Achillia: You May Have Trouble Finding Much Information on Achillia and in Fact, There

Achillia: You may have trouble finding much information on “Achillia” and in fact, there may have been more than one “Achillia” who fought as a gladiator or “gladiatrix”. Therefore, you’ll create Achillia as a composite of what you learn about her and other women gladiators. I’ll first ask where and when Achillia as born, and then I’ll ask about her life before she became a gladiator. Was she wealthy or poor? Did she have a husband and a family or was she single? Here, too, you can choose from the stories which you‘ve read about her but also about other women gladiators. Then, I’ll ask how and why Achillia became a gladiator: most women who fought chose to do so, for various reasons, including the sheer excitement and chance to win glory in the arena. How did the people who knew her react to her decision to fight, and what were the ranges of opinions by Romans about women gladiators? I’ll then ask about her training as a gladiator—how long did the training last, and what kinds of activities did the training involve? What types of weapons did she use during training? How well was she treated? What were the major methods of fighting which she learned? Then, I’ll ask what type of gladiator she was—there were a few major types, with their own names, weapons, styles, so you can pick one of these. How did she get the name “Achillia”, and what did that name mean? I’ll then ask you to take us through a typical fight in the great Coliseum in Rome—who did your gladiator fight? How did the two combatants get into the arena? What were the customs or rules of the fight? How long did a fight usually last? How bloodthirsty was the crowd, and how did the crowd react if the two gladiators weren’t drawing enough blood or fighting hard enough? Did Achillia always fight other women gladiators, or could she also have fought some men? When one opponent was disabled, what role did the crowd and/or the emperor play in determining whether the defeated one lived or died? What were the signs for life and for death which the crowd would give? Who had the last word on whether a defeated gladiator died—the crowd? The emperor? The gladiator or gladiatrix himself or herself? Then, I’ll ask about how often your gladiator fought, and whether she survived and eventually enjoyed a life after her career in the arena. How did gladiators get their freedom? Were they celebrated heroes and celebrities? Did they earn lots of money? How many gladiators, on average, survived a career in the arena? How many became trainers or owners of other gladiators? Finally, I’ll ask if Achillia was troubled by the violence of the gladiatorial games, and what we could learn today about how to deal with social violence from her experiences. For example, does her career suggest that the gladiatorial fights actually made Rome more peaceful or kept mob violence in check?

Alexander the Great: For Alexander the Great, I'll first ask when and where he was born--try to get as close to a precise year as you can. Then, I'll ask about his education with the philosopher Aristotle: what did he learn from Aristotle? How did Aristotle influence his later decision to move his armies so far from home? Then, I'll ask how he became king after his father Philip died. Did Alexander have any role in Philip's death? After Alexander became king, why did he invade the Persian Empire? What were his main goals? How big was his army when he cross over into Persian territory? I'll also ask you to list the major battles which Alexander fought against the Persians, and I'll ask you to describe the Battle of Gaugamela, which was the most important victory in crushing the Persians. You should be able to describe Alexander's plan for this battle and explain why he won it, even though he was outnumbered. How did he use his phalanxes and his cavalry to win at Gaugamela. How many years did it take Alexander to conquer Persia. Once he did defeat the Persians, what was Alexander's plan for the new empire he created? You should talk about the expansion of trade and also his interest in blending Greek culture with Persian culture? How did he try to do this? Why didn't Alexander stop his conquests after Persian was beaten? Why did he go on eastward, and how far did he go before turning back? Then, I'll ask how and why he died, and how old he was when he died. What was his biggest regret in his young life? Finally, I'll ask what we can learn from studying his life today.

St. Ambrose: I’ll first ask where and when Ambrose was born. Then, I’ll ask about his education and his early career—what were the main topics which he learned and what was his first career path? How and why did he chose a life within the church. Did he have a powerful spiritual experience or was the religious life motivated by the influence and power he would have? How old was he when he became ordained as a priest, and how long did it take after that for him to become Bishop of Milan? As bishop, how did he use his influence with the emperor Theodosius to wage a campaign against Roman paganism, and how successful was he? What was his position on the Arians and their theology? Then, I’ll get to the Altar of Victory controversy. What was this Altar of Victory, how long had it been in the Roman Senate, and what was its purpose? How did the pagan Romans feel about the altar, and what was Ambrose’s view of it? When was the altar removed from the Senate House, and what role did Ambrose have in getting it removed? When the Roman pagan Symmachus started petitioning the Emperor Gratian to return the Altar of Victory back to the Senate, how did Ambrose respond to this? When did he write his letter to the Emperor asking that the Altar stay out? What were his main arguments in this letter? I’d like you to quote a passage of several lines from the letter which you think best expresses Ambrose’s purpose? Who won the controversy, and why? Besides this letter to the emperor, how many other books did Ambrose write, and what were the main topics which he wrote about? When did he die, and how much had he strengthened the political power of Christianity by the time of his death? When was he made a saint, and on what day of the year do Catholics celebrate him?

Ankhesenamun: I'll first ask when and where Ankhesenamun was born, and what were name meant. I'll then ask about her growing up in the royal and ruling family, and why and how she was married off to members of her family. Which family members did she marry, how long did each marriage last, and how did she come to marry Tutankhamun? What was her relationship to Tutankhamun? I believe he was her half-brother, but check this to make sure. Then, I'll ask how old she was when she married Tut, how old he was, and how long they ruled Egypt together. What were their main accomplishments during their reign? You should talk about the return from the worship of the god Aton back to the more traditional God Amun, which is signified in both her name. How close were she and Tut? There are images of Tut and her together from a throne in Tut's tomb, which you should describe--it shows her putting on Tut's jewelry and perhaps perfume. I can display this on the screen--you should be able to search google image and find it--it's a scene on a wooden, painted throne found in Tut's tomb. Check with me to make sure you have the right one. Did she have any children from her earlier marriages or her marriage with Tut? Then, I'll ask her how Tut died--there is ongoing research on this, and the idea that he was murdered is no longer supported by the Cat scans which have been done on his body. Make sure to use the website which is on our Moodle class site--it will give you pretty updated information--the focus is now on either Tut's knee and an accident or on a degenerative disease which he had. You can go with the explanation which you find has the most persuasive evidence for it. Then, I'll ask what happened to Ankhesenamun after Tut died--what about her request to a Hittite prince to marry him? You should find the ancient letter from her to the Hittite prince--it still exists. Did she marry this prince or did she end up marrying someone else? Did she rule Egypt by herself, or was she pushed out of the way for the next male ruler? How and when did she die? Her death is still something of a mystery, but try to find out what historians' best guess is.

Joan of Arc: I'll first ask when and where Joan of Arc was born. Was she rebellious in any ways as a girl? For example, why didn't she marry the man whom her father wanted her to marry? In what other ways did Joan stand out as a girl or seem different?Then, I'll ask how old she was when she first began hearing or seeing the saints or angels--which saints and angels did she see, and what did they say to her? How often and how long did these visions continue, and how many people did Joant ell about them? Then, when did the saints first tell her to lead an army to drive the English out of France and to get the dauphin crowned king of France? How hard was it for Joan to follow these orders? How long did it take her to get an army to go to Orleans, and how quickly did this army drive out the English? Why did grown military men listen to Joan and allow her ride with them? Did she perform miracles to prove herself? What about her famous banner and the sword which she found--what made these items so important? Or was she just very persuasive? Why did Joan put on men's armor--did she actually fight at Orleans or just inspire the men? say to her? How did she persuade Charles, the dauphin, to go to Rheims and be crowned king? Did she show him a secret sign? Do we know what this "sign" was or is it still a mystery? After Charles became king, how successful was Joan and her French army at fighting the English? How many towns did they re-capture from the English and how famous did Joan become? When and how was Joan captured? When the English put her on trial, what were the charges against her? How did she respond to the questioning? You should find examples of how Joan actually did quite well at responding to her prosecutors' questions, even though she was not educated. For example, what did she respond when she was asked if she was in a state of grace? How long did the trial go on? How did the guards treat Joan? How did she try to escape and why did her attempt fail? Why did Joan agree to recant or confess her sins, and then change her mind? Did King Charles do anything to try to help Joan, like offer money for her or send an army to save her? How did Joan die, and what were her last words? How long was it before the result of her trial was nullified by the Catholic Church, and why did they do this? When was Joan made a saint by the Catholic Church, and why did it happen?

Archimedes: I'll first ask where and when Archimedes was born, and what his full name was. What kind of education did Archimedes receive? Who were his teachers and what subjects did Archimedes like the most? In which cities did he study? Why was he drawn to mathematics, physics, and engineering? Who or what experiences influenced him to move in this direction? Then, we'll move to his most famous inventions. What problem did a king askArchimedes to solve? How did Archimedes solve this problem? Where was he when he realized the answer? What word did he cry out when he made the discovery and what did he do? What is this theory and why is it important scientifically? What was Archimedes screw? How did he invent it and how did it work? What word did he cry when he made the discovery? What was Archimedes' famous saying about the lever, and how did prove it mathematically? What was his most important mathematical discovery, and why was it so important? What about Archimedes' heat ray--could you use mirrors to burn up ships at sea? What happened when this theory was put to the test on the TV show "Mythbusters"? What kinds of machines did Archimedes design to protect the city of Syracuse against the Roman fleet? What were the names of these machines, and how well did these machines work against the Roman ships and what did Archimedes' machines do to these ships? I'll then ask you about Archimedes' death. Where was he when he died and what was he doing? Who killed him and why? What were Archimedes' last words?

Attila the Hun: I’ll first ask when and where Attila was born, and also about his family. Who was Attila’s father and what position did he hold? What kind of education did Attila receive? Why did Attila visit Rome, for how long was he there, and what kind of education did he receive? Could Attila read and write Latin? How close did Attila come to marrying a princess of Rome, and why didn’t this marriage happen in the end? Then, I’ll ask how Attila became the leader of the Huns and when this happened? What were his main goals once he became their leader? Why did the Huns expand to conquer more territory under Attila’s rule? What made the Huns such a fearsome fighting force, and how far did their conquests extend? How did Attila’s Huns treat the people whom they conquered? Did the Huns mostly simply destroy people and property during their invasions of Rome or did Attila try to preserve people and resources? In which battle did the Romans defeat Attila? How close did Attila come to conquering Rome itself, and why didn’t he conquer it? You should know about his famous meeting with the Pope of the Roman Church—when and where did this meeting take place, and why did Attila’s army pull back after this meeting? Did Attila marry? How many wives did he have, and how many children did he have? Did he choose a son to take over his empire before he died, and if so, which son? How and when did Attila die? He became known as the “scourge of God” by Christians for centuries to come and was seen as one of the most evil men of all time. Did he really deserve this terrible reputation or was it an unfair and simplistic view based on how Christians saw him?

Marcus Aurelius: For Marcus Aurelius, I'll first ask when and where he was born. Was he from a rich and noble Roman family or a poor one? What kind of education did he get? Then, I'll ask how and when he became emperor--was he favored by the previous emperor? I'll also ask about his sharing of the title and how he eventually came to be the sole Roman emperor. Then, I'll ask you what his greatest achievements as emperor were--you should focus on his wars against both the Germans and the Parthians and his defense of Rome's frontiers as one of the achievements. You can then choose the other achievement on your own and describe it. I'll also ask about his writing of his book of "Meditations", which reflect his Stoic beliefs. I'd like you to read at least two of his sayings from this book and then explain what they mean in your own words. If you find a good translation of the "Meditations", it should have some notes to help you. Then, I'll ask you what his greatest mistake was as emperor and what he would do differently about it if he could. I'll also ask you how long he ruled and who he picked as his successor as emperor.