Augustus Bids You to Study Diligently

Great job on today's crossword puzzle!

I was especially impressed that some of you solved the challenging clues related to the following words:

Ides (of March)

Veto

Pompey
Livy (who knew he was a Bengals fan?!)
Dictator

Rubicon

Here's a picture of the Rubicon River.  As you can see, it's not very big.

And yet, when Julius Caesar crossed it with his troops, the course of history was changed forever!

History Video #13: Augustus, Varus and the Battle of Teutoburg Forest

Malin and Augustus: Leaders for the Ages

Ariana and Rosalie: "When Mr. Richmond had to leave the room for a couple of minutes, Mrs. Malin became a temporary leader during a time of crisis ... a dictator!"

Bertie: (After being asked to describe the marble statue of Augustus) "He's looking very chiseled."

Beware the Ides of March!

Today we discussed the assassination of Julius Caesar by Brutus and the other Senators.

The students learned that the word "assassination" specifically refers to a politically-motivated murder.

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Here's an account of Caesar's assassination by the Roman historian Dio:

When the right moment came, one of the Senators approached Caesar, as if to express his thanks for a favor.

The assassin pulled his toga from his shoulder, thus giving the signal that had been agreed upon by the conspirators. Then they attacked him from many sides at once, and they wounded him to death.

Caesar was unable to say or do anything, except that he said to Brutus, when he struck him a powerful blow, "Thou, too, my son?"

Caesar's Ambition, as Described by Plutarch

Today the students read stories about Julius Caesar, as recorded by the historian Plutarch.

Plutarch's first story describes Caesar's somber response when his companions teased the leaders of a tiny village:

While he was crossing the Alps and passing by a barbarian village which had very few inhabitants and was a sorry sight, his companions started to laugh and asked Caesar, "Can it be that in this pitiful village there are ambitious men who struggle to be the leader and are jealous of one another?"

After hearing them, Caesar said to his companions, in all seriousness, "I would rather be first here than second in Rome."

I asked the students what we can learn about Caesar, based on his response to his friends' laughter. Sam, Katherine, Riley and Ellie had this excellent response:

Caesar was power-hungry and always wanted to be #1, no matter who the people were, and no matter the population of the city or how it looked.

Cincinnatus vs. Caesar (vs. Belichick)

Ethan: If you had lived in ancient Rome, would you have preferred Cincinnatus or Julius Caesar as your leader?  Why?

And, in the spirit of Ms. Sisson's fantastic Chapel talk about the importance of humor...

Lucas P.: How is Tom Brady feeling this week?  

                                                                                                                               (Deflated)

Ancient Rome: Julius (and Julia!) Caesar

During Core 4, we learned that Julius Caesar's long-lost twin sister, 

Julia Caesar, is actually a 6th grader right here at STAB!

Today we read Suetonius's description of Julius Caesar.  Here's an excerpt:

Julius Caesar was tall, of a fair complexion, and full-faced. His eyes were black and piercing. 

He was extremely nice in the care of his person. He kept the hair of his head closely cut, and he kept his face smoothly shaved.

However, his baldness made him uncomfortable. He usually brushed his hair forward from the crown of his head, and of all the honors conferred on him by the Senate, there was none which he accepted with greater pleasure than the right to constantly wear a laurel crown.

He was particular in his dress, and he always had his toga wrapped about him.

The students came up with the following list of adjectives to describe Caesar, based on Suetonius's account:

Vain

Athletic

Tall

Handsome

Accomplished

Bold

Bald

Perfectionist

Ambitious

Ancient Rome: The Story of Cincinnatus

Today we discussed the Roman dictator Cincinnatus. In the painting, Cincinnatus is the man holding the staff and being offered the fancy red toga.

The students learned about the difference between the Roman idea of a dictator (a temporary leader during a time of emergency) and the current-day idea of a dictator (a ruthless leader with total control over a country).

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Here's an excerpt from Livy's account of Cincinnatus being interrupted while working on his farm:

Cincinnatus was pushing a stake into a ditch. 

After saluting him, the Romans asked him to put on his toga and listen to the requests of the Senate. 

Cincinnatus was greatly astonished. He called to his wife Racilia and asked her to bring his toga from their hut.  

When he had put on his toga, and wiped off some of the sweat and dust from his body, the Romans congratulated him and saluted him as dictator.  

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 Leah B. and Peter asked a great question about the word dictator: When did people start to use the word dictator to describe a harsh leader with total control, rather than a temporary leader during a time of emergency?  Why did the meaning of this word change?

History Video #12: Cincinnatus

Islam: Charlie Hebdo and Difficult Questions of Faith and Freedom

This week, we discussed the tragic acts of terrorism in Paris, France, including the reported religious motivations of the terrorists.

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Many Muslims believe that their sacred texts prohibit showing the face of Muhammad or depicting Allah in any way. When Muhammad is shown (such as in the painting above), his face is hidden behind a veil.

The cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo objected to being told what they can and cannot draw.

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In class, we discussed difficult questions related to freedom of speech and respect for others' religious beliefs.

The students unanimously agreed that violence is never an appropriate response to an act of disrespect.

Islam: The Five Pillars

This map shows the parts of the world that are predominantly Muslim.  
The green locations are home to mostly Sunni Muslims, whereas the yellow locations are home to mostly Shiite Muslims.

Today we discussed the Five Pillars of Islam, which are considered to be the religion's most significant rituals and practices:

1. The duty to proclaim the Declaration of Faith: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet."


2. The obligation to pray five times each day, each time facing Mecca.


3. The duty to give to the poor.


4. The obligation to fast from sunrise to sunset, each day during the holy month of Ramadan.


5. The requirement to take the hajj: the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Students Explain the Connection Between Religion and the Desert

Last week I pointed out that Christianity, Judaism and Islam were all started in dry, desert-like parts of the world. I asked you to develop a theory to explain why three of the world’s major religions began near deserts.

Several students came up with fantastic answers to this question. 

In fact, the answers provided below by Mason, Sophie H., Riley, Dawson and Leah B. are similar to the explanations that have been developed by important historians -- who have spent many, many years studying the origins of these religions!

(I think Mason, Sophie and Co. were eating their History Wheaties© during winter vacation!)

Mason: Maybe the three religions started in dry land because people needed hope. It was probably hard to get fresh water every day, so they had to start believing and having hope. Then all of their hope, faith and fears along the way turned into a religion.

Sophie H.: Life in the desert is often challenging and hard to get by. People probably looked for explanations as to why things happened the way they did and why life was so hard. Praying might have been their answer.

Riley: My theory is that the desert-like parts of the world are more of the calmer parts of the world. They are places where you have time to stop and think about life and its meaning.

Dawson: I think that in desolate places such as the desert, people need assurance that somebody else is watching out for them. In the case of these religions, assurance came in the form of a god.

Leah B.: I think it’s because the desert is usually a place where people lack resources and don’t have as much access to food and water. So that being the case, you could really focus on your religion, instead of being a “workaholic”. You could really focus and realize that god is with you, and he can help you through hard/tough times.

Video for January 7, 2015: Islam, Empire of Faith