To the Romans Hannibal became a legend for fierce and heartless enemy but if you were a Carthaginian Hannibal was a brilliant military leader and a hero. I realized there is a huge difference in your perspective depending on which side you are on. The Carthaginians were defending what they felt was rightfully theirs. Hannibal fought with everything in his power to win the war but he didn't have enough support to win a real victory against Rome.
The Carthaginians lost everything after the third and final Punic war. After trying to defend themselves against the African tribe attacks. What a waste of human life. Thousands of men died. The rest were sold into slavery. A very harsh punishment for violating the treaty agreement. The Romans may have thought Hannibal was ruthless but in the end the Romans proved to be just as hard-hearted themselves.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Wikipedia Assignment # 1
This article is on ancient Greek art. In the introduction it discusses the wide influence Greek art had on other civilizations. It gives a brief history of ancient Greece and indicates the four artistic periods. The article is divided into eight different sections; survivals, pottery, metal vessels, figurines, monumental sculpture, architecture, coin design, and painting.
1)The main article has 5,426 words.
2) The search term is Ancient Greek art. The title is Art in Ancient Greece.
3) I don't see a Disambiguation link.
4) The comments on the discussion page is interesting. There is a dialogue going on between the writers of the article as to what should be included and what should be omitted. Adam Carr seems to be the most involved in the early writing process. There was also some discussion about the need for references.
5) The first time this article was modified was March 20, 2004 and the last time was September 11, 2008. There have been over 1000 changes made to this article.
6) There are three external links.
7) There is one reference.
8) There are six titles under Further Reading.
I thought this article was interesting and gave a good overview of the important points of the art of ancient Greece. The pictures provided were helpful in illustrating the style changes that occurred throughout Greek history. I'm not an expert in this area so I don't know if everything was correct. I would recommend this to anyone who wanted a brief to-the-point article that could launch them to a more in depth study of ancient Greek art.
1)The main article has 5,426 words.
2) The search term is Ancient Greek art. The title is Art in Ancient Greece.
3) I don't see a Disambiguation link.
4) The comments on the discussion page is interesting. There is a dialogue going on between the writers of the article as to what should be included and what should be omitted. Adam Carr seems to be the most involved in the early writing process. There was also some discussion about the need for references.
5) The first time this article was modified was March 20, 2004 and the last time was September 11, 2008. There have been over 1000 changes made to this article.
6) There are three external links.
7) There is one reference.
8) There are six titles under Further Reading.
I thought this article was interesting and gave a good overview of the important points of the art of ancient Greece. The pictures provided were helpful in illustrating the style changes that occurred throughout Greek history. I'm not an expert in this area so I don't know if everything was correct. I would recommend this to anyone who wanted a brief to-the-point article that could launch them to a more in depth study of ancient Greek art.
The Roman Philosophy
I was surprised that Aristotle considered a slave to be a necessity for any man to live well and that some are marked for slavery and others are intended to be masters. If I could discuss this matter with Aristotle I would ask him, "If this is the case why does a master have to rule with a whip? Those who are meant for slavery should be naturally submissive. They should be easily controlled and uprisings would be nonexistent."
My opinion is that there are not those suited for slavery but those who are determined to be in control. Some people are more aggressive, like the Romans. The Roman philosophy was if they are in control they are protected. For their homeland security they didn't employ diplomacy, they took over the surrounding territories to protect the Roman state. Therefore, it is the one who carries the bigger stick who is really destined to rule.
My opinion is that there are not those suited for slavery but those who are determined to be in control. Some people are more aggressive, like the Romans. The Roman philosophy was if they are in control they are protected. For their homeland security they didn't employ diplomacy, they took over the surrounding territories to protect the Roman state. Therefore, it is the one who carries the bigger stick who is really destined to rule.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
My over all impression of this week's reading was Greek glory came from success or death on the battlefield. Even Solon believed the happiest man would be one that died with honor on the battle field or after achieving a heroic act. The riches of Croesus didn't equal true happiness in the mind of Solon. Maybe because riches can come or go but an honorable death is final. It is ironic that Croesus's life ended with humiliation when Lydia was conquered by Cyrus.
In a culture driven by this ideology it is not surprising that success in battle was immortalized. Alexander the Greats conquer of the Greek city-states, Persian empire, and death at the height of his success equaled the ideal hero in the minds of the Greeks. Alexander turned the humiliation of being conquered around by restoring democracy and many Greeks joined him in battle. It is fascinating that Alexander's conquest and unification of the Greek city-states spread the Greek culture and increased Greek influence. Without Alexander the Great there would not have been a Cleopatra and much of the Greek culture may have been lost.
In a culture driven by this ideology it is not surprising that success in battle was immortalized. Alexander the Greats conquer of the Greek city-states, Persian empire, and death at the height of his success equaled the ideal hero in the minds of the Greeks. Alexander turned the humiliation of being conquered around by restoring democracy and many Greeks joined him in battle. It is fascinating that Alexander's conquest and unification of the Greek city-states spread the Greek culture and increased Greek influence. Without Alexander the Great there would not have been a Cleopatra and much of the Greek culture may have been lost.
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