Surprise Surprise!

Yesterday, we all got an e-mail saying that we are having a quiz on Greece today. Seemed easy enough. When the test was being handed out, it looked easy. Then I attempted at the quiz and realized I should have reviewed my Greek people a little better. In other words, I 'winged' the test. We also got SMARTIES because they make you smarter. (But not really). Should be interesting to hear how well we all did on it.  

Pericles and his Stupid Mistake

A man named Pericles brought democracy to its height in Greece. He was part of an elite family and knew what the people wanted. A city that was able to rule an empire. Ten years had passed since the war against Persia. The people decided that it was time to re-build their faithful city. The first project, a Parthenon in the center of the city. It was a temple for Athena, the city goddess.  It took 20,000 tons of marble and 15 years to complete the building. Not only were the Greeks skilled enough to build that. They also are proud owners of the world's first theatre. It sits atop the acropolis and was most likely one of the loudest because it could seat thousands of people. They Invented Drama and theatre. Pericles had to ruin all of this perfectness by coming up with the 'brilliant' idea of going to war with the most fearsome city-state, Sparta in 431 B.C.   

Isle of Salamis

Cleisthenes created the battleship of the time called a trireme. In 483 B.C. Athenians found silver and the price of silver helped build the boats. Meanwhile, Xerxes pledged to destroy Athens as 'revenge' for his father's defeat on account of Athens. In 480 B.C. the Persian army set out for Greece. There were over two million Persians. The people of Athens went to the Oracle. Which is someone that can see the future, Delphi is the most famous of these. Cleisthenes met with the other rulers of Greek city states to come up with a plan. They decided that with their new boats the safest and most effective way was to fight the Persians at sea. Evacuations were happening in Athens. (It was the first in history.) The people escaped to Salamis an island off the coast. This is also where the Greeks would fight the Persians; in the Isle of Salamis.

Thursday= Getting there

Thursday I was still sick, I caught up on homework and relaxed.

Wednesday= Boring

I wasn't in class on Wednesday because I was sick. In other words, I had a "minor case" of the stomach flu. Ew!

Wasn't in School

I attended a funeral.

The Change

The year was 508 B.C. when the common people turned on their leaders/ nobles. Before, freedom of speech was widespread in Hellis which is now called Greece. Athens was a small town then and not an ideal place to live because it was to hilly. Places like Egypt and Persia were 'blessed' by rivers and fertile lands. Greece was divided into city-states the three major city-states were Argos, Corinth, and Sparta. Spartans were brought up to be soldiers. with lives structured by war. The Spartans were a threat to the rest of Greece. The Spartans helped Isagaris take over power of Athens. But when the people rebelled in 508 B.C. they were powerless.