super big brain mega smart blog made by david!!!!!!!!!!!!

Due to having the flu, I was absent Thursday, Feb. 27 and Friday, Feb. 28

Today in class we went over different governments and rulers of ancient Greece. A few systems of governments were: monarchy : rule by a single person (a king, in Greece) aristocracy : rule by a small group of noble, very rich, landowning families oligarchy : wealthy groups, dissatisfied with the aristocratic rule, who seized power (often with military help) tyrant : a powerful individual who seized control by appealing to the common people for support  We also reviewed some of the tyrants that ruled Greece. Draco:  r eign was so infamous for being harsh that the term "draconian" is still used today to mean unduly harsh. Draco ruled in 621 BC and made a lot of changes in Athens during his rule. He made it clear that the rich and poor were all equal under the law for one. His punishment for many crimes was the death penalty. He allowed debt slavery, the practice of someone becoming a slave in order to pay off their debts. r  Solon: ruled around 594

Today in class we reviewed very important test information. We also had Lizzy make up the pop-quiz but she didn't actually have to take it which is dumb because it really hurt some of us who didn't do too hot on it and I believe she should suffer the same fate as us. After that, we went over the slides again and talked about questions that would be on the test. I'm going to do some intense studying and attempt to get 100% on the test if that is at all possible. My grade is quite stuck at 80 and I really need to get it up. After that we reviewed, even more, slides on Greece is the word PowerPoint and listen to a rant about global warming and the effects greed and capitalism has on it.

Today in class we had a pop quiz which was easy except for this one portion of it where it asked for the locations of the seas, the one thing I had decided to put off for studying. I luckily survived with an 80, didn't really affect my grade but did anchor it down to a low B which is annoying. After that, to show us beyond a shadow of a doubt, he had us take notes from the textbook, the second-worst thing behind a pop quiz. Due to me leaving my notebook at school because I'm not very smart, I can't make an outline of them in my blog like I usually do, however, I will do that when I complete reading and note-taking.

Notes on Greece #2 Only 20% of Greek land was suitable for farming Greek diet consists of grains, grapes, olives, and fish; a very healthy diet                                                               Trojan War Greeks have fought in many wars over time; Trojan War- fought around 1200 BCE Was incorporated into Greek Mythology; was thought to be fake at first because of this The story goes that Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite fought over a golden apple. Paris decided that Aphrodite was the fairest so Paris was gifted with the love of Helen (Spartan princess) which caused the war 1200 BCE- mysterious sea-people invaded and burned Mycenae Dorians moved into the war-torn region dominating from 1150-750 BCE              Dorians were: Far less advanced Trade-based economy collapse not literate  Homer- told stories by word of mouth Composed stories of the Trojan War         c. 750 - 700 BCE              Composed: Illiad Odyssey Homeric Question: Was Homer a real pe

Today in class we went over a lot of philosophy. We started the class period by looking at a piece of art that showed a pipe followed by the words, "This is not a pipe." We then had a bit of time to discuss what it meant and why it wasn't a pipe. After a bit of brainstorming, I came to the realization that it wasn't a pipe because it was a painting of a pipe, more specifically a picture of a painting of a pipe and even more specifically a projection of a picture of a painting of a pipe, which turned out to be the main message that the painting was trying to convey. This proves that I am in fact a master philosopher, perhaps the greatest of my time. (Most definitely the greatest of my time)

In class today we went over more on the allegory of the cave. Something that stuck with me about this lesson was the teaching about how true knowledge is understanding on a conceptual level while simply memorization and regurgitation of knowledge is a fool's way of life. This is strange because the modern-day school system, with its heavy focus on memorization in the form of tests and quizzes, promotes regurgitation. I understand that teachers have to input grades, however, if the tests and quizzes were structured in a way that tested if a student can understand conceptually it would improve the way a student learns. Perhaps the ideal way to teach students doesn't use grades at all.

Today in class we stopped discussing the history of Greece, but instead focused more specifically on Socrates. When Socrates was put on trial, he created an allegory to describe his defense. The allegory goes as such: Inside a dark cave, deep in the earth, prisoners are shackled so that they may only look at the wall. The wall featured shadows of objects cast by a grand fire and described by the murmurs of the people who held the items up. It is said that one of these people escapes the cave and enters the light of the sun. Despite the light being blinding, he adjusts to it and he's taken aback by the beauty of it. Out of generosity for the people still trapped in the cave, he ventures back into it, but as his eyes are no longer adjusted to the darkness so he no longer is able to walk around without fumbling, and everyone makes fun of him. The man tries to get the others to leave with him but he is called insane and even killed.

-Polis- City-state -A city-state controlled between 50 and 500 square miles of territory -Often home to fewer than 10,000 residents -The agora (marketplace) was on top of a fortified hilltop called an acropolis where Greeks went to discuss city government -Monarchy- Single person called a king ruled -Aristocracy- Small group of nobles ruled -Oligarchy- a government ruled by a few powerful people -Tyrants- a powerful individual who took advantage of the common people by having them help him seize power. -were seen as leaders that worked for the people -Democracy- the rule by the people -Nobleman named Draco took power (621 B.C) -Developed a code that stated all, rich or poor, were equal under the law -Solon came in power in 594 B.C - Outlawed slavery and debt slavery -created four classes based on wealth, only the top three could hold office -all were able to participate in the assembly -Made it so any citizen could punish a wrongdoer -Cleisthenes introduced more reform

1) Mycenaean- The people who settled on the Greek mainland.      Trojan war- a 10-year war fought against Troy about the abduction of the wife of a Greek King      Dorians- The new group of people that moved into the ruins of Troy after the Trojan war      Homer- Blind man that was well known for his storytelling      Epic-  Long narrative poems that celebrate heroic deeds      myths- Traditional Stories about their gods 2) I believe the Minoans contributed the most to Greece because they developed the writing system adapted by the Greeks and were the core of Greek religious practice, art, politics, and literature. 3) It made it so that they learned how to sail very fast and they became very good at it, which made trading with other nations very easy. 4)The writing system, religious practices, politics, and literature 5) Due to the lack of writing, the greeks had to learn about their history through spoken stories.

I was absent from class Thursday 2/6

I was absent from class Wednesday 2/5

English Translation if you not fluent in Hieroglyphics like me: Today in class we had a pop quiz. I was prepared and had taken notes, but still got one wrong which made me very angry as other people in the class who had taken fewer notes did better than I. After that, we took more notes on Ancient Egypt. The note talked about the Egyptian's vast knowledge of astronomy. Egyptian astronomers created a calendar with 12 months and 365 days to make a better sense of the seasonal cycles. They also had a lot of knowledge about anatomy because of they mummified people.  Due to their excellent knowledge of human anatomy, Egyptian doctors wrote extensively on health issues and created potions and cures for a number of common ailments.