Jason+Siegrist

The School of Athens
Diogenes (412-323 BCE) lived in poverty, begging and stealing for food. He went against the conventions of society and for this reason he became so popular. He ended up in Corinth after being captured by pirates and sold into slavery. There he shared his philosophy of Cynicism, the belief that people are motivated purely by self-interest, which eventually worked it's way into one of the most popular schools of Greek philosophy.

His body language in the painting and the way he is sprawled across the floor immediately drew in my attention. He looks like he is completely unaware of his surroundings and doesn't seem to mind. The look of deep intellectual thought on his face is a perfect way to illustrate philosophers of that time. Stories of Diogenes were very popular during the Renaissance period. who else should have been included? -SW



Ancient Gupta Coinage


This coinage suggests that the Gupta Empire had a fairly sophisticated level of money and trade. Until the end of the Gupta Empire rulers took interest in making a variety of different coins with different designs. After the fall of the Guptas there was a scarcity of coinage throughout North India. Gold coins were no longer issued as with silver and copper coinage was scarce and wasn't made very well. At this time although there wasn't many coins being produced coins continued to circulate. Later in North India this coinage from the Gupta time period was still relevant. There were definite zones in which each had there own form of coinage, with very little overlap in areas of circulation. Most of these currency zones were congruent with political boundaries. Control over the manufacturing and general circulation of this coinage was a very powerful privilege for the government. These ancient coins made during the Gupta Empire were a big part of Indian culture and lasted much longer than the Gupta Empire itself.

[|http://www.indianetzone.]

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=**Class Starter; African Diseases**=

Colonials claimed that they were going to rid the African continent of disease but in reality, colonization actually increased the amount of sickness in the region.The start of the colonial era paralleled the terrible epidemics of diseases in Eastern Africa. In the British Protectorate of Uganda, between 200,000-300,000 people died over a ten year period. When the Belgian controlled Congo, nearly half a million people perished of disease. Colonization brought with it warfare and social disruption. This also happened to take place at the same time as years of drought, plagues of locusts and famines were effecting the region. Because of these events, people were abandoning farms and sometimes whole villages. As people moved away, the forests regrew. With the forest came wildlife reservoirs with tsetse flies and infected mosquito. The relationship here is that it was the presence of humans, clearing land and controlling the forest, that hindered the spread of disease. When humans leave a place, the environment needed to spread the disease begins to grow back and can even take over land that was previously disease free.

Trypanosomiasis or African sleeping sickness:
The African sleeping sickness comes very suddenly, many people get bit one night and wake up the next morning feeling the full effects of the disease. It's caused by a small parasite that leads to a serious infection in the brain. The disease develops slowly and if treatment is delayed, it usually proves fatal. These dangerous parasites are carried by the tsetse fly. Fortunately, most tsetse flies are not infected with the parasite. These flies are slightly larger than our normal house fly and have an extremely painful bight.

 [|http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/travel/diseases/sleeping_sickness.htm#ixzz2hwlThmoB]


 * Tsetse Fly Bite**

The yellow fever virus is transmitted through the bite of a female mosquito (the yellow fever mosquito, aedes aegypti) and is found in tropical and subtropical areas in Africa and South America. The only known hosts of the virus are pr imates and several species of mosquito. The origin of the disease is most likely Africa, from where it was introduced to South America through slave trade. In most cases Jaundice, the yellowing of skin and/or eyes, comes on the 2nd or 3rd day of infection.
 * Yellow Fever:**


 * Jaundice**

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**Malaria:**
Malaria is a serious disease that causes a high fever and chills. It is most often found in Africa, Central, and South America. Malaria is caused by a bite from an infected female Anopheles mosquito. In rare cases, people can get the disease if they come into contact with infected blood. A pregnant woman infected with Malaria can pass it on to her unborn child.



**Anopheles Mosquito**
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**Poliomye**** litis or Polio: **
Polio is a highly contagious viral infection that can lead to paralysis, breathing problems, or death. The term poliomyelitis is from the Greek // poliós // meaning "grey", //myelós //referencing the spinal cord, and -itis meaning inflammation. The virus usually enters the environment in areas with poor sanitation, it easily spreads via contaminated water or food. In addition, direct contact with an infected person with the virus can spread the disease.



Polio dates back to ancient Egyptian times
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