Aurelia
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Posts posted by Aurelia
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Hmm, I've seen the Pyramids in Giza, the leaning tower of Pisa (and did not take the obligatory photo pushing it!), the Astronomical Clock in Prague, the Manneken Pis in Brussels, and the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen.
I don't care what anybody says, visiting the Pyramids in Giza was a magical experience and I was absolutely not disappointed. Sure, Cairo was not far away but I just didn't notice it anymore once I found myself staring up at the pyramids. I don't know what the site looks like now but when I visited it as a teenager, I don't really remember seeing or noticing the Pizza Hut and KFC signs.Granted, that was about 20 years ago...
As for the others, I guess I was not particularly disappointed because those attractions were not the main reason why I visited the cities (except for Pisa, but then again, I was already expecting to be overrated so I just appreciated it for what it was). They were just a nice little extra.
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Swedish archaeologists found a rare and valuable golden coin from ancient Rome on Monday. And they think it may explain a key part of the Sweden's history.Archaeologists found the coin on Monday at a site on the island of Öland that's been compared to Italy's Pompeii.A small team of archaeologists at Kalmar County museum, in collaboration with Lund University, has been digging at the site for the past three years. The team is studying the Migration Period in Scandinavian history, from about 400 to 550 AD, centuries before the Viking Age.While the team has found several hundred of the coin already, Monday's discovery was a big one, said archaeologist and project manager Helena Victor.Article continues here
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I think that was indeed the case. At the same time, ancient Greek women from the lower classes seemed to have slightly more rights, but still pretty bad overall...
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Somehow I think it's quite unfair for the man who discovered the coins to get only a small fraction of what the stash seems to be worth. I'm not sure I would turn everything over to the authorities. I probably would keep some of it myself and perhaps sell it elsewhere...
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Viggen, this one is for you...
Would-be gladiators are gearing up for a weekend festival in Carnuntum, Lower Austria - on the site of an ancient Roman gladiator school which was only discovered in 2011.Fans of Ancient Rome can explore the world of the gladiator on August 23rd and 24th, with authentic gladiator fights, training sessions in the gladiator school and numerous workshops in the Bad Deutsch-Altenburg Amphitheatre.One of the highlights will be a performance by Marcus Junkelmann’s gladiator troupe - considered to be a leading expert in the field of Roman gladiator-related studies. Performances will begin on both days at 1pm and 4pm, accompanied by authentic Roman-era music.Visitors will be encouraged to get involved with crafts and games - which range from painting swords and shields to making a Roman oil lamp from clay, or trying out some gladiator skills.There will also be a music workshop in which participants can experiment with replica Roman instruments and try and create a 1,700 year old sound experience.Normal entrance fees apply. A shuttle service will be operating between the Open Air Museum Petronell and the Amphitheatre Bad Deutsch-Altenburg every 15 minutes.Source: The Local-
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Hmm, somehow I can't see Christian Bale as an Egyptian character. And Sigourney Weaver? hahaha
I might still watch it for the hell of it though...
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A Romanian man who found what could be the oldest forged coins in history while out treasure hunting with his son says he will use his fortune to 'buy a new metal detector'.Paul Croituru, 37, dug up the trove of 300 forged silver coins worth nearly £120,000 - more than ten times what he earns a year as a council worker.But the father, who found the ancient Greek coins with the help of son Alexandru, 13, immediately told the authorities and will now lose nearly all of the money because of local treasure hunting rules.Despite being forgeries of the 2,350-year-old Tetradrachm currency, experts say each 5mm penny is worth £400.More at The Daily Mail
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Interesting article (and book) about Plato, which sheds new light on his idea of love.
Plato lent his name to Platonic love but a new book reveals that the ancient Greek philosopher never advocated love without sex.Dr Jay Kennedy: Image-Uni of ManchesterUniversity of Manchester science historian Dr Jay Kennedy, who hit the headlines last year after revealing he had cracked the code in the great thinker’s writings, has now published a decoder’s manual that lays bare the secret content of Plato’s ancient works.“Plato – the Einstein of Greece’s Golden Age – was long thought to favour love without sex, or ‘Platonic love’, but this new research reveals Plato was far from being a prude,” says Dr Kennedy, who is based in the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, part of the University’s Faculty of Life Sciences.More at Heritage Daily -
He looks almost Byzantine or Greek, gazing doe-eyed over the viewer’s left shoulder, his mouth forming a slight pout, like a star-struck lover or perhaps a fan of the races witnessing his favorite charioteer losing control of his horses.In reality, he’s the “Bearded Man, 170-180 A.D.,” a Roman-Egyptian whose portrait adorned the sarcophagus sheltering his mummified remains. But the details of who he was and what he was thinking have been lost to time.But perhaps not for much longer. A microscopic sliver of painted wood could hold the keys to unraveling the first part of this centuries-old mystery. Figuring out what kind of pigment was used (whether it was a natural matter or a synthetic pigment mixed to custom specifications), and the exact materials used to create it, could help scientists unlock his identity.Article continues here.
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Yeah, perhaps we citizens of the New World have a different perspective on ancient history. It's definitely more exciting for me to visit ruins dating back 2000 years than a monument merely 200 years old (although that can be exciting too depending on the context!).
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Haha, PhDiva, very original name!
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This is getting better and better! Really impressive! Thanks guys, I'm definitely enjoying reading the entries so far!
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I got 7 out of 10 - not too shabby. Granted, many questions are just common knowledge.
Take the quiz here.
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Archaeologists in Greece have discovered a vast tomb that they believe is connected with the reign of the warrior-king Alexander the Great, who conquered vast areas of the ancient world between Greece and India.The tomb, dating to around 300 BC, and which may have held the body of one of Alexander’s generals or a member of his family, was found beneath a huge burial mound near the ancient site of Amphipolis in northern Greece.Antonis Samaras, Greece’s prime minister, visited the dig Tuesday and described the discovery as “clearly extremely significant.”Article continues here
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Yes, it's true that modern Greeks are very proud and they do like to stick to their own culture and communities outside Greece. I have a very good Greek South African friend (2nd or 3rd generation) who immigrated to Canada (Toronto, probably not a random choice) a few years ago. She is now married to a Greek Canadian and has 2 children with very Greek names. I think she once told me that she would never consider marrying anyone who was not "Greek".
The Greeks always are very, very nostalgic. Here in west virginia, they love Marseilles because Chios founded it, and many from Chios moved here.... therefore in their wacky mind, they are related.Haha, this reminds me of the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". The main character's father was always tracing everything (words, objects, places...) back to the Greeks.
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Interesting to see how in some cases women had more rights as far back as 3000 BC(E) than just a few decades ago. This article refers to current Western women's rights, of course.
Many modern women in the US and Europe never question their right to open a bank account, own property, or even buy wine or beer in a pub. These rights, however, were hard won: for much of history, and even up to 40 years ago, middle-class women were not allowed to handle money; even having a job was seen as a sign of financial desperation.
You can see the timeline at The Guardian
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Oh well, there is bound to be inaccuracies in historical series or dramas. I just sit back and enjoy it for what it is - entertainment with a historical flavour.
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Some 2,000 years ago, an army of Iron Age warriors was slaughtered in battle and then cast into a lake near the Alken Enge wetlands in East Jutland, Denmark. Archeologists have long suspected that the bodies were tossed in their watery mass grave as part of a religious sacrifice, but recent excavations at the site have revealed astonishing—and bloodcurdling—new details. Crushed skulls, bundles of bones, sacrificial jars and a string of pelvic bones on a stick suggest the warriors’ remains underwent a macabre ritual of postmortem dismemberment and desecration before being condemned to the deep.
More at History
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They built a mini repluca of the hagai sophia as their church here, and a very small Parthenon on the highest hilltop, and haven't exactly suffered having access to the greek classics.
Where is "here" Onasander? Are you allowed to say? I'd be curious to know where one could visit a Parthenon replica. I know there's one in Nashville but that was built in the late 19th century, and not by the Greek diaspora.
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I had heard of the Outlander book series but never got round to reading it because I thought it would be too cheesy (even for a female
). But I must admit I'm intrigued about the TV series now! And it helps that the Scottish protagonist is not too bad to look at. Somehow it seems more manageable to me right now than 7 or 8 books (I feel the same way about the Game of Thrones TV series, which I really enjoy). I'll definitely give it a try!
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Wow, a short story and now poetry. What next?
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Strange, I could access the Wall Street Journal article without a subscription the first time round, but not on this post - thanks for pointing it out.
Here's the complete article, just for interest's sake:
Ancient Greek Coins Are ReturnedFive Authentic Coins Found Among Forgeries(by Adam Janos)The Manhattan district attorney handed over five ancient coins to Greek officials Monday, after authorities seized the antiquities from a collector.Arnold-Peter Weiss was arrested on Jan. 3, 2012, while trying to sell three other coins—which he thought were stolen from Sicily and worth millions of dollars—during a collector's show at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, prosecutors said.After Mr. Weiss's arrest, analysts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art discovered the three coins to be elaborate forgeries.Officials seized 23 coins in all from Mr. Weiss at the time of his arrest—the three forgeries, the five authentic coins returned to Greece on Monday, two coins on consignment from another owner, and 13 other Greek coins that will go to academic and cultural institutions for study, prosecutors said.Mr. Weiss, a 54-year-old Rhode Island hand surgeon, struck a deal with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted criminal possession of stolen property for the three forgeries and was sentenced to 70 hours community service, a $3,000 fine and the forfeiture of the 23 coins.As part of the plea deal, Mr. Weiss was required to write an essay for the American Numismatic Society Magazine on the proliferation of forged coins and how their dissemination threatens the keeping of accurate archaeological records.In his essay, Mr. Weiss wrote, "I was very active in the ancient coin marketplace and paid little attention to foreign cultural property laws, as if they really did not matter within the U.S. Well, they do."Mr. Weiss signed a stipulation with prosecutors forfeiting all 23 coins, agreeing that he doesn't have complete ownership of them, court records show. Mr. Weiss couldn't be reached for comment on Monday.On Monday, Greece's Ambassador to the U.S., Christos Panagopoulos, accepted five of the legitimate coins from District Attorney Cyrus Vance."The combined value of the artifacts that we're returning…exceeds $200,000 dollars, but as tokens of the world's oldest democracy, they are inarguably priceless," Mr. Vance said. "It's important to remember that there are real victims in these cases, who range from individual collectors to entire countries."The five coins—minted between 515 B.C. and 383 B.C.—originated in five ancient cities and included images of the head of Heracles, a divine hero, Demeter, a Greek goddess, and others.The other 15 coins, which are of lesser value, will remain in the U.S., though prosecutors said details of where they will be housed and displayed have yet to be worked out. -
I heard an author talk for the book "1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus" where Charles Mann summarized latest research that is accepted consensus but not well known. As I recall it depicted a massive, settled, sedentary population in the Americas that greatly modified their environment by irrigation or clearing by fire.
That's quite interesting. Is there any mention in Charles Mann's book about the origins of this massive, sedentary population in the Americas?
Good Nero Article in National Geographic Sept 2014
in Imperium Romanorum
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Interesting article, thanks for that guy! Nero was a nutty but fascinating character.