Aidan

My name is Aidan and i like writing, reading and playing basketball. I like all aspects of humanites as it is one of my favourite subjects. My favourite part of humanites is writing and my main aim in hums is to get good marks. //While writing this report I attempted to show how difficult it can be to be certain of the past. I also tried to show how the Tapestry was employed as a device to achieve a political end.//
 * Hello.**



l  Beowulf Along the cliff tops women weep and warriors bash their shields. Beowulf, our greatest warrior and the most noble of men died. I’m getting old now but I still remember Beowulf and his mighty deeds. Among his greatest feat was slaying the monster Grendal and his mother. Grendal had terrorized our land like a plague killing my people. Beowulf came like a dark angel, and without weapons or armour killed the monster. We celebrated that night until Grendal’s mother came for revenge killing many warriors. Beowulf then hunted Grendal’s mother and killed her never speaking of the killing again.

 Beowulf = By Aidan Dowling =

A variety of powerful writing techniques are used to convey the horror of Grendel. Portraying Grendel as a //“terror that stalked the land//” is showing how powerful and feared he is. Describing Beowulf killing Grendel by //“twisting the ogre’s arm until it spilt and cracked at the joints, the bones tearing apart and the vessels spattering blood over Beowulf”// creates uses strong, visual imagery to portray the killing of a terrifying monster. Alliteration is used to describe Grendel’s name, //“The very name shivers up my spine and makes my scalp crawl”// The use of alliteration helps us remember how feared Grendel is. Repetition of Grendel’s name makes it stay in the readers mind. “//Before Grendel came into our lives. Grendel!”// The name has to be repeated to convey the importance of remembering it. The use of the simile in the sentence “//breathing like a polar wind//” could only relate to the Vikings who have felt a polar wind. The Vikings know that only nature creates polar winds so illustrating Grendel having those powers portrays him as god like and as powerful as nature itself. When Grendel stormed into the mead hall, the brave Viking’s “Stared, aghast.” This sentence is short but full of meaning illustrating the Vikings reaction to seeing Grendel. The use of descriptions, such as “Sword-like hands” suggest the capacity to cause enormous injury.

 Bullying Story We are all sitting up the back of the bus. It’s a single seat that runs along the back and seats five people. Billy sits in the corner, a spot that is usually taken by Gus. Gus is constructed like a bull, short but well built. He is funny, acts strong and is very defensive. Gus walks up to the back eyeballing Billy. “Billy move.” He says “No way.” Billy says in a silly voice, grinning. Gus sits down next to Billy then picks him up and tries to lift him into the middle of the seat. Billy lands on Gus’s lap. Billy looks up at Gus and grins. “How many presents do I get for Christmas Santa?” Billy says innocently. Everyone sitting up the back laughs. Gus pulls him over his lap and slides in the corner. The bus moves off. The next day Gus isn’t on the bus and won’t talk to me or Billy at school. We ask him “what’s wrong”, he ignores us. During lunch one of his friends tells us that Gus thought calling him Santa, was calling him fat. He also singled me out as one of the people who laughed. We tried to say sorry but Gus told us to go away, except in much stronger words. Every time Gus walks past me in class he swears at me or knocks me. We don’t tell the teacher because we can take the words, and the knocks. We think calling him Santa has deeply hurt him. But we didn’t call him fat. We tried to tell him that we never thought of him as fat and it was only a joke. Gus will not forgive us. He then tries to exclude us, telling our friends not to talk to us. Gus is not on the bus the next day, or the day after, or the week after. For three weeks he is driven to school until the holidays begin. Gus stays angry for 8 weeks. Two weeks into the next term he stops being angry. = Why do people bully? = ** By Aidan ** Some people bully because they feel bad about themselves. People are usually more comfortable talking to others that they feel equal to. Some bullies feel insecure so they either brag, and try to raise themselves up, or try to bring you down to their level by bullying you. They feel insecure about their appearance, social status, physical ability, skin colour, gender or another personal reason. Most people only bully if there is an audience because they try to raise themselves up in front of their peers. People also bully because they are bullied themselves. They then redirect the hurt they feel onto their victims. People bully because they feel hurt, insecure or bad about themselves in some other way.

 The Kingdom An old man sang of a time when we were ruled by one. People now could only dream... A single arrow through the neck killed the king. An arrow killed the king! Bells did toll and ring. For an arrow killed the king. Young rebels shouted out treason, The old are old, for a reason. A monster shot the arrow Barons started to bicker and harrow.

A kingdom fell into disarray Villages burnt like hay, And bells did toll and ring For an arrow killed the king. An arrow killed the king...

Evil covered the land Blood filled the streets, Widows began to weep... Until the prince! The throne was taken, He boldly stood unshaken. But, after years, Years of evil had come To stake their claim The throne was strong The prince held on. He killed the fiendish foes But one still stood afoot, A barbaric man ten feet high He claimed to have touched the sky, His armies met the Prince’s with precision,

To rule the world was his vision. He was a general of the old king, An arrogant man of greed, The prince called for him to surrender He did not heed, He attacked, two rocks smashed, Both armies left broken, But the people were loyal To the prince and killed the rebel army And won the day, though We still remember when. The king was killed by an arrow,

//In this poem i tried to tell a story that rymed and was interesting. I also tried to convey alot of meaning in words.//

 The End of Feudalism As the Roman Empire declined feudalism developed. Feudalism was based around the idea of a triangular social system. The bulk of the population - the peasants- worked for the barons and lords who in turn were loyal to the king. The Feudal population was united through the Christian religion. The three main causes of the decline of feudalism came about through the impact of the crusades, the rise of towns and commercial activity, and the consequences of the plague. In 1090 when religious enthusiasm was at its height, pope Urban II ordered the crusades. He ordered an army of 5000 people to liberate Jerusalem but instead got close to 100,000. On the journey to Jerusalem one in every three soldiers died from starvation and in conflicts with local tribes. The army travelled for three years and when they finally got to Jerusalem they discovered it already had Christians, Muslims and Jews co-existing peacefully. The army still attacked, killing thousands of mainly Muslims and Jews. In retaliation the Muslims launched a holy war against the Christians and, although it took 88 years, they succeeded in pushing the Christians out of the Middle East. As the soldiers sailed back home they arrived with the new ideas, technologies and wealth they had acquired. The nobles who had to fund and send their soldiers on the crusades were now poor or had died in the crusades. The crusades had failed and the church had lost huge sums of wealth funding the crusades. After the crusades failed, people were starting to question Christianity the religion which once united them. Peasants were starting to lose faith in their leaders and their religion and this loss of faith was further stimulated after a pandemic called the Black Death. In October 1347 several Italian merchant ships returned from a journey to the black sea, many on board were already dying from the Black Death. Within days the city and surrounding countryside were infested with the plague. As people fled plague infested areas they spread the disease. Ten months later the plague had reached England where it was called the Black Death because of the black spots it produced on the skin. After four years the Plague had killed 25 million people and as a result there were few peasants. The surviving peasants realised their value and demanded a higher rate of pay. The new wealthy peasants could afford to send their children to apprenticeships. A new population of merchant’s, who didn’t rely on the noble’s, setup up shop at cross roads and formed towns.

At cross roads travelling merchants began to setup up weekly or monthly markets. Noble realised they could make more money instead of food if they let people begin a business on their land. The nobles let the people sell their wares if they paid rent to them. Villains were also allowed to acquire wealth through setting up shops so long as they were profitable. As the shops formed in similar places they formed towns. A document called the town charted, which towns folk bought from their lords outlined this ideal. It was an agreement that townsfolk would look after their own affairs and the upkeep of the town. A town council was assembled to look after both the peasants and towns folk and each town council had a mayor who was the leader of the town council. Now towns were free to provide for themselves so long as they paid rent. In addition to a town council most towns now had merchant guilds. The guild was responsible for insuring that merchants acted fairly towards each other and their customers. They made sure that merchants from other towns had to sell their commodities at higher prices. Now the general population of people were wealthier and didn’t answer as directly to their local noble. These effects lead to a need in social change. After a once successful feudalism slowly ended the Renaissances and Reformation began.

I couldn't load the pictures onto this wiki so these are just the words and headings.

 Heraldry Assignment By Aidan Dowling

My Coat-of-Arms

// Introduction to heraldry // Heraldry was first created so leaders and famous warriors could be identified in battle or in tournaments. Heraldry is the science and art, of designing, displaying, describing and recording coats-of-arms. A coat-of-arms is named so because knights put their family crest on their chest armour or shield. In the late Middle Ages to early renaissance heraldry became a highly disciplined art. In 1484 A Heralds College was established after numerous heralds were being duplicated and causing confusion amongst knights. During the Christian crusades heraldry spread through Europe and the tradition of wearing a coat of arms into battle was carried on after the crusades. The first recorded use of a coat-of-arms occurred in 1127 when Henry I of England placed a shield painted with gold lions around his son in law’s neck after knighting him. The various symbols used in heraldry represent different qualities and values. For example the sun represents glory and splendour and a tree represents the relationship between Earth, the underworld and heaven. Members of the upper class marked some of their possessions and official letters with their coat-of-arms. The family coat of arms was passed down through each generation. Through custom and then through law, no two families could have the same coat- of- arms. A group of men called heralds were put in charge of enforcing the rules regarding a coat-of-arms. The heralds developed a special language for describing a coat-of-arms called blazoning.

// My challenge // My challenge when making the coat-of-arms was to choose a number of symbols that represented my family and my values. My first and most obvious source of symbols was the ocean because the ocean has always been important to me. I chose a turtle as my marine choice because I wanted an animal that was calm and wise. A turtle not only represents my closeness to the ocean but my wise and caring mother. I then thought about my father and how he was different to my mother. He is of a different heritage and likes to think of himself as a hippy. I thought these two elements are best represented by the colour green and a tree. After I had chosen symbols for the two most obvious members of my family. I then tried to think of two symbols that represented things I like. My favourite animal is a wolf so that was my next choice. I then chose the most divine power that I could immediately feel, the sun.

// How I made my coat-of-arms // First, I acquired a round piece of wood and gave it a white background so it would be easier to paint on. Then I did another coat and left it to dry. I then chose the four images of the sun, a tree, a wolf’s head and a turtle to use on my shield. I then divided my piece of wood into four equal sections and drew my symbols onto each quadrant. I did a border around my piece of wood after deciding it would be a shield.

Then, with the help of my mother I started painting. An hour later the painting was finished and I left it to dry.

// Colour Choice // I started thinking of animals that represented my family and I immediately thought of the ocean. I then decided to draw a turtle to represent the sea. All my family lives by the sea and my cousins are very good surfers. I have always gone to the beach in summer and I go surfing or diving every second weekend with my father. I have always lived near the sea and I go to sleep every night hearing the sound of waves.

I drew the sun because to me it symbolizes Australia and my home. I was born in a drought and until recently I have never lived through a cool summer. The colour yellow also represents hours spent in the hot sun at the local beach in Flinders and great surfing experiences I have had with my father and my cousins. Yellow is often used to symbolize the sun and to me it symbolizes waking up at sun rise in order to get ready for school. Yellow reminds me of early morning surf trips with my father and the smell of seawater washing over the car as we approached the beach. I drew a wolf to represent my dog and my love of books. One of the first novels ever read to me was //Call of the Wild.// Immediately afterwards I asked my mother to borrow every book on wolves she could find from the library. Ever since I have loved wolves. The black line represents my history and my ancestors. I chose a black line because when I think of a symbol of respect I think of a black armband. I chose a line because it is intended to be similar to a time line of my family’s history. My father’s side of my family is from Ireland while my mother’s side is Latvian. When I picture Ireland in my mind I see green, a sweeping country side covered in green hills and mountains. I chose to represent my father through the colour green and a green tree. I also choose a tree to represent nature and my affinity to it. I painted the colour blue around half my shield to represent the colours and creatures in the ocean. It is also my favourite colour.  In situ Jinini analysis The author encouraged the reader to believe in the dragon in several ways. The author portrays the story through the child’s eyes. As Mary is lying terrified in her bed she hears the wind ‘//draw in a breathe //’ as if outside her room lies a beast. Through the child’s eyes everything is anthropomorphised and the world is real and full of threats. The mother gave Mary ‘//a magic light’ // to protect her so //‘nobody will be able to hurt you’ //. Mary and her mother’s belief in magic make the reader believe that there may be a real dragon. In the beginning of the story Mary is playing with her doll house and shows how she feels venerable when her father is gone. While putting the doll away that she used to portray herself, she asks ‘//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Will she be safe now? //’ and ‘//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Will the dragon come?’ // Mary is clearly scared of the dragon. Her parents ‘//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">can tell when the dragon is coming //.’ and can protect Mary, without both parents Mary doesn’t feel safe. The author makes the reader believe in the dragon by telling the story mainly through the child’s eyes and her actions in a world where magic is real. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">The different reactions shown by each child illustrates in what way they are listening to the story. The story starts off when ‘//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">the fire crackled and spat.’ //The use of onomatopoeia highlights the environment around the fire. The boys look on enjoying the horror of the story without understanding its real meaning. Alliteration is used to draw the reader into the tension of the moment after “//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">the suddenly cicadas stopped singing.’ //The reader is encouraged to notice how the boys are listening. After a pause in the story Jacky asked ‘//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What next, Ole Ma?’ //The reader knows Nina is listening carefully because she listens in silence to a story she has heard before. We also know she is listening when she suddenly notices the cold //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">‘and shivers’ // as the story begins. The story is meant to teach Nina how to behave and to motivate her not rebel against her harsh life. The story is meant to teach Nina and motivate her not rebel against her harsh life. The reader understand all the children are listening although, for different reasons.

<span style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #4f81bd 1pt solid; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 16px; padding-bottom: 4pt; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Daedalus and Icarus analysis <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">There may be several reasons as to why the story is told in many different ‘//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">takes.’ //I think the story is told by many different people have seen or heard about separate parts of the story. For example in take one the author stated that he saw ‘//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Icarus drowning’ //while in take 2 the author wrote//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"> ‘Daedalus and his son Icarus escaping from King Minos of Crete.’ //And in an attempt to escape ‘//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Daedalus built a pair of wings for each of them mad of feathers held together by wax.’ // And then ‘//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">The sun melting the wax and Icarus fell into the sea’ //and//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"> ‘drowned.’ // <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">The end of take 4 is more of a warning rather than a story. //<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">‘So you high-fliers, be warned. //’ While take 5 just tells the story with not much shown of the authors feelings//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">. ‘Daedalus flew on. Icarus drowned.’ //Take 3 gives the reader a background to the story and, like all the takes it ends with Icarus drowning. In Take 6 the author attempts to draw all the stories together in a conclusion. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Perhaps the story was written by one man who got told the story by many people and couldn’t decide which parts he was told were true. So, the author wrote down each persons ‘take’ on the series of events leading to Icarus’s death. <span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; tab-stops: right 451.3pt; tabstops: right 451.3pt;">My coat-of-arms is currently displayed at 32 king street, Flinders where it hangs in my room.

<span style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: #4f81bd 1pt solid; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 16px; padding-bottom: 4pt; padding-left: 0cm; padding-right: 0cm; padding-top: 0cm; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">Renaissance Essay <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">What was the difference between the renaissance and the middle ages? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">The middle ages occurred between the 5<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">th and 14<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">th century. The middle ages were characterised by the feudal system and the strict social structure it created. The middle ages were also marked by the black death, the crusades and the church having total control over the English population. The Renaissance started in Tuscany, and occurred roughly between the 14<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">th century and the 17<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">th century. Renaissance means ‘//<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">rebirth’ // and the Renaissance was characterized by huge advancements in technology, art and humanism. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">The Renaissance was marked by many amazing discoveries and inventions across many different areas. In 1269 Marco polo travelled to China and lived there for 24 years. Although Marco Polo first went to china about 130 years before the renaissance his book II Million provided information about China that helped further inventors and explorers. The information it held greatly helped to introduce China to the Europeans. In particular Marco Polo brought back the compass, one of the most important nautical instruments to the English sailing fleet. Rich peasants started educating their sons and this resulted in a larger number of scientists and inventors. For example a German goldsmith called Johannes Gutenberg created the first printing press with movable metal type. His invention was one of the most famous discoveries from the Renaissance. The printing press allowed for huge discoveries in other areas because inventors and scientists could publish their ideas in books and so share them with other each other. In the 14<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">th century, after the fall of Constantinople many Greek scholars and Greek text travelled to Tuscany. This helped to further the number of advancements and inventions being made. In the art world the discovery of the vanishing point created a huge change in art. Artists began to paint more individual features when drawing portraits. Leonardo De Vinci, one of the world’s greatest ever artists lived during the renaissance was considered a ‘renaissance man.’ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">The social structure began to break down as people became more individualised. People began to challenge the need of priests and their role in religion. Idealists inspired people to have a more individualised relationship with god, and challenged indulgences. Indulgences were the paying of a priest to rid you of your sins. In 1526, Martin Luther, a key idealist of the Renaissance wrote a book called the 95 Theses that condemned indulgences. This book is regarded as one of the catalysts for the protestant reformation. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: times new roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">The use of coal lead to the industrial age. The industrial age began from in the 18<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: auto;">th century and was also marked by higher levels of income. Aztec Report

1: Aztec Geography and history.

=Aztec history and geography.=
 * The Aztec empire is shown in green. ||


 * 1250 AD Aztecs settle at Lake Texecoco. ||


 * 1371-91 First Aztec emperor, Acamapichtli begins rule. ||

1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700
 * 1100 AD Aztecs leave homeland of north Mexico in search of new land. ||


 * 1519 AD the fall of the Aztec empire to the Spanish. ||


 * Roughly 1300 AD Middle Ages begin. ||


 * Roughly 1700AD, Middle Ages ends, renaissance begins. ||

2: Aztec society When the Spanish arrived in Tenochtitlan in 1519 the Aztec empire had expanded to about 15 million people living in nearly 500 cities, towns and villages. The social structure of the Aztec empire was like a pyramid in so far as the king was at the top, followed by a few priests and war leaders and ending with many slaves and peasants at the bottom. A commoner could rise up the social pyramid for great deeds in battle or capturing prisoners for sacrifice. There were many slaves in the Aztec empire and slaves were sold at slave markets. People became slaves because they were in large debt, caught stealing, or caught as a prisoner in war. Some slaves were dressed up in special clothes to make them look good when being sold but were stripped and caged after they were bought. In general slaves were treated well and worked in farms or as household servants. The leaders of the Aztecs below the king were army commanders, law-makers and priests. Only men ruled Aztec society and some claimed to be descended from the gods. Aztec society was based around religious sacrifice and the warfare it caused. Sport was an important part of Aztec society. Every city had a ball court where players wearing protective padding tried to knock a heavy ball through stone hoops. It was considered important for children to learn how to behave. Children were taught not to thieve, gamble, drink or gossip. Children were also taught practical skills at certain ages for example. At the ages of four and five boys helped to carry firewood whilst girls learnt to spin thread. At six they took goods to the market and fished. At the ages of 12 and 13 some noble girls worked in the temples and went on to become priestesses. At the age of 15 boys went to one of two different schools. One was a school called the Calmecac was run by priests who taught religious and administrative subjects. The other school was called Cuicacalli and specialised in teaching military subjects, although all boys were taught aspects of warfare, fighting and religion. Boys who went to the Calmecac school were taught history, astronomy, poetry and writing. The Aztecs considered writing the most important of these non-religious studies. People wrote using glyphs or pictures instead of an alphabet. Although being smart could raise your social status anyone who captured slaves could gain social status or other rewards,
 * As punishment for disobedience children could have their face held over burning chillies. ||

3: Tenochtitlan Tenochtitlan was the capital of the Aztec empire and had a population of at least 100,000 people. The city was divided into four sections each with its own temples, schools and markets. Grand buildings were situated in the centre of the town whilst inferior resides and floating gardens were situated on the edges of the city. Domestic buildings would have been made from sun dried mud bricks or mud smeared over wooden frames. Domestic Aztec homes didn’t have any tables or chairs, just simple reed mats for sleeping. Everyone from kings to slaves slept on these read mats. Baskets and jars were used for storage. Most ordinary Aztec homes were L shaped or situated around a courtyard near the edge of the city. Most houses had a small bathroom for washing and a small shrine to the gods in the main living room. Tenochtitlan was built from local materials because the Aztecs had not created the wheel so they could not transport heavy objects over great distances. Stone was the most expensive and long lasting building material available to the Aztec builders. Stone was used for the religious buildings, temples, palaces and tombs that were situated in Tenochtitlan. Big stone building like temples and palaces were often covered with a type of plaster called stucco. After being applied to a building, ornate carvings were then painted over the plaster. Stucco was made by burning limestone then mixing it with water and coloured earth. By the 1400’s so much stucco was being used that the surrounding lakes became polluted with the chemicals used to make stucco. Grand homes and buildings were built near the centre of the city. In the centre of Tenochtitlan was a great square with the temple Precinct, the king’s palace and the main market. The main market was held every five days and people came from miles around to buy and sell goods. Thousands of different things were sold including foods, clothing, weapons, copper axes, canoes, herbs and quills of gold. Officials patrolled the market checking the goods, making sure the prices weren’t too high and making sure sellers had paid their fees. Thieves who were caught were tried on the spot by 12 judges and could be beaten to death for their crimes.
 * Aztec Sport ||
 * Tenochtitlan ||


 * Hundreds of years after the temples were made they still stand. ||

4: Aztec religion Aztecs believed that if they did not give human blood as a sacrifice to the gods, then the sun not rise and the world would end. Aztecs pricked their ear lobes each morning and collected two drops of blood to give to the gods. Aztecs also went to war to capture prisoners for their religion. They would sacrifice prisoners using a holy knife. The prisoners would be sacrificed for their blood and on special occasions thousands of people would be sacrificed. It is believed that as many as 20,000 people were sacrificed to celebrate the completion of the Great Temple of Tenochtitlan in 1487. It took four days to kill them all. Sacrifices were killed a top temples and their blood flowed down the temple steps. Rulers also had their wives buried in temples and created temples as a memorial to their reign.


 * The Aztecs sacrificed humans to give their blood to the sun god. ||


 * An Aztec Temple ||

5: Aztec warfare

Aztec armies were huge. All Aztec men learnt to fight and had to hurry off to prepare for warfare when the heard the sounds of battle. Aztec soldiers used weapons edged with obsidian. Young Aztec men had to grow their hair long at the back and could only cut it when they had taken their first prisoner in battle. Ordinary soldiers wore tunics and leg guards made of cotton that had been soaked in salt water. Aztec army commanders often decorated themselves with gold, silver, feathers and furs. The Aztecs greatly admired bravery and armies were led by nobles who had committed brave deeds in battle or had taken many prisoners. It was considered disgraceful for an Aztec warrior to try to save himself. It was more honourable for him to be killed fighting or to be sacrificed. Aztec soldiers usually went to war to capture prisoners for sacrifice or control of trade routes. The Aztec army consisted of many commoners and a few nobles who were ranked according to their deeds in battle. The highest reward for bravery or taking prisoners was being invited to join the elite fighting brotherhoods, the eagles and the jaguars. These two brotherhoods wore costumes made of real feathers and skins into battle. From the beginning the Aztecs fought their way into Mexico to establish Tenochtitlan. In the early years the Aztec empire allied with two other Mesoamerican tribes, the Texcoco and the Tlacopan, in what is called the triple alliance and defeated their main enemies the Tepanec to rule the Mexican Basin. After defeating the Tepanec the allied Texecoco and Tlapocan tribes quickly became junior partners in an enterprise the Aztecs lead. After capturing a city or town the Aztecs would take tribute and install a friendly ruler in the area. It was a duty for the emperor to start his rule with a battle. As the Aztec empire grew it needed more resources to feed its people and undertake new endeavours. The Aztec priests also demanded prisoners for their sacrifices. Throughout the 1400’s the Aztec empire grew until they ruled most of Mexico.
 * The Aztec empire grew with each new king until it was eventually conquered by the Spanish. ||


 * The Aztec empire expanded with each ruler. ||

6: The end of the Aztecs In 1519 the Spanish arrived in Mexico lead by Hernan Cortes. Cortes had 500 men under his command, most of whom were unemployed soldiers hoping to make a fortune. Cortes was ordered to explore the American mainland and in doing so discovered the Aztecs. An unlikely set of events resulted in Cortes attempting and succeeding to conquer the Aztecs. In 1519, the year Cortes arrived, it was believed by the Aztecs to be the date when their god Quetzalcoatl would return from the east to destroy their empire. Almost to confirm the legend, several terrible events occurred in Tenochtitlan which were thought by the Aztecs to be bad omens. A comet appeared in the sky, one of their temples burst into flame and a fisherman caught a strange ash coloured bird with a mirror in its head. In this mirror the current ruler of the time Montezuma, said he saw strange soldiers riding four legged monsters. After learning of these bad omens priests of the time demanded thousands of sacrifices. The resulting bloodshed caused allies of the Aztecs to turn against them. Never before had the Aztecs been so hated. When the news of strangers sailing to Mexico was shared with Montezuma he believed that the god Quetzalcoatl was returning to destroy his empire. Montezuma panicked and sent them lavish gifts in hope of peace. Montezuma toured Cortes and his men around Tenochtitlan for six days letting them admire the wonders it held. Then after an amazing discovery the mood began to change completely. The Spanish discovered a bricked up door in the palace where they were staying. The Spanish smashed down the door to find several rooms full of gold, silver and jewels. Shortly after this discovery and hearing that the Aztecs had killed two Spanish messengers Cortes decided to take Montezuma hostage. Cortes began to smash statues of Aztec gods and ordered Montezuma to end the ritual human sacrifice. The Aztecs were horrified after Cortes had a chief burned alive for killing the messengers. Then Cortes heard news of another Spanish expedition sent to arrest him. He took some of his troops and left the city to counter the new threat. While he was gone some of the soldiers he left behind tried to stop an important Aztec ceremony. The Aztecs attacked them and by the time Cortes arrived back in Tenochtitlan his troops were besieged in a palace. Cortes sent Montezuma to calm the people but in the confusion the emperor was killed. Cortes realised he would have to get him and his men out of the city. He attempted to creep away in the night but was attacked by a huge Aztec army. While trying to escape out of the Tenochtitlan many Spanish soldiers were killed in battle or drowned in the lake that surrounded Tenochtitlan weighed down by the treasure they had stolen. In the retreat Montezuma lost half his men and thousands of Mexican allies. He eventually reached the coast and gathered reinforcements.


 * Hernan Cortes ||

He had 1000 Spanish and 150,000 Mexicans under his command when he ordered attacks against Aztec cities. After defeating several major Aztec armies sent against him he decided to attack the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan.

Cortes built ships armed with cannons to cross the lake that surrounded the city. After a long and bloody war the Spanish took control of the city and slaughtered many of the inhabitants. After Tenochtitlan fell the rest of the Aztec Empire crumbled. Cortes was appointed governor of New Spain but after a few years he was replaced. He returned to Spain but was ignored by the king. In 1547, Twenty-eight years after conquering the Aztec empire Cortes dies an unhappy and bitter man.

7: Bibliography [] http://library.thinkquest.org/27981/time.html [] []. http://www.crystalinks.com/aztechistory.html

Delete Poem The small squat dark shape sat there The first time I saw their faces I struck the match. It didn’t light. My hand shakes, We’re about to die, It seemed unfair, almost ridiculous. I tried again, but was shaking too much. I struck the match for the third time, it lit A harsh little noise, It died to a small dot of light. The petrol caught, the flames ran along the line in fits and starts, very fast. The noise was shrill and frightening, Run, Run. Screams began from the other side of the wall. The screams behind us were ripping the night apart, I hoped the screams would fade. Time to meet the others, My legs felt old and slow. We couldn’t do any more, go any faster, or fight anyone else.