Wrong Answers

1. What were two places india developed an extensive trade route with?
"the subcontinent and the ocean to the south", no name- http://jeopardylabs.com/play/enter-title57017 , the indian ocean basin and china, 412

Jeopardy Answers

Social structure- foot binding
Technology- caravans
Government- aristocratic deputies
Technology- gunpowder
Agriculture- fast growing rice
Social structure- buearacracy of merit
Agriculture- Reservoir
Government- temple administration
Technology- sailing

Answers to Benedict Rule questions

4. Monasteries that kept to these rules were useful institutions because they were stable communities, as stated after the rules. They would provide a place for people of the same ideals to come together and follow the rules.
5. The Rule tells us that the social and economic structure of the time was stable, or well put together. If every monastery refelcted their society, it meant that religion went hand in hand with sociality and ecnonomics in that time.

Bhakti Poets

These poems were somewhat enjoyable. I liked them because they were simple, but had some meaning in them. They were also a bit easy to understand. I think these poems showed Indian society well because they higlighted the caste system and the values of religion that were so important to the ancient society. They showed how caste affects peoples lives. It also showed the importance of pleasing the gods.

Spread of islam picture

http://www.showme.com/sh/?i=92156

The Conversion of Vladimir and Constantine

Constantine and Vladidmir converted their nations to Christianity, however they both had different beginnniings. Constantine was always a devoted Christian and pushed this belief into the empire when he became ruler. Vladimir converted to christianity during his rule and then ordered his followers to do the same. His view were different then that of the religion, and he wouldn't be considered a true believer. The moments in history were therefore different.

Byzantine Architecture

The architecture of the Byzantines was both functional and decorative. Some trends of this are that the buildings were very tall, and boxy. However they used colors to decorate them. The size was immense though. There were large towers with many windows. The influence this could have would be skyscrapers. Skyscrapers take the same shape, and are even larger.

Document comparison

Number 1 was the most credible because it was informative on Constantinople. It was written by Benjamin of Tudela. It was written for common people as records.
Number 2 was written by Robert of Clari. It was a non-credible exaggeration to draw people into Constantinople by giving qualities that would attract them.
Number 3 was written by Nicetas Choniatas. It was a credible description of how Latins destroyed the city, but was biased. It would be written for history books as a story.
Number 4 is a hand drawn map, which is not very credible. It is not to scale,like a painting. It would be for people to remember how Constantinople looked. There is no known author.
Number 5 is a credible photo, taken inside of the church of saint sophia. It is for people to understand how important the church was to Constantinople.
Number 6 is from George Acropolites. It is a credible story of Emperor Palaelogus, written for history to show how the religious rituals were.
Number 7 is a detailing by Chrysobull, to show the privileges of the Venetians. It was to show how the people of Constantinople gave back to the Venetians, and would be a informative piece for the public.

Silk Road Project

The Silk Road project was a fun experience, a more hands-on way to approach learning about mapping and the Silk Road. It was a little hard, but once you put your mind ont it, it wasn't bad. Three things I liked were the instructions were mostly clear, the information was easy to find, and it wasn't a very complex map. I was not happy about the scale, the necessary points, and how large the map was. Making a scale was hard, but not terrible. The colloboration was ok, it didn't effect me much. What I would do differently is have everyone make their own smaller map instead of a huge one.

Why Do Empires Form?

Empires may form for a variety of reasons. Theyre could be internal struggle, or external pressure. There could be the one ruler to unite the nation. These are some reasons that we see from historical formations of empires. India formed an empire through religious congruency and external pressure. India is surrounded by mountains and water on the north and south. From the east and west are two different empires. Thus, the people in this region came together to form the empire. China became an empire through the passing of power between many rulers. It all started with one ruler, Qin Shihuangdi. He formed the first dynasty to rule China, the Qin dynasty. After this dynasty, the power kept passing onto others and the tradition of empire followed. Rome was an empire created by internal struggle. The people of Rome were violent and arrogant, and frankly out of control. There motives may have been good, but there was no way to bring them together. This is where Julius Caesar comes in, unifiying the nation and leading Rome to become a vast empire. The examples of empires forming give us reason as to why they were formed.

Wikipedia vs The Book

There are some pros and cons to using either wikipedia or the history book. I personally prefer wikipedia, but the book is also good for other things. Wikipedia is easier to use and makes it easier to find things. All the main categories are broken into subcategories that are easily navigable. However, wikipedia has one downfall that being the information. The information is not as detailed as in the book. It is also editable by anyone worldwide, so there is no way of knowing if the information is legitimate or not. I think a class using wikipedia would be pretty cool, but for homework I prefer the book because of the full information and reliability.

Caste Duties

These reflections on caste duties and detachment are the opposite of the moral and ethical teachings of Zarasthutra and Confucius. The previous teachings told of how peace and kindness would lead a man to divine living and evetually heaven. The caste duties, for Kshatriyas, explained that if they did theyre job, went into battle, they would go to heaven if killed and enjoy earth if victorious. The teachings are somewhat the same however, because both say that if you do your job in life, you will be successful. The interpretation of the teachings is what makes it different.

Blogposts

I believe that only Mr. Whitten should be allowed to critique, comment, and grade blogposts. Jist from my personal experience, I hate when somebody other than person teaching me critiqued my point of view. I just dont think that anybody else but the teacher deserves that right. For the criteria of blogs, I believe it should be based on quality of the work alone. If a person makes a few grammar mistakes or spelling errors, it should't matter as long as they get their point across in an understandable way. Obviously though, if the post is full of mistakes the person shouldnt receive full points. Overall, I just want to be graded by Mr. Whitten, and for my work to be considered for it's quality, not how long or short, or is there are a few simple mistakes in my grammar.

Analect response

The analect i chose was "Book III. 16          The Master said, “The gentleman understands what is moral, the small man understands what is profitable.” This analect is quite useful for poloticians today. It would provide them feedback on how the public would view them for making decisions in the economy. A politician who made a moral decision over money would be seen as maybe amiable to the public. A politician who makes a decision for a profit would be seen as a selfish man, not worried about the people. It is obscure because a profit could benefit the public, but still it is good feedback.

Alexander the GREAT

I do believe Alexander deserves to be called the Great. He was a man on a mission throughout his life, and he died trying to fulfill it. At an early age, Alexander showed brilliance, when he tamed the horse that was untamable to his village, at the age of ten. His own father told him to find a larger empire, because Macedonia would not be big enough. These words may have been the spark that led the man to lead a full conquest to create the world's largest empire, stretching from Greece to India. Alexander defeated empires with his army, set them down and conquered them. He was able to win battles with fully intoxicated troops. These reasons show that Alexander was truly great.