Ancient Egypt

Today in class we got new seats and I like my new seat because I have never sat on this side of the room before and it is a nice change. We had to do worksheets in class while Alexa and Dylan took their tests, and it was very difficult to find the answers in the book. Most people didn't get all of the answers so we went over it. Sone new things i learned was that Asian nomads called the Hyksos ruled in Egypt from 1640-1570 BC. I also learned that the first Egyptian queen to successfully rule was named Hatshepsut. Egypt's last great pharaoh was King Tut who built massive temples. Anubis was the powerful god of the dead who Egyptians believed judged their deeds. I also learned what a nome was! A nome is not what is living in your garden, but it was actually a territorially division in Egypt, and there were 36 of them.

Egypt Terms and Names

Egypt is divided into two regions, lower and upper Egypt. Lower Egypt includes the Nile delta region which is a marshy area formed by silt deposits at the mouth of the river. Eventually, these regions were united. They are thought to have been united by a king named Namer. In Egypt they had god-kinds called Pharaohs. The type of government where rule is based on religion is called a theocracy. When the kings die, they are buried in large triangular structures called pyramids. Their bodies were preserved by mummification, which is a very long process that prevents the body from decaying. The Egyptians were very smart and made their own writing system called hieroglyphics where they used pictures to represent ideas and sounds. They were originally written on stone and clay, but eventually they invented a better surface called papyrus reeds which grew in the delta. 

Being surrounded by deserts benefited the Egyptians greatly because it protected them from invaders. No one could cross the desert, let alone half of it without dying, so this made it impossible to conquer. 

Egyptians looked up to Pharaohs and viewed them as very powerful. They were thought of as powerful and as amazing as the Gods of the heavens.

Egyptians mummified bodies because it kept them in good condition and preserved them. They believed that this allowed them to safely reach the other world.

Review for Quiz

Review for quiz tomorrow:

Cultural Diffusion- When a new idea/product spreads from one culture to another 

Dynasty- Series of rulers from a single family

Ziggurat- Place of worship that also acted as city hall

Fertile Crescent- Arc of land between Persian gulf and Mediterranean Sea that provides the best farming in Southwest Asia. Covers modern day Syria, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Turkey 

Cuneiform- Earliest form of writing 

Irrigation- Controlling the water 

Polytheism- Belief in multiple gods

Monarchy- Government where one person (king) rules 

Silt- Rich soil left after flooding

Gilgamesh- Powerful king, Epic of Gilgamesh written about him 

Hammurabi's Code- First set of written laws that held people responsible for their actions. 282 laws. (Eye for eye, tooth for tooth)

Egypt

Today in class we finished learning about Hammurabi's Code and started learning about Egypt. We started reading pages 35-43 about Egypt and took notes. I learned that there is a river that flows near Egypt called the Nile, and it flows from south to north, This is interesting because most rivers flow from north to south. Settlements popped up along the Nile because after the Nile flooded, it left behind rich and fertile soil. Before the soil could dry, peasants planted wheat and barley. Egyptians worshipped the river like a God who gave life. Someone even said that Egypt means "The gift of the Nile." Overall, the Nile River was very important to life in Egypt.

Hammurabi's Code

Today in Western Civilization, we learned about Hammurabi's Code, and we also pretended that we were judges from that period, sentencing people. We had to decide which punishment people should get for the crime they committed. When we shared them, there were so many different answers and people got very creative. For most of the crimes, I said they should have to go to jail for a couple years. One kid in the class said that they should have their left hand chopped off, but I think that is a bit excessive. Hammurabi wanted people to have a punishment that fit the crime, but nowadays the punishments are usually just jail time, sometimes the death penalty depending on the crime and state.

Absent

I was absent from school on Thursday the 14th because my dad got married.

The Prehistoric Era

Today in Western Civilization, we learned about the Prehistoric Era. 200,000 years ago was when the human race emerged in Southwestern Africa. The earliest prehistoric age is the paleolithic age also called the old stone age. After that came the neolithic/new stone age. This was marked by advanced tool making and beginnings of agriculture. After this came the agricultural revolution also known as the Neolithic Revolution. This was the shift from hunting/gathering to more permanent settlements. During the Agricultural Revolution, populations rose, there were surpluses of food, hierarchies were formed the wheel/plow was invented, and the villages were polytheistic.

Early River Valley Civilizations

Today in class we read pages 26-34 again and took more notes. I learned that Mesopotamia was a place inside the Fertile Crescent. It was given this name because that means "land between two rivers." Farmers here planted grain, wheat, and barley. People first started settling in Mesopotamia before 4500 BC. In 3300 BC, Sumerians began arriving. They had many challenges like unpredicatable flooding, periods of little or no rain, no natural resources, and scarce building materials. They made solutions to these problems like building irrigation ditches for water, building city walls for defense, and they also traded grain for materials. Sumerians were the first people to form a civilization. By 3000 BC, they even developed different cities with their own governments called city states.

Test

Today in western civilization I took my test. I got an 80% on it which is decent. I thought I would do better on it but it's okay. I had to take a lot of tests and quizzes today so it was a tough first day back. After I finished my test, I took some notes on pages 26-34. We are starting a new unit so we read some pages of the textbook and talked about the key points as a class. We got into a little bit of a debate because of opinions on jobs and people who are homeless. I believe that everyone needs to work for what they have and shouldn't have things handed to them. Not everyone feels this way though, so this started a debate about how anyone can be homeless and it isn't the persons fault. I think it depends on the situation, but usually it is their fault, especially if they are standing on the side of the road asking for money.

Absent

On Monday I was absent from school.

Snow

In class today it began snowing and I was so excited. I think it would be great if we could get out early but Mr. Schick said that isn't going to happen. We also finished the movie that we were watching called Guns, Germs, and Steel. It is very interesting but it was hard to pay attention to it because it is was so cold. I hope we end up getting out of school early. Anyway, James Diamond finished the video by saying that all races are fundamentally similar. Some just didn't have the resources.