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Solunto, a popular destination for various peoples, was for centuries a master of civilization and the scene of battles with Greek, Carthaginians and Romans as protagonists. It occupies a beautiful position on the slope of Monte Catalfano, which offers an incredibly fascinating view. It is located in the province of Palermo.
The city is rich in history, with ancient roots: it was in fact founded by the Phoenicians and later passed to the Carthaginians who made it an important maritime centre; after the first Punic war it was dominated by the Romans.
The Greek term Solunto derives from the mythological figure of the brigand Solus, killed by the hero Heracles.
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Solunto, meta ambita da vari popoli, fu per secoli maestra di civiltà e teatro di battaglie con protagonisti Greci, Cartaginesi e Romani. Occupa una bellissima posizione sul pendio del Monte Catalfano, che offre una vista incredibilmente affascinante. Si trova in provincia di Palermo.
La città è ricca di storia, dalle radici antiche: fu infatti fondata dai Fenici e in seguito passata ai Cartaginesi che ne fecero un importante centro marittimo; dopo la prima guerra punica fu dominata dai Romani.
Il termine greco Solunto deriva dalla mitologica figura del brigante Solus, ucciso dall’eroe Eracle.
Erice is a charming typically medieval village located on top of the homonymous mountain.
From its 751 meters of altitude it dominates the city of Trapani and the salt pans located along the coast.
In the past the mountain was called San Giuliano, on top of which stood a famous sanctuary dedicated to the Goddess of fertility and protector of sailors.
For the Phoenicians the Divinity was called Astarte, for the Greeks Aphrodite and finally Venus Ericina for the Romans.
Erice is an open-air museum and is suitable for slow tourism. It should be savored calmly, walking through the narrow cobbled alleys, alternating visits with moments of rest and relaxation.
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Erice è un grazioso borgo tipicamente medioevale situato in cima all’omonimo monte.
Dai suoi 751 metri di altitudine domina la città di Trapani e le saline situate lungo la costa.
In passato il monte si chiamava San Giuliano, in cima al quale sorgeva un celebre santuario dedicato alla Dea della fecondità e protettrice dei naviganti.
Per i Fenici la Divinità si chiamava Astarte, per i Greci Afrodite ed infine Venere Ericina per i Romani.
Erice è un museo a cielo aperto ed è adatta per un turismo lento. Va assaporata con calma, camminando per gli stretti vicoli in acciottolato, intervallando le visite con dei momenti di pausa e relax.
The ancient salt pans between Trapani and Marsala, Sicily, Italy.
Hot African winds, long, sun-drenched summer days and shallow coastal waters..... the perfect recipe for salt-making, thought the Phoenicians some 2,700 years ago. Today, the very same conditions are still being put to good use in the salt pans between Trapani and Marsala.
The Phoenicians transformed the inhospitable island, which they called Motya, into one of the most affluent cities of its time, naturally defended by the lagoon as well as high defensive walls. Ancient windmills and salt pans were used for evaporation, salt grinding and refinement, and to maintain the condition of the lagoon and island itself. Recently the mills and salt pans (called the Ettore Infersa) have been restored by the owners and opened to the public.
It is located on the top of Mount Erice, in an absolutely privileged position.
In ancient times, Erice was known for its temple, the sacred thémenos, where the Phoenicians adored Astarte, the Greeks Aphrodite and the Romans Venus.
Mount Eryx served as a reference point for navigators of whom Venus soon became the protector.
At night, a large fire lit in the sacred area served as a lighthouse. The fame of Venus Ericina became such that a temple was also dedicated to her in Rome and her cult spread throughout the Mediterranean.
What remains today of the ancient fortress was the work of the Normans who seem to have reused, for its construction, the material coming from the reconstruction of the pagan temple.
In ancient times, the castle was enclosed by towers, advanced fortification works connected to each other by two crenellated curtains and above all by a drawbridge.
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E' situato sulla sommità del monte Erice, in posizione assolutamente privilegiata.
Nell’antichità, Erice era nota per il suo tempio, il sacro thémenos, ove i Fenici adoravano Astarte, i Greci Afrodite ed i Romani Venere.
Il monte Eryx serviva da punto di riferimento per i navigatori dei quali Venere divenne ben presto la protettrice.
La notte, un grande fuoco acceso nell’area sacra fungeva da faro. La fama di Venere Ericina divenne tale che le venne dedicato un tempio anche a Roma ed il suo culto si diffuse in tutto il Mediterraneo.
Quello che resta oggi dell’antica fortezza fu opera dei Normanni che sembra avessero reimpiegato, per la sua costruzione, il materiale proveniente dal rifacimento del tempio pagano.
Anticamente il castello era recinto dalle torri, opere di fortificazione avanzata collegate fra loro da due cortine merlate e soprattutto da un ponte levatoio.
My interview on Google Local Guide Connect
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Tyre was the largest mercantile city of the Phoenicians, now mostly noted for the archeological remains of its Roman city. Tyre is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. It was added as a whole to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1984.
Submitted: 07/02/2022
Accepted: 07/02/2022
Published:
- PRISMA MEDIA (France) 02-May-2022
- Substack (CALIFORNIA) 07-May-2022
- Thryv, Inc. (TEXAS) 13-Jul-2023
This is Gytheio. It is located in the northeastern corner of Mani and lies on the northwestern end of the Laconian Gulf. Gytheio was built on a hill called Koumaros or Laryssio in one of the most fertile areas in Mani, near the mouth of the Gythium River, which is usually dry and has been nicknamed Xerias "dry river"; today, most of the Xerias is covered by Ermou Avenue. Further northeast is the delta of the Evrotas River. Offshore are several small islands; the most important of these islands is Cranae, which is connected to the mainland by a causeway. Gytheio is only 40 km (25 mi) southeast of Sparti.
The reputed founders of ancient Gythium were Heracles and Apollo, who frequently appear on its coins or in other legends, and Castor and Pollux, the former of these names may point to the influence of Phoenician traders from Tyre, who, we know, visited the Laconian shores at a very early period.
In 455 BC, during the First Peloponnesian War, it was burned by the Athenian admiral Tolmides who besieged the city with 50 ships and 4,000 hoplites. It was rebuilt and was most probably, the building ground for the Spartan fleet in the Peloponnesian War.
In 370 BC, the Thebans under the command of Epaminondas besieged the city successfully for three days after ravaging Laconia. However it was recaptured by the Spartans three days later.
In 219 BC, Philip V of Macedon tried to capture the city but without success. Under Nabis, Gythium became a major naval arsenal and port. During the Roman-Spartan War, Gythium was captured after a lengthy siege. After the war finished, Gythium was made part of the Union of Free Laconians under Achean protection. Nabis recaptured Gythium three years and the Spartan fleet defeated the Achean fleet outside of Gythium. Gythium was liberated by a Roman fleet under the command of Aulus Atilius Serranus. Subsequently, Gythium formed the most important of the Union of Free Laconians, a group of twenty-four, later eighteen, communities leagued together to maintain their autonomy against Sparta and declared free by Caesar Augustus. In Roman times Gythium remained a major port and it prospered as a member of the Union. Some time in the 4th century AD, Gythium was destroyed. What happened to Gythium is not recorded but it is thought to have been either sacked by Alaric and Visigoths, pillaged by the Slavs or destroyed by the massive earthquake that struck the area in 375 AD. After the earthquake Gythium was abandoned. It remained a small village throughout the Byzantine and Ottoman times. Its importance grew when Tzannetos Grigorakis built his tower at Cranae and more people came and settled at Gytheio. But during the Greek War of Independence, refugees flooded into Mani and made Gytheio a major town.
The modern Gytheio opened a port in the 1960s. Ferries sail from Gytheio to Kythira almost daily and also to Crete twice a week. Gytheio is the largest and most important town in Mani and it is also the seat of the municipality of East Mani.Most of the ruins of ancient Gythium are now submerged in the Laconian Gulf. Some walls' remains can be seen today on the sandy beach of Valtaki and in the shallow waters, where the well known Dimitrios shipwreck lies stranded (see previous pictures of the shipwreck, Lost Horizon and Broken Promises).
Painted jezebel having a good breakfast!!
And now the most interesting part of All🙏
Etymology
From Jezebel, the Phoenician princess and Queen of Ancient Israel who appears in the Old Testament (1 Kings). She incited heresy and lured the Jews away from their God and back to idols. Before her death, knowing that she was soon to be slain, she took the time to fix her hair and paint her face.
From the 16th century, some people believed that makeup was worn only by immoral women; hence the wearing of makeup implied immorality.
source: (en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/painted_Jezebel)
Se cuenta que el templo del dios Fenicio Baal ,no tiene ventanas , solo una claraboya central , exactamente alineada con una grieta que hizo Baal en las nubes por donde caé la lluvia … No se si esta es la nube referida en el mito… O es asunto de Néfele Enfurecida , O como dicen en Asturias “ Son cosas de los Amorachinis “...Es tiempo del humilde regreso… F.O.G.
English.
It is said that the temple of the god Phoenician Baal, has no windows, only a central skylight, exactly aligned with a crack that made Baal in the clouds where the rain fell ... I do not know if this is the cloud referred to in the myth ... Or is Matter of Enraged Nefele, Or as they say in Asturias "They are things of the Amorachinis" ... It is time of the humble return ... FOG
A historic alley, today characteristic of the small Byblos (Lebanon) that where the ancient Phoenicians lived.
Treasures to be safeguarded.
This is the bay and beach of Nora, a town founded by the Phoenicians (8th century BC) in that promontory visible in the backgroud. The town was later conquered by the Romans.
After the fall of Roman empire the place was too dangerous to live in for the raids of the Moors, so the inhabitants abandoned it and built another town few kilometries inland called Pula, still existing today. Over the years most of Nora sank into the sea or was covered by vegetation so no traces of it remained. And the people of Pula forgot completely of its existence, until last century when a storm took out the sand from the beach and uncovered tombs and ruins. A subsequent archeological digging brought to light the ruins of the ancient town together with many artefacs.
The castle of Venus is a 12th century Norman castle that stands on an isolated cliff in the south-eastern corner of the summit of Mount Erice, in the province of Trapani, built on the ruins of an Elymian-Phoenician-Roman temple. At its side are the Balio Towers.
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Crusader castle and colonnade, ancient town of Byblos (Jbail), UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mount Lebanon District, Lebanon.
The ruins of many successive civilizations are found at Byblos, one of the oldest Phoenician cities. The famous sarcophagus of Ahiram, King of Byblos, with the oldest evidence of the Phoenician alphabet, was discovered here.
In 1984, Byblos was added to the Unesco world heritage list.
Submitted: 07/10/2017
Accepted: 13/10/2017
Published:
- Microsoft Multimedia Publishin (WASHINGTON) 12-Feb-2018
- Microsoft Multimedia Publishin (WASHINGTON) 29-May-2018
- (China) 18-Dec-2018
- Apple Computer Inc - Maps (CALIFORNIA) 29-Aug-2022
- Apple Computer Inc - Maps (CALIFORNIA) 02-Sep-2022
- Commonwealth Charter Academy (PENNSYLVANIA) 04-Oct-2022
- RADIO FRANCE (France) 13-Jul-2023
La historia de las Minas de Riotinto se remonta a las primeras civilizaciones organizadas. Ya en la Edad del Cobre el desarrollo de la mina, estaba unido al de las propias civilizaciones: tartessos, fenicios.
Algo de lo mas agradable fue, que la llegada de los ingleses hizo que fuera la Cuna del Futbol en España.
The history of the Rio Tinto Mines dates back to the earliest organized civilizations. Already in the Copper Age the development of the mine was linked to that of the civilizations themselves: Tartessos, Phoenicians. Something of the most pleasant thing was that the arrival of the English made it the cradle of football in Spain.
L'histoire des mines Rio Tinto remonte aux premières civilisations organisées. Déjà à l'âge du cuivre, le développement de la mine était lié à celui des civilisations elles-mêmes: Tartessos, Phéniciens. Quelque chose de plus agréable, c'est que l'arrivée des Anglais en a fait le berceau du football en Espagne
The Taró fog is known by sailors and fishermen from El Palo to Estepona, a name of Phoenician origin that, like many other words, customs and ultimately culture, we have inherited from the so-called carriers of ancient times.
ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
Do not use without permission.
These three plaques (two can be seen properly here) are made of pure gold and nailed to a wall for anyone to read, in around 500 B.C. They are from the Etruscan town of Pyrgi and are written in two languages: Etruscan and the Punic dialect of Phoenician (the one to the left here is in Etruscan and the one next to it is in Phoenician - if you look closely you can see that the letters are different). The texts are about how the ruler of Caere, Thefarie Velianas, dedicated a temple to the Etruscan goddess Uni, the goddess of love and marriage (here identified with the Phoenician goddess Astarte). They were excavated in 1964 and are now on display at Villa Giulia, Rome.
Actually, the texts in the two different languages aren't completely word for word translations from one to the other. My husband has written an article about the significance of the differences in an article which can be found here: www.academia.edu/14327680/The_Religio-Social_Message_of_t... (if you want to read it but are not a member of the site, you can log in with Facebook)
(The thing in the lower left corner is the nails with which the tablets were nailed to the wall.)
ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved
Do not use without permission.
This sarcophagus is in a Phoenician style, and dates to the 6th century B.C. The coffin, and 2 others, were found in Għar Barka, Rabat on Malta. This one was in discovered in 1797.
Now on display at The National Museum of Archaeology, Valletta, Malta.
Safi has been one of the most important ceramics production centers in Africa for centuries. The history of the ceramics product dates back up to 5,000 years when the Phoenicians in the area started using the clay deposits found in the nearby valley. It owes its exceptionally red color to a high iron content, which makes it extremely durable.
The hill is dominated by the views of kilns for firing clay products with shades of orange. In about 40 laboratories equipped with traditional clay and gas stoves, clay dishes are still made by traditional local potters.
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Safi od wieków było jednym z najważniejszych centrów wyrobu ceramiki w całej Afryce. Historia wyrobu ceramiki sięga nawet 5000 lat wstecz, kiedy panujący tu Fenicjanie zaczęli korzystać z pokładów gliny znajdowanych w pobliskiej dolinie. Swój wyjątkowo czerwony kolor zawdzięcza ona dużej zawartości żelaza, dzięki czemu jest niezwykle wytrzymała.
Na wzgórzu dominują widoki pieców do wypalania wyrobów z gliny o odcieniach pomarańczu. W około 40 pracowniach wyposażonych w tradycyjne piece gliniane i gazowe ciągle są wyrabiane gliniane naczynia tradycyjną metodą przez miejscowych garncarzy.
Cristalizaciones de sulfatos en el Rio Tinto
El Rio Tinto recibe su nombre por el color rojo intenso de sus aguas y recorre 100 km atravesando la provincia de Huelva (Andalucía, Sur de España).
El color rojo es debido a la presencia de cationes de metales pesados erosionados por causa de la acidez de las aguas (ph tamponado de 2.4, muy ácido). La abundancia de minerales de Pirita y Calcopirita (sulfuros de hierro y cobre) y la presencia de unas extrañas bacterias acidófilas que oxidan estos minerales, generan el ácido sulfúrico que a la postre re-alimenta el proceso de lixiviado de los metales.
En el agua del rio sobreviven bacterias, microorganismos y vida en condiciones extremas, la NASA lo está estudiando y ha descrito recientemente este microsistema como el más parecido a Marte que podemos encontrar en la Tierra.
Los minerales de cobre, hierro, manganeso, …, se extraen en las explotaciones mineras de Rio Tinto desde hace 5000 años por íberos, fenicios, romanos y musulmanes, y ha sido explotada durante los dos últimos siglos por la compañía británica Rio Tinto Company Limited.
En el pequeño pueblo de Rio Tinto se pueden encontrar casas Victorianas, precisamente en los barrios que habitaron los Ingleses durante ese tiempo.
Para la visita y el recorrido del cauce del rio puedes contar con Fieldwork Riotinto (rio y minas) .
In my por English:
Rio Tinto is named for the deep red color of its waters and travels 100 km through the province of Huelva (Andalucía, southern Spain).
The red color is due to the presence of heavy metal cations eroded because the acidity of the water (pH 2.4 buffered, strongly acidic). The abundance of minerals Pyrite and Chalcopyrite (copper and iron sulfides) and the presence of strange acidophilus bacteria that oxidize these minerals, generate the sulfuric acid media that eventually re-feeds the process of leaching of metals.
In the river water surviving bacteria, microorganisms and life in extreme conditions, NASA is studying this media and has recently described this microsystem as the closest thing to Mars on Earth can find.
Copper, iron, manganese, ..., are extracted in the mines of Rio Tinto for 5000 years by Iberians, Phoenicians, Romans and Muslims, and has been exploited for the last two centuries by the British company Rio Tinto Company Limited .
In the small town of Rio Tinto Victorian houses can be found precisely in neighborhoods inhabited by the English people during that time.
To visit and travel the river bed you can count on Fieldwork Riotinto (rio and mines visits).
Termoli is one of the secret places that Italians reserve for themselves and their European neighbors in the know, once fishing village fortress now rebranded as a beach resort that is difficult to reach which keeps it off the beaten path for most. The old city is a feast for the eyes with a compact labyrinth of medieval dwellings located on a promontory surrounded by a fortress walls with a harbour inside through a sea gate that would have repelled all but the most determined Saracens. For all of Termoli’s beauty I was most fascinated by the trabucco a 2000 year old Phoenician designed fishing platform for harvesting fish without setting sail, nets are dropped from the antenna poles and schools of fish will swim over, when lifted lunch is served.
I took this on Oct 08, 2012 with my D70s and Tamron 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Lens at 42mm, 1/320s, f9 ISO 200 processed in LR, PS +Lumenzia ,Topaz, and DXO Nik
Disclaimer: My style is a study of romantic realism as well as a work in progress
The Phoenicians first established a colony in Almuñécar in about 800 BC and this developed for six hundred years into an important port and town with the name of Ex or Sexi and with a large fish salting and curing industry that was a major supplier of Greece and Rome. They also supplied a prized fish paste called garum made from the intestines of small fishes by a process of fermentation.
Archaeological evidence comes chiefly from Phoenician cemeteries, the earlier Laurita necropolis on the hillside at Cerro San Cristobal and the later necropolis at Punte de Noy. An extensive collection of Phoenician grave goods and other artifacts is on display in the town museum located at the Castle of San Miguel and in the 'Cueva de Siete Palacios'.
Vieste. Italy.
An old Trabucco, a fishing structure very common in the south of the Adriatic sea, and a lonly windsurfer.
Trabucchi, or Trabocchi as they are called in Abruzzo, are fishing machines used since the XVII century, to avoid the use of boat during stormy days. They are entirely made from wood, they are usually anchored to a cliff by the sea and they use long leverages to move the fishing nets. For somebody they come from an original Phoenician concept.
Un vecchio Trabucco, una struttura da pesca molto comune nel sud del mare Adriatico, e un windsurfer solitario.
I Trabucchi, o Trabocchi come vengono chiamati in Abruzzo, sono macchine da pesca utilizzate fin dal XVII secolo, per evitare l'uso della barca durante i giorni di tempesta. Sono interamente in legno, sono solitamente ancorate a una scogliera in riva al mare e utilizzano lunghe leve per muovere le reti da pesca. Per qualcuno provengono da un concetto originale fenicio.
The city was founded as Maleth in around the 8th century BC by Phoenician settlers, and was later renamed Melite by the Romans. Ancient Melite was larger than present-day Mdina, and it was reduced to its present size during the Byzantine or Arab occupation of Malta. During the latter period, the city adopted its present name, which derives from the Arabic word medina.
Szalla, (Chellah) is a vast complex of ancient and medieval ruins in the suburb of Rabat, whose first settlers were probably the Phoenicians. In 1154, however, the city was abandoned.
In the following centuries, there was a royal necropolis on the site of the abandoned settlement, where the rulers had been buried since the Almohad dynasty. Most of the monuments date back to the sultan Abu al-Hassan (1331-1351), who brought up the walls and the magnificent main gate. There is a well preserved minaret of the 13th century mosque built by Caliph Abu Yusuf.
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Szalla, (Chellah) to rozległy kompleks starożytnych i średniowiecznych ruin na przedmieściach Rabatu, którego pierwszymi osadnikami byli prawdopodobnie Fenicjanie. W 1154 roku miasto zostało jednak opuszczone.
W kolejnych wiekach na miejscu opuszczonej osady istniała królewska nekropola, gdzie chowano władców począwszy od czasów dynastii Almohadów. Najwięcej zabytków pochodzi z czasów sułtana Abu al-Hassana (1331-1351), który wzniósł tu mury i okazałą główną bramę. Na terenie kompleksu znajduje się dobrze zachowany minaret dawnego meczetu z XIII wieku wzniesionego przez kalifa Abu Jusufa.
Malaga (oficially: Málaga)
Welcome in Málaga,
Málaga is located in southern Spain, on the Costa del Sol , it is the capital of Andalusia and the southernmost large city in Europe with a population about 570.000.
Málaga's history spans about 2,800 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world. It was founded by the Phoenicians as Malaka about 770 BC, and from the 6th century BC was under the hegemony of Ancient Carthage. Then, from 218 BC, it was ruled by the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire as Malaca (Latin). After the fall of the empire and the end of Visigothic rule, it was under Islamic rule as Mālaqah (مالقة) for 800 years, but in 1487, the Crown of Castille gained control after the Reconquista. The archaeological remains and monuments from the Phoenician, Roman, Arabic and Christian eras make the historic center of the city an "open museum", displaying its history of nearly 3,000 years.
The Phoenicians were a Semitic-speaking people of somewhat unknown origin who emerged in the Levant around 3000 BC. The term Phoenicia is an ancient Greek exonym that most likely described one of their most famous exports, a dye also known as Tyrian purple; it did not correspond precisely to a cohesive culture or society as it would have been understood natively. It is debated whether Phoenicians were actually distinct from the broader group of Semitic-speaking peoples known as Canaanites. Historian Robert Drews believes the term "Canaanites" corresponds to the ethnic group referred to as "Phoenicians" by the ancient Greeks; However, according to archaeologist Jonathan N. Tubb, "Ammonites, Moabites, Israelites, and Phoenicians undoubtedly achieved their own cultural identities, and yet ethnically they were all Canaanites", "the same people who settled in farming villages in the region in the 8th millennium BC.". Wikipedia
Tavira Castle, locally known as Castelo de Tavira, lies in the town of the same name in the Algarve region in Portugal.
It is not known when the first castle at this site was built. Some sources say a fortress here was already being rebuilt by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BC. The present castle, however, probably dates back to the 11th century.
There was a castle here when the town was taken from the Moors in 1242 by the knight Don Paio Peres Correia during the Reconquest. In 1244 the castle was granted, by King Sancho II, to the Order of the Knights of Santiago who renounced this donation 30 years later. In 1293 King Denis ordered the remodeling and reconstruction of Tavira Castle because he recognized the importance of Tavira as a base of defense against piracy. The castle and town suffered heavily from the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
Tavira Castle was a small, roughly rectangular, castle. It now consists of remains of two square towers, one octagonal tower and walls on three sides. None of the towers possess the characteristics of a keep, although there surely must have been one. Its interior is now used a small garden. You can climb the walls and the towers. The castle can be visited, for free, during the daytime. Google
Myths, Legends and Rock Formations:
Due to the strange rock formations, and some formations on a wall in the form of writing or signs, Pedra da Gávea carries along with its name many legends and myths. Among the main myths and legends, one of them involves characters engraved in stone and the hypothesis of the Phoenician sphinx. Another theory that some raise about Pedra Gavea is that there is a great portal to Agartha.
By observing the stone well, several associations can be made and below are some of the most common ones.
The Giant's Head or Emperor's Head:
Looking at Pedra da Gávea, seen from Pedra Bonita or from the Canoas road that goes around Pedra Bonita, as well as from the Hang Gliding and Paragliding ramp that is almost at the top of Pedra Bonita, you can see the head of a large sculpted giant in stone. Whether an accidental work of nature or not, the resemblance is very great and it really does look like a sculpture.
As to this resemblance, whatever the cause of such formation, not even the most skeptical of men can deny.
Enigmatic Inscriptions:
At the top of the Rock, next to the Head on the left, beginning of the video, there are some formations and erosions that look like inscriptions or what look like letters carved in the stone. With the naked eye it is not always possible to see, but looking at enlarged photos taken with telephoto lenses that provide better details at long distances, one can see what appear to be inscriptions (words engraved in stone) of some primitive alphabet.
What most intrigues many observers of Pedra da Gávea is not exactly the shape of a "human head" at one end, nor the shapes of "portals" that may be random formations, made over the years, by erosion, a natural phenomenon.
Some observers are not satisfied with admitting that the marks in the form of writing are a mere chance of nature. This fact suggests a curious and creative hypothesis to try to explain the enigma of the writings on the stone.
First Findings About Engraved Characters:
The shapes of the rock, which bear resemblance to a human face, drew attention for a long time, as well as the characters that were also first objects of study since the time of Dom João VI's stay in Brazil.
Friar Custódio, a religious specialist in epigraphy, that is, studies of stone engravings, made a report about the inscriptions on Pedra da Gávea, and concluded that they were made at the time of the discovery of Brazil, and this report was delivered to Dom João VI .
In 1839, the Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute decided to analyze the subject, and organized an expedition for this purpose. Historians J. Cunha Barbosa, Manoel de Araújo Porto Alegre and imperial chaplain J. Rodrigues Monteiro participated.
The report that followed, after the expedition and subsequent analyses, recognized Phoenician characters in the inscriptions, appearing to have been made in antiquity, and being deteriorated by time. However, the report also saw the inscriptions as a product of erosion, which ultimately led to the hypothesis that the characters were made by nature to prevail.
However, in 1928, a new hypothesis appeared that attributed the engravings of characters in Pedra da Gávea to the Phoenicians.
The last translation made below shows the sequence of these studies.
Jeth-Baal or Yet-Baal, is a name that refers to two twin brothers, older sons of Badezir.
And finally, what does this mean? Looking back at history, there existed in the year 856 BC, a Phoenician King named Badezir, who according to the first translation replaced and succeeded King Jethbaal, his father, on the royal throne of Tyro. But according to the second translation, Badezir was the father of the Jeth-Baal brothers.
If this hypothesis were confirmed with archaeological evidence, it could be believed that the Phoenicians were in Rio about 800 years before Christ, and that Pedra da Gávea would be a tomb where Badezir or Jeth-Baal would be buried, and human features shaped on the stone would be the face of Badezir or Jeth-Baal.
Whose face would the sphinx be, already eroded by erosion, and without the nose? It would be the representation of the face of King Badezir or Jeth-Baal. And was that formation really the representation of an unfinished sphinx? Or eroded by erosion?
There are those who claim from the height of all their wisdom that it is a sphinx. And one of the staunchest defenders of this hypothesis is the president of the Brazilian Association of Speleology and Archaeological Research in Rio, Roldão Pires Brandão, who stated:
"It is a sphinx engraved in granite by the Phoenicians, which has the face of a man and the body of an animal lying down. The tail must have fallen off due to the action of time. The rock, seen from afar, has the grandeur of monuments pharaonic figures and reproduces, on one of its sides, the severe face of a patriarch".
Pedra da Gávea is also related to the Agartha portal, an entrance to a subterranean world inside the Earth, arising from the Hollow Earth theory.
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Credits:
Drone footage taken by my mountaineering guide, Marcelo Kastrup (Adrena Rio);
Song: The Floating World by Simple Minds (Album Cry).
No AI was used on the Clipchamp platform.
The Taró is a word of Phoenician origin which refers to the sea fog. For thousands of years, and probably longer, the dense fog occurs like clockwork at this time of year and at the beginning of summer. It is triggered by a warm south-southeast wind which sweeps the surface of the sea, which is cold. This causes mass condensation of water, forming a low-hanging fog. In general terms, it is effectively caused by the difference in temperature between the seas' surface and a much warmer wind. The fog also causes humidity to increase, in some parts to as high as 95% and because the wind is weak, the mass of fog tends to move slowly and therefore hangs around longer.
A view from the ancient city of Mdnia in Malta. The city was founded by the Phoenicians in the eighth century.
Taking a selfie on a 3,000 year old Phoenician cemetery on rocks above the coast of Tanger can be a dangerous enterprise.
The photos of Tanger within the next ten days conclude my series from Morocco.
The Indian Peafowl occurs from eastern Pakistan through India, south from the Himalayas to Sri Lanka. Though once common in Bangladesh, it may now be extinct in that country. Its highly ornamental appearance motivated early seafarers to transplant the peafowl to their homelands in other parts of the western world. Phoenician traders in the time of King Solomon (1000 B.C.) introduced the birds to present-day Syria and the Egyptian Pharaohs. Alexander the Great imported more of the birds into his Mediterranean domains and severely penalized anyone caught harming them. Domesticated peafowl remained a popular status symbol through Roman times and the Middle Ages, ensuring their establishment and survival throughout Europe.
In its native India, the peafowl is a creature of the open forests and riparian undergrowth. In southern India, it also prefers stream-side forests but may also be found in orchards and other cultivated areas.
Peafowl from Los Angeles Arboretum and Botanic Gardens. Arcadia. California.
Cádiz was founded around 1104 BC as Gadir or Agadir by Phoenicians from Tyre, Cádiz is often regarded as the most ancient city still standing in Western Europe. The Phoenicians established a port in the 7th century BC.
Spain, Andalusia, Cadiz
Cádiz is a city in Andalusia, Spain. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated from neighbouring San Fernando by a narrow isthmus. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, Cádiz was founded by the Phoenicians as a trading post. In the 18th century, the Port in the Bay of Cádiz consolidated as the main harbour of mainland Spain, enjoying the virtual monopoly of trade with the Americas until 1778. It is also the site of the University of Cádiz.
The Grand Harbour, also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been used as a harbour since at least Phoenician times.
The Phoenician site of Sa Caleta has been the most important discovery of the last twenty-five years of archeology in the Pityusic Islands (Ibiza and Formentera-Spain) Its scientific importance lies in the fact that it is the only exponent of analysis for the oldest phase of the Phoenician colonization of Ibiza. The Sa Caleta site is part of the World Heritage Site called "Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture", declared by Unesco in 1999.
Sa Caleta Beach
IBIZA
Half way between Trapani and Marsala on the landscape turns white, with piles of salt and salt marshes, only dotted by the windmills which ground salt in former times. The product from this marshes is well regarded in Italy and has been in operations since the 12th century. Unluckily its production collapsed and only a little salt is produced nowadays for the pleasure of a few and on a very small scale.
For a long stretch the saltpans spread without any modern building interrupting them. There sits the Riserva Naturale di Stagnone, wetlands which include the Isole delle Stagnone and part of Isola Lunga. The reserve has been established to prevent the shallow water of the lagoon to remain unspoiled. The site where Mozia lay is nearby on the minute Island of San Pantaleo. A Phoenician road leading to the mainland was left under water but it is still visible. The island was acquired by an archaeologist who devoted himself to excavating for years and managed to organize a Phoenician collection which is today exhibited in a museum. San Pantaleo after his dedicated work turned to be the Phoenician site that luckily nature has not been so hard on around the Mediterranean as Carthage was completely crushed by Rome, sprinkling salt everywhere for no plant or animal to grow or survive in it. The island is ideal to stroll along the signaled excavation tracks. There is a path going to the ancient port, dry dock and the road underwater. The Whitaker Museum is on the island. Its most important piece is Il Giovanetto di Mozia. The Museo Saline Ettore e Inferza will let you have and insight into what the process of salt was. This salt museum occupies the space of a windmill where salt was ground in old times. In the summer time visitors can rent a canoe and row into and out of the salt marshes.
The ruins of the Phoenician town of Tharros, in the Sinis Peninsula, near Oristano, Sardinia
History (from the web)
The city of Tharros was probably founded by the Phoenicians at the end of the 8th century or possibly in the early 7th century BC in an area already populated during the Nuragic period (n. 7). The main evidence of the Phoenician colony of Tharros is represented by the necropolises and the tophet (n. 6), which was a typical Phoenician and Punic open air sanctuary or sacred burial area, because the settlement itself has not been located yet (it is currently an active archaeological site). The Phoenician necropolises are located in the area of Cape San Marco (n. 23) and the modern village of San Giovanni di Sinis (n. 1). In the necropolises cremated corpses, along with rich burial goods including jewelry, were buried in circular or elongated shaped pits dug into the sand. Since the 7th century BC, thousands of cinerary urns, containing the burnt bones and ashes of children and sacrificed animals, were deposited in the tophets together with hundreds of sandstone stelae, small votive monuments often representing small temples and divine symbols.
During the second half of the 6th century BC, Tharros was conquered by the Carthaginians, who constructed several new buildings, including the monumental temple and the city’s defensive wall. During the 5th century BC, a handicraft district (n. 8) that specialized in iron metallurgy was created near the tophet in the west, at a time when the use of the sanctuary was increasing.
In the past the Phoenicians extracted the sandstone here to build the Dalt Vila Fort in Eivissa, now Unesco World Heritage Site, and all the watch towers along the coast. I saw the rock arch only because I noticed its shade had a hole :-)
The city Soluntum was founded by the Phoenicians in the sixth century BC and was one of the three chief Phoenician settlements in Sicily in the archaic and classical periods. It was destroyed at the beginning of the fourth century BC and re-founded on its present site atop Monte Catalfano. At the end of the fourth century BC, Greek soldiers were settled there and in the 3rd century BC the city came under the control of the Roman Republic.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soluntum
Phlebas the Phoenician, a fortnight dead,
Forgot the cry of gulls, and the deep sea swell
And the profit and loss.
A current under sea
Picked his bones in whispers. As he rose and fell
He passed the stages of his age and youth
Entering the whirlpool.
Gentile or Jew
O you who turn the wheel and look to windward,
Consider Phlebas, who was once handsome and tall as you.
T S Eliot, The Waste Land