The Historical Tour
by Julie Looper
Welcome to the theme of travel! You will learn about different places of historical importance in order to understand structures and the people who built them at that time. I believe what people built in the different times describes the thinking and views of that time. I have studied history about the different time periods so I understand a general idea of the views and values of the time periods. I think this topic will be interesting to other people because many people know what was made and what is important but they do not understand why the people at that time did what they did. I think the travel theme will give everyone the opportunity to learn more about the different time periods through the importance of many structures in order to get a feeling for the thinking and understanding of that time.
Each episode is written in a narrative in order to portray the theme so the reader begins to understand how it felt to live at this time in order to understand what the people did. Each time period is different by the values and standards it holds but yet it is similar by showing how people of each time period did what they needed to do for the thinking and understanding of the different times. I will connect the different places in a narrative way so the reader understands the thinking and values with the use of various structures.
The first episode is about one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, The Great Pyramid of Giza. I will explain the thinking of the king and people at this time in 2560 BC and why it led to the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza. You will hear from a man who had first hand experience with the pyramid in order to see the importance of the structure for all the people at this time. To go straight to this episode click here.
The second episode is about the Cathedral of Chartres around 1194. This structure is used to show what was important at this time by how the cathedral was built and why. You will see the different figures that were put on the cathedral in order to signify the importance of the cathedral. You will see why the Cathedral of Chartres was important and what the people did to show its importance. In order to go to this episode, click here.
The third episode is about the Globe Theatre in London beginning in 1598. You will see why the Globe Theatre is so important in the lives of the people at this time and what they did to keep the theatre running. You will also get to read about the structure in relation to acting and how it helped the actors do what they do best. This structure will show you the importance of entertainment and how the thinking of this time affected the Globe Theatre. In order to go to the theatre episode, click here.
Primary Sources:
The Pyramid of Giza with images and descriptions
The Cathedral of Chartres with images and descriptions
The Globe Theatre
Secondary Sources:
Dr. Christopher L.C.E. Wircombe, "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World", http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders
Jackie Craven, "Great Buildings", http://architecture.about.com/library/blchartres.htm
Alissa Ressel, "The WWW Globe Theatre," http://aressel.com/globe (1998)