Ancient Ointment

In 2005, Italian archaeologists discovered 2,000+ year old lotion left nearly intact in the cosmetic case of an aristocratic Etruscan woman. While excavating a necropolis near the Tuscan town of Chiusi, an intact tomb, dating to c. 250 BCE, was found. It bore the name of Thana Presnti Plecunia Umranalisa, a member of one of the most important aristocratic families of Chiusi. The archaeologists’ discovery was only recently made public after chemical analysis revealed the original compounds of the ancient lotion.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/07/10/ancient-ointment.htm

--Shahriyar J., Period 7

1st Century Shipwrecks Found Near Ventotene

Archaeologists have recently discovered five shipwrecks from the Roman-era deep under the Mediterranean. The ships contain many amphorae (ceramic vases used for storing food) which may have contained wine, olive oil, and fish sauce. Other things found on the ships include mortaria (large bowls) and Campanian wine. The ships appear to have been transporting goods from North Africa, Italy and Spain. It is thought that the ships sunk during a storm while heading for safe harbor on Ventotene. Some artifacts from the ships have been taken to be cleaned and put on display in the museum of Ventotene. Most of the ships appear to e untouched, lying carefully preserved on the sand for over one thousand years. These ships and their cargo have proved Ventotene to have been a major trading crossroad in the ancient world. http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/07/24/shipwrecks-italy.html

-Chase Ochrach, Period 3

31-If WW2 was Real Time Strategy Game

If World War Two had been an online Real Time Strategy game, the chat room traffic would have gone something like this.

*Hitler[AoE] has joined the game.*
*Eisenhower has joined the game.*
*paTTon has joined the game.*
*Churchill has joined the game.*
*benny-tow has joined the game.*
*T0J0 has joined the game.*
* Roosevelt has joined the game.*
*Stalin has joined the game.*
*deGaulle has joined the game.*
Roosevelt : hey sup
T0J0: y0
Stalin: hi
Churchill: hi
Hitler[AoE]: cool, i start with panzer tanks!
paTTon: lol more like panzy tanks
T0JO: lol
Roosevelt : o this sucks i got a depression!
benny-tow: haha america sux
Stalin: hey hitler you dont fight me i dont fight u, cool?
Hitler[AoE]; sure whatever
Stalin: cool
deGaulle: **** Hitler rushed some1 help
Hitler[AoE]: lol byebye frenchy
Roosevelt : i dont got anythin to help, sry
Churchill: poo the luftwaffle is attacking me
Roosevelt : get antiair guns
Churchill: i cant afford them
benny-tow: u n00bs know what team talk is?
paTTon: shut up
Roosevelt : o yah hit the navajo button guys
deGaulle: eisenhower ur worthless come help me quick
Eisenhower: i cant do anythin til rosevelt gives me an army
paTTon: yah hurry the heck up
Churchill: d00d im gettin pounded
deGaulle: this is weak u guys suck
*deGaulle has left the game.*
Roosevelt : im gonna attack the axis k?
benny-tow: with what? ur wheelchair?
benny-tow: lol did u mess up ur legs AND ur head?
Hitler[AoE]: ROFL
T0J0: lol o no america im comin 4 u
Roosevelt : #%$! thats dumb im gunna kick ur butts
T0JO: not without ur harbors u wont! lol
Roosevelt : u little… ill get u
Hitler[AoE]: OMG
Hitler[AoE]: america hax, u had depression and now u got a huge army
Hitler[AoE]: thats ridic u hacker
Churchill: lol no more france for u hitler
Hitler[AoE]: tojo help me!
T0J0: what u want me to do, im on the other side of the world retard
Hitler[AoE]: fine ill clear you a path
Stalin: what r u doin?!? we had a truce!
Hitler[AoE]: i changed my mind lol
benny-tow: haha
benny-tow: hey ur losing ur guys in africa im gonna need help in italy soon sum1
T0J0: o **** i cant help u i got my hands full
Hitler[AoE]: im 2 busy 2 help
Roosevelt: yah thats right ***** im comin for ya
Stalin: church help me
Churchill: like u helped me before? sure ill just sit here
Stalin: dont be a meanie
Churchill: dont be a commie. oops too late
Eisenhower: LOL
benny-tow: hahahh oh no help
Hitler: o man ur doomed
paTTon: oh what now
Roosevelt : whos the cripple now lol
*benny-tow has been eliminated.*
benny-tow: lame
Roosevelt : gj patton
paTTon: thnx
Hitler[AoE]: OMG eisenhower hax hes killing all my stuff
Hitler[AoE]: quit u hacker so u dont ruin my record
Eisenhower: Nuts!
benny~tow: whats that mean?
paTTon: coming to get u hitler u paper hanging hun
Stalin: rofl
T0J0: HAHAHHAA
Hitler[AoE]: u guys are dumb
Hitler[AoE]: ur never getting in my city
*Hitler[AoE] has been eliminated.*
benny~tow: OMG u noob you killed yourself
Eisenhower: ROFLOLOLOL
Stalin: OMG LMAO!
Hitler[AoE]: i didnt click there omg this game sucks
*Hitler[AoE] has left the game*
paTTon: hahahhah
T0J0: lameeeee my teammates are n00bs
benny~tow: shut up noob
Roosevelt : haha wut a moron
paTTon: what am i gunna do now?
Eisenhower: yah me too
T0J0: why dont u attack me o thats right u dont got no ships lololol
Eisenhower: shut up
paTTon: lemme go thru ur base commie
Stalin: noooooooope lol
paTTon: im dun wit this
Eisenhower: yah this is dumb
* Roosevelt has left the game.*
Hitler[AoE]: ???
Eisenhower: now we need some1 to join
*tru_m4n has joined the game.*
tru_m4n: hi all
T0J0: hey
Stalin: sup
Churchill: hi
tru_m4n: OMG OMG OMG i got all his stuff!
tru_m4n: NUKES! HOLY **** I GOT NUKES
Stalin: d00d gimmie some plz
tru_m4n: no way i only got like a couple
Stalin: omg dont be dumb gimmie nuculer secrets
T0J0: what is nukes?
T0J0: holy ****holy****hoyl****!
*T0J0 has been eliminated.*
*The Allied team has won the game!*
Eisenhower: awesome!
Churchill: gg noobs no re
T0J0: this is ridic! Im dun
*T0J0 has left the game.*
*Eisenhower has left the game.*
Stalin: next game im not going to be on ur team, u guys didnt help me
Churchill: wutever, we didnt need ur help neway
tru_m4n: l8r all
benny~tow: bye
Churchill: l8r
Stalin: I hate u all
tru_m4n: shut up commie lol
*tru_m4n has left the game.*
benny~tow: lololol u commie
Churchill: ROFL
Churchill: bye commie
*Churchill has left the game.*
*benny~tow has left the game.*
Stalin: i hate u all
*Stalin has left the game.*
paTTon: lol no1 is left
paTTon: weeeee i got a jeep
*paTTon has been eliminated.*
paTTon: awwww….
*paTTon has left the game.*

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