Lincoln and Pericles

The Gettysburg Address was given by Abraham Lincoln after the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War in the United States. The Battle of Gettysburg was in July of 1863. What happened was General Robert E. Lee's Army Of Northern Virginia of 75,000 men and the 97,000 man Union Army Of The Potomac under General George G. Meade met and fought for 3 days. (American Civil War Battles, Gettysburg Battle). Pericles Funeral oration was given by Pericles and it was in honor of the soldiers that had died in the any war up to that point. Both Lincoln and Pericles wrote similar pieces about sacrifice and freedom. Both leaders in their speeches wanted to express pride and equality as well as explain the value of democracy in times of war and struggle.

Pericles wrote that sacrifice was needed to help save city of Athens. Pericles wrote "Such is the Athens for which these men, in the assertion of their resolve not to lose her, nobly fought and died; and well may every one of their survivors be ready to suffer in her cause" (Pericles). Pericles wrote about the great power of Athens. He wrote "we have forced every sea and land to be the highway of our daring, and everywhere, whether for evil or for good, have left imperishable monuments behind us" (Pericles). Pericles was without a doubt, proud of his country for all their achievements and the conquest of the area around Athens.

Lincoln wrote about the need for sacrifice to save the nation. "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" (Lincoln). His speech begins with a forceful statement reinforcing his strong opinion about equality. In the body of his speech, he stays true to his argument on egalitarianism. He said, "that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth" (Lincoln). Lincoln’s main focus in writing his oration was to state that all men should be treated equally.

Ancient History Sourcebook:Pericles' Funeral Oration. Thucydides. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.             <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/pericles-funeralspeech.html>.

The Gettysburg Address. Abraham Lincoln. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.             <http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/P/al16/speeches/gettys.htm>.

Gettysburg Address and Pericles

The Gettysburg Address was given by Abraham Lincoln after the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War in the United States. The Battle of Gettysburg was in July of 1863. What happened was General Robert E. Lee's Army Of Northern Virginia of 75,000 men and the 97,000 man Union Army Of The Potomac under General George G. Meade met and fought for 3 days. (American Civil War Battles, Gettysburg Battle). Pericles Funeral Orientation was given by Pericles and it was in honor of the soldiers that had died in any war. Both Lincoln and Thucydides wrote similar pieces about sacrifice and freedom. Both leaders in their speeches wanted to express pride and explain the value of democracy in times of war and struggle.

Thucydides wrote that sacrifice was needed to help save city of Athens. Thucydides wrote "Such is the Athens for which these men, in the assertion of their resolve not to lose her, nobly fought and died; and well may every one of their survivors be ready to suffer in her cause" (Pericles). Thucidides wrote about the great power of Athens. He wrote "we have forced every sea and land to be the highway of our daring, and everywhere, whether for evil or for good, have left imperishable monuments behind us" (Pericles).

Lincoln wrote about the need for sacrifice to save the nation. He said, "that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth" (Lincoln). Lincoln’s main focus in writing his oration, was to state that all men should be treated equally.

"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" (Lincoln).  Lincoln wrote about equality in the United States.  At the time of the Civil war, the US was divided into the north and the south.  Lincoln is explaining that equality among people is very important for accomplish a nation.  On the contrary, Pericles says that, “we have forced every sea and land to be the highway of our daring, and everywhere, whether for evil or for good, have left imperishable monuments behind us” (Pericles). Pericles is saying that good and evil mean nothing.  

Ancient History Sourcebook:Pericles' Funeral Oration. Thucydides. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.             <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/pericles-funeralspeech.html>.

The Gettysburg Address. Abraham Lincoln. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.             <http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/P/al16/speeches/gettys.htm>.

1066- notes

• Anglo- Saxon's live in England, fighting the vikings
• France was transforming into dutchies
• In the north, were the Normans
• 1066- sealed the fate of Europe
• 3 major battles
• 3000 ships to obliterate England
• Normans under William
• England under Harold
• Vikings under Harald Hardrada
• http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/0-9/1066/game/index.html
• 
  

Slavery in Rome

Emperors in Rome all had one thing in common: slaves.  Anyone could be a slave in Rome: men, women, and even children.  The lower-middle class people would be the ones that would be forced to work under the power of the ruler of their time.  “Though slavery was a prevailing feature of all Mediterranean countries in antiquity, the Romans had more slaves and depended more on them than any other people” (Madden). If it was not for slaves, Rome would not have risen to so much power.

            Although Romans leaders were very dependent on their slaves, “It is impossible, however, to put an accurate figure on the number of slaves owned by the Romans at any given period: for the early Empire with which we are concerned conditions varied from time to time and from place to place” (Madden).  It is said that the most slaves were used in Italy and the capital itself because there were an incredible amount of aqueducts that had already required 700 people to work at them, not including slaves.  The wealthy citizens and emperors of Rome would use slaves in their houses to do the work that they did not want to do, or did not have time for.  Emperors were very busy being pampered and ruling an empire to have to deal with little jobs that they could have someone else do for them.  If the emperors did everything for themselves, they would not have enough time to rule the other people, and rise to power.

            Slaves in the Roman Empire were treated horribly by their masters.  The slave-owners would refer to them as if they were not even people.  For example, a man named Baillo treated his slaves like they were trash and sometimes beat them.  “Now, unless you're all attention, unless you get that sloth and drowsiness out of your breasts and eyes, I'll have your sides so thoroughly marked with thongs that you'll outvie those Campanian coverlets in color, or a regular Alexandrian tapestry, purple-broidered all over with beasts” (The Conduct and Treatment of Slaves).  It was said that a “faithful” slave should by taking care of all of his owner’s business with great care, give him food when he needs it, do not make any mistakes, and treat your owner as if he was the greatest person on the planet.  The demands of the slaves, their behavior, and the manner of the owners were all factors that made the owner feel powerful.  Rome produced many powerful beings; part of their feeling of power came from slaves.
            Slaves were forced to work and obey their owners to the best of their abilities.  They did not have a choice of what they wanted to do; this caused the slaves to become bitter and unhappy, which resulted in the fear of most rulers: revolt.  A slave revolt would take place when their master was preparing for a battle.  There was so much going on, and it was the perfect time for the slaves to try to escape their lives of hell.  

Review- notes

Mesopotamia

• Sumerian-oldest known civilization to live in what is now modern day Iraq
• Sumerian's gave us laws, writing, and the code of Hammurabi
• civilization died out 4,000 years ago
• Ziggurat- temple of Mesopotamia
• Garden of Eden was in Mesopotamia (Genesis 2:10-15)
• Climate was very hot
• between Mediterranean and Persian Gulf
• Mesopotamia was between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
• Can't have civilization without oasis
• Up until the 19 century, didn't understand anything about Mesopotamia- only had Hebrew scriptures and some writings
• Ziggurat was excavated
• A "tel" tells you that you need something to dig for

Egypt

• Found King Tut's tomb at heart of valley of kings
• Death is the single most important thing about Egyptian culture
• Egypt spent so much time on mortuary cities, why?
• Pharoah was the god on earth of the Egyptians
• controlled the flood of the Nile river
• We all have a life force called the "ka"
• helps clarify concept of mummification
• Walls of tomb were covered in tombs in which the deceased like to do
• Organs were taken out, body was mummified
• Because "ka" was outside of the body
• Take heart for judging, weigh heart vs. feather, result determines where you go in the afterlife
• Nile river floods every year, produces good land for farming
• 4 months out of the year=flood of Nile
• Herodotus was the first Greek historian- "Egypt is a gift of the Nile."
• Nomadic hunters were the first ones in the Nile valley
• Over the next 2,000 years, and empire grew an prospered
• Nile goes through Africa, then cuts up and wanders through Egypt
• Egypt exists with along the Nile
• Pharaoh was responsible for the rise and fall of the Nile
• On-going universal cycle or the Nile oasis
• Flood tears apart land
• Heart is supposed to be lighter than the feather to go to the afterlife
• Primary sources were before Herodotus
• The ka was judged by the gods
• Egyptians probably do not still believe in the ka

Minoans

• Greek world was only a few countries
• Minoans lived on Crete
• Why did the Minoan world crumble?
• 3, 500 years ago, Thera (modern day Santorini) erupted
• city was filled with debris
• Volcano caused a tsunami, hits Crete
• ash was blasted into air, caused sulfurous gas
• ash, lava, and acid froze 36 kilometers into the air
• cloud stayed in atmosphere
• crops failed, drought
• fallout of sulfuric acid, spoiling land
• 3 cases why society collapsed
• invasions
• technology
• natural disasters

Mycenaeans

• Achilles and Agamemnon do not get along
• Hector was the champion of Troy
• How can the Trojan Horse story be related to the story of Troy?
• Horses can be symbolizing the earthquakes.
• Nobody believed Troy existed, until an archaeologist turned Troy into a map based on it
• Leads him to Turkey
• Finds Troy

Good vs. Bad

Although there were many blood-thirsty, vicious creatures during the Early Middle Ages, the Old Norse Vikings are categorized as the most savage.  Many believed that the Vikings were only out there to hurt people.  Is this true?  Do the Vikings really deserve the status of such horrible people? On the contrary, a man named Charlemagne appeared to “save the day” by using architecture and art.  Does he really deserve all the credit for “saving Europe”?

            The Vikings of the Early Middle Ages were said to be horrible men who were so war-hungry, that they would attack innocent monasteries and places with wealth.  Vikings were the old warriors from Scandinavia from the late eighth to the early eleventh century.  The Vikings traveled on long, wooden boats, called longships, “naval vessels made and used for trade, commerce, exploration, and warfare” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longship).  These boats played a huge role in the Viking Age because if they did not have them, they could not have attacked as many places as they did.  In the modern world today, Vikings would most likely be compared to the terrorists because of their need for constant battle and skill with numerous weapons.  The most important weapon in the Viking Age was the battle axe.  The axe would be used for all sorts of things, such as attacking wealthy monasteries and killing the innocent monks.  The monasteries located on the coasts would appeal most to the Vikings because they are the wealthiest.  One of the most famous Vikings was Leif Ericson; in the year 1,000, Leif set off from Greenland and journeyed to a land that nobody had ever been, later referred to as Newfoundland.  This new found colony only lasted for about a decade.  Contrary to popular belief, Leif and fellow Vikings arrived on the North American coast about 500 years prior to Columbus.  The Vikings were most definitely the bad guys of the Early Middle Ages.

            In comparison to the Vikings and their horrible practices, a man named Charlemagne came along to try to be the savior of Europe.  Charlemagne also referred to as Charles the Great, was a respected ruler who tried to bring culture back into Rome during the 8^th and 9^th centuries.  Although he was not a Roman emperor, he did care much about Ancient Rome and felt like it should be reestablished in some way.  He was a very proper man, had great manners, cared about his education, and always was physically intact.  Charles influenced the way literature and architecture was produced in the Early Middle Ages.  Due to his sufficient knowledge in many different languages, Charles was a great writer.  The Carolingian Miniscule was influenced by Charles, even after he was dead.  Charles also influenced the renovation of St. Peter’s Church in Rome because he donated to the popes.  He felt the need to reconstruct the church, "to pay his vows and make his supplications four times during the whole forty-seven years that he reigned" (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/einhard1.html). As you can see, Charles was a positive person who tried very hard to help the fallen state of Rome.  Unlike the Vikings, he wanted to bring people together, not kill them.  It is evident that Charlemagne is the good guy.

          What do you think?  People have many different opinions on the bad guy and the good guy.  It is obvious that the Vikings did Europe no good; all they did was cause turmoil and hatred.  It is also obvious that Charles the Great was a positive influence during the Early Middle Ages. Did the Vikings bring Europe out of the Dark Ages? No, Charles was the man that tried to change Europe.  He is the good guy.

"Carolingian minuscule." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolingian_minuscule>.

"Charlemagne." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlemagne>.

Einhard. "Life of Charlemagne." Medieval Sourcebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar 2010. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/einhard1.html>.

"Leif Ericson." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leif_Ericson>.

"Viking." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking>.

Charlemagne

5. Give three examples of Charlemagne's influence in the architecture or literature of the Early Middle Ages.

Three examples of Charlemagne's influence in the architecture or literature of the Early Middle Ages are his education and the Roman Church.  Charlemagne, also known as Charles, "had the gift of ready and fluent speech, and could express whatever he had to say with the utmost clearness" (Einhard. "Life of Charlemagne." Medieval Sourcebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2010. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/einhard1.html>.).  Charles paid attention to foreign languages, such as Latin and Greek.  He played a huge role when it came to the liberal arts; he praised all of his teachers for helping him learn such a great study.  Charles also studied grammar, and other subjects, with the greatest, most prominent scholars of the day.  He fancied in rhetoric, dialectics, and astronomy; but also tried writing, and kept tablets under his pillow.  Charles influenced the Carolingian minuscule, even after he was dead.  

Charlemagne loved St. Peter the Apostle Church in Rome, and he donated to the leaders of the Church. It was his dream to reconstruct Rome the way he wanted to, protect St. Peters, and to make it the best Church around.  Charles only renovated Rome "to pay his vows and make his supplications four times during the whole forty-seven years that he reigned" (Einhard. "Life of Charlemagne." Medieval Sourcebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2010. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/einhard1.html>.).

Carolingian architecture was influenced by Charlemagne because he favored the Aachen in Germany.  Charles constructed the Palantine Chapel in 792.  The plan of the Palantine Chapel molds together Classical, Byzantine, Pre-Romanesque, and lavish objects of the new house which was ruled by Charlemagne.

"Aachen." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aachen>.

  

"Charlemagne." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlemagne>.


"Carolingian minuscule." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolingian_minuscule>.


"Charlemagne." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlemagne>.


"Codexaureus." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 18 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Codexaureus_04.jpg>.


Einhard. "Life of Charlemagne." Medieval Sourcebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2010. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/einhard1.html>.


"Palatine Chapel in Aachen." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatine_Chapel_in_Aachen>.


"St. Peter's Basilica." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 18 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Giovanni_Paolo_Panini_-_Interior_of_St._Peter's,_Rome.jpg>.

Charlemagne- notes

• Charlemagne was know as Charles the Great 
• most discussed political leader of the 8th and 9th centuries
• was not a Roman emperor 
• Charlemagne is trying to bring culture of Ancient Rome back into Europe
• He becomes a legendary figure; many things written about him

Viking Creation Story

What is the Viking creation story?

The Viking creation story is explained in the Poetic Edda, in the story Voluspo.  Volva, meaning "wise woman," answers to Othin and demands to speak with him.  The wise woman, Volva, wants to be in th race of the giants, so she tries to convince Othin to let her by his power.  The human race of Norse mythology is referred to as Heimdall's sons because he is the watchman of the gods.  The world of Norse was constructed out of a man's body; his name was Ymir.  There are nine worlds that make up the Norse mythological world.  Asgarth, the world of the gods; Vanaheim, world of the Wanes; Alfheim, world of the elves; Midgarth, world of the men; Jotunheim, world of the giants; Muspellsheim, the world of fire; Svartalfaheim, world of the dark elves; Niflheim, the world of the dead; and Nithavellir, world of the dwarfs.  The last world is uncertain in Norse mythology.  Yggdrasil is the tree in Norse mythological beliefs that symbolized the universe.

"Edda." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 18 Mar 2010. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edda.jpg>.


"THE POETIC EDDA." Web. 18 Mar 2010. <http://sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe03.htm>.


 "Ymir." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 18 Mar 2010. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ymir_gets_killed_by_Froelich.jpg>.

Gibbon and Toynbee

6. Required Daily (from last unit): Summarize and Compare Gibbon to Toynbee on the End of the Roman Empire.

Gibbon explicates how Christianity played a part in making the Roman Empire fall.  Gibbon believed that, "As the happiness of a future life is the great object of religion, we may hear, without surprise or scandal, that the introduction, or at least the abuse, of Christianity had some influence on the decline and fall of the Roman empire" (Gibbon, Edward. "General Observations on the Fall of the Roman Empire in the West." Medieval Sourcebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar 2010. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/gibbon-fall.html>.).  Gibbon's argument is strong when he states that the Church created many conflicts in Rome, which sometimes ended up in bloody battle.  The Barbarians were the type of military that would attack the weakest, easiest target.  For example, Constantine's power corrupted which gave leeway for the Barbarians to destroy the Roman Empire.  Since Constantine converted to Christianity, his rule was less organized, giving the barbarians an easy target for destruction.  At the time, the empire was so frantic and helpless, that they had several emperors that obtained power. The Romans did not realize that such a belief, like Christianity, could cause their entire empire to collapse.  

In Toynbee's writing, he explains how the Christian religion and Church transpired.  Contrary to Gibbon's belief that Christianity greatly influenced the fall of the Roman Empire, he argues that the Church had nothing to do with the fall of the empire.  Toynbee supports his thesis by stating, "I think it really began to decline in the fifth century before Christ. It died not by murder, but by suicide; and that act of suicide was committed before the fifth century B.C. was out" (Toynbee, Arnold. "Christianity and Civilization."Myriobiblos Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar 2010. <http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/toynbee.html>.). The emperors of Rome wanted everyone to worship them, and that was their mistake.  People, today, have freedom to worship whatever they please, and the Romans should have thought about using this tactic instead of forcing fondness upon their empire. He says that the Christian philosophies came about because Rome had already killed itself by proclaiming itself as a god, which people worshiped.  Toynbee believes that the fall of one civilization will bring success to another in the future.

The opinions stated in the two articles differ greatly from one another.  While Gibbon strongly believes that Christianity influenced the fall of Rome, Toynbee states that the fall had nothing to do with Christianity.  Gibbon says the empire just stopped, and no traditions carry over nowadays.  Toynbee believes that cultures and religion have transferred to modern times.  The two historians do agree on one thing, however: The Roman Empire instigated the Fall itself.  The civilization of Rome is used in modern times as an example of how to NOT run your government.  


"Arnold J. Toynbee." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_J._Toynbee>.


"Edward Gibbon." Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Gibbon>.


"Fall of Rome." the nef triple crunch blog. Web. 17 Mar 2010. <http://neftriplecrunch.wordpress.com/2009/06/01/90-months-and-counting/>.


Gibbon, Edward. "General Observations on the Fall of the Roman Empire in the West." Medieval Sourcebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar 2010. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/gibbon-fall.html>.


Toynbee, Arnold. "Christianity and Civilization."Myriobiblos Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar 2010. <http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/toynbee.html>.

Skype with Joel

West Civ: Sec 1 - I would take a blogpost about our Skype session as a daily. What did you learn? Ideas? Rethinking on Vikings?

After Skyping with Joel today in class, I learned that Vikings are very respected in the areas that they occupy.  A common misconception is that Vikings have horns on their hats; Joel informed our class that this is not true.  My conception of Vikings was basically true: that they are strong, vicious individuals that love to fight.  Joel said that he recommends visiting Sweden or Norway to visit museums of Vikings.  He said that in the museums, they have about four Viking ships almost fully in tact.  Viking ships were not only used for sailing, but they were also used for burying the dead.


"Vikingship." Wikimedia Commons. Web. 17 Mar 2010. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vikingship.jpg>.

Edda and Heimskringla

Vikings- notes

• Romans dominate Gull and for the next several hundred years, the area is a mix of Celtic and Roman cultures
• Late Antiquity-Middle Ages (6th century-15th century)
• Vikings lived in Sweden , Norway, Denmark, and Iceland
• Vikings were not Christianized in early Christian ages
• The Celts became Christianized
• Vikings lived their lives in a non-religious tradition
• Attacked Britain to Ireland from 7th-9th centuries
• 9 worlds in Norse Mythology
• Midgard- we live here
• Alfheimr- North; elves live here
• Svartalfaheim- South; black elves live here
• Vanaheimr- East
• Muspellheim- (where sun rises) land of fire
• Jotunheimr- Southeast; land of giants
• Niflheim- land of ice
• Asgard- land of the gods
• Oden and his sons live in halls of Valhalla (heaven)
• Hel- South, netherworld (underworld)
• Ginnungagap- far away; nobody lives here
• Three books that are stories and tales of Norse mythology
• Edda
• stories of the gods
• Prose Edda
• Heimskringla- about kings 
• written by Snorri Sturluson
• Yqqdrasil tree- important story
• center of the Norse cosmos
• Runes were the alphabet  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runic_alphabet
• Ragnarok- important story
• great fire caused by battle that causes Midgar to burn
• From ashes, a new world comes
• Vikings were not afraid of death because you would go to Valhalla
• Viking stories are called "sagas"
• Valsunga saga tells us about bizerkers
• Leif Ericsson went to Iceland, Greenland, then to North America
• 500 years before Columbus
• 2 basic designs for ships
• river journeys
• open water
• Buried heroes in ships
• The battle ax was fiercest of weapons
• Monasteries along coast appeal to vikings because of their wealth
• Lindisfarne was important monastery
• King of France doesn't want to face the vikings so he buys them off
• France king gives them gold and silver if they leave
• 790-1100 A.D. vikings follow every river into heart of the continent
• Eirik the Red and Leif Ericsson come from Ieeland
• Eirik is banished from Iceland and they go to Greenland
• Fishing and other meat were available, no farming.
• Leif yearns to explore, just like this father
• year 1,000 he sets sail off the coast of Greenland to Newfoundland
• Newfoundland colony lasts only a decade, 500 years before Columbus
• Leif returns to Greenland and converts to Christianity
• Christianity reunites them
• They find resistance from old Norseman
• Pagans and Christians have old testament duel
• Herold Hardrada (15 years old), half brother of king Oba 
• Herold will write his own history
• Story of "The Wise Woman's Prophecy"- beginning of Norse mythology http://sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe03.htm
• Leaks were typical food (flat green onions)

Brett Favre and the Vikings of America

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

Brett Favre has not decided if he will be back with the Vikings for the 2010-2011 NFL Season.  Vikings are such common mascots in American sports because Americans see vikings as vicious and powerful.  If a team is called the vikings, it is trying to symbolize that the team is strong and victorius, just like the historical vikings were.  Most people in the Viking age were scared of them, so if a team is named the Vikings, they want people to be scared of them.

"Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings." Hi Burrito. Web. 15 Mar 2010. <http://www.hiburrito.com/en/PollRotation.aspx?IdPoll=694>.

Late Antiquity and Early Christianity and Byzantine Empire- notes

• This time period is the end of the Roman empire
• Commodus was a terrible emperor 
• For a short time, the empire kept going by Septimius Severus
• First African emperor
• Caracalla was Severus's son and was assassinated
• Time after was considered "The Crisis of the Third Century" or "The Age of the Soldier Emperor"
• because for the next several years, try to take over Rome by themselves
• Dark time in Rome's history
• Diocletian in 284 becomes emperor and changes Rome
• Since Augustus to 284- Rome was based on principles
• Diocletian changed Rome into a Dominate- one person who decides everything.
• Sets up the Tetarchy- "rule of four"
• Wars breaks out between the tetrarchs- Maxentius and Constantine
• Battle of Milvian Bridge
• Constantine wins the battle
• Constantine looks up in sky and says he saw a vision of the Cairo 
• Made soldiers paint symbol on shields
• Made Christianity legal in Rome
• Constantine’s victory gave him total control of the western Roman Empire, paving the way for Christianity as the dominant religion for the Roman Empire and ultimately for Europe
• Constantinople becomes the seat of the Byzantine empire (era of soldiers emperors, rise of Constantine)
• City of Rome falls in 476
• Some historians say that the Roman empire was over
• Jesus is shown holding a sheep
• Christianity was illegal until Constantine
• If you know the code, you can translate early Christian images.
• Under the city of Rome there were caves called Catacombs used as places of burial
• Led by Justinian
• The church is strong and the Army is strong; Justinian has both
• If you want to be a ruler, you have to have the Church and military on your side
• Constantinople becomes the seat of the Byzantine empire
• Leave initial mosaics and paintings in Hagia Sophia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mosaic-1041.jpg

Young Hannibal vs. Young Scipio

Once there was a boy named Hannibal, son of Carthaginian general, Hamilcar Barca.  The city of Carthage absolutely despised Rome and Roman citizens; therefore, Hannibal swore to his father that he will always have a burning hate for the Romans, no matter what.  When Hannibal grew older, he took over his father’s reign and led the Carthaginian army in the Punic Wars.  Hannibal was very successful in conquering every small battle against the Romans that stood in his way of victory; until the Battle of Zama, where it was time for Hannibal to meet his maker, Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus.  Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, shortened to Scipio, was an ever so powerful Roman statesmen, and general for the Roman army.  Scipio was a strategic, smart man.  While Hannibal was on his high-horse of winning, Scipio led him to think that he would yet again be able to triumph over the Roman army.  Scipio had the master plan to seize Hannibal’s winning streak, and finally overcome in the war of Rome vs. Carthage.

            At the Battle of Zama, Hannibal utilized war elephants, thinking that it was the way of winning the overall war of Rome vs. Carthage.  Come to find out, Scipio and the Romans had outsmarted Hannibal and the Carthaginians for the first time in all battles.  The battle began and Hannibal decided to attack first by charging his elephants into the Roman line of cavalry defense.  To the surprise of Hannibal, Scipio invited the elephants into his defensive line.  As soon as the elephants got reeled in enough, the Romans blew loud horns to startle the elephants and send them charging back into their own Carthaginian line!  The Carthaginians were helpless and thousands of them died.  The Romans finally overcame the Carthaginians in the Battle of Zama.

            For our younger readers, this is how it would happen if Hannibal and Scipio were only in elementary school.  One day, a young boy in 2^nd grade named Hannibal went outside at recess to play on the playground with the rest of his class.  Hannibal was the class clown, scrawny, and had red hair.  A much wider, taller boy named Scipio was in the 3^rd grade.  Scipio was the mean, nasty type and loved to bully kids that were younger than him.  While Hannibal is in the sandbox constructing a beautiful sandcastle, a shadow suddenly appears over him.  Scipio, towering over him, kicks the sandcastle over and makes Hannibal cry.  From this day forward, the two boys fought each day at recess.  Scipio had large friends as well and they were always near his side when the two boys feuded.  Hannibal had many friends and most of the 2^nd grade on his side.  Hannibal was the clever type and always knew ways to mentally destroy Scipio, by talking about his weight and his hideous face.  Scipio would always run home crying to his mother complaining that boys were making fun of him.  Hannibal thought he was the big man on campus and that he finally won the battle.  Hannibal began thinking, “I need to think of a way to finally put Scipio out of his misery, and to prevent him from bullying me ever again!”  Hannibal had a great plan; one final battle, to determine the winner of the overall Hannibal vs. Scipio war.  Hannibal gathered his toughest friends, their dogs, and their bikes.  Scipio didn’t think as “outside of the box” as Hannibal did, and he only made sure his strongest friends were by his side.  Scipio knew it was time for the defeat of Hannibal.  The final battle took place at the local playground called, Zama.  On one side stood Hannibal, his friends on their tricycles, and their big German Shepherds, and on the opposite side stood Scipio and his tallest, strongest friends.  The battle has begun as Hannibal yelled, “GO GET ‘EM BOYS!” The dogs charged into Scipio’s line of strong boys.  To Hannibal’s surprise, Scipio allowed the dogs in; and then Scipio threw dog treats back over to Hannibal’s side, and the dogs went charging back into their own line!  The dogs ran over all of the kids and left them with bruises and cuts on their bodies!  Hannibal was defeated.  The bully Scipio had won.  Looks like Scipio was the toughest contender, after all. Hannibal was devastated and decided he would transfer schools so Scipio wouldn’t bully him anymore.

The End!

"Carthaginian war elephants engage Roman infantry at the Battle of Zama (202 BC)."Wikimedia Commons. Web. 12 Mar 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Schlacht_bei_Zama_Gem%C3%A4lde_H_P_Motte.jpg>.

"The Character of Hannibal." Ancient History Sourcebook. N.p., c.200-after 118 BCE. Web. 12 Mar 2010. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/polybius-hannibal.html>.