Griffin+E.

=Primary Source Unit 3- The Forbidden City=

The Forbidden city, a monument to the ages of China's splendor and architectural wealth. Started in 1406 and finished in 1420, it is the largest preserved
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =Averroes- School of Athens Entry=

Averroes or Abū l-Walīd Muḥammad bin ʾAḥmad bin Rušd, is an Islamic polymath and philosopher specializing in Aristotelian ideas and sciences. He was born in Cordoba Spain on April 14th 1126, and died December 10th, 1198. The reason I like Averroes so much, is that he represents a vital link of culture from ancient Rome and Greece to the Renaissance and the rebirth of that culture. Averroes wrote many a commentary on Aristotle's works, and introduced Aristotle's ideas to western Europe. He was called "The Commentator" and is a driving force behind the development of Greco/ Romanized thinking in the new age of Western European thinking. Great entry Griff. -SW ==

== =Who should of been on the Painting?= ====I believe Genghis Khan himself should have been on this painting, he represents a key avenue of expansion and transmission of ideas from the middle east and china to come pouring into Europe. He allowed the silk road to become lucrative and highly sought after again, and he increased cultural diffusion from these places he conquered into the others he conquered into by means of absorbing ideas from all of them and scattering throughout the areas he controlled. He might not know how to do advanced physics of geometry, but he sure knew how to spread those ideas around. Unique idea, what about the "smiting"? -SW ====

Mongolian Horses: Primary Source 2.
====As we learned about in class, the Mongolian empire was one of the farthest conquering, one of the most successful military based empires ever, and had a lasting effect on the 3 different continents. The Mongolians had the best military on earth, conquering the subjects of their military incursions with unprecedented speed and ferocity, all while often facing down much larger militaries with more advanced technology. One particular aspect of the Mongol arsenal allowed them to excel in combat across the wide range of geographical zones and biomes they encountered, the Mongolian horse.====

====Mongolian horses are a driving factor in the conquest by the Mongols in the 13th century. The horses typically measure 48 inches to 56 inches tall, very short by the standard of the day, as opposed to the common perception though, the horses are not ponies. In Mongolia, these horses have been part of the nomadic people who reside there's existence since the very inception of their society. Currently today, there are 3 million horses living in Mongolia, more than the number of people currently living there, a testament to the influence and power of the animals. They are described as being very hardy, living outside in Mongolia all year round, they also have incredible stamina, being able to gallop for 6 miles without a break. Mongolian peoples take full advantage of their horses, using their mane hair for bow strings, drinking the milk of the mare for a supply of lactose and vitamin D, which it is much more rich in then Cows or Goats milk. In rare cases even, the horses are slaughtered for their meat. This in turn provides the Mongolian people with a unique and crazily advantageous tool of conquering and warring, an animal that provides transport, weaponry and a basis for strategy and movement, and food and milk that sustains the people and gives them better nutrition then their adversaries. Even the Mongols themselves acknowledge the power of their horses a common saying "A Mongol without a horse is like a Bird without the wings" and even from the greatest conquerer himself, Genghis Khan "It is easy to conquer the world from the back of a horse". The horse was sometimes a crutch for the Mongols though, and when they couldn't use them as extensively as they would want to, such as in western Europe, a land lacking in proper pasturing fields, and an area the Mongols could never conquer.====

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Conclusion:
====If you are going to be the next great conquerers of the known world, incorporate horses, a diet of meats, hearty dairy products, and an appetite for destruction with genius military tactics, mobile platforms to get around, bows that punch through the very spirits of your enemies, and a slight sprinkle of the words "Horde", "Khan", and "Scourge of god". Mongols rock.==== = = =Mayan Calendar= ====In ancient Meso-American civilization, many calendars were developed among the Olmec, Zapotec, and Mayan civilizations. However, the Mayan calendar was the most advanced calendar that was developed during that time, and shows the progress of Meso-American civilization in a time when all that western Europe can come up with is a new plow.====

The Mayan calendar is based off of cycles, which the mayans created many of and base their recording of time off of. There are cycles of 20 days called veintena, and a cycle of 13 called trecena, theses two cycles might be equivalent to a week in our calendar, and are the smallest cycles in the Mayan calendar. Tzolkin, an odd cycle, lasts 260 days, this count is also incorporated with a rough 365 day cycle, called the Haab'. Haab' is interesting because it is a unit of another cycle, the Calendar Round. The Calendar Round is a synchronized cycle of 52 Haab', which typically ends in festivities or military campaigns. Then there comes the Long Count, which is the Mayan way of keeping track of time past 52 years. It has many units, ranging from 20 days all the way up to 63,081,429 years. The ending of a larger cycle such as B'ak'Tun, was usually celebrated by the dedication of buildings and ceremonial rights reserved for that day alone. As well as these calendars, the Mayans also developed a 9 day cycle scarcely used, and a cycle based on the rotation of venus.

Interesting facts: December 21st, 2012, was the predicted date of the next B'ak'Tun, which led people to believe that it would be the end of the world based on "scientific theory". When in fact the calculation of the date itself if probably inherently wrong, as the Common Western European/ Eastern calendar is based off of 10 day units, and the Mayan Long count calendar is based off of 20. The first Piktun (or 20 Ba'ak'tuns) will occur on October 13th, 4772 supposedly.

Mayan Calendars matter because it paints a picture of an american society that while considered, brutish, incorrigible heathens by their friends across the Atlantic, that they had a vast scientific knowledge of the stars and their workings as well as other things, and displayed a refined appetite for discovery and progress, which is very adverse to most of Europe at the time.

= = =Primary Source: The Pantheon=

===The Pantheon is a building in the heart of Rome, Italy. It was commission by Marcus Agrippa (A prominent statesman and general) during the rule of Augustus. It was a temple to the gods of Ancient Rome, and it's name meant //"////Temple consecrated, to all gods."// Throughout the time it has existed, it has been rebuilt by Hadrian in 126AD, used as a Roman Catholic Church since the 600's.=== ====You must climb steps to get up into the Pantheon, and to see the giant granite columns that rise up into the air, they were quarried in Egypt, dragged 100 km, and floated across the Mediterranean to support the mighty frame of the building. It took 762 workers 3 years to construct the Pantheon.‍ The dome of the Pantheon is the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world.‍ The sides of the dome are vaulted, and at the very pinnacle of the dome an opening appears, which is the only source of natural light in the entire structure.====



Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon,_Rome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/:0_Pantheon_-_Piazza_della_Rotonda_-_Rome_(1a).JPG

Hello everyone, glad to be in this class! Good luck! **Persian Immortals** ====Persian Immortals (or Anûšiya in Persian) were the elite troops of the Persian empire, serving as Imperial guards as well as a unit of soldiers during the expansion of the Persian Empire, as well as during the Greco-Persian wars.====

====The Immortals were always made up of 10000 men, Herodotus claimed that the name Immortal stemmed from the fact that whenever one died or left the unit, another one would always be take their place. Herodotus might have gotten the name Immortal wrong though, confusing the word Anûšiya ('companions'), which is believed to be the actual name of the soldiers, with Anauša ('Immortals').====

[[image:boiseapworld/3.jpg]]
====Although the Immortals were fighting on a day to day basis, they had a lavish caravan following them at all times which provided special food only they could eat, along with concubines and personal servants to attend to their will. Immortals also had to be ethnically Persian to serve with the unit.====

[[image:boiseapworld/2.jpg]]
====Immortals were armed with weapons such as spears, swords, bows and arrows and daggers. The spears they used were tipped with iron, and they were proficient at horseback riding. This allowed them to be flexible when fighting an enemy and adapt to nearly any situation. Their weakness was proven through the Greco- Persian wars, when the Hoplites could keep them at bay with their spears and longswords. They wore scale armor topped with high quality clothing, they wore either a Persian tiara or a fur cap. ====

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