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Urn Tomb - Façade
Its 26 m x 16.49 m façade is structured by two half columns at the center and two pilasters with engaged quarter columns at the corners, erected on a podium on either side of the doorway order. They bear Nabataean capitals and support a weathered entablature whose frieze contains four panels with bust-reliefs. These unusual frieze figures with their heads intruding the upper frame probably represent Nabataean deities. The dwarf pilasters of the upper order are in alignment with the bust-reliefs and the supports of the lower order. The triangular pediment is crowned by a lidded urn, which has given the tomb its name.
Another unique feature are the three burial niches (loculi) in the intercolumnar spaces high up on the façade, becoming an integral part of its design. In the opening of the middle one, there is still a relief plate on which the bust of a dignitary dressed in a tunic can be seen. Unfortunately his face is completely destroyed. Due to missing inscriptions it will never be known who was once portrayed here, but scholars believe that it is the bust of a Nabataean king, perhaps Malichus II (40-70 AD). In fact, the dwarf pilasters suggest that the tomb was made in the second half of the 1st century AD, according to: Fawzi Zayadine.
The doorway frame has two pilasters topped by Nabataean capitals with a necking band, on which a metope-triglyph frieze with several decorative mouldings and a triangular pediment rest. The window above it was opened during its Byzantine use as church.
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At the end of the Colonnaded Street and next to the Qasa Al-Bint are the ruins of a large Greco-Roman gate. Called Hadrian’s Gate by some and the Temenos Gate by others, this ceremonial entrance to the sacred section (temenos) of town once had three impressive arches. Notice the square ornamental reliefs. They are Nabataean motifs. This suggests a period of architectural if not political compatibility between the two empires during the early 2nd century annexation of Petra to the Romans.
Other stairways lead to secondary platforms, where there are other monoliths including the famous El Fraile (priest).
Current state of the Frail Monolith of Tiahuanaco, with similar characteristics as the "Bennett Monolith".
Walls around the temple Kalasasaya.
Located near the south-eastern shore of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, Tiwanaku is one of the most important precursors to the Inca Empire. The community grew to urban proportions between the 7th and 9th centuries, becoming an important regional power in the southern Andes. At its peak the city had between 15,000–30,000 inhabitants. While only a small part has been excavated, Tiahuanaco represents the greatest megalithic architectural achievement of pre-Inca South America. Today it is one of the top tourist attractions in Bolivia.
East of the main entrance to Kalasasaya.
The Kalasasaya dates to at least 200 BCE - 200 CE. It is located to the north of the Akapana and west of the Semi-Subterranean Temple, other structures in the complex.
North of the Akapana Pyramid is Kalasasaya, a partially reconstructed 130m-by-120m ritual-platform compound with walls constructed of huge blocks of red sandstone and andesite. The blocks are precisely fitted to form a platform base 3m high. Monolithic uprights flank the massive entrance steps up to the restored portico of the enclosure, beyond which is an interior courtyard and the ruins of priests’ quarters. Note the size of the top stair – a massive single block.
The Monolito Ponce monolith, with his turban (no doubt covering up his deformed cranium), mask, ceremonial vase and walking stick, sits at the center of the first platform. Some say the stick and the vase are symbolic of the dualism of Andean culture (nature versus nurture).
Other stairways lead to secondary platforms, where there are other monoliths including the famous El Fraile (priest).
Last sunlight in the distant Qilian Mountains viewed from Fort Jiayuguan, the west ending of the Ming Great Wall.
The unique design of the Oval Plaza, also called the Oval Forum, cleverly connects two divergent main axes of the ancient city. The much older Sanctuary of Zeus faces northeast toward the original settlement core of Gerasa on the opposite hill (where the museum stands today). When, at the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, the new Cardo was laid out as the city's north-south connection and main street, it had to incorporate the central Sanctuary of Zeus in a representative way, which was not possible through a frontal approach because of the river valley and the rules of Roman urban planning with a rectangular street network.
Cumulonimbus is a dense, towering, vertical cloud,] typically forming from water vapor condensing in the lower troposphere that builds upward carried by powerful buoyant air currents. Above the lower portions of the cumulonimbus the water vapor becomes ice crystals, such as snow and graupel, the interaction of which can lead to hail and to lightning formation, respectively.
When causing thunderstorms, these clouds may be called thunderheads. Cumulonimbus can form alone, in clusters, or along squall lines. These clouds are capable of producing lightning and other dangerous severe weather, such as tornadoes, hazardous winds, and large hailstones. Cumulonimbus progress from overdeveloped cumulus congestus clouds and may further develop as part of a supercell. Cumulonimbus is abbreviated as Cb.
Notre-Dame des Neiges de Louargat is a church in Louargat, Brittany. It is one of the religious sites in the village, along with other churches and chapels such as the Église Saint-Eloi, chapels of Saint-Jean, Saint-Fiacre and Saint-Paul, and the Sainte-Chapelle Marguerite. Louargat is known for its rich religious heritage. The church is located on Place Roger Madrigou and can be found on Mappy, where you can also find photos, a map, and reviews. Louargat is a charming village in Brittany and, in addition to its religious heritage, also offers opportunities for nature lovers, with the Forêt de Coat An Hay, the menhirs of Pergat, and the An Dossen tumulus.
Near the village of Yazılıkaya, Eskişehir, Turkey, stands what is known as the Midas Monument, dating between 8th - 6th century BCE. The village name literally means 'inscribed rock'. The monument is part of an ancient Phrygian city, with rock cut tombs, underground cisterns and a host of other archaeologically interesting details! For more information, have a read:
www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/mysterious-mi...
La Rocca dei Tempesta è un castello situato a Noale, nella città metropolitana di Venezia.
La rocca si presume risalga al XII secolo e fu residenza dei Tempesta, Signori di Noale. Fu utilizzata per scopi militari fino al XV secolo, per poi divenire sede del Podestà sino al definitivo abbandono nel Settecento: da allora molte parti dell'ormai cadente struttura vennero deliberatamente demolite per ricavarne materiali da costruzione "a beneficio della comunità". Nei secoli XIX e XX fu usata come cimitero della città.
La fortificazione medievale, di cui oggi rimangono solo gli imponenti ruderi circondati dal fossato e dalle acque del fiume Marzenego, è stata ristrutturata ed è visitabile in occasione di visite guidate o manifestazioni.
Blue Church - North Ridge, Petra
There are three Byzantine churches on the North Ridge of Petra, above the Colonnaded Street: from north to south, these are: the Ridge Church, the Blue Chapel, and the Petra Church.
The columns of the chapel are fashioned of blue Egyptian granite, topped with Nabataean horned capitals. The North Ridge churches are Byzantine (5th - 6th century), and have a complex history, involving several distinct building phases and the reuse of earlier Nabataean structures.
The siq opens up onto Petra’s most magnificent façade; the Treasury, or Al Khazna. It is almost 40 meters high and intricately decorated with Corinthian capitals, friezes, figures and more. The Treasury is crowned by a funerary urn, which according to local legend conceals a pharaoh’s treasure. Although the original function is still a mystery, The Treasury was probably constructed in the 1st century BC, However, in reality the urn represented a memorial for royalty. The Treasury consists of two floors with a width of 25.30 meters and a height of 39.1 meters.
The purpose of the Treasury is unclear: some archaeologists believed it to be a temple, while others thought it was a place to store documents. However, the most recent excavation here has unearthed a graveyard beneath the Treasury.
The Treasury comprises three chambers, a middle chamber with one on either side, the elaborately carved facade represents the nabataean engineering genius
The unique design of the Oval Plaza, also called the Oval Forum, cleverly connects two divergent main axes of the ancient city. The much older Sanctuary of Zeus faces northeast toward the original settlement core of Gerasa on the opposite hill (where the museum stands today). When, at the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, the new Cardo was laid out as the city's north-south connection and main street, it had to incorporate the central Sanctuary of Zeus in a representative way, which was not possible through a frontal approach because of the river valley and the rules of Roman urban planning with a rectangular street network.
Railway station Tiahuanaco is located near the archeological complex.
Tiahuanaco, an important object of pre-Columbian archaeological site in Western Bolivia.
The back of the pyramid.
Underground duct. Made with finely cut flagstones and joined with cast copper clamps.
The Monolito Ponce monolith, with his turban (no doubt covering up his deformed cranium), mask, ceremonial vase and walking stick, sits at the center of the first platform. Some say the stick and the vase are symbolic of the dualism of Andean culture (nature versus nurture).
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The "Monolito Ponce", also known as "Estela Ponce" or "Estela 8", is a monument located in the eastern part of the Tiahuanaco Monumental Archaeological Complex, (site cataloged as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since the year 2000).
The monolith is located inside the Kalasasaya Temple (kala = stone and saya or sayasta = stopped), also called Temple of the Stones Stopped, and was built by the members of the Tiahuanaco Culture, a pre-Columbian civilization that during its period of greater expansion was distributed in part of what are now Bolivia, Chile and Peru. It comprised almost all of the altiplano called the Collao plateau to the Pacific coast in the west and the chapare in the east. Its capital and main religious center was the city of Tiwanaku, located on the banks of the Tiwanaku River in the department of La Paz in Bolivia.
Summit.
It is the only point to see snowcapped Llimani and Lake Titicaca, sacred geographical features of Tiwanaku. It houses double-walled enclosures, made with small sandstone blocks, arranged around an enameled yard.
The central part shows the massive destruction caused by treasure hunters since colonial times.
Researchers think that Lake Titicaca was coming to this base, which was a port to carry all these huge and heavy rocks.
The Tiwanaku civilization and the use of these temples appears to some to have peaked from AD 700 to 1000, by which point the temples and surrounding area may have been home to some 400,000 people. An extensive infrastructure had been developed, including a complex irrigation system that extended more than 30 square miles (80 km2) to support cultivation of potatoes, quinoa, corn and other various crops. At its peak the Tiwanaku culture dominated the entire Lake Titicaca basin as well as portions of Bolivia and Chile.
This culture seems to have dissolved rather abruptly some time around AD 1000, and researchers are still seeking answers as to why. A likely scenario involves rapid environmental change, possibly involving an extended drought. Unable to produce the massive crop yields necessary for their large population, the Tiwanaku are argued to have scattered into the local mountain ranges, only to disappear shortly thereafter. Puma Punku is thought to have been abandoned before it was finished.
Climbed the hill up to Tiwanaku’s most outstanding structure, the partially excavated Akapana pyramid, which was built on an existing geological formation. At its base this roughly square, 16m hill covers a surface area of about 200 sq meters. In the center of its flat summit is an oval-shaped sunken area, which some sources attribute to early, haphazard, Spanish excavation. The presence of a stone drain in the center, however, has led some archaeologists to believe it was used for water storage.
Recent findings include craniums, assumed to be war trophies, leading some archaeologists to believe the pyramid may have been a ceremonial temple. Others think it was used for the study of astronomy.
A forest which was buried under water and sand more than 4,500 years ago can be seen on Borth beach in Ceredigion, Cymru/Wales.
The remains of the forests trees, preserved in the local peat, have been exposed by low tides and high winds.
Known as the Sunken Forest or Sunken Kingdom, this graveyard of trees – pine, alder, oak and birch – has been preserved since 1500 BC and surfaced at various points in history, in folktales, songs and legends from the 17th century, that widely identify it with Cantre'r Gwaelod (The Lowland Hundred), an ancient civilization described as a ‘Welsh Atlantis’.
The “Great” Temple Complex represents one of the major archaeological and architectural components of central Petra. Since 1993 archaeologist from Brown University have been Excavating this temple precinct. These investigations are conducted under the auspices of the department of Antiquates of Jordan .
The great temple precinct which you see before the majors estimated 7.000m2( 76.000 sq. ft) and this comprised north south of Propylaea monumental entryway ( a lower temenos ) sacred area : twin exedra ( semi-circular structures ) flanked by broad stairways: and an upper temenos – the sacred enclosure for the temple itself.
In the lower temenos are triple colonnades on the east and west. Here, large limestone hexagonal pavers were positioned above an extensive water canalization system.
With its red-and-white-succeed exterior, the ` Great ` temple must have had a dramatic impact when set against its rose-red environment. The temple is tetrastyle in antis (four large frontal columns) with solid outer walls, typical of Nabataean architecture, as is seen on the Qasr El.BINT farther to the west. Approximately 15 meters ( 45 ft) in height, the columns plus the entablature they carried, would place the temple`s height at a minimum of 18 meters ( 57 ft). The ` great `Temple measures 28 meters ( 84 ft) east –west, and is 40 meters ( 120 ft). in Length.
The style and quality of the Temple`s elaborate floral friezes and acanthus-laden limestone capitals suggest that the sanctuary was constructed by the end of the first century BCE by the Nabataean , who combined their native traditions with the classical spirit. The ` Great ` Temple was in use until some point in the late Byzantine Period.
www.visitpetra.jo/DetailsPage/VisitPetra/LocationsInPetra...
On the right:
East of the main entrance to Kalasasaya, a stairway leads down into the Templete Semisubterráneo, an acoustic, red-sandstone pit structure measuring 26m by 28m, with a rectangular sunken courtyard and walls adorned with 175 crudely carved stone faces. In the 1960s archaeologists tried to rebuild these and used cement between the stones.