Year 12 Ancient - Spartan Economy

Further to what we covered in class today, here are a few excerpts from the web, on the Spartan economy.

This paragraph is from http://elysiumgates.com/~helena/Economy.html and was written by Helena P. Schrader.

"The Perioikoi had their own laws and customs, could pursue any profession or trade they liked, and had their own local officials and dignitaries. They were restricted only with regard to foreign and military policy, being subject to the government of the entire territory or city-state, Lacedaemon, which was run by Spartans. They were also required to provide troops for the Lacedaemonian army and support Sparta in time of war. Because the Spartan citizens were themselves prohibited by their laws from engaging in any profession except that of arms, the Perioikoi were the professionals, merchants, and craftsmen of Lacedaemon. They were not restricted by the Spartan laws and traditions to an austere lifestyle nor were they prohibited from hoarding gold and silver. In short, they had a monopoly on all lucrative businesses and professions."

And here is a webpage that contains a summary of points about the Spartan economy, written by a teacher at Camden High School.

Year 12 Modern - Favourite Nazis...

OK, not many people voted - it was the holidays - but it seems that 2/3 of you are looking forward to studying Albert Speer...which is very fortuitous, as he happens to be our chosen Nazi personality for 2009. I bet you can't wait!

See you tomorrow, ready to learn lots about Germany in the 1930s.

Teachers - 'Setting Up An Educational Blog' Powerpoint

Sorry, Year 12s...the site has been usurped for the use of Westfields teachers for this post.

Below is the powerpoint from the staff development day, on how to set up a class resources blog:


Uploaded on authorSTREAM by tomgriffith

Or you can download it here.

Year 12 Ancient/Modern - Welcome Back!

Hi Ancient and Modern students. I hope it has been a relaxing and enjoyable Easter break for all of you. Now, back to work!

Term 2 will be a pretty tough one for all of you - there is a lot of content to cover, plus some assessment towards the end of term. Just to give you an idea, here is what we will be working on from Week 1:

MODERN: We will go straight into how Hitler turned Germany into a dictatorship in 1933-34. From there we will study some of the major policies of the Nazi Party, the nature of German society in the 1930s, and the forms of repression used by the Nazis. We will finish by examining the lead-up to World War Two.

These are the syllabus dot points we will cover:

– initial consolidation of Nazi power 1933–1934
– Hitler’s role in the Nazi state
– Nazism as totalitarianism
– the role of propaganda, terror and repression; SA and SS; opposition to Nazism
– social and cultural life in the Nazi state: role of Hitler Youth, women, religion
– Nazi racial policy; anti-Semitism: policy and practice to 1939
– nature of Nazi foreign policy: aims and strategies to September 1939
– impact of ideology on Nazi foreign policy to September 1939

This will take us into our conflict study for this year, the War in Western Europe. This overlaps with the Nazi Germany topic a bit, and covers the years 1935 until 1945. As well as the reasons for war, and the actual battles that were fought, we will be looking at the Holocaust, and the Nuremburg War Crimes trials.

This website is designed for school students, and has some excellent summaries of the major themes and concepts.


ANCIENT: We will spend the first few weeks of term finishing off Sparta - particularly focusing on everyday life, culture (art/literature/architecture), and the economy.

These are the syllabus dot points we shall cover (although some we have already looked at):

– land ownership: agriculture, kleroi, helots
– technology: weapons, armour, pottery
– economic roles of the periokoi (‘dwellers around’) and helots
– economic exchange: use of iron bars, trade
– art: sculpture, painted vases, bone and ivory carving
– architecture: Amyklaion, Menelaion, the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia
– writing and literature: Alcman and Tyrtaeus – Greek writers’ views of Sparta
– daily life and leisure activities – food and clothing – marriage customs
– occupations

This will lead us into our Period Study - the Greek World 500-440BC. This huge topic covers the Greco-Persian Wars (you know, Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis), as well as the lead-up to the Peloponnesian Wars, and the growth of Athenian democracy.

This website will introduce you to some of the most important people, places and themes associated with Ancient Greece during this time period.

Good luck in Term 2!

Year 12 Ancient - Spartan Myths Poll

An overwhelming result for this poll - all but one of you who voted - so over 90% - went for the Apollo-Hyakinth myth. I can see why a story about a Greek god killing his boyfriend with a discus would be memorable...just make sure you also remember that the Hyakinthia festival was held in honour of the slain lover!

Year 12 Modern - Latest Poll Closed

What was it that enabled the Nazis to come to power in 1933? Well, according to those of you who voted, 50% put it down to the Great Depression, while 37% attributed it to Hitler's own personality and charisma. It was actually a complex interplay of factors that catapulted Hitler into the chancellorship, but certainly, without the Depression, he would never have made it.

New poll up soon.

Year 12 Ancient - Holiday Work

Hi Ancient History folks. Hope you are having an equally wonderful holiday to my Modern students, and doing plenty of homework and revision while you're sitting there bored at home...

...if you do feel the urge to remind yourselves what Sparta is all about, then try this webpage. It has been put together by the British Museum, and it allows you to look at some Spartan artefacts, as well as play a very simple flash game that takes you through the stages of the agoge.

Enjoy the holidays, and see you in a couple of weeks!

Year 12 Modern - Happy Holidays!

Hi guys. Hope you are having a great holiday. I know you are probably spending this first week just relaxing and forgetting about the half-yearlies, but if you do feel the urge to do some revision/preparation next week, before coming back to school, then here you go:

This is a powerpoint designed by Mr Moorhouse, on Hitler's rise to power.

This is another powerpoint by a Mr Ellis, which charts how Hitler turned Germany into a Nazi dictatorship.

And here is a summary of how Hitler cemented his dictatorship from 1933 to 1934.

Year 12 Ancient - Spartan Religion

Hi guys, a last bit of revision for you before the exam this week.

This is a useful page of relevant notes on Spartan religion, put together by Jeffrey Lumb at Blacktown Girls High School.

And this is a brief page of info on the major religious festivals - the Karneia, Hyakinthia, and Gymnopaedia.

Good luck to all of you in the half-yearly! And have a wonderful holiday...

Year 12 Ancient - Those Crazy Spartans

The jury is in: according to 60% of you, the weirdest thing about the Spartans was their penchant for exercising and dancing in the nude. The cheese-stealing ceremony got a few votes too. One thing is for certain - they were a pretty unique bunch.

New poll up soon.

Oh, and by the way - good luck in the half-yearly on Tuesday. Make sure you revise all of Pompeii, plus Spartan society/government/religion/women.

Year 12 Ancient - Revision Notes on Pompeii

The revision notes I have already issued on archaeological issues connected to Pompeii/Herculaneum are a little brief, so I have been trying to track down some more comprehensive ones online. Below is an extract - posted by mel9589, so thankyou very much, mel9589 - from a set of notes available on Bored of Studies. They are by no means exhaustive, but will add to what you already have.

For those of you who don't use the site, boredofstudies is a very useful resource. You need to register, but it is free, and you could spend hours wading through the thousands and thousands of resources, essays, notes and forum posts.

1. Investigating, reconstructing and preserving the past

• Changing methods and contributions of nineteenth and twentieth century archaeologists to our understanding of Pompeii and Herculaneum

- Excavations of Herculaneum began in 1738

- Excavations of Pompeii began in 1748

- Work under the Prince d’Elbeuf and Rocco de Alcubierre has led to the destruction of much archaeological evidence

Francesco La Vega

- Became director in 1765

- His practice was to leave the excavated monuments in view (in situ)

- He defended the system of uncovering each building in its entirety and preparing maintenance works in order to preserve in situ the architectural structures

Karl Weber

- Changed the approach of archaeology

- His job was to keep the site logbooks

- He made a slow and systematic approach to digging

- He made sketches and plans of newly discovered buildings in the tunnels and galleries

- He issued daily and weekly reports of the recovery process

- Artefacts were listed to create inventories of goods to be sent to wealthy private collectors

Giuseppe Fiorelli

- Director between 1863-1875

- Developed a method of injecting plaster into the spaces left vacant by the flesh as it decomposed

- This enabled them to recover the shape of the bodies, roots of trees and all the organic elements which left a mould in the volcanic ash after their decomposition

- Developed a method of studying archaeological strata; observation, recording, preservation and reporting

- He had excavations carried out from above in order to recover all elements constituting a house

- He was the first to divide the city of Pompeii into nine regions. Each insulae was given a name and number for easy identification

- He gave houses names based on the ancient owner, the suggested profession of the last owner, a notable feature in the house, a particular striking object or a famous visitor present during excavation

- He established a training school for archaeologists where they could learn the techniques of excavation

- He set up a museum and archive at Pompeii

Antonio Sogliano

- Spent a lot of time and money preserving the houses and buildings

- Any mosaics and frescoes were left where they were found and guarded against robbery

- Paid particular attention to solving Pompeii’s basic archaeological problems by promoting and then carrying out the first in-depth samplings in the Triangular Forum and Civil Forum area, in an attempt to understand the various states of Pompeii’s urbanistic development

Vittorio Spinazzola

- He did not take down the walls of houses

- Archaeologists were forced to guess the purpose of the house by interpreting the paintings, election posters and graffiti that covered their facades

- He tried to preserve the upper levels of houses

- This was done because many of the walls contained pictures and graffiti, which were mostly political slogans

- He believed that the city could not be understood without understanding the daily lives of the people and how they expressed this

- One of his innovations was the recording of all phases of the excavation with photographs

- One of the major excavations was of the Via dell’Abbondanza

Amedeo Maiuri

- Director between 1924-1961

- One of the most dynamic and controversial directors in the excavations’ history

- Intensive activity

- Completely excavated the city walls

- Discovered the largest necropolis ever known in Pompeii

- He instituted a policy of recreating the atmosphere of the interiors of the houses by leaving domestic utensils in place and restoring walls and ceilings

- His aim was to give the visitor an impression of what life was like immediately before the eruption

- Perhaps one of Maiuri’s greatest contributions to archaeology and public education was his series of guidebooks for Pompeii and Herculaneum. They were published in many languages and still provide a lively and informative commentary for the visitor

- Deepened the excavations at significant locations to investigate pre-Roman levels

August Mau

- Created a system for categorising the Roman wall paintings into four basic decorative styles

- Although Mau’s work has been modified over the years, it still provides the framework for the study of ancient Roman paintings

See Archaeological sources: Wall paintings

De Franciscis

- 1961-1976

- Concentrated on restoration work

Zevi and Irelli

- 1977-1982 and 1982-1984

- Mainly focused on damage caused to the town by the earthquake of 1980

Conticello

- 1984 – 1994

- A large amount of funding became available

- Initiated the systematic philological restoration of all the funds

Guzzo

- 1994

- Concentrating on finding a solution to management and financial problems

Professor Haraldur Sigurdsson

- Before Sigurdsson, Amedeo Mairui believed that Pompeii was destroyed by the rapid fall of pumice and ash

- Sigurdsson and his colleagues conducted the first systematic examination of the Vesuvius deposits

- Sigurdsson cross examined the evidence with other evidence from modern eruptions

- His examination revealed that there were two phases of eruption and Pompeii was only hit by a surge while Herculaneum was hit by a surge and a flow

The research of Sigurdsson and his colleagues presented a new reconstruction of the eruption by:

- Combining the stratigraphical evidence from the volcanic deposits and the letters of Pliny the Younger

- Contrasting the different effects of the pumice fall, pyroclastic surges and pyroclastic flows on Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis and Stabiae

- Establishing a chronology for the main events during the eruption

- Identifying the different types of deposits resulting from the eruption and reconstructing the processes that occurred during the event

• Changing interpretations: impact of new research and technologies

- Since the beginning of excavation at Pompeii and Herculaneum there has been a change in the method of which excavation took place

- In the beginning, excavation was haphazard and random. No care was taken and many archaeological remains were destroyed

- There was no system of recording artefacts and many artefacts were sold to wealthy collectors

- Karl Weber and Vittorio Spinazzola later introduced a method of systematic excavation

- Further on, new technology has allowed for the preservation of artefacts

- New technology has also allowed for the restoration of artefacts

- New technology has also allowed for the plaster injection method to identify casts

- The work has been further enhanced since the 1990s by the introduction of computer technology, such as computer-aided design (CAD) software, which allows 3-D constructions to be made

- Advanced technology has allowed us to discover more about skeletal remains such as tooth decay, calcium deficiency etc

- X-ray technology and CT scans are non-invasive techniques which allow us to examine casts

• Issues of conservation and reconstruction: Italian and international contributions and responsibilities; impact of tourism

Responsibilities of the Italians

- A number of international rescue missions were undertaken at Pompeii in the 1980s to prevent further deterioration of the site

- Some of the conservation methods used in the recent past is now causing new conservation problems in the present

- The University of Bologna in Italy has worked on the House of Centenary

Responsibilities of the world

- The Anglo-American Project in Pompeii is an international team working in Insula VI

- The World Monuments Fund and the Kress Foundation have made a major investment in plans for conserving the House of the Silver Wedding

- The Packard Humanities Institute and the British School at Rome have begun a significant conservation program at Herculaneum

Projects

- Houses in Pompeii – investigate and salvage buildings that had been excavated over the preceding centuries

- Insula of Menander – 3 stage analysis and documentation of a whole city block to draw general conclusions about the insula’s structure over time and its final form in 79AD

- Pompeian forum – challenge widely published and generally accepted views about the Forum in order to produce more accurate plans and elevations and to understand Pompeian urbanism

- The Herculaneum Conservation Project – a joint venture with the local heritage authority to preserve and enhance the ancient city

Impact of tourism

- This has led to the deterioration of sites in both Pompeii and Herculaneum

- This highlights the need for conservation of these sites

• Ethical issues: study and display of human remains

- The ancient Romans believed that for a soul to rest peacefully in the afterlife, the body had to be given a proper burial

- Very little respect was paid to the victims of the 79AC eruption, and during earlier excavations they were sometimes treated as theatre props or as archaeological specimens

- Early excavators and treasure hunters often showed little regard for human remains, often discarding and smashing them carelessly, removing them, displaying them for the grisly entertainment of visitors, or leaving them forgotten, wrapped in newspaper in the dark, dirty basement of museums