Alaric - Formation of the Gothic Kingdom Timeline

Alaric - Formation of the Gothic Kingdom Timeline Alaric Sacks Rome | Alaric Timeline Alaric Before 395: Alaric, a Gothic king [see Visigoths Timeline], had no territory or power base beyond his soldiers, but he was leader of the Goths for 15 years. When he died, his brother-in-law took over. When he died, Walla, and then, Theoderic ruled the Goths, but by then the Gothic king finally had a physical territory over which to rule. One of the historical sources, Claudian, says Alaric confronted the Emperor Theodosius at the Hebrus River in 391, but Alaric didnt come into prominence until 4 years later, in 395, when Stilicho sent Alaric and auxiliary troops who had served in the Battle of the Frigidus to the Eastern Empire. 395-397: The historian Zosimus claims Alaric, upset that he lacked a proper military title, marched on Constantinople to try to get it. According to Claudian, Rufinus, (de facto head of the Eastern Empire at the moment) bribed Alaric with Balkan provinces to sack, instead. Looting, Alaric advanced through the Balkans and via Thermopylae into Greece. In 397, Stilicho led naval forces against Alaric, forcing the Gothic troops to Epirus. This act provoked Rufinus, so he persuaded eastern Emperor Arcadius to declare Stilicho a public enemy. He withdrew and Alaric received a military position, perhaps magister militum per Illyricum. 401-402: Between then and 401, nothing is heard of Alaric. Gainas, a Gothic military leader under Theodosius, went in and out of favor so that Alaric thought his Goths would be better off elsewhere. They set off for the Western Empire, arriving at the Alps on November 18. Alaric threatened to invade Italy, and then carried through. He fought against Stilicho at Pollentia (map ), on Easter in 402. Stilicho won, took Alarics loot, his wife, and his children. The two sides signed a truce and Alaric withdrew from Italy, but soon Stilicho claimed Alaric had violated the terms, so they fought in the summer of 402 at Verona. 402-405: Although the battle was indecisive, Alaric withdrew to the Balkans, where he stayed until 404 or 405 when Stilicho granted him the office of magister militum for the West. In 405, Alarics people went to Epirus. This, again, upset the Eastern Empire who saw it as preparation for an invasion of Illyricum (map ). 407: Alaric marched to Noricum (Austria) where he demanded protection money what was probably enough to repay his losses at Pollentia in return for not invading Italy. Silicho, who wanted Alarics help elsewhere, persuaded Emperor Honorius and the Roman Senate to pay. 408: Arcadius died in May. Stilicho and Honorius planned to go East to tend to the succession, but Honorius magister officiorum, Olympius, persuaded Honorius that Stilicho was planning a coup. Stilicho was executed on August 22. Olympius refused to honor Stilichos bargain. Alaric next demanded gold and a hostage exchange, but when Honorius refused, Alaric marched on Rome and put the city under siege. There he was joined by veterans of other barbarian battles. The Romans feared starvation, so they promised to send an embassy to Honorius (in Rimini) to convince him to settle with Alaric. 409: The imperial legation met the Romans. Alaric demanded money, grain (it wasnt just the Romans who were hungry) and the top military office, magisterium utriusque militiae which post Stilicho had held. The imperials conceded money and grain, but not the title, so Alaric marched on Rome, again. Alaric made two more attempts with smaller demands, but was rebuffed, so Alaric set up his second siege of Rome, but with a difference. He also set up a usurper, Priscus Attalus, in December. The historian Olympiodorus says Attalus gave Alaric his title, but rejected his advice. 410: Alaric deposed Attalus and then took his troops near Ravenna to negotiate with Honorius, but he was attacked by a Gothic general, Sarus. Alaric took this as a token of Honorius bad faith, so he marched on Rome, again. This was the major sack of Rome mentioned in all the history books. Alaric and his men sacked the city for 3 days, ending on August 27. [See Procopius.] Along with their plunder, the Goths took Honorius sister, Galla Placidia, when they left. The Goths still didnt have a home and before they acquired one, Alaric died of a fever very soon after the sacking, at Consentia. 411: Alarics brother-in-law Athaulf marched the Goths into southern Gaul. In 415, Athaulf married Galla Placidia, but the new western magister utriusque militiae, Constantius, starved the Goths out, anyway. After Athaulf was assassinated, the new Gothic king, Walla, made peace with Constantius in exchange for food. Galla Placidia married Constantius, producing a son Valentinian (III) in 419. Wallas men, now in the Roman army, cleared the Iberian peninsula of Vandals, Alans, and Sueves. In 418 Constantius settled Wallas Goths in Aquitaine, Gaul. The Goths in Aquitaine were the 1st autonomous barbarian kingdom inside the Empire. Source Irene Hahns Review of Michael Kulikowskis Romes Gothic Wars: From the Third Century to Alaric (Key Conflicts of Classical Antiquity. Take the Alaric Quiz.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle What makes a childrens book so popular that by 2014, the 45th anniversary of its publication, more than 37 million copies had been sold and it had been translated into more than 50 languages? In the case of Eric Carles The Very Hungry Caterpillar, its the combination of wonderful illustrations, an entertaining story, and a unique book design. Carles illustrations are created with collage techniques. He uses hand-painted papers, which he cuts, layers, and shapes to create his colorful artwork. The pages of the book vary in size, which is part of the fun. The Story The story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a simple one that emphasizes numbers and days of the week. The caterpillar is not only very hungry, but he also has unusual tastes in food, ones that delight children. After popping out of an egg on Sunday, the very hungry caterpillar eats holes through the books pages as he eats his way through a variety of foods, beginning with one apple on Monday and two pears on Tuesday and ending with five oranges on Friday and 10 different foods on Saturday (chocolate cake, ice cream, a pickle, Swiss cheese, salami, a lollipop, cherry pie, sausage, a cupcake, and watermelon). Not surprisingly, the very hungry caterpillar ends up with a stomach ache. Fortunately, a serving of one green leaf helps. The now very fat caterpillar builds a cocoon. After staying in it for two weeks, he nibbles a hole in the cocoon and emerges a beautiful butterfly. For an entertaining explanation of why his caterpillar comes out of a cocoon rather than a chrysalis, see Eric Carles website. The Artwork and Design Eric Carles colorful collage illustrations and the books design add immensely to the books appeal. Every page has a hole in it where the caterpillar eats through the food. The pages for the first five days are different sizes, corresponding to the number of pieces of food the caterpillar eats. The page for the day the caterpillar eats one apple is very small, a little bigger for the day it eats two pears, and full size for the day it eats five oranges. Why Eric Carle Writes About Small Creatures As for the reason so many of his books are about small creatures, Eric Carle gives the following explanation: When I was a small boy, my father would take me on walks across meadows and through woods... Hed tell me about the life cycles of this or that small creature... I think in my books I honor my father by writing about small living things. And in a way, I recapture those happy times. Recommendation The Very Hungry Caterpillar was originally published in 1969 and has become a classic. It is a good picture book to own or to take out of the library frequently. Children 2-5-years-old enjoy hearing the story again and again. Babies and toddlers particularly enjoy the board book edition. Happily, you will enjoy reading it to them again and again also. Add to the fun by making a story sack to go along with the book. See directions for a variety of story sacks, including a story sack for on our  Family Crafts site. (Philomel Books, 1983, 1969. ISBN: 9780399208539)

Self Assessment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Self Assessment - Assignment Example There are different tools and mechanisms that have been designed to not only examine a person’s character traits, but also use this information in practical evaluation and classification activities (Archer & Smith, 2008). Commonly referred to as the Big Five personality test, the five-factor of model of personality is an important personality analysis tool. The entire assessment presented in this character analysis tool is founded of five important dimensions forming part of the reason for human behavior. The five dimensions of human behavior comprise of agreeableness, extroversion, openness to experience, emotional stability, and conscientiousness. People vary from each other with regards to their utility of these dimensions undergirding social behavior. The difference in the applicability of these qualities from one person to another is the basis through which this study test classifies people into distinct groups (Groth-Marnat, 2003). According to results from the Big Five test, there are important personal traits I learnt about myself. The test was designed to examine 15 different elements and each of this was important in the general study of my character trait. According to the Big Five test, I scored an eight on extraversion tests and the test gave me 11 on agreeableness related study. I had 13 on the conscientiousness and emotional stability tests. The analysis on openness-to-experience was giving me an overall score of eight. The element of agreeableness is used to assess to what level a person is good-natured, trusting and cooperative. Conscientiousness is used in the study of a person’s responsibility, persistence, and dependability levels. This test also analyzes the nature and level of achievement focus in a person. The test analyzed the element of extraversion through assessing how sociable a person was, how reserved they tend to be, and whether they are a quiet or talkative person. Personally, I am a bit quiet and reserved. I

Dividend Policy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Dividend Policy - Case Study Example The 1970s was the decade of the two great oil price shocks (1973 and 1979/80) that were to have serious effects on the world's economies. It was also a decade when the major oil companies saw a decisive change in their old concessionary relationships. Like its major competitors, BP lost direct access to most of its supplies of OPEC oil as the OPEC countries took control of production and prices. The 1973 price explosion had a dramatic effect on demand. BP's oil sales started falling for the first time since 1952 (with the exception of 1957, the year of the Suez crisis). By 1978, sales had recovered somewhat; but then came the Iranian revolution and another major rise in the price of oil. In 1979, BP suffered further blows when its assets in Nigeria were nationalised and its supplies from Kuwait cut back. By 1980, its sales were down again. The entire oil industry was affected by the events of the 1970s. But thanks to BP's large investment programme in areas outside the Middle East, the company showed, as it had done in Iran in 1951 that it could survive. As noted, of key importance were the developments of its oilfield discoveries in the North Sea and Alaska. In the autumn of 1975, BP pumped ashore the first oil from the North Sea's UK sector when it brought the Forties field on stream. This field development was financed by a bank loan of 370 million, then the largest wholly-private bank advance ever arranged. At its peak, Forties produced half a million barrels a day, equivalent to one-quarter of the UK's daily oil requirement. Today, BP's other oil- and gas-producing countries include Abu Dhabi, Australia, Colombia, Norway and Papua New Guinea The spirit of enterprise continues (mid-1970s - today) Diversification and a new structure The upheavals of the 1970s led BP to conclude that it should broaden its activities so that it could operate in the future with more balanced sources of income. Accordingly, from the mid-1970s there was increased emphasis on diversification into new areas of activity. BP's entry into the nutrition business originated in the 1950s, when the company's French researchers began to develop a process for converting oil into protein. Although the process was later discarded, BP developed other interests in nutrition. From the mid-1970s, it became involved in animal feed, animal breeding and consumer foods and related products. As a result of the purchase in 1986 of the US company, Purina Mills, BP Nutrition became one of the world's largest feed millers. In 1990, it also took responsibility for BP's household cleaning and personal care products -- successors of the old detergents business. Another industry which BP entered in the mid-1970s was minerals. BP expanded its minerals interests considerably in 1980, when, in what was then the London stock market's largest-ever takeover bid, it bought Selection Trust, the British-based mining finance house. In the following year, Standard Oil

Female Infanticides Essay Example for Free

Female Infanticides Essay For many decades China has been carrying out brutal actions among female infants which are known to be female infanticides. Female infanticides started in 1957 when China’s Chairman Mao Zedong wanted the country’s population to stay under six million for many years (Jimmerson). Leaders then came to a realization that a long term action would have to take place. Therefore they proposed a law stating that a couple could only have one child and two at the most if the net household income increased (Jimmerson). When this law was proposed, families pushed for males, this led to a significant decrease in the female population in the rural areas of China. As women were starting to become pregnant under the new one child law, they wanted to give birth to males. Reasoning behind this was the males carried on the family name, they were the ones that honored their ancestors, and the ones to take care of their parents as they got older (Jimmerson). Because of the great demand for male babies the women sought to find out ultrasonically whether they were having a daughter or a son (Schorn). The woman would go to the closest village in her town where they do an ultrasound to figure out if she was having a baby girl or boy (Schorn). If the woman found out she was giving birth to a girl, she would do one of two things to get rid of the baby. She would either have a sex-selective abortion, or once the baby is born the family would neglected and mistreat the girl until she was killed. Sex-selective abortion is when the baby is killed inside the mother’s stomach before birth only because tests show that a female would be born. Then if the mother chose to keep the girl, in most cases she would be severely abused before the age of three (Banister). Those choices would be continuously made until the couple has a boy or if the couple gives up on having children. When they cannot have any more children because of age or just want to stop trying those are the only cases in which the girl stays alive and healthy (Lee). There are numerous ways that the Chinese neglect and kill the young girls of their society. Such ways include starvation, snapping of the spinal cord, wrapping tightly until uffocation occurs, poisoning, strangling, and even drowning (Shelton). Some families have been known to leave the baby girls in or near dumpsters. Chen Rong shared with BBC News her findings of five baby girls in a dumpster over a number of years. Rong said, â€Å"Another scavenger had taken her clothes and left the little girl to die I was the only one to pick her up; I could not see her die. † Rong has taken the little girls she has found back to her one- room brick shack and attempts to nourish them back to health (Brookes). If the little girls are found by Rong, that is their only chance at life. Rong is not the only citizen finding female infants in dumpsters. A premature infant that doctors said to be between 32 and 34 weeks old and was only three pounds was found in a plastic bag with the placenta and umbilical cord still attached (unknown author). Not only was the premature infant in a plastic bag with everything attached to her, but she had a cut in her throat that was about two inches deep and lead from the skin to her windpipe (unknown author). Since China has continued running its country under the one child law, the ratio of females to males has significantly decreased. According to the 1990 census there are 117 boys per 100 girls (Banister). Also the females of the country have a higher reported infant mortality rate at 118 (Banister). Also statistically there have been over four million births prevented (unknown author). China is calling this the Missing-Girl Phenomenon (Banister). No country should support or be involved with these disturbing actions, therefore 132 out of 196 countries are for eliminating all forms of discrimination against women and 68 countries are against torture and other cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment of punishment (Peck). Peck also says that, â€Å"All human beings are born free and equal†¦ No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel punishment. † Yet children are among those who suffer most from human rights abuse (Peck). Female infanticides are most common in China and India yet it still happens in Nepal, Great Britain, Canada, South Korea, and even the United States (Shelton). â€Å"When a child is born its race, gender, religious views, and culture determine its destiny† (Peck). No matter what country, gender, race, or religion, a child should not have to go through horrible torture like the children of China. Female infanticides are among the worst of all types of abuse out there in the world today. Still so many countries in the world are known for abusing innocent little children. Children should not be put into a situation at an age where they cannot make a decision on their own, nor should they have to face this horrible abuse no matter what age they are. Everyone deserves to live a care-free life.

Parkinsons Disease and Tissue Transplants Essay -- Health Medicine Me

For nearly 100 years neural tissue has been transplanted in animals. Transplantation of neural tissue into humans, however, began only a few years ago (1). It has been found in animals, that fetal brain grafts in damaged adult host brains reduce some of the functional deficits caused by brain lesions. Even though some neurons from the transplanted tissue survive and develop reciprocal connections with host brain tissue, this is not enough to completely replace damaged fibers and support behavioral recovery Usually the grafts will not develop a normal morphological appearance, but some metabolic activity can be found within the transplant. Release and diffusion of trophic substances from the transplant and the damaged host brain may partially restore neuronal and behavioral functions. It is hypothesized that this combination of fetal brain transplants and trophic substances may provide a better opportunity for recovery than either treatment given by itself. While this paper focuses on fetal brain grafts as a means to treat Parkinsonism, research is also being conducted in conjunction with Alzheimer’s Disease, visual, frontal, and motor cortex lesions, hippocampal lesions, and many others (2,3) There are two current approaches to neural transplantation regarding Parkinson s; adrenal medullary and fetal brain grafts. Both methods suffer from limitations in tissue availability, cellular uniformity, and general applicability. The success of neural transplantation in animal models of Parkinson’s syndrome led to its clinical application in human patients with the syndrome. Each of the two methods mentioned has advantages and disadvantages. Transplantation of adrenal medullary tissue has the advantage of ready availability of human le... ... 1990, 28: 585-599. 3. Mickley, G. A. et. al. Neural grafts attenuate behavioral deficits produced by early radiation-induced hypoplasia of fascia dentate granule cells. Brain Research, 1990, 509: 280-292. 4. Bredesen, D. E. et. al. Neural Transplantation Using Temperature-sensitive Immortalized Neural Cells: A Preliminary Report. Ann. Neurol., 1990, 27: 205-207. 5. Hirsch, E. C. et. al. Does adrenal graft enhance recovery of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson’s disease. Ann Neurol., 1990; 27: 676-682. 6. Kordower, J. H. et. al. Putative Chromaffin Cell Survival and Enhanced Host-derived TH-fiber Innervation Following a Functional Adrenal Medulla Autograft for Parkinson’s Disease. Ann Neurol., 1991; 29: 405-412. 7. Stromberg, I. et. al. Reinnervation of Dopamine-denervated striatum by Substantia Nigra Transplants. Neuroscience, 1985, 14: 981-990.

Analysis of Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin

â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† by author James Baldwin tells the tale of two brothers; one good and one evil. The narrator paints the two brothers as â€Å"light† and â€Å"dark†. The author James Baldwin writes about his relationship with his brother Sonny whom was the â€Å"dark† brother. In essence, this story is about the struggle of two black brothers growing up in Harlem. This essay incorporates the struggles that Black men and women go through on a daily basis. Though both brothers were from the ghetto, the narrator seems to have assimilated into the larger society/culture; he was a school teacher doing generally well in what we call life. Sonny on the other hand turned to drugs (heroin) to escape from the pain and suffering he endured growing up a black man in the 1950’s. â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† also tells the reader about how art and music was a huge part of Black people’s lives in Harlem. Many looked towards music for an escape; Sonny turned towards Jazz to release his pain and anguish. This story does have a Biblical theme behind it. Like the story of light and darkness in the Bible, Baldwin uses these phrases to reference the life or the characters. One critic agrees with this Biblical interpretation; author James Tackach actually wrote a criticism called â€Å"the biblical foundation of James Baldwin’s â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Tackach’s interpretation was based on Baldwin’s real life. He expressed that Baldwin was born in the Church and therefore knew the Bible intimately. Tackach fells as though Baldwin uses his vast knowledge of Biblical stories to help tell the tale of Sonny and his brother. In Tackachs critical analysis of â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, he writes that no other critical analysis has identified the two main biblical texts that form the foundation of Baldwin’s story; the Cain and Abel story and the story of the Prodigal Son. In accordance with Tackachs criticism, I believe that that story did have a Biblical undertone like the two stories listed above. Both stories, Cain and Abel and The Prodigal Son, have the same plot as â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†. All of these stories are brothers fighting with one another and each brother in all of three stories has the â€Å"good† and the â€Å"bad† qualities about them. Like previously stated, Sonny was the good brother; so were the Prodigal son and Cain. Tackach also talked about the â€Å"cup of trembling† which was a Biblical term that symbolizes sinners that were now redeemed. When the narrator sends Sonny a drink at the end of the story, he claims that it is like the â€Å"cup of trembling†. This is another term taken from the Bible to symbolize the relationship between the two brothers. Tackach seems to use biographical and historical criticism when breaking down the story of â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†. Like Tackachs, Michael Clark’s criticism ‘Light and Darkness in â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ also uses the â€Å"light† and â€Å"darkness† to describe the story. The â€Å"light† being the ‘good’ and the â€Å"dark† being the ‘bad’ qualities. Unlike Tackachs, Clark uses these terms to refer to the emotions felt by Sonny when he was on drugs, thinking about his life or when playing his piano; his jazz music. In â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, the narrator writes â€Å"I feel like a man who’s been trying to climb up out of some deep, real deep and funky hole and just saw the sun up there, outside. I got to get outside. † Clark uses the â€Å"funky hole† to describe the darkness and â€Å"the sun† to describe the light. To Clark, the whole story is about how Sonny feels and how his music portrays his emotions, his despair and finally his joy. I agree with Clark, It seems as though Sonny is always in pain or joyous. There seems to be no in between with him. Most of the time, Sonny is depressed or melancholy. He only finds real happiness in the last few sentences of the story. Sonny only expressed his joy when he is clean and playing his beloved piano. This did occur in the beginning of the story too, when Sonny moved into Isabelle’s house. Isabelle had a piano inside and Sonny seemed very happy to know this. Sonny played jazz music all the time until Isabelle and her family received a note saying that Sonny was missing school. After Sonny was scolded, he stopped playing the piano and began his journey through the darkness. He continued this until the end of the story when he finally kicked his habit. The â€Å"light† and the â€Å"darkness† analogy Clark used were perfect for this story because it captured the struggles Sonny went through, throughout the short story.