Daily #16

The origins of theatre are tied into religion and politics in many ways. Religion was very important in the origins of theatre because the Athenian religious festival was an integral part to the theatres and they honored the god Dionysus. The tragedies that took place in the theatres occurred in front of temples to be reverent to the Athenian gods. Many of the plays that took place had characters that were either gods or goddesses and sacrifices were often performed during the plays. City Dionysia was a religious festival that included tragedies and comedies that were eventually performed and this festival honored the famous god, Dionysus. The plays probably honored an ancient Greek god or goddesses depending on what the play was about and since religion was so important to the Greeks, they had to infiltrate their own religion somehow. The plays at the theatre of Dionysus were usually performed outdoors in open-air auditoriums because many of the religious affairs were conducted outside. Politics were tied into theatre in ancient Greece because the theatres were funded and taken care by the Athenian government and many of the male actors that performed in the plays were probably in the high class. If the actors performed well enough to exceed everyone’s expectations, they could be offered a political position as a reward of their achievements. The theatres in ancient Greek were not really part of the business world like they are now and the plays went on because the people had the power to make them happen. This means that the democracy was really influential for the theatres of Greece so religion and politics were somehow tied into theatres.

Dail #15

I do not think Socrates really got what he deserved because it was definitely not fair for the Athenians to arrest him for expressing his beliefs. It does not make much sense that Socrates got arrested because Athens at the time was a democracy and Socrates should have had the right to speak up and voice his own opinion. Socrates really helped Athens rise to a great empire with his superior intellect and his mind and suddenly the people of Athens were turning against him for some reason. The main reason why the Athenians got mad at Socrates was they needed someone to blame for the results of the Peloponnesian War and they decided that Socrates was the cause. Socrates always used reason and logic to understand the world but sometimes his mind got him into trouble.  He often questioned and argued the ancient Greek traditions and the people of Athens were starting to become suspicious of him. He did what was right for the city of Athens during his prime years and it was not his fault that he was forced to die. Socrates was technically arrested for two charges- corrupting the youth of Athens and impiety, which was going against the religious principles of the people and creating your own. He eventually was led into one of the most famous trials of all time and the trial did not go well for him. He was not given much time to defend himself and the Athenians that once admired him for his mind found him guilty of his charges. Socrates then was forced to commit suicide against himself by drinking a deadly potion containing hemlock, and he was 70 years old when he died. I do not think he accepted exile because he wanted to stand up for his beliefs and probably thought death was a better option at the time then exile. He knew the people did not respect him anymore and he knew the people of Athens wanted someone else to replace him.

Daily #14

I really think that Athens was a democracy during their prosperous years because a democracy was formed so the people could have their own say in the government. A democracy formed in Athens in around 508 BC and helped Athens and Greece rise to one of the greatest empires in the Mediterranean. Even though many democracies formed after the rise of Athens from their democracy, Athens had the most well-known democracies history has ever see. The citizens and people of Athens made up the democracy of Athens and they could have their own opinions on laws and other things in Athens. Tyrants and aristocrats ruled before the democracy of Athens started to flourish and one of the main tyrants before the democracy was Peisistratus. Peisistratus was not your typical tyrant during his rule in Athens because he lowered taxes for the people and helped enforce the arts in Athens. When he passed away, he was succeeded by his son Hippias. Hippias was a harsh tyrant who suppressed the people and one citizen, Cleisthenes, was looking at how Athens was changing with Hippias in power. Hippias became very suspicious after the death of his brother and gave no freedom to the people. Cleisthenes took charge now and eventually gained power of Athens after he exiled Hippias from Athens forever. Cleisthenes established a democracy in Athens because he knew the people wanted freedom and they had suffered from aristocrats for so many years prior. The people finally had freedom and power after so many years and Cleisthenes led this revolution. The people made up an assembly, which were meeting where the people would discuss certain legislation and vote on it and also elect officials. The meetings at the assembly helped the citizens of Athens grow and prosper and it gave the opportunity for everyone to voice their opinion. A man named Pericles eventually led the democracy of Athens for a long time and helped the arts flourish during his rule. He led the construction of one of the most well-known structures called the Parthenon and this structure represented the influence of Pericles on the democracy.  The democracy stood strong during numerous wars and conflicts that occurred in Athens but gradually declined after Athens’s surrender to Lysander during the Peloponnesian War. The democracy was still one of the greatest influences on the Greek Empire and helped Athens rise up during its glory years.

Daily #13

There are many differences between the Ancient Greek Olympics and the current Olympic Games today. One thing that is similar for both sets of Olympic Games is the games and events are pretty much the same because many of the ancient games are still played in today’s games like wrestling, boxing, pentathlon, and the horse and chariot races. The difference about the games is that there are so many more today than there were in ancient Greece so there is more of a selection of games to compete in. Another major difference is that religion was very important in the ancient Olympics, but not really that important in the games today. Zeus was the main god that the Greeks worshipped during the games and they even put sacrifices before him so Zeus could bring good luck to the games.  Religion is not used much in today’s games but is still important for some people. In the Ancient Games, the victors were awarded some type of reward like sheep but the victors today are awarded medals depending if they finish in the top three overall. A huge difference is that even though men still compete today and in the past, they played naked in the Ancient Olympic Games but now they must where clothes. Women had their own games in the past honoring Hera but today all women are allowed to play in the Olympic Games. Women were not even allowed to be anywhere close to the main Olympic Games or they would be in trouble. One similarity that will exist for years are that there will always be great athletes during the Olympic Games and they will always be remembered for their achievements. Athletes will not always be admired for their achievements which will always be the case in the Olympic Games for certain people. Athletes will always train for the games so they will try to improve their bodies and become fit for the games. There are definitely a lot of similarities between the Ancient Olympic Games and today’s games but there are also major differences, too.

Source- http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/greeks/greek_olympics_01.shtml

Weekly #3

Josh Mannion, Andrew Beard

February 11, 2011

Western Civ.

Standing Stone of Archbishop John Carroll

            Archbishop John Carroll, the archbishop of Baltimore, died on December 3, 1815 and this standing stone is believed to be the marker of his tomb. The standing stone itself is eight feet tall and weighs 1,200 pounds, surrounded by fourteen smaller stones with lit torches of fire on the sides. The rocks were believed to be positioned here by his closes followers. One theory is that the fourteen small rocks that surround the standing stone are believed to represent all the institutions he had established. The lit torches hold the fire that is said to never burn out. I believe the fire represents the everlasting love of God that Archbishop John Carroll brought to the Baltimore area. Every December 3, the myth is that the ghost of Archbishop John Carroll roams the halls of the John Carroll High School in Bel Air, Maryland to continue his life he had as a teacher. Other people also believe the standing stone was used for a place of worship for a church that Archbishop John Carroll had built. They believe the fourteen stones surrounding the standing stone were people who were turned into stones for not keeping the Sabbath day holy. The correct explanation of why the standing stone and the circle of stones surrounding it is a complete mystery.

Daily #12

I think war is a form of technology because it has to do with the usage and knowledge of tools and is a method that applies these tools. The term war really goes well with the definition at dictionary.com, which is “the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science.” War applies to this definition because war creates its own technical means and is related to using science. Also, this method affects society and the way of live for numerous types of people and it also affects the environment. War creates its own technical means because the armies and military people make their weapons to use in the war and the militaries use all the weapons to their fullest potentials. War also affects the way of life because when a war takes place somewhere, the people who live there are affected negatively and must cope with the war or must flee the area. Society is affected by wars because the government must do something to help the country in the war and the people must protect themselves and make the right decisions. Science is very helpful when it comes to wars because the science behind making weapons must be used for an advantage and medicine must be used and must improve when more and more soldiers get injured. There are so many tools that are used during wars and soldiers must be familiar with them so they can be used properly on such an important stage.  All of these reasons help explain why war is a form of technology.

Technology | Define Technology at Dictionary.com

Daily #11

Structures are definitely improving socially because more and more people are using these structures for good intentions instead of people building these structures and just looking at them. In the past, workers would build structures and they would not get any use out of them from the people so it was kind of pointless for the structures to even exist. Throughout time, society has realized that these structures can be used for good things and for people to go in and use. In today’s world, we are now using pretty much every structure for something and we are even using them for shelter for people to live in temporarily.  This is because the population in many areas of the world is increasing so rapidly that we must use keep building structures so often to keep up with the demand of the people. We are getting a lot of use out of all the buildings so that is a positive but if all the room and space is occupied, that means more homeless people. In terms of the buildings and structures, they will only continue to grow socially in the future.

I also agree that the structures are improving physically because they are becoming larger and stronger and they can hold a large capacity of people. Structures are so much more stable and stronger today compared to the structures in the past. First of all, the structures in the past were not made of strong material and were not good for protection of groups of people. The only exceptions to the statements made earlier are probably the pyramids in Egypt. The structures have come a long way to appear as they do today and the material today is much more abundant so more and more buildings can be built. We Almost every building or major structure in the developed countries are ten times better physically than they were in the past and they are even getting better. If maybe the past civilizations had the strong materials we have today, they could have built the structures to help protect their people. Today, contractors are using their blueprints to the full potential and have so much to work with around them. In the past, there were not many people who were willing to help build but today, there is so much help that is available. If the structures did not improve physically up until now, it would be hard for us to survive.