Located in the historic Roman town of Pompeii, southern Italy, the Temple of Apollo, also called the Sanctuary of Apollo, is a temple devoted to the Greek and Roman God Apollo that was constructed in 120 BCE. The sanctuary was a public venue devoted to Greco-Roman religion and culture that was inspired by Roman immigrants. It is the most significant religious structure in the town and is situated in the forum, overlooking the northern side of the town. It was one of the two oldest temples constructed in Pompeii; the other was the Hercules and Minerva Temple, which stood close to the venue. Adopted from Greece, the cult of Apollo was popular throughout Campania and has been documented at Pompeii since the sixth century BCE, based on discoveries near the temple. The sanctuary was rebuilt in the second century BC, and additional work was done to fix the harm caused by the 62 earthquake, which caused much of the temple to fall apart, as well as any repairs that had not been finished at the time of the eventual eruption. These renovations are what gave the sanctuary its current form. The temple was encircled on all four sides by a broad row of Nocera tuff columns, which were initially grooved and had Ionic capitals. These columns were progressively being supplanted with stucco columns and Corinthian capitals that were painted in shades of yellow, red, and dark blue. The temple was situated in the middle of a holy enclosure. The temple itself was a peripteros with 48 Ionic columns, rising on a lofty podium and approached via a commanding flight of stairs that combined elements of Italic and Greek architecture. The cella is positioned unusually far back in relation to the peristyle. A white marble altar with a travertine base and a Latin inscription listing the names of the quattuorviri who dedicated it is still visible in front of the steps. An Ionic column on the side of the steps held a sundial and an inscription on a plaque provided by two magistrates who are also known to have given a seat and another plaque at the Triangular Forum.
#History#Architecture
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The mother goddess of Anatolia, Cybele, may have had an early Neolithic ancestor in Çatalhöyük. She was likely the national divinity of Phrygia and is the only goddess known to exist there. There is no extant tale or literature that describes the original nature or characteristics of the Phrygian cult of Cybele. She might have developed from a kind of statuary from Anatolia called Çatalhöyük, which dates to the sixth millennium BC and is thought by some to be a mother goddess. It depicts a corpulent, fertile female figure surrounded by big cats. The cult features of the Phrygian mother-goddess, seen in 8th-century BC Phrygian art, include attendant lions, a prey-bird and a little vase for her offerings or libations. Around the sixth century BC, Greek colonists in Asia Minor took up and modified her Phrygian cult, which they then brought to mainland Greece and the farther-flung western Greek colonies. Cybele had a mixed response when she arrived in Greece. She began to adopt characteristics of the harvest-mother goddess Demeter, the Earth-goddess Gaia, and her potential Minoan counterpart Rhea. Her most famous Greek ceremonies and processions portray her as an inherently alien, exotic mystery-goddess who arrives in a lion-drawn chariot to the accompaniment of wild music, wine, and an agitated, ecstatic following. However, some city-states, most notably Athens, invoked her as a protector. She held a eunuch mendicant priesthood, which was unique in Greek religion. Rituals to a divine Phrygian castrate shepherd-consort Attis, who was most likely a Greek fabrication, were part of many of her Greek religions. In Greece, Cybele came to be connected to mountains, city walls, lush surroundings, and untamed animals, particularly lions. Cybele earned the title Magna Mater or Great Mother, in Rome. Once the Sibylline oracle in 205 BC urged her conscription as a crucial religious ally in the second war of Rome against Carthage between 218 and 201 BC, the Roman state adopted and developed a specific form of her cult. Roman mythographers reinterpreted her as a Trojan goddess, and thus an ancestral goddess of the Roman people through the Trojan prince Aeneas. Romanized versions of the cults of Cybele spread throughout empire as Rome eventually consolidated dominance over the Mediterranean region. Greek and Roman writers argued and argued over the morality and significance of her cults and priesthoods, topics that are still contentious in contemporary scholarship
[Information and Image Credit : Cybele, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybele ]
[Image : Cybele in a chariot driven by Nike and drawn by lions toward a votive sacrifice (right); above are heavenly symbols including a solar deity, Plaque from Ai Khanoum, Bactria (Afghanistan), 2nd century BC; Gilded silver; Wikipedia-Image-Author : World Imaging assumed (based on copyright claims)]
[The copyright holder of the work(Image), released the work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: the copyright holder grants anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law. The work (Image) is also in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the life of author plus 100 years or fewer; (Please Relate to Original Image URL for More Usage Property) ] [Wikipedia-Source-Image-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AiKhanoumPlateSharp.jpg ] #History#Art
The ballista, sometimes known as the ballistae (plural), was a historical missile weapon that fired either bolts or stones at a distant target. It was derived from older Greek weapons, but its mechanics were different, using two levers with torsion springs in place of a tension prod, such as the bow of a contemporary crossbow. The springs were made out of a number of twisted skein loops. Early models used spherical stone projectiles of varying diameters or heavy darts for siege warfare. It evolved into the scorpio, a more compact precision weapon, and maybe the polybolos. Early ballistae in Ancient Greece were created from the oxybeles and gastraphetes, two weapons. A portable crossbow served as the gastraphetes. It was spanned by anchoring the front of the weapon against the ground and pressing the end of a slider mechanism against the stomach. It had a composite prod. A ratchet would stop the weapon from firing while it was being loaded, and the operator would then move forward to arm it. It was stated that this resulted in a weapon that could be operated by a person of average strength but had the ability to be utilized effectively against armored forces. The oxybeles were a larger, more substantial structure that used a winch and was supported by a tripod. It served as a siege engine and had a slower rate of fire. High-tech Greek inventions started to spread throughout various territories under Roman control after the Greek city-states were absorbed into the Roman Republic in 146 BC. The torsion-powered ballista, which by this time had spread to other cities in the Mediterranean, was adopted by the Romans. All of these cities ended up as Roman spoils of war, including one from Pergamon, which was portrayed beside a collection of trophy weaponry in relief on a balustrade. The Romans improved the torsion ballista even further, especially into much smaller ones that could be transported. The torsion ballista was designed by Alexander and was a far more sophisticated weapon than its predecessor. Iron plates surrounding the frames and iron nails in the stand held the wooden early Roman ballistae together. The top of the main stand had a slider into which the bolts or stone shot were loaded. The bowstring could be ratcheted back to the firing position by using a pair of winches and a claw that were attached to this at the back. The slider moved through the field frames of the weapon, which housed the torsion springs that were wound around the bow arms and connected to the bowstring. The ballista was further developed by the Romans, who made it a highly regarded and valuable weapon for their army. Julius Caesar, for example, thus employed it during his conquest of Gaul and both of his attempts to subdue Britain shortly prior to the establishment of the Empire
[Image and Information Credit : Ballista, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballista ] [Image : Illustration of a ballista being loaded and drawn]
[This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Pearson Scott Foresman. This applies worldwide. Pearson Scott Foresman granted anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law] (Please Relate to Source Image-URL for More Image Usage Property)
[Wikipedia-Source-Image URL : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ballista_(PSF)_vector.svg ] #History
The Odrysian State, which emerged at the beginning of the fifth century BCE and at least lasted through the end of the 1st century BC, was a monarchy made up of numerous Thracian tribes unified by the Odrysae. It mostly included what is now Bulgaria, as well as portions of Northern Greece, Southeastern Romania and European Turkey i.e. Northern Dobruja. It became the first more significant political unit in the eastern Balkans, the biggest and most potent Thracian state ruled by the titular Odrysian people. It had no definite capital prior to the establishment of Seuthopolis in the late 4th century BCE. King Teres I established the Odrysian empire by capitalising on the Persian foothold in Europe ceasing as a result of their abortive invasion of Greece in 480 –479 BCE. The expansionist strategy of Teres and his son Sitalces helped to make the realm among the most formidable in its era. It remained friend of Athens for a large portion of its early history, even joining the side of the latter in the Peloponnesian War. Although the able Cotys I started a fleeting revival that lasted until his assassination in 360 BC, the state began to exhibit indications of exhaustion by 400 BC. After that, the kingdom fell apart, with the northeast coming under the control of the kingdom of the Getae, while southern and central Thrace were divided among three Odrysian kings. The ascendant Macedonian empire led by Philip II eventually overthrew the three Odrysian kingdoms in 340 BC. Seuthes III, who established a new city called Seuthopolis that lasted until the second quarter of the third century BC, resurrected a much smaller Odrysian state in around 330. Except for a doubtful Odrysian monarch named Cotys who fought in the Third Macedonian War, there is not much further proof of the existence of an Odrysian state. The Sapaean monarchy subsequently absorbed the stronghold of the Odrysians in the late 1st century BC and Thracia became a Roman province in 45–46 AD. [Information and Image Credit : Odrysian_kingdom, Wikipedia] [Image : The Zenith of the Odrysian Kingdom under King Sitalces] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported ; Image-Author Wikipedia : Alexikoua (Please Relate to Individual Source Image URL for More Usage Properties) ] [License-Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en ]
[Source Image-URL : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Odrysian.svg ]
Selene is the goddess and embodiment of the Moon in the mythological culture and worship of ancient Greece. She is also referred to as Mene and is regarded as the sister of the sun god Helios and the dawn goddess Eos, as well as the daughter of the Titans Hyperion and Theia. She traverses the heavens on her moon chariot. In various tales, she is said to have had a number of lovers, including Zeus, Pan and the mortal Endymion. Similar to how her brother Helios was associated with Apollo in post-classical periods, Selene was frequently associated with Artemis. All three i.e. Selene, Hecate and Artemis were considered moon and lunar goddesses, although only Selene was thought to be the embodiment of the Moon itself. Both Selene and Artemis were thus identified with Hecate. Luna would be her Roman equal. Mene was another name for Selene. The moon and the lunar month were denoted by the Greek word mene. The Phrygian moon deity Men was the male version of Mene. Selene and Men, according to the Greek Stoic philosopher Chrysippus, were the female and male facets of the same deity. Similar to how Helios is referred to as Phoebus or Bright, due to his affiliation with Apollo, Selene is also referred to as Phoebe in feminine form due to her identification with Artemis.
[Information and Image Credit : Selene, Wikipedia] [Image : Selene in a flying chariot drawn by two white horses from Flora, seu florum..., Ferrari 1646] [Image Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (Kindly Also Relate to Individual Image URL for More Usage Property)] [License Link : https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en ]
[Original Source Image URL: https://bit.ly/3O6piKE ] #Mythology
Traditional dance from Russia with some of the distinctive features imply that the early Russian population produced many of the aspects. The Khorovod, also known as the Horovod, is an East Slavic native art form and one of oldest dances of Russia, having existed for more than a thousand years. Comparable to the Choreia of classical Greece, it combines group chanting with a circular dancing performance. The dance was also called as Karagod, Tanok, and Krug in the Rus language. Russia encountered numerous distinct cultures through migration and trade as a result of its position and size. Russian folk dances were afterwards influenced by the musical and dance traditions of the Eurasian region. The indigenous Russian dancing forms still play a significant role in Russian culture and have had major existing with the numerous ethnic constituents of the country. Russian traditional dances interact with other forms of cultural representation as well. The Ballets Russes, which incorporates Russian traditional dance routines and music into its compositions, is one example. The outfits for performance dance are exquisitely detailed designs. Usually, the attire for the dances is centred on certain occasions, like festivals, and changes between these occasions. Women dress in embellished aprons, decorated shirts, belts, and headdresses during the holidays. Men dress in shirts, belts, skinny pants, and tall red boots. Since red is traditionally connected with loveliness in Russian culture, it is used in numerous outfits. Girls and women frequently wear pocket squares when dancing in Russia. During presentations, Russian women and girls frequently don the Kokoshnik headgear. [info-Credit : Russian_traditional_dance, Khorovod , Wikipedia] [Image-Credit : Russian_traditional_dance, Wikipedia] [Image : Khorovod, 1900, Traditional Village Folk Dance] [Image Availed Under Public Domain Work of Art (Please Relate to Individual Image URL for More Usage Property)] [Original Source Image-Link:
https://bit.ly/3qVjtVo ]
An ancient Greek temple at Olympia, Greece, notably the Temple of Zeus was constructed in the second quarter of the fifth century BC and served as the prototype for a completely developed Doric Order (Simple Circular Capitals at the Top of Columns) of classical Greek temples. At Olympia, the Temple of Zeus was constructed on top of a much older holy site. In the tenth and ninth century BC, known as the Dark Age of Greece, when the devotees of Zeus and Hera had merged hands that the Altis (Archaia Olympia), an enclosure containing a holy grove, open-air altars, and the Tumulus of Pelops (king of Pisa in the Peloponnesus region according to Greek Mythology), was first constructed. The temple had a frontal pronaos (porch), which was mirrored by an identical arrangement at the back of the structure, the opisthodomos (rear room or inner shrine of Greek Temples). The temple had a peripteral form. The outside columns were arranged in a six by thirteen configuration, and two rows of seven columns separated the cella (inner chamber) into three aisles. The structure was supported by a crepidoma (platform) of three uneven steps. The Second Temple of Hera in Paestum, which closely mimicked the original design of the Temple of Zeus, can be considered as a reminder of it. The primary structure was made of a low-quality, lackluster local limestone, so to match the sculptural embellishment, a thin layer of stucco was applied to make it look like marble. Tiles made of Pentelic marble, that were so thin that they were translucent enough, used to cover the roof. This was done so that each of the 1,000 tiles would have let in light equivalent enough to a regular 20-watt bulb. 39 of the 102 lion-headed waterspouts or gargoyles that protruded from the edge of the roof still exist today. The temple stood 68 feet tall up to the pediment, 95 feet wide, and 230 feet long when Pausanias visited the location in the second century A.D. A ramp on the east side led up to it. [Info and Image Credit: Temple_of_Zeus,_Olympia, Wikipedia] [Image: Illustration of the Temple of Zeus as it might have looked in the fifth century BC by Wilhelm Lübke (Original Image Colorized by an AI Image Colorizer)][Original Image Availed Under Public Domain Work of Art (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property)][Original Source Image URL :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Olympia-ZeusTempelRestoration.jpg ]
Ancient Greek Temples spans over a wide landmass of mainland Greece and Hellenic settlements and colonies of Aegean Islands, Italy (Magna Graecia i.e. the coastal areas of Southern Italy ), Sicily and Asia Minor. All the areas influenced by ancient Greek Culture and Civilization were impressed by the Religious Practice of the Hellenic People. The temples were built on very regular form of Greek architecture i.e. the construction being of post and lintel where strong horizontal elements of a building system are held up by strong vertical elements, with large spaces in between them. The defining styles of the Greek Temples are of three basic orders. The Doric Order with recognizable feature of simple circular capitals at the top of columns. It originated in the Doric region of Greece and found throughout Greece, Sicily and Italy. The Ionic Order which was more predominant in Asia Minor and had related examples in Greece. The Ionic columns generally stands on base that separates the column shaft from –stylobate -- or stepped platform with the cap being adorned with ornamental egg-and-dart mouldings. The Cornithian order was the last and most developed of the Greek architectural style and became popular from 1st Century BCE onwards and had wide acceptance in Roman architecture. This style of Greek architecture is marked by thin fluted columns and elaborated capitals, with decoration of acanthus leaves and scrolls. Every Greek Temple was dedicated in honor of individual Greek Gods within the Greek pantheon and often used for safe-keeping of all the offerings consecrated to the Gods. The interior of the Temples contained trophies and large Statue of the Deity concerned. [Image 1. Temple of Apollo, Corinth (540 BCE) ; 2. Temple of Aphaea, Aegina (490 BCE); 3. Temple of Zeus, Olympia (460BCE); 4. Temple of Hephaestos, Athens; (449 - 444 BCE) 5. Temple of Apollo Epicurius, Bassae (450 - 425 BCE); 6. The Pantheon, Athens (447 - 432 BCE)] [Info and Image Credit : List_of_Ancient_Greek_temples, Wikipedia][Images Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Italy, 2.0 Generic; Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property)] [Source Image URLs : 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Korinth_BW_2017-10-10_10-55-28.jpg 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aegina_-_Temple_of_Aphaia_03.jpg 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tempio_di_Zeus_Olimpia_April_2006.jpg 4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_Hephaisteion_of_Athens_in_2008_2.jpg 5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Temple_of_Apollo_Epikourios_at_Bassae,_east_colonnade,_Arcadia,_Greece_(14087181020).jpg 6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:O_Partenon_de_Atenas.jpg ]
Ancient Greek Temples spans over a wide landmass of mainland Greece and Hellenic settlements and colonies of Aegean Islands, Italy (Magna Graecia i.e. the coastal areas of Southern Italy ), Sicily and Asia Minor. All the areas influenced by ancient Greek Culture and Civilization were impressed by the Religious Practice of the Hellenic People. The temples were built on very regular form of Greek architecture i.e. the construction being of post and lintel where strong horizontal elements of a building system are held up by strong vertical elements, with large spaces in between them. The defining styles of the Greek Temples are of three basic orders. The Doric Order with recognizable feature of simple circular capitals at the top of columns. It originated in the Doric region of Greece and found throughout Greece, Sicily and Italy. The Ionic Order which was more predominant in Asia Minor and had related examples in Greece. The Ionic columns generally stands on base that separates the column shaft from –stylobate -- or stepped platform with the cap being adorned with ornamental egg-and-dart mouldings. The Cornithian order was the last and most developed of the Greek architectural style and became popular from 1st Century BCE onwards and had wide acceptance in Roman architecture. This style of Greek architecture is marked by thin fluted columns and elaborated capitals, with decoration of acanthus leaves and scrolls. Every Greek Temple was dedicated in honor of individual Greek Gods within the Greek pantheon and often used for safe-keeping of all the offerings consecrated to the Gods. The interior of the Temples contained trophies and large Statue of the Deity concerned. [Image 1. Temple of Apollo, Corinth (540 BCE) ; 2. Temple of Aphaea, Aegina (490 BCE); 3. Temple of Zeus, Olympia (460BCE); 4. Temple of Hephaestos, Athens; (449 - 444 BCE) 5. Temple of Apollo Epicurius, Bassae (450 - 425 BCE); 6. The Pantheon, Athens (447 - 432 BCE)] [Info and Image Credit : List_of_Ancient_Greek_temples, Wikipedia][Images Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Italy, 2.0 Generic; Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property)] [Source Image URLs : 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Korinth_BW_2017-10-10_10-55-28.jpg
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aegina_-_Temple_of_Aphaia_03.jpg
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tempio_di_Zeus_Olimpia_April_2006.jpg
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_Hephaisteion_of_Athens_in_2008_2.jpg
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Temple_of_Apollo_Epikourios_at_Bassae,_east_colonnade,_Arcadia,_Greece_(14087181020).jpg
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:O_Partenon_de_Atenas.jpg ]
Ancient Greek Temples spans over a wide landmass of mainland Greece and Hellenic settlements and colonies of Aegean Islands, Italy (Magna Graecia i.e. the coastal areas of Southern Italy ), Sicily and Asia Minor. All the areas influenced by ancient Greek Culture and Civilization were impressed by the Religious Practice of the Hellenic People. The temples were built on very regular form of Greek architecture i.e. the construction being of post and lintel where strong horizontal elements of a building system are held up by strong vertical elements, with large spaces in between them. The defining styles of the Greek Temples are of three basic orders. The Doric Order with recognizable feature of simple circular capitals at the top of columns. It originated in the Doric region of Greece and found throughout Greece, Sicily and Italy. The Ionic Order which was more predominant in Asia Minor and had related examples in Greece. The Ionic columns generally stands on base that separates the column shaft from –stylobate -- or stepped platform with the cap being adorned with ornamental egg-and-dart mouldings. The Cornithian order was the last and most developed of the Greek architectural style and became popular from 1st Century BCE onwards and had wide acceptance in Roman architecture. This style of Greek architecture is marked by thin fluted columns and elaborated capitals, with decoration of acanthus leaves and scrolls. Every Greek Temple was dedicated in honor of individual Greek Gods within the Greek pantheon and often used for safe-keeping of all the offerings consecrated to the Gods. The interior of the Temples contained trophies and large Statue of the Deity concerned. [Image 1. Temple of Apollo, Corinth (540 BCE) ; 2. Temple of Aphaea, Aegina (490 BCE); 3. Temple of Zeus, Olympia (460BCE); 4. Temple of Hephaestos, Athens; (449 - 444 BCE) 5. Temple of Apollo Epicurius, Bassae (450 - 425 BCE); 6. The Pantheon, Athens (447 - 432 BCE)] [Info and Image Credit : List_of_Ancient_Greek_temples, Wikipedia][Images Availed Under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Italy, 2.0 Generic; Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property)] [Source Image URLs : 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Korinth_BW_2017-10-10_10-55-28.jpg
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aegina_-_Temple_of_Aphaia_03.jpg
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tempio_di_Zeus_Olimpia_April_2006.jpg
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_Hephaisteion_of_Athens_in_2008_2.jpg
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:The_Temple_of_Apollo_Epikourios_at_Bassae,_east_colonnade,_Arcadia,_Greece_(14087181020).jpg
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:O_Partenon_de_Atenas.jpg ]
Koliada (also called Koleda) is the word for the Slavic traditional time-period (deriving from pre-Christian times) occurring between Epiphany and Christmas and is associated with the rituals which are part of Slavic Christmas, with pre-Christian cultural elements present. This is celebrated as festivity and holiday and is cherished in Honor of the Sun during Winter Solstice. The Festival is characterized by carols being sung at house by troop of singers who visit the houses of the common folks. The origin of the word according to one conjecture suggests that it is derived from the practice of winter-ritual cycle, that comes from the ancient Roman word – Calendae (First Day of Every Month in Roman Calendar). The current Polish language pronunciation of the word is phonetically nearest to the Old Slavonic pronunciation, as Polish retains the nasal-vowels of the Proto-Slavic language. It is a now more of a festivity of Children and Teenagers who roam from house to house of common folks while singing and showering grains as a gesture of good fortune and receive candies and token money in reciprocation. This activity is called - Kolyadovanye in Russian and - Kolyaduvannya in Ukrainian and similar to ancient East Slavic festivities and other folk holidays like Generous Eve (New Years Eve according to Julian Calendar, 13th January). In current-times, thus the meaning of the word in different Slavic languages like Belarusian, Ukrainian, Czech, Slovakian, Croatian, Kashubian, Polish as well as within Slavs of Balkan have shifted to rambling, singing, making merry in Christmas-eve than what used to be applied for Christmas itself. The kids who visit in groups to sing carols are called – Koledari - and the songs they sing are called the – Kolyadki. Koliada is also celebrated by the Slavic Speakers of Greek Macedonia in Northern Greece, where it is celebrated by setting up of community gathering in village square and lighting up of bonfires. [Info and Image Credit: Koliada, Wikipedia] [Images : 1. Christmas Carols in Little Russia -- by K. Trutovsky ; 2. Russian Christmas postcard. 1910s ;]
[Images Availed Under Public Domain Work of Art (Please Relate to Individual Image URLs for More Usage Property)] [Source Image URLs:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Trutovsky_Kolyadki.jpg
2. https://bit.ly/3PR6DBD ]
Anacharsis was a Scythian philosopher. He traveled in the early 6th century BC. From his hometown on the north coast of the Black Sea to Athens and left a great impression as a candid and outspoken barbarian as a non-Greek speaker. He very well could have been a forerunner of Cynicism, partly because of His strong but playful Parrhesia. Anacharsis, the son of Scythian chief Gnurus, was half Greek and from a mixed Hellenic culture, apparently from the region of the Cimmerian Bosporus. He left his hometown to travel for knowledge and arrived at Athens around 589 BC. Anacharsis had cultivated the talent as an outsider to see irrationality in familiar things. For example, Plutarch remarks that he "expressed his wonder at the fact that in Greece wise men spoke and fools decided" . His conversation was curious and candid, and Solon and the Athenians considered him a wise man and a philosopher. His rough and free discourse became proverbial among Athenians as 'Scythian discourse'. Anacharsis was the first foreigner (Metic) to receive the privilege of citizenship in Athens. He is considered one of the Seven Sages of Greece by some ancient writers and is said to have been initiated initiated into the Eleusinian Mysteries of the Great Goddess, a privilege denied to those who were not fluent in Greek. He recommended moderation in all, saying that the vine has three clusters of grapes: the first, pleasure; the second, drunkenness; the third, disgust. In this way, he became a kind of Athenian emblem 'Restrain your tongues, your appetites, your passions' . In 1788 Jean Jacques Barthelemy (1716–95), a highly esteemed classical scholar and Jesuit, published The Travels of Anacharsis the Younger in Greece about a young Scythian descended from Anacharsis. It influenced the growth of French philhellenism at the time. It later evoked European sympathy for the Greek Struggle for Independence and other events in 19th century. (Credit: Anacharsis , Wiki)
Anacharsis was a Scythian philosopher. He traveled in the early 6th century BC. From his hometown on the north coast of the Black Sea to Athens and left a great impression as a candid and outspoken barbarian as a non-Greek speaker. He very well could have been a forerunner of Cynicism, partly because of His strong but playful Parrhesia. Anacharsis, the son of Scythian chief Gnurus, was half Greek and from a mixed Hellenic culture, apparently from the region of the Cimmerian Bosporus. He left his hometown to travel for knowledge and arrived at Athens around 589 BC. Anacharsis had cultivated the talent as an outsider to see irrationality in familiar things. For example, Plutarch remarks that he "expressed his wonder at the fact that in Greece wise men spoke and fools decided" . His conversation was curious and candid, and Solon and the Athenians considered him a wise man and a philosopher. His rough and free discourse became proverbial among Athenians as 'Scythian discourse'. Anacharsis was the first foreigner (Metic) to receive the privilege of citizenship in Athens. He is considered one of the Seven Sages of Greece by some ancient writers and is said to have been initiated initiated into the Eleusinian Mysteries of the Great Goddess, a privilege denied to those who were not fluent in Greek. He recommended moderation in all, saying that the vine has three clusters of grapes: the first, pleasure; the second, drunkenness; the third, disgust. In this way, he became a kind of Athenian emblem 'Restrain your tongues, your appetites, your passions' . In 1788 Jean Jacques Barthelemy (1716–95), a highly esteemed classical scholar and Jesuit, published The Travels of Anacharsis the Younger in Greece about a young Scythian descended from Anacharsis. It influenced the growth of French philhellenism at the time. It later evoked European sympathy for the Greek Struggle for Independence and other events in 19th century. (Credit: Anacharsis , Wiki)
The Death of Koschei the Immortal or Marya Morevna (Russian: Марья Моревна) is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki and included by Andrew Lang in The Red Fairy Book. The character Koschei is an evil immortal man who menaces young women with his magic. The story has many variants in Eastern and Central Europe, Russia, within the Mari and Chuvash people, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Serbia etc. (Info + Image Credit : The_Death_of_Koschei_the_Deathless ) [ Image 1: Koschey revived by Ivan with water, in the tale Marya Morevna. Illustration from The Red Fairy Book (1890). 2: Sorcerer Koschei the Deathless abducts Marya Morevna. Illustration by Zvorykin. ]
Poseidon was one of the twelve Olympians of ancient Greek religion and mythology, the god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses. In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was worshiped as the supreme deity of Pylos and Thebes. He also had the cult title "Earth Shaker". In isolated Arcadian mythology, Poseidon is associated with Demeter and Persephone and was worshiped as a horse, though he seemed to have originally been a god of water. His Roman equivalent is Neptune. If the existing Linear B clay tablets are reliable, the name po-se-da-wo-ne ("Poseidon") is used more often than di-u-ja ("Zeus"). A female variant, po-se-de-ia, has also been discovered, effectively showing the possible lost spouse Goddess counterpart, an ancestor of Amphitrite. The archaic and local myths of the stallion Poseidon and mare Demeter in the isolated conservative Arcadia was said to have been forgotten by Pausanias (2nd century C.E.). Poseidon the stallion, pursued the mare Demeter, and from the union she gives birth to a horse Arion and a daughter (Despoina), apparently in the shape of a mare as well. The violated Demeter was Demeter Erinys (furious). Arcadia mythology seems to be related to the first Greek speakers to arrive in the area during the Bronze Age. (Linear B stands for archaic Greek dialect). Their religious beliefs were mixed with indigenous beliefs. The Greeks may not have brought in any other gods, except Zeus, Eos and the Dioskouroi. The horse (Numina) was associated with the liquid element and the underworld. Poseidon appears as an animal (horse) that is the river spirit of the underworld as is commonly found in northern-European folklore but is uncommon in Greece. Poseidon was a major civic god of several cities: in Athens, he was second only to Athena in importance, while in Corinth and many cities of Magna Graecia he was the chief god of the polis. The early importance of Poseidon is found in Homer's Odyssey. [Credit: Poseidon, Wikipedia]
Immortals (Ancient Greek: Ἀθάνατοι, romanized: Athánatoi) or Persian Immortals was the name given by Herodotus to an elite heavy infantry unit of 10,000 soldiers in the army of the Achaemenid Empire. The unit served in a dual capacity through its role as imperial guard alongside its contribution to the ranks of the Persian Empire's standing army. While it primarily consisted of Persians, the Immortals force also included Medes and Elamites. The Immortals played an important role in the Achaemenid conquest of Egypt under Cambyses II in 525 BCE, as well as in the Achaemenid conquest of European Scythia under Darius I in c. 518 BCE and 513 BCE, respectively. They also notably participated in the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BCE during the Greco-Persian Wars and were amongst the Persian troops who occupied Greece in 479 BCE under Mardonius. The first re-occurrence of the word "Immortals" is in Roman historians' description of an elite cavalry unit in the army of the Sasanian Empire. Primary sources suggest that they numbered around 10,000 men in accordance with tradition, with the main formational difference being that they were heavy cavalry. The designation "Immortal" to describe a military unit was used twice during the era of the Byzantine Empire: first as elite heavy cavalry under John I Tzimiskes (r. 969–976) and then later under Nikephoritzes, the chief minister of Byzantine emperor Michael VII Doukas (r. 1071–1081). During the 19th-century Napoleonic Wars, many French soldiers referred to Napoleon's Imperial Guard as "the Immortals". (Credit: Immortals_(Achaemenid_Empire) , Immortals) [Image 1:Depiction of the "Susian guards"(Immortals) from the Palace of Darius in Susa. 2. Median (left) and Persian (right) warriors (Immortals) at Persepolis in Fars Province, Iran 3. French Grenadier of the Old Guard in 1813 4. Modern reconstruction of the Immortals 5. Tagmata military units of the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of Lalakaon (863) ]
Greco-Buddhism, or Graeco-Buddhism, is the cultural syncretism between Hellenistic culture and Buddhism, which developed between the fourth century BCE and the fifth century CE in Bactria (parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) and the Gandhara (parts of modern-day Pakistan and Afghanistan). Gautama Buddha in Greco-Buddhist style, 1st–2nd century CE, Gandhara (Peshawar basin, modern day Pakistan). (Credit: Wikipedia, Greco-Buddhism) (Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gandhara_Buddha_(tnm).jpeg ) #Buddhism#GrecoBuddhism#Hellenism#Greek#India#Greece#Gandhara
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