Good morning, this time on The Thirty-One Days of the Time Team learn about Romans recycling.  The run time for this episode is 46:59.

Over the years metal detectorists have discovered a variety of metal artifacts from the Roman, Iron Age, and Saxon periods in a field that is between two villages.  The finds are in Lincolnshire and the locals believe there was a posh building in the area.  Lincoln was a great center for Roman Britain, however, there are no records of Wickenby being a center of Roman occupation.  So why are there so many finds?  The Time Team has three days to find out.

The initial geophysics results that there is a great deal of archelogy even though there are no records of a Roman settlement nearby.  What was really happening in these fields during Roman times?  Francis Pryor believes they are sitting on a major series of Roman settlements.  John Gater wants to do more geophysics on the site.  Tony Robinson has his suspicions.  Phil Harding talks about the geophysics showing that there was settlement going on and that by digging they are furthering the story.

Trench One goes in, over an area where a large concentration of finds was discovered.  It does not take long before the first finds emerge.  Geophysics work on the site as well.  So why does Wickenby hosts so many Roman finds, especially medal finds?  It was not on the road to Lincoln and its location would have been more appropriate for a farmstead.  However, the finds give a hint that the settlement was wealthy and active.  Tony goes around town and talks about the different columns that were found in the area.  The locals believe that these belonged to a posh house.

Phil shows off the initial finds that were found in the first trench.  He believes that this hints that there was a settlement at Wickenby.  However, there was molten lead found on the site which would hint that there was something being melted on the site.  This is the opposite of a farm settlement.  John Gater seems to have discovered a large anomaly also known as a blob that hints at the industrial nature of the site.  Guy de la Bedoyere then talks about the Roman industry of metalworking and recycling.

Trench two goes in over the blob.  Guy and Helen look over the brooch finds.  Helen disagrees that it was a metal scrap metal center.  There were plenty of brooches discovered over the site.  Helen points out to the brooches were finished and were not manufactured on the site.  It is only Day One and there is already a disagreement on the team.  As trench two goes in, Phil makes a find in the trench.  There is evidence of a ditch and charcoal.  The evidence of burning seems to hint that Guy is right about this site being for metal recycling.  In fact, in a previous dig, there was a metal bowl found on the site.

In the village, the evidence gathering continues.  Are the columns that were found in the village part of a Roman building on site?  The answer may surprise you.

Back at the first trench, more Roman evidence emerges as well as evidence of an earlier settlement.  Francis believes that this evidence points to an Iron Age Settlement.  Trench one is shut down and a third trench is put in based on John Gater’s geophysics results.  He found evidence of a circular building, perhaps it was an Iron Age roundhouse.  What John is showing, goes beyond a typical Roman Britain farmstead.

On Day Two the Time Team will investigate a spring and a potential roundhouse.  Tony catches up with Guy and Francis to talk about the site and its potential.  What will the Time Team learn about this site?  Is this site the home of something industrial?  Why were there so many brooches found at the site?  What about the evidence of the Iron Age Settlement?  Tune into the rest of this episode to find out more!

The artifacts that were found at the site were very intriguing, especially since there were so many of them.  It was also interesting to hear the Time Team talk about what the site was.  This would be a good episode for a history class and for independent study students.

Today we are going to look at a documentary about a mysterious Chinese civilization: the Shu.  This documentary is called the Lost City at Jinsha.  The run time for this documentary is 49:52.

Sichuan China is home to a mysterious kingdom.  It was found in the Jinsha suburb and was one of the most important finds of the century.  Archeological finds include thousands of graves and their grave goods.  Who were these people?  Why were they left with such fine grave goods?  Why did this civilization disappear?  Agnes Hsu-Tang, director of the China Institute of New York investigates this lost civilization.

The Yellow River was considered the backbone of Chinese civilization.  The Qin Dynasty unified China in 221 BCE.  However, One thousand years before that, the Shang Kings ruled the plain of the Yellow River.  For years it was thought that the Yellow River plains were the center of Chinese civilization.  Discoveries have been made cast questions on this assertion.

These discoveries have been made that hint at a society that thrived at the same time as the Shang and they were locked in mountain valleys.  This culture did not leave any written records behind.  However, their neighbors wrote about them.  They were called the Shu people.  The civilization was found in Jinsha.  Hsu-Tang wants to unravel the mystery of the Shu people.  How did they flourish?  Why did they disappear?

The discovery of the Shu people happened by accident.  There was construction work being done to lay a new road.  All of a sudden workers found evidence of an old civilization.  The police called the archeologists and they headed to the site.  The archeologists were shocked by what they found.  There were thousands of relics on the site.  It was a sensational discovery for the archeologists.  There were jade daggers found, elephant tusks, and other gold objects.  Based on the number of graves, did these construction workers and archeologists stumble upon the Shu sacrificial grounds?  Agnes is surprised at the size of the site.  She has more questions about the site.

There were ten areas discovered including a palace area, a burial area, and a sacrificial zone.  Over 2,000 tombs were discovered however these tombs do not hint at human sacrifice.  Agnes will have to do some further investigation.  She walks through the museum where the Shu artifacts are displayed.  Some statues seem to hint at human sacrifice.  These statues are of people kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs.  What was the message of these statues?  Why were these statues made?

Agnes travels to Anyang, the ancient Shang capital.  It is in Anyang where human sacrifice was a well documentary.  She examines a full chariot that was buried in a tomb with a horse and an occupant.  The Shang dynasty was a slave society, and so when the master died his slaves died with him and were buried with him so they could serve him in the afterlife.  However, does this mean that the Shu people practiced human sacrifice?  The Shang people and the Shu people were in contact with each other, and would this contact lead to an exchange of certain ideas?

Agnes goes back to Jinsha and talks with other experts about her theory that the Shu people would have gotten their ideas about human sacrifice from the Shang.  Find out more about the Shu people and human sacrifice by watching the rest of this episode.

This documentary was way too fast pace to keep up with because I had to keep rewinding to points in the documentary to get the point.  Additionally, it did not have much context to it.  I still do not understand who the Shu people were.  I also did not need a monologue on why she got into archeology.  It left me feeling disjointed at times.  The obsession with human sacrifice was over the top?  I could not believe that the Shu people could be boiled down to people who participated in human sacrifice.  Perhaps Agnes could have talked about what was known about the Shu people up to the point of the discovery of the tombs and other artifacts.  Due to its speed, disjointedness, and obsession with human sacrifice, I will not recommend showing this to a history classroom.

For Athens is a French-produced docu-drama that follows what happened to Athens and the Persians in the aftermath of the Battle of Marathon.  There are subtitles in this production.  This documentary is found on the YouTube Channel Odyssey and History Hit TV.  If you play this documentary on YouTube, there are History Hit commercials in the documentary.  The run time for this documentary is 52:54.

It has been ten years since Persia was defeated by the Greeks at the Battle of Marathon.  You would think that would make the Persians pause about attacking Greece again.  However, they want revenge.  Even though the defeat at Marathon did not diminish the Persian Empire, Darius the Great was left with a bitter taste.  It broke the myth of Darius’ invincibility.  He wants that sense of invincibility back and will lead his troops once again to defeat the upstart Greeks.  With Athens’ decline, will the Greeks be able to come together again to defeat the enemy?

The story begins ten years ago when Darius the Great invaded Asia Minor.  Athens’ hearing of the Greek Colonies’ plight in Asia Minor gives their support.  The Persians are defeated at the Battle of Marathon.  It is something that Darius would never forget.  One year after the Battle of Marathon, the general who led the Greek troops against the Persians passed away.  However, peace does not reign supreme over Greece.  The Greeks live in separate city-states and oftentimes squabbled.   The City-States came together to defeat the Persian Empire.

The Athenians never had a good navy and were regularly bested at the sea by sailors from the Aiginai Island.  It was the Aiginai Island sailors that rule the seas.  However, it would be a bigger navy that would threaten Athens.  One man wanted Athens to build a navy to protect Athens.  A navy would be expensive, and the man who foresaw the need for a navy designed a ram to help protect the ships.  This man foresaw that the Persians were the biggest threat to Athens.  The Persians had a lot of ships and these ships could transport a lot of men, which made the Persian Navy so powerful.  It would not take much for the Persians to invade and conquer Greece.

Four years after the battle of Marathon, Darius the Great dies.  He has not finalized his revenge.  There have been troubles in the Persian Empire which caused the delays.  His son becomes king – King Xerxes.  He wants to finish what his father started.  However, the Egyptians were rising up against him and they needed to be dealt with first.  This campaign would be the first to cement Xerxes’ place as King.  Once the Egyptians were dealt with and made an example of, Xerxes would turn his attention to Athens.

In the meantime, the naval architect is perfecting his ram for the ship.  The ram is powerfully built and should give the Athenians the advantages.  How to pay for the fleet would be another manner.  Then suddenly a seam of silver was discovered.  This silver brought wealth to Athens and the citizens were flushed with money.  Perhaps this was enough wealth to fund a navy.

In the meantime, King Xerxes defeated the Egyptians and they are punished severely.  Xerxes is becoming known as a Warrior King and has done his duty in expanding the Empire.  Back in Persepolis, Xerxes makes his plans for invading Greece.  He will invade overland and conqueror the Greek city-states one by one.  He begins his preparations on an unprecedented scale.  His plans are detailed and thorough, there will be nothing left to chance.

In the meantime, the Aiginais have attacked again.  The squabbling between the Greek city-states is blinding the Greeks to the real threat: the Persians.  When the profits from the silver mines are distributed, these naval architects suggest that they use the profits to build a navy.  He argues that the Aiginai are preventing Athenians from eating their full.  He did not mention that the Persians were a threat.  The ships are going to be built.  Will Athens finally rule the waves?  Will these ships be enough to defeat the Persians?  Tune into the rest of this documentary to find out.

This documentary had an old-school feel to it, and I dare say that there was plenty of green screen use in this documentary.  It was still very good and would be something that I would to a classroom.

The pyramid building Ancient Egyptian civilization could not last.  Ancient Egyptian's confidence was soon shattered.  Economic collapse put a pause on the Egyptian Civilization.  The Ancient Egyptian people were soon filled with dread as the society collapsed around them.  Egpyt was soon thrown into chaos, signifying a new era in Ancient Egypt.  The military took over and they ruled by fear and intimidation.

Saqqara not only shows the Egyptian’s confidence in their civilization but also the collapse of that civilization.  A funeral causeway reveals the collapse of Ancient Egypt.  An image from that causeway shows people suffering from famine.  This famine is slowly closing in on Ancient Egypt.  The images of plenty were replaced by images of skeletons.  Such images were never created before but now reality hit ancient Egyptians in the face.  They tried to keep the forces of reality at bay but the images Fletcher refers to were an omen of the future.

The Nile and its flood allowed Ancient Egyptians to thrive.  Unfortunately for them, the Nile’s flood ceased.  This led to suffering, starvation, and in some cases cannibalism.  The Ancient Egyptians believed strongly in their kings.  The Pharoah was soon seen to be weak during their time of need.  Pharoah Pepi II, in his old age, tried to show off his physical prowess in the Jubilee celebrations.  However, the image of a vital Pharoah was shattered.

The Egyptian Dark Ages was an age where its people turned to magic to sort out their problems.  They thought that by reaching out to magic, they would be able to control the world.  The Egyptians also started writing out curses on pots or wax figures.  They would burn the figure or smash the pot to activate the curse.  It was informal religious, it showed how suspicious the Eqyptians had gotten.  Chaos meant that the Egyptians’ worldview had changed.

A once united Egypt fractured into smaller kingdoms.  Each of these kingdoms had a strong warlord leader.  These leaders believed themselves above the previous Pharoah.  They used the language and the images that the previous Pharaohs used to describe themselves.  They were the heroes without a peer.  These leaders did what they could to take care of their people: they gave bread, they gave sandals, they gave money.  There may have been cases of exaggerations of how bad it was.  This helped them claim that they were gods. 

However as the power of the warlords grew, more and more conflicts happened.  Some warlords created alliances with other warlords or they fought each other.  They ended up turning on the remains of the old pharaohs and destroyed the old tombs of the pharaohs in the valley of the Kings.  This violation of the old burying places appalled the people.  The destruction of the tombs broke the line of history.  After the destruction, ordinary Egyptians made atonement, bitterly regretting the tomb destruction.

After this destruction, one warlord decided to unite Egypt.  This king would end Egypt’s dark age.  The Egyptian Civil War was violent.  The bodies of these warriors bore witness to the violence of their death.  The Pharoah made sure to bury his warriors in a prominent tomb with great ceremony.  After the civil war, the people started to feel safe.  The economy was rebuilt.  However, the trauma of the civil war remained.  Their tombs changed, funerary art reflected the wish for a peaceful afterlife.  If the people could not feel secure in the present life, they could feel secure in the afterlife.  The Pharoah’s concerned themselves with National Security.  They built castles to maintain order and goods between Nubia and Egypt. 

To continue to learn more about Ancient Egypt, continue to watch the documentary.

You can access the documentary here.

Good morning!  The school year is winding down for many districts around the US.  It is not the time to prepare for the next school year...or is it?  Well, today I will introduce you to another series that could be brought into the classroom. 

Immortal Egypt is a four episodes series on Ancient Egypt presented by Joann Fletcher.  The first episode kicks off the series by exploring the origins of Ancient Egypt.  Fletcher explores the different stories of Ancient Egypt, weaving them all together with intelligence and humor.  She is a historian that should be brought into the classroom.  Students will enjoy learning about Ancient Egypt from her.

Fletcher travels to Quarta, Egypt, and discovers the earliest remnants of the Egyptian Civilization.  The Quarta cliffs bore witness to the earliest beginnings of Egyptian Civilization.  The people who dwelt in Quarta were early hunters and took care of cattle.  Quarta was situated in grassland before the climate changed and left it in a desert landscape.  Egypt was fed by the rains until the climate changed which meant people moved to settle near large lakes and rivers.  Hippos, humans, boats, and cattle images were carved into the cliff walls, a tantalizing clue about what was to come. 

The calendar was invented to predict the rains which then led to the earliest forms of religion.  People started working together in the community.  The cow was important to the ancient people.  The cow was a source of milk and meat, eventually, the cow became known as the goddess Hathor.  She was one of the earliest deities created.  Eventually, the ancient people developed 1000’s of deities.  These deities were built on familiar, everyday life.  Some of the created deities were created as a way to control the element they were a deity of.
Eventually, due to climate change, the ancient people started to congregate around the Nile River.  The Blue and White Nile came together in Sudan to form the bigger Nile River.  The annual Nile Flood was an important event to Ancient Egyptians because it became an agricultural civilization.  Upper and Lower Egypt started forming at specific points on the Nile River. 

The writing was also developed during this time.  It was developed as a means of calculating taxes for the Ancient Egyptians.  The Rosetta Stone helped archeologists translate the hieroglyphic symbols. 
Eventually, Upper and Lower Egypt came into conflict.  In 3100 BC, Upper and Lower Egypt were united under one Pharaoh.  Namah became the first Pharoah of a united Egypt.  Hathor was his protector.  He was the template from which all other Pharoah’s took their inspiration from.  He had the tie on the beard, had a crown, and took the smitting pose.  It made every single Pharoah after Namah copy him, as a way to legitimize their claim to the throne.  A list of Kings was put together as another way to provide legitimacy to the current Pharoah’s reign.

Royal burials were developed at this time and the precursor to the Valley of the Kings was found.  Originally, when a Pharoah died all their courtiers were killed and buried with the Pharoah.  This changed and courtiers were allowed to live.  These courtiers would go on and build their elaborate tombs.

To continue to learn about the early beginnings of Ancient Egypt continue to watch this documentary. 

Fletcher tells a fascinating story about Ancient Egypt.  It is even more than what I originally learned in school.  It goes to show that with new discoveries, our interpretation of history changes.  Teachers need to use an episode of this fantastic series in the classroom.  If there is a substitute teacher in the room, have them pull an episode up on YouTube to show the students.  Or you can use clips of this series in a lecture it is up to the teacher.  If there is a student project involving Ancient Egypt, then I would point them to this series for more information. 

You can access the documentary here.

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 story of Helen of Troy and the Trojan War.  Is the story consigned to the myth status or did a real Helen exist?  Hughes demonstrates that archeology can show that myths do carry a kernel of truth to them.

Helen of Troy was originally Helen of Sparta.  She was one of the first women who was documented in history and has been part of the imagination for over 2000 years.  How should we interpret the story, was it history or was it fiction?  Is she a warning?  Do men need an excuse to go to war?  This is a fascinating look at the history and story of Helen of Troy.

The story is timeless, boy meets girl, girl goes off with boy, boys fight to get girl back.  Hughes traces the story of Helen at the beginning.  Helen was the only woman who is named from the age of Heroes, which allows the human imagination to run wild.  Hughes demonstrates how striking a Bronze Age princess would look like, how a princess would be able to attract a Bronze Age Prince.  A Bronze Age Princess held a high place in society, a woman who walked between the spirit world and the physical world.

Helen was celebrated by Spartans for how she affected people.  Helen was given to marriage after a series of trials to the Prince of Sparta.  Paris enters the scene after he was asked to judge who was the most beautiful goddess.  He chose Aphrodite, and she gave him the most beautiful woman in the world: Helen.  He went to Sparta to claim his prize.  The Spartans welcomed him with open arms and celebrated him as a honored guest.  It was all part of etiquette.  Helen acted like the perfect hostess.  So who lingered on who's doorstep first?  Continue to watch the series to find out.

For use in the classroom: just highlight, copy and paste into a word document or a google document for use in the classroom.  You can easily format these questions to your specifications.  All questions should fit onto one page after formatting. Each student should find at least three things to learn about from the presentation.

You can find the link for the YouTube video here.

Helen of Troy Questions:

1. Who was called the most beautiful woman on earth?
   
2. Where was she originally from?
3. Who helped communicate with the spirit world?
4. What type of contest was held for Helen’s hand?
5. Who did Paris give the golden apple to? -
6. List Three Things You’ve Learned About Helen of Troy

             a.
             b.
             c.

Helen of Troy Answers:

1. Who was called the most beautiful woman on earth? - Helen of Troy
2. Where was she originally from? - Sparta
3. Who helped communicate with the spirit world? - Women
4. What type of contest was held for Helen’s hand? - Marriage
5. Who did Paris give the golden apple to? - Aphrodite
6. List Three Things You’ve Learned About Helen of Troy

             a.
             b.
             c.

Bettany Hughes explores the world of Ancient Alexandria in the first episode of her Ancient World's series.  She explores the rise and fall of the greatest city.

Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great and was the place where East and West met.  The ancient city is well hidden by the modern city and one has to dig to find the story of Alexandria.  It was an ancient city were the people took the best part of a variety of cultures and put them together.  The city put a value on wisdom and was determined to collect the world's wisdom into one place.  The city was founded in the in between times, between the fall of Greece and the rise of Rome.

When Alexander the Great got to the place that would be known as Alexandria, he built a causeway out to Pharos island, implemented city planning and created a harbor which made Alexandria one of the busiest harbors in the world.  He won over the Egyptian people by adopting to their culture.  The Ptolemy Family eventually take over and then the city fell to Rome.

Alexandria emphasized learning and collecting knowledge.  There were places that allowed teachers to lecture students.  Bettany Hughes introduces the audience to Hypatia on of the last female philosophers that Alexandria produced.  She redesigned the Astrolabe.  Alexandria was the place where teachers and philosophers could come together, work together and exchange their thoughts.  The scale of Alexandria's ambition to collect the world's knowledge was unprecedented and bold.

It all came crashing down.  With a city where ideas flew, someone was bound to become offended.  The Library was destroyed and philosophers were killed.

For use in the classroom: just highlight, copy and paste into a word document or a google document for use in the classroom.  You can easily format these questions to your specifications.  All questions should fit onto one page after formatting. Each student should find at least three things to learn about from the presentation.

You can find the link for the YouTube video here.

Alexandria Questions:

1. What mixture of cultures came together in Alexandria?
2. Where did Alexandria put it’s greatest value?
3. Who founded Alexandria?
4. Which civilization was the most respected civilization?
5. How did Alexander the Great lay out the city?
6. List Three Things You’ve Learned About the City of Alexandria:

          a.
          b.
          c.

Alexandria Answers:

1. What mixture of cultures came together in Alexandria? - Egyptian, Greek, Roman
2. Where did Alexandria put it’s greatest value? - Wisdom
3. Who founded Alexandria? - Alexander the Great
4. Which civilization was the most respected civilization? - Egyptian
5. How did Alexander the Great lay out the city? - In a grid
6. List Three Things You’ve Learned About the City of Alexandria:

          a.
          b.
          c.