Exam

Part 1

Question: Explain why some scholars have called the Ancient Egyptians a "death obsessed" culture. Do you agree?

Thesis: The Ancient Egyptians did have a "death obsessed" culture; death affected everything they did from the architecture of the pyramids, to the kings and queens, to how they acted in their daily life.

Primary Source #1:

"Ho! king Neferkere (Pepi II)! How beautiful is this! How beautiful is this, which thy father Osiris has done for thee ! He has given thee his throne, thou rulest those of the hidden places (the dead), thou leadest their august ones, all the glorious ones follow thee (Pyr. 2022-3)."

Mircea Eliade "From Primitives to Zen": THE DEAD PHARAOH BECOMES OSIRIS

http://www.mircea-eliade.com/from-primitives-to-zen/167.html

Primary Source #2:

"[The dead will say:]
Homage to you, Great God, the Lord of the double Ma'at (Truth)!
I have come to you, my Lord,

And I have destroyed wickedness for you.
I have committed no evil upon men.
I have not oppressed the members of my family.
I have not wrought evil in the place of right and truth.
I have had no knowledge of useless men.
I have brought about no evil"

Book of the dead: Chapter 125. The Judgment of the Dead.

http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/EGYPT/BOD125.HTM

Primary Source #3

" Thy Ba shall not depart from thy corpse and thy Ba shall become divine with the blessed dead. The perfect Ba's shall speak to thee, and thou shalt be an equal amongst them in receiving what is given on earth. Thou shalt have power over water, shalt inhale air, and shalt be surfeited with the desires of thy heart."

Mircea Eliade "From Primitives to Zen":SURVIVAL AS BA and survival in the tomb are complementary

http://www.mircea-eliade.com/from-primitives-to-zen/169.html

Explanation of Argument

The first source shows how kings and queens of Egypt not only had power because they were king or queen but because by being a king they were also a god. A king who died would go into the afterlife and possibly take over as Osiris which is very powerful since Osiris was god of the underworld and controlled who would gain eternal happiness. The second source is the Egyptian book of the dead which shows how if an Egyptian wanted to make it into the underworld they had to live without evil. They would accompany themselves with good people and try not to be horrible towards others because having eternal life was important. In the third source that is translated into English there is yet another example of how eternal life equaled eternal happiness.

Part 2

Question #1: Who is a better model for modern historians: Herodotus or Thucydides? Why?

Thesis: Modern historians should look to Herodotus as a better model than Thucydides because he had more knowledge of what he was writing about and why things were happening because of his travel of the ancient world.

Primary Source #1:

"The Lydians have very nearly the same customs as the Hellenes, with the exception that these last do not bring up their girls the same way. So far as we have any knowledge, the Lydians were the first to introduce the use of gold and silver coin, and the first who sold good retail. They claim also the invention of all the games which are common to them with the Hellenes. "

Herodotus: The Histories, c. 430 BCE, I.94

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/etrucans2.html

Primary Source #2:

"Minos, according to tradition, went to Sicania, or Sicily, as it is now called, in search of Daidolos, and there perished by a violent death....Men of various nations now flocked to Crete, which was stripped of its inhabitants; but none came in such numbers as the Hellenes. Three generations after the death of Minos the Trojan war took place; and the Cretans were not the least distinguished among the helpers of Menelaos. "

Herodotos: The History, VII.170-171

http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/herodotusonminos.html

Primary Source #3:

"The feebleness of antiquity is further proved to me by the circumstance that there appears to have been no common action in Hellas before the Trojan War. And I am inclined to think that the very name was not as yet given to the whole country, and in fact did not exist at all before the time of Hellen, "

Thucydides: On The Early History of the Hellenes (written c. 395 BCE)

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/thuc-hellenes.html

Explanation of Argument:

In the first and second sources it is obvious that Herodotus has more knowledge of the culture and customs of the places he writes about. Herodotus writes history more as a story, which it is, which makes it easier and more exciting to read. Thucydides uses first person to much so he makes history more about what he sees and less on what is actually happening.

Question #2: How was the Struggle of the Orders influential on later Roman politics during the time of Julius Caesar?

Thesis: The struggle of orders influenced politics during the time of Caesar because it helped him to gain power since he gave the people what they wanted.

Primary Source #1

"Pompey, who was estranged from Caesar, although he was not as yet at open enmity with him, determined neither to aid him by his influence nor openly oppose him on this occasion. But the consuls Lentulus and Marcellus, who had previously been on unfriendly terms with Caesar, resolved to use all means in their power to prevent him from gaining his object. Marcellus in particular did not hesitate to offer Caesar other insults."

De bello civili (Civil Wars): Book 1

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ah/Caesar/CaesarCiv01.html
Primary Source #2

"He likewise restored to their former condition (the praetors and tribunes, first submitting the question to the people) some persons condemned for bribery at the elections, by virtue of Pompey's law, at the time when Pompey kept his legions quartered in the city (these trials were finished in a single day, one judge hearing the merits, and another pronouncing the sentences), because they had offered their service to him in the beginning of the civil war, if he chose to accept them; setting the same value on them as if he had accepted them, because they had put themselves in his power. For he had determined that they ought to be restored rather by the judgment of the people than appear admitted to it by his bounty: that he might neither appear ungrateful in repaying an obligation, nor arrogant in depriving the people of their prerogative of exercising this bounty."

De bello civili (Civil Wars): Book 3

http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ah/Caesar/CaesarCiv03.html

Primary Source #3

"Caesar being thus slain, Brutus, stepping forth into the midst, intended to have made a speech, and called back and encouraged the senators to stay; but they all affrighted ran away in great disorder, and there was a great confusion and press at the door, though none pursued or followed. For they had come to an express resolution to kill nobody beside Caesar, but to call and invite all the rest to liberty."

Plutarch: The Assassination of Julius Caesar, from Marcus Brutus(excerpts)

Explanation of Argument

In source one it shows that Caesar knew how to treat everyone because he did not want an uprising. Source 2 shows how he treated the people after he gained power which is why in source #3 there was a great uprising when he was killed.

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Question #2: Were the Vikings "barbarians"?

Thesis: The vikings were not barbarians, in fact they were clever and smart and only attacked upper Europe because their homes were becoming diminished and they also felt they only way to gain money was to steal.

Primary Source #1:

"then separate, agreeing that they will not call on each other for help unless they have to deal with more than seven men. One day Sinfjotli is summoned to help and kills all the men who bad attacked Sigmund. Another time, Sinfjotli himself is attacked by eleven men, and kills them without summoning Sigmund to help him. Then Sigmund rushes at him and bites him in the throat, but not long afterward finds a way to cure the wound. Finally they return to their cabin to await the moment when they can put off their wolfskins. When the time comes, they throw the skins into the fire. With this episode, Sinfjotli's initiation is completed, and he can avenge the slaying of the Volsungs."

Mircea Eliade: Initiation of a Warrior. "From Primitives to Zen" (Volsunga Saga, chapter 7-8)

http://mircea-eliade.com/from-primitives-to-zen/145.html

Primary Source #2

"[Olaf, who was called Olaf the White, was styled a warrior king. He was the son of King Ingjald, the son of Helgi, the son of Olaf, the son of Gudred, the son of Halfdan Whiteleg, king of the Uplands (in Norway). He led a harrying expedition of sea-rovers into the west, and conquered Dublin, in Ireland, and Dublinshire, over which he made himself king. He married Aud the Deep-minded, daughter of Ketil Flatnose, son of Bjorn the Ungartered, a noble man from Norway. Their son was named Thorstein the Red."

Erik the Red Saga

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/17946/17946-h/17946-h.htm
Primary Source #3
"Othin, chief of the gods, always conscious of impending disaster and eager for knowledge, calls on a certain "Volva," or wise-woman, presumably bidding her rise from the grave. She first tells him of the past, of the creation of the world, the beginning of years, the origin of the dwarfs (at this point there is a clearly interpolated catalogue of dwarfs' names, stanzas 10-16), of the first man and woman, of the world-ash Yggdrasil, and of the first war, between the gods and the Vanir, or, in Anglicized form, the Wanes."
The Poetic Edda: Voluspo
http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/poe/poe03.htm
Explanation of Arguement
In the first source it shows the culture of the vikings in which warriors had to be initiated which is not barbaric. In the second source it shows how the vikings had a political system and the king would marry a woman from another society to form an alliance. The third source is an excerpt from the poetic Edda. It is from the creation story which shows they had a religion and were not barbarians.

Question 2: Do you think Alexander honestly felt like he was avenging Persian wrongs? Or was that just propaganda to mask his goal of conquest?
Thesis: Alexander wanted to have the world at his finger tips and merely used the Persian wrongs as propaganda to get his people to help him out.
Primary source #1

"Are you not aware that if Heracles, my ancestor, had gone no further than Tiryns or Argos--or even than the Peloponnese or Thebes--he could never have won the glory which changed him from a man into a god, actual or apparent? Even Dionysus, who is a god indeed, in a sense beyond what is applicable to Heracles, faced not a few laborious tasks; yet we have done more: we have passed beyond Nysa and we have taken the rock of Aornos which Heracles himself could not take. Come, then; add the rest of Asia to what you already possess--a small addition to the great sum of your conquests. What great or noble work could we ourselves have achieved had we thought it enough, living at ease in Macedon, merely to guard our homes, accepting no burden beyond checking the encroachment of the Thracians on our borders, or the Illyrians and Triballians, or perhaps such Greeks as might prove a menace to our comfort ?"

Speech of Alexander the Great from Campaigns of Alexander

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/arrian-alexander1.htm
Primary source #2
"I remember that years ago (how far away it seems to me now!) I wrote you an absurd and enthusiastic letter on the tomb of Achilles; I was on the threshold of my Persian expedition, and I vowed then that my model for life should be the valiant son of Peleus. I dreamed only of heroism and greatness; I had already won my victory over Thrace, and I thought that I was advancing against Darius at the head of my Macedonians and Hellenes simply to cover myself with laurels worthy of my ancestors. I can say that I did not fall short of my ideal either at Chaeronea or at Granicus; but today I hold a very different view of the political significance of my actions at that time"
A Letter from Alexander to Aristotle
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/alexfake.html
Primary Source #3
"Seek another kingdom, my son, that may be worthy of thy abilities; for Macedonia is too small for thee..."
Plutarch: Selections from the life of Alexander
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/plutarch-alexander1.html
Explanation of Arguement
In the first and third source it is shown that Alexander wanted to show that he was great. It seemed like he wanted to prove to his father, King Phillip, that he could go farther than any Macedonian. Alexander had a thirst for greatness and that, not avenging Persian wrongs, is why he went so far.
3
Question 3: How does Henry VIII maintain power while breaking away from the Catholic Church?

Thesis: Henry VIII maintained power by destroying the remnants of the Catholic Church in England and giving himself and the Tudors supreme power.
Primary Source #1
"please it your lordship to be advertised, that we came to Glastonbury on Friday last past, about ten o'clock in the forenoon; and [because]…the abbot was then at Sharpham, a place of his, a mile and somewhat more form the abbey, we, without any delay, went into the same place, and there…examined him upon certain articles. And [because]…his answer was not then to our purpose, we advised him to call to his remembrance that which he had as then forgotten, and so declare the truth, and then came to him the same day to the abbey; and there of new proceeded that night to search his study for letters and books; and found in his study…a written book of arguments against the divorce of his king's majesty and the lady dowager, as also divers pardons, copies of bulls, and the counterfeit life of Thomas Becket in print; but we could not find any letter that was material."
The Supression of Gaston Abbey
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/h8-glastonbury.html
Primary Source #2
"Nevertheless the 8th day of May, according to the said appointment, I came unto Dunstable, my lord of Lincoln being assistant unto me, and my Lord of Winchester, Doctor Bell... with diverse others learned in the Law being counsellors in the law for the King's part; and so there at our coming kept a court for the appearance of the said Lady Catherine, where were examined certain witnesses which testified that she was lawfully cited and called to appear... And the morrow after Ascension day I gave final sentence therin, how it was indispensable for the Pope to license any such marriages."
Letter of Thomas Cramer
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/cramner-hen8.html
Primary Source #3
"Albeit the king's Majesty justly and rightfully is and ought to be the supreme head of the Church of England, and so is recognized by the clergy of this realm in their convocations"
Act of Supremacy
http://www.thenagain.info/Classes/Sources/ActSupremacy.html
Explanation of Arguement
The King opressed all oppisition and changed the law of England in his favor.

The Making of Essays

Can you 'read' a building?

Thesis: It is possible to read a building because buildings have a story to tell, they tell who created them and in what time period and why.

Sources:

"By the time of Herodotus the Temple in Heliopolis was devoted to Ra. Probably the largest temple in the world, it was about 2/3 of a mile long, and 1/3 of a mile in width. The courtyard was made with polished black basalt stones, so polished that it reflected the stars above and made it look as if one were walking amidst the stars." (Poe, Michael)

Poe, Michael. "Appendix II: Two Approaches to an Egyptian Pantheon." Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Web. 04 June 2010. http://web.archive.org/web/20020811022134/http://www.hist.unt.edu/ane-06.htm

"On the way from Phalerum to Athens there is a temple of Hera with neither doors nor roof. Men say that Mardonius, son of Gobryas, burnt it. But the image there to-day is, as report goes, the work of Alcamenes" (Pausanius).

Pausanius. "Ancient History Sourcebook: Pausanias: Description of Greece, Book I: Attica."FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 04 June 2010. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/pausanias-bk1.html

Annotations

Livy's History of Rome; Book 1

• According to Livy the beginning of Rome started way before with a line of Kings and with the destruction of Troy. There were almost no survivors but the ones that were alive were allowed to live and they were to help Aeneas and Antenor take over other cities, countries, or regions. This happened and Aeneas gained a lot of power. He got married and a son was born, when he did his son was not old enough to be king so his wife. His so was named Ascanius and had sons and his line went on with a series of deaths in which the Abula river became the Tiber. Ascanius succesors ended up being Numitor and Proca. Numitor was king because he was older but Proca held ad revolt against him and Numitor was exiled. His daughter was to become a priestess in some sorts but she ended up having twins, she said their father was the god Mars so she would not get in to much trouble. Proca had the twins cast in to the river tiber but because it was over flowing the people he sent to kill the babies just pushed them in at the banks and hoped that would do the job. It did not and the story goes that a she-wolf found them and nursed them and a head-flocksman found them, named Flaustulus. Flaustulus's wife was called a she-wolf by the other herders so that is were the she-wolf would have come from. When the boys got older they were ambushed and killed their attackers. Romulus got away but Remus was caught. Numitor who was the elder in the town was to punish Remus for the crime but when he figured out his age and how he had a twin, and some other evidence he discovered these were his grandsons. Romulus and Remus ended up killing Proca, the king, and Numitor was in power. When Numitor died it was between either of the two, but because they were twins it was hard to figure out who would be in charge. They people split down the middle taking sides and eventually Remus was killed and Romulus took charge and the city became Rome. Romulus tried to make Rome big by sending out people to other places to talk about Rome and he picked 100 senators to be called "Patrys" later called "Patricians"

The End of the Republic: Tacitus

• Rome was first ruled by kings, than a consul, and then dictators. At first dictators were only meant to be temporary but that failed in the republic. When people started fighting for power and becoming corrupt by it the republic came to an end

The Battle at Cannae

• In the battle at Cannae it was the Romans with the two current consuls, Caius Terentius and Aemilius, against Hannibal and his motley army. The Romans far outnumbered Hannibal's army but Hannibal was better when it came to strategy. He put the Romans in suspense and made them attack first. Hannibal's army won mostly by surrounding the Romans and fighting them from the outside in, like when he had the Romans chase the Celts into one of his lines and then the line surrounded the Romans. It seemed to go back and forth in the battle that the Romans would win, but their moral was low and Hannibal was good when it came to strategy. Retreating romans were killed, Romans losing individual fights were taken prisoner, and only some Romans got away including one of the consuls Caius Terentius, it was quite shameful for him to run off especially when his fellow consul had died in the battle. Before the battle even started though, Amelius left many infantry in his camp so that they would kill those who were left in Hannibal's camp while he was distracted. They were doing this while the battle was almost over but Hannibal saw this and had them killed or taken prisoner.

The lives of the Caesars: Suetonius

• The first Ceasar was basically ran out of Rome but the current man in charge, was still on the lookout for him. Caesar was not listening to the authority and because he had not married whom he was supposed to he was run out of Rome. Many in charge begged Sulla to forgive Caesar and Caesar was allowed back to Rome although Sulla warned he would be the end to the aristocracy that they worked for. Caesar was then to be in charge over Asia were at first people thought he was being a traitor but for the rest of the time his reputation was fine. When word of Sulla's death reached him he tried to gain some more power but failed and then tried to go to Rhodes to finish working but was taken by Pirates. After his ransom was paid he went to go help the allies of Rome. When he was military Tribune he worked with others to give tribunes power over commons. When he was quaestor, financial administrator, he visited Hispania Ulterior and saw a statue of Alexander the Great. He was upset that he had not done anything very important at his age when Alexander had done so much, he quit his job in hopes to gain more power because soothsayers had given him good omens. He eventually became an aedile, a magistrate in charge of public happenings, and although he worked with another man he got all the credit and the love of the people. He tried to use his popularity to gain control over Egypt but failed. Caesar eventually became Praetor elect, which is a magistrate right below the consul, through many bribes which got his enemies out of the way. Caesar seemed to like pushing his authority to the edge until his power could be taken away and did this a couple times, the people always begged him for help though and he would come back. Caesar really wanted power so when it was time for new consuls, the two people up for it were Lucius Lucceius and Marcus Bibulus, Caesar said that since he had the people on his side he could join the one who was willing to pay enough and that person would truly win. Bibulus and Caesar became consul and Caesar immediately wanted everything written down. Caesar was so overpowering that when the two Consuls ever disagreed Bibulus would be run out of court to his home so that Caesar was basically the only consul. Caesar was not stupid though and was strategic, he married Calphurnia and formed an alliance with her father and married off his daughter and formed an alliance with his son in law. Caesar did however make some mistakes when he was outwardly opposed to some people gaining power instead of secretly, he almost was taken to trial and could have been impeached. He started to pick enemies and friends carefully. As Caesar's consulship was coming to an end he started to pay of the debts of many and give to everyone so that he would have everyone on his good side. He wanted his consulship to be extended since he was away at war and could not be back for elections. He made some new alliances by forming marriages within his families with his friends. By accident however, Pompeius, the man who would probably become the next consul, formed a new decree that candidates for any offices had to be there to be elected, and forgot to put an exception for Caesar until it was too late. Caesar started a civil war when he felt that the tribunes he was allies with were being continuously ignored and put down when they brought up different subjects. It is said he had other reasons like he did not want to be put on trial for suspicious things he had done during his first consul ship. He fought Pompeious all the way into Egypt and when he heard word of Pompeious's death he attacked King Ptolemy because he had gotten word that Ptolemy wanted him gone. Ptolemy was gone and Caesar gave Egypt to Cleopatra. He defeated all of Pompei's armies and marched into Rome as the winner. He had many parties and gave a lot of land to his soldiers and when all this was done he fixed the calender that had become disorganized. He refilled the senate and made sure that the people also had a choice in who had power over them. He made laws to bring up the population of Rome and laws that made penalties of crimes more serious. He also set up a bunch of projects to make Rome "look" better, such as building a beautiful temple to mars. Suetonious than goes a bit in depth of Julius Caesar's appearance. He is tall with dark eyes and is light skinned. He is mostly healthy until near the end when it was figured that he had epilepsy. He was careful about his appearance and was insecure about the fact that he was balding especially when he found out people made fun of him for it. Caesar was very meticulous when it came to things in his household and severely punished his servants for any mistakes they made. Although there were no words of him ever having affairs with people before marriage there were rumors that he had a physical encounter with King Nicomedes. During his marriage, Caesar was not quite about how he seduced many women including some senators and other's wives. He even had affairs with queens. It also said that he was not one to get shameful for he would beg for money and ransack villages for money when he was in debt. Caesar of course though would not have gotten anywhere with his oratory skills that he seems to have had all his life. Caesar would not have gotten were he was without his military greatness. He was strategic and daring but never did anything without careful thought. He fought along side his men who treated with respect and discipline. By treating his men like this they willingly joined his side during the civil war. He was close to his friends but also close to his enemies who although they would argue he would back them up when they were right. He had the people on his side and because of this got many awards and honors which eventually got to his head. His power started to go down hill when the Senate approached him with a problem and he did not have the deceny to stand up. Also once more during a festival someone adorned his statue with a white laurel that symbolized royalty and when they were thrown in jail for that he was angry that the authorities did not like that or that he did not get to publicly rebuke them first. During a Lupercal festival he was offered the crown several times and said no while the people cheered him on. Many conspirators joined to kill him because they believed he was getting to much power. There were many omens such as bad dreams, and a bird carrying a laurel getting devoured by other birds. The most clear sign was when a Greek stone was discovered saying if the stone was to be moved a great son would be killed by his kin. All these together made Caesar wonder whether or not he should go to the Senate or stay at home. Brutus though, a close friend of Caesar, urged him to go outside and Caesar listened. The conspirators stabbed him numerous times and his body lay there until a few slaves found him and took him away. The conspirators were going to dump him in the Tiber and take all of his belongings but they were in fear of Marc Antony and Lepidus. A great funeral was held and Marc Antony spoke and riled the people up so that they set fire to Brutus and Cassius's homes. They even killed a man who had the same name as one of the conspirators but was not one. He died at 56 and none of his conspirators lived beyond three years after the crime. His place of murder was walled up and even at the first games after his death there was a comet in the sky for about a week. The people put Caesar among the gods.

Blurbs

Pausanias: Description of Greece

• One of the first things that you see when entering Attica is the temple to Athena. Peiraeus is the port of Athens and there is a lot of history behind it, it is believed that is where Menestheus left to go destroy Troy. There are monuments to Zeus and Athena in Periaeus also, they are both bronze statues. Near a portico by the see is another monument to Zeus and Demos. By the other see Canon is the sanctuary of Aphrodite. At another harbor called Munchyia the Athenians have many sanctuaries and shrines to gods and heroes alike. In the city of Athens itself there is another monument to Antiope, an amazon woman shot because of a love triangle she was enthralled in. Moving up from Peiraeus is a road and on the side of the road are graves of famous men who had fought in wars. The city is a perfect depiction of being wary of the gods because it is basically a shrine to them. Many of the memorable places in Athens have a story behind them that can be told a number of ways. Pausanius likes to give the back stories on basically everything in Athens because it gives these different places character and it shows their history.

Plutarch

• Solon's father is considered to be Euphorion more people agree that it is Execestides. His mother is related to Pisisastrus's mother making Pisisastrus and Solon Cousins. Plutarch says this is why Solon and Pisisastrus never really fought even though they had heated arguments in government. Plutarch likes to give quotes to prove his statements true. Plutarch likes to explain all angles of the person he is writing about even the people that in this case, Solon met. This way he does not leave anything open and everything is explained.

Solon

• Solon wrote of everything that he did in career. The way he wrote it down was very poetic, he wrote of how he freed many Athenians from slavery. Solon was a strong Athenian and all for his city. He was a patriotic person.

Herodotus

• Herodotus wrote of how politics, no matter how perfect they seem, have flaws and when people gain to much power it goes to their heads. Herodotus's writing seems almost poetic and it flows so that although what your reading is true it seems like a story is being told.

Pericles

• In Pericle's Funeral Oration he is writing to bring patriotism to the Athenians and showing that all the pain that many of them have gone through is not in vain.

Out line: How do you think things would have been different if the Persians had won the Persian wars?

1. How do you think things would have been different if the Persians had won the Persian wars?
   
   1. Thesis: The spread of Greek philosophy and culture would have been halted if the Persians had won the Persian wars.
      
2. The Fathers of History
   
   1. Aristotle's works would be completely different if there would be any at all, his life experiences would be totally different if the Persians had taken over his country. If Aristotle's works were not published than England would never have had the 12 century renaissance that they had when they discovered his works.
3. Alexander
4. Alexander would have had a harder time taking over Persia, his teacher probably would not have been Aristotle. Alexander may not even have been in the power he had.
5. Acropolis/Athens

1. If the Persians had won the war then the Acropolis in Athens would never have been rebuilt. The Romans would probably have not as easily took control of Athens later on either.

2. Athens probably would not have become the greatest Greek trading place which is what happened after the Athenians came back to Athens and rebuilt their city. "Athens thus became the finest trade centre in Greece." (Ancient History Sourcebook)

6. Greece

1. Greece would be totally different than it is today because the Persians would have basically eliminated all traces of the Greek culture or would have molded it to fit Persian culture.

2. When the Persians had lost the first invasion of Greece, Athens was still in fear that the still powerful Persians would attempt to invade Greece again. They and other allies formed the Delian League. The Delian League was a democratic alliance much like the United Nations today. If the Persians had won the wars than the Delian League would not have been formed. "They are the first two examples of which we have detailed knwoedlge of a serious attempt at united action on the part ofa large number of selfgoverning states at a relatively high level of conscious political development."

7. Conclusion

1. The world as we know it would not be the same if the Persians had won the Persion invasion. Such philosophies such as that of Aristotle would not exist and European culture would have reached its renaissance, if it did at all, much later than it did.

8. Citation

"Ancient History Sourcebook: 11th Brittanica: Delian League." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 28 May 2010. .

"Ancient History Sourcebook: 11th Brittanica: Themistocles." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 28 May 2010. .

Reviewing: Egypt and Greece

• In the Egyptian after life, whether or not a person went to the underworld had a lot to do with the ka. The ka was a person's soul and they would have their heart measured against a feather of mot. If it was lighter than the feather it could go into the afterlife with Osiris Isis and their names were entered in the book of the dead.
• 6 major historians
• Herodatus (490-525 BCE) - Persian wars between Greeks and Persians
• Thucydides (460/455-399BCE)- Pelopenisian wars Spartans Athenians
• Xenophon (428-354)- Athenian wrote about what happended during Socrates time
• Aristotle (384-323BCE) - logic and philosophy, wrote the first encyclopedia and had his students at his school help. Encyclopedia in Greek basically means encompasses all learning.
• Plutarch (46-120CE)- Greek lived during Roman occupation. Known for his biographies
• Pausanias (fl. 160CE)-wrote first travel guide
• Classical age started around 400 BCE with the Greeks coming out of the archaeic age.
• Persian Wars
• Xerxes worked his way up the coast and asked people to join him or be destroyed, some Greek city states joined him while others got destroyed. The bosphorus is also known as the Istanbul Straight. The went through Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly, Epirus and then to Attica. For a while they were stopped at Thermopylae where the Spartans and some of their allies held them off so that Athens could be evacuated. The Harbor of Athens is called Piraeus it was the port of Athens and it had large walls that protected them from attacks.
• Greek Geography. When the Persians got their and the city was gone they burned everything including the things on the Acropolis. When the Persians were lured out to and defeated at Salamis the Athens returned and rebuilt the Acropolis and formed the Delian league and they used the money from the league treasury to rebuild the Acropolis.
• Thessalonika is also called Thrace, it is in the Northern Region of Greece
• The Acropolis has a history of war and religion. During the persian wars it was destroyed and it had the theater of Dionysus, a goddess. The Parthenon is on top of the Acropolis and it is the most important piece of Doric Architecture which is the oldest type of Architecture in Greece.
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What were Michelangelo's influences? Consider his works in fresco, sculpture, architecture, poetry and underlying humanist beliefs?

Even at birth Michelangelo was constantly surrounded by art. His birthday, March 6th was considered astrologically the time of being a genius of the arts. Even before Michelangelo could walk he was supposed to be great with art. His father, Lodovico di Lionardo Buonarotti Simon, ended up moving himself and Michelangelo to Settigano in Florence where there were many sculptures working. The constant art in his life is one of the influences on Michelangelo's intrest and perfection in his art. "Giorgio, if I have anything of genius, it came to me from being born in the subtle air of your country of Arezzo, while from my nurse I got the chisel and hammer with which I make my figures. (Michelangelo).

Michelangelo eventually came to be schooled under the Medici who had an art school. Lorenzo Medici was so interested in Michelangelo's work that he begged Buonarotti's father to adopt him Michelangelo grew up with the Medici and loved them a lot, during the protestant reformation on Pope Clement's death bed, Michelangelo was asked to finish his work in the Sistine chapel. He did this and he portrayed his mood into the final painting of the last judgement. The Medici were a great influence on Michelangelo's work because they were the ones who paid for his education in art.

Another great influence on Michelangelo's work was his belief in humanism.
Humanism is the philosophy of a variety of ethical theory and practices that emphasizes a reason, scientific inquiry, and human fulfillment in the natural world and often rejects the importance of belief in God (Dictionary.com). Humanism during the Renaissance or Michelangelo's time was more about separating from God and understanding the human mind more. This is spotted in his sculpting and painting because his depiction of Holy things were all in Human form and were not made to look any different from regular human beings.

During the time where art was starting to seem more pagan with such artists as Sandro Boticelli painting the birth of venus, Michelangelo was pushed even closer to the Church. He ended up working closely with the church for which he painted the Sistine Chapel, and for Pope Leo, a Medici, he built tombs for the Pope's father.

In Michelangelo's poem he wrote of love, drew images, and started to write about Christianity. He showed sorrow in his later poems so it seemed he regretted something. Michelangelo was a steadfast praiser of the Lord and this not only came out in his art but in his poetry. "No man can find it: Father! Thou must lead". (Michelangelo)

Michelangelo's influences were God, the art that surrounded him as a child, and the Medici.

Citation:Creation_of_Adam_Michelangelo. Digital image. Commons Wikimedia. Wikipedia. Web. 20 May 2010. .

"Michelangelo Biography - Life, Family, Childhood, Death, Mother, Young, Son, Old, Information, Born, House, Time, Year." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Web. 20 May 2010. .

"MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI(1475~1564." Oracle ThinkQuest Library. Web. 20 May 2010. .

Michelangelo-Buonarroti-David-2-Replica-Florence. Digital image. Commons Wikimedia. Wikipedia. Web. 20 May 2010. .

Michelangelo_Petersdom_Pieta. Digital image. Commons Wikimedia. Wikipedia. Web. 20 May 2010. .

"To the Supreme Being, by Michelangelo Buonarroti." Poetry Archive | Poems. Poetry Archive. Web. 20 May 2010. .

Vasarie, Giorgio. "Michelangelo: Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Artists." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 20 May 2010. .

Notes on Micheal angelo and Medici

• 1501
• Michael angelo sculpted a 13 foot marble block. He worked very hard and his life was all about art. It took him three years to finish the block
• He started to draw away from the Medici.
• When Florence came away from the Medici the Medici fled Florence while Michelangelo stayed. The cousin Medici, Giovanni and Guliano were trying to make it big in the church but they could not without Florence, where they could not return. They went throughout Italy trying to get the help of friends.
• When Michelangelo was finished his sculpture it was unveiled to Florence, it was first meant to go onto the Cathedral but they put it front of the town hall. The sculpture it was David but when placed in front of the government building it became a symbol of the city. He was upset that the Medici did not help Florence in the way he wanted.
• One of Michelangelo's competitors was da Vinci who even went to such great lengths as dissecting human bodies.
• Niccolo Machievelli had to protect Florence from the Medici and he formed an army against them. The Medici ended up gaining control of the city but the people still did not like them. Giovanni was a cardinal and when the pope died he became Pope Leo the tenth. When Giovanni became Pope, Florence forgot everything and took the Medici in with open hands and appointed Gulianno archbishop and eventually cardinal.
• Michelangelo was already commisioned to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by the late pope and he thought he would fail.
• Michelangelo worked with Fresco which was very hard to work with because it had to be painted on quickly. The Medici who were now in charge offered Michelangelo to bring tombs for their fathers. Machievelli was eventually exiled from Florence. Machievelli wrote a book called the Prince and it seperated politics from thinking he believed he would be able to get on the good side of the Medici and it failed.
• 1516, some cardinals conspired to assassinate the pope he had been warned previously and had them killed after a failed attempt. The Medici ended up being more careful about who they let in power.
• Pope Leo eventually owed a lot of money and his cousin was pawning away the pope's jewel. Pope Leo started to sell papers that said if a person had done wrong they had the Church on their side. These were called indulgences. Martin Luther became angry at the church for this. He wrote a "manifesto" for change and had many versions of it printed and circulated. Luther was trying to reform the Church but things lost control. Pope Leo saw this and condemned Luther to hell. Luther started the protestant reformation and the Church split in two. When Leo the tenth died his cousin Julio had to deal with the problem of protestant reform and he became Pope. The protestant reformation brought fighting into Rome. The Pope fled to Florenc but the rioters found out already and sacked Florence including break the David that michelangelo had created. Michelangelo hid in a church.
• Catherine de Medici was in line if Clement died. She was 7 years old and the people threatened to throw her into a soldier's brothel and he called of his troops so they could rescue her. Catherine was married of at 14 to the son of the French King. The religious wars soon affected France because of her. Pope Clement was eventually on his dying bed and he asked Michelangelo to make a fresco for him. Michelangelo painted the last judgement. He died in 1534 ending the corrupt reign of Medici popes.

Is Monarchy more or less effective than democracy?

When a person thinks of a Monarchy they think of Kings and Queens and such. Today the most famous Monarchy is the Monarchy in England. What most people do not know is that the Queen of England does not do much to do with legislature and is more of a figure to unite the nation. Look back at Monarchy of the Renaissance and the Middle Ages, when Monarchs had real power. Monarchs were very effective when it came to getting what they wanted for their country. Democracy is the type of government in the United States, it is also effective but it takes longer when it comes to legislature because more people have to be pleased. Monarchy is more effective when it comes to making changes because it does not go through series of process where there are a lot of people that have to deem something good or not.
The American government has a system called a democracy. A democracy is government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.(Dictionary.com) Having a law past in America can go from a couple of months, to a couple of years because of all the people that have to agree to getting the law passed. The government is comprised of the system called checks and balances so that no one has to much power. Checks and balances are limits imposed on all branches of a government by vesting in each branch the right to amend or void those acts of another that fall within its purview (Dictionary.com). The American government is effective but not as effective as absolute monarchy.
A Monarchy is a state or nation in which the supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in a monarch (Dictionary.com) So basically the person who is the monarch has supreme power and is considered "sovereign". There are two types of monarchy, absolute monarchy and limited monarchy. Absolute monarchy is a monarchy that is not limited or restrained by laws or a constitution (Dictionary.com). Limited Monarchy is a monarchy that is limited by laws of a constitution (Dictionary.com). The Monarchy that the Tudor Dynasty belonged to was an absolute monarchy and England was ruled with monarchies such as these until after parliament took a change around the time of Edward VI. The most famous Monarchy today is the Monarchy in England. The monarchy that England has today is a limited monarchy. Today's English Monarchy is more of a promotion of National Unity. They are more for show because they mostly go to events and carry out important deeds and charity. The monarchs of England today are called constitutional monarchs. When the constitution of England was formed around 1688 the monarchs lost a bit more of power. Walter Bagehot was a wealthy englishman who wrote about the English Constituion. He wrote about the English Monarchy and said that the "Sovereign" have three rights which are: "the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn" (History and Background).
Laws in older England, when Monarchs had more power, did not take very long to get passed. The more trouble was making sure everyone in the country new the law. A good example of this is the reign of the Tudor monarchs. In a true monarchy, the king or queen rules everything and has a set of advisors. Laws can be made very quickly and only needed the yes or no of the monarch. One of the main problems with the monarchy of the Tudor times is that the power would sometime go to their heads and they would ignore the plight of their people. Such as Queen Mary who turned the Protestant England back to Roman Catholicism and persecuted Protestants in England. In her persecutions about 800 wealthy protestants exiled themselves from England, and 284 were executed. One of the main problems with absolute monarchy is that when monarchs change there is a possibility of having a very different monarch, which is what happened with the Tudors. Henry VIII was for England being Protestant, as was his son. Then Mary changed England to being under Rome's rule but when Elizabeth changed England back to being Protestant. Monarchs are very quick when it comes to changing things they do not like where as in a democracy it would take a longer time to get change.
There is a large difference between what is more effective and what is better. Democracy is better because the people of a country have more input into what happens with their rights and laws. The chance of an uprising occurring in a democratic government is not as high as an uprising happening in a Monarch ruled government.
Monarchy is more effective than government because there is not such as hassle for legislation like there is in a democracy. Although a democracy is all around better than a monarchy Monarchs have more effect.

citation: "The Act of Supremacy." Then Again. . . Web. 15 May 2010. http://www.thenagain.info/Classes/Sources/ActSupremacy.html

"BBC - History - British History in Depth: Wales under the Tudors." BBC - Homepage. Web. 15 May 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/wales_tudors_01.shtml

Courage, Despite Her. "Mary I of England." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 15 May 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_I_of_England#Persecutions

Elizabeth_I_of_England. Digital image. Commons.wikimedia.org. Web. 14 May 2010. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Elizabeth_I_of_England_-_coronation_portrait.jpg

"Elizabeth's Act of Uniformity (1559)." History Department, Hanover College. Web. 15 May 2010. http://history.hanover.edu/texts/engref/er80.html

"History of the Monarchy." The Official Site of the British Monarchy. British Monarchy. Web. 14 May 2010. .

"Monarchy of the United Kingdom." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 15 May 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_monarchy#Constituional_role

"Parliament of England." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia. Web. 15 May 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_England

"Tudor Dynasty." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 14 May 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_Dynasty#Tudor_monarchs_of_England

Martin Luther video

• The Church was in charge and could sometimes be corrupt and act like tyrants
• Martin Luther grew up in Northern Germany as a child he worked in the church which he found as an escape from his home. His parents beat him and his father wanted him to be a lawyer but they were lower than that on the chain.
• Luther went to the best schools and enrolled at the university of Erfert.
• In 1505 the plague hit Erfert and three of his friends died of it. He began to greatly fear and revere God. One night he was stuck outside in a storm and almost died and he took a vow to become a monk.
• He became a monk and the monastery which he lived in was quite nice because it was very business like. The Church got taxes from the people who gave them this willingly for fear of being cut off from God. This eventually drew Luther away. The Monks would go threw a lot of self mutilation like whipping and even Luther slept out in the snow until he was pulled inside.
• Luther eventually went on a pilgrimage to the Holy City if Rome, when the Renaisance was reaching its peak. When the shine wore off Luther noticed the Church was more about money. He began to notice that the priests were only good business men and did not care at all about God.
• Luther started to question the teachings of the Church. Luther began to confess many times over because everytime he confessed his inner conscience would tell him how not sorry he really was.
• He ended up going to work with another monk who made him work with the spiritually uncertain
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The Links between politics and religion in the face off between England and Spain culminating in the invasion of the Spanish Armada

In 1588 King Phillip used his Spanish Armada to invade and take over England. Spain was much stronger and wealthier than the smaller weaker England so in most cases he would have won. England's cunning is what drove the Spanish Armada to defeat. But why did King Phillip want to invade England when they had done nothing to him? In fact England had been attacking the ships that were going to Span from the Americas but it was not just that. King Phillip had previously been married to Queen Mary who had the Catholic Reformation in England, when she died Queen Elizabeth 1 took the crown and started the Protestant Reformation that her father had started. King Phillip was angered by this because he was for Catholicism and felt England should be the way his late wife left it. While married to her he wanted her to give birth so that when she died England would be Catholic. Before dying Mary made Elizabeth promise that she would keep England close with Rome and she would have to promise if she wanted to be next in line. Elizabeth broke her promise and this is another thing that sparked King Phillip's anger towards England. Elizabeth's Act of Supremacy in 1559 started England on the way away from Rome. "An acte restoring to the crown the ancient jurisdiction over the state ecclesiastical and spritual and abolishing all foreign power repugnant to the same" Is the phrase that starts The Act. Another event in 1559 was that Phillip offered to marry Elizabeth and she refused this was a poltical blow.

citation: "BBC - History - British History in Depth: The Spanish Armada." BBC - Homepage. Web. 13 May 2010. .

"Elizabeth I - Act of Supremacy, 1559." The Gunpowder Plot Society. Web. 13 May 2010. .

Schools History. Web. 13 May 2010. .

"The Spanish Armada." UK Travel and Heritage - Britain Express UK Travel Guide. Web. 13 May 2010. .

Did da Vinci deserve the title of a genius?

Leonardo da Vinci holds the title as one of the four titans of art. He is considered a genius and his art rivals that even of today. Many believe it and it is pretty much true. Giorgio Vasari wrote Leonardo's biography and truly showed da Vinci's genious, "so great was his genius, and such its growth, that to whatever difficulties he turned his mind, he solved them with ease." (Vasari) A genius, according to dictionary.com, is an exceptional natural capacity of intellect, especially as shown in creative and original work in science, art, music. Leonardo had a vast capacity of intellect that did not only apply to art. He studied mathematics, music, and many different aspects of art. Leonardo studied art from the inside out, he even went to the extent of dissecting human bodies at night so he could understand how and why the human body looks the way it does. His body sketches are even used in medical books today. Leonardo was a genius and worked very hard to achieve that title. His passion for learning new things is what makes him a genius in many ways.

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The Lady with an Ermine. Digital image. Commons.wikimedia.org. Web. 12 May 2010. .
"The Metropolitan Museum of Art - Special Exhibitions." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Metmuseum.org. Web. 13 May 2010. .
Vasari, Giorgio. "Medieval Sourcebook: Giorgio Vasari: Life of Leonardo Da Vinci 1550." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 13 May 2010. .href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/The_Lady_with_an_Ermine.jpg/439px-The_Lady_with_an_Ermine.jpg">

Writing like da Vinci

Da vinci wrote mirror images in his journals so that no one could decipher what he did and steal his ideas. The phrase there is "The greatest gifts are often seen, in the course of nature, rained by celestial influences on human creatures" from the beginning of his biography by Giorgi Vasari

Leonardo da Vinci

• scientist and artist
• move to Florence with his father at 12
• became an apprentice in Verrocchio's( an artist) studio
• da Vinci also studied linear perspective created by Brunalleschi
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Summarize how Elizabeth rises to the throne -- from her birth to her coronation.

Elizabeth was born the only child of the marriage between Anne Boleyn and her father King Henry VIII. Her stepsister was Mary from Henry's previous marriage, they did not get along well because Elizabeth was in line for Queen ahead of Mary because she was Henry's "legitimate" heir. When Anne Boleyn failed to deliver a son for the king Henry had a plot made to get rid of her and she was executed. This event also made Elizabeth illegitimate along with Mary and although she was illegitimate she was still used as a pawn by those in power, once even having to stand naked in front of a king to show she had no blemishes. Henry's next marriage was to Jane Seymour who invited both of the girls to court. Seymour gave birth to Edward but died thereafter. When Henry himself died Edward Seymour, who was related to Jane Seymour, held power until Edward would become king. Edward gave one of his relatives, Thomas Seymour power. Thomas Seymour tried to romance Elizabeth but failed. He ended up marrying Henry's widow who eventually died after Edward was in power. Elizabeth could not come to court because of Thomas Seymour's shenanigans but when he was executed she was allowed. Meanwhile, Mary was allowed in court by her pro Catholic ways forced her out of popularity so when Elizabeth arrived she was popular. Edward who was often sick was on his death bed and a plot was hatched to get him to debar his sisters from being next in line and having Lady Jane Grey be in power. this plan failed and Jane Grey was executed Mary became queen. At first Mary was liked but her popularity faded as she introduced Roman Catholicism back into England and persecuted protestants. When Mary died she left her successor to be Elizabeth.

citation: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Elizabeth_I_c_1600.jpg

I Elizabeth, video

King Henry staying power after cutting off from the Church

King Henry the 8th was very great in the fact that he cut off the Church and still held great power. In his day and age, having power after cutting off the Church was nearly impossible. So how did he do it? When Henry took control of Roman Catholic Abbeys he took the money out of them and would disperse it amongst the Tudors. Also by diminishing the monasteries King Henry's church grew in itself. King Henry killed all those who opposed him including the head of monasteries, in a letter to Thomas Cromwell, Richard Pollard informs him of the latest execution, "Pleaseth it your Lordship to be advertised that..[On November 15] the late abbot of Glastonbury went from Wells to Glastonbury, and there was drawn through the town upon a hurdle to the hill called the Torre, where he was put to execution;" King Henry was very charismatic but he had the people on his side, those who opposed him were instilled with fear so there was very little anyone could do. Also Henry's new religion was very similar to that of Roman Catholicism so it was not a great big change, the rules were more lenient so the people liked it better. Another thing that was not a big change was that before Henry was excommunicated he slowly gave Rome less power of England by making laws in which they could not make laws without the King's consent. Henry remained in power by making sure the Church had no power over England and the English people themselves. He made sure that he had the hearts of the people and the fear of his enemies so that no would oppose him.

citation: "Henry VIII of England." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 13 May 2010. .

Henry VIII V2 BestLo. Digital image. Commons Wikimedia. Wikipedia. Web. 13 May 2010. .

Pollard, Richard. "Medieval Sourcebook: The Suppression of Glastonbury Abbey." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 13 May 2010. .

notes from class: European Renaissance

• Henry the 8th. The Tudors
• Divorced his first wife because she bore him no sons and married Anne when she was 6 months pregnant with Elizabeth. His other daughter, Mary, had to work as Elizabeth's lady in waiting and was embarrassed by this. They did not like each other. In 1554 a law was passed so only his children from Anne were legitimate. She miscarried her only son and Henry was done with her and had her beheaded for adultery and treason. Elizabeth was then declared a bastard and kept from Henry for her safety. She was always used as a pawn for political movements and the like.
• Henry married Jane Seymour after two weeks of Anne's death and she wanted the two girls in the court where they became friends because they were both bastards. Jane gave birth to Edward but then died.
• He died from being overweight and having blood clots in his leg.
• Queen Elizabeth I was very powerful and loved by the people. Also called the Virgin Queen. Became queen at 25. Her reign was called the Elizabethan Age. Elizabeth under Henry's 6th wife was given a great education. Elizabeth was fascinated by her father and his great power. At her father's death people either hated her or wanted to use her for a politcal pawn. At Henry's death Elizabeth's brother Edward, age 10, was next in line buthe was to young so he had to wait till of Age. Edward Seymour held power until young Edward was of age. He appointed Thomas Seymour who was in love Catherine Parr, the widow of Henry, to power. At first he tried to get Elizabeth to marry him but when she refused him he married Catherine Parr. He still tried to have sex with Elizabeth and when Catherine figured this out she blamed Elizabeth. Catherine Parr died of child birth and Thomas still tried to get Elizabeth. This was embarrassing and her brother Thomas would not let her come to court. Thomas Seymour was eventually executed and she was allowed into the court. Mary did not like being in the antiCatholic court so when Elizabeth came she got a lot of attention. Particularly because of the way she dressed. A plot was hatched to get a sick Edward to debar his sisters from being next in line by Dudley which involved Lady Jane Gray becoming queen, Mary ended up being queen and Jane Gray was executed. Elizabeth decided to "watch and wait" and was very careful about everything she did. She had her own household and was quite frugal. She read, danced, and played the harp a lot. Mary was at first accpeted by England but because she wanted England to go back to Catholiscm the people grew angry. She also wanted to marry Philip king of Spain which resulted in Elizabeth becoming more popular and the people disagreeing with Mary even more. Protestants started to get killed across the countryside.

Medici Video cont....

• Savonarola a domincan monk did not like what the medici's were doing
• He was all about Religion and anything that was not religious was wrong
• Michelangelo was adopted by the Medici and he even got to listen to and talk to many different artists such as Boticelli.
• He worked on religious subjects but was pulled to the legends that he heard of at home with the Medicis
• Michelangelo believed that his pagan art was leading him in the wrong direction.
• Savonarola had found listeners and believed he could see the future. He said he viewed Lorenzo's freedom of the arts was bringing Florence down. The people of Florence were split down the middle.
• Lorenzo had lost a fortune and across Europe many of the banks had had to close. They started to lose their friends which is how their power started to fall.
• In 1492 he got sick and he turned to the church for help. Giovanni Medici, his son, was a cardinal. Lorenzo asked Savonarola for peace but Savonarola cursed him instead. Lorenzo died at age 43
• Savonarola took his chance at power when Lorenzo died. Boticelli even went along with it and Christianity showed up in his art. Prostitutes were beaten, homosexuals burned, make up and jewelry forbidden. Savonarola wanted the kingdom of God on earth and his commands were carried out by militant youths. A Public burning of unGodlike things was held. In it were books, sculptures, jewelry, and makeup and the like. Even paintings were burned. This is known as the "Bonfire of the Vanities".

Exploration...good or bad?

Many can argue forever on whether or not exploration is a good thing. Exploration is responsible for how the world is today and how it will be tomorrow and the next day. Without exploration so many different things would be impossible. The definition of exploration, according to Dictionary.com, is the investigation of unknown regions (Dictionary.com). Although the results of exploration can be catastrophic for some, positive outcomes are more abundant. Explorations result in periods of illumination and new insight which is hardly ever a bad thing. Two different renaissances have occurred in the past because of exploration. Discoveries like the discovery and invention of penicillin have made many break throughs in science and society. Many people are stuck in the state of mind where “ignorance is bliss” knowledge holds power that can make things great. Exploration is a good thing because without it civilization would be very primitive and at a higher risk with the dangers of nature.
Without exploration knowledge would be very limited. Without knowledge life is pretty hard. Before the “renaissance” Europe went through what is called “the 12th century renaissance”. During the Middle Ages the Europeans were in despair and labored a lot, they did not have the means or the philosophy to make things better. They lacked the knowledge of Aristotle and when they discovered his works they went through the renaissance. Exploration put them through this period of enlightenment because Aristotle’s works were located in Constantinople which before was under the power of Muslims who the Europeans stayed away from. When the Europeans ventured into Constantinople they discovered his works and progressed. Aristotle did not just give the Europeans the answers to all their problems but internal exploration was also needed. John of Salisbury understands this when he writes in The Metaligicon, “We frequently know more, not because we have moved ahead by our own natural ability, but because we are supported by the menial strength of others, and possess riches that we have inherited from our forefathers” (Kreis Steven). Exploration results in a deeper understanding of ourselves so we can move forward. The example of the 12th century renaissance is a perfect example of how exploration results in enlightenment and progression.
The actual renaissance is also called the “Re-Birth”. This name is appropriate because European civilization started a new and took what they have learned from the past and applied it to current day. They “explored” their history as well as Roman Antiquity to achieve new beginnings. The “Godfathers” of the renaissance were the Medici family starting with Cossimo Medici who was very interested in exploration of different art. The renaissance was started by a family who was not afraid to try new things and take risks. In a letter to his son Giovanni, Lorenzo Medici seems very confident about the future and all his actions, “although it be impossible to foresee what accidents may happen, yet I doubt not but this may be done with equal advantage to all”(Lorenzo) Without exploration the Renaissance would not have come about. The renaissance was a time of new thinking and vast artistry. The artist Filippo Brunelleschi formed a new type of art called linear perspective and Sandro Botticelli started producing very controversial pagan art in a time where the Church was still very influential. Even the views on the Church were beginning to change when a new type of religious viewpoint called “humanism” started to rise. Humanism is where humans are view as the center point of everything, not just God anymore. Cossimo Medici was very interested in art, which he had a good eye for, he explored art and this exploration discovered great artists like Sandro Botticelli, Michelangelo Buonaratti, and Filippo Brunelleschi. These artists were geniuses when it came to art or architecture. Exploration does not only have to be of the present but of the past which prepares us for the future. These artists learned more about and used Roman Antiquity of the past to go into the Renaissance. Botticelli used the paganism of the Greeks in his art which is obvious in his painting, The Birth of Venus. Where art was mostly about the holy family he took a great risk of doing such a thing. This is exploration because it is going into the unknown and by doing so he led the way to an Art Renaissance. Exploration and risks may be good or bad but most of the time it is good.
Exploration has resulted in cures for illnesses, renaissances, new ideas and philosophies, and new countries. Although in some cases fatal mistakes occur or others are oppressed because of exploration it is mostly for good. Without exploration the world, in social terms, would be at a standstill. Humans would be susceptible to so many natural dangers. Knowledge and survival of the fittest would be very elementary.
Citation
Kreis, Steven. "Lecture 26: The 12th Century Renaissance." The History Guide -- Main. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. . http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture26b.html
Botticelli-primavera. Digital image. Commons Wikimedia. Web. 7 May 2010. .
Healy, Tom, Charles Hope, and Evelyn Welch. "BBC - BBC Radio 4 Programmes - In Our Time, Paganism in the Renaissance." BBC - Homepage. BBC. Web. 07 May 2010. .
Medici, Lorenzo. "Medieval Sourcebook: Lorenzo De Medici: Paternal Advice To A Cardinal (C. 1491)." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 07 May 2010. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/lorenzomed1.html

Notes from class: More on the Medicis

• Brunalleschi's dome was being built but the brutal phase was at the top where the problem was whether or not he bricks would fall in. His solution to this was to build vertical bricks to kind of hold the other bricks back. In 1446 the dome was finished.
• Cosimo set up the council of Florence which brought in a mix of merchants, thinkers, and artists to show off the new cathedral. Cosimo paid the travel fees for people from all over. There were many public lectures and Cosimo moved up politically. He became the "godfather" of the Florentine people. Cosimo died in 1464 and he was declared father of the father land. When he died his son
• The Medici ruled through out the renaissance.
• There were rumors of a coup trying to take over the city if Florence when the Medici family had left. Guiliano and Lorenza Medici were the heirs to the Medici dynasty. The Medici did not only rule in Italy.
• A marriage between the Medici and the Roman aristrocracy took place to establish military help. He married Clarice Orsini.
• Weeks after the wedding Lorenzo's father died and Lorenzo as the elder brother gained power.
• Lorenzo was a bit reluctant to become the leader of the Medici family.
• The Chapel of the Magi. Building where on the inside where the three generation of the Medici family and their friends. Lorenzo was also a scholar and knew poetry.
• Under the Medici the Artists created "la primavera" which was inspired by imagination. Boticelli's paintings were very paganistic.
• The Pazzi were the second richest family in Florence and were more noble and older than the Medici. Medici kept them out of political office and the Pazzi tried to get them out. The church was in debt to the Medici so they sided with the Pazzi. The Pazzi knew they had to kill both of the Medici brothers.
• rumors of the conspiracy spread and a new plot was created. On April 26, 1478 all of Florence gathered to celebrate Easter. Guiliano Medici died of 19 stab wounds. Lorenzo was not not there but he was wounded and showed himself to the crowd. The supporters of Medici killed the plotters of the Pazzi family.
• Lorenzo found out that the pope had ordered the Medici family to be wiped out.
• He traveled to meet with his enemies. Florence was worried as was Florence.
• Lorenzo arrived in Naples with many gifts and a peace deal was established although the Pope was against it he consented. The orders were called off and Florence was saved.
• Lorenzo was in control and sponsored da Vinci
• Da Vinci's rival was Boticelli who worked harder to gain the patronage of the Medici
  
• Savonarola thought Lorenzo was ruining Florence with the almost pagan ways.
• Clarice Orsini, Lorenzo's wife, died of TB. he took solace in art thus discovering a young marble sculpture by the name of Michelangelo Buonaratti. Michelangelo was discovered my Lorenzo at age thirteen and was adopted by him.