Saturday, November 28, 2009

Anubis By: Ashley Smith



Egyptians were polytheistic, the belief in many gods. Each god had their own purpose, and they always took the form of an animal. The gods created "order from chaos". As seen above, Anubis, he was the god of embalming the dead. Anubis was associated with mummification and protection of the dead, for their journey into the afterlife.

Start of Institutions By: Ashley Smith

The Neolithic Period, known as The New Stone Age, was the "beginning of historic time". The people from this time went from being hunters and gatherers to having an agricultural society. This point in time was the start of institutions. An Institution is "an organization created on a permanant basis to full-fill a group need." The three main, and most important institutions are the family, the religion, and the state.
1. Family: The family is what helps everyone survive through the toughest times, by teaching survival skills. Family teaches how to run a farm, and this farm will be passed down from generation to generation. They are also a very big support system, the elderly in the family not only pass down survival skills, but life lessons they have learned and their experiences they went through to help their family live a genuinely happy life.
2. State: The state is put in place for a legal system. The states makes up the IRS, army, and even the police. The state provided social control, by enforcing laws. The state was also in control of the food supply so everyone would be fed.
3. Religion: The religion is what ties the other two institutions together. When the state was not there answering questions and solving problems that the civilization would have, they asked their god. They looked to god for "answers to spiritual and worldly problems" as a family.

Lawrence, Davis "Origins of Civilization"

Sunday, November 22, 2009

The Diet during Medieval Times. By: Brittany Sears


The main diet of medieval man was bread, meat and fish. Although what was eaten and how it was served varied considerably depending on social class. Nobels ate their food from silverware and golden dishes while the lower classes used wood dishes. The upper classes ate fine white bread, the lower classes on the other hand ate coarse rye and barley breads. Everyone had their own knife and soups were drunk from a cup. Although the rich had advantages when it came to food their was also a drawback because, as the kitchen in manor houses and castles might be located at some distance from the Great Hall, food was often served cold. In the lower classes they had an advantage because their tables being only a few steps from the fire on which the meal was cooked.

"Foreign trade brought exports of apricots, plums, peaches, figs, pears and apples. Strawberries, raspberries and red currants could be found in the woods:" (www.medievaltimes.com) Fresh fruit was eaten by the poor. "The wealthy ate little fresh fruit and viewed such unprepared food with suspicion, so it was preserved in honey and also served in pies". Vegetables were not considered by the general public as able to provide much in the way of nourishment. They were used almost exclusively by "monastic communities under vows of extreme abstinence". (www.medievaltimes.com) Nevertheless there were many vegatables available including onions, parsnips, garlic, watercress, lettuce, cabbage, leeks, carrots, artichokes, beans, peas, lentils and asparagus. Overall the ways of mealtime in the Medieval culture is similar to the ways of other cultures, with similar food and drink options along with cultural variations.



House Art in Medieval Times by: Brittany Sears


"Art depicts the essential role of the horse in the life of man during Medieval times".


In Medieval times the horse played an essential role in the daily life of both rich and the poor along with house art. The hardship of Christanity after the fall of Rome and the chaos that followed, gave rise to the houseman who combined the tasks of being a solider. In medieval times, the romantic concept was surrounded by chivialary and kindness. The Horse was used in terms of war and in love. For war it was a way of transportation and a way to escape from the enemy. In terms of love the horse represented one of chivialary, for example a charming prince who comes to save his princess in distress was a dream of many women in the medieval times.


Mealtime in Ancient Egypt by:Brittany Sears


The foundation of all daily meals, regardless of social class was the same. It consisted of bread, beer and vegetables. The main course included onions, garlic, beans and peas and a variety of melons. The wealthier Egyptians had more opportunites to enjoy red meat, honey-sweetned cakes and other delicacies. The lower class Egyptians relied on fish for most of their meat proteins. The national drink in ancient Egypt was beer, and all anicent Egyptians, rich or poor, male or females, drank great quantities of it. In addition to beer, wine was also often drank. Wines in anicent Egypt, similar to today were recongnized by their vintage. "Also their were often identified by the name of village, town, district and region where it was produced". (www.egyptianinfo.com Wages were paid in grain, which was then used to make two parts of the egyptian diet, bread and beer. Beer was made from barley dough, so bread making and beer making were often shown together. Overall Mealtime in ancient Egypt was one of family ties, religion and class.

Childbearing by:Brittany Sears


The relationship of childbearing and family life in ancient Egyptian soceity is considered to be a very signifant factor within the ancient society. In egyptian households of all classses children (of both sexes)were both vauled and wanted. Although their was not enough research to determine if a mother to be was carrying a male or female the ancient egyptians had other ways to that they believed would determine this factor. This test involved "watering barley and emmer wheat with the urine of a accepting mother"." If the barley sprouted, the women was pregnant with a male child, if the emmer wheat germinated, the women was pregnant with a female." (http://www.fathom.com/) The birth of a child was a time of happiness and joy, along with this came a concern given the high rate of infant mortality and the stress of the mother. Childbearing was a time to be joyful and respectful of the Gods for such a gift.


Entertainment In Ancient Egyptian Society by: Brittany Sears


According to recent research there is evidence for the lesiurely activites of ancient egyptian, when most think of the anceint egyptian's hard work and art comes into mind.What would one do for fun during the ancient times? This question has begun to rise within research of anicent societies. To begin men took part in physical sports, such as hunting, fishing, archery, wrestling and boxing. Men and women both enjoyed swimming. Board games were also popular in entertainment, they were made out of wood, stone, clay or drawings scratched onto the ground. Interestingly so religion also took part in the lesiure life style of ancient Egypt. "Senet' is a game that had relgious significance, the game was linked to passing through the underworld. The lesiure lifestyle of ancient Egypt is one of importance because it brought about new relationship ties regardless of social class and economic statues.

Marriage and the Family Life in Ancient Egyptian soceity by Brittany Sears


Marriage in the society of Ancient Egypt began at a young age, the average age was 16- 20 years old for males and abit younger for females. Virginity was not a necessity for marriage; premarital sex, or any sex bewteen unmarried people was socially acceptable. Once married, couples were expected to be sexually faithful to eachother. The egyptains were considered to be highly sensual people, and a major theme of their religion was fertility and procreation. This sensuality can be reflected by "two New Kingdom love poem". " your hand is in my hand, my body trembles with joy, my heart is exalted because we walk together". The other poem is one of beauty, " She is more beautiful than any other girl, she's like a star rising, with beautiful eyes for looking and sweet lips for kissing". Marriage in the ancient egyptian society can certainly be considered varied and socially different compared to today's current society. Marriage in the ancient society was not considered religious, also marraiges themselves were not documented. According to documents "once a couple started living together, they were considered to be married" ( http://fathom.lib.edu) With the terms of marraige comes the idea of divorce, although marriage was taken seriously, divorce was not uncommon. The idea of divroce for many early modern cultures was forbidden. the ancient egyptains on the other hand accepted the idea, although it was a sad factor it was acceptable on ceratin terms. Either partner could institute divroce for faults, such as " adultery, inability to conceieve or abuse". Divorce was considered a matter of disappointment but not one of disgrace. Overall the Ancient Egpytian society thought of marriage as an important factor within society and culture.