10-Medieval Times

Here are some fun links about the early medieval period:

This is a video trailer for a special the History Channel did on the Dark Ages:


Now. here is a game from the BBC, where you can take the part of a Viking and see if you are able to successfully conduct a raid as a Viking.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/vikings/launch_gms_viking_quest.shtml


here was my final score of 494 points... I failed btw

Secondly, you can make your own Dark Ages character.
This is the link:
http://www.history.com/marquee.do?content_type=Marquee_Generic&content_type_id=53129&display_order=5&marquee_id=53127

here is mine:

9-Hollywood's & Arabs plus Heavy Metal Islam

In some of the classes during our discussion on the rise of the Islamic empires, I mentioned a couple of interesting links I'd like you to check out. The first here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/22/AR2007062202158.html
is about a documentary came out last year which discusses the history of how Arab's are often pigeon holed and stereotyped as certain character types in Hollywood films. I found it interesting the phrase "the three B's" in which how most Arabs are seen in film. Read the article to find out that those three B's are!

Secondly, I have a link to an NPR audio track in which you can either read or listen to which discusses how modern music, like Heavy Metal is bringing about change in Islam today.

Here is the link:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92421152

King Tut...A Father?

Our study of Egypt is over, but I couldn't pass up this story. Mummified remains of two female fetuses have been found in King Tut's tomb! Scientists believe that at least one of the mummies is the stillborn daughter of King Tut.

Back in 1979, Scientists compared the blood data from one of the fetus with that of King Tut, and they say it is very likely that it was one of King Tut's children. Said Zahi Hawass, the fetuses will soon undergo DNA testing and CAT scans to determine their parentage. This will help to determine the long-mysterious lineage of the boy king.

Of course, debate runs wild on the subject. Egyptologists have long debated whether these mummies are the children of Tut and his wife Ankhesenamun, or if they are symbolic of allowing the young king to be like a newborn in the afterlife.

This DNA test is also to determine if Tut's wife is his half-sister, or full-sister. Ankhesenamun is the daughter of Nefertiti, who has been long reguarded by scholars as Tut's mother.

The DNA tests are expected to be finished in December, so be looking for it in the news!

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/08/15/king-tut-fetus-02.html

Pupil-less Roman Statues...blind by choice?

As you saw during our discussion on the Roman Empire, Roman statues are usually depicted without pupils in their eyes. Many of you asked, "How come?"

The answer to this question has two parts. The decision to depict the eye without a pupil is a stylistic choice by the artist. The eye is too complex to depict it as it really is, so the Roman artists had a decision to make. The pupil is actually a hole, but it is covered by the cornea, making the eye in the shape of a closed orb. It is impossible to depict a "hole" in a clay statue, so the artist needed to make a choice. (If this is confusing, go to the web link below for a better explanation).

For the Romans, they chose to keep a blank eye. It is simply a matter of preference for the artist.

Let's look at this from a World History perspective. Many different cultures and regions in many different time periods have made this decision about what to do with the eye. What do you think influenced the artist's decision in each region/time period? In other words, why would a Chinese sculptor choose a different technique than a Roman sculpture? You never know when a question like this will pop up on the AP Test!

Bonus: Who can name the famous Roman depicted in that statue? (Hint...it's NOT Caesar!)

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Sculpture-3689/Roman-Statues.htm

7-Deciphering the Buddha

This is the site I mentioned in class today about how you can look at a statue of the Buddha and decipher what the pose is implying. This is interactive and allows you to change the Buddha's posture and understand the meaning behind each. 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tibet/buddha.html

For those of you interested in learning more about Buddhism and how it spread from India and throughout the Silk Road, please visit this informative link: http://www.silk-road.com/artl/buddhism.shtml

Is Caesar Salad named after Julius Caesar?

Hello World History family! Have you ever wondered if Caesar Salad was named after Julius Caesar? Here's the real story...


Caesar salad's actually named after Caesar Cardini, an Italian chef. He lived in San Diego, but had a restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico. One night in 1924, he had a lot of people come to his restaurant. His cupboards were almost empty, so he just threw everything he had into a bowl. Thus, the Caesar salad was born! So next time someone tries to convince you that it's named after Julius Caesar, you just laugh and wow them with your plethora of World History knowledge!

- Allison, peer teacher, per. 5


Bonus fact: Caesar salads were first eaten with no silverware! Just your hands!
(Check out this website for a recipe for Caesar salad! Yum!)
http://eternallycool.net/2008/03/beware-the-ides-of-march-caesar-salad/

6-Was Cleopatra a Beauty?

I found this a fun reading and video regarding the famous Cleopatra and whether or not this famous woman was actually beautiful.

From Wikipedia:

"In most depictions, Cleopatra is put forward as a great beauty and her successive conquests of the world's most powerful men is taken to be proof of her aesthetic and sexual appeal. Whether or not she would have been considered beautiful by current standards is unknown, but clearly she was appealing by the standards of her time. The philosopher Blaise Pascal contends that Cleopatra's classically beautiful profile changed world history: "Cleopatra's nose, had it been shorter, the whole face of the world would have been changed."

Here is some evidence against this great beauty myth:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17157862