Between the years 1000 and 1300, the availablilty of food in Europe cause the population to almost triple in size! The expansion of the country also caused the world trade to increase. This increase in world trade, also caused the larger spread of disease.
In December of 1347, a sickness was brought to Costantinpole. The form of the plague was a bacteria spread by fleas and rats. Once one person consumed the disease it was contagious through human contact, just like a cold. This sickness was worse for over-crowded cities. A lot of people died and many cities became deserted (ghost towns). Many people thought this bubonic form of disease was brought on by witchcraft. Believing this, many people formed cults and groups and celebrated rituals and participated in origies. Many rumors surfaced about the sickness and different groups of people (like Jews) were being blamed for the onset of the disease. Jews and others were punished, discriminated against and outcasted.
This horrible plague eventually dimished and disappeared and everyone was put at ease. However, the huge progress Europe made with its farm expansion was ruined because of the great loss of the population that the disease destroyed.
Information from this blog can be found at http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h14eu1.htm
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Do as the Romans do
I am currently taking a political course titled,"Classical Political Thought", and we have just started learning about the Roman Empire. The focus of the course is centered on the structure of the legal system the Romans used and how it affected the way they ran their empire comparative to the city of Athens. The most interesting structural aspect of Roman Law is in the way Roman's used to categorize the different kinds of law they used.
To begin with, Romans defined Law and Justice as "A constant and perpetual wish to render to each his due." The maxims of Law include: Live honorable, harm no one, and give to each what is due. With these stipulations for the premise of law, three categories were formed to separate the different types of law.
~The first is the Law of Nature, which is the only law that belongs to all animals of the earth. This is the union of males in females in matrimony and procreation.
~The second is the Civil Law, or the laws made by a people for themselves. This, then, is the jurisprudence as dictated by the Lawmakers of Rome.
~The last category is that of Law common to all peoples. These laws are the accepted rules for war, slavery, and property, by all of mankind.
The Roman Empire in all of its glory derived an entire legal system based on these three simple categories. This system lasted the Empire from 27 B.C.E -393 C.E.
To begin with, Romans defined Law and Justice as "A constant and perpetual wish to render to each his due." The maxims of Law include: Live honorable, harm no one, and give to each what is due. With these stipulations for the premise of law, three categories were formed to separate the different types of law.
~The first is the Law of Nature, which is the only law that belongs to all animals of the earth. This is the union of males in females in matrimony and procreation.
~The second is the Civil Law, or the laws made by a people for themselves. This, then, is the jurisprudence as dictated by the Lawmakers of Rome.
~The last category is that of Law common to all peoples. These laws are the accepted rules for war, slavery, and property, by all of mankind.
The Roman Empire in all of its glory derived an entire legal system based on these three simple categories. This system lasted the Empire from 27 B.C.E -393 C.E.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Life After Death in Egypt
The pyramids were built to serve in the afterlife. The ancient Egyptians believed that each person had a spirit, or Ka, that lived on after the person died. A person’s most important task during their lifetime was to prepare for life after death.[1] Ancient Egyptians believed that when the pharaoh died, he became Osiris, king of the dead. The new pharaoh became Horus, god of the heavens and protector of the sun god. This cycle was symbolized by the rising and setting of the sun. Some part of a dead pharaoh's spirit, called his ka, was believed to remain with his body. And it was thought that if the corpse did not have proper care, the former pharaoh would not be able to carry out his new duties as king of the dead. If this happened, the cycle would be broken and disaster would befall Egypt.[2]
Pharaohs and their families and noblemen had elaborate burials involving mummification. It was believed that when a pharaoh died he became a god. Embalming priests prepared the pharaoh’s body for the afterlife. The priest in charge of making a mummy wore the mask of a jackal, which symbolized Anubis, the god of the dead and mummification. First, the body’s organs were removed. Some of them were placed in their own special jars, called canopic jars. Only the heart was left in the body. Cloth was stuffed inside the body, and then the skin was covered with a chemical to dry the body out. After forty days the chemical was removed, and then the body was covered with oils, precious stones, and amulets. Next, it was bound with long strips of cloth over and over again. A highly decorated mask was placed over the face, and the body was wrapped once again. The entire process took about seventy days.
The mummy was placed in a coffin, or sometimes a series of coffins.[3] The pharaohs often held a crook and flail, symbols of power that linked them to the god Osiris. Inside the pyramid was the pharaoh’s burial chamber. The interior walls were covered with magnificent carvings and painting. The coffin was placed inside a large stone box called a sarcophagus. Many of the pharaoh’s possessions and treasures were placed in the pyramid for the afterlife. The canopic jars, guarded by their own gods, were placed in a chest nearby. Figurines of servants, called shabti, were buried along with the dead to serve in the afterlife.
[1] Janey Levy. The Great Pyramid of Giza: Measuring Length, Area, Volume, and Angles. (Rosen Classroom, 2005).
[2] “Kings of the Dead.” http://www.nationalgeographic.com (accessed October 14, 2009).
[3] Gail Gibbons. Mummies, Pyramids, and Pharaohs: A Book about Ancient Egypt. (New York, NY: Little, Brown, and Company, 2004).
Pharaohs and their families and noblemen had elaborate burials involving mummification. It was believed that when a pharaoh died he became a god. Embalming priests prepared the pharaoh’s body for the afterlife. The priest in charge of making a mummy wore the mask of a jackal, which symbolized Anubis, the god of the dead and mummification. First, the body’s organs were removed. Some of them were placed in their own special jars, called canopic jars. Only the heart was left in the body. Cloth was stuffed inside the body, and then the skin was covered with a chemical to dry the body out. After forty days the chemical was removed, and then the body was covered with oils, precious stones, and amulets. Next, it was bound with long strips of cloth over and over again. A highly decorated mask was placed over the face, and the body was wrapped once again. The entire process took about seventy days.
The mummy was placed in a coffin, or sometimes a series of coffins.[3] The pharaohs often held a crook and flail, symbols of power that linked them to the god Osiris. Inside the pyramid was the pharaoh’s burial chamber. The interior walls were covered with magnificent carvings and painting. The coffin was placed inside a large stone box called a sarcophagus. Many of the pharaoh’s possessions and treasures were placed in the pyramid for the afterlife. The canopic jars, guarded by their own gods, were placed in a chest nearby. Figurines of servants, called shabti, were buried along with the dead to serve in the afterlife.
[1] Janey Levy. The Great Pyramid of Giza: Measuring Length, Area, Volume, and Angles. (Rosen Classroom, 2005).
[2] “Kings of the Dead.” http://www.nationalgeographic.com (accessed October 14, 2009).
[3] Gail Gibbons. Mummies, Pyramids, and Pharaohs: A Book about Ancient Egypt. (New York, NY: Little, Brown, and Company, 2004).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)