The Black Death

Imagine walking down the streets of your neighborhood and seeing dead bodies everywhere. Your Friends, family, and co-workers all dead around you. Wouldn’t that be the most horrifying sight to look at? Millions were killed during the Black Death. It was one of the worst tragedies to happen in the world.

Gothic Architecture

By: Eunice

Gothic Architecture started out during the high and late Middle Ages when Clerics began to claim for bigger buildings with extra windows. The middle class had to do a lot with it too since they wanted churches that were appropriate for their social status. This architecture resulted from Romanesque architecture in the 12th century and it is mainly based on religion. With this new type of architecture they wanted to leave behind the boring style of the Romanesque. They wanted to create a new style that could be similar to heaven. This type of style was known as “The French Style” and was later referred to as Gothic that meant vandal. This term was used by Giorgio Vasari to put them down. The things that distinguish Gothic architecture are its pointed arches, the ribbed vaults and flying buttresses (which are usually found on cathedrals). You can actually see this type of architecture in castles, palaces, universities, town halls but mainly in cathedrals and parish churches of Europe. In fact this is where you can see gothic architecture expressed more in detail. Some examples of this are the Milan Cathedral in Italy, the Church of St. Denis in Paris, and the Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral and Sainte-Chapelle in France. Many of these structures are tall and wide with huge windows that let in a lot of light. This are also some of the characteristics of a gothic building. But why would they have those enormous windows? Well, back then they would think that the light coming in was a sign to evoke a spiritual feeling. They believed this because the light would shine down on the religious images painted inside the cathedrals or churches.

Now in days women are free to do whatever they want. The role of women today has become incredibly honorable. We have the right to vote, to study, to work, to decide what we want to do in life, and even become an important person in society.

The view of the book shows that later in the 13th century knights were thought to do anything to make a women thrilled. This was called chivalry, which was a knightly system of the Middle Ages. Their responsibility was to honor and serve women of all kinds. Chivalry was also to help those in need.

Circus Maximus

The Circus Maximus is an ancient hippodrome and entertainment venue located in Rome. It was approximately 621 m in length, 118 m in width with a capacity of 270,000 spectators. It was first used by the Etruscan kings for public games and entertainment. Later on it became bigger thanks to the help of Julius Caesar and Trajan that added a few more 5,000 seats to the circus. This increased the public visibility but not for everyone, only for the emperors.

Some of the games in the circus included gladiator battles, animal combats, mass crucifixions but the most famous one was the chariot races! The chariot track could hold up to twelve chariots. The track was divided in two by a “spina” which was set diagonally and that contained statues of gods. Even though this sport was very dangerous because of the dangerous turns at the ends of the track many people enjoyed watching it. Especially emperor Domitian, he connected his palace to the Palatine circus in order to have a superior view of the races.

Sadly, very few of the circus remains today. All the seats that once where a place of excitement for everyone are gone, except for some of the starting gates. Circus Maximus is the first and largest circus in Rome and is now used for concerts or meetings.

     Have you ever heard of Hadrian’s Wall? Well until today I hadn’t and that’s why I’m going to explain it to you just in case your wondering. Hadrian’s Wall was built by the Roman empire and its located in Northern England.Is a stone and turf fortification that was built to prevent military raids, to improve economic stability, and to mark the frontier of the Empire. Even if it was mainly used for military purposes it was thought that it also served as a custom post to allow trade taxation. This was the second of three fortifications built. The first was Gask Ridge and last the Antonine Wall.

The Wall was built following the visit of the Roman Emperor, Hadrian, in AD 122. He decided to built this wall due to the military problems in Roman Britain and in lands across the empire. The construction lasted about six years and it was built across one of the narrowest parts of the country linking two rivers. The Wall was 80 Roman miles long and stretched from Wallsend in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west.

The Wall included:

• a glacis/deep ditch
• a berm with rows of pits holding entanglements
• the curtain wall
• a military road
• a north mound, a ditch and a south mound to prevent or slow down any raids from a rebelling southern tribe.

After Hadrian’s death in 138, the new emperor, Antoninus Pius abandoned the wall to start a new wall in Scotland. He called it the Antonine Wall. This wall was 40 Roman miles and had more forts than Hadrian’s Wall. Unfortunately, Antoninus was unable to conquer the northern tribes, so when Marcus Aurelius became emperor he abandoned the Antonine Wall and went back to occupy Hadrian’s Wall as the main defensive barrier in 164. The wall remained occupied by Roman troops until their withdrawal from Britain.

Even if the wall was abandoned and fell to ruins, some of it still exists today. The mid-section especially and you can walk most of the wall on foot. Today it is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern England and its known as the Roman Wall.

With a population of 745,514, Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world recorded to be at least 3,000 years old. Athens became the capital of Greece in 1834 and with it came along many changes in the government. They went from a monarchy to aristocracy. During this period Athenian power grew rapidly but many people weren’t very happy with the changes. They argued that their service to Athens entitled them to more rights. Some farmers were forced to sell their land to nobles but some families sold themselves into slavery to pay their debts. With all this problems Athens moved slowly into democracy.

Athens was very bizarre in the way they controled their armies. All they wanted was to control as much land as they could. During the Persian War Athens was known as the powerful one and dominated the Delian League from the start. Even though some allies wanted to withdraw from the league, Athens used force to make them stay while at home Athenian leaders were winning political freedom.

Just like many Greek-cities, Athenian women had no rights. Women were thought to have a low ability in comparison to men. What women did was manage their household, they spun and wove, took care of their children, and made food for their husbands. Slaves were sent to buy food or get water from the public well. Even more poor women worked tending sheep or as potters.

Their most interesting perspective is their culture. They were made up of two diverse classes, slaves and citizens. Each class had their own list of duties that they had to follow.Their main religion is Greek Orthodox but some also practice Roman Catholic, Muslim, and Protestant. Modern Greek is what they speak in the mainland. Their economy was based on industry, agriculture, forestry, and fishing. Trading was also very important. One of their main exports was the sale of international shipping services.

In my eyes religion had changed peoples personality in the past. The mummification is very important to the Egyptions. In what they believed, without the rituals that they preformed to the dead persons body they could not go to the afterlife. Pharaohs spent their whole lives having their tombs built. Religion had formed different ways to write. It changed peoples judgment on what they would do and not do. Also religion ahad decided who is the high class of people and who were the low class. some cultures women had no rights and in others women could be queen.