Leah+M

Hello, welcome to my page! =Primary Source (Unit 5): "The Red Iceberg"= "The Red Iceberg" (as seen above) is a piece of American, cold war, anti-communism propaganda that was made in the 1960's. This particular piece was found on a comic book cover. In this piece we have an american ship with uncle Sam on it heading straight towards a daunting communist iceberg. It seems to be suggesting that if the USA does not act soon, it could be sunken by the communists. The picture has the formed tomb stones of those who have been "sunken" by the communists (have chosen a communist style government) and the forming tomb stones who are in the process of being taken over (China). In the bottom left hand corner, there are blank tomb stones, this seems to be suggesting that there are more countries that are about to succumb to the communist iceberg. This poster is not only putting communism as a killer but also the Soviet Union itself due to the fact that the sickle and hammer icon is from the Soviet Union. What is particularly interesting is that uncle Sam seems very relaxed, his legs are crossed and he is sitting down. This could be suggesting a number of things. Maybe it is as if uncle sam has no idea that the iceberg is nearing, he needs the help of the citizens to warn him and support him against the Soviets. It could also be that this is a tactic meant to scared the people of the US and show them that the Soviets are dragging the USA into their trap. It is also important to notice that this piece of propaganda was found on a comic book. Generally children read comic books or are at least attracted to them. This fact raises the question: could the artist be trying to warn the kids that the Soviet Union is trying to take away everything they know and love? Could this poster be geared towards creating an Anti-Soviet, anti-communist youth? If the author of this piece of propaganda was able to convince the youth of the US that the Soviets and communism was bad, it would be very good for the US. When kids grew up, they would be ready and willing to go to war against the Soviets if the time came, they would also keep democratic ideals close to their hearts. This in turn would eliminate the idea of wanting a new form of communist style government in the US, thus preventing rebellion. Kids also have the power to influence their parents. Therefore, in the end, propaganda posters like these seem to have been great for the USA given that they secured anti Soviet and communist attitudes within peoples of all ages. **Sources:** http://www.designer-daily.com/examples-of-american-cold-war-propaganda-2918 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_in_the_United_States

**Primary Source (Unit 4): The Guillotine** The guillotine was invented in the late 18th century and served as "more humane" way of executing people. It was introduced to France by Dr. Joseph Ignace Guillotine. Before the guillotine, executing someone could require multiple blows or could even result in someone who was only half dead. This was why the guillotine was invented, in order to kill people with one quick, easy blow. The guillotine became best known for its extensive use in the French revolution, particularly the Reign of Terror lead by Robespierre. In fact, it was used so extensively that it soon became a symbol of the french revolution as a whole. The guillotine itself consisted of upright wooden beams with a sharp blade between them. The victims neck would be placed directly under the blade and a basket put under the head. Next, the blade would be released by a rope and the victims head would fall into the basket. It was actually a fairly effective method of capital punishment due to the fact that it treated all victims the same. No matter who you were, if you needed capital punishment, you faced the guillotine. The guillotine also served as an example to others as executions were usually made public. Therefore, it may have inspired some to join the revolution to escape the guillotine. However, the guillotine ceased to be effective when Robespierre started sentencing basically anyone he wanted to the guillotine during the reign of terror. He would guillotine anyone that he believed to be even remotely involved in threatening the revolution without trial. In fact, during the reign of terror alone, over 16,000 people were guillotined. After that may executions, one can infer that the blade of the guillotine must have gotten quite dull and resulted in less efficient executions. The guillotine also executed many monarchs and rulers (Louis XVI, Robespierre, and Marie Antoinette) just to name a few. So, in a way, the guillotine had a bigger representation and meaning. It signified the revolution and the end of monarchy in France (for awhile anyways). Despite the guillotine's brutal, barbaric, and menacing exterior, it really was a symbol of change in France. It signified the death of monarchs, an example of what not to do, equal and fair capital punishment, and the spread of "liberty, equality, fraternity". Without this devise, there is a good chance that the french revolutionaries would not have been able to accomplish as much as they did and the Reign of Terror would never have existed. So, couldn't one say that if one supports the ideals of the french revolution, they are also supporting the guillotine? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillotine https://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/rschwart/hist255/kat_anna/guilitine.html http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2013/11/guillotine_death_penalty_lethal_injection_is_cruel_and_unusual_punishment.ht http://boisdejustice.com/1794/1794.html
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Very informative, Leah! It's insane how the guillotine was such an instrumental object during the French Revolution. Did you know that France's last use of the guillotine was in 1977? -AK

=Primary Source (Unit 3): The Printing Press= The printing press was invented in Strasbourg, Germany by a man named Johannes Gutenberg. Gutenberg was the youngest son of an upper class merchant in Germany. He studied metallurgy in Strasbourg and would soon invent one of the most important inventions that the world would see at that time period: the printing press. The printing press consisted of a mold, punch stamp matrices, and oil based ink. This invention was revolutionary because it introduced the idea of taking different letters and rearranging them to make words. This revolutionized printing and made it so much faster than the old technique of hand copying books. This method took so much time and was prone to mistakes. With the printing press, all of this changed for the better. The printing press made information available to the masses, which gave it a huge impact. Previously in history, literature and other written down information was only available to the elite, but with Gutenburg's invention, literature became available to the masses. This increased literacy tremendously in Europe and facilitated learning. With literacy rates increasing, the public could now receive information faster than ever before. This suggests that the printing press itself could be a major factor in the many changes and revolts that came upon Europe in this time period. The printing press fed the renaissance as it distributed old knowledge (of Greek and Roman times) and spread new ideas. It also played a huge role in the reformation as the printing press helped by printing off copies of Martin Luther's 95 theses to be widely distributed. This suggests that without the printing press, we might not have as much of a wide variety of religions to chose from. Plus, who knows what the deal with separation of church and state would be without the printing press. The printing press has also helped with all of the scientific knowledge that we have today. The scientific revolution was aided by the printing press in that the press printed scientific works to be widely distributed. Soon, others would look at these works and come up with new ideas, building off of other scientist's ideas. This further advanced the knowledge of the world and brought people one step closer to the world that we know today. The printing press, invented by Johannes Gutenberg, played a very influential role in changing Europe and the world into advanced society that we are today. Without the printing press, we might live in a very different world today. The printing press spread education to the masses, helped further scientific research, and played a part in helping the creation of the many different branches of Christianity that we know today. Therefore, it can be concluded that the printing press was an extremely important invention in world history. http://www.biography.com/people/johannes-gutenberg-9323828 http://happypress.org/gutenbergs-printing-press-invention/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printing_press http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/gutenberg.html
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**The School of Athens: Zoroaster** I chose Zoroaster as my favorite figure from the school of Athens because i find him quite interesting. Zoroaster was the father of the religion Zoroastrianism, which was first practiced in the Persian Empire around 600 BCE. When Zoroastrianism was first introduce it was unique because it had a definite good vs evil and it had one main god. For these reasons it is said to have been a precursor to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. I found it interesting that they would put Zoroaster in "The School of Athens" since he is of a totally different religion than Christianity which was heavily practiced at that time and place. Zoroaster connects to the renaissance because he was a philosopher. He believed that life was a mental battle between truth and lie and that one must use their mind to succeed. This style of thinking is very renaissance-esque. He also believed in freedom of a person and their mind to make choices and be responsible for them. He was a very advanced philosopher for his time.

"The School of Athens" contains many amazing thinkers from many different times. However, I believe that Sundiata of the Mali empire should also be included. He could serve as a representative from Africa in the painting and is well suited for the part. He ruled at the height of his empire and was a fairly tolerant ruler. Most of all, Sundiata founded Timbuktu, which became one of the biggest educational cities of that time. Scholars came from all over the world to visit this city and its manuscripts were very informational. Therefore, Sundiata was also a renaissance man. Excellent choice and rationale. -SW **Primary Source (Quarter 2): The Colossal Olmec Heads** The Olmecs are believed to be one of the first civilizations in Mesoamerica. They existed from approximately 1400-350 BCE and are believed to be the predecessors to the Mayas and Aztecs. One of the Olmecs greatest artistic accomplishments are their colossal stone heads. These heads are about the size of a small car and a total of 17 have been discovered. They are located in various places throughout the jungle in and around present day Vera Cruz, Mexico. Each face is unique and each has a special headdress. The heads are made of stone that is only found naturally up to 50 miles away from the location of the heads. This shows that the Olmecs must have had some means of transporting these giant stones that can weigh up to 40 tons. This would have required some sort of technology, whether it be rafts on rivers or a lever, pulley system. Either way, some sort of technology would have been necessary to move theses heads, suggesting a pretty advanced civilization. The heads were carved out of massive blocks of rock using only stone tools. The Olmecs had no metal. This suggests that the Olmecs must have had some skilled stone carvers as well as a substantial labor force. Stone on stone carving takes much longer and requires more work than carving with metal. Therefore, multiple people would have had to got to work carving these as well as transporting the stone. This would create a labor force and system of choosing laborers. This again suggests a fairly advanced civilization. Finally, the Olmec heads are thought to be sculptures of the heads of Olmec rulers. However, one thing still puzzles historians, the heads look African. The facial features bear striking resemblance to people of African descent, yet Africa is a whole ocean away. This suggests that either the Olmecs were an African group that migrated over to Americas and built a civilization, or that the Olmecs had connections to Africa, possibly through trade. For this reason, these heads throw a mysterious aspect into the Olmec civilization. The colossal Olmec heads provide great insight to historians on the ancient Olmec civilization. They show that the Olmecs had a considerable amount of technology, a controlled labor force (for the transportation and carving of the heads), and a powerful ruler to direct such a project. The heads also give an element of mystery to the Olmecs, making their civilization even more intriguing. Through the analysis of these heads, it can be concluded that the Olmec civilization was very advanced for its time even though it was located so far away from other developing civilizations.

http://latinamericanhistory.about.com/od/ancientlatinamerica/p/The-Colossal-Heads-Of-The-Olmec.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olmec_colossal_heads http://micahwright.com/olmec.htm https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQVQUFYqDSG_caKKWSZhtHv3p22yWUBoceNrL67EFIiyxMQXTGC []
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**Class Starter: Borobudur** Borobudur is a Buddhist temple located in central Java, Indonesia. It was built in the 8th and 9th centuries, during the Syailendra Dynasty, and it is said to be one of the largest Buddhist temples in the world. There are no records on Borobudur so the architect is unknown. It is believed that Borobudur was built as a shrine for Buddha as well as a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. It is designed so that each terrace represents a step towards enlightenment and walking through the temple will take the faithful on a spiritual journey.

The architecture of Borobudur is very symbolic and represents many of the key beliefs and aspects of Buddhism. The temple is split into three pieces: the base, the body, and the superstructure. These coincide with the conception of the Buddhist universe which is divided into three spheres. These spheres are: Kamadhatu (sphere of desire), Rupadhatu (sphere of forms), and Arupadhatu (sphere of formlessness). These spheres are represented in Borobudur by the base, the body, and the superstructure.

Borobudur Temple is made up of 6 square platforms and 3 circular platforms. Each platform decreases in size as you get closer to the top. This creates a stair step pyramid. At the very top sits a large stupa. In total, the pyramid contains 72 stupas, around 2,700 relief panels and a little over 500 Buddha statues. Inside of every stupa is a Buddha, sitting in lotus position. Each Buddha on Borobudur is said to be unique. The relief panels are truly impressive. They are essentially carved panels that tell stories, adventures, and life lessons of the Buddha that go all throughout the temple. There is also an underground "foot" that has its own 160 panels. These panels depict various torture scenes mixed with the pleasures of life. Evidence shows that this "foot" was most likely added after most of Borobudur had been built. Borobudur was located deep in the forest of Java when it was first discovered in 1814 under the direction of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (The British governor of Java at the time). It was made out of lava rock and each rock was precisely cut. The builders used no mortar to connect the rocks (like the Incas in the Americas). Raffles men clear cut all of the vegetation around Borobudur, exposing it to the elements. Also people vandalized it and took parts of the Buddhas for souvenirs. It started to deteriorate even further and in 1968, UNESCO and the Indonesian government started a campaign to restore the temple. Now it is one of Indonesia's top tourist attractions. Side note: Borobudur's architecture is said to be very similar to the Gupta Empires style of architecture. This shows that India must have had a pretty heavy influence on the islands of Indonesia.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9NYtpoezsao/Tdvk7kHS_AI/AAAAAAAAABU/MmGXrIPLDd0/s1600/Borobudur_Mandala.png http://www.atmann.net/images/Borobudur/borobudur.jpg [] http://4hdwallpapers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Borobudur-Temple-Wallpaper.jpg https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQskxAV57nRnWElFVZLR8iPwPazgsep9ZA22KPkasc6yxpii2Yg [] []
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**Primary Source: Epic of Gilgamesh **



The Epic of Gilgamesh is one of the world's first known pieces of literature. It was written in ancient Mesopotamia at the time of the Sumerians. This piece of literature was written in cuneiform of a series of clay tablets. The Epic of Gilgamesh was a religious text about Gilgamesh (part human, part god) and his adventures. Enkidu, Gilgamesh's best friend, plays a big role in these epics as he travels everywhere with Gilgamesh. However, when Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh is forced into a period of sadness which causes his personalty to change dramatically as the story progresses. The Epic of Gilgamesh was the primary piece of literature in this time period. Therefore, this story was told over and over again and became a huge part of ancient Mesopotamian culture. Simply the fact that this story was written down shows its great importance to the Mesopotamian people. There was no paper back then, so writing something down took lots of effort. It is truly amazing that the Sumerians wrote down this long epic on 12 clay tablets. There are many similarities between The Epic of Gilgamesh and many religious texts that we know today. For example, the Epic of Gilgamesh contains one part about a great flood that will cover the entire world and kill all of the animals. Gilgamesh must make a boat and load all of the animals onto it in order to save them from the flood. This flood scene is extremely similar to Noah's Ark in the bible. There was also a story about a great flood in Egyptian literature. It is truly fascinating that all of these places came up with similar stories around the same time period. From a historical point of view, The Epic of Gilgamesh provided a huge insight into Mesopotamian culture and technological advancements. It showed that Ancient Mesopotamia had a form of writing which many people consider to be a key aspect of being recognized as a civilization. It also shows that ancient Mesopotamia had a way of recording and keeping track of important information. Plus, the fact that someone wrote down this story shows that there was at least some degree of education in teaching people how to read and write. This epic provided great insight into the lives of the ancient Mesopotamian people. Therefore, ‍The Epic of Gilgamesh is definitely a very important document in world history. Hi Leah! This is a very interesting topic. I'm glad you decided to use this as your primary source because now I know exactly what this story is about. I was wondering; what do you think about the similarities between The Epic of Gilgamesh and the many religious texts we have today? Also, do you know if any names were reused from this particular piece of literature? Gilgamesh and Enkidu are very unique! The picture on the right that you posted is also very unique. What does it depict? -Emma D.

Sources: [] [] http://www.thenasproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/gilandenki.jpg