HonJan

Tuesday January 5th
Abby Eck

Compare and contrast the Greek and Persian governments:

- Imperial rule - satrapies - administration changes through supreme rulers - rulers focused on expansion of empire - dictatorial - allowed conquered peoples to keep governments
 * Persians**

- Political Democracy - Independent city-states - voting / representative - aristocracy (wealth based upon land) - oligarchy (based on wealth / status / standing) **
 * Greeks

- successful - policy change & handover of power - large structures as symbols of power - great headers
 * Similarities**

"Persia was a huge, centrally governed empire; each Greek city-state was individually independent, although many had joined into regional confederations and leagues for mutual assistance and trade" (pg. 145).

How did the Greeks fight during warfare? (movie) - 2,500 shields, 450 bows, 50,000 arrows, etc. needed for the movie "Troy". - Long spear ~ 8-9 ft, short spear ~ 7 ft - Experiment used to test Homer's descriptions of the fighting - Spear is thrown at pig carcass - Spear goes straight through - Bronze sword bends before slashing through pig's leg - Soldiers' metal armor would have kept bodies heated, so armies would often fight for short periods before withdrawing to cool off and get back their energy - Homer's descriptions seem to be quite realistic.

Article for more info on hoplites: []

__Homework:__ - pg. 147 - 154 - List in order the 5 most important figures and their accomplishments (due tomorrow) - Greek Philosopher / Culture Project ~ LetterPop (link through Moodle - due Tuesday Jan. 12)

David Hinnenkamp

January 6, 2010

We simulated a fight in class based on how the Greeks fought. We all got chairs as shields and we found out you had to lean to your right because you had less protection there. The formation they fought in was called a phalanx, where there would be several rows of fighters, where the best fighters were in the front. For defense, you put the strongest fighters to the left but if you were attacking, you would station your best fighters to the right.

__Our top Greek People__

Plato- he wrote the R//epublic,// which argued the rights women deserved. He started the academy, which was the leading university for many years. He also taught Aristotle who was a famous philosopher of his time.

Pericles- When he took control of Athens, he rebuilt the city and his architectural achievements.

Aristotle- He wrote policies for politics. He studied everything and taught many other great philosophers. At points, he was extremely wrong in his teachings, but he studied and taught what he knew in a purposeful way.

Solon- He allowed the voting of commoners. He established the end of monopoly over power. He was known as a tyrant.

Socrates- He was the first major philosopher of the Greeks. He also developed the sacratic method and died in what he believed in. Could be related to William Wallace in Braveheart. We can think of him as the Grandfather of all the philosophers.

Thuycidides- He established history. He wrote //The Peloponnesian War//.

Homework- Be prepared to work on your Greek Philosopher project.

Website on Hoplites- http://www.livius.org/pha-phd/phalanx/phalanx.html Picture of Hoplites (wouldn't let me copy the actual picture)- http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~klio/maps/phalanx-improved.jpg ]
 * January 12 2009**

Today in class we sent our letterpop newsletters to Mr.John's email. The letterpop newsletters are due today about how the Greeks have influanced us and our lives today. After we finished emailing our newsletters to Mr.Johns, Mr.Johns gave us a half sheet of paper that told us what we should look over in the chapters inour books for the midtrem. Then, we went over the homework about Athens and their laws and examples. Mr.Johns talked about how Athens was being pompous and they were making the other parts of the Delian League feel like they were inferior to Athens. The worksheet we went over was filling in the blanks so we could better understand the way Athens was treating the parts of the Delian League. We then in our groups went over the last pages of the packet. We looked at a chart that showed the powers and the different groups that kept power and we were to use the chart to fill in the last page of the packet. On the last page their were statements and we were to deciede if they were true or false. Then as a class we went over these together. Mr. Johns finished the class with going over what Republic and Conferacy meant and how it had related to the Greeks. Here are the dictionary definitions of these two words thanks to Dictionary.com:

Republic-a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.

Confederacy- an alliance between persons, parties, states, etc., for some purpose

Here is a website that looks at the ranks of the people in Athens, this may help you understand the worksheet we did in class today.This picture is of ancient Athens.

[] Bethany Hoover

**January 13, 2009- Tori Kager**
Discussion: There was an Athenian camp and a Spartan camp during the Peloponnesian War. __Strengths of Each__ __Weaknesses of Each__ *Overcome with help of Persians* [] Use the above map to relate the vulnerability of Athens (Near to top right around Attica) and the defensibility of Sparta (around Lake Daimon)
 * **Athens** || **Sparta** ||
 * Strong Navy || Life based on military à Better training ||
 * Larger population || Peloponnesian League à Alliances ||
 * Wealthy || Defended & funded by Persians ||
 * || Extremely defensible geographically ||
 * **Athens** || **Sparta** ||
 * Delian League declining || Not on home territory ||
 * Arrogance offended/averted possible allies || Possible “over-confidence” ||
 * Isolated by Spartan allies || Poor Navy* ||
 * Less training in warfare || Limited monetary funding* ||

We then watched a clip about the end of the war. (Brief summary:...) More Discussion: When Sparta won, Athens was still permitted to exist Here is an article about the rise of Macedonia: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/alex/hd_alex.htm
 * Lysander- a Spartan general who was of bad social standing but trained to be a strong, clever military man
 * Spartans said they hated Persians
 * Lysander “sucked up” to Persians by befriending the king’s son
 * Persians funded Spartan warfare
 * Sparta beat Athens and allies many times
 * In 405 BC, Lysander outfoxed an Athenian Navy fleet
 * Surprise attacked, gaining complete control of Athens
 * The Spartans tried to strike a deal with Athenians
 * If they got rid of their democratic government, handed over their ships, and burnt down their walls, Athens would see mercy
 * Lysander built a monument that depicted his allies, friends, and himself in bronze figures
 * Why?**
 * Show mercy to maintain trust of allies
 * Victory is over a military, not the people who send forth the forces
 * Athens was still a potential future ally
 * Athens provided trading opportunities
 * Athens’s culture could be absorbed into Sparta through diffusion
 * Athens can serve as a buffer to keep warriors from coming further south into Sparta
 * How does the Peloponnesian War contribute to the rise of the Macedonian empire?**
 * Athens, Sparta, and both sides' allies are weakened by 27 years of war