BBC Radio Broadcast

The Roman Republic was initiated through ways of war and blood.  The Romans always had a strategy as to how they were going to conquer the world.  They disagreed with the contrary belief that a government should be run by a king.  So, the Romans began their mission to form a Republic by conquering an Italian town; however, the Romans promise to bring riches and good relationships into the area.  The conquered people would become a part of their Republic, whether they liked it or not.  Even though the Romans were not a very powerful alliance initially, power came with success, and the idea of checks and balances.  The Roman Republic only lasted 500 years.

"THE ROMAN REPUBLIC." BBC. 30 Dec 2004. Web. 2 Mar 2010. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y26w>.

The Corruption of Power In Modern and Ancient Societies

VS.

Taking into the consideration the situations that have occurred recently in the media, yes, power does corrupt.  For example, let us take a celebrity who is pure and fresh into the business of music. If this person has too much power, they think they are omnipotent, power gets to their heads, and they utilize their power or fame in the wrong way.  This mind set can cause major damage to a person’s reputation, endorsements, and relationships.

An example in the recent media of how power corrupts is the situation with Chris Brown and Rihanna.  In the public eye, Chris and Rihanna had a healthy, loving relationship.  But on February 8, 2009, the night that the couple was supposed to attend the Grammys together, they were involved in a domestic violence scandal.  Uproar between the two lovers seemed to have caused Chris to give Rihanna “visible bruises on her face.”  This confrontation with the law involving domestic violence led to Chris and Rihanna’s absence at the Grammys; also, Chris’s campaign ad with Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum® was suspended until the issue was resolved.  This incident caused Chris to be viewed in the public eye with a tarnished reputation; his fans looked at him differently because they all thought that he was a nice, handsome gentleman with a great voice.  Rihanna has refused to come in contact with Chris, and there is not a chance that they will be getting back together anytime soon.  The power and fame that Chris possessed was corrupted through an unfortunate mistake made in the spur of the moment.  This exemplifies how quickly things can change, and how easily power can corrupt.

Coming from a historical standpoint in relation to Alexander the Great, no, his power did not corrupt.  Alexander went through all of his life with one goal, to conquer the world.  He started as a student of Aristotle, not really learning much, but rather thinking of ways that he could become the ruler of the world.  His father, Philip, was the king of Macedonia, until he was assassinated when Alexander was only nineteen years old.  This is when Alexander sets out on a mission to destroy the ruthless people, the Persians, who killed his father, and become the king of all lands.  Alexander travels through Troy and eventually ends up at Gordian, where he cuts the infallible knot, and becomes respected as a king.  Alexander then continues on his journey for power in Egypt, where he is said to be a god because he would be the one to defeat Persia, an enemy of Egypt.  This trip expands Alexander’s reign and gets him closer to the goal of being a king.  Alexander and his friends take a road trip to Siwa, where he is also respected at a high level of kingship.  He continues on his journey to Persepolis, the ancient capital of Persia, where he fights Darius at Issus.  Darius is betrayed by his men and gives Alexander the land of Persia in his dying wishes.  In order for the population of Persia to accept their new King Alexander, Alexander must go on a quest to find the men who killed Darius.  When Alexander finds the man in Afghanistan, Bessus, who betrayed and killed Darius, he tortures him and kills him.  Alexander tries to expand his reign to Tajikistan, but is defeated for the very first time there.  He continued into India where he experiences daily attacks and constant fighting, and he is pierced in the lung by an arrow.  The constant battle causes Alexander to depart from India for the southern deserts of Iran, and then to Babylon.  He became very ill and depressed, which causes Alexander to die at the age of thirty-two.  Alexander has conquered most of the natural-known world by this time in his short-lived lifetime.  What happens to all of Alexander’s empire?  It is split up between his generals and later named the Seleucid Empire and Ptolemaic Egypt.  The land of Alexander was ruled by his descendants until Cleopatra came along.

During the short life of Alexander, he set his goal to conquer the world and did just that, without any corruption.  If anything, people praised him for defeating Persia; they did not condemn him for his strongly willed quest.  Alexander traveled through every piece of land known to him and dominated them, one by one.  In conclusion, it is possible for power to corrupt by rash mistakes, but if you have a plan, and pursue it in the correct manor, power will not corrupt.

"Alexander the Great." 1902 Encyclopedia. Web. 26 Feb 2010.           .

Errico, Marcus. "Chris Brown Arrested After Alleged Rihanna Assault." E! Online 8          February 2009: n. pag. Web. 26 Feb. 2010.           ed.html>.

"Map of Alexander the Great (Decisive Battles)." Bible History. Web. 26 Feb 2010.           .

Montgomery, James. "Doublemint Suspends Chris Brown Ad Campaign." MTV 9      Feb. 2009: n. pag. Web. 26 Feb 2010.      Ad Campaign>.

Alexander and Aristotle

3. Based on what you know about Aristotle, do you think Alexander had listened carefully to his tutor?

Based on what I know about Aristotle, I think Alexander did not listen carefully to his tutor.  Alexander did not learn much from Aristotle, but they did become friends.  Aristotle was a well-educated man who was very interested in science, but Alexander was not interested in learning science; rather, he was interested in conquering the world.  He did just that until his death at the age of 32.  After his death, the land that he conquered was divided among his generals.


"Alexander the Great." Ancient Greece. Web. 17 Feb 2010          <http://cd7.e2bn.net/e2bn/leas/c99/schools/cd7/website/images/alexander-the-great-2.jpg>.

Poseidon: The god of the sea, rivers, flood and drought, earthquakes, and horses.

Poseidon on Prezi

Atsma, Aaron. "POSEIDON." Theoi Greek Mythology . 2008. Theoi Project Copyright, Web. 24 Feb 2010. <http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Poseidon.html>.

Alexander the Great- notes

1. Alexander was student of Aristotle
2. Alexander's dad was named Philip
3. Philip was King of Macedonia
• Assassinated when Alexander is 19 years old
4. Alexander gets revenge on the people who killed his dad
5. Alexander wants to and does invade Persia and conquer it
6. Alexander ruled world when he was about 23
7. Alexander goes to Troy (ancient enemy of Greece) to start to conquer Persia
8. Goes to Gordian next
• Knot at Gordian (supposedly impossible to untie)
• Whoever untied knot becomes the king of the world
• Alexander attempts to untie the knot
• Takes sword and chops the knot and it unties
9. When Alexander gets to Egypt, he is hailed as a king because Egyptians hate Persia
10. Alexander and his buddies take a road trip to an oasis named Siwa
• Oracle at Siwa, when he walks in, priest greets him as son of god (Amon)
11. Goes to Persepolis which is the ancient capital of Persia
• Once was the greatest capital of the world and is now in ruins
12. Alexander fights Darius at Issus
13. Darius is betrayed and killed
14. Gave Alexander Persia in his dying words
15. Bessus is the one that killed Darius
16. Alexander needs to get Persian population behind him, He does this by going after the people that left Darius behind
17. Goes as far as Afghanistan to find them
18. Many leader have had the ability to make their armies do what is needed
19. Get to their destination before the betrayers and they kill them
20. Killed Bessus, cut out his tongue and spiked him
21. Alexander goes to Tajikistan and is defeated there.
• This is his first defeat
22. There is only Europe and a small portion of Asia and the Middle East. Because of this, Alexander thought that he had conquered the world
23. His campaign does south into India
• Meets fierce resistance in India
• Army is being attacked daily
• Constant fighting
• Suffered mortal wombs (arrow that pierces a lung)
• Hears stories of more people in India and wants to go. But men don’t want to.
• Alexander sees an omen and decides to go home
• After he goes home
• his men married Persian wives
• He married
• Dresses like a Persian king
24. Goes to southern deserts of Iran
25. Comes back up to Babylon
26. Loses friend is accident and becomes depressed
27. Binge drinking, depression, and wounds cause fever and Alexander dies at 32 years old.
28. Has all land ruled under Alexander, now he's dead so they split the empire between the generals
29. Main two divisions of Alexander's Empire are called a Hellenistic civilization...
• Seleucid Empire
• Ptolemaic Egypt
30. Alexander's descendants would rule Egypt until Cleopatra

Alexander the Great: Vengeful or Smart? Both.

2. Do you think Alexander honestly felt like he was avenging Persian wrongs? Or was that just propaganda to mask his goal of conquest?

Honestly, I do believe that Alexander was avenging the Persians for killing his father; however, Alexander also wanted propaganda to become the ruler, king, leader, etc.  By invading Persia, he "killed two birds with one stone"; avenging the Persians and getting the correct recognition in order to achieve his goal of conquest.  When Alexander got the satisfying revenge that he wanted, the people of Egypt honored him as one of their gods because the Egyptians hated the Persians.


"Shtip-Alexander." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 23 Feb 2010. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shtip-Alexander.jpg>.

Athens- notes

1. 1 quarter of population of Greece lives in Athens.
2. Ancient city of Athens was based on the acropolis
3. At the base of acropolis is the grove of Dionysus
• Leads into theatre of Dionysus, in back of grove
4. Play wrights were forced to write an a trilogy and a comedy
5. Trigordeous (tragedies) and comedios (comedies)= subjects of plays, human interest
6. At the top of the acropolis, sat the Temple of Athena Nike
• Built after Persian war, built because Athena was goddess of Athens and they beat the Persians
7. Most important temple on the acropolis was the Parthenon
• Began being built in 480
• Was built with funds that Athenians got as a result of Persian War
• Dedicated to virgin Athena
• Women of city wrapped statue of Athena in linens, and then played games (Panathenian games)
8. Pericles, prominent and influential general
• Wanted to get all city-states in Greece as one
• What to do with war funds that came in from the Persians; wanted to build a Navy
• Opens up the arts; sets up new building on acropolis
9. Age of drama and art
10. Period of first experiment with Democracy
11. If you were a citizen you must…
• Fight for your city with no choice
12. Athens defeat Sparta in 480 B.C.
13. Battle on plains of Attica
• Warfare
14. Neither side is defeating the others
15. Urban plan of the city of Athens
• 10 miles from port to city
• Built long walls all the way from harbor to city
• Used for defense because enemy can't get to you
• Athenians are trapped in their own walls, the plague breaks out, and Pericles dies
16. Athenians put money into Navy, therefore Athenians attacked Sicily and Sparta could never catch up to them
17. Night before ships were about to take out for attack
• Someone created vandalism across the city of Athens
• Alcibiades' enemies convinced everyone that he did it
18. Alcibiades goes on boat
19. Had a trial against him while he wasn’t here
20. Gets on a boat and goes to Sparta

Biography of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle

Socrates was the first of the three other prominent Athenian philosophers.  He fought for Athens in the  Peloponnesian War, but then began to think about the world around him.  There was then a group of men who began listening to his logic and reasoning; however, some Athenians became enraged at his teachings, so he was sentenced to death. 

Plato was another one of the very famous Athenian philosophers who listened to Socrates.  Plato was about thirty years old when Socrates died, and Plato was the one who wrote down most of what he remembered from his speeches.  The information we know now about Socrates was transferred by Plato.

Aristotle was not from Athens like the other two renowned Athenian philosophers.  Aristotle studied that the academy of Plato, but did not become the leader of the academy when Plato died.  Aristotle then became angry, left Athens, and became the tutor of a boy named Alexander, who later became Alexander the Great.  Aristotle was more interested in science than the other two philosophers,  but he wanted to use Socrates' questions to figure out the real world.  "He created a classification system of monarchies, oligarchies, tyrannies,democracies and republics which we still use today" (Carr).










"Aristoteles Louvre." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 22 Feb 2010. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aristoteles_Louvre.jpg>.


Carr, Dr. Karen. "Aristotle." Kidipede. 15 Jan 2009. Web. 22 Feb 2010. <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/philosophy/aristotle.htm>.

Carr, Dr. Karen. "Plato." Kidipede. 15 Jan 2009. Web. 22 Feb 2010. <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/philosophy/plato.htm>.

Carr, Dr. Karen. "Socrates." Kidipede. 15 Jan 2009. Web. 22 Feb 2010. <http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/philosophy/socrates.htm>.

"Plato." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 22 Feb 2010. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plato.png>.

Article 4- Ancient to Modern Olympics

            What event comes every four years, involves different varieties of sports, takes place in the summer and in the winter, and was first created in Ancient Greece? If you guessed the Olympics, you are correct.  The Olympics Games were claimed to be first established in Olympia in 776 B.C., but there was a problem with this philosophy.  Olympia, a secluded and private area, was the primary location where Zeus was worshiped.  Over time, Olympia turned out to be a place where Zeus was worshiped through sports and competition rather than sacrificial offerings.  How does this change all of a sudden?  A few factors have been ruled the cause of this alteration such as the rise of the Greek city state. Each city state wanted power, so they would send representatives to Olympia to come to be the best in physical competition. The Games were a widely held method of getting men in shape for military training.  “The traditional Greek view that the gods were championed a winner, so by establishing a competition aimed at producing supreme winners, they were thereby asserting the power and influence on humans of the supreme god, Zeus” (Instone).  The Ancient and Modern Olympics differ in many ways; sports, traditions, and seasons.

The ancient Olympics, like modern day, had to make qualifications to participate in the games. Only free men who spoke Greek were allowed to sign up. They had to qualify for the foot races, and then have their name written down on a list. It was likely that only young men were allowed to participate. It has been written that one man was exempt from the races because he seemed too mature. In the beginning, the games lasted only one day, but soon grew to five days. Not only was it one day, but it had only one event.
            This event was the stadion race. It was a short sprint, about 180-240 meters. Normally, it depended on the length of the stadium. In 724 BC, the diaulos was introduced during the 14th Olympic Games. This race was single lap of the stadium, about 400 meters. This is about the length of a track today. Another race was added 720 BC, four years later. This race was called the dolichos. It was about the length of 3 miles, or what today is considered a 5K race. Just like races today, it would start in the stadium, but the course would go through surrounding territory, and then finish again in the stadium.
            The modern Olympics restarted in 1896 in the city of Athens, where the ancient Olympics were held. The first time there was a Winter Olympics was in 1901 and it was held in Sweden. The reason for the winter Olympics was to showcase winter sports such as ice hockey, curling, luge, and figure skating. The summer Olympics is much more large scale since more people compete in summer sports than in winter sports. For example, in the 2008 summer Olympics, there were 10,500 competitors that represented 204 countries. In the 2006 winter Olympics, there were 2,508 competitors representing 80 countries (Wikipedia).
        The Opening and Closing Ceremonies are a major part of the Olympics. During the opening ceremony, each nation parades into the stadium in alphabetically order depending on the host country’s language. Greece is always the first country to enter in order to honor the Greeks for creating the Olympics. The host nation is always last to enter. A well-known athlete runs the torch into the stadium and lights the cauldron. This flame stays lit for the duration of the games. During the closing ceremony, all of the athletes walk into the stadium with no distinction from nation to nation. Three flags are also raised. These flags are the Greek flag, the host’s flag, and the flag of the next host city. The host city of the next Olympics will perform a theatrical piece that shows their culture (Wikipedia).

As you see, the Modern Olympics are somewhat different today than what they used to be in Ancient times.  The Olympics, today, is a prominent event that is broadcasted on television for sixteen days.  Back then, the games were only held for one day because they only had one game to play. The Ancient Olympics only included a few sports, all based on running, but in the Modern Olympics, sports have evolved from just running to a huge, entertaining variety or new activities.  The Winter Olympics taking place now in Vancouver, Canada include numerous sports that Ancient Greeks would have never thought of.  Greeks based all of their sports off strength and running.  Nowadays, the sports involve other equipment which would have seemed out of the question to use back in ancient times because most Greeks believe the Olympics were a way of finding a man’s physical strength and military ability.  In modern times, the Olympics are a means of finding the number one contender for a certain sport and for entertainment purposes.  Men and women can now compete in the Olympics; however, they do not compete against each other.  Men compete against men and women compete against women.  The Summer and Winter Olympics of today’s society are very popular and well-known; however, in the day and age of the Ancient Olympics, not everybody approved or appreciated the Olympic athletes.  The Ancient Greek play called Autolycus “describes how athletes are slaves to their stomachs, but they cannot look after themselves, and although they glisten like statues when in their prime, become like tattered old carpets in old age” (Instone).

"Ancient Greek Olympics." Ancient Greece. Web. 17 Feb 2010          <http://cd7.e2bn.net/e2bn/leas/c99/schools/cd7/website/Greece.htm>.

Instone, Dr. Stephen. "The Olympics: Ancient versus Modern." Ancient history in-depth.     05 Nov 2009. BBC, Web. 9 Feb 2010.           <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greek_olympics_01.shtml>.

"Olympic Games." Wikipedia. 20/02/2010. Web. 17 Feb 2010.             <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games#Modern_Games>.

Wikipedia contributors. "Ancient Olympic Games." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.     Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 17 Feb. 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2010.

Theatre of the Anthenians

5. Explain how the origins of theatre in Athens are tied to both religion and politics. 

The origins of theatre in Athens are tied to both religion and politics because Athens was the center of political power during the time of 550 B.C.-220 B.C.  The stage that actors performed on was originally meant to be used for religious and sacrificial purposes, and there was an altar dedicated to the gods.  The very front rows of the theatre were reserved for the priests that came to enjoy the show.  Political leaders also enjoyed the show too and special seats were reserved for them.

"Ancient Greek theater discovered near Athens ." Dear Kitty. Some blog. Web. 15 Feb 2010. <http://www.aeria.phil.uni-erlangen.de/photo_html/topographie/griechenland/athen/akropolis/dionysos/dionys2.JPG>.

Philips, K. "Ancient Greek Stage". 3/29/00. Rich East High School. 15 Feb 2010. <http://www.richeast.org/htwm/Greeks/theatre/stage.html>.

'Democracy' or not?

4. Was Athens really a 'democracy'?

 The government of Athens would argue that they are a democracy.  On one note, they are correct; on another, they are not.  The city of Athens is said to be the primary creator of the type of government called democracy.  Athens showed proof of being a democracy by having a fair system of voting; however, women could not vote, and men had to be of a certain age in order to vote for a leader.  This fact shows that Athens did not have a very democratic government.  Despite that only certain men could vote, Athens did have one of the more stable governments of it's time.


"Lecture 10: The beginnings of democracy." Web. 14 Feb 2010. <http://languages.siuc.edu/classics/Johnson/HTML/L10.html>.


"Social Studies." St. Joseph School. Web. 14 Feb 2010. <http://www.holyspirit.ab.ca/st.joseph/_cabinet/3/54/athens1.gif>.

Past vs. Present

1. Please read http://ow.ly/156BA and write a blog post comparing the Ancient Greek Olympics to the Games this coming weekend!

The first Olympic Games were introduced in Ancient Greece.  In the past, the games were thought of as means of getting men fit, rather than a competition to see who the best in sports was.  During the first 13 Olympic Games, the only game was the stadion race, which was a running race.  In 724 B.C., the dialous, a longer stadion race, was introduced followed by the dolichos.  All of these events were simply progressions of the stadion race.  The main focus of the running events was to show who was worthy of being a soldier and who wasn't.  Boxing, wrestling, pancration, pentathlon, and the horse-and-chariot race were also competitive events included in the Ancient Olympic Games.  The Greeks believe that the Games should have been performed in the nude, or with limited clothing. Women did not compete in events, and it was even disputable if they could watch or not.  If you were an unmarried, pure virgin you were permitted to watch the games.  Though it seems that women were thought of as weaker than males, women had their own games that they competed in.  Unmarried women sometimes found husbands while watching the games.  The heavy weight men were considered with a special awe.

The Olympics that will be beginning this week are much different than the Olympics in Ancient Greece.  Today, there are two different types of games, summer and winter.  The Olympics come around every four years, and women are allowed to compete in the same events as men.  The Olympics have expanded their games to team sports such as soccer and basketball.  The Olympics nowadays are performed fully clothed, if they weren't, they probably would not be aired on television.  Although the heavy weight men are praised for their outstanding abilities, they are not considered with special awe.  The Games in present times are also more civilized and controlled than they were back then.  Back then, a man named, "Cleomedes, a fifth-century Olympic boxing champion, killed an opponent at the Olympics, was disqualified, went mad and smashed up a school" (Instone).  In today's Games, a man like this would be controlled and more civilized; he would know better than to do such an act.

"Bringing Sustainable Solutions to the Olympics!."Archive for the ‘Interesting’ Category. Web. 9 Feb 2010. <http://cyanpdx.com/blog/category/interesting/>.

Instone, Dr. Stephen. "The Olympics: Ancient versus Modern." Ancient history in-depth. 05 Nov 2009. BBC, Web. 9 Feb 2010. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greek_olympics_01.shtml>.

Article 3- This IS Important.

The word important is often used in everyday language.  Sometimes it is used in a lackadaisical manner, and sometimes it is used in the proper context.  The word important means “having value or significance; worthy of note or consideration, especially for its interest, value, or relevance” (Microsoft Encarta).  There are many significant pieces of culture that consolidate the land of Egypt.  However, what is important and special to the Egyptian people, may not be relevant to outsiders or those that do not share the same beliefs or culture.  On the contrary, some of the discoveries and cultures that the Egyptians founded were very significant in defining the way history was passed down through generations.

There were three different scripts that the Egyptian scribes used in writing:  hieroglyphic, hieratic, and demotic.  “Hieroglyphs were the earliest form of Egyptian script and also the longest-lived” (Parsons).  Hieroglyphs were pictures or symbols, usually drawn on hard stone in order for it to be easily understood.  Even though hieroglyphics were drawn as pictures, they are not anything like a pictogram.  Rather, each picture or symbol stood for a certain sound.  When these sounds were put together, they made words.  Hieratic is an easier version of hieroglyphs, the characters were made simpler; therefore making it quicker to write.  The hieratic sign resembled the cursive hieroglyph, but they should not be confused.  Demotic script was derived from hieratic script; therefore, it is very cursive and difficult to read.  Demotic script was commonly used for administrative and professional purposes.  Through the ages, these three historic forms of writing have evolved into the script that we use today.

Egypt was a country that was divided into class systems, just like any other civilized area.  There were the slaves, the lower class people, the middle class people, the upper class people, and the richest of them all, the pharaoh.  The pharaoh was the most important being in Egypt, and was considered the personification of god.  He was treated, and acted, like the most divine and wonderful being that roamed the earth.  From the Egyptian sculptures, we know that the pharaoh was always wearing a headdress, which symbolized wealth and power.  Also, the pharaoh was always sculpted wearing a skirt with no shirt on and an ornament of some sort on his chin.  The most famous pharaoh, known by all, is King Tutankhamun.  King Tutankhamun, shortened to King Tut, was only nine years old when he became the pharaoh.  He only reigned for about nine years until he was killed; experts still do not know why or how King Tut was killed.  It is most commonly believed that Tut died from a severe blow to the head, but recent scientists state otherwise; “Instead the most likely explanation for the boy king's death at 19 is a thigh fracture that became infected and ultimately fatal, according to an international team of scientists” (Lovgren).   When the pharaoh passed away; he would be mummified and placed in a sacred pyramid, along with other pharaohs.

Every important being, all the pharaohs, would be mummified to conserve their bodies for the afterlife.  The mummification process was not only used to conserve the tangible body, but also to preserve the heart and soul of the person.  The process would begin by the embalmers washing his body with incense and water from the Nile River.  Next, the left side of the body is cut and all of the internal organs are removed.  The internal organs are washed and stored in a type of cloth which will dry them out, but the heart is not removed from the body, for the body will need it in the afterlife.  The nose is then broken with a long hook in order to remove the brain.  The body is stuffed with cloth to dry it out and absorb all liquid still present. The body is then preserved for forty days, and then washed and lathered with oils.  Finally, the body is re-stuffed with the dried organs and ready to be wrapped!  Every one of the steps in the embalming process is important because if you remove just one step, it changes the whole mummy.  After the mummy is wrapped, it is placed in a coffin of some sort, and then buried in the pharaoh’s pyramid.  There was a very significant intangible piece of a person’s body called ka.  The ka was the energy flow, or soul of the mummified person.  It was believed that when a person died, their ka was released.  When the mummy was palced in the pyramid, their ka was said to roam the area.

The first traditional tomb was called a mastabah, a flat-topped building with sloping sides.  From the mastabah, pyramids have evolved into a great variety.  For example, the Step Pyramid was initially a mastabah, but an architect named Imhotep transformed it.  This pyramid was for King Djoser around 2650 BC.  Along the years, the Step Pyramid evolved into the Bent Pyramid which, “was not tiered but straight sided except for a curious change of angle in the middle” (“The Tombs of The Pharaohs”).  King Sneferu built the so called “most spectacular pyramid of all”.  The Great Pyramid is the biggest pyramid out of all the different types of pyramids.  Still standing today are the Three Pyramids at Giza which are made out of millions of blocks of stone.  Related with the Pyramids at Giza is the Sphinx, which represents a creature with the head of a lion and the body of a human.  These pyramids are important to the culture of Egypt because they are where the once rulers of the land are buried.

The forms of script created by the Egyptians are significant to the writing we have today.  If it was not for the initial creation of these scripts, writing would not have evolved to what it is today.  The scripts, pharaohs, mummies, and pyramids are all important to the Egyptian culture and beliefs.  Just because these four variables are important to Egyptians, does not mean that they are important to anybody else.  Not everything that is thought of as important to one group of people is important to another.  Everybody is entitled to think what they want is important.  However, I think everybody can agree that these four items are highly significant to history.  Without these beliefs and practices, history would not be the same.

"Facts about King Tut." 16 Jan 2009. Web. 5 Feb 2010. < http://www.king-tut.org.uk/life-of-king-tut/facts-about-king-tut.htm>.

"Important." Microsoft Encarta. Web. 5 Feb 2010.

Lovgren, Stefan. "King Tut Died From Broken Leg, Not Murder, Scientists Conclude." National Geographic News. 01 Dec 2006. National Geographic, Web. 5 Feb 2010. < http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/12/061201-king-tut.html>.

"Mummification." The British Museum, Web. 5 Feb 2010. <http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/mummies/story/main.html>.

Parsons, Marie. "The History of Ancient Egyptian Writing." Feature Story. 2003. Tour Egypt,           Web. 5 Feb 2010. < http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/writing.htm>.

"The Tombs Of The Pharaohs." iw Chameleon , Web. 5 Feb 2010. <http://www.iw-chameleon.co.uk/history/ancient_egypt/7tomb.htm>.