The New Rome?

Due Tuesday, March 2nd

The United States is often compared with the Roman Empire. Many of our laws come from Roman laws. Our government is modeled after the Roman Republic. Even our government buildings are modeled after Roman architecture. The Roman Empire was once considered the greatest empire in the world and the United States is now considered to be the world's only "super power." However, like all great empires, after years of decline the Roman Empire eventually fell.

Is the United States destined to fall as the once great Roman Empire did?


How are the United States and the Roman Empire similar?

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays to my hard-working global students. Since you have worked so hard over the past few weeks, all you need to do to get FULL credit for this blog is respond (appropriately) to show me that you have read it. Enjoy your holiday season with family and friends and be sure to relax over break. See you next year!
-Mrs. Bartos

The Twelve Tables

Blog #1- Due Sunday, December 6th


The Twelve Tables were the first set of written Roman laws. As the name suggests, the laws were carved onto twelve stone tablets and were posted in the Forum for all Roman citizens to see. These laws, created in 451 BC, became the basis for law in the Roman Empire and the foundation of laws that still exist today.

Why was it important that Roman laws were written and posted in a public place for all people to see?

What are some laws that all societies should have?

Athens or Sparta?

Blog #5- Due Sunday, November 15th

In which Greek city-state would you rather live in- Athens or Sparta? Give specific reasons based on class notes, discussion, and research for your journal project.

Democracy and Citizenship

What is democracy?

What does it mean to be a citizen?

What are some responsibilities of citizens living in a democracy?

The Importance of Written Language

The Rosetta Stone was found by French troops in 1799. It contained a message written in 3 languages: Greek, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, and a simpler form of Hieroglyphics known as Demonic. Until this time no one had been able to decipher hieroglyphics, but people did know Greek. Even so, it took nearly 20 years for historians and archeologists to completely decipher the hieroglyphics.

At around the same time that the Ancient Egyptians were at their peek, another civilization was prospering in the Indus River Valley, which is located in present India and Pakistan. This civilization had also developed a written language. However, the civilization declined and the language was not spread to other areas, so no one has been able to understand or interpret the language of this civilization.

Why is language so important to our understanding of past civilizations and cultures?

Even though we have not been able to decipher the writing of the people of the Indus River Valley, we still know a lot about their civilization. For example, we know that they had very well-planned cities, they had a plumbing system, and they had an organized religion. How do we know these things?

Hammurabi's Code

Hammurabi was a powerful leader of the Babylonian Empire in the Fertile Crescent. He did many things to make his empire strong. One of his greatest contributions to his empire (and the world) was the creation of the first written code of laws. Hammurabi's Code stresses punishments that fit the crimes- "an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth." In other words, if you stole something, you paid the price of whatever you stole; if you murdered someone, you would be put to death. However, his laws were not equal between different social classes and between men and women. If you were a rich person stealing from a poor person, you might only have to pay the poor person half the cost of whatever it was that you stole, but if you were a poor person stealing from a rich person, your hand could be chopped off, or you could even be put to death.
Was it fair that Hammurabi had different punishments for different social classes and for men and women? Why or why not?