Week 3: Daily Question #2

Question: Give several examples of monuments in Maryland / DC / PA that might be familiar to folks who live here but which would not be understood by outsiders without an explanation. Please include your own or public domain photos.

            

One example of a monument that outsiders would not know of is the Concord Point Lighthouse in Havre de Grace, Maryland. Back when it was built in 1827, the lighthouse was used to guide traffic for boats moving in the Chesapeake Bay. This lighthouse is the most northerly lighthouse in Maryland and the oldest continually functioning lighthouse in Maryland. It is also the second oldest lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay and it was made using Port Deposit Granite. The Concord Point Lighthouse in considered to be a historical landmark by many people living in Maryland. Another example of a monument that outsiders would not know about is the original Washington Monument located in the neighborhood of Mount Vernon, just to the north of downtown Baltimore. Mount Vernon is considered a Historical District and it is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Baltimore. The name Mount Vernon comes from the home of George Washington, the Mount Vernon home. The original Washington Monument is the first ever monument constructed to honor George Washington. This monument was constructed in 1829, almost 200 hundred years ago. This vast structure stands at 178 feet tall and it was made from white marble. This monument is very historic to Baltimore citizens but also to Maryland as a whole. I think this monument best honors America’s first president. These two monuments overall I think are important to the Maryland region and they are very historic in this state.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7e/Havre_De_Grace_Maryland_Lighthouse_600.jpg/200px-Havre_De_Grace_Maryland_Lighthouse_600.jpg

http://cache.boston.com/resize/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2008/02/14/1203039324_9711/539w.jpg  

Week 3 Daily Question #1

Question: What is the oldest human-created artifact that has mattered to you? Why/how does it matter? (from @butwait on Twitter)

           

The oldest created artifact that has mattered to me are the pyramids in Egypt. These structures are so massive and it makes you think about how much time and energy it took to build these structures to their sizes. Also, it must have been so hard to gather all of the material to build these pyramids, especially on a time when fewer resources were known to man. The Great Pyramids in Egypt started to show how people in our world could create gigantic structures from only man-made materials. The Great Pyramids also showed how the work that people put into huge projects, like the pyramids, paid off and was actually worth their work that they put into them. The Pyramids in Egypt matter to me because it makes you think how ordinary people like us could have possibly built such big structures and how they did it. This also matters because if the pyramids were so massive, then the pharaohs at the time must have been so important to Egypt’s civilizations since the pyramids were their tombs, which must have also been huge. It is as if the gigantic pyramids were a reward to how well the pharaoh was during his lifetime. I think the pyramids in Egypt mattered to society because it was the beginning of building at this time and it modeled how people in the future could word to build masterpieces in their region of the world. Pyramids shaped the architectural future in the world and mattered for other civilizations to model Egypt’s fantastic and magnificent pyramids.

            

Weekly #2

Adam Beard
Honors Western Civilization

Question: Is 'Change' a Good Thing or a Bad Thing? (Relate to the origins of art, the agricultural revolution, architecture and urban planning in Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley.

            Change is a good thing in some points of views but in others, this topic can be used in a negative point of view. But in my view, change is a good thing for a number of reasons. Change was good especially in the times of the Mesopotamian and Indus River Valley civilizations because change was needed to progress forward in their civilizations. Changes in new ideas and how to do things helped these civilizations prosper and move forward in their progress. So I think change helped these groups do what was needed to stay alive and fight on and advance in their thoughts and customs. This is why change is a good thing for the civilizations in this era of history.

            The origins of art are what began our focus on historical events. The first know art piece is the Venus of Willendorf and many came after that like the cave paintings in Lascaux. These art pieces are the basis of what happened in the past and art has changed over the years to model different time periods. As new time periods came about, different kinds of art were made to depict that time in history, and it is changing. So change is good with art because we can see what the different cultures back then used as their beginning art drawings and figures, which can lead to change over time. With different cultures, we can see how change occurs through their origins of art since they depict what it was like at the time of their existence.

            The agricultural revolution was probably the most important event in the Neolithic Times. This event was a change from hunting and gathering to agriculture and settlement. Change was good with this because now people could settle in houses and grow their own food instead of hunting far wars for it. This time period also lead to the development of cities where people could have protection for their farms. This period was important for change because new ways of living were developed and people could live their lives in an easier but successful way. This revolution changed lives of many people and provided new techniques and ideas for people to be more efficient with farming and developing. With more families coming about, growing crops was essential for supporting them with a lot of food to eat at all times of the day. 

            Architecture also provides a positive change in history. People back then advanced to homes made from mud that would provide a shelter for them. This was a key piece of architecture that helped changed shelter for many hunters and gatherers that lived in the wild. The change in architecture back then was key for providing a safe place for people to live with city walls and vast structures protecting them from outside.  Also great statues for people to worship changed many people’s view of current religions in that time. Many tall and public palaces were also built with lavish furniture. This shows progression in the design of many buildings back then. So change in architecture was needed for many people so they had a sustainable and supported home to live in, instead of living in the wild.

            In Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley, planning for cities was extremely important, as cities sheltered and protected many people. Cities back then didn’t just protect people; it protected their crops and agricultural products too. The change to cities during this time was extremely important to the farming and development of many people. This change to cities helped the civilizations back then prosper and grow with more jobs available for more people so they could make money to support themselves. Urban planning also gave change to social interaction since cities were a good place to interact with people of different cultures. The creation of cities also lead to a central marketplace where you could trade the crops that farmers grew with people of other countries in exchange for other crops. The change to cities was a huge part of history back then and they helped civilizations in so many ways possible that they were the main place to be in society. The creation of cities was one of the biggest changes a civilization back then could have. 

Daily #5 Our New Language

Adam Beard and Connor D.
Honors Western Civilization
Mr. Wojewodzki


Words in our Language


te- yes

gua- no

cuk- earth    

geef- chair

mun- food

qwes- water

vug- hair

das- left

raf- right

crippy- sun

sefil- moon

freg- sky

nees- land

frojs- plant

ugnes- river

mehes- lake

fexim- animal

hexta- planet

keefa- sleep

hyun- eat

krink- drink

helgo- hunt

geefo- walk

hesax- run

chinl- dark

nuyt- stupid

racder- smart

venfe- funny

threg- crazy

behit- lazy

igny- ugly

zecli- pretty

wazex- fat

kinjum- skinny

liket- good

wech- bad

opix- lucky

apem- fast

ceve- old

labif- young

kunk- slow

lopis- happy

kik- sad

fraf- leader

jina- house

poli- art

yert- day

aru yi- door

minz- fun

lensd- field

rolp- head

dineh- fish

tinx- tree

cinit- floor

serb- roof

waser- room

tyre- boy

kiut- girl

fet- all

libde- dinner

jugde- weather

fellem- done

zigfes- clothes

kug- hello

porsa ji- good bye

puka minif- good morning

puka kileb- good night

yuing bi derftem- see you tomorrow

wrent- face

ikeku- pencil

tresa- paper

gryen- health

noper- bowl

jigrew- nothing

mancen- painting

okey- danger

poer- dirt

erkiop- breezy


Words in our language include nouns, verbs, and greetings to communicate. The words were discovered by us and the language was founded by us. It takes a while to learn, but once you learn it, you can understand it.

Week 2: Daily Question #4

Question: Describe the importance of water in the ancient world. (from Twitter)

           

Water was important in the ancient world for many different reasons. First of all, water played a big role for people living in the ancient world since it was the only thing that they could drink, Water also served as a habitat for many different animals that humans back then could actually eat. So water served as a drink and also food for most people living in this time. Water was also important for growing crops so people could eat them. One way water was helpful was through irrigation. Irrigation was a method used for growing crops that applies water to the soil so the crops could grow. Irrigation was first founded in history in Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, and also the Indus River Valley Civilization. Irrigation greatly helped the ancient people grow their crops by limiting the work for the farmers and growing the crops in a quicker and faster rate. This means that the crops were grown quicker and more efficient through irrigation. Water was also important through the creation of plumbing. The lack of clean water coming to peoples’ homes was prevalent in Ancient Rome so they developed a system of plumbing. Plumbing was an efficient way of treating water and transporting it to peoples’ houses so families could use clean water in their homes. Clean water in homes meant people could cook meals cleanly and they could bathe with clean water. They could even have clean water to drink right in their homes and not have to travel far distances for water. All of these ways that include water were extremely important for the function of these people in the ancient world. Inventions back then that included water made it so much easier to access clean water and to grow crops quicker. This is why water was important during the ancient world.

Daily Question #3 Week 2

Question: Which do you think is a better roadmap of history artifacts of the humanities (art, music, dance, theatre, literature, philosophy, architecture, etc.) or political/military conflicts? Why? (from Twitter)

          

  I personally think that artifacts of the humanities are a better roadmap for history because the many different kinds of artifacts depict history in their own and unique way. History is well shown with different kinds of these artifacts, especially from other cultures. The great thing about these artifacts is that each culture in history from Egyptians to Europeans have their own way of depicting art and architecture and music and dance. Each country’s own resemblance about these things plans a better roadmap of history that we can see happen over time. Also, each country’s way of showing their culture can actually develop over time and be used in another form in more modern cultures. Art is good for history because we can see art being made in caves, like we saw in class that makes us think about history. Music is good because hearing different kinds of music can let us find out what people were thinking about back then, leading to history that could have happened. Literature is good because we can see what people wrote down back then and see if we can find any records that could result in history. Philosophy is a good artifact for history because many great philosophers back then, like Socrates, could write down ideas of past events that now can be used to see if history actually happened. Architecture is also good because we can see how people back then lived and what buildings they would use in their daily lives and compare it to how we live in today’s world to see history. All of these artifacts of humanity express history in their own kind of way with a good description of history through each artifact. So overall, I think these artifacts would lead to a better road map of history because we can see history being made clearly through each artifact, especially in different kinds of cultures.

Week 2: Daily Question #2

Question: You accidentally discover an invention that can immediately help millions of people; but only if you act immediately. On the other hand, if you just wait three months, you can secure a patent and get rich. Which do you choose and why?

I would choose to act quickly and use the invention to help the millions of people because there are so many struggling citizens out there that have barely enough of anything to live and this invention could immediately give them a boost to their own lives. This solution is also the right one I think because it is focusing more on the good of the people instead of on just us. I think helping millions of people is way more important than helping just one person, which would be yourself when you get rich. More and more people in today’s world are living in poverty and an invention that would help them I think would mean so much for them. This invention would get these peoples’ lives back on track and it would make me feel so much better about myself since I am helping them. I think helping millions of people is more rewarding then being rich. Money is good, but helping millions of others is just so much better. The millions of people would be so happy that they could look up to me as a role model and resect me for what I have done. Our world needs a lot of help and this invention could lead to an abundance of help for millions of people worldwide. There are some things money can’t buy and one of those things is happiness. Millions of people would be so happy that they wouldn’t have to worry about living in poverty. Money can be important but it is help that our world needs to lead us to a bright and successful future.