Monday, March 15, 2010

Why are the Vikings such popular mascots? Will Bret Favre be back next season?

            The Vikings are such popular mascots in many sports because they are so scary. This is exactly how they wanted to be portrayed. As kids, they were raised to become nasty fighters. The Vikings were vicious warriors that raided and conquered many areas. During these raids, they killed many innocent people, including the monks of the monastery Lindisfarne.  These insane warriors became some of the most terrified people in the world. If I had a choice, I would love for my mascot to be a Viking, then everyone would be afraid of me.
        Bret Favre has not yet announced if he will be returning to the NFL for the 2010-2011 season. I personally think he will be back for another season. Favre has said many times that he was going to retire, but never has. He is such a great player, and I still think there is a lot of energy in him for another season. Favre became someone to watch when he started in Green Bay. He then moved around a lot but recently played his best season ever in Minnesota. This was his first year playing with the Vikings, and they sure look like a good-luck charm.

"Brett Favre Comeback Odds For Vikings 2010-2011 Season." NCAA Tournament Betting Odds | College Basketball Bracket Picks | March Madness Predictions 2010. Web. 15 Mar. 2010. .

"NOVA Online | The Vikings | Who Were the Vikings?" PBS. Web. 18 Mar. 2010. .

Friday, March 12, 2010

Did the Roman Empire "Fall"?


            Throughout years and years, people have been wondering if the Roman Empire really did fall. Recently there has been evidence to support that the once all-powerful empire did indeed fall. Now the real question is why and how did it fall? Researchers say Rome fell from the lack of ability to fight off invaders, the split of the empire into two, a failing economy, Christianity, or there were just too many problems that finally led to the collapse. The Roman Empire did fall, but the exact reason why is still unknown.
            Most books and articles say the empire finally fell in 476 A.D. but there is no way to determine the exact year it collapsed. (http://www.tamos.net/~rhay/romefall.html).  One of the theories that Rome fell was that the army wasn’t strong enough anymore to fend off invaders trying to sack the city. (http://www.fsmitha.com/com/Rome.htm). Eventually Barbarian invaders like the Visigoths, Vandals and the Huns took over the city. (http://www.roman-colosseum.info/roman-empire/reason-why-the-roman-empire-fell.htm). The way the Barbarians got into the city was not really an invasion.  For many years, they were known as foreigners. The government didn’t try to throw them out because they were keeping Rome alive. These Barbarians wanted to live in Rome, because it was a safe home. They were safe from the Barbarian tribe, the Huns. The Huns were a very violent group, and the other tribes were afraid of the Huns. (http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/1320hist&civ/chapters/08ROMFAL.htm). Barbarian invasions were one of the ways Rome might have fell.
            When the Roman Empire kept expanding, it grew too big for one person to control and experienced many economic problems. In the late third century, East and West Rome was born. The Eastern half was more Greek and the Western part was mostly Latin. They always claimed to stick together and stay Roman but as the years went on, they slowly grew apart. (http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/fallofrome/a/Dorrington.htm).The separation of the empire might have led to the fall of Rome. (http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/romefallarticles/a/fallofrome.htm). This is because the two halves were hard to control and it was easy for people to invade these areas. This separation seemed like a good idea at the time, and the rulers were so desperate to safe Rome they had to do something, but it may have led to the Roman Empire collapsing.
            When Jesus was born, he taught about God band spread a new religion called Christianity. This religion was the newest thing and it seemed like everyone wanted to be a part of it. It appealed to many people who weren’t necessarily Jewish. Christianity slowly spread throughout the Western world eventually leading to Rome. (http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/1320hist&civ/chapters/08ROMFAL.htm).   The spread of Christianity into Rome is said to have made it collapse. The main problem wasn’t the religion; it was a balance of powers. When the church was established, it was so big, the bishops tried to control the government as well. There was major confusion between the emperors and the leaders of the church. More problems came from this eventually leading to the separation of the empire, Barbaric invasions, and finally the collapse of the Roman Empire. (http://www.helium.com/items/1171902-christianity-and-the-fall-of-rome). The religion of Christianity itself did not make Rome fall, but it led to other issues in the empire.
            I personally believe that it was a number of problems in the Roman Empire that made it collapse. There is not one thing that could make something completely fall apart. At one point, Rome was a very strong empire that controlled most of the known world. The leaders began to think nothing could stop them, which is, in my opinion, what collapsed Rome. Just when someone begins to think nothing can happen that would make them loose their power is when they collapse.
            In 476 A.D., the Roman Empire fell. The reason why is still not known. Many think it was from the balance of powers, Barbaric invasions, or the spread of Christianity. I think it was a combination of all of these things. There is no way one thing could break such a strong power, but without knowing it, a group of relatively small issues did.

"1320: Section 8: The Fall of Rome: Facts and Fictions." Welcome to Utah State University. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. .

"The Fall of Rome - An Explanation for the Fall of Rome." Ancient / Classical History - Ancient Greece & Rome & Classics Research Guide. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. .

"Fall of Rome - Why Did Rome Fall." Ancient / Classical History - Ancient Greece & Rome & Classics Research Guide. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. .

"The Fall of Rome." Tamos (portal). Web. 11 Mar. 2010. .

"Reason Why the Roman Empire Fell." Roman Colosseum. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. .

"Why Did the Roman Empire Fall?" MacroHistory : World History. Web. 11 Mar. 2010. .

The Roman Republic Notes

OCTAVIAN
In Roman society, in your will, you could adopt someone.
Juilis Ceaser adopting him
The power guy.

MARK ANTONY
Power guy

LEPIDUS
Money guy.

^Split up Rome amongst themselves.
Octavian gets Italy
Mark Antony gets Greece and Egypt
Lepidus gets the East

Mark Antony and Cleopatra go to war against Octavian and Agrippa. Octavian defeat the naval forces of these two. Antony commits suicide, Cleopatra goes back to Egypt and commits suicide. She let a venomous snake into her bed to bite her.  Octavian becomes Augustus and is the sole leader of Rome. The Republic is no longer.

First 5 Roman Emperors
1.    Augustus
2.    Tiberius
3.    Caligula
4.    And Claudius
5.    Nero

SUETONIUS
Best Roman historian that wrote about these Emperors

PRINIPATE
The period of the Roman empire beginning with the reign of Augustus

AUGUSTUS STAUTE
Not wearing shoes?
Depicted as a God
Image of Roman propaganda

Augustus dies in 14 CE and doesn't leaves an heir. His wife Livea had a son from another marriage. His son Tiberius becomes emperor. He kept peace, but was a cruel man. After him Caligula was CRAZY. Had affairs with his sisters. Murdered random people for fun. Tried to get his horse in the senate. Eventually was assininated. His brother Claudius became emperor. Didn't want to be emperor, but okay one. Followed by Nero. Also CRAZY. Famously burned down part of the city. Wanted a piece of property to put his honor on. Put a palace called the Golden House is here. There is also a huge statue of himself. Forced to commit suicide. This ends the Julio Claudian emperors. Rome goes into a little caus. In 69, Vespasian, he was very strick. Military style, pretty good at getting order back into the empire. His son Titus, he completes the vespasian amphitheatre or the Coliseum. He also creates the Arch of Titus. On the inside, it says the sentate and people of rome dedicate this arch to the divine Vespasian. There is a picture of them attacking Jerusalem. Titus dies and is replaced by Domitian who was pretty tough. Builds public works. He is assininated and is replaced by a man names Nerva (96-98). We now get into the age of "good" emperors. Starts the pracitce of choosing the heir rather than the heir being a blood relative. Choosees Trajan (98-117) one of the military geniuses. He created the Trajan column. Expandes the empire.  Handrian (117-138) statres the high point of the Roman empire. The first roman empire not to be from Italy. He was from Spain. Antoninnus Pius (138-161) Marcus Aurelius (161-180)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

How does Early Christian and Byzantine portraiture represent both a continuation of and a break from the past?



            Early Christian Byzantine portraiture represents both a continuation of and a break from the past by showing objects from the past. In the Ravenna Portrait of Justinian, there are men holding shields and other weapons. This looks like a continuation from the past. In Rome, there were a lot of wars and fighting, and in this portrait there are still weapons shown. In the Fayum portraits, they are all almost Egyptians. I think this is a break from the past, because you can tell the people were from Egypt, but they have other looks too. In these pictures, you can tell that the artist was connecting and breaking the past from the present.


"Ancient Faces: Mummy Portraits from Roman Egypt." Web. 9 Mar. 2010. .

"File:Meister Von San Vitale in Ravenna 003.jpg -." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 12 Mar. 2010. .

Julio Claudian Flashcards

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Who was Augustine of Hippo?



        Augustine of Hippo was born in 354 and died in 430 AD. Augustine was the bishop of Hippo for a long time. He became a very well known philosopher in ancient Western culture. He wrote many interesting works and taught in northern Africa. During this time Africa was controlled by Rome. He believed strongly in reason. There was a reason for everything. He also said that “time is nothing in reality but exists only in the human mind’s apprehension of reality.” He attempted to explain many things and use those explanations to figure out religion and God.


"Augustine." Web. 12 Mar. 2010. .

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Marcus Aurelius's Meditations and Thanks Yous



Dear Mom,
            Thank you for everything you have taught me. Although I sometimes do not believe you when you tell me something, it always has meaning to me. I always think of you when I make decisions. You have helped me through so much and I don’t think I could ever repay you for that.

Dear Dad,
            Thank you for making me see how great my life is. You have given me the resources to become the best person I can be. Thank you for going to work every day and giving our family a great life. I am so grateful to have you as a parent.

Dear Laura and Jenny,
            Thanks for being there for me as sisters. I can always come to you guys for advice on anything. You have been through the same situations that I am going through now and know exactly what to say. Sometimes we get in fights and are mad at each other, but you always have my back. I can have fun with you no matter what we are doing. There are no other sisters I would ask for.

Dear Nanni,
            You are the best grandma in the world. You have taught me so much and I love that about you. I always get so excited when you come and see me, and love flying out to see Chicago and seeing you. You have taught me to be the person I am today. I behave the way I do in public because of you. You will always be one of those people I never forgot who shaped my life today.

Dear Mrs. Cordell, my 7th and 8th grade math teacher,
            I thank you for your knowledge in math. You taught me so much about this subject. Having you for two years made me realize how important math is and that I really do like it. The only reason I am doing well in my math class this year is because I had you as a teacher. Thanks so much for you love of math.


"The Internet Classics Archive | The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius." The Internet Classics Archive: 441 Searchable Works of Classical Literature. Web. 12 Mar. 2010. .