Sunday, December 16, 2012

Games :D

These games tend to be pretty cheesy, sorry.
A lot of these games have ads, so make sure the volume is off..!

Romanius Game: Greek Hoplite game. Click "play now" to start.

Cradle of Persia game: Puzzle Game. If it asks you to download, just click "continue"

Buddhism Game: Try to reach Nirvana

Babylypmus Game: Greek Gods game. *Look at the top of the screen to see which God it is*

Ancient Rome-Fling The Teacher

Roman Gladiator Game

4 Ancient Greece Games

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Greek Hoplites

Around the seventh century B.C.E, Ancient Greeks revolutionized warfare. They created a new warrior who was very successful in defeating enemy lines. Not only were these new warriors, called Hoplites, heavily armored, but they were also strongly disciplined and trained. The key to the hoplite's success was having a line of "defenders" who held circular shields to the side while projecting a spear out in front of them. This formation, called the "phalanx", made direct confrontation with the Greek warriors extremely difficult. Thus, the hoplites from ancient Greece set a new standard for warfare in the seventh century B.C.E.

Want to experience being a hoplite yourself? Click here to play the "Romanius" game and see what it is like to be a Greek warrior! :D



Sunday, October 28, 2012

Carthage Tophets

Times of crisis in the Phoenician city of Carthage brought great loss to elite parents. Carthaginians would sacrifice their own children to please their gods, Baal and Tanit. Usually the children would be young males. Once burned, their bones and ashes were placed in urns, which were buried in walled enclosures called tophets. Sadly, the popularity of this sacrifice only grew with time.

For more information on tophets and Carthaginian burial, click here.


Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Nubian Gold Mines

 Painting of Nubians offering gold to Egypt

The discovery of gold highly impacted the Nubians. Not only did it help start their civilization, but it also led to their downfall. Nubia shared the Nile with another civilization called Egypt. Egypt's hunger for gold caused them to take over all of Nubia, including their mines of the abundant metal. They didn't just keep it all for themselves, though. Egypt spread their new resource to many places in the Mediterranean. With their secret now exposed, the Nubians fell under Egyptian influence for many years, forced to take on Egyptian culture and religion.

I would highly recommend reading this article by National Geographic for additional information, as well as current news on this topic.

Map of an ancient Nubian gold mine

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Weighing of the Heart

The Weighing of The Heart Ceremony

Ancient Egyptians are one of the most commonly known civilizations for their belief in the afterlife. They believed that once somebody died, they encountered multiple dangerous hazards until they safely reached another world. Before they reached their final destination, however, they had to go through a final test commonly called the "Weighing of the Heart" ceremony. The deceased's heart, containing all of their actions from their previous life, was set on a scale and weighed against a feather. If the heart was heavier than the feather, it was fed to Ammut, a creature the mix of a crocodile, lion, and hippopotamus, and they were cast into an eternal darkness. If the feather was heavier, their journey was complete. This is where they met Osiris, who welcomed them to their destination.

For additional information on Egyptian afterlife, go to http://www.egyptpast.com/gods/afterlife.html
For further information on this ceremony, go to http://www.egyptian-scarabs.co.uk/weighing_of_the_heart.htm


The picture above shows the god Anubis weighing a heart, while Ammut sits hungrily by his side. :)