First student: “The pillars at the front of the school? Hmm, would you say they’re Doric,Ionic or Corinthian?”
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Second student: “We’re just starting to study geometry and trigonometry in Maths.”
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Third student: “I’d like to take Philosophy in Year 11. I’ve heard the teacher is very good. She uses the Socraticmethod…”
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Fourth student: “You know one thing I hate about school? It’s so undemocratic. The teachers are all despots.”
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Every single one of these statements touches on the legacy of the ancient Greeks. We might have arrived at all of these concepts without them, but since we can never know what would have been in history, we can’t be sure.
Now there’s a philosophical question…
You are about to visit another ancient civilisation, one whose influence reaches, as the examples above show, to the present day.
By the way, all the photos in this post were taken by my brother Ern during his trip to Greece. I am using them with his permission.
Write brief answers IN SENTENCES to the questions below, using the websites provided or your textbook.
Was Charlemagne a brutal warlord or the founder of western European culture? Or are both of these descriptions too extreme? See if you can decide what kind of man Charlemagne was.
Charlemagne set up a significant and powerful empire and was influential in the development of Europe.
Even though Charlemagne is remembered for his contributions to law, justice and education, he sometimes took harsh measures against those who resisted his power. For instance, he forced people to be baptised as Christians and executed thousands of Saxon prisoners in one day.
Strange, isn’t it? On the one hand, Charlemagne was a man who encouraged learning and admired scholars. On the other, he was prepared to act viciously to strengthen and consolidate his power.
Try to find out more by reading the websites below.
♦Create a dossier of Charlemagne on one piece of A4 paper.
♦Present the information in your own words.
♦Use pictures from the internet and add captions.
♦Reach some conclusions of your own about the character of Charlemagne.
Violent death and the ancient Romans – they go together somehow.
There’s an introduction to the ancient Romans below, followed by some pictures and, at the bottom of this post, some relaxing activities. You should only do these activities if you have already completed your comment on the ancient Egyptians and their legacies (in the post below this one).
THE ROMANS…
The BBC website describes the Romans as “ingenious but brutal”. I think this is a succinct and accurate description. The Romans built superbly designed roads, triumphal arches and aqueducts. They administered a massive empire for hundreds of years, but despite their brilliance in many fields they had a brutal streak.
The Romans are famous for their cruel punishments, such as the one inflicted on Jesus and the thousands of slaves they executed for rebellion along the Appian Way; for the blood sports in their amphitheatres, where by all accounts they bayed for blood and got it; and for the decadence they displayed during their huge banquets. These are just a few examples of how they often used their inventive ideas in cruel and unprincipled ways.
Nevertheless, their influence on the modern world has been immeasurable, like that of the ancient Greeks. Most modern languages have many words that originate from Latin; the script used by the Romans is the one used in most countries for writing today; the administrative methods, architecture and engineering of the ancient Romans have been admired and emulated ever since their empire finally collapsed.
The Western Roman Empire officially came to an end in 476AD, a date that is usually considered to mark the end of the ancient period and the beginning of the medieval period. This depends on which historian you read, of course.
Ironically and paradoxically, even though they were in many ways warlike and vicious, they imposed upon their large empire an enforced peace. Even in the midst of all their decadence, the learning and ideas that flourished during that time of peace (known as “Pax Romana”) provided a basis for later civilisations to build upon.
But you don’t need to worry about all that today! You can just chill out, become a gladiator, design a mosaic or do another activity in the box below the pictures. Be nice to your sub.
Kind regards,
Ms Green.
Our family friend, John Bayley, took this shot of a reenactment of a Roman chariot race during his visit to Jordan some years ago.
Reenactment of a Roman legion in formation, taken by John Bayley during his trip to Jordan some years ago.
Roman Mosaics: The Romans loved to make pictures with small tiles. Click HERE for some pictures of Roman mosaics to inspire you. Then try making your own by clicking on my mosaic below to go to a site that lets you design one online.
Click HERE to view a Roman mosaic of a dog – you will love it.
A Roman Street
Toss everything that doesn’t belong in a Roman street into the time tunnel in this game from the BBC. Click HERE.