The Book of The Dead Questions

1) Briefly state what is going on in this text.

The speaker is talking to gods about why he should be blessed in the afterlife, and how he has been pure throughout his life.

2) What is the purpose of the text (for the speaker)?

He is trying to convince the judgeing gods to allow him to be accepted into afterlife.

3) What makes this text entertaining or confusing? 

There are many "hailings" for the gods. This gives the poem a repetitive song like sound, it is actually a spell. The paragraphs in the beginning are long sentences which is strange because they obviously have full functionality of punctuation.

Gilgamesh Questions

Al Weber

Alex Ackerman

Sienna Johnson

Gilgamesh questions

1.     What is going on in this story? Put it in your own words.

There was the ginormous guardian (Humbaba) who protects the trees  and is a slave to the gods. Two peasants (Gilgamesh and Enkidu) want some of the cedar trees to build their own houses.  Gilgamesh takes pity on the monster, but Enkidu says to kill him.

2.     Can you relate this story to any other you know or have read?

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss is very similar to the Epic of Gilgamesh. In both there is a guardian that protects trees whom is overrun by tree cutters.

3.     What do you think the epic says about Sumer.

It tells you that Sumer does not have a lot of trees because they are sacred. It also showed that they believed in monsters, and guardians.

4.     What strengths does Gilgamesh have as a hero?

He does not want to cause harm to the monster, and takes pity on it.

5.     What is your groups opinion of Enkidu?

Enkidu is enraged that he is almost killed by Humbaba, and wants to take revenge. His mentality is “an eye for an eye”.  Basically, he is a jerk. 

Team Egypt notes

(Not finished)

"Wars are always fought over resources" - Howard Zinn

Assignment: Read Chapter 4 and watch Crash course #4

Look for:

- Religion

- Leaders

- Inventions

- Military

- Cities

Where: in the valley of the Nile River, upstream was a waterfall that made it so that people could send a navy down, on either side of them was desert, which detracted armies.

When: 2,700 bce --> 332 bce "Long ass time"


Timeline! Click here --> Time line of Ancient Egypt
For further reading materials click hither --> Team Egypt! Further reading

Religion: 

Egypt's rulers were the same as their god. They were called Pharaohs. Pharaohs were rulers, priests, and gods. Pharaohs owned all of the land in Egypt, chose all government officials; the word of the pharaoh was law. People believe that the Pharaoh could communicate directly with the gods, and therefor it is important to keep them happy. They built pyramids and temples in favor of the gods. At one point in time, Priests began to have more influence and power. They began to play a role in the government and owned 1/3 of Egypt's land, during this time Amon-re was the god. The new pharaoh (Amenhotep IV) did not agree with the priests, and instead fired all of the temple workers, and converted egypt to Monotheistic (believing in one god, Aton). When Amenhotep IV died (1360 bc) his name was scratched off of religious monuments and Egypt was restored to polytheistic. Egyptians were buried with pleasurable things because they believed that the afterlife was just a continuation of this one. They also thought that cats had divine power.

List of Gods/Pharaohs Click here for story of the gods --> here

• Ra <-- Sun god
• Amon <-- god of Thebes (the capital)
• Amon-re <-- most powerful god, combo of Amon and Re
• Amenhotep IV <-- New Pharoph, did not agree with priests, closed all Amon-re temples and fired temple workers, set up new religion, where they only prayed to Aton (Monotheiastic), died in 1360 Bc
• Tutankhamen <-- son of Amenhotep IV he was 9 when he ruled, priests made him return to the old religion, he died after ruling for 9 years
• Ahmose <-- god/Pharaoh 
• Hephetsus --> ruled for 22 years, woman, killed by step son, built foundation of trust, and trade
• 
  
• King tut died around the age of 17, had to marry his sister, body discovered in 1922, probably died from infected broken leg or malaria, had his pyramid stolen during 21st century

Other Important Facts

• Egypt is the civilization that has been around for the longest. (2,000 years)
• by 1150 bc Egypt's empire was gone
• Egypt was taken over by people known as the Assyriains in 671 bc.
• The egyptian empire Lasted for 5.5 Americas

Inventions/Discoverie

Egypt made the calendar and they marked it with the knowledge of when the Nile would flood. Egyptians made paper called Papyrus and to write on it they also made ink. They made the pyramids to be tombs for the Pharaohs after death. They were specialists in medicine. The Egyptians were the first to use splints, bandages, and compresses. They also treated hair loss and indigestion.

• Made a calendar with the knowledge of the Nile River flooding
• Egyptians invented a paper (Papyrus) and to write on it they made ink. 
• They used a number system based on ten
• The Egyptians also made contributions in the field of medicine. They were the first specialists in medicine. Also, they were the first to use splints, bandages, and compresses. They treated indigestion and hair loss.
• Pyramids

Two types of Writing

• Hieroglyphics for sacred writing
• Demotic Script for contract

Conquerers

• 1720-1710 bce Hyksos took control of Egypt and brought new inventions such as the chariot, they assimilated into the Egyptians way of life 1
• 1550-1555 bce Ahmose unified upper and lower egypt and kicked the Hyksos out He became pharaoh of the entire Egypt 2
• 
  
• Syrians, Persians, Alexander the Great, the romans <-- enemies
• New rulers were Nubia

Cities

• Thebes the capital of egypt
• Memphis

The Nile

• The nile shaped the world view of the ancient egyptians
• The nile was regular, and flooded at the right time giving the fertile soil
• settlements happened around the nile
• Nile was easily tamed
• Nile allowed big food surpluses

Kingdoms

• Old Kingdom Date: (2,700 bce --> 2,200 bce)
• Middle Kingdom (2150 bce --> 1750 bce)
• New Kingdom (1650 bce --> 1150 bce)

Crash Course Notes

• most influential
• Pyramids were made for different rulers
• the pyramids are the last surviving man standing seven wonders of the ancient world
• 
  
• Egyptians tossed seeds around for crops
• 
  
• glory age of ancient egypt, pyramids, sun king ra, pharaoh)
• Famous pyramids
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 2040BCE
• 
  
• 
  
• military expansion
• headed south to find gold and slaves

1.http://www.math.jussieu.fr/~leila/mitanni/hyksos.html

2. http://www.pbs.org/empires/egypt/newkingdom/ahmose.html

Chapter 2.2 Neolitihc period

1. When was the Neolithic period?

8,000 B.C.E

2. What two important discoveries brought on the Neolithic Revolution?

Two important discoveries were learning to grow food and learning to herd animals

3. The Neolithic greatly increased food supplies. This increased food did what?

It allowed the people to settle in one place and the population grew.

4. What is one of the earliest known villages?

Jericho was found on the west bank between Israel and Jordan during 8,000 BCE

5. What is specialization?

Specialization is the development of occupations (jobs).

6. What other two important things developed during the Neolithic time? Briefly describe them:

1. occupations, these allowed people to build the loom and become potters.
2. Village government settled disputes.

Chapter 2.1 Prehistoric people

Chapter 2: Prehistoric People

What is the definition of “prehistory”?  When did prehistory end?

Prehistory is the period of time before the invention of writing. It ended 5,000 years ago.

What is the definition of civilization? 

Civilization is a time when people progressed culturally and began to live in cities. 

How did Paleolithic people live?  How old did they live to be?

Paleolithic poeple got their food by hunting and gathering. The women and children gathered berries while their counterparts hunted and fished for fresh meat. Their lifespans were around 20-25 years.

List five things that people made or sought that led towards civilization.

1. shelter (clothing, caves, etc...)

2. tools (used to farm, hunt, gather, etc...)

3. Fire (was used to intimidate large animals, cook, and stay warm)

4. Language (allowed them to communicate)

5. Crops (allowed them to stay in one place)

Compare and Contrast the similarities and differences between the Neanderthals and the Cro-Magnons.

Neanderthals were good hunters and built many shelters. They were also the first to bury their dead. They worked off of more instinct where as Cro Magnons were tool makers. Like Neanderthals, cro-magnons were good hunters. They were also artists and "first leaders".