CORONA

Today in class we spent the whole time talking about Corona Virus. We learned the proper way to wash our hands and different ways to stay healthy. I think that the Corona Virus isn't really that much to worry about. I get that it's been hurting people but I don't think that it's that much to worry about at the moment. My parents were just listening to Governor Hogan and he said that all public schools were going to be cancelled for two weeks. I'm guessing that that means John Carroll will be closed as well. I don't really want to have cyber days because I don't think I'll be able to wake up every morning and want to do school work while at my house, but I get why we're doing it, so we don't have extra school days added on to our school year. I'm also kind of mad that my track meets and practices will be cancelled. I was training really hard this season and was ready to do more hurdles. Anyways, that's all for today.

Show/Movie continued...

Today in class we continued watching the show we watched yesterday. Pisistratus died in 527 BC and this son Hippias took over. We already learned about Hippias. He was as good as a tyrant leader can be until his brother died and he turned into a psychopath on a path of revenge. Cleisthenes VS Hippias happened. Cleisthenes took over. The Olympics started in 776 BC. Everyone could enter and anyone could win. Cleithenes VS Isagoras. We already learned you this as well. Cleisthenes won in the end and was asked to come back from exile and create a new government. The agora was created along with the black and white stones used for voting ~ first step towards democracy. Anyone could be a "hero." The Persian Empire begins to rise and sees Athens as a threat. The ordered Persian army people to invade Greece immediately. That's all for today.

The Greeks : Crucible of Civilization

Today in class we watched some of the first episode of The Greeks : Crucible of Civilization. Cleisthenes was born in 570 BC and he was an aristocrat. Herodutus was the first Greek historian. An acropolis was the giant stone thing in the middle of Athens. Life expectancy in Athen was 15 years old. Healots were the slave class in Sparta. Heroic ideal is what must Greeks lived by. It meant that everyone is destined for greatness. Pisistratus was a tyrant who ruled Athens. He gained favor from the middle class by lowering taxes and providing free loans. That's all for today.

Aristotle and a POP QUIZ

Today in class we learned about Aristotle and we had a pop quiz. I got two wrong on the pop quiz so I'm pretty sure that means I got an 80%. I thought you said that we didn't have to memorize who all of the gods were and what they stood for. Aristotle was a student of Plato at the Academy. He helped foster the ida of Athens as an intellectual destination. His school- the Lyceum - focused on cooperative research ~ building on the knowledge gathered from all over the world. He had a dream of having the sum of mankind's knowledge easily accessed in one location. He wrote on a large number of topics. He tutored Alexander the Great. That's all for today.

Philosophers

Today in class we talked about philosophers from Greece. The first philosopher was Socrates. He looked to science and logic for explanations on how the world works. His Socratic Method fostered critical thinking. He was charged with impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens. He was found guilty and was sentenced to death by hemlock poison. The second philosopher we looked at was Plato. He was a student and follower of Socrates. He wrote Socrates' teachings and descried his trial in Apology. The Republic was Socrates' discussion of justice and the ideal state. It was one of the most influential books on philosophy ever written. It contains the Allegory of the Cave. We have one more philosopher to look at, Aristotle. Thats's all for today.

Athens VS Sparta

Today in class we talked about Athens and Sparta. Spartans were warlike people. They were known for their thought, ruthless infantry (soldiers who fought on land). Spartan boys trained from the time they were 7. Athenians had a great infantry too but nothing could compare to their navy. Their most effective weapon was the trireme. The trireme was a technological marvel, the fastest ship in the world, rowed by up to 170 men on 3 levels, could be used as a battering ram, and were agile and fast. The Phalanx was a close-rank, dense grouping of warriors armed with long spears and interlocking shields. Soldiers would advance slowly toward the enemy until they broke through their ranks. Then we talked about the Persian War and the strengths and weakness of the Greek and the Persian armies. That's all for today.

Gods and Goddesses in Greece

Today we went over our test and looked at slide on the gods and goddesses. The only question I got wrong was the one about modern day Turkey. I got a 98 on the test and am so proud of it. I studied all night for that test and it worked out. The main god is Zeus. He is everything powerful to the Greeks. The unique thing about the Greek god is their interaction between humans. I think that most of the Greek gods are from Hercules. That is where I've heard of these gods before. Anyways, that's all for today!