Ascanius Classical Promise Scholarship

The Ascanius Youth Classics Institute is an organization dedicated to advancing the knowledge of the Classical world, and they offer the Classical Promise Scholarships to students who have an interest in creating a program that works with elementary or middle school students. 

For more about The Ascanius Youth Classics Institute, go to:

Ascanius Youth Classics Institute

A little while ago, I applied for the Classical Promise Scholarship and I proposed my own project, The Hermes Project.  I was just informed by Ascanius that I won the scholarship!!!  I am so excited about starting this new project!!!

 
                            

The Hermes Project

                                             

https://blog.johnrchildress.com/2012/09/19/a-fable-of-hermes-and-a-modern-day-moral-for-wall-street/

 As you have probably gathered, I love the Classics! I have been studying it for almost four years, and it continues to amaze me whenever I learn about a new hero, a new story, a new dilemma. What is probably a bit more difficult thing to tell about me is that I am what you would call, a story-teller. I enjoy stories. History and Mythology are sources of amazing stories about human nature, and involve heroes (real or fiction), amazing plots, and dramatic sensations. More importantly, I love telling stories to my peers about what has happened to famous people, and how they have earned their legacy. The beauty of story-telling is that you have the opportunity to bring your audience to a different world, where the exotic lifestyle and people are so fascinating. And yet, there is still knowledge to be gained. From a far standpoint, these stories have nothing to do with our lives today in the 21st Century. We have our smart phones, television, and our social media. However, the closer you look, you will see how much you have in common with the ancient heroes of great. Human nature is anything but unstable. It is constant, and thus, our challenges and lifestyles can be quite as enjoyable, scary, and awesome as the ones in the past. These stories provide guidance into our world, and it feels great to pass on knowledge to many, just as our ancestors did in the past. The Classics have a bad reputation to be unusable and unrelated to today’s world, and I beg to differ, and to change that, I tell the stories of Heracles, Alexander the Great, and Augustus Caesar. My world is that of the legends (both real and fictional), which is unfortunately not a world that most people see at all. The only ones who still live in it are children, who love to hear stories over and over again. I would like to share my passion of story-telling with younger kids. Stories are a child's medicine and I wish to provide kids with the knowledge that has changed my life (and hopefully, theirs as well).

To this end, I want to create a program that helps kids explore the world of the Classics; from its wide history, to the amazing stories that have survived for so long. I will call it The Hermes Project. Now, if you are unfamiliar with the name Hermes, I will tell you. Hermes is the god of messages, travel, trickery, and much more. Hermes's most famous job is to take souls to the underworld (which is basically the afterlife). My goal is to be like Hermes, to take my audience to a different realm where legends come alive. Hermes is also known for being very tricky and cunning. After all, he tried to steal his brother's cattle the day after he was born, and when his brother asked him if he stole the cattle, he simply replied "How could I steal the cattle, I'm just a little baby." One thing that I have learned about during my studies of the Classics was how to use different strategies to one's own advantage to achieve success. Now, I'm not saying that the kids will be stealing each other's plush cows, but I want them to learn about how important one's words are, ones' actions, and how they make a difference in a way one lives their life.

The project will consist of 45-60 minutes sessions. Each session will include story-telling and an arts and crafts project. For each session, I will be preparing a lesson with the goal of teaching different aspects of the Classics (i.e. Mythology and History). For example, I could teach about the Persian Wars, where the Greek city-states, who were often rivals, joined forces to drive out the invading Persians. This teaches that while you may not need to agree with others, it is best to befriend others in order to rely and trust each other. Or, I can talk about Marcus Aurelius, a Roman Emperor who wrote a book, Meditations, about how to live life in the pursuit of happiness, and maybe the kids will enjoy hearing what someone from the past has to offer them. Afterwards, I will help the kids in making some sort of art project that relates to the subject of the story. For Marcus Aurelius, the kids can write a few of their ideas down on paper and make a mini-book for them to carry home or anywhere else. For the Persian Wars, I could create a cardboard template, where the kids can cut out, and make their own Greek masks, in order to create a room full of kids who will all be the same (since they are wearing the same thing), and therefore won’t be able to see any differences or look down upon other kids in the room.

My aim is to give back something that I have found and treasured for years, and what better way to do that than give my knowledge to our future: kids.  I hope that the kids can take a lot from these experiences, as I have done over the past four exciting years of my life.

My lecture on Greece n' Rome

I have been taught to always give, and in order to repay for my favorite teacher's generosity (of teaching experiences and gifts) I decided to create history videos to prepare my peers for the World History 10th Grade Final Exam.  This is one of three videos that I will make.  I truly hope you all can enjoy this video as much as I had making it!

Best, Pertinax Recimer Germnicus Audax Superbus Maxiumus (that's me)

Mortitui te salutant: Life and Death in the Arena

A few weeks ago, I went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, to attend a lecture about ancient Roman Gladiators.  The lecture, “Mortitui te salutant: Life and Death in the Arena”, was presented by Dr. Dirk Van Tuerenhout, the Curator of Anthropology, and has written many books about several different cultures (including the Japanese, Chinese, Latin America, and obviously... the Romans!)

This hour-long presentation drew me in as we talked about everything in a Gladiator’s lifestyle, from the different types of gladiators, to the different spectacles held in the Flavian Amphitheater (Colosseum).  I even had a few questions of my own.  My main question was, "Are there any documents presently, written by gladiators, about their experiences in the arena?"  Curious about the answer?... Here it is:

Gladiators question

Roman Lead Bolt

Yet again, my favorite history teacher has given me another ancient artifact!  This is a Roman Lead Bolt.  Obviously, guns weren’t invented at the time of the Romans, but this bullet could be just as deadly.

According to research, these bullets were put into the slings of auxiliary units (non-Roman soldiers).  This form of weaponry is very similar to the famous weapon that the Jewish legend, King David, used against Goliath.  This bullet was placed into a sling, and when launched, the bullet could easily crack through a man’s skull (due to the lead inside the bullet).  This weapon proved very effective due to its small size, hard power, and devastating results.

New City, New Opportunities, New Struggles: A Global Struggle Between Two Superpowers

This is the title of my recent essay about Carthage.  For those who do not know about it, Carthage was an ancient empire that ruled in North Africa, north of Tunisia.  Its naval fleet, large wealth from maritime trade, and magnificent history, have all given Carthage the reputation it deserves.  I compared Carthage to what would be its biggest rival yet, Rome.  I hope you enjoy it :)

This is a picture of the City of Carthage itself (note that the circular location was its main trading hub)

People have regarded the Mediterranean Sea as the birthplace of many famous, historical, and legendary cultures.  Some of such societies were the Roman Republic and the lands of Carthage.  Rome originated in modern-day Italy, fictionally founded by two twins, Romulus and Remus, raised by a wolf.  Rome started as a city-state, ruled by a king, the first was Romulus.  There were seven kings that ruled Rome, during the time as Rome grew.  After conquering the surrounding territories, Rome became a republic, after forcibly deposing the last Roman king.  The Republic became ruled by senators and the people.  Meanwhile, Carthage originated as a Phoenician colony in North Africa, founded by Queen Dido[1] who ran away from Phoenicia when her life was threatened by her brother.  Dido named the new colony “Car-Chaddash”, which means “New City”[2] in Phoenician.  Because of Carthage’s reliance on not only their motherland-city of Phoenician, but the sea and its maritime trading abilities, Carthage became a beacon for travelers and gained a reputation for becoming extremely wealthy, soon conquering its surrounding African lands.  Eventually, Phoenicia was sacked by barbarians, allowing Carthage to become an independent, economically-wealthy, state.  Between Rome and Carthage a conflict was inevitable as both sides set their eyes on Sicily, known to be very valuable for its strategic position and amounts of wealth.  Although the start of the conflict was sudden, it would take three entire wars, known as the Punic Wars, to weaken both sides, until one would fall to the ground first, while the other would dominate the Mediterranean Sea.  The Carthaginians and Romans were different as shown by their different military tactics and strategies, but they were also rather similar, as they traded similar items to obtain similar economic benefits.

            Carthage and Rome had completely different military strategies, regarding how they fought during land battles and sea battles.  First, their navies were different in terms of the ships’ purpose.  Carthage had created the Quinquereme[3], a large ship based on Greek design that had five layers of rowers.  Each ship had a large bronze tip in the front that had a ramming purpose[4].  The ship traveled at a fast speed and hit the enemy ship, created a hole in the enemy ship that caused it to sink, and have the enemy sailors drown.  The Quinquereme was renowned for its speed and ferocity, and it was revered as a war machine. The Carthaginians relied on this tactic to successfully destroy Roman ships, unlike the Romans

The Romans had originally tried to use Triremes, a similar type of Greek ship, only with three layers of rowers, but it was destroyed very quickly[5].  The Romans eventually stole the Carthaginian design and built Quinqueremes of their own, but with a different purpose[6].  Since the Romans were excellent in land battles, they simply used their ships as floating devices to create a land-battle-like scenario[7].  They relied on their land battle tactics, such as grappling, boarding, and archery, instead of using their ships as ramming devices[8].  There were advantages to this strategy, such as the sailors were trained in hand-to-hand combat, and the ships had more space to carry more soldiers.[9]  While their naval strategies differed, their land-conflicts also were quite different.

            Second, the Carthaginians and the Romans had different land battle tactics.  The Carthaginians relied on the use of auxiliaries to help fight with them.  In many battles, the Carthaginians put Spanish, Celtic, and Libyan soldiers in their armies[10].  One of the most famous Carthaginian generals of all time, Hannibal Barca, used these auxiliaries, by using their different fighting techniques to have a variety of options to use in battle[11].   The Carthaginians accepted other forms of battle from their auxiliaries, unlike the Romans.

The Romans had different uses of the auxiliaries.  The Romans did not heavily rely on them as the Carthaginians did.  They mostly relied on their infantry, which was their most effective part of their army[12].  The infantry was based off of the Greek phalanx, but was changed to create maniples[13], which were groups of miniature versions of the phalanx.  Later, these maniples were converted into cohorts[14], which were groups of maniples put into one unit.  When they did use auxiliaries, which were usually mercenaries[15] (soldiers for hire), they were used as archers and cavalry[16] (soldiers who rode on horses to battle).  The auxiliaries were be trained to conform to how the Romans wanted to use them, without viewing their original fighting styles as an advantage, unlike Hannibal.  The Carthaginians also used the cavalry[17], as many of their auxiliaries used horses in battle.  Despite the similarity regarding cavalry, there were other differences, one regarding the use of elephants.

Hannibal was especially known for his use of elephants in land battles[18].  According to Picture 1, Hannibal is on one side of the coin, with an elephant on the other, demonstrating that Hannibal used elephants in battle.  Africa, where Carthage was located, was a place where there was an abundance of elephants.  They were intimidating to the enemy, since elephants were giant and were rarely used in battle by other armies, making the elephants a rare, but powerful weapon.  They were used to seat archers[19], who could shoot down enemies below, and their massive bulk could easily crush a handful of soldiers. 

The Romans, on the other hand, never used elephants in warfare.  The Romans did not have a place where elephants were in large quantities, like Carthage in Africa.  While the Romans and the Carthaginians had different military strategies, the items that they traded were quite similar, with similar outcomes, hopes, and desires.

            The Carthaginians and the Romans were both similar because they had many of the same items to trade, which can tell many about how the cultures were at the time.  First, both traded metals.  The known world had already known about the many metals that existed.  For both the Romans and the Carthaginians, different kinds of metals were used for many applications, such as ceramics[20], and more notably, in forges.  Iron[21] was especially popular in making swords and spears with, both popular weapons of the Romans and Carthaginians, regarding their weaponry.  The fact that it was being traded with other civilizations, emphasizes that certain metals, especially iron and bronze, were important from a cultural and military standpoint.

            Secondly, both powers traded grain[22].  Grain was considered the primary crop to induce the growth of many civilizations.  Therefore, it was considered a very valuable crop for the Carthaginian and Roman peoples.  Its abundance in Rome allowed its cities to flourish, while having a large grain supply for drastic measures, such as famine[23].  As for the Carthaginians, they relied on maritime trade to obtain their large quantities of grain.  Note must also be taken that both cities were large ones, and they, along their conquered territories, had large populations that were growing quickly.  This meant that the trade for more grain was be necessary to provide enough to feed and satisfy every person in the city.  This same scenario helped both powers make money by exporting them to other places who also required grain in their communities.

            Thirdly, both powers traded fruits[24].  Fruits were consumed in Rome and Carthage for long periods of time.  Both peoples recognized that fruits contained a large amount of nutrition.  Seeing it value regarding, and incredible tastes, the Romans and Carthaginians eagerly wanted to trade to obtain as much fruit as possible.  As mentioned above, both powers were large hubs of large quantities of people, and population boom was in effect.  Therefore, large quantities of food had to be imported to feed everyone, and also exported to other places in dire need of food and nutrition, which further connects the Romans to the Carthaginians.

            Fourthly, both powers traded wine[25].  Wine became popular via the Greeks, who often drank wine at symposiums (intellectual parties).  While being used to get drunk and feel good, it was also used as a medicine, since it had antibacterial properties, which also made it cleaner than water, to a certain extent, because water was easily polluted.  Although symposiums never was popular in Carthage nor Rome, the wine’s ability to intoxicate people became increasingly popular and profitable as Roman and Carthaginian traders profited from the human desire for wine and revelry.  They received many kinds of wine from various areas of the Mediterranean[26], such as the Greeks, the Etruscans, and the Gauls[27].  This same quality was craved by not only the Carthaginians and the Romans, but many more, and was thus exported to obtain more money.

            Fifthly, both powers traded fish[28].  Fish was very abundant in the Mediterranean Sea, and thus abundant along its shores.  As Carthage and Rome had access to the sea, having connections along the coast, both peoples immediately used their ports as places to trade fish to others.  Also, different types of fish live in different areas, making a certain area of the Mediterranean contain a specific kind of fish, and making that fish more exclusive to others.  This made the Romans and Carthaginians import a variety of fish.  The Carthaginians even traded imported fish to other powers, like Spanish tuna to Greece[29].  Finally, fish also contained a large amount of protein, which made it even more valuable to the Romans and Carthaginians.  Even though both powers traded a variety of items, both traded similar products to obtain similar outcomes.

            While the Carthaginian military strategies differed from the Romans, the items they traded were very similar, which helped define each culture through its ideas and intentions.  The Carthaginians used their navy to ram enemy ships, while the Romans used their boats as floatation devices to create a land-battle at sea.  Also, the Carthaginians used auxiliaries quite frequently, and used their individual skills to provide a variety of options to use in battle.  The Romans rarely used auxiliaries, and only used them to incorporate them into or to the aid of the infantry.  The Carthaginians and Romans similarly traded metal, grain, fruits, wine, and fish.  Carthage eventually lost the Punic Wars, and the city was razed to the ground.  However, even after the city was destroyed, Carthage made a significant impact on the world, as did Rome.  Although both empires eventually fell, both left imprints on the world, such as demonstrating the effort and power of the past man, and showing large extents of patriotism.  History is based on the findings of such motivations and actions.  Different powers have different abilities, and overall, it is with the combination of similarities and differences that make up what a civilization really is.

Bibliography

Primary Sources:

Polybius, Histories, Perseus Tufts.

Sermarini Joseph, hannibal coin,                                                                                                                   2006 http://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=25810.0             (accessed February 6, 2017 ).

Secondary Sources:

Adkins, Lesley and Adkins, Roy. Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome .USA: Oxford             University Press.

Kagen, Donald. On The Origins Of War: And The Restoration of Peace. New York,                         USA: Anchor Books, 1995.

Miles, Richard. Carthage Must Be Destroyed.  New York, USA: Penguin Books,                                     2010.

Prince Corsica, Engineering an Empire: Carthage, 2012.

Wells, Benjamin W. Business and Politics at Carthage.  The Sewane Review Vol. 28,                         No. 4.  October 1920: 503.

Woolf, Greg. Roman World. UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Appendix:

Picture 1

http://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=25810.0

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[1] Prince Corsica, Engineering an Empire: Carthage, 2012.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Prince Corsica, Engineering an Empire.

[4] Richard Miles, Carthage Must Be Destroyed, (New York, USA: Penguin Books, 2010), 178.

[5] Lesley Adkins and Roy Adkins, Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome (USA: Oxford University Press) 12.

[6] Prince Corsica, Engineering an Empire.

[7] Miles, Carthage Must Be Destroyed, 178.

[8] Adkins, Life in Ancient Rome, 73.

[9] Miles, Carthage Must Be Destroyed, 178.

[10] Polybius, Histories, Perseus Tufts.

[11]Miles, Carthage Must Be Destroyed, 21.

[12] Adkins, Life in Ancient Rome, 8.

[13] Ibid, 79.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Adkins, Life in Ancient Rome, 66.

[16] Ibid, 68.

[17] Donald Kagen, On The Origins Of War: And The Restoration of Peace, (New York, USA: Anchor Books, 1995), 232.

[18] Joseph Sermarini, hannibal coin, 2006 http://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=25810.0 (accessed February 6, 2017 ) .

[19] Miles, Carthage Must Be Destroyed, 240.

[20] Ibid, 113.

[21] Adkins, Life in Ancient Rome, 197.

[22] Benjamin W Wells, Business and Politics at Carthage.  The Sewane Review Vol. 28, No. 4.  October 1920: 503

[23] Greg Woolf, Roman World (UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 56.

[24] Wells, Business and Politics, 511.

[25] Woolf, Roman World, 303.

[26] Adkins, Life in Ancient Rome, 162.

[27] Adkins, Life in Ancient Rome, 195.

[28] Ibid.

[29] Miles, “Carthage Must Be Destroyed, 120.

My new Ancient Roman coin

My favorite History teacher kindly gave my this coin.  We don't know much about the coin itself.  One side depicts the head of Emperor Domitian of Rome, and for the other side, we don't know entirely what is depicted. This is what we do know: this coin was minted under the rule of Emperor Domitian. Domitian ruled under the Flavian dynasty. His father, Vespasian, was a famous general and excellent strategist.  His older brother, Titus was another general, and is remembered to this day by the Arch of Titus.  This dynasty is also famous for building the Coliseum, or at the time, the Flavian Amphitheater.

Lecture by Mary Beard

I attended Mary Beard's lecture about her newest book, SPQR, and Rome's deepest darkest secrets. I was lucky enough to have an autographed copy and take a picture with her.

Athens and Sparta

Athens and Sparta differed from each other in many ways, including their military, education 

system, and politics.

Military:

Athens was a sea-power.  It was known to have the best navy in all of Greece.  

Meanwhile, the Spartans were a land-power.  The city-state’s dedication to land warfare led to its

reputation as a powerful, brutal fighting force.

Athens used Triremes, large wooden ships that had a bronze tip that would puncture a 

hole in the enemy ship, that would cause that ship to sink.  This devastating ship was used at the 

Battle at Salamis (408 BCE) where the victorious Greek navy was led by the Athenian fleet 

against the large Persian fleet.  With their navy as their main fighting force, the use of the 

phalanx was not regularly used in Athens.  However in Sparta, the main battle strategy was the 

hoplite, a Greek foot soldier.  These hoplites would form a phalanx, which at the time was one of

the most devastating land battle strategies.  The phalanx was used by the Spartans at the Battle of

Thermopylae (408 BCE), according to Herodotus, to hold back the Persian army from attacking 

Athens.  Also, with Sparta land-locked, the use of triremes was not regularly used, and if needed,

they had to be imported from other city-states, such as Corinth.

Education:

Athens believed that the exercise of the body and mind was crucial in their society.  This 

was important because they believed that philosophy, physical fitness was necessary parts of 

their culture.  Sparta, on the other hand, believed only in physical fitness.  This was important 

because the city-state’s main goal was to produce high-quality soldiers to defend the city and 

keep helots from revolting.

In Athens, women were not given a formal education.  This was important because the 

men didn’t was the women to rationalize their way to gaining equality.  They would only be able 

to do this if they received a proper education.  In Sparta, women were given a certain amount of 

education.  They were taught about weaponry and self-defense.  This was important because 

when the men were off fighting, it was up to the women to stay and defend the city or keep the 

helots in line.

Politics:

Athens was a democracy, which means “rule by the people”.  The Athenians 

demonstrated their lust for democracy by creating the Assembly, where 300 citizens are chosen 

at random to have a say on a certain issue in Athens.  The Athenians also practiced ostracism, 

where citizens would cast ballots to exile a certain politician who the majority of the voters 

thought would rise up to become a tyrant.  These were important aspects of Athenian culture 

because it provided a way for the citizens to have a say in government.  Democracy was at its 

prime during the Athenian Golden Age (477 – 431 BCE).  However, Sparta was a military state, 

where a small group of high-ranking generals ruled Sparta.  This was important because it 

emphasized the point that the best soldiers would rule the city.  They also provided a model for 

young soldiers about how a Spartan should be.

For Athenian women, they were not given the right to vote.  This was because they were 

not considered citizens, and thus could not have a say in democracy by voting.  This was 

important because men believed that they were more superior to women, and women were too 

weak to contribute to politics.  However, in Sparta, women were allowed to vote.  Even though 

they were not citizens, women still had some political rights.  This was important because in 

recompense for producing children who became warriors, women were given respect and 

political rights.

Conquest, Control, and Interconnections: The History of the Roman Empire

Course Description

Spanning from Britain to Iraq, the Roman Empire connected vast areas and different cultures in a time before the internet, telephones, or mass media. How did the Romans gain such an Empire, how did they govern it, and ultimately why did it fall? This course examines the history of the Roman Empire and considers the unique social, cultural, and political concerns of an imperial world.

There will be an overlapping set of questions that will be the focus of the course:

1. What is the nature of Empire? This is a broader theme that will form the methodological and theoretical basis of the historical questions being asked. In this sense, the course contributes greatly to the students’ understanding of how historians approach complex questions. For this reason, the course is a benefit for students interested in any historical field or period.
2. How did the Romans acquire, govern, and lose their Empire? These are the specific questions that will be examined throughout the course. Here, there will be a focus on the ‘techniques of the Ancient Historian.’ Students will look at primary sources from antiquity (including, texts, archaeology, coins, and inscriptions) and learn about the particular challenges facing Ancient Historians, such as, "How can we use small bits of lots of different types of evidence to fill in a more complete historical picture?” In the process, students will develop critical thinking and analytical skills.

These learning goals will be achieved through lecture, discussion, and “practical skills” units that are mini workshops on different techniques used by historians who study the Ancient World (e.g. “What information can an ancient inscription tell us?”).

The two goals most important for the course are reading critically and gaining a realistic knowledge of how historians, and other scholars, actually use data to form larger arguments about the past. The first of these will be achieved through daily assigned reading of both modern and ancient texts, as well as the active discussion of those texts. The students will, throughout the course, take turns at presenting the readings (probably in small groups) and will be required to come up with discussion questions for the rest of the class. The second goal will be achieved through the mini workshops on techniques used by historians and through the continual focus on the "facts behind the arguments" of secondary readings.