My life with the eightfold path

The eightfold path is one of the major components of Buddhism. It describes how a good Buddhist should act, and what he/she should be aware of. Although I am not a Buddhist, there are many parts of the eightfold path, along with other components of the religion itself, that I strongly agree with. One of the terms of the eightfold path that I fell really apples to my life is that a human should have right speech. This to me does't mean that I should speak in proper grammar or in a certain language, but that before I speak I should think about what I am saying and how it will effect the people around me or the person it was directed towards. This leads into the other component I strongly agree with, which is to have right mindfulness. To me, this means that you process the things people are saying before you take offence. I feel that it is important to know what the persons intentions were when processing his or her thoughts. The last component I feel really should be a part of every human beings life to to give right effort into everything that you do. This to me means that you need to approach every situation with an open mind, and be ready to give your full effort in order to get the best out of what life has to offer. These are the principals that I feel really apply to my life, and that I try and incorporate into everything that I do.

The story behind the Taj Mahal

Long ago in India, there was a prince named Kurram. Kurram lived the life of an average prince, he was educated in the arts. sciences, mathematics, and other subjects. He was a skilled hunter and had a quick and eager man. One day while shopping in the market, his eye was caught by a girl named Arjumand. It was love at first sight, and he knew that she would be the woman he would marry. Although she wasn't a princess, the royal court saw the love in Kurram's eyes, and allowed the marrage. They were soon thrown one of the most elegant weddings anyone had ever seen. The king loved Arjumand so much, that he decided to bestow the honor of a knew name on her. He called her Mumtaz Mahal, or jewel of the palace.The couple lived happily married for many years, and Mumtaz Mahal gave birth to many children. Kurram loved his kids like he loved his wife. He would buy little balls full if sand, water,and air to teach them about the elements, and strings of gems to teach them about the planets. At night, he would sit by their bedside and tell them stories to lull them to sleep. Unlike many other Indian rulers, who often married many wives, he stayed loyal to Mumtaz Mahal . Like his love, Kurram's army's were unstoppable. He charged into many unknown lands, and conquered anyone who crossed his path. And every time he returned, Mumtaz Mahal was always there to greet him. As he set out for what would soon be another victory, Mumtaz Mahal approached him and begged him to take her. Announcing she was pregnant, Kurram decided to let her come along. Kurram's troops fought hard everyday, and in the midst of the battle, Kurram recived news, Mumtaz had given birth to a baby girl. He was told by the physician that she was weak, and she must rest. That night, Kurram was summoned by a messenger. Mumtaz was dying. As the couple wept, Mumtaz managed to mumer her final words to her husband. Se wanted the world to know of their love, and Kurram promised that he would do everything in his power to make it so. Kurram was heartbroken. He didn't eat or drink for eight days straight, and spent every moment agonizing over the loss of his beloved Mumtaz. One night, he dreamed of her in an illuminant white walled palace. When he woke, he knew what to do. Kurram sent messengers all over the world to fetch the greatest architects, caligraphers, and artists to his court. He sent for marble, jade, crystal, lapis and luzili, coral and gems from countries hundreds of miles away. "The tomb must be perfect, like heaven and earth combined." After many years, the tomb was finished. "It is more then beautiful, it is as perfect as our love." Exclaimed Kurram. The Building was called the Taj Mahal, He dreamed that someday when he died, there would be an identical tomb made of black marble constructed across from this to hold his body. "Then, our hearts will finally be at peace." But soon, his son Arangze took over, locking his father away to not create competition. Kurram knew that his black tomb would never be built. A great sadness took over him, but then he remembered why the Taj Mahal had been built. He knew that he had fulfilled his final promise to his beloved Mumtaz Mahal, and eight years later, he died a happy man.

Reflection on Elevation Map

How do physical features, climate and elevation relate to each other? When working on this project, I noticed several things about how the physical features, climate, and elevation relate to each other. What was really prominent to me, was the fact that the higher the elevation was, the colder that climate would be.Especially on the mountains or lower into the valleys, you could see that there was an obvious difference.

What conclusions can you draw? (Think about natural resources, climate/weather, and human settlement.) From this, I can conclude that higher land and more elevated parts of a country will have a colder climate, such as the climate on a mountain or an elevated Plataea. And that the lower parts of a country, valleys, and the average parts where there are typically bigger cities, such as New Dheli, will have the warmer and more livable climates.

Lost City of Mohenjo Daro

Located in the present day country of Pakistan lies one of the most mysterious cities to ever fall, Mohenjo Daro. It thrived from about 2500 to 1900 B.C., but then was abandoned and left as a ghost town. Scientists have suggested that maybe the soil lost its fertility or there were earthquakes that left the people without food to face starvation. But according to the quality of the artifacts found, these people were in no debt, and survived off of a surplus. Along with the reason of its abandonment, we still do not understand it;'s written language, and we still haven't found evidence of a government or religion. There are no obvious temples or shrines, and we still haven't found a building that suggests that there was a central seat of power.

The city was found in 1911, and several excavations were held in the 1920's through the 1940's. Scientists have found that this was an extremely advanced city. It was a fairly large city, and very advanced. It was built on a hill to prevent floods from the nearby Indus river, and it was one of the only cities of its time to have a sewerage system. It was obvious by the artifacts found that it was a fairly wealthy city, thriving in wealth and trade. Many scientists, archaeologists, and historians have studied every inch of this city, and we still have no idea what happened to make the majority of the cities population leave. It reaches some kind of obvious archaeological fruition about 1900 B.C.," Said Jonathan Mark Kenoyer. "What drives that, nobody knows."

Shiva- The destroyer

Although this was probably a popular choice, I chose to reflect on Shiva, the god of destruction. It is a strong belief in the Hindu religion that in order for something to be born, or re-born, something first has to die. This is where the popular term "When one door opens, another door closes" probably comes from. Shiva is the god who takes and recycles the soul. Shiva is worshiped because a large part of Hindu beliefs is that when you die, your soul is reincarnated, or else enlightened. You live another life, either in a higher rank or a lower one. People can rank as high as enlightenment, or else a royal, and as low as an animal or a poor man. Shiva is the God who takes life away, but also the God who reincarnates the soul.

Phypsical environment of Egypt

In your own words using examples from any unit studied this year, how did the physical environment affect the development of civilizations?: A great example to answer this question would be the way the Nile effected Egypt. The Nile river effected the religion, trade, economy, government, food and surplus, and society of the entire country. Having a River means that you can sail to places, which is faster transport then walking or taking caravan, which wasn't possible because the wheels would sink into the sand. This allowed people to travel farther, faster, therefore exploring other countries, and arranging for trade like lumber, herbs, precious jewels, and other luxuries. Having a strong trade rout, means that you will be making more money. With the new source of income, Egypt could thrive on wealth. Another thing that the Nile effected was the food and surplus. The Nile is full of something called silt, which is a natural fertilizer. When the Nile flooded, it fertilized the ground, which helped grow plant. Food wasn't a problem and starvation wasn't a problem. It effected the government because not only did it supply more money and more trade routes for the people, but it also allowed the pharaohs to live in richer environments. The last major thing it effected was the religion in ancient Egypt. The Nile had a major effect on the whole country and people worshiped it in return. They believed it was sacred and believed that the good Hapi was the god of the Nile. In order to keep a god surplus, trade, or income off of the river, festivals and prayers, and temples were built in his honor to keep him happy and to keep the river plentiful. The Nile had a mojor effect on many of the key components that made the people of Egypt strong warriors, emperors, conquerors and other positions of power. The Nile has shaped the way we determine ancient Egypt and continues to shape the countries wealth today. It plays a major part in both the history and the present day part of Egypt.

Egypt Unit reflection

When reflection on the Egypt unit, there are three characteristics of the learner profile that I feel we really applied to this unit. The first one is obviously that we were great thinkers during this unit. This is a characteristic that I feel applies to everything we do in school , but really stood out while I was reflection. We had to think in depth and deal with questions like "How did the Nile River effect the development of ancient Egypt?" These questions weren't blunt, and had us thinking in a variety of different ways. An example of a project where I feel like I thought the most would be the Art project. In order to begin, we had to analyze many different types of Egyptian art. We all interpenetrating it in different ways, and could try and think and understand how other people were interpenetrating it. Approaching situations like that allowed us to think in many different ways.
The next characteristic of the learner profile that stood out to me was that we had to be risk takers and approach different situations head on. AN example of a project where we had to approach an unusual situation would be the section of ancient Egypt project where we had to give a presentation in front of the class. For a lot of people, this is a really uncomfortable and un- nerving situation. But we approached it confidently and did our best to communicate all that we had learned during the project. Another example of the work we did that displays the risks we take would be the Day along the Nile blog post. We had to write a creative composition and then read it out to the class. This is a situation that could have made even the best writer feel uncomfortable. Those of us who did share exposed ourselves and even though we were uncomfortable, stuck through to get a good mark.
The next attribute that really stood out to me during this unit is that we were all caring and respectful during this unit. We were learning about another culture, and while during it we didn't make snide remarks or insults about the new traditions we were learning about. A project I feel that really showed our respect to ancient Egypt would have been, once again, the Egypt presentations. Not only were we showing respect for other culture, but for our classmates as well.
As well as exhibiting attributes of the learner profile, we also exhibited the core values of the Approaches to Learning categories. Two of the ATL's that really stood out to me were that we were both collaborative and communicative. We had to work in groups on the mapping project, and partnered projects usually tend to get tricky. Although I feel that we did a very good job working together for a grade. While presenting all ofour projects, it was important to be clear and presise in order to make sure everyone understood. This si where we were the most communicative and really exhibited the ATL's.
This unit was one of my favorite, not only because of what we were learning, but because of ow we were challenged. It brought out some of the best parts of bth the learner profile, and the ATL's. It was a rally fun unit and I look forward to learning about India.

Ancient egyptian drawing

My drawing is represent the ancient goddess Sehkmet, who was known to be the goddess of war. Sehkmet was born from Re's eye and sent down to earth to control unruly people. She appeared as a ball of fire, and in order to keep her happy, people would present small tokes to her such as little figurines of her and pots of scented oils. In my picture, you can see a woman bowing down in honer of her, presenting her with vases of wine and oils. In the upper left hand corner is the eye of Re, watching over his people to make sure everything is in order. The hieroglyphics around her are telling her story and explaining her great strength and power.
While drawing this I had a really hard time getting the shape of the people. Ancient Egyptians usually drew people from the side, and when you are drawing a profile like that its really hard to make all the features prominent, so most of my people are missing noses. Overall, I feel like I got a lot of the right symbolism in. The picture depicts the story of Sehkmet and explains what going on.

The importance of the Nile

How do natural features like lakes and river help bring people together or keep them apart? Lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water play a huge role i the joining of communities. The people who lived along the Nile were brought together because their crops depended on the flooding and in order to not starve they needed to be able to predict when the Nile would flood. By coming together they learned the patterns of the Nile and starvation was no longer a huge problem. Although, bodies of water can also keep people apart. In a less advanced society, people wouldn't be able to cross bodies of water, and therefor that would keep them from traveling, trading, and over all they would not be in contact with humans outside there village or town. Rivers, lakes, oceans, and other natural features play a huge part in human contact.

Life along the NIle

"Isis! Where are you?" My mother called from what sounded like the kitchen. I was sitting on the river bank watching and waiting for my brother to come home. The sun was setting, so the crocodiles weren't feeding, making it safe for me to sit so close to the water. As Rah descended into the underworld, beautiful colors dominated the sky and cast a rainbow shadow over the Nile. All of a sudden I heard my named called again, only from a different voice. "Isis, set away from the bank, you will no doubt be eaten be crocodiles sitting that close!" It was my father calling, and behind him my brother,Amun. Each of them carrying a stack of fish that would be cooked for an evening meal. They dragged their boats onto shore and my father whet off to tend to the fields. Leaving me and my brother alone. "How is mother, has she been frantic all day?" He asked, his eyes smiling. "Of course she has, I've never seen our home so clean. I scrubbed the floors for so long my fingers bled." I looked down at the shredded remains of my hands. Amun looked and smiled. "You know how important it is that we impress the landlord. Almost as important as the flooding of the Nile. Without it, we can't survive." "Amun, bring your fish in before it spoils, I won't have the landlord getting sick!" Called our mother. We each grabbed a handle of the basket and walked through the palm trees to out home. The next day started as any other. I woke up and helped my mother prepare morning meal. Then my brother and father when out to hunt and catch fish while mother and I tended the animals. Our small farm housed a pig, three goats, and a very pregnant cow. We straightened the barn and tidied up the fields. Everything had to look perfect for the landlord, or we would have our home, farm, money, and life snatched away from us. And that could not happen. Over the horizon I can see a figure coming toward us by camel caravan. My mother dashes into the house to most likely to do some last minute cleaning. My first instinct is to run and hide in the barn. But something inside me knows that my place is in the house with my mother, eagerly awaiting the return of my brother.

Relationship between mummies and their environment

What is the relationship between mummies and their environment? The environment can play a huge part in accidental mummification. If an area is really arid, it will dry out the mummy the way the Egyptians would spend months doing. If you die in the desert the sun and sand will dry you out and preserve your body, making you an accidental mummy. Also, if you die in a really cold frigged place like a mountain top, you have a chance at an accidental mummification. It will freeze your skin and insides and keep you in once piece. A final way is if you die in a marsh region. The chemicals will preserve your body really well and keep you looking somewhat lively.

What are the reasons mummies are made? Mummies are made for a lot of reasons. They are thought to be a way to give people an eternal life. If you lost a loved a loved one, it would be a lot more comforting to know that they are not going anywhere and that by mummifying them you are preserving their sole. Also, people were really fascinated with the idea of an afterlife. They wanted to preserve the bodies so that they had a chance at another good life in the afterlife. Although, not all mummification were not an act of love. In places like England there have been sightings of mummies that had been exicuted and their bodys had been thrown in the bog. Some still had ropes tied around their necks. There have also been frozen bodies found on the ops of mountains that would have probably been sacrificed.

The mummy article and some new words

New word #1 : Cryonics: Deep-freezing a person at death with the hopes that someday they will be revived.
New word # 2: Transgressions: a crime that has been committed

Mummy: A dead, preserved body that has been preserved so that they can live on forever

1)In what part of the world have mummies been found in? Mummies have been found in Europe, Asia, and in lots of places in Africa

2) In what types of places have mummies been found? Mummies are usually found in really dry or hot climates, ice regions, or what is or use to be bogs. All of these places are helpful because it will preserve the body so it doesn't decompose.

3) How did ancient Egyptian preserve their dead? The ancient Egyptians removed all of the bodies inner organs. They used many salts and oils to dry out the skin and other parts of the body. The carcass was then stuffed and wrapped and preserved in linen.

4) Why do you think ancient Egyptian took such care to embalm their dead if the dessert could do the job for them? The dead and the afterlife played a huge role in the Egyptian culture. They wanted their loved ones to have a good afterlife and would make sure that the customs they were buried in made it so. Also, they respected their dead and believed in the idea of eternal life. It was a huge deal to be mummified because it represented many peoples desire to live on forever
5) what features of a natural environment can caused bodies to be mummified? If a climate is extremely dry or very cold, this can cause the body to freeze or dry out so that they are preserved and have a much less likely chance of decomposing. Also, bogs or places with a high chemical level can also cause changes in the skin and body that make it possible to be preserved.

6)According to some scientific beliefs, what are some reasons why people were unintentionally mummified. Some people think that a way people were unintentionally mummified is that they were used as a sacrifice to the gods. There have been mummies found on the top of mountain peeks that were they unlucky people that were chosen as a sacrifice to the mountain gods. Another way is that the bodies of exiccuted people are also some of the accidental mummies. In places in England and western Europe, we have found dead bodies with the ropes they were hung with still around their necks as mummies in the bogs.

Where is a good place to find a mummy?
1) What is the climate?
2) What were the beliefs of the people that lived in the area around that time?
3) Were their many sacrifices/ death punishments?
4) Does it have any bogs?
5) were there any mountains in this area?

This is the poster I created with the help of Luka Lilla. We had to design a poster and give a report on an ancient empire. We were assigned Babylon and it was really cool. They were a really strong, dominate empire and I had a lot of fun learning interesting facts about the empire. I look forwards to the presentation we will have to create in the future units.

Unit Reflection

1. In 2-3 sentences for each topic, summarize what you learned about the following: a) The domestication of plants and animals
During this unit we learned a lot about the domestication of plants and animals.We learned about how it happened, who started it, why it helped, and how it didn't just happen over night. We also learned that with a strong agricultural backbone and therefor self-sufficiency, there is more opportunity to explore and invent.
b) The transition from hunter-gatherer communities to the first civilizations
During this unit, we learned that the transition between hunter gatherer community's and first civilizations didn't happen over night. It was a long slow process but once the Pros were evident, it caught on fast. Although, even when most communities were staring to settle, not everyone chose to give up their nomadic lifestyle.
c) Early religion and beliefs
Religion of the early civilizations was all very much alike. Most of them were very religious and were also Polytheist (meaning they believed in many gods). Most had a city god, as well as many other gods for small items such as bricks. They worshiped at temples and ziggurats and made sacrifises and offerings to their gods.
2. Imagine someone saying to you, "Learning about the Sumerians isn't very important since they're long gone!" What would you tell them in order to change their mind?
I would say that even though their gone, they still have a huge impact on our life. The Sumerians were the ones who started the agricultural evolution. Without them, we wouldn't have a stable surplus of food. We would still probably be migrating every few week following food. Also, we still use some of their mathematical findings. They were a super advanced civilization and although they are gone, they still played a huge part in the shaping of our modern world.

Enheduana of Sumer

Enheduana of Sumer

The first lady of the throne room
has accepted Enheduanda's song
Inanna loves her again
The day was good for Enheduana, for she was dressed in jewels
She was dressed in womanly beauty ,
Like the moons first rays over the horizon
how luxuriously she was dressed!
When Nanna, Innana's father made his entrance
the palace blessed Innana's mother Ningal
From the doorsill of heaven came the word "Welcome"
-Enheduana, 23,000 B.C.
2334 B.C., a great ruler named Sargon dominated the land of Mesopotamia. He had two twin sons named Rimush and Manishtusu and a daughter named Enheduana. Because Enheduana was the daughter of a great king, she was given the privilege to read. She was soon discovered for her talent with words, and her father rewarded her with the position as high priestess to the important moon god, Nanna. Enheduana left her hometown of Akkad to move to the sacred city, Ur. The sumerians believed in many gods and godesses, and that it was Enheduana's job to please all of them so that the people of Sumer would have healthy crops and lives. This meant she had to offer and lead prayers and rituals to the gods, make offering in there honor, sacrificing animals, and burning incense to please them. Enheduana became very good at channeling her religious feeling into her writing. She began to feel more connected to the moon goddess, Inanna (As shown in picture), and began to write many poems about her. Under the influence of Enduana, Inanna became the supreme being in Sumer. Enheduana wrote all of her poems on clay tablets, so over 50 tablets with her poems inscribed have been uncovered. Her writings tell archaeologist about herself, politics, and Sumerian religion. Enheduana kept her position as high priestess until her nephew came into power and forced her out to make room for his own daughter. Enheduana was the first non- anonymous women, if not person, ever to publish scripts and poems. She is an exploratory example of powerful women and even in ancient times when women weren't highly respected, that girls can do anything.

Questions:
1) During the time Enheduana was writing, books were clay tablets written by using a stylus to engrave the words in while the clay was still wet
2) Enheduana lived in the city of Akkad with her two twin brothers and her father, King Sargon.
3) Enhedana was high priestess of the moon god Nanna. She had to lead prayers and rituals, sacrifice animals, and keep the gods happy. She held down this position until her Nephew kicked her out to make room for his own daughter.
4) Enheduanas poems were widely known and so popular that many copies of the same poem were written.
5) Enheduana wrote about religion, herself, and sometimes politics. This lets us know what was going through leaders heads in the times when Sumer thrived

From earliest times, people have changed their environments. How have people today changed their environment. Discuss both the good and the bad.

From earliest times, people have changed their environments. How have people today changed their environment. Discuss both the good and the bad.

From the beginning of time, people have always been eager to upgrade and change their way of life. This could be anything from the material of the basket they store food in to the color on their kitchen walls. While we are eager to change, the impacts of our upgrades have in many ways changed our planet and the environment. Although the upgrades have made life much simpler, it has taken a huge toll on the planet.

Although some of the changes we make have killed off some of our environment, not all of it is bad. From an early time people have discovered that when you grow crops, some of the seeds will naturally fall off and re-plant itself. People then knew to leave some of their crops during the harvest so that when the seeds fall, they can depend on those instead of killing more crops. Another great change is that people have discovered natural fertilizers to keep soil healthy for years and years. They can use the same fields instead of re-plowing off new land every year and killing all of the natural plants. early civilizations also molded their houses out of dry clay of mud instead of cutting down trees as timber for houses or killing animals to use the skin as tents.

Although not everything we do kills the planet, the way we are living today is destroying out environment. People use to live in small houses made of dry mud or clay. Today we made larger houses using valuble timber. Another change we have made for the worst is our food industry. We no longer take only what we need, but we buy in massive and un-natural amounts. In order to keep up with our many demands, the food industry is genetically enhancing our food to that it grows, lays, milks, ect. twice as fast and twice as much. This has also caused and unnatural increase in cow population. We bread so many cows for hamburgers that they are now the worlds second most populated animal. One last change that humans have made for the worst is our need for spaces. As people decided that everyone should have a house with a yard and a fence to block everyone out, cities expanded. As the cities expanded we developed ways to get around more conveniently. Cars, plains, and other forms of transportation have taken a huge tool on the environment. The wast we are making is getting so bad that we are developing holes in our ozone. Although the changes make life more efficient for us it is taking its toll on the environment.

We have come up with many changes that have taken their toll on the environment. Although not all the changes we make are bad, there are still enough un- earth friendly changes that soon the entire face of the earth could change. As we move on through history, we will continue to make changes, hopefully in the future they will be more environmentally friendly.

Why is Catal Hoyuk an important archaeological find?

Why is Catal Hoyuk an important archaeological find

Catal Hoyuk was an ancient Neolithic city that may have the biggest city around 9,000 years ago. It was built in what is now central Turkey just southeast of the city Konya. Back in the Neolithic times the land was very rich and green. It is often referred to as "the fertile crescent". We have been excavating it for a number of years and have found numerous artifacts that give us a clue what life was like back then. Catal Hoyuk is considered one of the of the most important Neolithic finds of the century.

Catal Hoyuk was once a thriving city, rich in export and trade. It rose up in the time period know as the agricultural revolution. The agricultural revolution is the time period when people decided to settle and plant crops as opposed to following their food in temporary settlements. The city was positioned next to a river and the land was very fertile and this is probably what compelled the nomads to stay. Once settled in, the nomads could plant crops in the fertile soil. When it came time to harvest, there was more than enough for everybody, so starvation was no longer a problem. Another great thing about harvest was that not everyone was needed. Other people could explore and excel in other activities such as crafting, taming animals, art, building, and preaching. From this the division of labor sprang up and then they had governments, farmers, and industry workers. Another thing that bubbled up along with the agricultural revolution was the specialization of labor. When people weren’t working in the fields they were experimenting with weaving, painting, tool making, and building. Sometimes people would excel in these tasks and that became their career. Along with this they were excellent traders. Archaeologists think that they may have had to walk about 120 miles to fetch rare obsidian rocks that formed from dry lava. Obsidian was easy to carve and once made into knives it was sharp and efficient, so it was a prized material in the Neolithic tomes. If they didn’t walk to get the obsidian they would cleverly trade and re-trade from other villages. The people living in Catal Hoyuk were extremely self sufficient and could easily provide for themselves. The people of Catal Hoyuk also had lots of culture. While uncovering the city, archaeologists found human remains under the floor of the houses. Archaeologists think that these ancient people though that a dead family member was still a part of the house, so they buried them there. Archaeologists have also uncovered paintings of special events, so the people of Catal Hoyuk must have retold their stories. Archaeologists have also found small shrines and a memorial to the dead with picture of some of the events in the person’s life.

Catal Hoyuk is one of the biggest and oldest ancient cities we have ever uncovered. Archaeologists have uncovered lots of the city and have found lots of artifacts that were used in daily life. This lets us see exactly how these ancient people lived and what technology, ideas, and theories were going on during the time of the agricultural revolution. We know have a clear idea of how the people of Catal Hoyuk and many of the ancient cities and towns around them lived. It was an amazing find because without it, we would know little about Catal Hoyuk or even the Neolithic period in general.