Process Paper
I have chosen Cleopatra as my topic for the National History Day Project. The Egyptian culture though ancient, has been an inspiration right from Roman and Greek historians all the way till the students of today. Cleopatra is one of the most famous personalities from her time. Her legend thrives today. She represents feminine power, beauty, intelligence, and utmost dedication. Her actions and decisions not only affected the lives of two of the most powerful and prestigious rulers of Rome (Julius Caesar and Mark Antony), but also the fate of entire Rome itself.
To start researching, I went to my school library and a couple of public libraries and borrowed 7-8 books and even bought another. I studied the fantastic life of Cleopatra by reading those books. After reading and researching about her I was assured and glad that I selected this topic. I visited many websites; I ensured that my sources were reliable and authentic. Since Cleopatra's time is way back in first century B.C., it is very hard to find primary sources easily. I diligently made sure that I had a lot of primary sources in the form of quotes from Plutarch, Dio Cassius, Suetonious and Julius Caesar himself. I also searched and searched and got images of coins, statues etc. from her time.
After thorough research, I have gathered a lot of information about Cleopatra. I decided to create an individual website to present my thoughts to you. In my opinion, a website is the most effective and interactive way to showcase my project. I chose the background to simulate old manuscripts. I found an appropriate image of Cleopatra to place at the top of every web page. I learned to create different web pages within the website. Then, I created an interactive menu to navigate smoothly between any of the pages. I chose the most important events from Cleopatra's life as the titles of individual web pages. I described those events based on my knowledge and as historically accurate as possible. I added images, videos, and quotes to support my descriptions and to try to take you back in Cleopatra's time.
Cleopatra's whole life was full of struggle and controversies. People usually know Cleopatra for her beauty, but there is much more to her than meets the eye. Roman historians portray her as a conniving, power hungry woman, while modern historians picture her as a diplomatic and dedicated queen who tried to please her people and sustain Egypt. I think Cleopatra's actions and intentions were debatable and various historians and authors have different opinions about her that I included in my website. While I studied Cleopatra in detail, I saw a lot diplomacy, which I tried to highlight in my project. Although the consequences of association with Cleopatra for Julius Caesar and Mark Antony were disastrous, she definitely influenced the entire Roman and Egyptian empire. Please read more about it in my website.
To start researching, I went to my school library and a couple of public libraries and borrowed 7-8 books and even bought another. I studied the fantastic life of Cleopatra by reading those books. After reading and researching about her I was assured and glad that I selected this topic. I visited many websites; I ensured that my sources were reliable and authentic. Since Cleopatra's time is way back in first century B.C., it is very hard to find primary sources easily. I diligently made sure that I had a lot of primary sources in the form of quotes from Plutarch, Dio Cassius, Suetonious and Julius Caesar himself. I also searched and searched and got images of coins, statues etc. from her time.
After thorough research, I have gathered a lot of information about Cleopatra. I decided to create an individual website to present my thoughts to you. In my opinion, a website is the most effective and interactive way to showcase my project. I chose the background to simulate old manuscripts. I found an appropriate image of Cleopatra to place at the top of every web page. I learned to create different web pages within the website. Then, I created an interactive menu to navigate smoothly between any of the pages. I chose the most important events from Cleopatra's life as the titles of individual web pages. I described those events based on my knowledge and as historically accurate as possible. I added images, videos, and quotes to support my descriptions and to try to take you back in Cleopatra's time.
Cleopatra's whole life was full of struggle and controversies. People usually know Cleopatra for her beauty, but there is much more to her than meets the eye. Roman historians portray her as a conniving, power hungry woman, while modern historians picture her as a diplomatic and dedicated queen who tried to please her people and sustain Egypt. I think Cleopatra's actions and intentions were debatable and various historians and authors have different opinions about her that I included in my website. While I studied Cleopatra in detail, I saw a lot diplomacy, which I tried to highlight in my project. Although the consequences of association with Cleopatra for Julius Caesar and Mark Antony were disastrous, she definitely influenced the entire Roman and Egyptian empire. Please read more about it in my website.