Meeting People: Marc Antony

Hello fellow people (and aliens too, why not?), it's Adele! I just came back from Ancient Rome where I met with Roman politician and general Mark Antony. He told me all about what life was like in ancient Rome. Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony) was born on January 14, 83 B.C., in Rome. His mother was Julia Antonia, and his father was also named Marcus Antonius. Mark Antony had two brothers named Lucius Antonius and Gaius Antonius. Mark Antony had four (well, five if you count Cleopatra) wives. They were named Fadia, Antonia, Fulvia, and Octavia. Mark Antony also had seven children! They were named Cleopatra Selene, Alexander Helios, Antonia Major, Antonia Minor, Ptolemy Philadelphus, Iullus Antonius, and Antonia. Mark Antony died on August 1, 30 B.C., in Alexandria. He committed suicide when Octavian came to avenge him for divorcing Octavia, Octavian’s sister and Antony’s ex wife in Egypt where he was hiding out with Cleopatra. Today I am going to tell you about Mark Antony’s life. I think that Mark Antony was one of Rome’s greatest politicians.

As a child, Antony was properly educated, athletic, brave, attractive, and loyal to friends. But he also drank a lot, got into fights, and was very reckless. As a young adult, Antony served in Syria with the Roman governor of Syria. Antony later came back to Rome to begin working with Julius Caesar. Antony eventually served in Gaul (modern day France) with Caesar. When Antony came back, he was elected a tribune, a person who is supposed to stand up for the rights of the lower classes of people. Just after Antony was elected, the senate planned to strip Caesar of his role of consul, but Antony fled and told Caesar what they were planning. Caesar started a civil war, with Antony serving under him. Shortly after the wars, on March 15th, 44 B.C., Julius Caesar was killed at that senate meeting.

Antony aligned himself with Octavian and Lepidus, forming the Second Triumvirate. Octavian and Antony soon forced Lepidus out of power. So, when they each had power over parts of Roman territory, Octavian controlled Western Rome, Antony controlled Eastern Rome, and Lepidus controlled Africa (temporarily). Octavian and Antony then led a war on the senate for murdering Caesar and they won, making Antony very famous. 

Mark Antony then took control of Africa. He first went to Egypt and met Cleopatra, the last pharaoh. He immediately fell in love with her although he was married to Fulvia at the time. He and Cleopatra had two children. Meanwhile, back in Rome, Fulvia was openly defying Octavian and Antony was called back to Rome to bring back the peace. While Antony was there, Fulvia died of unknown causes, and Antony married Octavia, Octavian’s sister. Then Antony went back to Africa and declared war on Parthia (modern day Iran) and he won with the help of Cleopatra. Even though he relied heavily on Cleopatra financially, he granted land to Cleopatra and her son, Caesarian, and their twins, Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios. When Antony went back to Rome, the Second Triumvirate ended legally. Octavian blamed Antony so they became rivals. Octavian got support in Rome while Antony fled to Egypt. They battled near Greece and Antony’s army lost, and then Antony fled to Egypt. Antony committed suicide when Octavian came to Egypt to avenge Antony for divorcing Octavia. Octavian went back to Rome, became the first emperor, and took the name Augustus, meaning “the anointed one."

In my opinion, Antony was one of Rome’s greatest politicians. I think that Antony did a lot of great things in his lifetime and that is why I chose to meet him. It was very exciting to get to go back in time and actually see the second triumvirate happen and to get to meet not just Antony, but also Cleopatra and Octavian (yes, I got to watch a little of the battle). I think that Antony was a great politician and a great general and it was a pleasure getting to meet him. 

By: Adele Wells 

Sources used: 

"Marc Antony." Encyclopedia of World Biography. n.d. Web. 23 May 2012 

http://www.notablebiographies.com/Lo-Ma/Mark-Antony.html

"Marc Antony." Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. n.d. Web. 23 May 2012

http://www.answers.com/topic/marc-antony

"Marc Antony." Wikipedia. n.d. Web. 23 May 2012

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_antony

Behind the Scenes: The Outsiders

The Outsiders is a book that was written by S.E. Hinton and published on April 24, 1967. It was also a movie that was released into theaters on March 25, 1983. C. Thomas Howell played the main character, Ponyboy Curtis. The director was Francis Ford Coppola. Some of the cast members of this movie are in the “Hollywood Brat Pack.” The Hollywood Brat Pack is a name for a group of actors who often acted together in films from the 1980s. The author, S.E. Hinton, was sixteen when she wrote the book. She made a cameo appearance as Dally’s nurse in the movie.

This movie is set in the 1960s and is told from the point of view of Ponyboy Curtis, who is also the protagonist. He and his brothers, Darry (Darrel) and Sodapop, live together. Ever since their parents died, Darry was the adult at home. They were all members of a gang. This gang included Johnny (sometime called Johnnycakes), Dally (Dallas), and Two-Bit (Keith).

The story is about Johnny and Ponyboy. They did something illegal and they had to run away. The author used a lot of irony and some foreshadowing. The ending of this book was kind of sad but it ended with Ponyboy returning home safely. 

My favorite character was Cherry Valance, Ponyboy’s soc friend. I am not sure if I could relate to any of the characters in the story, even though they seem relatable. I particularly disliked Darry because he was really hard on Ponyboy. I liked how the author told the story in the first person because the perspective never changes.

Overall, I liked this book and the movie. I would recommend the movie, but watch the complete novel version because the original version leaves some scenes out. I think that kids over twelve would enjoy and understand this book best, and it suits both boys and girls. This book is kind of sad, so people who do not like sad books probably would not like this book very much. You should definitely read the book before watching the movie, but do both, because the book and the movie were both great. 

Have you read or seen The Outsiders? What did you think of it? 

By Adele Wells

Book Review by Ace & Adele: Mara, Daughter of the Nile

About the Book:

Mara, Daughter of the Nile was written by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. Although Mara was first published in 1953, the author first toured Egypt in 1964. She was able to tell the story because her hobby was to study ancient Egyptian history and customs. Although the book was written long ago, it is still a relevant piece of historical fiction. Many of parts of the story such as the people (Hatshepsut and Thutmose) and geography (Egypt and the Nile River) are real; however, the main characters in the story are not. Hatshepsut did lose the crown to Thutmose III in actuality, but how it happened in Mara, Daughter of the Nile is clever fiction.

Plot Summary:

The story is set in Ancient Egypt during the reign of Hatshepsut, who was regarded as one of the more successful pharaohs and reigned longest of any of the other (rare) women pharaohs in history. The life of a fictional slave girl named Mara takes a turn when she is offered the chance for freedom if she will first pose as a palace interpreter in order to spy on Thutmose. On the way to Hatshepsut’s palace she meets Sheftu, and Mara’s life takes another turn. Sheftu’s plan to overthrow Hatshepsut and Mara’s desire to better her odds in getting freedom turn her into a double agent. There is just one problem. It turns out that there may be something more valuable to Mara and Sheftu than what they first thought was most important.

Adele’s View:

Hi all! It’s Adele! My favorite character in this book was Mara because she was a slave who became a countess. It just goes to show that you can become anything, even if you are forced to do something else at first.

I could relate to Inanni, the Mesopotamian princess, because she is in a new land, and I just changed schools. Mara poses as Inanni’s interpreter to spy on Thutmose, but Mara and Inanni have something in common. They are both wise women, and become friends. I did not particularly like Miphtahyah, who was a tavern owner and guardian of Sheftu. Although she was being protective of Sheftu, she snapped at Mara in front of a lot of people.

I liked the way that the author told the story because it was cool when she changed from Mara’s perspective to Inanni’s perspective.

I would recommend this book to adults or to kids who have a strong vocabulary. I would not recommend this to kids under the age of ten because I found this book very hard to read.


Ace’s Turn:

My favorite character in the story was Sheftu because he was sneaky, had great plans, and made witty comebacks. I think I relate to Sheftu because he is smart. He shows this by getting people to do his dirty work. But getting people to do my dirty work is not one of my traits even though that seems like it would be fun sometimes.

I did not particularly like Hatshepsut in the story because she was portrayed as mean, bossy, lazy, and a snob. In this book, Hatshepsut is more interested in her royal status than in her people.

I liked the way the author told the story because he alternated views. Sometimes he wrote in Mara’s perspective, and sometimes he wrote in Sheftu’s and the Princess’s points of view.

I would recommend this book because is a good story, it is written in different perspectives, and the characters were engaging.

Ace and Adele's Question for You:

Have you read any good historical fiction books that you would recommend?

Meet a Greek Peep: Elpis

In the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Mr. Portokalos says, “Give me a word, any word, and I show you that the root of the word is Greek.” Biography comes from two Greek words meaning “life writing.” As a time-traveling journalist, I get to meet famous figures from history and write stories about their lives. I am interested in Greek myths. Today I am going to write the biography of a lesser-known mythological character, Elpis. An alternate title to this could be "Elvis May Have Left the Building, but Elpis Has Not Left the Jar!" Read on to find out why.

To get back at his cousin Prometheus (that's a story for another day), Zeus trapped some spirits (the world’s worst sins and other problems), such as Greed, Lust, Envy, Pride, Gluttony, Anger, Sloth, Sadness, Sickness, Toil, and Hope (Elpis), in a jar. He gave the jar to Pandora, the world’s first mortal woman. Zeus told Pandora not to open the jar because it contained the world’s worst miseries. Pandora was a very curious woman and after a while her curiosity overcame her. She opened the jar. Letting all of the spirits out, Pandora clamped the lid down just before Hope was released too. Pandora had just plagued mankind.

In Greek mythology, Elpis was Hope. She was possibly the daughter of Nyx and the mother of Pheme, the goddess of rumor and gossip. Hope was not necessarily a good thing to the Greeks. To them, Hope was viewed as expectation or an extension of suffering. People can hope for something and not necessarily get it, which can cause suffering. The opposite of Elpis was Moros, the spirit of doom and hopelessness (morose, meaning sullen and gloomy, comes from the Greek word Moros). Hope can be a good thing, too. Elpis alone remained in the bottle to comfort mankind. She is pictured as a woman holding flowers.

Works and Days is an 800-verse poem by the Greek poet Hesiod, who was popular around the same time as Homer. One of the more famous Pandora myths comes from this poem. Hesiod tells us that many evils were released, but one thing remained, Hope. Hesiod never explained why Hope was left behind, but he mentions that because of it was, Hope can never escape the mind of Zeus.

Only Elpis (Hope) remained there in an unbreakable home,
within under the rim of the great jar,
and did not fly out at the door;
for ere that, the lid of the jar stopped her,
by the will of Aegis-holding Zeus who gathers the clouds.
But the rest, countless plagues (lugra),
wander amongst men;
for earth is full of evils and the sea is full.
Of themselves diseases (nosoi)
come upon men continually by day and by night,
bringing mischief to mortals silently;
for wise Zeus took away speech from them.
So is there no way to escape the will of Zeus.

Elpis interested me because no one really writes about her, although without Hope, no one would be here. For example, if there were not hope for religious freedom, the U.S.A. would not exist because people would have just given up and remained in Europe. And without Hope, nothing would have happened in Greek life. Hope gives people belief that there can be a positive outcome. I think it inspires action. The Greeks wouldn’t have fought for their land, worked to create democracy, and so much more because they would have just given up if they did not have Hope.

I have a question.  Do you think that hope is a positive thing or that it can cause suffering?

By: Adele Wells

Sources Used:

D'Aulaires, Ingri & Edgar. Book of Greek Myths. New York: Delacorte Press, 2003. Print.

"Elpis." Theoi Greek Mythology. n.d. Web. 26 March 2012

http://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Elpis.html

More on Hammurabi's Code: A Modern View

As you may already know, Ace went to visit King Hammurabi and find out some interesting facts about Hammurabi’s Code. He told you all about how it came to be. While Ace was in ancient Babylonia, I flew to modern Paris to see Hammurabi’s Code on display at the Louvre Museum. I am going to tell you a little more about it from a modern perspective, including comparing some of the ancient codes to modern laws. I will begin by telling you about Where Hammurabi’s code was discovered and when it was brought to Paris.

Hammurabi’s Code is written in Cuneiform and Akkadian. Gustave Jéquier discovered Hammurabi’s Code in 1901 in Khuzestan, Iran (ancient Susa, Elam) on an expedition led by Jacques de Morgan. In the same year, it was transported to the Louvre Museum in Paris. It is on display in the Richelieu wing of the Louvre Museum in Paris today.

There are a lot of interesting facts about Hammurabi’s Code. Did you know that Hammurabi’s Code is shaped like an index finger? Unlike most Mesopotamian documents, which are made of clay, Hammurabi’s code was made of stone, which was to make it seem as though the laws were given to Hammurabi by the sun god, Shamash. There are 44 columns of text and 28 paragraphs. The entire code consists of 282 laws, but some Egyptologists believe that there were more that just rubbed off. There is no 13th law because back then (and still now) 13 was considered an unlucky and evil number.

Hammurabi's Code at Musée de Louvre (photo taken December 2011)

Many of the laws inscribed on Hammurabi’s Code are similar to many modern laws. One example is law number 14. Law 14 says that if anyone steals the minor son of another, he shall be put to death. That is very similar to the law in California. If you were to steal someone’s son today, it would be called kidnapping, which is a felony that carries a sentence of 5 years to life in prison. Law 22 states that if anyone is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to death. That is similar to the modern California law stating that robbery is a felony, and depending on what is stolen, and how the crime is committed, each count can carry a sentence of from 3 to 9 years in prison. But some of the laws are very different. For example, law 17 says that if anyone finds runaway male or female slaves in the open country and brings them to their master, the master of the slaves shall pay him two shekels of silver. Today, slaves are no longer legal, due to the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution passed in 1865.

Hammurabi’s Code was, and still is, a fascinating piece of history. It was the first known set of written laws ever to exist. On average, 12,000 people visit Hammurabi’s Code each day at the Louvre, which has over 8,000,000 visitors each year. The Louvre is the world’s most visited museum, with a record of 8.5 million people in 2008. One of the Louvre’s star attractions is Hammurabi’s Code, which has been standing since 1772 B.C.E. It has been in the Louvre since 1901 C.E. It was amazing to see something so important from history that is now over 3,000 years old.

What is something amazing that you have seen in a museum?

By Adele Wells

Sources Used:

U.S. Constitution, Amendment 13.

California Penal Code, Section 211-215.

California Penal Code, Section 207-210.

Spielvogel, Jackson J. Journey Across Time. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. Print.

Bauer, Susan Wise. The Story of the World. Virginia: Peace Hill Press, 2006. Print.

“The Code of Hammurabi.” The Avalon Project: Yale Law School. n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2012 http://avalon.law.yale.edu/ancient/hamframe.asp

“History of the Louvre.” Musée de Louvre. n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2012

http://www.louvre.fr/en/history-louvre

“Hammurabi’s Code.” Oracle ThinkQuest Education Foundation Library. n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2012 http://library.thinkquest.org/20176/hammurabis_code.htm

“The Code of Hammurabi.” The Web Chronology Project. n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2012

http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/middleeast/hammurabicode.html

Hanging With Hammurabi

I traveled back in time to Babylon in 1755 B.C. to meet Hammurabi or as he called himself “Strong King of Babel.” Hammurabi created a set of laws called “Hammurabi’s Code.” I went back to see how his code originated. I also wondered if people in that time liked the laws or feared them. Hammurabi’s laws included logical and also harsh rules. He also made many positive changes in Babylon and was a very hands-on leader. Hammurabi was a very good leader, but I think many of his laws went too far.

Hammurabi’s Code included both civil (having to with personal rights and property) and criminal (having to do with conduct) laws. The most well known aspect in Hammurabi’s code was the idea of an eye for an eye. I asked Hammurabi about this. Hammurabi told me that it was a matter of logic and fairness. He gave me the following example: If a house builder built a house and it collapsed and killed the owner, the house builder would be put to death. But if the house collapsed and happened to kill the son or daughter of the owner, the house builder’s son or daughter would be killed. I asked him if he thought this was extreme. He replied no, and that his laws were intended  “to bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and evil-doers, so that the strong should not harm the weak.” Hammurabi listed these intentions in the introduction to his laws.

He called himself the “Strong King of Babel” because his careful planning made the small, Babylon city-state into a large, powerful state. He built city walls, restored temples, and he improved irrigation canals for local farming. One of the things he did was to design straight streets that had intersections at right angles. This made getting around simpler for travel and trade, not to mention making property rights more clear. The other reason he was a strong king was because he was able to defeat and unite Mesopotamia in to one kingdom. Hammurabi explained to me that one of the reasons he was a strong leader was that he personally made sure that things were done right.

Hammurabi liked to take control of things like projects, events, and even the Euphrates River. Hammurabi told me that he wanted to control the Euphrates River because it provided water for agriculture and trade routes for his cargo ships. Many other rulers wanted to control the river, such as Rim-Sin of Larsa. As example of Hammurabi’s strong determination, he actually used the river against Rim-Sin by damming the water and releasing a flood. At other times, Hammurabi would withhold water to be used for crops and drinking. Hammurabi told me that he thought these tactics were necessary and that his willingness to use them made him a strong leader.

Hammurabi took laws from all of the city-states and combined them into one code, or set of laws. His strong leadership, careful planning, and desire to maintain control of his kingdom and people no doubt were reasons that he created such a complete and wide-reaching set of rules. Although many of the laws in Hammurabi’s Code were cruel, just like some of his decisions and actions as a leader, they eventually became the basis of many of our modern laws. Although I think Hammurabi got the job done as a leader and a lawmaker, he sometimes did so at too high of a cost.

Do you think Hammurabi went too far?

By: Ace Wells


Sources Used:

Spielvogel, Jackson J. Journey Across Time. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. Print.

Bauer, Susan Wise. The Story of the World. Virginia: Peace Hill Press, 2006. Print.

Ace Visits The Great Pyramid

When I first found out how to time travel, the first thing I wanted to do was go back and see how the blocks were made and stacked for the Ancient Egyptian pyramids. I decided to go back to 2589 B.C.E. to see how the Great Pyramid was built. I wanted to see it because it is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and is the only Wonder still in existence.

I met up with a man who was chiseling a large piece of limestone. I introduced myself and he said his name was Nefertum. I asked him how they got the large stones so smooth and square. I was so surprised when he showed me simple tools including chisels and boning rods that were used to smooth the stone. Just like Machu Picchu, the stones were so skillfully fit that not even a knife blade could fit in between them.

I looked over my shoulder and saw people hauling giant stones up a long ramp to the pyramid. I asked what the ramp was for and he said as the pyramid grew higher, the ramp would grow longer and higher so the workers could haul stones up the ramp to set the next layer. After the pyramid was complete they would remove the ramp.

I asked Nefertum if the workers were slaves because I knew that was a popular myth. He told me that most of the men building the pyramids were skilled laborers. He added that during the annual flooding season of the Nile, the peasants left their flooded fields to help with the building. It was a real community effort!

The Great Pyramid was built by Khufu to be his final resting place. It was built in Giza, which is currently near the modern city of Cairo. Although it was still under construction when I was there, the finished pyramid was 481 feet tall. The Great Pyramid is the tallest pyramid in the world.

I have a question for you. Do you know who is buried in Khufu’s tomb?

By: Ace Wells




Sources Used:


Spielvogel, Jackson J. Journey Across Time. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005.
Print.

Putnam, James. Eyewitness Pyramid. New York: DK Publishing, 2011. Print.

“Into The Great Pyramid.” National Geographic. 2002. Film.

“Pyramids.” The British Museum. n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2011 http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/pyramids/home.html