Quest on Monday

To review we did a worksheet and went over a powerpoint. We have the test or quiz whatever you call it on Monday. I think I'm pretty prepared.

Checking for Understanding

Agriculture.

The single most important contribution of the Nile River to Egypt was that of agriculture. The annual floods deposited a layer of nutrient rich silt, making the Nile Valley one of the most agriculturally productive areas on Earth. The production of food was the single most important necessity of ancient cultures. Once that essential need was met the Ancient Egyptians had a valuable byproduct--time. And what they did with that byproduct is what shaped their history, and that is why even today we can see the remains of arguably the most interesting civilization that ever existed.

Economics

Agriculture made the Ancient Egyptians a very wealthy people. Their agricultural surpluses generated vast amounts of money in the way of raw materials and finished goods which allowed Egypt to become one of the most, if not the most powerful nation in the region.

Culture/Religion

The great amount of surplus wealth that agriculture generated allowed Egypt to advance both in culture and religion. In fact the priesthood, which held a huge amount of land and other wealth, was often more powerful than Pharaoh himself, exerting its influence on virtually every aspect of Egyptian life, especially on that of the Pharaoh from the time of childhood to his death. And of course we all know about the religious burial rites that sent Pharaoh into a glorious afterlife.

Pyramids were built to honor passed ruler and told their tombs in to the afterlife.

Section 2 Assessment

1.)  
The Nile Delta's features was a very valuable source used for hunting, fishing and fertile land for crops.
The pharaoh was the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people.
A theocracy is a political system based on religion.
The ancient Egyptians built pyramids as tombs for the pharaohs and queens.
By mummification, the Ancient Egyptians believed they were assuring themselves a successful rebirth into the afterlife.
 Hieroglyphics was one of the writing systems used by ancient Egyptians to represent their language.
The ancient Egyptians used papyrus to make paper, baskets, sandals, mats, rope, blankets, and clothes. 
3.) Being surrounded by the desert shut out invaders from attacking the ancient Egyptians.
4.) The Egyptians viewed the pharaoh as living gods. Egyptians believed that their pharaoh took full responsibility for the kingdom's well-being, the sun to rise, the rivers to overflow, and the crops to grow.
5.)Egyptians mummified bodies to preserve them for the afterlife.

EGYPT

I used really enjoy learning about mummies when I was little and went to a museum. I know have 20 books on Egypt for no apparent reason so most information I knew.
The success of ancient Egyptian civilization came partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River valley for agriculture. The predictable flooding and controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which supported a more dense population, and social development and culture. With resources to spare, the administration sponsored mineral exploitation of the valley and surrounding desert regions, the early development of an independent writing system, the organization of collective construction and agricultural projects, trade with surrounding regions, and a military intended to assert Egyptian dominance. Motivating and organizing these activities was a bureaucracy of elite scribes, religious leaders, and administrators under the control of a pharaoh, who ensured the cooperation and unity of the Egyptian people in the context of an elaborate system of religious beliefs.

Worksheet on Code

Today we worked on a sheet where we decided the appropriate punishment that felt fit best for the crime. For example if a builder accidentally improperly builds a houses roof wrong and it collapses and it kills a family then is he at fault. I don't think he did this on purpose. Since he didn't do it on purpose I don't believe harsh treatment is a fair punishment. It doesn't seem that Hammurabi had any punishments that weren't harsh though.

Hittes

Today was has been long and boring and we took some notes
Hittite Empire
The Hittites were an Anatolian people who played an important role in establishing an empire centered on Hattusa in north-central Anatolia around 1600 BC. This empire reached its height during the mid-14th century BC under Suppiluliuma I, when it encompassed an area that included most of Anatolia as well as parts of the northern Levant and Upper Mesopotamia.

Happy Valentines Day

The Code of Hammurabi was one of the earliest and most complete written legal codes, proclaimed by the Babylonian king Hammurabi, who reigned from 1792 to 1750 B.C. Hammurabi expanded the city-state of Babylon along the Euphrates River to unite all of southern Mesopotamia. The Hammurabi code of laws, a collection of 282 rules, established standards for commercial interactions and set fines and punishments to meet the requirements of justice. Hammurabi’s Code was carved onto a massive, finger-shaped black stone stele (pillar) that was looted by invaders and finally rediscovered in 1901.The 282 edicts are all written in if-then form. For example, if a man steals an ox, then he must pay back 30 times its value. The edicts range from family law to professional contracts and administrative law, often outlining different standards of justice for the three classes of Babylonian society—the propertied class, freedmen and slaves.

Powerpoint

Today in class we got our tests back. I did pretty well and got an overall 96. I'm still pretty mad that I missed yaks but what can you do about it. It was a 2 hour delay today so the classes were shortened by a lot. It was overall a really good day. Also recently I've been into the theory behind aliens so more on that to come.

Notes on Mesopatomia

Religion
Many people in the Fertile Crescent believed in many gods (polytheism)
They believed Gods were immortal and all powerful
To keep the Gods happy they build ziggurats and brought upon them sacrifices.
Believed you went to the land of no return

Social classes
high level
kings, landholders, priest
mid
wealthy merchants,
average
worked in fields or workshops
low
slaves

Woman
They had surprisingly a lot of rights compared to civilizations later on.

The First Empire Builders
city states were constantly at war
although the many attacks happened theSummeran stayed alive
set of rulers adapted to the basic ideas of Summeran culture.

Death Penalty

I don't think abolishing the death penalty was a good decision. Personally I think that looking from an economical point of view its a waste of money. Now I want to run for president. The Indus River was the home to an extremely successful civilization. It would flood the land with nutrients twice per year, super reliably. Because of this regular flooding, the Indus Valley contained the most available calories per acre of any river of its time. Things grew easily, and the civilization flourished around 3000 BCE. They were a peaceful people with many architectural achievements.Sumer is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia, modern-day southern Iraq,  Early Bronze ages, and one of the first civilizations in the world along with Ancient Egypt and the Indus Valley. Living along the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates, Sumerian farmers were able to grow an abundance of grain and other crops, the surplus of which enabled them to settle in one place.

Test

Today we took a test on the video we watched in class. I think I did fairly well even though I forgot yaks. I liked the topic I did my essay on. Overall I think my grade will go up from a D. At least I hope it goes up from a D because that would really bring my GPA down a lot. Hopefully next unit we wont be watched a video because I found that to be very boring. I think I learned a good amount, but nothing too fascinating. Sorry.

Fertile Cresent

The Fertile Crescent is blessed with animals and crops. Geographically lucky. Can move laterally and be perfectly fine. The whole area has good land and domestic animals to form a good civilization. They spread their technology to Egypt and farming advanced.
Gwarr is a city with a civilization that used plaster to enclose shelter and make home more efficient. They had specialized workers that weaved and made clothes from animal skin and fur.
100 million cattle in the US and 20 million tons of wheat in the US
What it all comes down to is geological advantages.