Monday, October 28, 2013 0 comments

My god isn't always your god

 
 

My god isn't always your god

 
              Last Saturday was an informational and kind of confusing seminar. We first started the class with the Romans myth adopted from the culture that they conquered as their empire expanded. Romans made the Greek gods their myths.  Romans mostly used the gods as symbols rather than the humanistic and involved deities they were used for the Greeks. Rome wasn’t the only one that stole the stories from Greece. The Greeks got mostly of their myths from the Mesopotamians culture as they conquered them. With these myths they were able to make great art of the Greek gods. The part that was confusing was that there was so many different stories that was told; but Ms. White did said that there so many different stories because it depend on the person that is telling the stories, but some part of the myth is going to similar. With this in mine this mean that there is no right or wrong answer.

             The firs myth came back as far as 8th century BC of questionable origins. The first gods was Chaos (Nothing/Void), Gaia (Everything/Earth), Eros (Love/Desire), and Tartaros (underworld). These groups of gods are called the Hesiod’s Theogany. The next generation of gods came from the two most important gods of the 8th century BC. The first group of children was the kids of Chaos. Some of Chaos kids were Nyx (Night), Exebes (Darkness), Aither (brightness), Hemora (Day), and many more. The Greeks believed that Chaos kids values; hardship, battle, quarrels, wars, murder, lies, anarchy, ruin, pain, starvation. Most of these items have something in common, its things that you can feel. The second set of kids was the kids of Gaia. Gaia kids were Ourea (Mountains), Pentos (seas), Ouramo (sky), 12 titans, 3 Cyclopes, 3 Hundred Arms. Gaia kids were mostly things that you can touch.

            I know you probably asking, who is the twelve titans, 3 Cyclopes, and 3 Hundred Arms? Well that’s a great question and I will answer it. The 3 Cyclopes was a creature that was in Gaia stomach because Chaos was scared that one of his children was going to kill him and take over his powers. All of the children were in the stomach of Gaia, not only the 3 Cyclopes. When all the creatures and the gods inside of Gaia was released there was only two of her kids that decided to be bad and leave there mother. Those two groups were the 3 Cyclopes and the 3 Hundred Arms. The titans were the only ones that stated with their mother and father. But there was one of the sons that thought that his dad was doing something wrong. So, the youngest of the twelve titans decided to defeat his dad and that was Cronors.

When Cronors got older he decided to have kids with his sister, Thera. When, Cronors and Thera had kids, Cronors didn’t do the same method that his dad did. This time Cronors decided to keep all of his kids on Earth. But, like the other myth there always got to be a person that defeat their dad. This time it was the older son. Just kidding, it was the youngest son again, Zeus. When Zeus killed his father, he became the most powerful gods of the Greek myth. Zeus didn’t do the same thing that his dad and his grandpa did. He decided to have no kids and that’s how Zeus became the most powerful god of the Greek myth.

When you are talking about Greek myth, you always got to remember that there was not only one story. But, it hear some stories and hear a story that don’t sound kind of the stories that you have been hearing then it probably wrong or he or she have got there stories from somebody that didn’t know that much about Greek mythology. With that in mind, do you ever think that somebody is going to find the right and correct story about the Greeks very interesting and kind of strange stories? Do you also believe that there can be more then one story of the myths that were told by the Greeks?
-Roynell Anderson

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Hades or Zeus?


                Think fast, which would will in fight of Hades versus Zeus? Who would become the mightiest in Olympus? Greek Mythology allows people to feel as though they are a child again. The magic gives people the feeling of anything can happen. The debate over the most powerful god, reminds people of the time when they argued over who was the best superhero.  The action reminds you of the first time you watched Transformers or Spiderman as oohed and awed at the fierceness of the story. Greek mythology gives people the mentality of being optimistic in the world.
               
                Just like during the ancient Greek period, we are involved in sports for entertainment from youth to senior ages.  Just like the Olympic Games of the Greeks, the modern modern-day Olympics were based off the ancient games where different groups of people competed in sports. The participants were the city-states of Ancient Greece and their colonies. The Olympic Games were held every 4 years (like the modern-day Olympics) in honor of Zeus, the king god. There were also other games such as the Ptythian games which were held in honor of Apollo ( the sun god) and the Isthmian Games in honor of Poseidon (the sea god).

         
                The prizes for winning the Olympic Games in Greece were fame, and glory along with having statues of the winners erected and sometimes even having the winners faces put on coins. Today we still celebrate the Olympic Games, and many things are similar such as gaining prizes (in the ancient games olive leaf crowns were won and modern-day people win medals of different metals: gold, silver, bronze) and opening and closing celebrations. Today people compete against countries instead of city-states which involve more people and competitive spots.
               
           Greek Mythology is interesting to me because as modern times have aged, its influence by the ancient Greek has not changed in traditions. As Greeks once celebrated the Olympic Games nude and without the watchful gaze of woman, the games still continue as people strive to win glory and fame of over others. As our minds become childlike and ready to become pulled into the world of magic and mystery, we strive to keep the same style of the ancients. 


Pictures from Google Images
Kiarra Sims-Jean
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Pandora's Box

               The Greek Mythology seminar on Saturday was very interesting. I learned that Greek mythology has a huge impact on modern society. Many Greek myths have alternative versions so people could relate to them more. The names of characters may have changed but the morals stayed the same. We also learned about gods such as Chaos, Gaia, Zeus, and more. One Goddess that stood out the most to me was Pandora.
               The goddess Pandora was the daughter of the god Zeus. Zeus asked the god Hephaestus, husband of Aphrodite, to make him a daughter out of clay. This daughter was named Pandora. Many Gods gave Pandora a gift. Aphrodite gave Pandora beauty, Apollo gave her music, Hermes gave her persuasion, and other gods also gave her a gift. Pandora was given this name because it means “all- gifted”.
               The myth of Pandora started with Zeus sending Pandora down to Earth to be married to Epimetheus. Epimetheus was the younger brother of a god named Prometheus. Prometheus stole fire from Heaven and distributed it out to people. Zeus came up with a plan to punish the world for what Prometheus did and Pandora waaas involved in it. As a wedding present Zeus gave Pandora a box and Epimetheus the key. Zeus told them to never open the box. However, Zeus knew they eventually would. Pandora stole the key from her husband and opened the box. When the box opened baad things such as diseases, hate, and envy flew out. Epimetheus awoke to the sound of his wife sobbing. Pandora told him what she did and showed him the box. When she opened the box for the second time something was still in there. It was hope, Elpis. Elpis flew out and know there was hate, envy, diseases, and hope in the world.
               I was able to connect this myth to our modern world. In the world today there are diseases that can kill people. Many people in the world are dying of starvation. Many people are fighting for their lives right now. One thing that kept them alive was hope. People in the world still have hope and it is encouraging others to stay strong, keep moving forward, and never give up. There are things in the world that can bring us down, but we have hope. Hope has a huge impact on our lives today.
              Saturday’s seminar taught me so many things about Greek mythology. I will definitely be doing more research when I have free time.
                                                 Photo Credit: Google Images
-Haven
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The Ruler of The Underworld

           The Greek mythology seminar was amazing! I loved learning about different gods and goddesses as well as interesting myths and legends. It was also interesting to learn that even modern culture is influenced by Greek mythology. If you look closely at everyday things you can find Greek influence for example, the brand Nike. Nike, in Greek mythology, is the goddess of victory. Mrs. White had us choose and research a god, goddess, or myth that stood out to us and present it. For me, this was the high point of the seminar.
            You can’t talk about one god or myth without talking about them all and because myths are told and passed down from generation to generation orally, there could be thousands of versions of the same myth. The god I chose to present on Saturday was Hades, my favorite Greek god. Hades is my favorite god because he has done so much for the Olympians but he is constantly referenced with darkness, malevolence, hatred, and evil. Hades is actually more passive then depicted. He is the infamous ruler of Tartarus and of the souls who enter his realm. He strictly forbids the dead from leaving and the living from entering and those who tried to cheat death would experience his full and terrifying wrath. Hades created a 3-headed dog known as Cerberus to guard the river between his realm and the realm of the living from souls trying to escape the underworld and mortals who tried to enter. Hades is famously known for creating the Kraken to help the Olympians win the war against the Titans and his father Cronus.

Photo credit: Wikipedia
            As much as I love mythology, I could type pages upon pages about my favorite gods, goddesses, and myths. I am excited to continue my research on Greek mythology and Greek myths. It’s become very addicting for me because the legends are so engaging and enthralling. I can’t wait to increase my knowledge of Greek mythology and find more examples of Greek influence in our everyday lives.     

 -DeRael Edwards
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They did Drama First..

This Saturday I did not get a chance to attend the seminar on Greek mythology because of the ACT. In short terms I was very upset because in last years competition we didn't have a Greek mythology seminar and I was really looking forward to attending this one. I already had a short general knowledge of what Greek mythology was but, I was looking forward to getting better and in depth lesson on the history and what it really stood for. Everybody said we missed out on a lot but, even though I wasn't there I was still able to pick up on a few things and add to what I already knew. Many things that exist today have been influenced by mythical stories or beliefs; to movies to plays or even to various arts. If you really pay attention to some Disney movies you will catch a lot of Greek mythology within the content, my favorite of which is also a good example is Hercules. When it comes to plays many stories were based off beliefs of Gods that controlled different aspects of the universe, and when it comes to art there are endless amounts of different types of work that were majorly influenced by the ideas of Gods that played different roles in changing the world. Ideas like this still live on today and are maybe hidden throughout various amounts of different literature or new forms of art.
(Google images) 

There are countless stories on different gods who played different roles in life and in nature. There are also endless amounts of ideas of what these gods might have looked like and people took it upon themselves to interpret their own visions of them. Each God or descended of a god had a story behind who they were and most of the time how they got there name, and each one had a power which they used however they felled.  Every story of a mythological character had a lot of drama and sometimes the drama tied In with another god. There powers always tied in will the story that was told which made everyone some what sound believable. Not every god was a "good" one some possessed powers of chaos war and darkness, but they still found a balance.

-Malik Lee
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Is Hephaestus Really the Imperfect God? You Might Want to Think Again.

Learning about Greek Mythology from Ms. White was so amazing. What made it better was how knowledgeable she was on the subject and how much she loved teaching it to us. I wouldn’t have wanted to learn about it from anybody else because she made it such a fun and interesting experience for us applicants. Ms. White, if you’re reading this, thank you. 
           
As we did research on Greek Mythology I saw Hephaestus as the most interesting of the Gods, because although he was imperfect in his features he was a master of craft and was possibly the sanest of his counterparts. Hephaestus was the god of the smith, fire, craft, sculpt, and of volcanoes. He was also considered the “Lame God”, becau
se of his clubfoot and disfigured face. The other Gods often would laugh at Hephaestus for his handicaps, but Hephaestus was a God who always bettered himself. In a couple accounts of vase paintings Hephaestus is seen in a winged chariot, and it is said that Hephaestus built that chariot to prove to the other Gods that his ailments could not overcome him and that their laughter only helped to encourage him. I really enjoy this aspect of Hephaestus, because it makes for a good moral lesson on how challenges can always be overcome.
            Hephaestus was also a very clever god when it came to getting revenge on someone he had a grudge against. Hephaestus tricked his mother Hera into sitting upon a golden throne which had an enchantment that caused the person that sat in it not to be able to stand up. Hephaestus did this because his mother exiled him from the heavens, because she hated his disfigured body. In another myth Hephaestus traps his cheating wife Aphrodite and her mister Ares. He then put them on display in front of the court of Gods, but the Gods ended up laughing at him and persuading him to let them go.

            I’m really thankful for being in this scholarship to Italy, because even if I am not chosen I will have left with amazing knowledge. Greek Mythology has me very intrigued now, and all I’ve wanted to do lately is read about Greek Myths and learn about the half human Descendants of the gods.

-Jake Brazier
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No Themes are Truly Original

It was so interesting to see where all of the themes in our modern day stories came from. Even our most famous writers, like Shakespeare, based their stories off of Greek mythology. For example, I had no idea Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was based of a Greek myth about Pyramus and Thisbe.
Hephaestus (Google Images)


I learned that the Greek gods were very humanic, as in, they weren’t perfect. They often made mistakes and weren’t necessarily role models. Out of all the gods, I decided to do my individual research on the most imperfect one: Hephaestus, god of craftsman, fire and volcanoes. Not only were his actions imperfect, but also his physical features. He was ugly, had a clubbed foot, and was also known as the “Lame God.” When he was born, his mother, Hera, was so ashamed of him that she exiled him from Olympus. Years later, Hephaestus returned to Olympus for revenge. He built a magical golden chair and presented it to Hera as a gift, but when she sat down, she became a prisoner and could not stand back up. Eventually Hephaestus agreed to let Hera go after being promised Aphrodite as his wife.

This story is actually very common in modern day media. In many movies and literature, characters are motivated by revenge and many villains put civilians in danger or hold them hostage in order to receive what they want. In fact, many Greek myths are present in our modern day media. Every story and every movie is based off themes so ancient that we don’t even realize it, so therefore, no themes are truly original.

~Aurea Colston
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It's Greek to Me

       I love Greek Mythology. I was so excited for this seminar because I have been an avid reader of Greek Mythology since I first learned how to read. I was so absorbed into everything Mrs. White said and also she related how many of the moral stories and themes in literature we see today stemmed from the ancient stories of the Mesopotamian, which was then stolen by the Greeks then adopted and adapted by the Romans and so on to what we have now. I love how through story telling people are able to communicate important lessons of culture and life to be a universal message common amongst any society. This has grown to influence and change the way we tell stories, uniting cultures and people in ways that show how though the characters, names, endings, and ways of telling a story may vary; they're generally all the same, which is powerful in the meaning of story telling.  
       The seminar went through as a brief, surface run through of the beginning of mythology and how it expanded from the first Gods of Hesiod's Theology that consisted of Chaos, Gaia, Eros, and Tartaros and what eventually became the Olympians, who are more widely known through mythological stories and myths. The Olympians were Gods of greater might but many imperfections that made them relate-able and real for the Greeks. They were human like in character but greater in might. Therefore, each was revered but also feared for what good and bad they had the potential of bestowing upon mankind. Telling stories of the Gods was a way of explaining why certain events in life occurred, such as the changing of the seasons or why the sun set.
    This painting depicts the goddess of the harvest, Demeter, as she mourns the loss of her daughter Persephone who has been taken to the underworld to be with her husband-by-force, Hades. This story is used to explain how the seasons change, beginning with Persephone's return in the spring, when everything comes alive and Demeter is happy, to the summer harvest, then the beginning of fall when she leaves again, to Demeter's mourning once again and everything dies in the winter. I find this extremely interesting just for the fact that, before there was any notion of creation or science, this is what people had to explain the world around them; and it actually makes a lot of sense.
       After we were given our brief introduction and run down of the Gods, we were charged with the task of researching whoever we liked. I love strong women of history ( a refreshing break from just masculine historical figures ). I chose Athena, who not only was the goddess of wisdom, agriculture, and weaving, but was also a skilled military strategist. She represented what Ares didn't: the art of winning the war, not just the brutal mayhem.

Athena was cherished for the success she brought to the heroes and wars she assisted. She was more resourceful and as formidable a God as any of the top three: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades; she even outdid Poseidon for the position as the deity of the city of Athens. Though she represented female strength and virtue, her birth was an example of the slow replacing of the strong female figure in history. The position of head God and creator was an image generally associated with a female, motherly creator of all things. However, the birth of Athena completely eliminated the mother figure all together, instead she was born from the forehead of Zeus. This was to show that a female was not even needed in order for life to be created. As the Romans adopted the Greek gods to their own culture, the character of Athena was changed and diluted to a minor and lesser image. The image of a strong female was lost, instead leaving the feminine Aphrodite (Venus) as the only image of women; she only represented sex and love, not intelligence of heroic glory. 
I came away from this seminar a lot more informed about the importance of cultural influences and how story telling can relate across centuries and societies. I would really hope to have more experiences like this in Rome, where my basic understanding of something can be broadened and enriched through personally interacting and experiencing for myself. And also having well informed docents and scholars explain and elaborate about the content in ways no book could ever allow me to understand or analyze something.
Simone Sheppard

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The Greeks did it BEST!

Photo Credit : Google 

I don’t know if I can find the words to describe what I felt about the Greek Mythology seminar on Saturday.  Awesome, Amazing, Fantastic those words just don’t seem to do it justice. Whenever I’d watch a movie or some TV show and I catch a hint of some kind of Greek mythology I would instantly go and research it and then tell my mom all about what I discovered. I remember after watching Alexander the Great for the first time one Saturday morning I was curious to know why Angelina Jolie’s character of Alexander’s mom was so fixated on snakes. So I researched it online and I found that it is believed that Medusa is Alexander the Greats Mother. MIND BLOWING!  So yesterday in the seminar I was excited to just listen to Mrs. White share her knowledge about Greek Mythology.  I love when I hear the passion people have in something that they know; it’s so inspiring!!

Mrs. White told us that these myths have been interpreted in many different ways as they were shared throughout the generations. There are religious, literary, artistic, and dramatic works that are rooted in these stories.  A little bit of history on Greek Mythology, Greeks stole the mythology from the Mesopotamians.  Much of the Roman mythology was adopted and adapted from the cultures that they conquered. The Romans took the Greek gods and used them as symbols rather than the humanistic and involved deities for the Greeks. The Greeks used these myths to explain the universe around them. The basis of all these myths starts with Chaos and Gaia and from them starts the lineage of different gods and goddesses and the stories come to life.  Chaos has more of the passions and strains of the mind and heart and Gaia is the Earth.  Mrs. White told us all that in Greek Mythology the ultimate belief is that the universe created the gods, not the other way around.  Gods in Greek mythology are very humanistic they have as many flaws as humans do. In the stories that were mentioned during the seminar there was a lot of paranoia, back stabbing, envy, and jealousy which are things that people have today as normal human beings.  Greek Mythology is so dramatic and every story is connected with another story it’s addicting to learn and read about.

Photo Credit : Wikipedia
After learning about the history of Greek Mythology my fellow competitors and I made our way towards the computer lab to research a Greek myth and do a mini presentation on it to the class. There are so many amazing stories I didn’t know which one I was going to pick. Eventually after a few games of eeny meeny miny moe with myself, I decided to do a presentation on Atlas. I remember learning about Atlas in middle school and I remembered seeing a sculpture of him in Rockefeller center in New York.  Atlas was born a Titan and he took the side of the titans during the Titan vs. Olympian war. He stormed on the heavens and when the Titans lost, Zeus as punishment, had Atlas hold the sky on his shoulders for all eternity.  As I researched more I saw that it is believed that Mt. Atlas in northern Africa is where he supposedly held up the sky. It just proves that these stories and characters are still used as symbols and they are everywhere. When I hear about stories like these that show a real place that I can see it sparks something inside of me that just makes me want to keep learning more because it’s just so addicting.   


Photo Credit : Amazon 
I can honestly say that I was very disappointed when the class ended I was having fun listening to Mrs.White. As soon as I got in the car I started to share everything that I learned in the class with my mom.  As I was telling my mom a couple of the stories that Mrs. White told me in the seminar I did realize that when you tell a story it does change a slight bit. You always either add to it or leave something out but the person you told the story to will keep passing it on. I want to thank Mrs. White for inspiring me. I definitely want to study literature when I get into college I want to explore that hidden meaning literature holds. As I finish writing this blog post I am online looking at Greek Mythology books on amazon. Thank you!  Mrs. White for the inspiration.

-Courtney Bucknor 




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Mythology is a Myth


I missed out on the last current seminar on Saturday. Though I was not able to attend I was still able to obtain Information on the topic Greek mythology. There are so many different pieces and aspects to the general knowledge of mythology itself it is a little hard to comprehend. The thing about mythology is that it is all about myths. You are not sure if anything is true and there are no facts, just stories that were passed down since the beginning of time. Of course in the passed there was not technology such as electricity so these stories and myths were told orally and sometimes the details were a bit switched up and changed. Versions of these stories were told but the main points were kept to keep the generality of it all. 
 
  (photo credits: Google images)
 

Rome had a bit of mythology, especially when trying to find the truth of how the city was founded. Rome was built on the satisfaction of power and similar to some other myths there was a dispute between two brothers and one murders the other. Just as myths are told there were several other versions of how Rome was founded, but the story of the two brothers was the most popular and believed. It is not certain that it was true, but only by belief it is known. Another connection with Rome and mythology is the civilization of the Etruscans. They were sought out to be only a myth because no one knew where they came from as well. The Etruscans was a cultural civilization that gave the Romans inspiration and the capability to borrow ideas from them. The idea of the foundation to the Etruscans and their civilization was not just unknown, but doesn't have a myth tied to it either. Their existence is a myth itself.  

Myths are not meant to be solved, but to be believed like a fairytale. As a child, mythology is taught by the basics and fundamentals, but not told the whole story due to the incest and bestiality of mythological stories and creatures. Myths were originally created to take place of any unknown answers to questions that were asked. It is up to you to believe them or not, but because answers cannot be found, myths are believed until the facts are found, even through Rome. 
  Mythical Emblem (photo credit:Google Images/elephantjournal.com)
--Meryssa Mayshack
Sunday, October 27, 2013 0 comments

Teenage Confessions of a Dark Goddess

The Future Queen of Darkness or the embodiment of Night is a lot to live up to. Especially when you're the daughter of Chaos. I am writing to relieve my stress of the things that make my dark life. I’m not always trouble, I like to think of myself of neither good nor bad. Just don't get on my bad side or you’ll regret it. I am an elemental goddess and a very big part of the universe, or so my dad says. It’s hard not knowing who my mother is and my dad being gone all the time wreaking havoc. So I am mostly home alone in Hades and rarely travel to the human world. It’s my dream to go to the mortal world by myself but my dad says I can't do that until I pass my Goddess Exams. The Goddess Exams are a test a young goddess must pass to claim her title and get her full powers. So far, I know I can control anything mysterious that happens at night, and I also have prophetic dreams. Lately, my prophecies show me killing people and shielding spies in some future war. I honestly don’t know how I feel about this. A part of me hates how I like the evil and a part of me loves how much I need it to survive and the rush it gives me.
My father sent me a thought today. A thought is a conversation Gods can have in their heads no matter the distance. My Father said this “I want you to try and seduce Zeus and take the Kingdom. After you pass your Goddess Exams.” I was astonished and a little excited to do something so mischievous. Zeus has been trying to get with me ever since I was 15. I always denied his advances because he has a really big ego, a really big God complex. That’s just not my thing. I had a prophecy that I will meet Erebus, the God of Darkness, and he will become my partner. Also, that we will have many children including Death, Sleep, Anger, Misery, Doom, and Dreams. That is a lot of children! And most Goddesses make the children on their own!
I have a sister her name is Herma she is the complete opposite of me. She is the embodiment of Light and all things pure. I barely know her and when we do see each other its only merely a hello. There’s this rule where if she’s out, I must be at home and vise versa. I guess we can't be out together at the same time or the mortals will freak out because it causes chaos and a solar eclipse. I just wish we could actually get to know each other maybe I’ll send her a thought one day.
I am very nervous for my Goddess Test its next Monday. What if I don’t pass? What are my other powers? Does this mean I can leave dreary Hades and go to Tartarus, the place of my brother? The gates have opened that must mean my father’s home. I must go greet him. I’ll write again soon.
- Nyx (Myriah Catalano)


 

Monday, October 21, 2013 0 comments

Attila and Attila the Hun

Learning about Rome this weekend with Mr. Dundov was pretty rad to say the least. What I liked the most is probably a bit different than everyone else though. I loved learning a little bit about Attila the Hun, because one of my favorite bands is named Attila.
Just yesterday I was at Ace of Spades to see a whole bunch of bands and in that mix of bands is one of my favorites, Attila. This weekend we learned how Attila the Hun was one of the many reasons why the Roman Empire fell. I just love that I learned this knowledge before seeing them yesterday, because it gave me an insight into the meaning behind their name. Trust me, the name of their band totally fits, because their music is very brutal.
Attila the Hun is the man who ruled the Hun Empire. He was feared all across the land, crossed the Danube twice, and took over the Balkans. Attila wasn’t defeated until TheBattle of the Catalaunian Plains.
-Jake Brazier

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 Caesar and his Military: Is it to much POWER?

            In Mr. Dundov’s seminar last Saturday, I found out that the Romans believed in taking over a city and forcing the people to work with them by using propaganda and telling them that they can get anything they want. Rome first started with there own country to take over. The reason why Rome was successful to take over other cities and countries was because their military have been training at a young age and some other states would use poor and homeless people to fight for there counties freedom. When Rome took over Italy they build Colosseums to show that they took over that city or country. Rome built Colosseums in the Middle East and states around Rome. Rome also made roads in cities that they took over for they can transport goods easily and have an advantage on the other people they were fighting. The Romans’ roads were mostly made out of stone and rocks and were mostly bumping. You probably thinking, “Rome was a great place to live in?” Well, it was until 300 B.C., let’s go back in time and see what really happen.

            Back in 300 B.C., there was one person that tried to take over Rome by using elephants. This person name was Hannibal from the city of Carthage; he was the closes of defeating the Roman Empire until his elephants had no water or food and died of starvation. During that time there was other fights going on and it was against the first triumvirates. The triumvirates were Julius Caesar, Posey, and Crassus. These three friends started fighting because Posey had threaten Caesar that when he come back to Rome he will be arrested. When Caesar heard of the threat, he was laughing and thought that it was funny that his friend was going to fight him just because the power of the government was getting to his head.

            When Caesar came back to Rome in 49 B.C., Posey got scared and ran off to another city and hided there until he know that it was safe for him to come back to Rome. By Caesar coming back, Caesar made the republican government into an Empire. The republican government was first split up into two consulus (rulers); Senate (Patricians) and Tribal Assembly (Plebeians). After Caesar changing the government into Empire, he started to take over cities north of him. Until he got to a city name Alassim which was ran by Versengatrix. He was the closes one to defeat the Romans and gave Caesar the best fight of his life, but one brilliant idea Caesar used that gave him the title as the best general in the world.

            Caesar brilliant idea was that Caesar will build a wall around the city of Alassim but will only put a little walkway on the edge of the wall. When Versengatrix saw this he sends some of his troops to get help from other cities north of him. When Caesar saw this happen, Caesar built some traps and another wall around the wall that he originally built. This blocked the troops on the outside of the walls. Versengatrix citizens were getting hungry and had limited of food. So, Versengatrix put out the women and there children because he thought that the Romans was going to get them and the women and the children was eating up the food and they needed to save as much food they can to survive.

            When Versengatrix saw that Caesar wasn’t taking the women and the children, he brought them back into Alassim. 13 months later, Versengatrix gave up and Caesar became the best general in the world until the Romans stabbed him 23 times because he started to get to greedy with the power and treated the citizens bad.

            Caesar was a general that only believed in the work of his government. After a fight and a threat from his friends, Caesar started to become overpowered with the leadership he got assigned to. If Caesar would have changed the way he ran the government, he probably wouldn’t have been killed in a hurtful way. They always say that good things have to come to an end but this good thing only made Rome worse and had other cities and countries fighting against them. Do you think that Rome is better with Caesar or with the republican government? Nobody knows now and it will never be found out unless you were there to see it happen in real life. 

-Roynell Anderson
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When, If Ever, Is It Okay To Stab Someone 23 Times?

         The Roman History seminar on Saturday with Mr. Dundov was a great refresher to knowledge I was already familiar with. Although most of the information was repetitive it was still a wonderful experience. Mr. Dundov was great! He was very interactive and kept all of us engaged.
          Mr. Dundov talked about many topics during the seminar but the one that caught my attention the most was the history of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) spread the Roman Republic across Europe through a series of battles and conquest before declaring himself dictator for life. He is often remembered as one of the greatest military minds in history. By 44 B.C. the Roman Senate felt that Caesar possessed too much of the power in Rome and stabbed him 23 times on the floor of the Roman Senate building. The Senate assassinated Caesar because they felt that he would destroy the Roman Republic. The Senate thought that the death of Caesar would bring about the restoration of the Roman Republic but they were wrong.
Photo credit to: Orrinwoodwardblog.com
            Caesar is famously known for laying the foundation for the Roman Empire but I argue that the death of the Roman Republic came long before Caesar because Rome has a rich history of powerful and controlling generals. Why did Rome have such powerful generals? Because Rome focused primarily on conquest and military expansion which gave it the traits of being imperial, so it’s ridiculous to say that the Rome was a republic until Augustus became Rome’s first official emperor because by that time Rome had been an empire for 200 years. The idea of so much power in the hands of one man is what destroyed the Roman Republic.
            Saturday’s seminar excited me for the upcoming seminars to come and I can’t wait to immerse myself in more knowledge and information. 


               -DeRael Edwards
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Roman Influence

             At the Roman seminar on Saturday I learned so many interesting things. The most interesting thing I learned was that entertainment today was influenced by Ancient Rome.
             The Colosseum is a well-known structure in Rome and was used for entertainment. Men battled vicious animals and faced death. The Colosseum had over hundreds of trap doors. These trap doors held animals, such as lions, which would pop up and end someone’s life. There was no telling when an animal would appear and how the fight would end.
             Many people came to the Colosseum to watch violence. I thought only the wealthy came but many lower class Romans came too. What was interesting about the lower class coming was their reason. The day to day life of a Roman was very stressful. They had to worry about how they would feed and provide for their family. To let out all their stress they would come to the Colosseum. Watching others suffer was their entertainment. The lower class would collect what little money they had and go to the stadium. Watching the violence and people die was their way of relaxing.
             Many of the events at the Colosseum generally resulted in death. The attraction to violent pass times and sporting events is still alive and well today. Take for instance the popular sport of boxing. This brutal and bloody sport is loved worldwide. The legendary boxing champion Muhammed Ali is still a well-known celebrity and held in high regard. The popularity of boxing seems very similar to the popularity of the fights held at the Roman Colosseum. The winners of both fights were the one who displayed the most brutality.
             Saturday’s seminar taught me that the world that we live in today was influenced by Ancient Rome.
 -Haven
Photo Credit: Google Images
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Power is Persuasion

       This is my second year being apart of the Roman History Seminar with Mr. Dundov so going into the class I felt I had a pretty good understanding of what was discussed. Last year I remember I walked away feeling like I had learned some interesting things I hadn't known, as though I was walking from my World History class sophomore year, with an array of dates, names and events memorized. Nothing really stood out or made me think deeper about what I knew about Rome; just more textbook work. But this year was different in the fact that I now recognized a common theme in the building of and in some of the low points and even the fall of the empire: Power. Power in fear, information, religion, in numbers, and also the acquiring of power itself. The Roman Empire was so influential in history and lasted as long as it did because it was rich and powerful. But it also destroyed itself from the way in which power was abused and distributed.

       A key example of power in the building of Rome is found within the vastness of the Empire itself. Conquering and incorporating people of varying culture, region, language, and character allowed for an enriching wealth in numbers and resources for the empire. The fear used in offering people the comfort of waving the Roman flag and the protection of the military and government, but also a threat in denying and therefore leaving yourself privy to the inevitable annihilation, plundering, and destruction that would come to you
for not being apart of Rome. But how do you connect an empire so vastly spread across a continent and even a sea? Geographically, Rome was connected by roads and paths built for trade and moving the military from place to place, allowing for faster and more efficient movement for battle. The easier distribution of goods meant healthy trade and exchanging of resources between people of all regions, falling into a sense of one nation though the people may be so different. But just as the people and their goods are so diverse and different, so will their cultures and religions. Uniting the Roman Empire under one religion was decreed by Emperor Constantine, establishing a power for control by way of religion, and further unifying the people by a commonality. The Church went up and down over the course of history in abuse of power and the process of cleaning up their image. Christianity broke off into varying denominations as a direct effect of neglectful power of the church when people were granted pardons of their sins by the church, basically allowing people to buy their tickets into heaven. Threat and fear is what caused for Christianity to spread; word of mouth or either people who decided to believe what was said or just accepted what was put on them by the government.
       Power, if handled selfishly and by one person, can be extremely destructive. Caesar found himself with all the power and though he was supreme in his ruling, he was alone and then paranoid in his position, which made him irrational. What came of him was 23 stab wounds inflicted by his inferiors and those who really were supposed to have his back. With great power means someone is sacrificed, often the weak and innocent in order for power to be maintained. This is seen through times of compromise in war. For example, Caesar was attempting to starve out a city lead by a venerable general that would not join Rome. By building multiple walls around the city, the opposing military leader was supposed to think of the greater good of the city and  surrender, but for the sake of pride allowed for many women and children to be the sacrifice for the sake of holding power just a little longer. Ultimately he surrendered and was taken back to Rome to be publicly executed, but the sole fact of the amount of power that was within his hands and the power Caesar apposed made this stalemate an example of what power can do when nothing is as important anymore as the position of power one may have.
       These powerful and lasting events in history is what makes Rome so rich. Not just for the power it once possessed, but what came of these events and accomplishments to shape the history and influence it had on the rest of the world. The Roman Empire expressed a lasting impression on history the United States has not even begun to touch the surface of accomplishing. As of now, only being a 300 year old country, may never be realized in the instability we face already. This year's class gave me a much more expanded view on how to look at Roman History and understanding what was the strength and simultaneous weakness of what Rome. 

Simone Sheppard
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Romans were the first Trendsetters!

This past Saturday we had another seminar it was on Roman history, and it was also the deadline for our timelines. I had stayed up a little long than I usually do to put my finishing touches on my timeline, just to make sure everything was creative and above par. When I showed up to the class the seminar instructor Mr Dundov looked very energized and ready to teach, myself on the other hand was tired form the previous night. I was impressed by the different methods other applicants used to create their timelines, they all looked good and were very creative. We kicked off the seminar by talking about the surroundings of Rome and how soon their neighbors would become building blocks of their empire. After that Mr Dunov pretty much walked us down our timelines with a few extra fact of his own. He explained how the Romans invented things that we still see and use today and present day society. A few things that he mentioned were roads, sewage systems, aqueducts, and arches. We have adapted many things from the Romans to fashion or even to our government structure. They were trendsetters, it just so happens that there trends never died. 
  (Google images)

 This past Saturday we had another seminar it was on Roman history, and it was also the deadline for our timelines. I had stayed up a little long than I usually do to put my finishing touches on my timeline, just to make sure everything was creative and above par. When I showed up to Mr Dundov's class he looked very energized and ready to teach, myself on the other hand was kind of tired for the previous night. I was impressed by the different methods other applicants used to create their timelines, they all looked good and were very creative. We kicked off the seminar by talking about the surroundings of Rome and how soon their neighbors would become building blocks of their empire. After that Mr Dunov pretty much walked us down our timelines with a few extra fact of his own. He explained how the Romans invented things that we still see and use today and present day society. A few things that he mentioned were roads, sewage systems, aqueducts, and arches. We have adapted many things from the Romans to fashion or even to our government structure. They were trendsetters, it just so happens that there trends never died. 
(Google Images)
-Malik Lee
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History of the Little Things

Though I haven't slept for some days now, the history of Rome still runs through my mind fresh. From Rome's entertainment down to their government system, Rome has given us as a country a lot to endure. Rome can't take all the credit though; they have adopted and borrowed many things from other civilizations such as the Etruscans. Of course Rome has their own things they abide by such as their government of the Roman Republic. They created the 12 tables, the first laws providing political and social rights. Influenced or not, the past has caught up to our future and little things like entertainment, architecture, and politics is major to our everyday lives even though it is easily overlooked. The little things are what make our era today.
Our seminar teacher this week mentioned that little things such as roads and entertainment that is still used today were created by Romans. To me I feel that our society is grateful. Without roads or streets or highways how would any of us know our way to our destinations? When first made, roads started out as rocks and gravel to smooth out the land, this was called The Appian Way, the first road created. Though it was slippery when wet, it prevented grass from growing through it and was permanent and long lasting for transportation, goods, trade and especially military. Today we incorporate roads to our everyday lives as streets made out of asphalt.
Entertainment is also an important thing in our lives, but also a little thing. Currently we watch boxing, wrestling, and UFC. Believe it or not it consists of violence and sometimes tragic losses. Romans were considered ruthless and barbaric because they were thrilled by the violence of their entertainment. Instead of a boring television screen, The Colloseum was the main place where people wanted to be. It was in person who made it real and if the person were in front row, then it would be like 3D. The battle between man versus man or man versus animal to the death gave people something interesting to see, so people actually paid money to see such things just like we pay five dollars for a morning action movie at the theaters. The excitement was their entertainment and we incorporate that type of entertainment today.
Though life has developed and changed a bit over many years, the past is in our present and future. The little things in life make a big difference because roads and entertainment are a big deal. Without roads there would be people stranded and without entertainment there would be boredom. Life is filled with beautiful things and thanks to Rome; the little things became beautiful because little things matter.  
-- Meryssa Mayshack


 
The Appian Way (Google.com/Images) 
 
The Colosseum (Google.com/Images)
 
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