Who's a Good Guy? Who's a Bad Guy?

Q: Who's a Good Guy? Who's a Bad Guy?
A: A good guy and a bad guy can be defined as many things. There are everyday people that go out of their way to do good things, and there are famous or well-known people who do good things. There are also people who go out of their way to do bad things and famous or well-known people who do bad things. These people are very dedicated and think very strongly about their opinions. Some examples of these people are George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Benito Mussolini, Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Charles Manson.

George Washington was the first President of the United States and was a great leader for America, but made a large difference in America before he was in office. He was appointed as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army by the Continental Congress in the Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783. In 1776 he forced the British out of Boston and crossed the Delaware River in New Jersey. George Washington was awarded the first Congressional Gold Medal in 1776. Washington became the first president in 1789. He created the first national bank and avoided war with Britain. He supported the Federalists’ Party’s programs and was a very inspirational leader. George Washington died in 1799.

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States. He was the first republican president. Lincoln was a country lawyer, a state legislator, a member of the United States House of Representatives, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate twice. He became president in 1861 and introduced the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation was meant to abolish slavery. Lincoln also promoted the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated six days after the Confederate army surrendered.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was the political and spiritual leader of India during the Indian Independence Movement. He is known around the world as Mahatma Gandhi and Bapu, which means father, in India. He is officially known as the father of the nation in India. He invented Satyagraha, which is resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience. This is a philosophy almost completely founded upon total nonviolence. This philosophy led India to their independence and inspired people around the world. October 2, his birthday, is the worldwide holiday called the International Day of Non-Violence.

Benito Mussolini was an Italian politician who is credited with being one of the main figures in the creation of Fascism. He was the fortieth Prime Minister of Italy in 1922 and led the National Fascist Party. Mussolini influenced a wide variety of political figures with his creation of the fascist ideology. He did some good for his country, though; he improved job opportunities and public transportation and public work programs. He also secured economic success in Italy. Benito Mussolini originally sided with France, against Germany, but was soon a main figure in the Axis group. The Axis group consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian born German politician. He was also the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party, more commonly known as the Nazi Party. He was the dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945 and he served as Chancellor from 1933 to 1945. He was also head of state from 1934 to 1945. He was a veteran of World War I and joined the Nazi Party in 1919. He became the leader of the Nazi Party in 1921. He was imprisoned in 1923, but quickly gained support. He then used his power to try to create what he thought was the “perfect world.”

Information from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohandas_Karamchand_Gandhi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mussolini http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler

Did the Roman Empire 'fall'?

Q: Did the Roman Empire 'fall'?
A: The Roman Empire consisted of most of the western part of Europe and part of Africa. The fall of the Roman Empire has been, and will continue to be, one of the greatest, most asked historical questions. Since Rome still exists today, some people argue that it never actually ‘fell,’ instead it adjusted itself. There are over two-hundred different theories about how the Roman Empire fell. Rome was not able to be an effective capital for the Emperor in the late third century. Other cities then became the administrative capital. After that, the country was governed by more than one, usually two, emperors. The decline occurred over a long period of time, about three hundred and twenty years. Romulus Augustus was the emperor in power when the empire fell. There are thought to be two main reasons for this empire’s fall; the deterioration of the economy of Rome and the brutal, barbaric, and cruel invasions. The inflation of the economy and poor management played a very large role in the deterioration of the economy of Rome. Another reason is that because the Roman Empire spilt into eastern and western empires, governed by two separate emperors, which ultimately caused Rome to fall. The eastern half became known as the Byzantine Empire, its capital being in modern Istanbul and the main part of the western half was still in Italy. The Western Empire had its administrative capitals in Trier, Milan, and Ravenna. The Eastern Empire had its administrative capital in Nicomedia. The Eastern Empire had more independence than the Western Empire. The Western Emperors were usually just figureheads. The actual rulers in the West were in the military. Rome remained the largest city and the economic center in the Western Empire, even though it was not the capital. Soon, the Germanic invasions conquered most of the Western Empire of Rome. Even though the Germanic invasions conquered most of Rome, the Roman culture would last into the sixth century. The Gothic War, which was launched by the eastern emperor in the sixth century, was meant to reunite the Eastern and Western Empires, but instead made things worse between the two empires. The final blow was the Persians invading the Eastern Empire in the seventh century. This hurt the trade in the Mediterranean Sea; Europe depended on this trade very much. Rome was also spilt up culturally. One half was a Latin Empire and the other was a Greek Empire. It is thought that the Greek Empire was able to survive longer than the Latin Empire because it had most of the population, more money, a better military, and better rulers. The Roman Empire had become too large and vast to govern and control easily. The military stopped wearing their protective armor, which made them very vulnerable to the conquered people and the people of other lands. The leaders became very incompetent. There was also lead in the Romans water supply. Some smaller reasons for Rome’s fall were the rise of Christianity, the rise of Islam, and military problems. The first known recording of the decline and fall of Rome was not until the fifth century. Church leaders, over time, took away a lot of power from the emperor and became very influential to the Roman people. Vandals took over Africa and Rome lost Spain to the Sueves. The diverging of the politics and culture of the Latin, West Empire and the rich, Greek, East Empire had lasting consequences on historical, medieval Europe. The end of the Roman Empire marked the end of Classical Antiquity and the beginning of the European Middle Ages.

Information from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_the_Roman_Empire
http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/romefallarticles/a/fallofrome_2.htm

Who was Augustine of Hippo?

Augustine of Hippo was a saint who was born in 354 and died in 430. He was born in North Africa to a Christian mother and pagan father. He excelled in academics and surrounded himself with material things until he became Bishop of Hippo. He is also one the few ancient figures who recorded their life. He wrote an autobiography called Confessions, which was about his spiritual journey. This book also gave insight to historians about life in the Roman Empire at the end of the fourth century. The stories Augustine talks about are very modern. He was canonized in 1303.


Image and Information: http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/people/augustine.htm

Was Rome better off as an 'empire' than as a republic?

Rome was better off as a republic. The common people had more say in the government then when it was an Empire, practically being ruled by a dictator. The republic helped Rome grow and expand. It soon became the most powerful country in the world, by conquering other powerful countries. As they conquered more land, the generals and politicians became more powerful in the government. These people became obsessed with having more and more power, which took power away from the common people. Rome becoming an Empire took all of the power away from the common people and gave it to the generals, politicians, and other authority figures that wanted power.

The Five Good Emperors: Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 A.D. He was a co-emperor with Lucius Verus from 161 to 169 A.D. He is the last emperor in the group of the “Five Good Emperors.” He is also a very important Stoic Philosopher. He also tried to be level-headed and fair when he was in office. He still acted like a common person, even though he was in the government. He let the people have free speech, even though Marullus, a writer, made fun of him. He was a kind and forgiving person to everyone and was a very good emperor.

Image and Information from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius

Res Gestae

These images are a temple, a basilica, an aqueduct, a round stage, and a senate house. These are all images used in Res Gestae.

What's so "ancient" about Rome?

Q: What's so "ancient" about Rome?
A: There are many things that are ancient about Rome. Ancient is defined as, “of or in time long past, esp. before the end of the Western Roman Empire A.D. 476,” and, “dating from a remote period; of great age.” In other words, this means that ancient is something or someone who lived in or that thrived in older times. This time is mostly before the Western Roman Empire ended, which was around 476 A.D. The architecture, art, and culture in some areas of Rome are very ancient. The architecture of Rome has a lot of Greek, cultural influence. They made their architecture somewhat different to create a new architectural style. This architecture is considered classic, as well as the Greek architecture. They also made the arch and the dome, which we still use today. There are many famous ancient buildings in Rome such as, the aqueducts of Rome, the Baths of Diocletian and the Baths of Caracalla, the Pantheon, Rome, the basilicas, and the Colosseum. They wanted to have buildings to be able to show off as well as being a place to hold public meetings, plays, sports, and other activities and meetings. They also had their art influence come from Greece. Their culture was very important to the Romans. They had many styles of clothes depending on the class of the person. They had a tunic for the common people and a toga for free Roman men. The men wore rings and the women wore a tunica, stola, and shawl. The women also wore cloaks, necklaces, pins, earrings, bracelets, rings, and pearls. They used false hairpieces and jeweled hairpins. Roman urban life was a lot like it is today. They had traffic and the rich lived in large houses. They had games and shows to calm the people of Rome such as, chariot races, theatrical and musical performances, wild-beast hunts, mock sea battles, public executions, and gladiatorial combat. The Colosseum seated up to 50,000 people. The arena, Circus Maximus, held 300,000 people in it. They gathered in that arena to see chariot races and other very popular events. The government gave food to the poor because they felt they had a civic duty and they wanted to show off their money and economic success. Prosperity did not last forever though; with increased cost of army and other things, the economic successes they had been having quickly became failures. In the rural countryside, where most of the population lived, lived in small huts. Farming was the only truly secure investment a person could make in Rome. Rome inherited the dictatorial system from Egypt and treated their slaves very badly and did not care if they got hurt or were killed. The countryside then became depopulated as more people moved into the city. Though Rome is very ancient, they had many technological advancements for their time. They created the first roads that were not made out of dirt, this made trading easier and more beneficial to Rome. They also made strong aqueducts, which still stand today. Aqueducts are “structures used to conduct a water stream across a hollow or valley” (http://www.crystalinks.com/). “In modern engineering "aqueduct" refers to a system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and supporting structures used to convey water from its source to its main distribution point” (http://www.crystalinks.com/). This elaborate system served as the capital of the Roman Empire. Some aqueducts are still in use today. Some arches are still found in Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Northern Africa, and Asia Minor. There are many things that make Rome ancient, but the things the created and did to change the world today will always be remembered.

Biographies 2

Please write biographies on Herodotus, Thucydides, and Livy.
Herodotus-
Herodotus was a Greek historian who lived in the 5th century BCE. He is known as the “Father of History” because of what he did. He, unlike the historians of his time, went to the places he was writing about. He interviewed people from that specific place instead of just reading and researching the place. He wrote mostly about the Persian Wars. He reported only what was told to him, even though it may not have been right.
Thucydides-
Thucydides was also a Greek historian, but lived after Herodotus. He wrote mostly about the Peloponnesian War in the 5th BCE. He is known as the father of “scientific history” because he had high standards and analyzed all of the information he received. He showed an interest in understanding humans and how they act.
Livy-
Livy’s real name was Titus Livius. He was a Roman historian, unlike Thucydides and Herodotus. He wrote about the Romans and Rome as a whole. He lived from 59 BCE to 17 AD. He wrote "Chapters from the Foundation of the City." This covers from the beginning of Rome to his own time. He tried to convince Claudius, a future emperor, to start writing history.
Herodotus. 2009. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. .
Livy. 2009. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. .
Thucydides. 2009. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. .

Notes- Greece/Persia

Athens was in the province of Attica
In between Athens and Sparta is Corinth
TROJAN HORSE STORY
Anatolia-Old Turkey
Paris (royalty of Anatolia) went to Greece to meet kings @ wedding
Golden apple goes to fairest goddess
Paris was the one to chose who is the fairest
Aphrodite won by giving him what he wanted (the woman of his choice)
He wanted a married woman named Helen
He and Helen's husband are at war for many years
Horse

Herodotus- grandfather of history writing (u can wiki this)

Persians give Greeks ultimatum- become one of us or we destroy your city.
Some Greeks didn't listen some did
They invaded
Xerxes leads invasion through the biospheres waterway which connects to Istanbul & black sea
They enter northern Greece- Thrace

Wiki Look up Battle of Thermopylae
Wiki Sparta

Look up ancient Greece @ metmuseum.org

King Leonidas

Phalanx

Chance of surviving war were better then having kids

4 AD Greece wins war against Persia

Pericles convinces Greece to make navy with the money

Peloponnesian wars- Sparta held off Persians, Athens gets credit

Sparta goes to war with Athens

ATHENS- "long walls" two walls (like on highway but closer together) starts @ port of Piraeus all the way 2 athens
Spartans lose of long walls
The plague hits during this time
Come to truce but Athenians have great losses
Athens needs to regain glory
Sicily had Greek colonies friendly w/ Sparta
Alcibiades came up w/ plan to attack Sicily
Vandalism over Athens
He's so angry that he gives up the Athenian strategy
Athens is being waited for in Sicily

Notes- Rome/Punic Wars I-II

Punic War 1
Started when?
Started because of Sicily
This puts Rome on map
Hamelcar father of Hannibal who was taught to hate Romans
Cannae, Italy
Got w/in 50 miles of Rome but doesn’t have anything left to fully siege the city.

Punic War 2 (Battle of Zama)
Starts w/ invasion
Southern Spain Northern Africa- Carthage
Corsica Sardinia Sicily & most of Italy- Rome

Hannibal never able to siege Rome
Goes back to Carthage, where he is beaten by Scipio Africanus
Cato the elder

Romans invade Africa
Sack Carthage
Scipio Aemilianus

Imagine you are a Roman in the year 264 BCE

Imagine you are a Roman in the year 264 BCE (the year of the 1st Punic War). What does your future look like? Then, look at the world around you today. What does your future look like? Think about politics, technology, culture, dominance, balance.

If I were a Roman in the year 264 BCE my future may not be as bright as it could be. If I were a girl I would have to help the soldiers and help run the house. If I were a boy I would be suiting up for war and fighting for my country. There is a lot of technology for its time and a lot of culture. In today’s world, we have much farther advanced technology and a democracy. Most teenagers do not have to deal with the troubles teenagers faced in the year 264 BCE. We have faster ways of communication and transportation.

Brief Biography on Hannibal

Please write a brief biography of Hannibal and explain whether or not you think his reputation (in Roman eyes) as a monster was deserved.

Hannibal was taught to hate the Romans from his birth. He grew up in Carthage, which was hated by the Romans. He later became a general for the Carthaginian military. He tried to defeat them many times, but eventually was beaten by the Romans in Carthage. His reputation as a monster was only somewhat deserved. He should not have fought with the Romans just because he did not like them. At the same time, the Romans also should not have fought with the Carthaginians. He was defending his country in the best way possible.