Unit 2 - Ancient Cultural &
Religious Development
The Minoans of Crete &
Ancient Hebrew Monotheism:
A Study of Contrast
Daily Log
BIG QUESTIONS
What happened to goddess culture of the early neolithic period?
When do the gods demand blood?
What factors created the development of rigid patriarchal monotheism?
What happened to goddess culture of the early neolithic period?
When do the gods demand blood?
What factors created the development of rigid patriarchal monotheism?
(Above) The Minoan "Snake Goddess"
What do the snakes represent? Why a bare-breasted woman? What is she trying to tell us? |
(Above) Rembrandt, The Sacrifice of Isaac, oil on canvas
Archangel Gabriel staying the hand of the Patriarch, Abraham as he is about to offer his son Isaac in blood sacrifice to Yahweh. |
Monday (9/2) - Happy Labor Day!!! - NO SCHOOL
Tuesday (9/3) - Day 10
OBJECTIVES/BIG QUESTIONS
After going over the last unit's test, I profiled ancient Phoenician and Minoan civilizations with focus on Minoan goddess culture using the PowerPoint slides below:
- Go over the UNIT 1 Test - Go over common test-taking pitfalls.
- Profile the Ancient Phoenicians their contributions to a cultural basin in the Mediterranean and the development of a phonetic alphabet.
- Students will be introduced to Minoan culture, its significance as an island of goddess-worshiping culture in a "sea" of ancient patriarchal culture.
- Students will be introduced to the patriarchy in which they currently live.
After going over the last unit's test, I profiled ancient Phoenician and Minoan civilizations with focus on Minoan goddess culture using the PowerPoint slides below:
What makes studying the Minoan Civilization compelling is that it seems to have evolved VERY differently compared to its Mediterranean neighbors. Based on archaeological evidence, Minoan culture stands apart from the rest of the ancient world because, while most every other civilization enters the second millennium with a patriarchal (male dominated) culture: primary male gods, warrior-kings, women subordinate in legal/social status to men, patrilineal (property/title passing through the father to the first-born son) and fathers the unquestioned head of the family, Minoan civilization by contrast was not ANY of these. Not only does this violate what many people over the course of history have assumed to be human nature: men are naturally superior to women in terms of leadership, decision making, ambition, intellect, rationality, etc., but it also shows us that patriarchy at one point in ancient history did not have to be a foregone conclusion. Crete stood as an alternative - not matriarchal or female-dominated - but cooperative.
What can we learn by studying a society like this?
To really get students to wrap their heads around the idea of patriarchy or male privilege in our society, we began to view the documentary, Miss Representation. As students viewed the film I asked them to document evidence that answers the question:
"How is our culture hostile to women?"
What can we learn by studying a society like this?
To really get students to wrap their heads around the idea of patriarchy or male privilege in our society, we began to view the documentary, Miss Representation. As students viewed the film I asked them to document evidence that answers the question:
"How is our culture hostile to women?"
The documentary Miss Representation, by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, and aired on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. The film explores how the media’s misrepresentations of women have led to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence. AVAILABLE ON NETFLIX |
What is "patriarchy"?
How do you know if you live in one?
*then historically...*
How did we originally get this way?
How do you know if you live in one?
*then historically...*
How did we originally get this way?
We will finish the documentary tomorrow.
Homework:
Homework:
- Read and annotate "Chapter 4: Dark Order Out of Chaos: From the Chalice to the Blade" from Riane Eisler's book Chalice and the Blade --- THROUGH PAGE ~48
Wednesday (9/3) - Day 11
Today we continued to focus on the questions via the Miss Representation documentary:
BIG QUESTIONS/OBJECTIVES
After the movie, I had students write a brief reflection on their thoughts/questions about the documentary. After a short discussion, I gave students time to continue reading Eisler, Chapter 4.
Homework
*IN THE COMPUTER LAB TOMORROW*
BIG QUESTIONS/OBJECTIVES
- What are the characteristics of patriarchy?
- In what ways is our modern culture hostile to women?
- How does a study of neolithic/ancient history help us understand how we got that way?
After the movie, I had students write a brief reflection on their thoughts/questions about the documentary. After a short discussion, I gave students time to continue reading Eisler, Chapter 4.
Homework
- Continue reading and annotating "Chapter 4: Dark Order Out of Chaos: From the Chalice to the Blade" from Riane Eisler's book Chalice and the Blade --- THROUGH PAGE ~56
*IN THE COMPUTER LAB TOMORROW*
Thursday (9/5) - Day 12
*Today we are in the computer lab - B104 (across from the LRC)*
BIG QUESTIONS/OBJECTIVES
Today, we begin by providing some more information about ancient Minoan Civilization with emphasis on its unique non-patriarchal nature.
Students will have time to finish reading and annotating Eisler's Chapter 4. The class will then take part in an online class discussion (Link to my discussion board is here. Sign up for an account with your school gmail account and begin composition.) about both Miss Representation and on Eisler's Chapter 4.
When the majority of students are finished with the Chapter, I will try to provide highlights to make sure students understand the basic principles and ideas behind of Eisler's "Cultural Transformation Theory". (SEE SLIDES ABOVE)
Students should make one well-developed post and respond to at least two other posts to receive full credit (worth 30 "Papers/Projects" points).
Homework
- What are the characteristics of patriarchy?
- In what ways is our modern culture hostile to women?
- How does a study of neolithic/ancient history help us understand how we got that way?
- What is Riane Eisler's Cultural Transformation Theory?
Today, we begin by providing some more information about ancient Minoan Civilization with emphasis on its unique non-patriarchal nature.
Students will have time to finish reading and annotating Eisler's Chapter 4. The class will then take part in an online class discussion (Link to my discussion board is here. Sign up for an account with your school gmail account and begin composition.) about both Miss Representation and on Eisler's Chapter 4.
When the majority of students are finished with the Chapter, I will try to provide highlights to make sure students understand the basic principles and ideas behind of Eisler's "Cultural Transformation Theory". (SEE SLIDES ABOVE)
Students should make one well-developed post and respond to at least two other posts to receive full credit (worth 30 "Papers/Projects" points).
Homework
- Continue to work on your online discussions - DUE MONDAY MORNING
...Bayer's Attempt to Put Eisler's Cultural Transformation Theory on a Timeline!
Friday (9/6) - Day 13
BIG QUESTIONS/OBJECTIVES
Students were then asked to journal on the following questions:
What would need to happen in order for an entire society or group of societies to move from being polytheistic to monotheistic? How does that happen? Knowing what we know about the ancient world, besides religious practices/beliefs, what else might have to change? How might a society be different after going through such a transformation? What would be required for a small theocratic state to sustain monotheism in a largely polytheistic world?
After providing some explanation and clarification, students wrote on this topic for a short while and had some very interesting (and reasonably accurate) hypotheses about how a process like that might look and feel and what changes might also take place because of such a cultural shift.
I then read a very short excerpt of The Harlot by the Side of the Road by Jonathan Kirsch (1997) to students about the difficulties and possible failures of the Ancient Hebrews in maintaining a strict adherence to monotheism in a polytheistic world. Did Ancient Hebrews completely and abruptly abandon all of the previously worshiped pantheon of gods and goddesses of the Mediterranean world? Or is there more of a legacy of this transition than meets the eye...even in the text of the the Old Testament (Torah)? (here)
I then introduced students to a chapter entitled "Terror and True Belief: The Jewish King Who Reinvented the Faith of Ancient Israel," from another one of Kirsch's books, God Against the Gods (2004). Students were asked to read the first 8.5 pages before Monday's class for answers to the discussion questions below. Students did not have to answer the questions in long-hand, just prepare for a graded discussion on Tuesday of next week.
"Terror and True Belief" - Reading - here
"Terror and True Belief"- Questions - here
Homework
- How does monotheism take hold in the Ancient World?
- What are the short and long term consequences of this cultural transition?
- Why is the development of monotheism important?
Students were then asked to journal on the following questions:
What would need to happen in order for an entire society or group of societies to move from being polytheistic to monotheistic? How does that happen? Knowing what we know about the ancient world, besides religious practices/beliefs, what else might have to change? How might a society be different after going through such a transformation? What would be required for a small theocratic state to sustain monotheism in a largely polytheistic world?
After providing some explanation and clarification, students wrote on this topic for a short while and had some very interesting (and reasonably accurate) hypotheses about how a process like that might look and feel and what changes might also take place because of such a cultural shift.
I then read a very short excerpt of The Harlot by the Side of the Road by Jonathan Kirsch (1997) to students about the difficulties and possible failures of the Ancient Hebrews in maintaining a strict adherence to monotheism in a polytheistic world. Did Ancient Hebrews completely and abruptly abandon all of the previously worshiped pantheon of gods and goddesses of the Mediterranean world? Or is there more of a legacy of this transition than meets the eye...even in the text of the the Old Testament (Torah)? (here)
I then introduced students to a chapter entitled "Terror and True Belief: The Jewish King Who Reinvented the Faith of Ancient Israel," from another one of Kirsch's books, God Against the Gods (2004). Students were asked to read the first 8.5 pages before Monday's class for answers to the discussion questions below. Students did not have to answer the questions in long-hand, just prepare for a graded discussion on Tuesday of next week.
"Terror and True Belief" - Reading - here
"Terror and True Belief"- Questions - here
Homework
- Read and make margin notes in the above reading to answer the discussion questions above - up to page 73.
- Continue to work on your discussion board post/responses.
Monday (9/9) - Day 14
BIG QUESTIONS/OBJECTIVES
Today was a reading/research/discovery day I gave students an opportunity to read the rest of the "Terror and True Belief" and prepare for the graded seminar discussion on Tuesday.
Homework
BELOW IS AN ORGANIZER FOR THE KIRSCH READING:
- How does monotheism take hold in the Ancient World?
- What are the short and long term consequences of this cultural transition?
- Why is the development of monotheism important?
Today was a reading/research/discovery day I gave students an opportunity to read the rest of the "Terror and True Belief" and prepare for the graded seminar discussion on Tuesday.
Homework
- Finish reading the "Terror and True Belief" Chapter of God Against the Gods and preparing for the small group seminar discussion tomorrow.
BELOW IS AN ORGANIZER FOR THE KIRSCH READING:
Tuesday (9/10) - Day 15
BIG QUESTIONS/OBJECTIVES
Students were assigned to groups of between 5 and 6 students each and they elected a group facilitator to lead the small group seminar discussions.
In both blocks 1 and 3, students did a very thorough job discussing the major ideas from the Terror and True Belief reading. Groups of students did a very thoughtful job of tackling the difficult questions from the text and uncovered big ideas about the development of monotheism.
With 20-25 minutes left in the period I asked students to reflect on what they learned from the reading and discussion and we discussed the most important of Kirsch's arguments.
VERY PROUD OF MY STUDENTS TODAY!!! OUTSTANDING JOB IN YOUR SEMINAR DISCUSSION GROUPS!!!
Homework
- How does monotheism take hold in the Ancient World?
- What are the short and long term consequences of this cultural transition?
- Why is the development of monotheism important?
Students were assigned to groups of between 5 and 6 students each and they elected a group facilitator to lead the small group seminar discussions.
In both blocks 1 and 3, students did a very thorough job discussing the major ideas from the Terror and True Belief reading. Groups of students did a very thoughtful job of tackling the difficult questions from the text and uncovered big ideas about the development of monotheism.
With 20-25 minutes left in the period I asked students to reflect on what they learned from the reading and discussion and we discussed the most important of Kirsch's arguments.
VERY PROUD OF MY STUDENTS TODAY!!! OUTSTANDING JOB IN YOUR SEMINAR DISCUSSION GROUPS!!!
Homework
- Read and take notes over Chapter 5, Section 1.