Greek Theater

How did Greek religion impact theater, art, and architecture?


        Theater: The theatrical productions were based on stories of the gods, many of Dionysus who was the main god that started in the theater, the god of fertility and wine. in Athens there was the festival "Dionysia" which honored Dionysus. There are three dramatic genres- Tragedy, Comedy, and Satyr. 

        
       Art: The Greeks liked nudity, so many statues and paintings were of men and woman without clothing. The statues were designed to show the "Perfect" body. Art was created for the gods and much of it was of the gods themselves. 


        Architecture: In Greece many of their buildings had columns, arches, and domes. The Parthenon was a temple built for the Goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, just warfare, math, strength, strategy, the arts, and skill. 

                                      

Patriarchal Society (Ch6)

What examples of patriarchal society can be found in the classical world?        

             The patriarchy societies in the Classical World were, self explanatory, run by men, treating woman like dirt. Most places believed a woman's place was the home, where as a man's work was public. It was believed a woman was basically useless in many regards, and that she needed the protection and control of a man. If she even wanted to go to the market she had to have a male servant accompany her. In lower classes the woman actually had fewer restrictions than those of woman in higher classes. Upper class woman were limited to staying within the home and servant management where as those of lower class were more free to do outside work, but their lives were also more burdened. 
             In China when a baby girl is three days after birth she is placed below the bed to show how she is lowly and weak and to be humble before others, she is also given broken pottery to play with to show that her primary duty is to be industrious (there is then also an offering given to the ancestors to indicate that she will her responsibility for the continuation of worship in the home). The Two Notions of a woman was that "Men go out, and Woman stay in." and the "Three Obedience's" which is the subordination to firstly her father, secondly her husband, and lastly to her son. The only female emperor was Empress Wu, who many said that her actions were to the benefit of woman, she made it so that the mourning period of a mothers death was equal to that of a fathers and that their would be a Chinese character depicting a 'Human Being' which suggested the birth process. The Nomadic Influence loosened the grip on woman's restrictions a bit because that is how the Nomads lived, by the time of the Tang Dynasty woman were able to handle legal and business affairs all on their own. Occasionally they'd even be allowed to ride a horse, be bareheaded, or wear a mans clothing.
            GREECE: Some Greek thinkers compared woman with children and domesticated animals.  In Athens woman were not even referred by name in court, only as so-&-so's wife/daughter/mother. They were married off in their teen years to men that were ten to fifteen years older then them. Girls were limited to learning spinning and weaving and other household tasks where as boys learned writing and reading.

And…














How did the caste system form and how were people within its various castes treated? 

           The top four classes were the original classes, known as Varna. At the top was priests, known as Brahmins whom preformed rituals that ensured world function. Kshatriya were the warriors and rulers that governed society. Vaisya were the commoners who cultivated the land. those three classes were regarded as Pure Aryans "twice borns". At the bottom was the Sudra class, native people and servants. They were valued so little that if one was killed the punishment for the murderer was the same as if that person were a cat. 
           ^ The four Varna were formed from the god "Purusha"'s body, making it eternal and changeless. Brahmin Caste also had tribal medicine men/sorcerers within it. Kshatriya and Brahmins were often battling for the top position. The changes that were made to the System was that Vaisya came to include merchants and businessmen, Sudra included peasant farmers, and the new class of 'Untouchables' was added for those that did unclean work. 
          Jati's were the groups within a Varna based upon occupation. Marriage and meals permitted only within one's Jati. There were particular sets of rules/duties/obligations that they must follow, i.e. Brahmins could not eat meat at all, Kshatriya could and the Upper class woman covered their bodies where as people of the lower class did not.

Religious Beliefs (Ch5)

What are the core beliefs of:

Judaism- Founder: the Hebrew Prophets (Isaiah, Amos, Jeremiah. (Abe)). Transcendent high god. Covenant with chosen people. Social justice. Root of most religions. Torah was the book, the Old Testament.
                                                                                                                                                   
Zoroastrianism- Founder: Zoroaster. Single high god. Cosmic conflict of good and evil.

Hinduism- Founder: Anonymous writers of the Upanishads. After death will be reborn into a new life based on their karma. Caste system was important, it determined your position within the religion. Brahmins did the sacred rituals and sacrifices. Goal was to achieve moksha (ended the cycle of rebirth). Passionate devotion to some deity. Follow ones duties

Buddhism- Founder: Siddhartha Gautama. After death will be reborn depending on their karma. Hope to reach nirvana. Buddha is not a god in the Therevada form, but the Mahayana believe him to be. Siddhartha Gautama "Buddha". Overcome ego and end suffering.

Confucianism- Founder: Confucius. Social harmony through moral example. Secular outlook. Importance of education. (in China). Family as model of the state. (see China video from Chapter 4 post.)

Daoism- Founder: Laozi and Zhuangzi. (In China). Withdrawal from the world into contemplation of nature. Simple living. End of striving. Balance and Harmony. Uses poetry to teach.

Christianity- Founder: Jesus, "son of god". One god to follow. After death, a person goes to heaven or hell. St. Paul (saul)'s teachings. Sincerely repent sins. Constatine was an important man in regards to the spread. Follow ten commandments and the gospel. (it is Judaism, after Jesus came and added his teachings.)

Greek Philosophy (aka Greek Rationalism)- Founders: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Style of persistent questioning. Secular explanation of nature and human life. They thought in common; committed to rational and nonreligious explanation for everything in the world. Socrates was sentenced to death for "corrupting the minds of the youth". He refused to denounce his teachings. Emphasis on argument, logic, and relentless questioning. No god to follow.

Greek and Roman Polytheism- Polytheistic. Different God(dess) for every aspect.
 Zeus (Jupiter)- God of the sky. Supreme God.
Poseidon (Neptune)- God of the sea/horses/earthquakes.
Hades (Pluto)- God of the underworld. 
Artemis (Diana)- Goddess of the Hunt.
Ares (Mars)- God of war.
Hephaestus (Vulcan)- God of the forge. 
ETC 

 

Ancestor Veneration- (in China). Tend to the graves of ancestors. Talk to them, using respect. Provide offerings and sacrifices. Family is the most important thing, a family will only prosper if all the members work together. The leader is the head of the household (eldest male).

Classical Governments (Ch4)

Summarize the leadership and the fall of the following classical governments:
1. Persia
2. Qin and Han China
3. Maurrya and Gupta India
4. Greece
5. Hellenistic Empires
6. Roman Republic
7. Roman Empire


1.) The kings took great care to uphold religions in order to gain support, they easily adopted foreign customs in order to be well liked in that regard. The kings ruled while in favor of Ahura Mazda, their god. Satraps were governors, located in every province (23). Cyrus (a king) allowed Jews to return from Babylon and rebuild their temple of praise. Persia was also responsible for the construction of the "Royal Road', stretching 1700 miles. They fell due to Alexander the Great conquering them.

                                         Ahura Mazda of Persopolis

2.) Qin Shihuangdi was an Emperor of China, he ruled with legalism, brutal and harsh...he was mean. During his reign there developed the system of weights and measures/currency, the written form of Chinese, and a standard length of axles for carts. The Qin dynasty collapsed 206 B.C.E when Shihuangdi died, leaving a new emperor to take his place. Then came the Han Dynasty, switching from legalism to Confucianism.China had a problem of Nomads to the north, which they dealt with in several different ways... An emperors duty was to maintain the relationship between the heavens and the earth. Religion was Buddhism.

3.) Mauryans and Guptas both fell because weak kings could not protect them from invaders, these were short term empires in India, falling soon after they had grown to power. Neither empire completely ruled all of India, they never reached to the tip of the peninsula.

4.) Greece was filled with hundreds of city states each with 500 to 5,000 males, capitol was Athens which ran democratically. This Empire flourished for 400 years. Olympic games were held every 4 years here. They expanded by distant settlement rather than conquest.Traders searched iron, farmers searched for land.The idea of quality was unique here, a foreign king said "wise men speak on public affairs while fools decide them". This was the first place where the question of whether or not citizens should help govern. Early in Greek history the wealthy had rights to vote/fight/speak. Tyrants- strong benevolent rulers, <-- which emerged for a short time with the support of lower classes. Sparta had extreme forms of military discipline and many helots, which were infantrymen serving in city-state armies. Persia attacked. Peloponnesian War brought Athen's defeat, with Macedonia's eventual take over.


5.) Era- 323-30 B.C.E. This Era was Greece after it's collapse and Alexander the Great's mission.  He had defeated the Persian Empire and was anointed a Pharaoh and "King of Asia". After his death in 323 B.C.E the Empire divided into 3 parts. Alexandria had a harbor with 1,200 ships and a library with 700,000 books. Alexandria had an absence of independence that Athens and Sparta had. Macedonians and Greeks were elites and sought to be separate, in Egypt legal systems maintained separation. 

6.) The Roman Republic came to power when the Roman Kingdom was overthrown.  This new type of government involved elected representatives in the form of tribunes, senators, and consuls.  This republic was quite similar to America today.  This came to an end when Julius Caesar came and declared himself dictator for life.  While the senators stabbed him to death in the hopes to restore the republic, they failed and Rome would continue on for the next centuries with an all powerful emperor.

7.) The Roman Empire's religion was Christianity, which started with the poor and lower classes first, but in the 4th century the emperor himself became christian causing it to spread. Citizenship was granted for service to the Empire or to people who adopted the culture. By 212 C.E almost all free people were citizens, which meant they had the right to hold public office, wear a toga, and serve in military unites (legions).Many Romans sent their sons to Athens for a Greek education in the arts, literature, and philosophy. The Latin alphabet began here and gave rise to many other languages. Their collapse was partly due to their problem to the north, Germans. The Germans entered Rome in the 4th century as mercenaries within the army and as refugees fleeing the Huns. by 476 C.E they overthrew the Roman Emperor and they developed their own culture. After the collapse Rome was unsuccessful in recreating, from then on Europe civilization was without imperial states. 




Persia and Greece:

I also enjoy the video on China:

Alexander the Great of Macedonia:

Roman Empire:

Fall of Rome:

(I apologize for adding so many videos onto one blog post, I just find each video helpful. Plus Mr. Anderson, when I use these to study next year, it'll save me time having them all right here :))

Egypt (Ch3)

Egypt

1) River usage- Egyptians used the Nile River to keep their crops alive, relying on the annual flooding (or rebirth as they believed) of the river to maintain their agricultural lifestyle (irrigation). The river was also used for drinking (obviously), bathing, sailed down the river, and did the washing various objects (clothing, pots, pans, etc.)
                                                                   Egypt: Nile River

2) Government- Egypt was ruled by pharaohs, whom were believed to be gods in human form. Pharaohs had access to the afterlife and their bodies were buried in (or near) the pyramid built for him (or her in a few rare instances).


3) Interactions with Pastoralists- Egyptians traded with pastoralists and were invaded in 1650 B.C.E by the Hyksos.

 4) Architecture- Egyptians built pyramids to honor the ruling pharaoh, acting as a tomb. Once that pharaoh died he was buried within or near the pyramid, (which led to grave robbers raiding the tombs of the pharaohs for their riches).


5) Writing- Egypt used hieroglyphs, which were a series of signs to denote words or consonants.


6) Laws- (woman's aspect is under gender roles.) There were also laws on regulation of female sexuality.Woman-Submission to authority of men while giving paternalistic protection. 

 7) Religion- Their beliefs were polytheistic (aka they believed in many gods, i.e. Osiris the god of the dead) and in the afterlife, and also believing that if they were buried with their riches that they would carry them with them into the afterlife. (Only pharaohs or other high ranking officials could make the journey to the afterlife)


8) Trade- They drew upon wheat and barley from Mesopotamia; gourds, watermelon, domesticated donkeys and cattle from Sudan. Egypt also traded their resources within the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Africa. not only were goods traded, but so was cultural influences.


9) Literature- They wrote important stuff down in scrolls. Their writing was Hieroglyphs which were series of signs to denote words or consonants. 


10) Gender Roles- Woman had greater opportunities than other first civilizations. Legally, they were equal to men, they were able to own their own properties and slaves, they could administer and sell land, make their own wills, sign their own marriage contracts, and initiate divorces. Royal Woman could act as regents for their young sons, occasionally they had significant power, and rarrely but still happened, a woman could queen in her own right. The most famous queen was Hatshepsut, although sometimes her statues were as a man. Married woman were not veiled. Statues and paintings showed both genders as equals. Marriage was arranged by parents.


Because i chose to talk about Egypt, I decided to put a video about Mesopotamia up instead.

Never mind, there's an Egypt video, i'll toss it in anyways :)

                                         

The Neolithic Revolution (Ch2)

1    The Neolithic Revolution

         Diet- People that lived in Agricultural societies had easier access to food, they had food around them rather than having to go out hunting and gathering. the grew plants in abundance, enough that they stored some for winter. They kept animals with them rather than having to find and hunt them. food was around more so the people didn't spend as much time searching for food as they did harvesting/growing plants and taking care of their own personal animals.

         Population- The Agricultural (Neolithic) Revolution brought the population to a new time high because more food was being grown, therefore more babies were being born which expanded cities and had a repeat effect (more food = more babies).
        
         Specialization of Labor- Different people had different jobs, so they specialized in that certain work. Woman were the innovators of farming and men domesticated animals. Some specializations were metallurgy, farming, domesticating animals, 


         Social Classes- There were no kings or rulers so in many African societies people, through the lineage system (people traced their descent through either male or female line to some common ancestor), there was some framework so people could make/enforce rules and maintain order/settle disputes. Villages based on lineage brought social and economic inequalities. Lineages expanded numbers by war captives and migrants. In Chiefdoms one inherits power, but seldom used force to rule over their subjects. Rather they relied on gift  giving /generosity,, ritual status, and personal charisma, They collected tribute which was often redistributed  to others where the chief kept a prestigious and imposing lifestyle.Elite and commoner distinction took root.

         Technology- Metallurgy: working of gold, copper, then bronze, and later iron. This became jewelry/tools/weapons. Pots. Weaving textiles. Looms. New uses for animals besides their meat and hides. They learned to milk animals, harvest wool, and enrich soil with manure in agricultural parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Eastern Hemisphere there was horse/camel riding and hitching animals to plows/carts (in this area because this is where the large animals were found).

         Gender Roles- Men and Woman were equal during the hunting and gathering age, so for the most part that equality was carried over, but varied a little with what tasks were preformed, which is how the genders became unequal in later years. The work the men did was more laborious, working with the animals and herding, as well as farming. The woman did lighter work such as weaving.

         Living Conditions- Settled down and lived in communities. Large communities brought epidemics for the first time and living so near to animals brought diseases.Farming itself brought deterioration in their general health. Farming and herding deliberately altered the environment; removed natural ground cover, irrigation, & grazing.

         Animal Husbandry is the reliance on meat, milk, and blood of animals where farming was difficult or impossible. 

(4:03, important to the transition between paleolithic to neolithic. 8:30, important to relation to present)

And the one shown in Class...

Summary of Paleolithic Society (Ch1)

        Life in the Paleolithic age was simple. The people did what they wanted; they slept when tired, ate when hungry, hunted when they needed food, slept with whom they wanted, and when they wanted to leave their group they did without causing a big ordeal. They did not have jobs they were committed to, they did not have to attend school, for all the Paleolithic people were uneducated, they did not have any form of a writing system, but they had there own languages (i.e. the Hazda people had a language that consisted of tongue clicking). To hunt they used only what nature gave them, using rocks to form weapons sharp enough to pierce an animals skin. They married who they wanted to in most cases, although some groups didn't give people the options such as the the San people of the Kalahari. Marriage was rarely out of love, but more for benefit. The woman took on many lovers along with their husband so that they could get food of multiple types brought to them. Paleolithic people slept outside in the open around fires along with other members of their groups, with a few exceptions where they created simple shelters of some sort. When someone died often times they just left them there or buried them slightly, because for the Paleolithic people death wasn't something to waste time mourning over, and because they did not stay in one place for too long, they didn't have big areas of burial ground, so they did not mark where their family was buried.