Other Large Structures

February 9, 2016 by amandalennox Leave a Comment

The Great Mosque of Djenne was part of the muslim religion. It was considered an adobe building which means it was made of material from the earth and often organic. The walls were made from sun-dried earth bricks, sand, earth baked motar. Its structure is 3 symmetric arrangement of 3 large towers. There are annual festivals where all gather for music and food and to repaid any damages that may have occured in the past year.

The Cathedral of Cordoba was divided between the Christian and then Muslim. Later on it was converted to Roman Catholic. It is made from pure gold nails and red marble columns. the main hall serves for prayer of any kind. Architecture is similar to that of the Great Mosque of Damascus.

Ise Grand Shrine is rebuild every 20 years and have a ceremony to celebrate thereafter. The present building was built in 2013. The architecture style is that of Shinmei-Zukuri which demonstrate simplicity and antiquity. It is built with Japanese cypress trees with a raised thatched roof. The roof absorbs water in rainfall and becomes heavy and closes any gaps to keep the inside dry. During summer time the roof will dry and become light again.

The Buddhas of Bamiyan are very treasured statues whos bodies are made directly from the sandstone and details from mud mixed with straw and coated with stucco. They were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 and now there are promises to rebuild. After destruction there were 50 caves discovered and 12 of the caves had ancient paintings inside. In 2015, there was a 3d light projection made to resemble the destroyed artifacts.

The friends meeting place is a place where Quakers were to meet for worship. Those referred to the word “church” to the body of people who make up the worshipping community. They are known for their simplicity, equality, community and peace. The structure itself manifested and enhanced the Quaker Testimonies and the cultivation of the Inner Light that was essential to the Friends.

Renovation of the Washington meeting place include an elevator and more modern technology. They want to make it more open for campus and to have the Meeting Place on the left and the Quaker house on the right. They wish to expand to allow for more things to occur.

first thanksgiving

February 8, 2016 by indeabennett 1 Comment

1.tells the story of the first Thanksgiving as you remember it being taught to you.

There was a group of people in England called the puritans, the king didn’t like the way they practiced religion. So people started talking about going across the ocean to the Americas where the land hadn’t been settled. One group went to Roanok virginia but they were never heard from again. Still the situation was bad enough that people took the mayflower crossed the ocean to what they hoped would be a better life. The trip was longer than any of them had expected and when they arrived it didn’t get any better. They had to build where they would sleep, grow what they would eat and it was very different from the way they had imagined it. For a long time they barely fed all the villagers and their first winter killed more people than they could afford. A native american tribe in the area saw these struggles and after a while they began helping the settlers. The Native Americans were very generous and thanks to them they soon started doing better. The pilgrims were thankful and after the harvest made a feast inviting the Indians to eat with them as thanks.

2. shares any activities you recall being asked to complete (e.g., crafts, shared meals) in your elementary school classroom.

I don’t remember much but i vaguely recall cutting out brown circles (in second grade?) that we glued to paper plates and then finger painted feather onto. We also assembled paper pilgrims that they gave us to take home. I think in third or fourth grade we did small essays on what we were grateful for . And in the cafeteria on the day before thanksgiving break started there would be turkey , mashed potatoes, a roll and jam.

Hagia Sophia

February 8, 2016 by indeabennett Leave a Comment

I chose Byzantine science for my topic, though it does fall more into a cluster. This is because Byzantine science includes medicine, mathematics and military weaponry well as other aspects. The Byzantine were on of the firsts people to compile medical information into textbooks standardizing the way they treated the ill. Byzantines also adopted a non-military hospital for treating the sick which wasn’t as common. Along with this plethora of knowledge was the complex works of ancient Greek mathematicians. It’s this information that was studied and in part is credited to Hagia Sophia’s timeless structure.

During this time (as is still the case) science was devoted larely to the military and how it could aid in both defense and conquest. The Byzantine used an incindary weapon called ‘greek fire’. A complex mixture of hydrophobic materials that could be used in naval warefar because of its ability to burn on water. The Byzantine valued knowledge and as such gathered their information to become a prominent port of information to the western world.

Which raises the question what does this have to do with Hagia Sophia. Well to start with Byzantine science , a collection of scientific observations from cultures like the Greek and more, were responsible for a large influence of the Renaissance. As well as providing ancient Greek texts on astronomy and mathematics they were a prominent source of scholars. Not only did Byzantine science influence a major cultural moment but also the architects responsible for building Hagia Sophia.

Hagia Sophia. Digital image. Flickr. Yahoo!, 2012. Web. 08 Feb. 2016.