Marylynn's Blog

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marylynns — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:51:43 +0000

Six different texts, six different versions of the same event, some written by Christians and some by Muslims. Text number one was written by a Christian. The text refers to the date “the year of Our Lord 713″ which is a common Christian manner of dating, and also the year “713″ is A.D. a Christian date, the Muslim equivalent would be in the 70s. Also the text mentions that Spain was “taken”, and it mentions how “after the persecution or conquest” some of the “Christians who had been able to escape the battle were able to flee to the mountains”, it is in the perspective of the Christians who lost the battle. The second text was also written by Christians, as can be seen once again in the manner of dating in anno domini “year of our Lord”, it also mentions the word “amen” which is common in Christianity for the ending of a prayer or lesson. The third text, once again, was written by a Christian, states that “King Roderic disappeared, perhaps a victim of the combat”, it depicts Roderic as a martyr. Also the dates are of the Christian calender “709″ and “711″. Text number four was written by Muslims, the choosing of Roderic to be King seems to be that of a third party, one that just viewed the event. It also talks mentions Spain in the context, “the Island of Spain” it seems to be described as a foreign and unfamiliar land. Another point, it mentions in great detail the plans of battle, “The ships came and went till all the troops had landed” and how they overthrew Roderic, “Then Roderic and his following were killed”, the Spanairds were also called “infidels” which is not a description a Christian would give themselves. The fifth text was also written by a Muslim, the detailsof the battle from the Muslim perspective, “They hidduring the day, and at nightfall he send the ships back to bring the rest of his men”. The sixth text was written by neither a Christian nor Muslim, the text mentions both Muslim and Christian calenders, it also describes Roderic’s rule as “evil” and the “Musa invading altogether unjustly”, the historic battle is told showing the good and bad of both sides as if the author was writing about the battle for a history textbook. The texts number (from oldest to newest) 3, 2, 1, 4, 5, 6. Four, five, and six are written in a tone that seems more historian, while three, two, and one seem more in the moment. Also in some of the texts Roderic’s death is not noted, one mentions that it was unkown what happened to him.

Analysis of Einhard’s “Life of Charlemagne”

marylynns — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:20:16 +0000

Einhard, Charlemagne’s friend and courtier, describes Charlemagne with seemingly respect and awe. He describes his stature as “large and strong, and of lofty stature” (source), it is as if he is describing a mighty hero. Einhard, throughout the text, illustrates Charlemagne as having physical and mental prowess, it describes how “he took frequent exercise” and how he ” spent much time and labor studying rhetoric, dialects, and astronomy” (source). Einhard also describes Charlemagne as a man dedicated to the education and well-fare of his children, Charlemagne had “both boys and girls educated in the liberal arts” he was also sure to protect his daughters even going so far as to have ” a number of his body-guard, detailed for their protection” (source). Portraying him in such a way would possibly help keep the future speculations about him favorable. Throughout the text Einhard praises Charlemagne’s dedication to his country and family in order for future generations could remember the greatness of Charlemagne and his rule.

Primary Source Analysis: Zhang Qian’s Expedition

marylynns — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:21:25 +0000

The Han dynasty’s Grand Historian wrote of Zhang Qian’s expedition to glorify Qian’s loyalty to his king, and to show evidence of the Han Dynasty’s ideology of expansion and their need to obtain distant lands. During this time there was no true leading state and each of the separate states were constantly at each other’s throats. The Emperor Han Hudi (source) sent Zhang Qian as an envoy to the Yuezhi kingdom to establish an alleigance with them so they could find out if their lands were worth conquering, which is obvious evidence of their ideology of expansion. Before Qian could reach the Yuezhi kingdom, he was captured by the Xiongnu and detained for ten years, but he escaped and completed his mission returning to his country and earning the honorable title “Lord who carries out his mission” (source).

Analysis of Pantheon and Parthenon

marylynns — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:49:49 +0000

Two ancient marvels, the Greek Parthenon and the Roman Pantheon, are a testiment to their societies power and attempt at perfection. After five years the construction of the Parthenon ended in 432 B.C.E., Pericles showed the renewal of Greek power after the sacking of the Acropolis in the second Greco-Persian war. The ability to use Delian funds to rebuild this temple signified the return of Greek control. The building of the Pantheon was also a showing of Roman power, after conquering Egypt the Romans were able to fashion four massive columns fro Egyptian granite and fit them into place at the front of the Pantheon. The floorplans of both buildings reflects the architecture of the other culture, the rectangular foundation of the Parthenon was Romanesque, while the facade on the front of the Pantheon and the geometry that was used to create the structure was unmistakeably Greek. The geometrics of the two buildings are perfect for their structure. The greek Parthenon’s 80 columns distributed the weight of the massive roof and ceiling perfectly, while the structure of the domed Pantheon is a mathematical and architectural feat that marvels people even today.

High Classical vs. Hellenistic

marylynns — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:41:02 +0000

These different busts (shown here) represent the changes in ideals from the High Classical Greek society to the Hellenistic societies that came after Alexander the Great. The sculpture of Pericles shows a strong, helmeted soldier looking out to what can be imagined as an oncoming military force, his intense yet calm gaze personifies the ideal Greek man who even in the face of battle has a cool and collected composure. On the other hand the figure in sculpture of the Philosopher is less than ideal, he seems to be of an old age, his beard slightly unkempt and his expression is more quizzical. He seems to be pondering a problem that had been set in front of him. The differences between the two sculptures show the change from defining the ideal person as a great military fighter, to an individual who can use his mind and higher learning to identify himself and his surroundings. It also represents a change in the arts from idealism to realism.

Conversation Between Zoroaster and Jesus.

marylynns — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:27:47 +0000

Prompter

Our guest speakers tonight are Zoroaster, the founder of Zoroastrianism, and Jesus the founder of Christianity.

What exactly are the Zoroastrian beliefs? Though there are still followers today, Zoroastrianism never gained the popularity that Christianity did even though it was around for at least 500 years longer.

Zoroaster

We believe that there are two true gods; one, Ahura Mazda, is benevolent and truthful, while the other, Ahriman, is evil and deceitful. Ahura Mazda is the god of light and truth. He and his Amesha Spentas, what you would call angels rule the Realm of Light, or heaven. Ahriman rules the Realm of Darkness with his followers which are evil spirits called daeves, the equivalent to demons. These two forces are in a constant battle between each other. The end of days comes when Ahura Mazda and his attendants triumph over Ahriman and all the saved souls rejoice forever in the realm of light. The idea of two forces in constant battle with each other is known as Dualism.

Prompter

Very interesting. Jesus what are the beliefs of Christians?

Jesus

Children of god recognize the Holy Father as their sole god and creator. Though Christianity is monotheistic it is also known as a Trinitarian monotheistic religion because our God is actually the union of 3 entity, or states of one God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the three different states of being that God takes, Father; God, Son; Me, and Holy Spirit; which resides in each of God’s Children, we are one in the same. It is very difficult for people to comprehend that while I am human, I am divine as well.

Zoroaster

You are your own god? That’s very interesting

Jesus

My father is like your Ahura Mazda, he is the creator and the God of all things good or bad. Lucifer, or Satan, is the equivalent to Ahriman, but he is a fallen angel, not a god. As ruler of hell Lucifer created his own race of attendants called, as you mentioned, demons. Demons, like their master, try to tempt humans into turning their back on God and sinning.

We have and end of days as well, it is called the Apocalypse. It begins when the Messiah returns to Earth to collect all of the righteous souls and bring them to heaven, this collection is named The Rapture.

Prompter

Very interesting. I noticed many similarities between your two religions, did you?

Zoroaster

I did… Though there are still many differences. In my faith, Ahura Mazda and Ahriman are both gods and of equal power, unlike in you religion where God is much more powerful than the Devil.

Jesus

And in Zoroastrianism there are only prophets and no Messiah to come and save the followers.

Zoroaster

A person does not need saving. The choices that they make are the only things that determine where the soul ends up in the afterlife, there can be no divine intervention because human’s are the only beings with the ability to choose which decisions to make.

Jesus

That is very similar to Christianity in the sense that humans have the right of free will, which means that not even God can make a human do what they don’t want to do. Though humans can be tempted like what the way the Devil does to lead them down the path of sinfulness, and neither can God mess with a person’s free will to make them go down the path of righteousness.

Prompter

In many religions there are written works, do your religions have those?

Zoroaster

Yes, Zoroastrianism has a written text, it’s called the Zed Avesta.

Jesus

And the Christians have the Bible.

ID terms 9-11

marylynns — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:47:39 +0000

Thracians- Thrace was located in the Aegean Sea, northeast of Greece. they wrote on odd materials such as mushrooms. Their writing has been indecipherable even though it was written in Greek letters. They practiced rites of fire.

Horseback hero/god- his figure dominated Thracian art, in many examples he is performing heroic/ dangerous tasks: wrestling three-headed monsters, leading a bear, and in the midst of a battle surrounded by severed heads. These figures were saved because Christians would recycle them and use them in their building materials for churches

Sitalkes- (429 BCE) Thracian King who invaded Macedonia with an army of 150,000. There he built a palace-city 21.5 acres in size. Made from mostly mud-brick and stucco. He marked a new era in which Thracian states struggled with their stronger neighbors.

Illyrians and Garamantes- Located on opposite sides of the central Mediterranean.

Illyrians- (500 BCE) Buried their rulers and elites with hoards of gold and silver and sacrifices of oxen and wild boar. An urn found in modern-day Slovenia is illustrated with images of life in an Illyrian court. Parading warriors, deer hunters, dignitaries being fed by long-haired women.

Garamantes- modern-day North African region of Lybia called Fezzan. They dug irrigation tunnels under the Sahara desert, their 14 cities were surrounded by desert. They grew wheat and barley. Called by the Greeks, a slave-trading elite, driving four-horse chariots. their faces depicted by the Romans as ritually tattooed and scarred with ostrich-plume helmets.

Etruscans- Etruria was located on the northern shore of the Mediterranean stretching across central Italy. Their soil had to be plowed nine times to be workable, which caused for a need of iron mining and the most cutting-edge smelting technology. They drained malarial marshes. The Etruscans were looked down upon by the Greek and Romans because they believed that the Etruscans took too much time on their appearance and wantonly displaying their bodies.

Ceare- Etruscan city, covered 150 acres and accommodated 20,000 inhabitants. Their tombs resembled the layout of their houses, as if to prepare the deceased for the afterlife. Warriors buried with chariots and weapons, and the wealthy with jewels and precious metals.

Gender roles and women’s rights- Women were allowed to go out to games, and dine with men, in Greek and Roman societies the only women who did that were prostitutes. Elite women were also thought to be literate due to writing on combs and mirrors.

Secondary Source Evaluation

marylynns — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:11:26 +0000

My source is Pre-Modern East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History. I found the excerpt on the Mandate of Heaven at Google Books. Patricia Ebrey, a Chinese history professor at the University of Washington, wrote the particular section that discussed the Mandate of Heaven. Ebrey wrote numerous books and articles on ancient Chinese history, her primary scholarly interest is “the social and cultural history of Song dynasty (960-1279)”. Ebrey wrote this section for a college East Asian history course. The text was written by more than one author, each one focusing on a specific region and time period. Even though the text was over Eastern Asia, none of the authors came from Eastern descent. This provides a more outside-looking-in view of the societies than the recounting from a person from that specific descent.

ID terms 3 & 4

marylynns — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 02:15:57 +0000

Mycenaean Civilizations

Political- kings controlled states

Palaces were heavily fortified and served as storehouses for food

Beaurocrats equipped rulers for near-constant warfare

Empire had problems from battles within itself and barbarian invasions

Social- each class had different obligations

Warfare was a way of life.

Elaborate and expensive collecting, storing, and redistribution of food

Economic- Manufacturers & traders, bronze and perfumed oils

Traded as far north as Scandinavia

Trade not well documented

Egyptians (2000-1000 BCE)

Feared an invasion

-Insecure and arrogant at the same time

Protected by the uninhabitable land and sea, but they feared the god of Chaos, Seth, who lived in those places.

Sea Peoples- exterminated numerous states and cities in Egyptian Empire. Nearly destroyed the Egyptian Empire. Defeated by Ramses III after which he wrote an inscription about his victory.

Hyksos- 1500 BCE- from Libyan deserts came to overwhelm the lands and commissioned works depicting a sphinx seizing an Egyptian by the ears. Like other nomadic cultures, the Hyskos picked up Egyptian cultures before they were expelled.

Egyptians viewed all foreigners as barbarians and with contempt

Comparing differences in the theories of an empire’s rise and collapse

marylynns — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:48:32 +0000

Many empires have risen and fallen in the past, the true cause of these occurences can only be theorized. Two theories of the causes of empires are the Conrad-Demarest model and Prof. Jared Diamond’s checklist theory.

In the Conrad-Demarest model, there are preconditions which “create a spark” for the start of an empire, but it is possible to have those conditions and not start an empire. Critical causes are the causes that come from the preconditions and they take the spark created by the preconditions and light the fire of creating an empire. These preconditions are, “environmental mosaics, agricultural potential, economic motivation, state-level government, several states, and adequate military resources” (Gloucester 282). The main critical cause is the country’s ideology the country must have the beliefs set in place to drive the country to become an empire. The ideology can be religion or it can be politics.

The fall of an empire described by the Conrad-Demarest model as the conditions and prerequisites to start an empire, if gone unchecked, will bring around its destruction (like hamartia/ tragic flaw in literature). Empires will expand past the point of fuctionality, or the population will grow so uncontrolably that the empire cannot sustain itself. To save the empire, it would have to undergo an ideological change which can be difficult for many societies.

Jared Diamond’s checklist had five factors that he believes bring about the fall of an empire. Human impact on the environment, without proper conservation the resources that an empire needs to survive can be diminished beyond the point of regrowth, which in turn will cause the empire to falter. Climate change, if a drastic change in the environment occurs a drastic change is necessary to keep the resource level up and the good health of the citizens, without this change the empire will run out of resources or all of its inhabitants will perish. Relations with friendly and hostile neighbors, keeping the allies close and the enemies in check requires good diplomacy and a strong military. Finally Diamond states that the fifth and final cause of an empire’s fall is failure to adapt to new situations or ideas, if the people of that empire refuse to change their way of life or their beliefs, then the empire will fail. The last cause is similar to Conrad-Demarest’s model which states that without a willingness to change ideologies, the empire will fail.

The Conrad-Demarest model on the rise and fall of empires is similar but also different from Diamond’s checklist theory. They both depict that it was not just one single event or situation causes the fall of an empire, but the Demarest-Conrad model also theorizes the same thing for the rise of an empire. Both theories have environmental changes as a cause of the fall of an empire, but again the Conrad-Demarest model has it for the rise as well. Diamond’s theory states that there are a series of five things that cause an empire to rise, while the Conrad-Demarest has a much larger aray of causes.