Ancient Roman Empire - Farming Methods

Ancient Roman manuals about agriculture state that a standard farm of 200 Iugera (51 hectares) could be worked by 6 laborers and 2 assistants; Italy had in AD100 a total estimated cultivated area of 20 million Iugera, 600,000 farm laborers and 150,000 laborer assistants. Italy at that time had a total labor workforce estimated at 3 million (Roman total population was 7 million at the time), of which roughly 750,000 were farmers - making up 25% of their total labor workforce.

The Romans were able to establish and feed a very large empire, because they employed a geometric system to lay out crop lands and used crop rotation systems. They were also known for trying to maximize land use, which eventually led to soil depletion. Like Greece, Italy has a large percentage of mountainous terrain unfit for cultivation.

During the Roman time, much of the crops were raised on large estates knows as latifundia's. The farms were staffed mostly by slaves from conquered countries - with estates often having three levels of ranks. First there was the steward who ran the estate. Under him would be the field foreman and finally came the field workers. All of these were often slaves; although each had different percentages of privilege and physical labor depending on their rank.

Ancient Roman Empire - Housing

If you were a wealthy Roman (and you would hope you were), you could afford to own both a town house and a country villa. Wealthy Roman homes were usually of the same basic design; the front door opened into an Atrium (Hall), which had an opening to the sky and a pool in the center. A garden at the back of the house added to the airy feeling of the house, which is needed in the fierce heat of an Italian summer. The rooms were uncluttered and elegant with high ceilings and wide doors but with few windows. The walls would be brightly painted and the floors often richly decorated with mosaics.

But only a small minority enjoyed the kind of luxury that came with owning such a fine house. The great majority of citizens lived in rural poverty; in tall or crowded city tenements. The tenements had no sanitation and were a constant fire hazard. The ground floor of the tenements was usually occupied by a row of shops.

Feudal System vs. Democracy

Essay Question: "Compared to medieval times where the feudal system was in place, our system today is much fairer"

The Feudal System

The Feudal System was in place during the middle ages. If you were born poor, then you were destined to be poor. At the top was the king. He gave land to the nobles, who each promised to supply the king with soliders in war time. The nobles then divided their land, and gave it to the lower lords and knights. Below the lower lords and knights were the "peasants" or "serfs", they worked on the land in exchange for having a place to live and food to eat. You were born into what class or "level of society". So if your father was a peasant, then you were a peasant.

Trials were done in many ways. Some you were immediatly thought of to be guilty, and sentenced to death or another punishment. Some were done by ordeal. This was done usually by fire or water, though there was more. Trial by fire involved the accused putting their hand into a cauldron filled with boiled water, and pulling out a metal rod. if the blisters healed within 3 days, they were innocent. They believed that god knew they were innocent if he helped them heal quickly. Trial by water involved the accused being thrown into a lake. If he sank, he was innocent (but he would drown). But if he floated, then he was guilty (they believed that god had made him float, proving him guilty). They then took him out of the water and killed him.

Democracy

In modern times, in country's such as Australia, our government is a Democracy. Our prime ministers or presidents are elected through a vote. Every Australian citizen thats over 18 has the privelege to vote. They can vote for any party which is in the election. The bigger the percentage of votes a party gets, the more seats in parliament it gets. But the party with the most votes wins the election, and gets to have their leader as prime ministers, who gets to elect people from his own party to go into positions such as health minister, foriegn minister and environmental minister. They all help the prime minister govern the country. Any australian citizen could become the prime minister, or be part of the government.

The government also creates the laws that everyone abides by. When a law is created it is made into a bill. The bill then goes through many stages, before it is made into law. If your parents were poor, that doesnt mean you are. You can go to university and study for a better job. Trials are done in court. They are heard by a jury, which is made up of ordinary citizens who dont know the people involved. That way they can make a decision based on the evidence, rather then personal opinion of the person. 

Differences

The main differences between The Feudal System and Democracy, is that the latter is much fairer. The Democracy allows people to have more freedom, not restricting them to certain jobs and levels of society. It also gives people the choice on who is the prime minister and which party he/she is from, instead of having kings who inherit it from their decendants. The democracy, in general, is much, much fairer.

Conclusion

Compared to medieval times where the feudal system was in place, our system today is much fairer. The democracy gives more rights to the common man. Trials also act upon evidence moreso then in the feudal system.

Holes - Louis Sachar

The novel Holes is written by Louis Sachar. In the following paragraph’s, I’ll be writing about the most important message’s in Hole’s. These are: Racism is wrong and should not be tolerated, Friend-ships are important and sometimes lifesaving, and to remain hopeful when things are bad.

The story Holes is mainly about Stanley and Zero who meet by chance. Stanley got teased alot at school for being big. As he was walking home one day a pair of shoes flew out over the overpass and hit him on the head. He soon got arrested, accused of stealing them. Later on in the story you find out that Zero stole them from a homeless shelter and threw them. Stanley gets to Camp Green Lake and digs holes. One day he finds part of a tube of lipstick, with the initials K.B. on it, which belongs to ‘Kissin’ Kate Barlow. Zero can’t read, so Stanley tries to teach him to read.

Zero runs away, and the next day Stanley steals the water truck and tries to drive it to Zero, but crashes it into a hole. He then run’s away, finding Zero, and they both find refuge on god’s thumb, drinking muddy water and eating onions. They try to sneak back to find some treasure. Stanley is sure it’s in the hole he found the lipstick container in. They find the treasure chest and the warden tries to take it off them, but the hole has a nest of yellow spotted lizards. Stanley’s attorney comes to take him home and catches them in the hole with the yellow spotted lizards - because yellow-spotted lizards don’t like onion blood, and that’s all Stanley and Zero ate for weeks were onions, they didn’t bite them. His attorney takes Zero and Stanley home, and they sell what’s in the treasure chest for around 2 million, split between 2.

The third most important message in Hole’s is to always remain hopeful even when things are bad. Both Stanley and Zero showed this in Holes. Even though they were in the middle of a dried up lake walking towards a mountain, they remained hopeful that there would be water and food on God’s Thumb.

The second most important message in Hole’s is that friendships are important. Stanley showed that friendships were important by teaching Zero to read even after digging most of the day, and carrying Zero up most of the mountain, after Zero had passed out. They both relied on each other to keep going, and that’s why friendships are really important.

The most important message in Hole’s is that racism is bad and should not be tolerated. Louis Sachar showed this in Holes through Zero and the other black kids at Camp GreenLake - they got treated equal, unlike other different skinned kids around the world. That showed how everyone should be treated - equal.

Racism is bad and should not be tolerated. That in my opinion was the most important message in Holes. I really liked this book, the storyline or plot was so rich - it felt like you were there watching the boys dig holes or climb to the top of god’s thumb. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes a really rich book, with great re-read ability. I myself have read the book 4 times.

They Came on Viking Ships - Jackie French

Hekja (female)

Age: 13 at the start of the book, by the end she is 16.

Physical Attributes: Tall and skinny with long legs, which help her run extremely fast.

Other Attributes: Naturally gifted at singing.

Freydis (female)

AGE: 30+ (This is a estimation, but through reading book you realise she would have to be 30+)

BODY: Musclier and well built in comparision to Hekja.

ATTRIBUTES: Established diplomatic and great tactical skills.

EXTRA INFO: Freydis is trying not to be the stereotypical Viking woman. Instead of marrying a man, doing housework and tending after animals, she becomes a leader of a colony and leads men into battle.

They Came on Viking Ships is set around 1000AD. The story starts off with Hekja, a village girl, going along the beach finding shellfish. She is collecting them for the rest of her village. As she was collecting shellfish, the runt of the chief’s new little came running along the beach. As it’s running towards Hekja, a seagull flies down from the sky and ferociously pecks the dog in the eye and the leg. Hekja shoos away the seagull and takes the pup back to her hut. Her mother tells her to put it back on the beach to die, but Hekja is determined to keep it, and says she will look after it.

Three months later, Hekja is doing her usual jobs of collecting shellfish, milking cows, making cheese. The dog, which she has named Snarf, has grown large. His leg and eye have completely healed, and Hekja’s mother is glad Hekja kept Snarf. Later that day a raiding party of Viking ships appear on the horizon. They were blown off course, and they land and slaughter everyone in the village. Hekja watches as her mum is killed. She and Snarf try and run away, but are caught, and taken as slaves.

The Viking raiders sail back to Greenland. Once they get there, Hekja is made a thrall (slave) of Freydis, who is the daughter of Eric the Red. Hekja has to feed and move the cattle and sheep, hang the fish up to dry, milk the cows and make cheese and turn the grain into bread. Freydis notice’s that Hekja can run really fast, so she decides to make her a runner. Her and a fellow runner named Hikki run all along Greenland, spreading news and messages.

A few months later, Freydis decides to settle a colony in Newfoundland (North America, near southern Canada on the east coast). She sends Hekja and Hikki to run and ask the other villages if they would join her. Out of the many villages in Greenland (20+), only one accepts her invitation to make a colony in Newfoundland. His name is Finnbogi. They each take one ship, with Finnbogi only taking forty men, armour, weapons and cows/sheep, and Freydis taking forty men and ten women, armour, weapons and cows/sheep. They set sail, and land at Newfoundland 2 weeks later. Freydis and Finnbogi have a fight about where they should make the colony, so Finnbogi goes down the coast and settles. Freydis settles where they originally landed. Freydis’ colony quickly builds big long houses for everyone to sleep in, and to store food, and build fences to house the livestock. Freydis makes Hekja a free woman, because she has been such a good thrall.

Hekja and Hikki go running everywhere scouting the land. They stumble upon a skraeling village. It’s about 10 times bigger than the biggest village back in Greenland. The skraeling are a native North American tribe, with villages dotted all around Newfoundland. Freydis’ colony makes peace with the Skraeling’s, and trades them cheeses for furs. They trade in harmony for months, but then they all of a sudden stop coming to trade. A few days later, the Skraeling’s sail up the river and attack Freydis’s colony. The Viking’s drive them back, and they sail away in there canoe’s. Freydis learns that the reason the Skraeling’s attacked is because Finnbogi attacked the skraeling village and stole their woman as slaves.

Freydis is furious that Finnbogi has disturbed the peace and trading. She gathers her men, and attacks Finnbogi’s colony. She catches him by surprise, and kills all his men, including him. She hoped that if the Skraeling’s saw that Freydis was on their side, they wouldn’t attack, but she was wrong. The Skraeling’s come back and this time with much greater numbers, and slaughter everyone. Hekja, Snarf, Freydis, Hikki and everyone died trying to pursue peace.

They Came on Viking Ships, dealt with issues of love and friendship, loyalty and homesickness, freedom and bravery. The book is nearly completely historically correct, and the author Jackie French researched for years during writing the novel.   I highly recommend this book to readers who like adventure, romance and real-life history.  Anyone high school aged and up will enjoy this book immensely.