Today in class we went over and finished up the powerpoint on Egypt. Since Mr. Schick wasn't here last Friday, i have already posted the notes we went over today. Overall today was a good class.

Today in class we went over the Gun, Germ, Steel test. I did really well on that test, I got a 96 !! After Mr. Schick gave us all the test back, we went over the test. We went around the room, read the question then gave the answer.  The one question that I got wrong was a mistake that I made, and I now know the correct answer.

Daily Life

• Slaves/servants helped the wealthy with household & child raising duties 
• farmers raised wheat, barley, lentils, onions - benefitted from irrigation of the Nile
• Artisans would carve statues & reliefs showing military battles & scenes in the after life. 
• Money/ barter system was used - merchants might accept bags of grain for payment - later coinage came about. 
• Scribes kept records, told stories, wrote poetry described anatomy & medical treatments 
• They wrote in hieroglyphs & in hieratic 
• Soldiers used wooden weapons (bows, arrows, and spears) with bronze tips & might ride chariots
• Upper class known as the "white kilt class" - priests, physicians engineers. 

Pharaohs 

• the political & religious  leader of the Egyptian people, holding the titles "Lord of the Two Lands" and "High priest of Every Temple" 
• As the "Lord of the Two Lands" the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper & Lower Egypt 
• He owned all land, made laws, collected taxes, defended Egypt against foreigners 
• Hatshepsut was a women who served as pharaoh
• Cleopatra VII also served as pharaoh, but much later (51 - 30 B.C) more on her when we study Greece 

Goddesses & Gods

• over 2,000 Gods & Goddesses
• they "controlled" the lives of humans 

Notes from class 2/11/15 ...

geography 

• Egyptian life is centered around the nile River
• it flows south to north 
• everyone lives near the nile 
• Water for drinking, irrigating, bathing, transportation (sails)
• every july it floods 
• every october it leaves behind rich soil
• delta is a broad triangular area of fertile soil
• longest river in the world 

Pyramids 

• Great Sphinx of Giza 
• built 2555 - 2532 b.c.
• recumbent lion with a human head 
• oldest monumental statue in the world. 

Daily Life

• Slaves/servants helped the wealthy with household & child raising duties 
• farmers raised wheat, barley, lentils, onions - benefitted from irrigation of the Nile
• Artisans would carve statues & reliefs showing military battles & scenes in the after life. 
• Money/ barter system was used - merchants might accept bags of grain for payment - later coinage came about. 

Today in class we had our first quiz on the video Guns, Germs, Steel. I thought that the test was easy, but I think I should've studied more, so I would of had a better grade. I think that I will get an 80 or above. After class we went over the test on Mesopotamia, and fixed anything that was wrong. Im glad we went over the test so we could use our test as an exam review.

Today in Western Civ, we started off by moving our seats. Then we got our tests back, there was 3 rings of the bell I think, and I was one of them.  We also got informed that we would have a test on Guns, Germs, and Steel on Monday. We went over people questions and then Mr. Schick gave us an idea of what types of questions would be on the test like what lands were lucky enough to have growth, why Jarred Diamond was in Papuanew Guiea.

Today I wasn't in class because i don't feel good. So here are the notes that Chris gave me ....

• These people invented plaster
• Plaster made the house smooth inside
• Created a new job for the people 
• Stone had to be heated for days at over 1,000 degrees
• New Guinea never technologically developed
• Spent too much time feeding themselves
• Fertile Crescent is no longer the power house
• Most villages were abandoned
• Too dry for farming
• Entire communities were forced to move on
• Animals moved from the Fertile Crescent
• Once they reached Egypt, they caused an explosion of civilization
• Suddenly - enough food for everyone
• Same is true for European civilizations
• 16th century - crops and animals taken to America from Europe
• Diamond was criticized
• Divisions of the world are not set in stone
• Some New Guineans try to catch up to the rest of the world but they still have a long way to go
• Geography is the answer to the New Guinean's question
• All of their time was spent making sure there was enough food for their people
• Used to farm as much as possible and then moved on to a new location