Types of Government
This type of government, in which citizens elect representatives to make laws, was used both in Ancient Rome and the United States
What is a Republic?
Located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, this early river valley civilization was home to dozens of powerful city-states, such as Babylon, Ur, and Assur
What is Mesopotamia?
The Mongol conquest of the Silk Road ushered in this golden age of peace and prosperity. Without it, Marco Polo would have never made it from Italy to China
What is the Pax Mongolica?
After graduating from Tottenville High School, Mr. Murnieks attended this upstate school to study music
What is Buffalo State?
In this type of government, synonymous with Ancient Athens, citizens vote directly on key issues in their society
What is Democracy?
My perfect Sunday? Brunch, revising Roman legal codes, and maybe some reconquering of the former Western Roman Empire
Who is Justinian the Great?
Took a wrong turn at the Balkan peninsula and ended up in this mountainous society composed of both a peninsula and an archipelago. Maybe I'll stop in Athens or Sparta for directions
What is Greece
This 200-year period of peace and stability for the Roman Empire began with the rise of Augustus and ended with the Crisis of the Third Century
What is the Pax Romana
Before getting hired at Tottenville as a Social Studies teacher, Mr. Borsilli worked as a manager at this well-known pharmacy chain. He's sorry their receipts are so long...
What is CVS?
This ... is ... the form of government practiced in Ancient Sparta, in which a small elite ruled society and made all of the major decisions
What is Oligarchy?
Yes, he once declared himself dictator for life, but he's just looking for someone to share a nice salad with
Who is Julius Caesar?
Mamma Mia! I had to cross both the Alps and the Apennines to arrive at the center of Roman Civilization on this peninsula... remember, if you've hit the heel of the boot, you've gone too far
What is Italy?
According to legend, Rome salted the earth around this powerful city at the end of the Punic Wars. As a result, the Romans never had to worry about elephants in the Alps again
What is Carthage?
A society ruled by a Shogun, such as Japan during the Edo period, would be known as this kind of government
What is a Shogunate?
Looking for someone who enjoys horseback riding, vast open steppes, and doesn't mind a little light pillaging now and again. And please, call me Temüjin
Who is Genghis Khan?
If you keep walking east from the Mediterranean, go past the Middle east and Persia, eventually you'll arrive at this enormous civilization, home of the Mauryan, Gupta, and Mughal Empires
What is India?
According to the Greek historian Thucydides, this war began due to the rise of Athens and the fear that this inspired in its rival, Sparta
What is the Peloponnesian War?
Author of 1984, Animal Farm, and Homage to Catalonia, he is Mr. Borsilli's favorite author
The term for the united Islamic Empires, such as the Umayyad and the Abbasid, that followed in the centuries after the death of Muhammad
What is a Caliphate?
This King of the Franks is looking for someone to join him in spreading education and culture across his empire. As a bonus, he was crowned Emperor by the Pope on Christmas day, 800 CE.
Unless you have a horse and a yurt, you may have a hard time finding the home of this nomadic civilization based on the Eurasian Steppe. Well, unless you are living between 1200 to 1300 -- in that case, they may visit you first
Who are the Mongols?
Jerusalem was the primary target of this series of military invasions of the Holy Land, which started after Pope Urban II's Speech at the Council of Clermont.
What are the Crusades?
Mr. Murniek's favorite composer. Here's a hint: He's Russian. Second hint: It starts with an S. Third hint: Not Tchaikovsky
Who is Dmitri Shostakovich?