Funny, eh?

Extra-Credit Opportunity: Roman Documentaries on the History Channel

Saturday, Dec. 3:

"8-10pm -- Rome: Engineering an Empire - For more than 500 years, Rome was the most powerfuland advanced civilization the world had ever known,ruled by visionaries and tyrants whose accomplishmentsranged from awe-inspiring to deplorable. Onecharacteristic linked them all--ambition--and thethirst for power that all Roman emperors shared fueledan unprecedented mastery of engineering and labor.This documentary special chronicles the spectacularand sordid history of the Roman Empire from the riseof Julius Caesar in 55 BC to its eventual fall around537 AD, detailing the remarkable engineering featsthat set Rome apart from the rest of the ancientworld. Featuring extensive state-of-the-art CGIanimation, and exclusive never-before-seen footageshot on a diving expedition in the water channelsunderneath the Colosseum.

10-12am -- Roman Vice - The flowering of the Roman Empire saw incomparablepower and civilization - and at the same timecorruption, cruelty and depravity on an unparalleledscale. Emperors from Augustus to Tiberius and Nerobuilt the biggest empire the world had ever seen,while presiding over a way of life riddled withviolence, deviancy and excess. This special visits thearchaeological sites of ancient Rome, talks to leadinghistorians world-wide and uses stylish reconstructionsto describe and explain how good and evil went side byside."

Monday, Dec.5:
"10-11pm -- Battlefield Detectives - Siege of Masada.Masada is an extraordinary place and an epic story. Aseemingly impregnable mountain fortress built by KingHerod, it rises from the Judean desert of Israel closeby the Dead Sea. It's said that there, 2,000 yearsago, a band of Jewish freedom fighters defied themight of the Roman legions for three years. How didthey hold out against such odds? How did the Romansconduct a siege in such a hostile environment? TheRomans eventually battered their way into thefortress. But in a famous act of defiance, all theJews chose death over slavery. Overnight 960 men,women, and children committed suicide rather thansubmit to their Roman conquerors. Or did they? Today,using the latest scientific tools and re-examiningarchaeological evidence, experts are piecing togethera new story of the Masada siege, one that threatens tooverturn a legend."

Sunday, December 11:
10-11pm -- Ancient Discoveries - Ships.Lurking beneath Lake Nemi's blue waters lay the titansof Roman naval engineering--the Nemi Ships. Titanicluxury liners of the ancient world, they heldinventions lost for thousands of years. But why werethey built? Were they Caligula's notorious floatingpleasure palaces--rife with excess and debauchery?Flagships of a giant sea force? It took Mussolini'sobsession with all things Roman to finally prise thetwo wrecks from the depths of Lake Nemi near Rome.Using an ancient Roman waterway, he drained the lakeand rescued the ships, an accomplishment captured onfilm that we access to illustrate this astoundingstory. Sophisticated ancient technology discovered inthe boats transformed the understanding of Romanengineering overnight. Yet by 1944, the adventure hadturned sour and the retreating German army torched theboats. We reveal the mysteries of the Nemi Ships andthe ancient technology that made them possible."

Post an analytical comment to this entry and receive EC!

FYI: Holocaust Links

growabrain: Work Makes You Free

Last Calendar Update for December

WEEK THIRTEEN:
Tuesday, Nov. 29 - No class...

Thursday, Dec. 1 -

WEEK FOURTEEN:
Tuesday, Dec. 6 - What's so great about Charlemagne?

• Hunt, pp. 274-294 & pp. 307-315.

Thursday, Dec. 8 - Local Government in Medieval Europe

• Hunt, pp. 315-335
• Duby, "Rural Economy" in Social Dimension

WEEK FIFTEEN:
Thursday, Dec. 15: Final Exam - 10:15 in our room 330!

For Fun! Merovingian Name Generator!!

Be your own Merovingian Ruler!

Quotes of the Day

"I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think."

- Socrates

"You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him discover it within himself."

- Galileo Galilei

The Hajj

The Hajj

The Five Pillars of Islam

IslamiCity.com - The Five Pillars of Islam

Newsflash: "New museum spotlights Jewish Rome"

ANSA.it - News in English - New museum spotlights Jewish Rome: "Rome's Jewish community, the oldest in Europe, on Tuesday opened a museum to document its long and eventful history ."

FYI: "Last allied witness of WWI Christmas truce dies"

Last allied witness of WWI Christmas truce dies - Yahoo! News

FYI: "Longest of Dead Sea Scrolls to Visit U.S."

Longest of Dead Sea Scrolls to Visit U.S. - Yahoo! News

FYI: The real site of the biblical "Armageddon"!

"The Megiddo Expedition: Located at a site that is of immense historical importance, the excavation sat Megiddo in Israel have drawn researchers and archaeologists for over onehundred years. In the ancient world, Megiddo was a nexus of what may betermed 'international' trade, as caravans of merchants came through from asfar as Asia and Africa. Of course, there are a number of other reasons thesite is tremendously important, including the fact that the Egyptians first began their empire-building ways when in the 15th century BCE they moved to conquer Canaan here. This site, developed by Tel Aviv University, allows visitors to explore a virtual recreation of this ancient site and to learn about the work of previous excavation on the site which have provided new insights into the Bronze Age. Interested parties may also want to read thecurrent and back issues of their newsletter, 'Revelations,' and learn about how they may join an upcoming excavation on the site."

(from The Scout Report Volume 11, Number 46 [November 18, 2005])

FYI: Torture - "The Wheel"

The Wheel

FYI: Newsflash-"Ivory Roman Emperor Emerges from Forum"

ANSA.it - News in English - Ivory emperor emerges from Forum: " 'Unique' find probably Marcus Aurelius or Septimius Severus... Very few ancient Roman ivory objects have survived to the present day because ivory is a biodegradable material!"

FYI - Hunters and Gatherers in the news!

Pa. May Let Hunters Use Prehistoric Weapon - Yahoo! News

For Fun! Tom Hanks is going to star in the Holy Grail mystery thriller The DaVinci Code. What should they do to make it more "Hanksian"?

Q: It looks as if Tom Hanks is going to star in the Holy Grail mystery thriller The DaVinci Code. What should they do to the adaptation of the runaway bestseller to make it more "Hanksian"?

A: Daily Poll Results!

Basilicas (Ancient Roman & Early Christian)

Below... the original Christian Basilica of Saint Peter's in Rome, built by Constantine

(Third Century A.D.)

The part on the right of the entrance courtyard is based on the typical Roman "town hall" structure below!

Above... the Roman (governmental!) Basilica of Co-Emperors Maxentius and Constantine in Rome

(Early Fourth Century, A.D.)

Interior of the Christian Basilica of Saint Apollonare in Classe, Ravenna (Sixth Century, A.D.)

Extra-Credit Reprise of "The Crusades"

Special Presentation
The Crusades: Crescent andthe Cross, (2 Parts)Saturday, November 12th at 8 PM/7c and 10PM/9c

FYI: Christ as Roman Soldier Mosaic

Psalm 90: 13: Thou shalt walk upon the asp and the basilisk: and thou shalt trample under foot the lion and the dragon.

Compare this image of Christ to the image of the Emperor Valens on a coin from 364-7 (at left)

(from "Post-Constantinian Conception of Christ")

From the Chapel of S. Andrea in the Archbishop's Palace, Ravenna Italy

(Fourth Century A.D.)

FYI: Early Christian Christ Mosaics vs. Roman Emperor Images

From the Church of Sant'Apollonare in Ravenna, Italy

(Sixth century A.D.)

Emperor Justinian from the church of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy

(Sixth century A.D.)

Below, also from the Church of San Vitale. Notice a beardless Christ is dressed in imperial purple and gold, has a halo and holds a crown (like Justinian's at right) in his left hand. He's also enthroned upon a globe showing his dominion over the earth, just like sometimes emperors were depicted.

But, believe it or not, this below is not Christ enthroned...

It's actually the Roman emperor Theodosius (346-395 A.D.)

(Notice the halo o' power!)

FYI - Virtual Reality Tour of Ravenna! (Gorgeous early Christian art & architecture!!)

Immagini Dinamiche

FYI: Mithras and Christ

• Mithra and Christ
• The Virtual Mithraeum: A temple to the Roman god Mithras

FYI: Matrimonium/Roman Marriage

Matrimonium - Roman Marriage - Confarreatio | Coemptio | Usus | Sine Manu

For fun! Graffiti from Pompeii...

Graffiti from Pompeii

FYI - "Pompeii: Stories from an Eruption"

Pompeii: Stories from an Eruption

FYI: Archaeologists Discover Ancient Church in "Armageddon"

Archaeologists Discover Ancient Church - Yahoo! News

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Re: last week's discussion about Augustus as "father of his country":

"I bet after seeing us, George Washington would sue us for calling him 'father.'" -Will Rogers, Cowboy Humorist (1879-1935)

:-)

FYI: The Journey of Mankind

"We are the descendants of a few small groups of tropical Africans who united in the face of adversity, not only to the point of survival but to the development of a sophisticated social interaction and culture expressed through many forms.

The Bradshaw Foundation, in association with Stephen Oppenheimer, presents a virtual global journey of modern man over the last 160,000 years. The map will show the interaction of migration and climate over this period." (from The Presurfer)

Extra-Credit Opportunity - "The Crusades: Crescent & The Cross" on the History Channel this weekend!

Just received via email today!

Special Presentation: "The Crusades: Crescent and the Cross" (2 Parts)

Sunday, November 6th at 9PM/8c and Monday, November 7th

"For thousands of years, the holy lands of the Middle East have been the focus of intense conflict between three of the great religions of the world –Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. One of the deepest scars in the history of these territories was created in the medieval wars between Christians and Muslimsknown as the Crusades. At stake was Jerusalem, sacred to all three religions, and the control over the broader region surrounding it. Through viewing the Crescent and the Cross, students will build their knowledge of this era in global history and will discover the complex interweaving of politics, ethnicity, and religion that both enriches and plagues world events today. The Crusades: Crescent & The Cross details the history of the first three crusades, militaryinvasions by western Christians attempting to conquer Jerusalem and the Holy Lands that were ruled by Muslims. First initiated by Pope Urban II in 1095, the crusades were carried out by zealous kings, warriors, knights, men, women and children. Their motives ranged from the saintly to the greedy, and often fell somewhere in between. Their personal stories of leadership, triumph, heroics and demise are chronologically detailed, revealing an accurate and captivating portrayal through the use of contemporary primary sources written by Christian “Franks” (as western Europeans were called) and by Islamic scholars as well. The documentary includes interviews of an international array of acclaimed experts, maps of cities, trips to ancient battlefields and castles, and breath-taking re-enactments."

For more info, check out the home page for "The Crusades"! For EC, post an analytical comment to this announcement...

Lastly, there's also a $5000 debate contest associated with this program! Interested??

UPDATED:Full Calendar for November

WEEK NINE

Tuesday, Nov. 1 - The Rise of Rome

• Hunt, chapter 4

Thursday, Nov. 3 - DISCUSSION & ESSAY: "The Achievements of Augustus"

• Hunt, pp. 171-195;
• Weisner, "The Achievements of Augustus"
• Turn in at classtime essay addressing the following questions: "How did Augustus transform the Roman republic into an empire? Why was he successful where Julius Caesar had not been?"

WEEK TEN

Tuesday, Nov. 8 - The Fate of the Empire

• Hunt, pp. 204-221

Thursday, Nov. 10 - DISCUSSION: A new religion...

• Dixon, "Roman Marriage," in Social Dimension
• Scobie, "Slums, Sanitation & Morality," in Social Dimension
• Pagels, "God the Father/God the Mother," in Social Dimension
• Hunt, pp. 195-235 & 221-235
• Weisner, "The Development of Orthodoxy"

WEEK ELEVEN

Tuesday, Nov. 15 - Heirs to the Empire: Byzantium & the Germanic Kingdoms

• Hunt, pp. 235-266 & 274-289

Thursday, Nov. 17 - DISCUSSION: Ancient Ethics - Slavery & Suicide

• PAPER DUE TUESDAY, NOV.22!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Mendelsohn, "Slavery in the Ancient Near East," in Social Dimension, pp. 16-25
• Weisner, "Philosophy & Faith: The Problem of Ancient Suicide" and "Slave Law in Roman and Germanic Society"

WEEK TWELVE

Tuesday, Nov. 22 - Heirs to the Empire: Islam

• Hunt, pp. 266-274 & 301-306

Thursday, Nov. 24 - NO CLASS... HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

FYI - Leonardo da Vinci's life told in documents

ANSA.it - News in English - Leonardo's life told in documents

Universe Today - How Advanced Can a Civilization Become?

Universe Today - How Advanced Can a Civilization Become?