all routes to financial and social success were through the palace
-Women could inherit money and land, and divorce their husbands, though only a tiny few ever wielded real political power

The Writing of the Words of God
-earliest Egyptian writing formed c.3100BC and were small pictures known as hieroglyphs
-Hieroglyphics represented religious words, or parts of words, and most commonly adorned temples
-Hieratic script was a shorthand developed by scribes and priests
-Usually written in ink on papyrus, which was made from mashed Nile reeds

Calendars and Sailboats
-created with 12 months and 365 days to make sense of the seasonal cycles
-Egyptian doctors wrote extensively on health issues and created potions and cures for a number of common ailments
-Wooden sailboats were constructed to increase transport ability on the Nile

Pyramids and Temples
-Massive tombs, originally covered in marble
-The temple of Amon at Karnak- largest religious building in world, also made out of blocks
-Stone sculptures and interior painting depicted humans and gods in a series of regulated poses, often in profile and without perspective, but were highly effective

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

February 24

Today in class, we played the pyramid challenge game and worked in pairs. The first two pairs got an A, the next two got a B, if you finished in class you got a C, and if you didn't you got a 0. We started the challenge with picking the location, in which we want the pyramid to be built. Then we chose the angles and the type of rock to built the pyramid in. We had a choice on the workforce of slaves, craftsmen, farmers, and officials. It also gave us choices on food for the workers, how often they would get fed, and what supplies you would give them. Then, we would sail on the Nile to the location of the pyramid. We learned all about reference lines and ramp theories. We built the pyramid, and that was the end of the game. Meredith and I finished second in our class, and got an A. We were so happy we finished quickly, and got a good grade.

Monday, February 23, 2015

February 23

Pyramid Quest
In 802AD, the youngest son of Harun Al Rasheed set camp at the base of the pyramid at Cheops. The great pyramid "touched the sky" as described in his time. He brought hundreds of stone makers, engineers, and architects. His quest was to find the pharaoh's treasure and to discover the secret of the weapon that does not rust from blood and water, and glass that bends, but does not break. The Scribes believed the pyramids were guarded by The Sphinx, which they called "The Beast." This "Beast" is a statue, with a lions body and the head of a sage. The pyramids back then are different, from today. The sides were polished and not even a blade could go through them. On the side of the pyramid there is a stone that can be moved. Lifting the stone reveals a lifting passage to the pharaoh's grave. All the stones looked alike and was impossible to find the right one. They found no treasure inside, and there was nothing in the pharaoh's chamber. Under the pharaoh's chamber, was the queen's chamber which is sealed to this very day. The lowest part of this pyramid is the Grotto, which is not looked at.

Mummification
In the first century AD, Heracletes died at about 20 years old. Mummification was invented by the Egyptians, to preserve the body for afterlife. Usually all internal organs were removed before mummification, except the heart. This time, the heart was removed, but the lungs were not. Next, the body was covered in salt, and left for about 40 days, until all moisture was eliminated. Perfumed oils and plant resins were rubbed on the body. They used plant resin as glue, to seal the linen, that was wrapped around the body. The mummy was placed on a wooden board, and more wrappings bound them together. A pouch, of a religious significance, was placed on the chest. A waiting bird, called a mummified ibis, was placed on the abdomen. Long linen strips further secured the wrapping. A portrait of Heracletes was placed on the face and more linen was added. The linen was painted red, which is rare. Egyptian symbols of rebirth and protection, were painted with pigments and gold, on the last layer. Finally Heracletes name was written at the feet in Greek. Heracletes body is with us today.

Crash Course
Ancient Egyptian civilizations lasted from 3000BCE to 332BCE. The Nile shaped world view for the Egyptians. It was the safest and richest agricultural nation in the world. Flooding left rich silt for planting. The Egyptians would through the seeds, and cattle or pigs would press the seeds down. This lead to a surplus of food. Egyptian communities only existed along the Nile. They used basin irrigation, formed a basin and flooded with water. They had big surpluses, but only had to do little work. Pharaohs were worshiped and seen as gods. There were three categories in the Egyptian times, Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom. The Old Kingdom is when the pyramids were built.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

February 20

For today's cyber day assignment, we had to write about the different inventions of Egyptians.

1. Sun Clocks- The moving shadows of the sun helped determine the hours of the day. Their moving shadows formed a sundial, and they started using this around 1500 BC. This is an important invention for the Egyptians, to know the time of day it is.

2. Calendar- Egyptians used the solar system to help with the invention of the calendar. Their calendar was like our modern day calendar, but they made a Leap year calendar. This calender would add one day every four years. The calendar was important for Egyptians to know what day it is and when the Nile River would flood.

3. Ox Drawn Plow- Egyptians used plows to help farm quicker. The animals would have these plows attached to them, and would pull the plow. This was important because they could produce more food faster than by hand-working.

4. Hieroglyphics- Egyptians would use this, a writing system using symbols. In the hieroglyphic alphabet, each symbol would stand for a letter. This was important to communicate with others and without this, we wouldn't have letters or numbers.

5. Pyramids- They would built tall pyramids for the Pharaoh. Most of these were built as tombs, and would take the Pharaoh's whole reign to build. This was important to show how important the Pharaohs were to the Egyptians.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

February 18

Today in class, we got back our Guns, Germs, and Steel test. We went over the test and marked the right answers, for the ones we got wrong. The test will be helpful for our final exam, to use to study the material. After checking the test, we reviewed our cyber homework. Our homework was to copy the rest of the notes from the Prezi, and post it to our blog. We reviewed some of the Prezi power point, and learned a lot more about Egypt. We looked at some pictures that were interesting.


Drawn by an Egyptian of a slave/servant working with a plow and cattle.


Artisans would carve statues in their belief of afterlife.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

February 17

Today we didn't technically have class, it was a cyber day. I reviewed the Prezi power point and took notes from where we left off:
-slaves/servants helped the wealthy with household and child raising duties
-raised wheat, barley, lentils, onions- benefited from irrigation of the Nile
-artisans would carve statues and reliefs showing military battles and scenes in the afterlife
-money/barter system was used- merchants might accept bags of grain for payment- later, coinage came about
-scribes kept records, told stories, wrote poetry, described anatomy, and medical treatments
-they wrote in hieroglyphs and in hieratic
-soldiers used wooden weapons (bows&arrows, spears) w/ bronze wips and might ride chariots
-upper class, known as the "white kilt class"- priests, physicians, engineers
Religious and political leader
Pharaohs
-the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people, holding the titles: 'Lord of the Two Lands' and 'High Priest of Every Temple'
-as 'Lord of the Two Lands' the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. He owned all land, made laws, collected taxes, and defended Egypt against foreigners
-Hatshepsut was a woman who served as pharaoh
-Cleopatra VII also served as pharaoh, but much late (51-30BC)
Goddesses & Gods
-over 2000 gods & goddesses
-they "controlled" the lives of humans

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

February 11

Today in class we took notes on an Ancient Egypt video. Here are the notes I took:
Geography
-Egyptian life is centered around the Nile River
-flows from south to north
-three seperate rivers converged- Nile river 
-water for drinking, for irrigating, for bathing, and for transportation 
-first people in the world to invent sailboat
-every July the river floods
-every October it leaves behind rich soil-silt
-the delta is a broad, marshy triangular area of fertile silt
-managing the river required technological breakthroughs

Pyramids 
The Great Sphinx of Giza
-built 2555-2532BC (4,547 years old)
-a recumbent lion with a human'a head
-oldest monumental statue in the world

Daily life
(Egyptian life pyramid)
Pharaoh 
Government officials- Nobles, Priests 
Soldiers
Scribes
Merchants 
Artisans 
Farmers
Slaves and Servants

Monday, February 9, 2015

February 9

Today in class, we took the civilization test. Mr. Schick gave us a few minutes to study before, and I felt confident on what I studied. The test was all multiple choice and no written answers. Some of the questions on the test were hard to answer, so I put the best answer possible. Most questions we went over in class and I knew from the video. Studying my notes in my blog helped a lot for this test. I think I should have studied more about Jared Diamond and the food sources. Hopefully I did well on this test and it doesn't bring my grade down.

Friday, February 6, 2015

February 6

Today in class, we finished watching the video on civilization and Jared Diamond. We learned a lot about the lifestyle about the people of Papa new guinea. We reviewed questions about about what we learned. Some of the questions were:
What do the people of Papa new guinea eat?
They eat many things like sago from sago trees, hunt for deer and small animals, big spiders, tarrow root and much more.

Where is Papa new guinea located?
Papa new guinea is an island between Asia and Australia.

What three things do all great civilizations have in common?
Advanced technology, large populations, and a well organized work force.

What was the question Jared Diamond received when he first entered the island?
"Why do white men have lots of cargo but we don't?"

How many domesticated animals?
Just 14 in 10,000 years

What food source is America known for?
Corn, squash, and beans

What food source is Africa known for?
sorghum, milet, and yams

What is the Draa?
Middle East, carbonating, very first permanent settlement, small village

What is the ganary?
a food storage, dirt walls, and allows you to keep grain there for grinding for food, durable to be stored for years

What is China known to grow?
rice

What was Jared Diamond's answer by the end of the video?
"geography" If your men could build airplanes and more, you would have more cargo.

-Wheat is not native to the Americans
-Pigs used to help with food
-crops reached Egypt
-drout for more than 10,000 years




Wednesday, February 4, 2015

February 4

Today in class, we had an lock down and shelter drill. We learned that if there was a shooter or we needed to be on lock down, that we lock the door, pull down the blind, and go against the wall nearest to the door. We watched more of the video on Jared Diamond, and took some notes:
Fertile Crescent
-best crops and farm animals
-new skills and technology
-found that heating stone will create steel for homes, keep wind away
-bronze, iron, steel
-1,000 years abandoned, climate too dry
-crops reached Egypt- caused explosion of civilization
-Armys of people required to build pyramids
-Americas composed 20 tons of wheat per year

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

February 3

Today in class, we took more notes on the video of Jared Diamond.
China grows rice
Americas- corn, squash, and beans
Africa- sorghum, milet, and yams
Big spiders- protein
If you had the most productive crops, you were a productive farmer
(It was geographic luck)
hunt and kill- weapons or rocks
raising own animals, something to eat
supply of milk and wool
milk-on going protein
wool-clothing and for warmth
animal waste- fertilizer
goats and sheep were the first
horse harvest to a plow allowed more food to feed people
almost all farm work was done by hand
have to weigh 100 lbs or more
carnivore- kill and eat other animals
148 domestic animals out of 2 million
goats, sheep, pigs, cows, horses, donkeys, bactrian camels, Arabian camels, water buffalo, llamas, reindeer, yaks, mithan, bali cattle- all domesticated
Just 14 in 10,000 years
South America- llamas
cows, pigs, sheep, and goats- food
Fertile Crescent-best animals and farming in the Ancient world


Monday, February 2, 2015

February 2

Today in class, we took notes on a video about Jared Diamond. Here are some notes I took:
Guns, Germs, and Steel
Jared Diamond
-papuanewguinea- island between Asia and Australia
-living about 30 or 40 thousands years ago
-"Why do white men have lots of cargo and we don't?"
cargo-possessions and wealth
-record players and guns- carried whites across river
-all great civilizations have had these in common: advanced technology, large populations, and a well organized work force
-sego- important source of food
men- hunters women-gatherers
barely and wheat
drout lasted more than a thousand years
Draa- Middle East, carbonating, very first permanent settlement, small village
-village first emerged 11 1/2 thousand years ago
-granary- food storage, dirt walls, allows you to keep grain there for grinding for food, believe it was an oval shaped mud wall, durable to be stored for years
domestication- study of amount and traits of plants, various grains