A Ton of Crap (3 page)

Ziggurats
The ziggurats at the heart of each city-state served many purposes. Not only were they there for religious reasons, but they were also the center of daily life for the Sumerian people. The Sumerians believed there were many powerful gods in the sky, and they dedicated these large temples to them with steps leading to the top. The ziggurats were built of mud-brick. At the very top of each, religious ceremonies were held.

PUNCTUATION

The Period
A period is used at the end of a sentence, creating a statement and completing a thought. A period can also be used at the end of a command, such as, “When you’ve finished the last part of the exam, put your pencils down.” A period is also used when ending an indirect question. For example, “Her boss asked her why she didn’t come to work on Monday.”

NUMBERS

The Greek Numbers
The Greek numbers were based on the Greek alphabet, which came from the Phoenicians circa 900 b.c. The Greeks borrowed some of the symbols created by the Phoenicians and also created new symbols. By using the alphabet, they were able to have a more condensed version of their original system, Attic, a technique based on putting symbols in rows. By using letters instead, these numerical values took up less space on clay tablets and were able to be stamped on coins.

EVOLUTION

Darwin’s Finches
The finches of the Galapagos laid the groundwork for understanding evolution. All of the finches Darwin saw shared many qualities. They were the same size and color and had similar habits. The most noticeable difference was the size and shape of their beaks. The difference in beak size and shape was a direct result of the different eating habits the birds had on the different islands.

LATIN

Classical Latin
Classical Latin was used by the ancient Romans at the same time as Archaic Latin. Classical Latin was based on the language that was spoken by the more refined, upper classes of Romans, and was found in the literature of the time. Around 75 b.c. to a.d. 14, from the Republic all the way to the reign of Augustus Caesar, Latin literature was at its peak and was written in Classical Latin. This was referred to as the Golden Age.

MESOPOTAMIA AND THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS

The Akkadians
The Akkadians were a Semitic people from the Arabic peninsula who increasingly came into more conflict with the Sumerians as they migrated north. In 2340 b.c., Sargon, the Akkadian military leader, conquered Sumerian city-states and established an Akkadian empire over the land. Sargon established his rule in the city of Akkad, and created the largest empire known to man at that time. The empire was short-lived, and in 2125, the Akkadian Empire fell.

PUNCTUATION

The Comma
The comma has many uses. A comma should be used when separating any independent clause that is joined by the conjunctions
and
,
yet
,
so
,
but
,
for
,
nor
,
or
. A comma is also used to separate items in a list or series and after an introductory adverb clause. The comma can also be used to interrupt a sentence to add extra information. For example, “Her dog, which had jumped in the puddle, was soaking wet.”

NUMBERS

The Egyptian Numbers
The number system of Ancient Egypt was made up of hieroglyphs. Using this system of writing, where values and words are depicted with images, the Egyptians were able to note numbers all the way to 1,000,000 and perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The ancient Egyptians also had a very good understanding of fractions, and the use of fractions was so important that scribes would create tables for temple personnel referencing the division of supplies and food.

EVOLUTION

Natural Selection
Darwin’s most groundbreaking idea was his theory of natural selection. This theory states that when there is an environmental change, only the organisms with the traits best suiting them to the new environmental conditions will survive. Those organisms that do not have these desirable traits cannot compete, and will die off. If enough traits change, over time, this could lead to a new creature or organism entirely.

LATIN

Vulgar Latin
Vulgar Latin, not Classical Latin, is the closest ancestor to the Romance languages. Vulgar Latin was the Latin spoken by the common people, and was a simpler form of Classical Latin, which was reserved for literature. Vulgar Latin varied across the Roman Empire due to the influence of the languages of local populations. By the time the Roman Empire disintegrated after a.d. 600, the local forms of Vulgar Latin were so distinct, they became the Romance languages.

MESOPOTAMIA AND THE FIRST CIVILIZATIONS