Week #5 Daily #10

Question: Why do many historians consider Hadrian to have been the "best emperor"?


Answer: Hadrian accomplished many good things during his 20 year reign.  Some of the most famous Roman structures were built during his time as ruler.  He is most famous for building a wall the separated Roman territory and Britain called Hadrian's Wall.  Hadrian also directed the construction of the Pantheon.  He visited every Roman province and was especially fascinated with the Greek culture and its influence on the known world.  Hadrian spent a lot of time with the Roman Army.  He lived the life as any normal soldier would.  He wanted to connect with everyone that was under his rule.  Hadrian traveled abroad before and during his rule.  He enjoyed discovering the diverse cultures of each different group of people.  Hadrian was especially fond of the Greek culture because of their advancements in art, literature, science, and philosophy.  In all, Hadrian was a very stable and fair ruler.  He wanted the best for his people and wanted to continue to make advancements in Rome and other places throughout the empire.  He tried to keep the peace between groups and end all of the ongoing fights, like the Jewish Wars.  Hadrian had hands on experiences with the average people and army of his kingdom. I think many historians consider Hadrian Rome's best emperor because he wanted to connect with everyone from everywhere, which amde him well-liked.     

Week #5 Daily #8

Question: Do you think Caesar's killers were justified in their actions?


Answer: After Caesar was assassinated, Rome was announced "free," according to the politicians.  What the killers did not see coming was the end of the great Roman Republic.  The middle and low class adorned Caesar and were very upset that a group of aristocrats murdered him.  The citizens continued to revolt so they threw various things into Caesar's pyre, or fire when they burned his body.  Mark Antony, the cousin of Julius, wanted to take control of Rome but there was an heir to the kingdom (unlike Alexander the Great).  His grandnephew, Gaius Octavian, was only 18 when he took the throne.  Numerous civil wars broke out following Caesar's death and Antony went off and married Cleopatra.  The new couple wanted to conquer Rome and take charge.  Rome beat Egypt and Octavian became the first Roman emperor to have the name Caesar Augustus.  A huge turn of events in Roman history resulted after the death of the dictator.  I think the saying "the ends don't justify the means" is the main theme because some good things and bad things came after Caesar's death.         

Week #5 Daily #11

Question: Was Rome better off as an 'empire' than as a republic?

Answer: I think that Rome was better off as republic because the people choose who they want to be as their ruler.  Once again this is another example of how influenced modern nations today.  The American people vote for the future president.  The candidate with the most votes wins the election.  Rome elected many new rulers that led Rome to its high points, and low points.  If Rome had stayed an empire then there would always be the same group of people or dynasty in power.  The people of Rome chose the best person who could lead their civilization into glory.  Take Emperor Claudius for example, he ruled during the time when Rome was an empire.  He "accidentally" became the new ruler of Rome.  Claudius was considered a coward because he hid behind a curtain when he was announced emperor.  The Roman empire didn't want Claudius as their ruler but once they were given an opportunity to elect a new ruler, it gave the people another way to express their opinion.  Rome was in fact, one of the greatest empires/republics in the ancient world.  It went under many changes and through it all, Rome became a very wealthy and victorious civilization.   

Week #5 Daily #13

Assignment: Required Daily: Read Augustus' 'Res Gestae ' paragraphs 19 - 21 and scavenger hunt for as many pictures relating to the places mentioned as you can find and chart them on a Google Map. 

Google Map link:<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;hl=en&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=202902566612384583166.00049f0527ffdb49b4173&amp;t=h&amp;ll=41.333016,13.463745&amp;spn=1.154873,1.988526&amp;output=embed"></iframe><br /><small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&amp;hl=en&amp;msa=0&amp;msid=202902566612384583166.00049f0527ffdb49b4173&amp;t=h&amp;ll=41.333016,13.463745&amp;spn=1.154873,1.988526&amp;source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">Augustus Scavenger Hunt Map</a> in a larger map</small>

Notes On Julius Caesar

• Played a critical role in the transformation as Rome from a republic to an empire.

• Caesar was born into a patrician family.

• There is not much recorded about his childhood.

• Formative years were tough, hard

• His father dies in 85 BCE so at 16 years old he was the head of his family

• Caesar left Rome to join  the army and won the Civic Crown award for playing an important role during a siege 

• In 63 BCE he ran for the position of the chief priest for the Roman state religion (Pontifex Maximus)

• Ran for consul in 60 BCE, won and took the position for 59 BCE

• Soon became in political debt

• Aristocracy tried to limit his power

• Once his term in ended, left his province in order to avoid prosecution

• Defeated tribes of Gaul and joined alliances

• Meeting was held to have Caesar's governorship renewed (5 years)
• Helped built a bridge over the Rhine River
• Revolts start in Gaul, Caesar cannot control it
• 50 BCE Pompey ordered Caesar to disband his personal army
• He was accused of treason and insubordination
• Defeated Pompey, was named dictator of Rome
• Soon became involved in Egyptian civil war, sided with Cleopatra
• 47 BCE- Cleopatra is announced ruler
• Wiped out the king of the middle east
• Was appointed dictator for the next ten years    

Week #5 Daily #5

Question: Imagine you are a Roman in the year 264 BCE (the year of the 1st Punic War). What does your future look like? Then, look at the world around you today. What does your future look like? Think about politics, technology, culture, dominance, balance.


Answer (diary entry): July 264- They won.  The Romans beat them.  A treaty was finally signed.  The Carthaginians attacked the Mediterranean islands and tried to take control.  The people from the islands asked for help from the Roman army along with my brother, Aquila, called to go and fight.  We haven't heard anything from him since last summer.  He told us that that the sun was scorching and his leg had a puncture in it form an arrow.  I'm worried he has gotten sick from infection and didn't fight.  Rome has now become on of the most powerful empires in the known world.  Who's that? Someone is knocking at the door.  Our family has just received news from a Roman soldier that many troops were lost during the last battle.  He also said that they did recover some of the bodies and identified some of the dead soldiers.  It is with a heavy heart that I write that AQUILA IS DEAD.  I can't describe how I am feeling right now.  The tears are flowing freely as I write these words.  Why did the gods let this happen?!  How dare they let my brother just get slaughtered on the battlefield.  All I know is one thing-- he died for the city of Rome.  You went down in honor dear brother and I will never forget you.  I know another war is coming and it will not be pretty.       

Week #5 Daily #3

Question: Please write a brief biography of Hannibal and explain whether or not you think his reputation (in Roman eyes) as a monster was deserved.


Answer: Every since Hannibal was a little boy, he was told to hate the Romans.  Rome was a very wealthy empire and Carthage wanted to rise up.  Hannibal lead the Carthaginian army into the Punic Wars.  He wanted to show the Romans his expert battle skills and strategies.  It was his job by his leader to take control of the islands in the Mediterranean.  The empire that has control of the islands controls the trade routes so that meant they could bring in more wealth and power into their civilization.  Hannibal had plan to win the second Punic War.  He traveled from North Africa up to Spain and led his troops through Europe, up the Alps, and down into Southern Italy back up to Rome.  Although his men were outnumbered, they defeated the Romans because Hannibal had a plan to push the Romans back.  Hannibal had his calvary go behind enemy lines and attack the Roman calvary. Then, his troops and calvary surrounded the Romans and slaughtered them.  The battle is infamous in Roman history.  It disgraced their reputation but also made Hannibal look like a monster.  Hannibal got the reputation he deserved because the Romans had a very powerful influence on many civilizations and it destroyed their name.            

Week #5 Daily #2

Question: How was the Struggle of the Orders influential on later Roman politics? 


Answer: The Struggle of the Orders was influential on later Roman politics because the plebeians only had one seat in the senate.  The job that the plebeians had was to veto any laws the patricians wanted to pass.  This meant that there wouldn't as many laws against the plebeians that restricted their rights.  It almost seemed as if both groups were equal, but not really.  I think it is a fair deal to have one plebeian to approve or veto the laws that wanted to be passed in the Roman senate.  It also meant that the patricians had a better say in things because they were a very powerful group in the Roman government.  Both groups remind me of the republicans and the democrats, both political parties have different views on a situation. After the Struggle of the Orders was resolved, the Roman government ran more smoothly and it also gave the plebeians a new window to speak for themselves.  This newfound 'freedom' gave the plebeian group a better chance of putting their say in about a certain situation.  Roman politics influenced future leaders to rule their countries under a democracy. 

Week #5 Daily #1

Question: What elements of the Roman Republican political and legal system appear present in the systems of modern democracies? 


Answer: In our American government system today, we have a senate. We also collect taxes and wrote our own constitution.  In ancient Rome, their government system did the same things.  The Romans influenced many countries all over the world through architecture and politics.  They created a democracy that influenced many of the current nations to follow in their footsteps.  The leaders of Rome wanted to give their people freedom, but it ended up with a mix of democracy and oligarchy.  The ruler of ancient Rome was usually a king, but there were some also very small groups of people who were very powerful and took part in important decisions the empire made.  The Romans split themselves into two groups-- the patricians and the plebeians.  These two groups didn't like each other because the patricians took all of the seats in the Roman senate.  This starts the dispute of the orders so the patricians so a decision is made to give a plebeian in the senate.  This person has the job of vetoing any laws the senate wanted to pass.  So the plebeians didn't have any more laws against them.  This ended the dispute of the orders.  New political systems need time to figure out how they will run it.          

The Quest of Alexander the Great

Special Question: Please write a five paragraph essay on the question: Was Alexander's adventure really worth it? In your body paragraphs, you must cite specific examples to back up your thesis -- examples must include one from each of the following: Egypt, Persepolis, Afghanistan, India. Due Friday.

There are many great rulers in the world’s history.  Some have risen and went down in history.  The others made a bad name for themselves and had a negative impact on the world.  One ancient Greek ruler conquered the known world with the help of his army.  His name was Alexander the Great.  Alexander was obsessed with the idea of power and being a world famous ruler.  He led his men on a conquest across ancient Europe, into the Middle East, down Africa, and India.  One of his sole purposes for this journey was to defeat the powerful Persian Empire who had conquered the Greeks 150 years before.  He wanted to take back the Greek honor that was in the hands of the Persians.  Alexander’s adventure across the world was worth it because he demolished an empire and took many places under his new rule.

Alexander was born in 353 BC in Pella, Macedonia.  He was tutored by Aristotle, a popular philosopher of the day.  At the age of sixteen, Alexander’s job was to watch over his father’s empire while he was away at war.  After King Philip was assassinated, Alexander had to prove himself worthy of the throne, and that’s exactly what he did. (“Alexander the Great”, 2000)  His first mission was to capture the city of Thebes and the rebellious surrounding city-states.  Before Alexander made his way   Now Alexander conquest was to take his army and defeat the Persian Empire which was his father’s dream.  One thing that motivated Alexander was the fact that the Persians disgraced the Greeks 150 years back.  The “Greek honor” that was lost was soon to be returned to Alexander.  Egypt and Persia were not on good terms.  The Egyptians did not like the Persians because they would not respect their gods and ways of worship. Alexander stormed into Egypt and freed the people.  The Egyptians saw Alexander as their liberator, but instead, Alexander put them under his new rule.  He chose to name a city in Egypt after himself; that city was called Alexandria. (“Alexander the Great”, 2011)  It soon became home to the best collected works of the known world.  Alexander’s trip to Egypt also made a huge mark on his personal history.

Alexander the Great was not only determined to conquer the Persians but also wanted to create his own myth.  Before he got to Egypt, Alexander and his army passes through Gordian.  The capital city Phrygian was said to have a chariot knotted with a rope so intricately that no one dared to unite it.  Alexander was up for the challenge by simply slashing the rope his sword to reveal the twisted rope. (“Alexander the Great”, 2000) When he arrived in Egypt, the priests greeted him at the temple.  The oracle of Didyma revealed that Alexander was the son of a god.  Both of these events caused Alexander to start the myth of himself.  He was focused on making sure that everyone in the known world to know that he was an immortal being.  Because Alexander thought he was immortal, he was a fearless fighter.  His battle strategies were very effective when attacking cities and finally defeating Darius and his army.

After Alexander won his battle against the Persians, he proceeded to raid Persepolis Palace.  Alexander looted the palace and burned it down.  ("History of Iran: Parse or Persepolis",2001) The ceilings were made form cedar wood so they burned easily.  Jewels and gold were removed from the sculptures in the walls.   Alexander still continued to take over the Middle East and India.  The invasion of Alexander the Great in India had a very big influence on India.  The Greek culture soon mixed in with the Indian culture to create Greco-Buddhism. (“History of India”, 2011)  Alexander not only brought his battle skills with him on his conquest, but carried on the Greek culture throughout the world.

Alexander the Great impacted the world in positive and negative ways.  He traveled through the known world, conquered the Persian Empire, and spread the Greek culture wherever he went.  Not only did Alexander take back the Greek honor, he created his own myth that is still told today.  Alexander’s quest was successful for the time being.  There was no heir to his kingdom because he died unexpectedly but he accomplished something he wanted to do.  Alexander made his life worth living—Greek style.  

Works Cited

"Alexander the Great." Ancient Civilizations Reference Library. Ed. Judson Knight and Stacy A. McConnell. Detroit: UXL, 2000. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 10 Mar. 2011.

“Alexander the Great.” Wikipedia. Web. March 7, 2011. March 10, 2011.

“History of India.” Wikipedia. March 2, 2011. Web. March 10, 2011.
"History of Iran: Parse or Persepolis" 2001. Web. March 10, 2011.

Week#4b: Weekly

The Corruption of Power

Power is one thing every leader wants and needs.  Leaders want power because they need to prove to the people who is in charge.  They need power to maintain control and do what is best for their people.  They create laws to keep their citizens safe and out of harm’s way.  Some rulers can be “power hungry” and take the freedom away from their people.  There are four different types of rulers: presidents, tyrants, dictators, and kings.  They all have one thing, power.  They can use it in positive ways to make the world a better place and successfully help his/her people.  Some leaders also abuse their power and use it for evil.  There have been some terrible dictators that changed world history forever.  There were some great U.S. presidents that had to deal with multiple crises and had to make the best choices for the country.  Power can be corrupted or influenced by past rulers or current situations in the world.

Power is corrupted by the rulers who want all the power and think they are doing god when their acts are truly evil.  A past leader or event could motivate them to change the way their country or empire functions.  For example, Alexander the Great was motivated to expand his empire by defeating the Persians and taking back the Greek honor that was lost for 150 years.  He wanted to prove to the known world that he was “The Great.”  He was a leader who wanted the best for his people but if others didn’t follow his rules, you would probably be dead.  Alexander wanted to make his world bigger and better than the former Persian empire.  He thought he was immune to anything that came in his way.  Alexander was told by an oracle that he was the son of a god and that ignited his story to create a “mythos” for himself.  Alexander was a fearless fighter and intelligent man, but had a bit of an ego.  He liked things done his way and wanted his empire to be prosperous and the people praising him for his heroic duties.  Alexander loved having enemies and the Persian ruler, Darius, was his perfect match.  He wanted to be better than Darius in every way possible.  After Darius died, Alexander had no to battle or match up to.  This filled him with rage and turned him into a ruler that wanted every bit of power he could get his hands on.

Alexander became a corrupted leader after the death of Darius.  Darius was the man Alexander loathed because he was very powerful and led a well-trained army of fighters.  After the death of the great Persian ruler, Alexander needed to find a new enemy to battle with.  He was filled with rage when he found out Darius was dead because he wanted to be the one to kill him.  He still had a very powerful army and empire that needed organization.  Instead of starting and building up his empire, Alexander wanted to find the man who killed Darius.  Bessus was a formal general of Darius and he thought he could rule the Persian Empire better than Darius.  Alexander wanted to hunt Bessus down and give him a rightful punishment.  Alexander had so much power and skill to beat Bessus to the punch and gave him what he deserved.  Alexander was very intelligent and made his attacks unexpected.  He went into battle always thinking he could win and expand his empire bigger and better.

After Alexander defeated the Persians, he freed the places that were under their rule and took them under his arm into his new empire.  Soon after his great victory, he many of the Persian soldiers and added them to his own army.  There are some accounts that Alexander started dressing in Persian robes.  His Greek army was confused by his actions.  In a way, it could have been his way of honoring Darius.  The Persian woman were forced (by Alexander) to marry the Greek soldiers.  If they did not comply with his plan, then they were sold into slavery.  In a way, both the Greek world and the Persian world merged together.  The only thing that stood in Alexander’s way was Bessus and his rebel army.  Alexander followed Bessus and wiped out his army and cut off Bessus’s nose and ears.  Alexander thought that he could finally organize his kingdom but sickness cause him to suffer for a few days and then pass away.

A good ruler would want the best for his people.  They would give their people the freedom to express their opinion and be what they want to be.  Some leaders want all the power and glory so they treat their people unjustly.  Alexander the Great wanted the best for his people and give them back the Greek honor they deserved.  He was a natural born leader that was born to fight for what he wanted.  Overall, he was trying to be a good leader but the dream of full, complete power hung over his head.  Leaders have a chance to change the world.  They have changed the world for good and for bad, but that’s how they go down in history.                  

Week #4b Daily #9

Question: Could a force like Alexander the Great exist today? Why or why not?

Answer: I think that there is a force as great as Alexander.  It is called the United States of America.  I don't mean to brag but our country is a superpower.  We don't force other countries under our rule or attack them for no reason, but we are pretty darn powerful.  We are a country that tries to keep the peace and settle disputes.  When the U.S. goes to war, then that's a totally different story.  Our country's leaders try their best to keep the peace, but if we have to go into combat then our "A-game" comes too.  If other countries want to fight, then we will bring all our forces to win and show the enemy who's boss.  Alexander was pretty harsh if you didn't follow his rules but he crucified people for it!  Isn't that a little extreme?  Well I guess that was the thing to do back then.  The United States has their way of handling certain situations and Alexander had his.  He took over many places and killed anyone who wouldn't follow the rules.  The U.S. knows how to enforce rules without having to kill people, unless it is absolutely necessary.  There are many great forces in the world and they have their ways of enforcing the rules and laws in order to protect their people.  Armies fight to defend their country and protect it from harm.  Alexander wanted to expand his empire and take back the Greek honor lost years ago.  The United States wants to be the example of a fully functional country and a place for freedom and opportunity.   

Week #4b Daily #7

Question:  What do you think should have been done after Alexander's death?


Answer: Alexander's death was very unexpected.  There was no way to save him from the illness that left everyone in shock.  He was only in his early thirties and death came for this too early.  Alexander made many accomplishments in Greek history by taking back the honor and power that was lost 150 years ago.  He was also a man that was power hungry and was going to crush anyone who didn't comply to his rules.  After he died form unknown causes, he left no successor to his new kingdom.  I think that while he was conquering the 'known world,' he should have started planning his political system and new laws for the people of his kingdom to follow.  He could have prepared for his new kingdom before he took off on his conquest to take over all of ancient Europe.  Even though Alexander was a natural born leader and fighter but he still needed to plan what he was going to do with his new kingdom.  I understand that he was a little busy trying to conquer the Persian empire but he still should have thought in advance what he was going to do.  I'm pretty sure he was expecting to conquer the Persians whether they liked it or not.  I think a lot of people would honor and respect Alexander more if they knew he had a plan to make his kingdom a very powerful and successful place. 

Week #4b Daily #6

Question: Was Alexander the Great a "good leader"? Compare/Contrast with Pericles. 


Answer: I think that both men were great leader but each man had a different motive.  Pericles was focused on improving the city of Athens while Alexander was hungry for world power.  Pericles made many great achievements and improvements during his rule in Athens.  Alexander wanted revenge on the Persian empire and got what he wanted.  Alexander reclaimed the Greek honor and liberated places under the Persian rule.  He put all the places he conquered under his belt and were now under new rule.  I think that Alexander wanted to help himself and the people of Greece to take back the honor that was tarnished for 150 years.  Pericles wanted to make Greece look like a superpower and he made big changes to the society.  Alexander was born and trained to be a fighter and leader.  His army helped him to victory so it was not just him on his own.  Pericles probably had many advisors to help him make the best decisions for his citizens.  Alexander and Pericles did the best they could to serve and help their people whether some of the thing they did were good, or bad.