Bettany Hughes visits Spain and explores a time when the Moors ruled Europe.  1492, Isabella and Ferdinand celebrate the reconquest of Spain from the Moors.  Columbus sets off for the New World once the celebrations are finished.  It ended centuries of rule by the Moors in Spain. 

They build the Alhambra Palace, one of the most complete Medieval Palaces in the world.  It was build according to a mathematical formula.  It was based on the laws of proportion.  It was one of the most beautiful palaces in Spain when it was occupied.

Sea travel was the way the ancient people got around, and it wasn't as much of a barrier as much as it was a highway.  The Berbers invaded Europe from Morrocco and swept up the Iberian peninsula but was turned away in Portieres, France.  Hughes demonstrates that the Moorish invasion of Spain isn't as straight forward as it seems.  Archeology is demonstrating that history isn't as it seems.  The Visigoths and Moors made deals during the invasion.  The Visigoths gave their land in exchange for protection.

Hughes, hints at life in the palaces the  Moors built.  Walls covered with tapestries.  Mechanical thrones, mechanical birds.  Pools and spacious courtyards.  Bowls of mercury that when the light hit them, reflected light through the palace.  The European idea of courtly love perhaps found its roots in the culture.

The Moorish rule started to collapse in the 11th Century.  Pope Urban called for Holy War and the Catholics in Northern Spain started banding together in order to reconquer Spain.  At this point, the Moorish kingdom had broken up into city-states and were no longer united under one king.  Now, the Catholics started to conquer each city and expand Spanish control over Iberia. 

If you want to find out more about this forgotten chapter of European History, then continue to watch the documentary.

This is a fantastic documentary from Bettany about when Moors ruled the Spanish peninsula.  It would be good for documentary for a sub to show in the classroom or for a teacher to do research for a lecture.

For use in the classroom, just highlight, copy and paste into a word or google document.  You can format it anyway you want to.  All questions can fit onto one page.

You can access the YouTube video here.

Questions:

1. When was the Alhambra built?
2. How many miles is it between Morroco and Spain?
3. How long did it take for the Moors to colonize Spain?
4. Where were the Moors turned away?
5. How Many Columns were in the Mosque at Cordoba?
6. List Three Things You Learned From When the Moors Ruled Europe:

          a.
          b.
          c.

Answers:

1. When was the Alhambra built? - 14th Century
2. How many miles is it between Morroco and Spain? - Nine Miles
3. How long did it take for the Moors to colonize Spain? - 4 years
4. Where were the Moors turned away? - Poitiers, France
5. How Many Columns were in the Mosque at Cordoba? - 600
6. List Three Things You Learned From When the Moors Ruled Europe:

          a.
          b.
          c.

Bettany Hughes explores the world of Ancient Athens and uncovers the truth about democracy.  She explores the bronze age of Athens and how it lead to the golden age of Athens.  She talks about democracy, warts and all.  Athens was a place that women did not have a voice or identity, where they constantly voted to go to war and where slaves outnumber citizens.

How did democracy operate in Athens?  Hughes explores the interesting machine the helped determined who would serve on the jury.  They pressed forward towards war with every other city-state.  Sparta found themselves as saviors in the Greek World, they were the ones who saved the Greeks from the tyranny of Athens.

She explores the war with Persia and how the Persian Navy was defeated by the Athenian Navy.  The Delian League was formed after the war, with Athens leading the league and providing protection for the rest of the city-states since they had a navy.  The league was found on the island of Delos, since not only was it a sacred territory but also a neutral territory...at least until Athens started thinking empire.  There was evidence of a treasury that was being built but abandoned.  The grain is the oil of the ancient world, and whoever controls it can control the world.  Athens was desperate for grain and received tribute in grain.  They took their tributes and instead of spending them on defense, built the Parthenon.

This enraged the people.  They rebelled and were punished for it.  There was no room for contradictory opinions in Athens.  This attitude towards contrary ideas culminated in the suicide of Socrates.  He was a man who asked uncomfortable questions.  He was the man who questioned everything.  It did not endear him to the people.  He was finally asked to commit suicide.

To learn more continue to watch this documentary.

For use in the classroom, just highlight, copy and paste into a word or google document.  You can format it in any way you want to.  All questions can fit onto one page.

You can access the YouTube video here.

Athens: The Truth About Democracy Questions:

1. How many artifacts were documented in the storerooms?
2. What was the name of the Greek Soldiers?
3. What did tyranos mean?  What is it associated with in the present day?
4. How long did people sit in the Assembly?
5. What did the black and white balls mean?
6. List Three things You’ve Learned About Athens:

          a.
          b.
          c.

Athens: The Truth About Democracy Answers:

1. How many artifacts were documented in the storerooms? - Quarter of a million
2. What was the name of the Greek Soldiers? - Hoplites
3. What did tyranos mean?  What is it associated with in the present day? - Benevolent rules, dictators
4. How long did people sit in the Assembly? - One Month
5. What did the black and white balls mean? - White and Black determined if you were chosen for a jury
6. List Three things You’ve Learned About Athens:

          a.
          b.
          c.

Bettany Hughes explores the strange world of Sparta, where equality was enforced, and military discipline was for everyone.  These were a group of people who were determined to be as perfect as they could be.  However, for all their determination to perfection, they were not the best writers.  As well as the fact that there wasn't much left behind by the Spartans.  What we know is from other historians as well as what the digs can fine.  Even the Greek Ancestors found their civilization shocking.

Hughes starts off her tale of the Spartans with a trip to a burial mound, it is a place where 300 men were buried while fighting the Persians.  They were massacred by the invading Persians, but their sacrifice continues to echo through history.  The Spartans were famous for frugality and the fighters.  They had a spirit of cooperation among the people.  They also encouraged individual achievement and competition.

Money was outlawed and weak infants were killed.  The women were more free.  Equality was enforced.  It defined the rights and duties of the citizens and helped saved Western Civilization.  They participated in the Trojan War.  They claimed that their kings were descendants of Hercules.  When the Spartans expanded their territory, they didn't colonize, they took over, enslaving the population.  They were a people wary, always afraid of slave rebellions.

They were the most extreme civilization in the world.  Spartan men would just fight or train or hang out with their fellow fighters.  All male Spartans had to earn their citizenship.  Babies that did not meet Spartan standards of physical perfection, were thrown off the cliff.  Boy infants were tossed, and it was the city elders that made the decision and not the parents.  Then at the age of 7 they were placed in the training system.  An older boy was put in charge of their training and discipline.  They were encouraged to supplement of rations by stealing and if they were caught they were flogged for getting caught.  There was a legendary secret service brigade, who were like a death squad, roaming the countryside.

If you want to find out more about the Spartans, continue to watch the documentary.  You can use clips of it for the classroom setting.  Bettany Hughes is an excellent narrator and this is one of the top documentaries I've seen on Sparta.

For use in the classroom, just highlight, copy and paste into a word or google document.  You can format it anyway you want to.  All questions can fit onto one page.

You can access the YouTube video here.

The Spartans Questions:

1. Who did the Spartans die fighting?
2. What was Spartan famous for?
3. What idea was enforced?
4. What was the ultimate disgrace to a Spartan?
5. Who decided to lived and died?
6. List three things you’ve learned about the Spartans:

          a.
          b.
          c.

The Spartans Answers:

1. Who did the Spartans die fighting? - Persian Empire
2. What was Spartan famous for? - Frugality and Fighting
3. What idea was enforced? - Equality
4. What was the ultimate disgrace to a Spartan? - Dropping the shield
5. Who decided to lived and died? - The City Elders
6. List three things you’ve learned about the Spartans:

          a.
          b.
          c.

Bettany Hughes explores the island of Crete and the world of the Minoans.  It was a people who navigated nature through negotiation, rather than domination over nature.

Hughes introduces the Minoans by telling the story of the Labyrinth, and how the myths helped them explain their paths.  Crete was home to the Minoans, a civilization just misplaced and not lost.  They were rediscovered and given their name.  Crete was a place of a thousand stories, such as the King, a Wife and a white bull.

Poseidon gave the king a beautiful white bull, expecting the king to sacrifice the bull.  However, rather than sacrifice the bull, the king sacrificed another one.  Poseidon, unhappy with the arrangement, allowed the queen to fall in love with the bull.  The Minotaur was born out of this love and it was placed in the labyrinth.  IT was here that the youths of Athens are sacrificed.  What this born out of history or just fake news, it served to remind the Athenians of their history.

Archeologists slowly started making discoveries on Crete, and discovered Europe's first civilizations.  British archeologist, Arthur Evans made his way to Knossos.  It was a place that begged to be uncover.  They started excavating and kept excavating, kept uncovering more and more fines.  An unknown civilization was brought back to life through the archeology.  Continued discoveries revealed a complex civilization.  They documented everything and lived their lives until something happened.  The contradictions of the civilization have been documented.

What happened, archeologists could only guess.  A human sacrifice was made for some reason, it seems that there was a troubled times and that it was necessary to make the sacrifice.  The sea may have triggered the times of troubles which seems to have made the people abandon their female priestesses.  They were the ones who worked with nature in order to ensure plenty for all.  Their people were heavily invested in their religion, however as the time of troubles continued, the people turned against their religion and attacked the shrines.  Bettany Hughes eulogizes the end of the Minoans beautifully.

For use in the classroom, just highlight, copy and paste into a word or Google Document.  You can format it how you like.  All questions can fit on one page.

You can find the link to the YouTube video here.

Island of the Minotaur Questions:

1. What was the Minotour made up of?
2. Who believed that he discovered Troy?
3. Who came to Crete to explore Knossos?
4. What animal was found in Knossos?
5. What was an activity the Minoans did?
6. List Three Things You’ve Learned About the Minoans

           a.
           b.
           c.

Island of the Minotaur Answers:

1. What was the Minotour made up of? - Body of a man with the head and horns of the bull
2. Who believed that he discovered Troy? - Heinrich Schlimen
3. Who came to Crete to explore Knossos? - Arthur Evans
4. What animal was found in Knossos? - Bulls
5. What was an activity the Minoans did? - Bull Leaping
6. List Three Things You’ve Learned About the Minoans

              a.
              b.
              c.

The question of getting kids involved in genealogy has dogged me for the pas few years. So much so, that every once in a while I work on a genealogy curriculum for schools. I made my own family group sheets, individual cards, pedigree charts and for schools I made an individual worksheet with a few questions for the students to work on. My intent was as the children go through school they build on their genealogies and learn how to research for future science projects, English papers, and social studies projects. Now let the brainstorming begin!

Getting kids into genealogy is hard and going to take time, so you might want to start the process before they are even born! If you have old family photos or pictures, especially those that have grandparents, great-great parents and beyond, I would have a family photo wall in your house! My cousin Keith has a wall like this, with copies of old family photos and people ask about it and he tells them that the people in the photos are grandparents, aunts, and uncles and the like. Having this wall gets the kids familiar with their ancestors from the time their babies.

When, kids are really little, do not get too hung up on explaining your genealogy going back to Adam and Eve. Start small. Start with yourself, your siblings, and your grandparents. If your child does something that reminds of you of a story tell your child the story. If you have family time, use that time to share stories about the family or share stories at bedtime.

A second suggestion with photos is on a computer, you can take individual ancestors’ or relative’s pictures put them into paint or any photo program and type their names-print off. Get a poster board and draw a tree (similar to a pedigree chart) on it. Put Velcro on the individual pictures and the poster board. During story time, bring out the board and have the child put the photo on the poster and talk about the individual, tell stories or memories about that particular person.

You can also take your children places where their ancestors lived and worked. Sometimes, you might be able to show the kids inside the house where their grandpa grew up in, be sure to ask. You can also take them to the cemetery (be sure to teach them proper cemetery etiquette) and show them where their ancestors are buried. Be sure to bring paper and crayons, so they can make etchings of the headstones.

My Idea for Incorporating Genealogy into School Curriculum
Okay, every once in a while I work on getting some sort of genealogy packet together to bring into the schools. I was a history major in college and doing genealogy while working towards that goal made history even easier. I had stories of my ancestors and corresponded to events in history-Oscar Coen was shot down over France and was missing for several months. Uncle Charles Cutter was an engineer on Underground Railroad. There were only two Cutters from Pelham, New Hampshire who fought in the American Revolution. If you are descended from royalty, you might find yourself muttering “Grandpa” or “Grandma” under your breath, whenever the teacher mentions your blue blooded relations!

When a child is in first grade, you get the basic questions, who are your grandparents, who are your parents, and where are your origins? You don’t go any further in family explorations. Well, I want to take it further and teach children research skills that they can take into college and have their own genealogies! Now this is a rough outline of what I had in mind, but I hope there are some good ideas in it. My intent is that when they start, students will have a folder that they will keep throughout their school career and that by the time they enter high school they will know how to research and an actual genealogy binder with all their information in a neat presentation.

First and Second Grade: Getting a family tree established with self, siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, granduncles and grandaunts, and gathering initial photos of relations and short stories and getting country of origins for their families as well.

Third and fourth grade: Basic research skills, getting dates and getting great grandparents and their siblings, perhaps a field trip to a local history room or a cemetery is in order. In third grade, they will start keeping a genealogy journal and this is the opportunity for students to interview grandparents and parents about their memories. They record what they interview in their journals.

Fifth and Sixth Grade: More Research skills including basic citation. During this period we’re going beyond the four initial generations, I would put the number to at least seven generations, and we’re actually doing an initial set up for their genealogy book, staring with their parents doing an initial write up with photo. Part of their English and Writing classes, students will be required do to a biographical piece and a fictional piece about an ancestor of their choice.

Seventh and Eight Grade: Finalize the genealogy books with photos, and stories. Teaching the students more citation-the different formats MLA, Chicago and APA and giving them research tips for the future if and when they want to go beyond their initial school project. If by any chance, need to know some family facts for any class in high school, they’ll have handy their project for that assignment. Actually this happened to my cousin and who do you think he called?

That my fellow researchers, is how I would incorporate genealogy into a school curriculum. That concludes my blog on getting kids into genealogy. If there are any additional ideas, fell free to leave your comments below! I hope I had a few good ideas on how to get kids into genealogy. Welp, folks until next time!

This blog was originally published on my now abandoned genealogy blog.