'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>.

Attractions!

2. Give several examples of monuments in Maryland / DC / PA that might be familiar to folks who live here but which would not be understood by outsiders without an explanation. Please include your own or public domain photos.

One example of a monument that is unknown by everyone other than those that  located in Baltimore, Maryland that is familiar to the population of the area is Fort McHenry.  Fort McHenry is a star-shaped fort that was used in the War of 1812.  Fort McHenry was used to defend the Baltimore Harbor from the British Navy.  The attack on this fort instigated Francis Scott Key to write "The Star Spangled Banner."   

Another example of a monument would be the Washington Monument that stands tall in Mt. Vernon, Maryland.  Most people have heard about the Washington Monument located in Washington, DC; therefore, the monument located in Mt. Vernon is unnoticed.  The Washington Monument in Mt. Vernon was constructed to honor the United States' first president, George Washington.  

The third and final example of a monument that is unknown to those that are not local, is the Phoenix Shot Tower located in Baltimore, Maryland.  The Shot Tower was the place where lead shot was made for rifles.  In order to make lead bullets, molten lead was dropped from the top into a vat of water at the bottom, where the lead balls would then form perfectly round spheres.  The Phoenix Shot Tower was named a National Historic Landmark in 1972.  These three monuments may not be familiar with anybody who doesn’t live in the area because they have to do with the history of Maryland, and nowhere else.

"Baltimore's Phoenix Shot Tower." Baltimore. Web. 4 Feb 2010. <http://www.baltimore.to/ShotTower/index.html>.

"Fort McHenry." Wikipedia. 30 Jan 2010. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Web. 4 Feb 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_McHenry>.

Lehnert, Julia K. "History of the Washington Monument and Mount Vernon and Washington Places." Mount Vernon Place "The Heart of Baltimore". 12 Jun 1998. Web. 4 Feb 2010. <http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~jlehnert/welcome.html>.

War vs. Technology

4. "War is a form of technology". Agree or Disagree.

I disagree that war is a form of technology because advances in technology are created to improve situations.  When a war breaks out, it does nothing but harm the area that it takes place in, the people who are fighting, and the economy.  Military forces spend so much time and money creating weapons of mass destruction, when money could be used for something else.  Although technology is used in war, war is not a form of technology.

"Technology." CNSX. Web. 2 Feb 2010. <http://www.cnq.ca/Page.asp?PageID=2065&SiteNodeID=206>.

Vroom!

1. What is the oldest human-created artifact that has mattered to you? Why/how does it matter? (from @butwait on Twitter)

The oldest human-created artifact that has mattered to me is the car.  The first car was a steam-powered car created in 1769 by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot.  The car matters to me because it is how I get from place to place every day.  Even though I cannot drive, my parents still drive me everywhere in the car.  I play for a soccer team where it takes me an hour and a half to get to practice three times a week, and if the car was never invented, it would take me even longer to get there.

"Who invented the automobile?." Everyday Mysteries. 12 Feb 2009. Library of Congress, Web. 1 Feb 2010. <http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/auto.html>.

"Early steam automobile presented to Smithsonian / Underwood & Underwood, Washington.." Library of Congress. Web. 1 Feb 2010. <http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?pp/ils:@filreq(@field(NUMBER+@band(cph+3c16793))+@field(COLLID+cph))>.

I Want My Mummy!

Pinch, Dr. Geraldine . "Ancient Egyptian Magic." Ancient history in-depth. 11 Nov 2009. BBC, Web. 1 Feb 2010. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/magic_01.shtml>.

Tyldesley, Dr. Joyce. "Ancient Egypt and the Modern World." Ancient history in-depth. 5 11 2009. BBC, Web. 1 Feb 2010. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/egypt_importance_01.shtml>.