John Carroll Human Geography

We took our test on Ancient Greece today, and I think I did pretty well. I studied beforehand using my blog, my notes, and quizlet, so I think I was pretty well prepared. I currently have a high B in this class and I'm really hoping this was enough to boost it up to an A. I was a little confused with some of the questions, but I think that's because of all the days I was absent and missed class. Still, I'm happy with how I did and I hope my grade reflects the studying I did. I'm looking forward to studying more about Greece in the coming days.

I was absent today and couldn't complete this assignment.

Hippias was a Greek tyrant that ruled from 527-510 BCE. After his brother's murder, Hippias became paranoid and refused to trust anyone. After putting many people to death, accusing them of plotting his murder, Hippias was ostracized from Athens. In revenge, Hippies began working with Persian king Darius I, helping him to invade Marathon. With Hippias gone, two aristocrats,  Isagoras and Cleisthenes, started competing for the role of archon eponymous. Isagoras had the support of other aristocrats as well as the city-state of Sparta, and Cleisthenes had the support f the majority of Athens citizens. The middle class citizens had less power, but greater numbers. Isagoras won, and ostracized Cleisthenes. After this, Cleisthenes' supporters revolted against Isagoras' tyranny, trapping him in the acropolis for two days, until he escaped on the third, and was banished from Athens.

The golden age of Ancient Greece was a period where democratic principles and classical culture flourished. Greece's standards in art, politics, literature, and philosophy are still influential today. 477-431 BCE Athens experienced a growth in intellectual and artistic learning due to the rule of Pericles, a a statesman who held popular support for 32 years, strengthening democracy, the empire, and Athens. Pericles strengthened democracy by increasing the number of paid public officials. Prior to this, holding public office was an unpaid job that only the wealthy could afford. Because of Pericles, even the poorest could hold office if elected or chosen by lot. Due to this reform, Athens had more citizens engaged in self-government than any other city-state, making Athens one of the most democratic governments in history.

I was absent today and couldn't complete this assignment.

Mycenaean influence in Greece began in 2000 BCE. Mycenae is located on a rocky ridge on Peloponnesus, protected by a 20 foot wall. From 1600 to 1100 BCE, Mycenaean kings controlled Greece, and all the trade in the region. By 1400 BCE, Mycenaeans had invaded Crete, and took over by adopting Minoan culture (language, politics, art, etc.) Around 1200 BCE, 'sea people' (unknown who they actually were) invaded Mycenae and began burning down palaces. Dorians moved into this war torn region and ruled from 1150 to 750 BCE. Dorians were less culturally advanced, and during the 'Greek Dark Ages' when Dories ruled, the trade-based economy collapsed, writing disappeared for 400 years, and there was a huge cultural decline. Homer was said to be a blind wandering minstrel living during the end of the Greek Dark Ages, telling stories as he went from city to city. It's debated whether or not he actually existed, but he's credited with the Iliad and the Odyssey. Another piec

We watched a video on Plato's Allegory of the Cave today in class, and discussed the meaning behind it. Plato was expressing that we're all in a metaphorical cave, ignorant and unable to see the truth of things beyond our own lives and interests. Plato saw that a philosophical enlightenment was the only way out of this cave, and the only way to see the truth. He expressed that unenlightened people would disagree and argue pointlessly, and referenced the death sentence of Socrates as an example of ignorant people hating those that knew more than them and encouraged others to speak for themselves. We also discussed philosopher's high opinions of themselves, many believing that society was too dumb for democracy, and all choices should be made by philosopher kings that were smart enough and enlightened enough to rule, whereas normal citizens were too stupid to rule themselves.

All great civilizations are/ were located on water, usually rivers. Egypt developed on the Nile, Mesopotamia developed on the Tigris and Euphrates, India had the Indus, and China had the Huang He River. Greece's topography, location, and surroundings greatly influenced the culture. For example, Greece's rocky, mountainous terrain made it hard for the entire peninsula to unite, so Greece was made up of small, loyal communities/ city-states, like Athens and Sparta. Being surrounded by the Ionian and Aegean Seas made Greeks into seafarers, sailors, and shipbuilders. While other careers such as weaving and metalworking were profitable, Greek society was dependent on the sea. Because of the terrain, Greece didn't have many natural resources, and had to trade with others. It was easier to travel on the water than through the mountains. Although 1/4 of the peninsula was fertile valleys, only about 20% was suitable for farming. A Greek diet was made up of grains, grapes, fish, an

Today in class we read and discussed Plato's allegory of the cave. In this allegory, prisoners are shackled in a cave and forced to face only one direction. Behind them is a low wall and a fire behind the wall. People walk by carrying things, casting shadows on the wall the prisoners are looking at. The people also speak, causing an echo from within the cave. Because the prisoners have been here since childhood and don't know any better, they see the shadows in front of them as beings themselves, and they assume the people speaking is actually the shadows speaking. When a prisoner is freed and dragged out of the cave, it's a painful experience for him to be able to see and eventually look at the sun. The man goes back into the cave and is mocked by the other prisoners for leaving the cave and having his eyes ruined by the light. The prisoners say that if the man who freed the first prisoner tried to free them, they'd kill him. This allegory is meant to represent a per

I was absent today and could not complete my assignment.

We took our chapter test on ancient Egyptian civilization today, then began reading and taking notes on ancient Greece. Ancient Greece was stony, rugged, and mountainous, with only 1/4 of the land being useful for farming. Due to this, Greek society depended on the sea. Specifically, the Ionian, Aegean, and Black Seas. Greeks became skilled sailors as they used the water to trade for the natural resources they lacked such as timber and precious metals. Mountains in Greece formed naturals barriers through the civilization, separating regions of people and significantly influencing political life in forming close city-states that remained loyal to their communities.

We reviewed for our quiz tomorrow and discussed Egyptian mummification and how the embalming process of corpses is different today than it was then in Egypt. Bodies had their organs removed, except for the heart, probably due to religious reasoning and belief in an afterlife, and were then left in salt for around 40 days. After this, resin and waxen linen strips were wrapped around the body. Protection symbols and hieroglyphics surrounding rebirth were painted on the mummy using pigments and gold, and mummified animals were placed with bodies as offerings to certain gods and/or goddesses. The example we saw had an ibis mummified with the body as an offering to Thoth. Modern day corpses are often only prepared to last long enough for an open casket funeral, and are then put into a coffin and placed into the ground. This process of burial means our bodies will decay relatively quickly as moisture, heat/ cold, and insects impact the corpse. This is because Egyptian religion had a belief

Ancient Egypt was very advanced for its time in terms of medicine and architecture. Medically, Egyptians had an excellent knowledge of human anatomy, and doctors wrote about health issues and had developed potions and cure for common ailments. Surgeries had been invented, as well as tactics for treating broken bones, and Egyptian physicians knew enough about illnesses to prevent as well as treat them. Egyptian architecture was also impressive. Pyramids and temples constructed of huge stone blocks provided structures that have lasted until modern day. The Temple of Amon at Karnak is the largest religious building in the world. Stone sculptures and interior paintings depict humans and gods in a series of regulated poses, often in profile. They'd also constructed wooden sailboats to increase transportation on the Nile river. Though these small boats weren't strong enough to keep up against the cataracts, they were impressive for their time.

Egyptian technology and science was very advanced for the time period it existed in. An Egyptian calendar designed to keep track of the Nile's flooding was created by measuring the path of a star, and this calendar was only 6 hours off the real solar year. A number system was created for taxes and geography was used to assess property boundaries. Ancient Egyptians had impressive mathematical knowledge that helped them in building architectural structures such as temples and pyramid tombs. As well as this, Egyptian medical care was very advanced. Doctors could check hear rates, set broken bones with splints, treat wounds and fevers, and even do surgeries. Mummified bodies have evidence of being operated on. A couple of ancient Egyptian physicians were even women.

We began on ancient Egypt today, focusing on the religious aspects of Egyptians' lives. Egyptians lived in a polytheistic theocracy. They saw their pharaohs as god-kings, whose power was not only political, but divine. Egyptians had many gods and goddesses, and believed in an afterlife.