Day 3

The Republic Collapses

Economic Turmoil

• Gap between rich and poor is large
• 1/3 of population is slaves in 100 B.C. 
• Small farmers went bankrupt because of larger powerful persons (they were former soldiers)
• Tiberius and Gaius were tribunes who fought for the poor (tribunes)
• Tiberuis spoke about the plight of the landless former soldiers
• They both made enemies of numerous senators and both died violent deaths
• Tiberius 133 B.C.
• Gaius 121 B.C.
• Civil War erupted after their death

Military Upheaval

• Generals looked for power for themselves
• The poor were recruited and owed allegiance to the generals who brought them up
• General could then take over by force with their support

Julius Caesar takes Control

• In 60 B.C., Julius Caesar a long with Crassus, a wealthy Roman and Pompey, a popular genral joined forces
• With their help, Caesar was elected consul and they ruled as a triumvirate for the next ten years
• Caesar took over Gual and ruled as governor
• His campaigns from 58 B.C.-50 B.C. led his troops to conquer all of Gual
• Made him very popular in Rome
• Pompey, his now political rival was worried about his upheaval
• In 50 B.C., he ordered Caesar to come back, through he did not
• On the night of January 10, 49 B.C., he invaded Rome and Pompey fled
• Caesars troops defeated Pompeys armies in Greece, Asia, Spain and Egypt
• In 46 B.C. he returned to Rome
• Because of his support, he was elected dictator for life in 44 B.C.

Caesars Reforms

• Though he was absolute ruler he put in place many reforms
• More people became citizens, more in senate
• Poor people worked, more money for soldiers
• Nobles feared his power, thought he was tyrant who stole their influence
• On March 15th, 44 B.C., they stabbed him to death in the senate chamber

Beginning of the Empire

• After Caesars death, civil war broke out
• Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus formed the second triumvirate, and ruled Rome
• It ended in jealousy
• Octavian forced Lepidus to retire
• He and Mark Antony were then rivals
• While leading Rome against enemy troops in Anatolia, Antony met Cleopatra
• Ocatavian accused Antony of plotting against Rome and another civil war broke out
• Octavian defeated the combined forces of Antony and Cleopatra at the naval battle of Actium in 31 B.C., and they both killed themselves
• While restoring parts of Rome, Octavian became unchallenged ruler of Rome and became Augustus, "exulted one"
• He kept title of imperator, or "supreme military commander"

A Vast and Powerful Empire

• From 27 B.C. to 180 A.D., Rome remained peaceful under the rule of Augustus
• This became known as Pax Romana

A Sound Government

• Rome held themselves together through their able rulers
• Augustus was thier ablest ruler
• He glorified Rome and helped it to function
• He set up a civil service
• After his death in 14 A.D. his system of government still remained
• His civil service carried out everyday helped it to remain
• They managed to control an empire stretching through Rome and parts of Asia with many cultures and languages

Agriculture and Trade

• Farming was the industry of over 90% of Rome
• In Augustus' time, a silver coin called the denarius was used throughout Rome
• The Mediterranean Sea was used as trade 
• They traded with China and India as well
• A network of roads across the empire originally used for military also helped trade

The Roman World

• Rome emphasized values of discipline, strength and loyalty
• They were practical
• With this attributes they could obtain the important virtue of gravitas
• Many types of people to form a diverse society

Slaves and Captivity

• Slaves usually came from successful military battles
• treated harshly
• Some strong healthy white men were used as gladiators or professional fighters
• could be punished, set free, or killed based on what their master wanted
• revolted sometimes but not often

Gods and Goddesses

• Earliest Romans worshiped divine forces called numina
• Lares were guardians of each family
• Government and politics were linked
• Gods were symbols of state
• Romans were expected to worship them at private rituals at home or at public worship
• Jupiter- father of gods
• Juno- his wife who watched over women
• Minvera- goddess of wisdom and arts and crafts
• Worship of emperor also became part of official religion in Rome

Society and Culture

• Romes classes were very different
• The rich lived luxurious lives
• Most did not have the necessities of life
• Government provided daily rations
• Behind the beauty of Rome, poor people crowded into inhumane conditions
• To calm down these people, Rome had many festivals, events, races, mock battles etc.
• By 250 A.D., Rome had 150 holidays a year
• On one of these days, the Colosseum, a huge arena that could hold 50,000 held the rich and poor alike
• They watched acts of cruelty, bravery, honor and violence
• Animals fought to death, gladiators fought to the death
• During Pax Romana, Christianity emerged
• Its followers were met with hardships but it eventually became the largest religion in the world

1. a. Civil War is a war within a country. It happened 3 times in Rome most caused by death and rivalry.

b. Julius Caesar was the first emperor of Rome whom had absolute power and got stabbed by members of his government.

c. A triumvirate is a 3 person group of leaders whom lead a country, empire, state etc. It was used in Rome twice.

d. Augustus was a part of the second triumvirate and the final standing member of that group. He forced one of his partners to retire and led another to suicide.

e. Pax Romana is the term used to describe the 207 year peace period in Rome.

3. Generals began to recruit poor citizens to gain more support. This guaranteed support from these people allowed them to gain enough power to over throw the government and become ultimate ruler. 

4. Their system of government and Augustus' idea of a civil service helped to carry out day-to-day operations and keep the empire functioning. 

5. The government ended up adding about 150 holidays throughout the year to hide the fact that thier citizens were treated poorly and to keep them from revolting against them. 

Day 2

Rome Spreads its Power

Rome conquers Italy

• Rome grew slowly but steadily because legions fought for the Italian peninsula
• By the fourth century B.C. they conquered central Italy, by 265 B.C., they conquered all of Italy
• The conquered became a third group of allies, they made no peace treaties with them and as long as they supplied men for the army, it was fine
• After 265 B.C., Romes power spread

Romes Commercial Network

• They used the Mediterranean Sea and land to transport materials such as wine, olives, olive oil, raw materials, and manufactured goods
• Carthage was also a powerful trader whom were in direct opposition with Rome

War With Carthage

• In 264 B.C., Rome went to war with Carthage, starting a long war, called the Punic War
• Between 264 B.C. and 146 B.C., they fought three wars
• 1st War- for control of Sicily and western Mediterranean, Rome won
• 2nd War- Began in 218 B.C., Hannibal was the Carthaginian general behind it
• He assembled army of 50,000 infantry, 9,000 cavalry and 60 elephants
• Marched through Spain and France and up and down Italian peninsula
• Lost some men but for a decade was successful
• His most successful victory was at Cannae in 216 B.C.
• Roman allies prevented them from conquering Rome however

Rome Triumphs

• Roman general, Scipio, matched Hannibals boldness
• His plans would force Hannibal to go back to his city to play defense
• In 202 B.C., in Zama near Carthage, Rome defeated Hannibal
• 3rd War- (149-146 B.C.), Rome laid siege to Carthage, in 146 B.C., the city was set aflame and its 50,000 inhabitants were put into slavery
• Its territory made Roman province
• Victory in Punic Wars gave dominance over western Mediterranean
• By about 70 B.C., Romes empire stretched from Anatolia in the east to Spain in the west

1. a. Rome used a republic as their form of government

b. A patrician was the rich and noble class and Rome and usually took part in government

c. Plebians were the middle and poor class, they worked ordinary and labor jobs

d. Tribunes were representatives of the lower class whom would protect them and fight for them in government

e. Consuls were like kings and commanded the army and directed the government

f. the senate the aristocratic branch of Roman government, with both legislative and administrative functions in the republic

g. A dictator was used in absolute crisis of Rome, they had ultimate power

h. A legion was a large group of soldiers. The Roman army was divided into legions and it helped with organization and success

i. The Punic Wars were a long struggles of 3 wars between Rome and Carthage

j. Hannibal was a young, successful military general of the Carthaginian army whom tried to invade and conquer Rome, but failed

3. A consuls term was only one year long, and they could not serve again for another ten years. Also, the other consul could veto, or overrule the others decisions.

4. The twelve tables were the first set of written laws for Rome, and it made the legal system more reliable and permanent.

5. He tried to surprise Rome by invading from the north instead of a head on attack.

Day 1

Main Ideas

• Rome began as a republic, a government in which elected officials represent the people. Eventually, absolute rulers called emperors seized power and expanded the empire.
• At its height, the Roman Empire touched three continents- Europe, Asia, and Africa. for several centuries, Rome brought peace and prosperity to its empire before its eventual collapse.
• Out of Judea rose a monotheistic, or single-god, religion known as Christianity. Based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, it soon spread throughout Rome and beyond.

Timeline

• 509 B.C.- Rome becomes a republic
• 321 B.C.- Chandragupta Maurya founds Mauryan Empire in India
• 264 B.C.- First Punic War begins
• 218 B.C.- In the Second Punic War, Hannibal invades Italy
• 202 B.C.- Han Dynasty takes power in China
• 31 B.C.- Octavian defeats the forces of Antony and Cleopatra (bust of Cleopatra)
• 100 A.D.- Moche culture arises in South America 
• 284 A.D.- Diocltian becomes emperor of Rome
• 300 A.D.- Aksum kingdom emerges in east Africa
• 476 A.D.- Western Roman Empire falls

_________________________________________________________________________________

The Roman Republic

The Origins of Rome

• According to legend the city of Rome was founded in 753 B.C.
• Founded by Romulus and Remus, twin sons of the God Mars and a Latin princess (legend)
• Rome located on Tiber, with good fertile soil, supposedly where the two Demi-Gods grew up
• Built on 7 hills, almost midpoint of Mediterranean Sea
• From about 1000 B.C. to 500 B.C., Greeks, Latins and Etruscans fought for the area Rome would inhabit
• Latins built wooden structures and huts atop the Palatine Hill; they were the first settlers of Rome
• Between 750 B.C. and 600 B.C., Greece established colonies along southern Italy and Sicily, which brought them into closer contact with Rome
• Etruscans were natives of northern Italy and worked as metalworkers and engineers. Romans used their alphabet and parts of architecture

The Early Republic

• Around 600 B.C., an Etruscan became king of Rome
• Following, Rome grew from numerous hilltop villages to a city that covered nearly 500 square miles
• Various kings ordered to build the first temples and public centers, the most famous being the Forum, the heart of Roman political life
• The Twelve Tables were a set of laws carved into 12 tablets in 451 B.C. that were posted around the city
• At first the 300 member senate was only for the rich, Patricians or the noble, but later on, Plebeians could be a part of it as well
• All citizens who owned land had to be a part of the military
• Seekers of public office had to of served at least 10 years in the military to be able to be in office
• Roman soldiers were organized into large military units called legions
• The Roman legion was made of up some 5,000 heavily armed foot soldiers (infantry)
• The cavalry supported each legion (on horseback)
• Each legion was split into groups of 80 men call century's
• The military organization led to the military's success and Rome's greatness

Rome Rome Rome Rome Rome Rome Rome Rome

Who Settled in Rome
Etruseans

• came from the north central part of the peninsula
• metal workers, artists, architects

Two Foundation Myths

• Virgils Aeneid (Where Aeneas escapes from Troy, sound familiar?!)
• The story of Remus and Romolus

Greeks

• they had many colonies around the Mediterranean Sea

Romans borrows ideas from them such as

• religious beliefs
• alphabet
• much of their art
• military techniques/weaponry

Latins

• the first to settle
• descendants of the Indo-Europeans
• settled on the banks of the Tiber river
• situated so trading ships - but not war fleets - could navigate as far as Rome, but no further
• a commercial port, but not susceptible to attack
• and... built on seven hills (esp. Palatine)

...They drained a swamp...

• many streams flowed into the Tiber
• there was a marshy area called the Forum,  between Palatine and Capitoline Hills
• Tarquin the Proud’s grandfather built the Cloaca Maxima (largest ancient drain), which channeled water into the Tiber

urban legend says Washington DC was built on a swamp - but only about 2% was actually swampland - however, Constitution Avenue is located on what used to be called Tiber Creek

The final king

• Lucius Tarquinias Superbus
• the seventh and final king of Rome
• known as Tarquin the Proud (sometimes referred to as Tarquin the Arrogant)
• a true tyrant, in the old and modern sense of the word

So what did he do?

• Tarquin seized power like an old school tyrant (see if you can follow this horrible story...)
• ...Tarquin’s grandfather (the fifth king) dies… his widow names Servius Tullias king, since she liked him more than her own sons… S.T.’s daughters marry two brothers (one is Tarquin)… one of the daughters (Tullia) kills her husband and her own sister… this leaves her free to marry Tarquin
• but wait, there’s more...
• Tullia persuades Tarquin to seize the throne from her father… he sits on the throne and declares himself king… S.T. objects, and Tarquin throws him down the steps and into the street, then has him assassinated… Tullia hails Tarquin as the new king, but he sends her home for safety… on her way home she sees the body of her father in the street, seizes the reins, and drives her chariot over his corpse...Tarquin refuses to bury his body, and assassinates senators who object
• years later, Tarquin’s son Sextus and his friends are drinking when Sextus tries to force himself on a matron, Lucretia… she refuses, and he threatens to kill her and says he will say he found her in the arms of a slave… she gives in to the blackmail, then confesses the ordeal to her family, and commits suicide… Tarquin tried to sweep it all under the rug, but the people rose up against the son, the father, and had the whole family expelled from Rome
• Rule of kings is replaced by rule of two consuls (“gotta be better than one”)
• consuls are elected officials
• term of office: one year
• always aristocrats (patricians)
• patricians traced their descent from a famous ancestor, or pater (“father”)
• duties: dealing justice, making law, commanding the army
• one consul could veto the other (reducing the power of the individual)

• fifth century BCE - patrician dominance of the government was challenged by the plebs (“people”)
• plebs were 98% of the population
• how did the patricians dominate?
• plebs had to serve in the army,

      but could not hold office

• plebs were threatened with debt slavery
• plebs had no legal rights

• plebs were victims of discriminatory decisions in judicial trials
• Rome had no actual laws, just unwritten customs
• patricians could interpret these to their own advantage

So, plebs refused to serve in the military until…

• laws were written out (The Law of the Twelve Tables)
• these laws (on tablets) were posted in public (in 450 BCE)

tribunes (“tribal leaders”) were elected  

SPQR - Senatus Populusque Romanum

• designates any decree or decision made by “the Roman Senate and People”

brand new republic, ready to run

• democracy (the people’s assembly and the tribunes
• aristocracy (the Senate - approx. 300 members)
• plus monarchy (the consuls)

not a tyranny (eww… too scary… a mistake the Romans did not care to repeat)

• originally, the US modeled their new government on the model used by the ancient Romans
• is it exactly the same?  not quite…
• but both have three branches of government
• executive
• legislative
• judicial
• and both have a legal code

MARYLAND HAS 8

A Look Forward

Today we took a look forward for the Rome unit. Mr. Schick has an umbilical hernia and needs surgery and will be getting it on Thursday. We will be putting in notes from the book into blogs that will be worth 10 points each. Hopefully that will being up my grade. Good luck Mr. Schick!

TEST DAY

Today we took the test on Ancient Greece. I studied really hard and I think I did okay, but I also think that I didn't do so hot on some of the questions including the first essay. I am excited to learn about Rome because I learned about that in seventh grade.

BUT... now its spring break and I'M REALLY HAPPY!!!
I'm going shopping and going out of state and just relaxing
, as well as playing lacrosse
I'M VERY READY!

The Allegory of the Cave

Wow! Today was really good! We reviewed and then learned about the Allegory of the Cave. So, basically, three men were tied up in a cave, turned away from the outside since birth, and could only see things based off their shadows. One day, one of the men got free. He went outside and learned the truth of of what everything is. Being the GREAT guy he probably was, he went to go tell his friends the truth of the world. They called him crazy and went against what he was saying.

When we talked about it in class, we decided that this foreshadows some of the issues we face in the modern world; about some of the people who think they are right all the time, or even think those lesser don't know anything. We also talked about fake news and unreliable information and about how some may not believe things if they think it's opinion rather than fact.


Look what we can sing tomorrow!

PART 5

1. a. The culture blending of Greek, Egyptian, Persian and Indian values became known as Hellenistic culture.
b. Alexandria, in Egypt, became the foremost center of Hellenistic culture and became a largely diverse city with an abundance of trade and knowledge.
c. Euclid was a highly regarded mathematician who taught in Alexandria.
d. Archimedes of Syracuse was a very important Hellenistic scientist who accurately estimated the value of pi. He also explained the law of the lever, and invented the Archimedes screw.
e. The Colossus of Rhodes was a very important Hellenistic statue which stood over 100 feet, made of bronze and became one of the seven wonders of the world. It was toppled in an earthquake.

3. Its trade allowed for aspects of numerous cultures to make themselves known throughout Alexandria to help it become a city with rich culture.

4. His geometrical concepts were a basis from which many astronomers based their theories and concepts off of.

5. Both Stoicism and Epicureanism were concerned with how people should live their lives.

UGH, Mondays!

Today we took notes on Greece again. Here's the answers to the questions...

1. a. Philip II was the king of Macedonia beginning in 359 B.C.; he was very young but still a very powerful and monumental individual.
b. Macedonia was a kingdom just north of Greece which was very cold and consisted of rough terrain.
c. Alexander the Great, which like his father was very able to lead. He took schooling from Aristotle and his military training when he was young proved very useful when leading his kingdom.
d. Darius III was the king of the Persian Empire. He was powerful, but not powerful enough to withstand Alexander's army. Many times, he lost to his army and later was found dead south of the Caspian Sea, after being conquered by Alexander's army many years earlier.

3. Philip II took advantage of Greek's refusal to unite and eventually took power of all of Greece since they were never one force, it was merely multiple small forces.

4. After reaching his father's goal of conquering Persia, Alexander continued trudging through Central Asia. Why? Well he wanted to reach the farthest edge of the continent. He was also told that he would be destined for a greater empire than his father would ever dream of. Why would he want to go against fate?

5. After Alexander's death, his empire was split into 3. This is because his Macedonian generals fought for power, and eventually, three generals took power, each getting more or less a third of the empire.

What a day. Am I right?

Today we took a pop quiz, which went sorta well. I got a 5/7, hopefully I can get my grade up. I took some notes when I could but I didn't get much. Here's what I got:

Macedonia is located just north of Greece though they thought they were a part of Greece. Greece looked down upon them. Their only valuable resource was their king

In 359 B.C. Philip II became the king of Macedonia. He was 23 years old but still proved to be a brilliant general and a ruthless politician. He transformed the citizens to a well trained army. This army was a phalanx formation 30 x 30 with 18 foot pikes. This along with his fast moving calvary helped to win numerous battles.

The Greeks failure to unite (Athens and Thebes united in 338 B.C. but it was too late) resulted in their demise. Macedonia soundly defeated the Greeks at the battle of Chaernea. The idea to unite was proposed by Demosthenes.

Philip wanted to then conquer Persia though he never got to because he got stabbed by a former guard.

His son took power, and because of his accomplishments over the next 13 years, he was called Alexander the Great.

First of Many

Questions:
1. a. Direct democracy was the type of government practiced in Athens which let all adult male free citizens take part in government.
b. Classical art was a large portion of life in Athens. It could be seen in paintings, sculptures around the city and in temples, architecture, and many more places. Art earned money and was a cornerstone of Athenian society. Used to represent the ideal beauty, not realism.
c. Tragedy was one of the two types of theater, which was very important in Athens. A tragedy was a serious drama about common themes such as love, hate, war and betrayal. It usually had a hero and then contained his/her downfall. This was because of a fatal flaw, also called hubris, or excessive pride.
d. A comedy drama can be characterized by an exuberant and high spirited satire of public persons and affairs. Slapstick scenes and crude humor. Often politics and respectable people are made fun of.
e. The Peloponnesian War was a heavy loss for Athens. They weren't able to use their normal tactic of sea raids/sea attack, which resulted in heavy losses. They lost all of their food and they had to go into hiding for they feared more losses.
f. A philosopher we critical thinkers who based their thinking off of two things:

1. the universe (land, sky, and sea) is put together in an orderly way, and subject to absolute and unchanging laws
2. people can understand these laws through logic and reason

g. Socrates looked at how the world looks through science and logic. He questions Athenian society and how people think.

h.  Plato was a student of Socrates. He wrote out all of Socrates' teachings and described a lot of his teachings and contemplation. He wrote "Republic" which was a book about the ideal state and philosophy- it was very popular.

i. Aristotle was a student of Plato. He helped foster the idea of Athens as an intellectual destination. His school- the Lyceum- focused on cooprative research- building on knowledge gathered from all over the world. Dreamt of a place where all information is all in one place. He wrote extensively on many topics. He also tutored Alexander the Great.

3. In order to build a better democracy, Percicles decided to increase the number of paid government officials, which meant everyone could hold office.
4. in the Peloponnesian War, Athens wanted to attack by sea, Sparta by land. Sparta ended up burning all of their food supply, and Athens had to go into safety behind their protective walls.
5. His teachings completely disobeyed and contradicted all of the Athenian's values. His teachings were disturbing to them because they went against how they thought and what they did.

Socrates 

• looked to science and logic (not the mythological gods) for explanations of how the world worked
• the Socratic Method fostered critical thinking
• "The unexamined life is not worth living"
• Socrates was charged with serious crimes

1. Impiety (disrespect of gods)
2. Corruption of Athens' youth

• at his trial, he described himself as the gadfly to the lazy horse that is Athens
• did not deny what he had done; asked for free dinners
• found guilty by an Athenian jury, and sentenced by drinking poison hemlock (nasty way to go)

Plato

• was a follower/student of Socrates
• he wrote out Socrates' teaching and described his trial in "Apology"
• Republic was Socrates' discussion of the justice and the ideal state- one of the most influential book on philosophy ever written

Aristotle

• student of Plato
• he helped foster the idea of Athens of an intellectual destination
• his school- the Lyciem- focused on cooperative research- building on knowledge gathered from all over the world

Did Aristotle invent the internet?

• not exactly but he dreamed of having the sum of mankind's easily accessed in one location

He wrote extensively on such topics as: 

•   logic--physics--biology
• ethics--politics--rhetoric
• motion--theatre-poetry
• metaphysics--psychology--dream etc.   

He also tutored Alexander the Great

Sophocles wrote a story called Oedipos Rex (Tragedy)

Aristophenes wrote a comedy called Lysistrata

PRESENTING FINAL

Today was the final day of presenting. The first group that went was really funny, and the second group was really cool. We went last and I think we did good. I really liked this project; and even though it was a bit stressful I'd love to do something like it again. It was very informational and helped me and hopefully everyone improve their understanding of ancient Greece. Here is our paper we will be giving to Mr. Schick tomorrow:

Naval Warfare in Ancient Greece

For our project, we chose to research naval warfare in Ancient Greece. Throughout researching, I’ve learned a lot about naval battles, weaponry and the logistics of the ships that were used. To research, we read about naval battles, some battles in the Peloponnesian War, weaponry used in the Greek Navy, and the backbones and parts of naval warships, especially the trireme. From this research, we were able to create our presentation, and conjure an idea for our visual, which is a model oar, meant to resemble an oar used by oarsmen on the trireme

To research our project, we researched battles from Greek naval wars, weaponry, and naval warships. We found very reliable websites in order to successfully find information. We put this information into our PowerPoint and we will use it in our presentation. We used a lot of websites including YouTube for a video in our presentation. We have also made a huge effort to learn the material as much as possible. This will aid us in answering any questions posed by our peers and over all help us to give a better presentation. We hope our efforts help us to get a good grade, as well as teaching our peers about Ancient Greek naval warfare.

For our visual, we made an oar, meant to imitate an oar used on the Greek naval warship, the trireme. The oars on those ships were usually about 3 meters long and very large and powerful. There were about 170 oarsmen on the ship at one time making the ship move, along with the sail. Although we couldn’t make a 3 meter long oar, and make multiple of them, we did our best to resemble what an oar may have looked like. By trying to imitate it the best we could, we used only 3 pieces, and to make it, we used as little electricity as possible, to truly understand how the Greeks did it. They must of had a system, but to get it right, it took us about an hour and a half, which is a long time! Our other visual was a weapon which would have been placed on ships in the early first millennium. Greek fire. Greek fire was a liquid like substance which could be expelled at enemy ships and used to set them alight and stick to anything, sort of like napalm. Now, the recipe for greek fire was a closely guarded secret, in fact we only can guess at what the stuff was. Even the atom bomb was discovered (in addition to knowing how to make it) through its development. But, modern historians do have an idea. They believe it was a sort of naphtha. Now naphtha is close to gasoline, so I we used gasoline with styrofoam to create a fluid-jelly like substance that would resemble greek fire. This immediately lit up and was successful. The second thing we tried was a mixture you’ve probably used but never heard of. Potassium Nitrate with Sulfur and Charcoal. AKA Sparklers. We combined this with alcohol to propel it and also to light it.

We’ve all worked very hard on this and we’ve put a lot of effort into making sure our material is understandable and comprehensible to our peers as well as Mr. Schick. We’ve made sure to include all sorts of media and information to broaden our peers knowledge and to broaden ours. It was difficult to find reliable information at first, but we were eventually able to find what we needed. Our next step was to create a tangible (or intangible) item that we could present to the class; which was very hard for us. Our topic was so big, and we originally had ideas that were to large-scale and quite honestly, hazardous, which made our choices very broad, and harder to find. We eventually made the connection between oars on warships and naval warfare, for without those, the warships would be very slow and much less powerful. Once again, to give our peers as much of an authentic and educational experience, we decided to make the oar as much to scale as we could. Though it wasn’t easy finding the measurements and making the oar look like it did centuries ago, we were able to accomplish it. We are truly proud of the work we have produced and we hope it is educational and worthy enough of a good grade.