Sui and Tang Dynasty Comparison Essay

The Sui and Tang ruled back to back and were similar in some ways and different in others. The Sui and Tang were similar in their collapses, but were different in their use of political power and effectiveness.

Both Sui and Tang dynasties were ruled by rulers who were partly nomadic.
The Sui and Tang families were not Han Chinese and came from northwestern China away from the Chinese heartland.

The collapse of the Sui and Tang dynasties were similar. Sui collapsed because the rulers ruthlessly imposed harsh taxes and dangerous construction projects on the people, which stirred disloyalty and frequent rebellion. Tang also ended due to the An Lushan Rebellion.

A difference between the dynasties was that the Tang held power much longer than the Sui did. The Sui dynasty only lasted thirty-six years while the Tang dynasty lasted almost three hundred. The Tang dynasty is considered a high point in Chinese civilizations, while Sui was only a short-lived, harsh, and ineffective dynasty like the Qin.

Another difference was that the Tang dynasty had an empress and the Sui never had a woman ruling. Empress Wu gained the throne by marrying into the royal family and ruled through Buddhism. However, Sui only had three male rulers.

Emperor Justinian and the Byzantine Empire

Questions based on the Justinian I video

1. What's up with Justinian's wife, Theodora? She was an actress, which was a very low level class in Roman/Byzantine society, and a prostitute (burlesque dancing, bear dancing).
                                          

2. Why was Justinian unpopular? He heavily taxed his people to pay for the construction in Constantinople. Also, he controls and oppresses pagan celebrations, the study of ancient Greek philosophy, gambling, prostitute, adultery, homosexuality, any heretics, and Jews. 

                                                                     

3. What amazing fun things took place in the hippodrome? The Hippodrome was a circus that served as the sporting and social center and imperial propoganda of Constantinople. It featured horse racing and chariot racing.  

                      

4. What did Justinian do at the hippodrome? There were many people gathered at the hippodrome to oppose Justinian, which began violent riots and chaos that destroyed Constantinople. Justinian tells the rebels to meet him at the hippodrome for a compromise, but instead, orders his generals and troops to go to the hippodrome and massacre the rebels.     

5. Why did Justinian quickly move to rebuild Constantinople? Promptly after the massacre at the hippodrome, Justinian used this newly renewed absolutism to rebuild Constantinople modeled after him and his legacy to show the citizens that he was in control.  

               

6. What was the monumental architecture built in Constantinople? The Holy Church of Wisdom or the Hagia Sophia.  

          

7. What's unique about this building? It was the largest dome ever built. They used a never before accomplished architectural technique, pendentive, which constructed four massive arches on which the dome which rest with rounded triangles and semicircles around it. 

                                                             

8. How did Justinian ultimately cause the downfall of Byzantium? His constant military campaigning and work to rebuild Constantinople drained the economy of Byzantium. 

                                    

What's Rakestraw up to in St. Martin?

"No immature students, no exhausting papers to grade, no waking up at 5:30 in the morning... This is paradise," said Rakestraw to Anne as they looked at the magnificent beach view from their luxurious suite. The next day, they decided to go wakeboarding in the ocean. The water was especially clear and the weather was spot on. Starting the boat and driving far from the shore, Rakestraw and Anne were enjoying the salty breeze of the Caribbean. However, they, and the hundreds of other tourists and honeymooners on the beach, did not know the dangers that would come. While baking under the sun for a golden tan, Rakestraw noticed that the sun was no longer as intense and that the sky was getting darker. Rain began to pour as thunder rumbled in the sky. Suddenly, a huge wave overturned the boat, crushing it to bits. Rakestraw and Anne were tossed off the boat and into the salty sea. The wild maelstrom gulped the two little people, and soon enough, they were floating in the middle of the ocean. Rakestraw spotted a plank and held on to it while searching for Anne. Five minutes later, her head popped out of the water, and she grabbed onto the plank. The plank, however, was only large enough to fit one person. With much difficulty, Anne managed to climb on the plank, while Rakestraw was struggling to climb on. "This won't work!" he said, "Only one of us can sit on it." So, Rakestraw sacrificed himself to die and let his wife float back to shore.
The End


*OBVIOUS TITANIC REFERENCE
**BUT I HOPE YALL HAD AN AMAZING TIME AT ST. MARTIN AND I HOPE A HURRICANE DIDNT RUIN ANYTHING

Art of Classical Civilizations

Greek Art

The Golden Age of art began when Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle began teaching and plays became popular in Greece. There is clear Athenian influence on art because Athens dominated Greece. Athenian general Percoles promoted art and architecture and ordered the construction of the Parthenon with the gold and ivory statue of Athena. Other classical Greek art and sculptures such as The Birth of Athena and The Battle between Poseidon and Athena were once colorfully painted. During the Classical period, the creation and decoration of pottery dramatically changed. The pictures on the pottery displayed mythological scenes, everyday life, and comedians. Great bronze sculptures were made during this time. Although they appeared unnatural, they were very in proportion. Sculptures stopped the tradition of sculpturing ideal men and women and began to sculpt realistically; sculptures had expressive faces. The Aphrodite of Knidos was one of the greatest sculptures of this time; it popularized the contrapposto pose, which puts the weight on one leg, making figures seem relaxed. David by Michelangelo displayed this pose. The Corinthian columns were popular too. Friezes were carved in reliefs on temples; they displayed mythological scenes. The friezes on the Parthenon displays gods, warriors, musicians, heros, and elders. 

Roman Art

Roman art consisted of Doric, Ionian, and Corinthian columns and white busts of perfect men and women. Roman artists were influenced by the art of other empires such as the Etruscans. Artists were skilled in making clay sculptures and realistic depiction, a sign of heavy Greek influence on Roman art. However, Romans created much more realistic art and made sculptures bear great resemblance to the subject. Double chins, pockmarks, and receding hairline were all incorporated. Though sculptures displayed these imperfections, they still looked dignified and oppressive. Relief work was a distinctive style of Roman art and was displayed on temples and coins. Reliefs depicted military leader Augustus communicating with the gods and divine-like. Romans were also skilled architects. The discovery of concrete made the construction of arches, domes, and vaulted ceilings possible. The Pantheon, constructed with more than 5000 tons of concrete, is one the greatest domes in Rome. Its interior was marble, the heavier material was at its base, and the lighter material was at the top. The Colosseum was the greatest amphitheater in Rome and displays Doric, Ionian, and Corinthian column styles. It had intricate passageways, trapdoors, and pipes underground and a retractable roof. Wall art, preserved under ash in Pompeii, used white, yellow, and red as common colors and depicted mythological scenes. Scenes of battle and punishment became popular. Then, Christianity swept through Rome, and Roman art displayed Christian themes. 

Early Christian Art

As Christianity spread, art forms changed from displaying humanistic pictures to more spiritual ones. Statues displaying religious aspects were not allowed, but relief sculptures and painting were fine. The artists of this time came from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, so early Christian art style was completely new and combined of many different styles. Traditional Roman symbolism and pagan symbols were found in early Christian art. Modeling after the Romans, Christians began burying the dead in catacombs and decorating them. A common art form was the fresco, quickly painted and blended brushstrokes on top of another, giving it an impressionist rather than realistic look. On sarcophagi Christian sculptures carved historical and mythological scenes, portraits, animals, and nature motifs. The mix of Roman symbols and Biblical scenes such as Daniel and the Lion and Jonah and the Whale were also common. Unlike Christian art known today, early Christian art did not depict Jesus's crucifixion or the cross. Jesus was displayed as allegorical figures. Early Christian art was realistic and detailed, but size and position was distorted to show status. Since the cross could not be blatantly displayed, symbols of hidden crosses were common. After the Edict of Milan, Jesus, the cross, and other Christian symbols were clearly displayed in the form of colorful mosaics.