Video on Guns, Germs, and Steel

We watched a video today about guns, germs, and steel. We took many notes on it, so ill get to the notes.

• Jared Diamond is the main guy in the movie.
• He is on a quest for inequality in Papua New Guinea.
• His real passion is the study of birds.
• the quote he got asked by a Papua New Guinean was "Why do white men have so much cargo, and we New Guineans have so little cargo." (Cargo=Material goods)
• Power was determined by race. the Guineans thought.
• White men's theory was they thought they were superior to the New Guineans.
• Jared doesn't agree with the white men's theory.'
• Civilizations that have advanced had advanced technology, large populations, and are well organized.
• In Papua New Guinea, they are still living in the paleolithic/neolithic era (hunting/gathering etc.)
• One tree has 70 pounds of sago (food stuff from the sago tree).
• In Mesopotamia, they grew barley and wheat.
• Draa is the name of the site the Canadian person traveled to.
• First granary in Mesopotamia (A place to keep grain stored).
• The way crops are changed by humans is called Domestication.

Test today

Today we took the test and i was surprised when he let us use our computers! I wrote an excellent blog (not trying to brag) and it helped so much with the test. I wrote like every detail which helped so much. I like having a great blog because i know it will help me in the future. Hopefully i got a 100% which would really be a great start to my grades. I actually ran out of room on the 3rd writing prompt. I had so much to write, i couldn't fit it all in lol. the fill in the blanks were very easy because, i again, wrote everything down word for word. Well anyways the test went great and im excited to see my results. :)

Review Day

Today in class we reviewed the notes we took from the PowerPoint. We also shared some of Hammurabi's codes. People shared which codes they found weird or interesting. I could tell he was not a gentle man Haha. I think im well prepared for this test coming up and im going to study hard and hopefully get an A on the first test of the second semester. We also went over key "vocabulary" words we needed to know for the test. I hope tomorrow brings me luck!

The 2nd Day of Taking Notes.

Yesterday in class, we almost finished the Mesopotamia PowerPoint. Here our the notes i took...

• The district known as Sumer occupied the land between the Tigris and Euphrates River.
• Population increased due to new irrigation techniques.
• Cities and towns were founded, some with as many as 40,000 inhabitants.
• Better food storage allowed for diversity in profession: Priests, tradesmen, artisans, politicians, and farmers etc..
• Kings emerged as did family dynasties and the concept of the city-state.
• Sumerians invented the earliest form of writing, known as cuniform. (difference from pre-history and history)
• A pantheon of Sumerian Gods and Goddesses emerged with many of the deities representing the natural elements of the world.
• The worlds first (surviving) epic was the Sumerian "Epic of Gilgamesh" which told of a great flood.
• Sumerians first divided the hour of 60 minutes and the minute into 60 second; they also organized a calendar based on moon cycles.
• The ziggurat was a Sumerian temple built on top of a "mountain" of earth.
• A Mess o' Mesopotamia. 
• Wandering nomads drove herds of domesticated animals in many areas, especially to the South of Sumer in Arabia.
• King Hammurabi of Babylon created a series of laws known as "Hammurabi's Codes" - laws that included "an eye for an eye" and regulations of marriage, divorce, and punishments for all sorts of crimes.
• The Expansion of Mesopotamian Civilization
• Indo-Europeans were people from the grasslands of the Russian Steppe who introduced the horse to the new East.
• The warlike Indo-European tribe known as the Hittites settled in Asia Minor.
• The Hittites had a lucrative trade in metals and conquered nearly all of their neighbors, even threatening Egypt. 

When and where did human beings first emerge? - 200,000 years ago in Southwestern Africa.

Why did the period known as "prehistory" end? - When Sumerians invented the first form of writing known as cuniform.

 What made the rise of civilization possible? - Increased ability to take care of young children. Also population increased to new irrigation techniques.

How did hunter/gatherers live? - They migrated to a lot of different places in search for food and other needs. Hunted, gathered, and fished for food.

Who was King Hammurabi, and why was he important? -  King Hammurabi of Babylon created a series of laws known as "Hammurabi's Codes" - laws that included "an eye for an eye" and regulations of marriage, divorce, and punishments for all sorts of crimes.

• prehistory - The time before the invention of the written language.
• Paleolithic - =Old Stone Age.
• Neolithic Age - = New Stone Age
• Agricultural Revolution - The agricultural Revolution was a shift from itinerant hunting/gathering to more permanent settlements centered on agriculture (It began in Southwest Asia).
• Cuneiform - The earliest form of writing.
• Ziggurat - The ziggurat was a Sumerian temple built on top of a "mountain" of earth.
• Indo-Europeans - Indo-Europeans were people from the grasslands of the Russian Steppe who introduced the horse to the new East. The warlike Indo-European tribe known as the Hittites settled in Asia Minor. The Hittites had a lucrative trade in metals and conquered nearly all of their neighbors, even threatening Egypt

First Day of the PowerPoint on Mesopotamia

Today was the first day that we went over the Mesopotamian PowerPoint. Ill just get right to the notes....

• From Prehistory to Civilization -3000-1200 BC.
• 200,000 years ago humans emerged in Southwestern Africa.
• Paleolithic Age=Old Stone Age. 
• Neolithic Age = New Stone Age. It was marked by advanced tool making and the beginning of agriculture.
• The agricultural Revolution was a shift from itinerant hunting/gathering to more permanent settlements centered on agriculture (It began in Southwest Asia).
• 14,000 years ago a worldwide human race existed.
• Populations rose due to increased ability to care for young children.
• Hierarchies appeared in village life; status of women was lowered as women were confined more to domestic duties.
• Invention of the wheel and plow made it possible to produce enough food for storage.
• Villages were polytheists, worshiped multiple nature, human, and animal Gods.
• Fertile crescent in Mesopotamia was perfect back then. Great soil, fresh water, etc..

When and where did human beings first emerge? - 200,000 years ago in Southwestern Africa.

Why did the period known as "prehistory" end? - Idk

 What made the rise of civilization possible? - Increased ability to take care of young children. More food.

How did hunter/gatherers live? - They migrated to a lot of different places in search for food and other needs. Hunted, gathered, and fished for food.

First Post of the Second Semester

Today in class, we took attendance and tried to get everyone to make a new blog account for Western Civilization. Since our school WiFi is absolutely horrible, i had to wait till now to make my new blog. I tried about 30 times in school to start my new blog and email Mr.Schick my URL for my blog, but all that came up on my computer screen was "Page not found". I look forward to starting this unit and meeting new people. That's basically all we did today so yea.