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Ziggurat (pyramid) at Chichen Itza with two people staring at it in front of the stairway. Dark blue sky
The first wall remains and wall paintings were found in 1904 by people ploughing in the Balácapuszta field of a village named Vámos in Veszprém County. Soon it became apparent that traces of a Roman farm had been discovered. The farm in Balaca is the largest known Roman farm in the former Pannonia Province. The famous mosaic floor of 62 m2 of its central building was discovered in 1925 with the help of the National Museum. It is still the main attraction of the Roman Lapidarium of the Museum. The other three mosaic floors were transferred back to their original places in 1984, in the year of the official opening of the gardens of ruins.
mnm.hu/en/museums/villa-romana-balaca-roman-villa-and-gar...
Human-headed winged bulls were protective genies called shedu or lamassu, and were placed as guardians at certain gates or doorways of the city and the palace. Symbols combining man, bull, and bird, they offered protection against enemies. Louvre Museum...Paris, France
Ming architecture is intact as contemporary culture takes root.
While other towns in China have modernized, Pingyao, in China’s coal-rich Shanxi Province, has clung to its old ways, barring cars within its 33-foot-tall Ming dynasty walls and preserving the traditional architecture of incense shops, courtyard houses and 19th-century bank buildings. Named a Unesco World Heritage site in 1997, Pingyao has become a major destination for Chinese and foreigners alike.
Pingyao has made it to the New York Times‘ list of the top 41 destinations of 2011.
In the Book of Genesis, a tower that the descendants of Noah built. They intended that the tower would reach up to heaven itself, increase their reputation, and make them like God. God prevented them from completing the tower by confusing their language so that they could no longer understand one another's speech. From that time forward, according to the Bible, the peoples of the Earth would be scattered, speaking different languages.
Standing hippopotamus
Blue Faience
Middle Kingdom
Text: The Cairo Museum - Egypt
(Middle Kingdom c.2055 BC – c. 1650 BC)
Built by Nebuchadnezzar II, the Ishtar Gate was one of the main entries to the city of Bablyon, capital of the Babylonian Empire. The arched gate at the left was made of brick glazed with a copper turquoise glaze alternating with unglazed brick covered with gold leaf. Lions, bulls, and dragons stride along in rows flanking the entrance. The top is crenelated (notched), and would have provided cover for archers defending the city entrances. At the right is another panel, this one from the throne room of the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, mentioned in the Bible. On the throne room panel, lions are arranged in a frieze below a row of stylized palms. These reconstructed fragments of the Ishtar Gate are all that remain of Bablyon. The Hanging Gardens and the Ziggurat of Marduk exist only in written descriptions. The use of glazed brick and tile in architecture is a recurrent theme in building of the Middle East, and we will see it again later in places as far away as the mosques and madrasas of Samarqand and the Nazarid Palaces of Granada, Spain.
The old town of Nalut, on the way to Ghadames, has a huge ksar, made up of 400 chambers or ghurfas, used for storing and protecting grain. The city is very famous for its Berber granary. From the top of the qasr you have a marvellous sight over the mountains and plains of the Jebel Nafusa.
© Eric Lafforgue
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Processed through Multispec 64 and Photoshop; Create this wonderful panoramic scene in Gale Crater / Mars.
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SuperCam Composite image from Sol(s) 93, 94 & 96
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After the conquest of Carthage, the Roman province of Africa (which is Tunisia today) became one of the richest provinces of the empire and many wealthy people here commissioned beautiful mosaics in their villas. The Bardo Palace and Museum is a repository of some of the richest collections of Roman mosaics in the world.
The Bardo brings together one of the finest and largest collections of Roman mosaics in the world thanks to the excavations undertaken from the beginning of the 20th century on archaeological sites in the country including Carthage, Hadrumetum, Dougga, or Utica. The mosaics represent a unique source for research on everyday life in Roman Africa. The Museum also contains a rich collection of marble statues representing the gods and Roman emperors found on various sites including those of Carthage and Thuburbo Majus.
The guide books advised to visit the excellent Bardo Museum early in the morning or during lunch time to avoid crowds. However, we almost had the whole museum to ourselves. The attack by ISIS in March hit the tourism industry of Tunisia badly, leaving the sights and hotels empty. A few glass-encased artefacts were minimally damaged by the bullets but the jewels of the museum, the unprotected mosaics from the various Roman ruins in Tunisia, have miraculously survived unscathed.
The theatre of Roman ruins in Dougga. Dougga or Thugga is an ancient Roman city in northern Tunisia. UNESCO qualified Dougga as a World Heritage Site in 1997, believing that it represents “the best-preserved Roman small town in North Africa”. The site, which lies in the middle of the countryside, has been protected from the encroachment of modern urbanisation, in contrast, for example, to Carthage, which has been pillaged and rebuilt on numerous occasions.
Thugga’s size, its well-preserved monuments and its rich Numidian-Berber, Punic, ancient Roman and Byzantine history make it exceptional.
Among the most impressive features of Athanasius Kircher’s Turris Babel were its illustrations, engraved by C. Decker.
5:45 am
Phnom Bakheng is a popular sunset point. In the evening, a jostling crowd of 200-300 tourists makes it difficult to find a vantage point. And even if you do, it is impossible to get a second, third angle. So I decide to go there early in the morning. Since it sits on top of a hill, I see no reason why a sunrise would be any inferior to the sunset.
It takes a 20-25 minute steep hike to get from the base of the hill to the base of the temple. Instead, I ride the bike up the winding path that is used by elephants (elephant ride is a popular activity here). I park the bike at the head of the path, and climb the huge ancient steps that take me to the uppermost level of the temple. Phnom Bakeng, state temple of the first capital of Angkor - built like the mountain temple at Bakong - is in ruins. Very little remains. Though what remains shows enough to imagine the glory it must have been a thousand years ago.
Highlights from the wonderful exhibition of Tutankhamun's Gold Treasures at Saatchi Gallery London UK 30 Nov 2019.
© Amberinsea Photography 2019
In early 331, Alexander returned to his pursuit of Darius. He marched with his army toward Babylon, where Darius had been organizing a force for a showdown against him, a force that included Indian elephants and chariots armed with scythes. Along the way, during the early summer, Alexander conducted a campaign against a rebellion in Samaria. There a group of Jews had captured and burned alive their governor. Samarians surrendered those responsible for the killing, and Alexander had the murderers executed on the spot. Then, as a further lesson against such rebellions, he expelled Samaria's inhabitants, and in their place he invited Macedonians to populate the city.
Moving eastward across Mesopotamia, Alexander came again to the Royal Road, and he turned south toward Susa. On October 1, Darius and his army of a million men arrived on a wide plain along the Royal Road, by a town called Gaugamela, and the two armies clashed. Commanding his army from his chariot, Darius was slow in correcting weaknesses that developed in troop positions, and he was slow in taking advantages of weaknesses that had developed in the position of Alexander's army. Darius had failed to delegate enough command to subordinates. When he thought he saw Alexander's army over-powering his army, he fled with his retinue - the second time that he deserted men who were dying for him. And Darius' poorly led army was massacred.
Leaving behind his chariot, bow and a substantial hoard of coins as a prize for Alexander, Darius fled to Arbela, without destroying river bridges behind him. There he was joined by Bactrian cavalrymen, 2,000 loyal Greek mercenaries and a few of his surviving Royal Guards. From Arbela they pushed east through the Zagros Mountains and then south, dropping down to Ecbatana. Darius' nerve had been broken by his last defeat, but he hoped to gather and re-organize his army. He expressed hope that Alexander and his army would weaken themselves in luxury, idleness and the women they would find in Babylon, and he wrote nervously to his governors in Bactria and elsewhere in the east, urging them to remain loyal.
Alexander marched southward unimpeded, leaving the Royal Road and traveling along the Tigris River, past great fertile fields of barley and millet, past rows of date palms, man made canals and huge estates, to Babylon. The Persian governor of Babylon surrendered the city to him, and with his army Alexander entered the city in triumph.
The local priesthood made a show of welcoming Alexander, and Alexander in turn displayed his respects. He consulted the local priesthood on the correct worship of the Babylonian god, Marduk, and he made animal sacrifices to Marduk. He pleased the priesthood by ordering the restoration of Marduk's statue and the temples that the Persians had long before destroyed as punishment for a revolt. Men of wealth in the area, wishing to make peace with Alexander, gave him great sums of money. For Alexander's soldiers it was time for another rest, and they spent their pay on Babylon's women.
5 Image Mosaic from the Left Navigation Camera onboard Perseverance Rover, Mission Day / Sol 66
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Mysore is located in the Indian state of Karnataka and was called until 1947 Kingdom of Mysore; the city is a top tourist destination in India, famous for its building and palaces, its traditional painting, silk, sandalwood and incense; the main attraction in town is the majestic Mysore Palace, residence of the maharajas, and fully illuminated by 97, 000 electric bulbs at night on Sunday and during the Dussehra festival, giving an outstanding display of lights; Mysore homes several noteworthy focus such as the Lalitha Mahal Palace; the neo-gothic Saint Philomena’s Cathedral; the colourful typical Devaraja market; the Chamundi’s Hill with on its top the Sri Chamundeswari Temple dedicated to Chamundi, the deity of Mysore; halfway to the top of the Hill take a look on giant statue of Nandi the bull, Lord Shiva’s mount; around Mysore there is a island town called Srirangapatnam that is well worth a visit for its Sri Ranganatha Temple, the summer Palace (Daria Daulat Bagh) of Tipu Sultan and his stunning mausoleum (Gumbaz)
© Eric Lafforgue
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Egyptian Museum, Turin (Italy)
Sandstone
New Kingdom, Dynasty XIX, reign of Ramesses II (1292-1186 BC)
Provenance: Karnak, probably Temple of Amun-Re-Harakhte, later Drovetti.
The Egyptian sphinx, different in shape from the Greek sphinx, was a visual metaphor for the ‘living image’ of the king. It was a lion with man’s head.
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©Roberto Bertero, All Rights Reserved. This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.
Masada (“fortress” in Hebrew) is a mountain complex in Israel in the Judean desert that overlooks the Dead Sea. It is famous for the last stand of the Zealots (and Sicarii) in the Jewish Revolt against Rome (66-73 CE). Masada is a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Israel.
The last occupation at Masada was a Byzantine monastery, and then the site was largely forgotten due to its remoteness and harsh environment (especially in the summer months). The site was superficially explored in 1838 CE by the American archaeologists Edward Robinson and Eli Smith. Then, between 1963 and 1965 CE, Yigael Yadin, who was both an Israeli military commander as well as an archaeologist, organized the first major excavations with volunteers from around the world.
The source for the history of Masada is Flavius Josephus (36-100 CE), who wrote about the origins of the fortress under the Hasmoneans and the renovations of the site under Herod the Great (37-4 BCE). As an eyewitness to the events of the Jewish revolt against Rome (66-73 CE), he wrote The Jewish War with the last chapter relating events at Masada in 73-74 CE. Josephus described the decision to commit mass suicide at the fortress (960 men, women, and children). However, because he was not an eyewitness to the events, modern debate continues in relation to the historical basis of his story.
An artist's reconstruction, depicting a royal procession moving along Marduk's way, through the Ishtar gate, and turning into the courtyard of Nebuchadrezzar's palace which lies behind the lush growth of the famous hanging gardens. In the distance, the ziggurat of Marduk can be seen.
What impression the magnificent city of Babylon made upon the exiles can only be imagined. Nebuchadrezzar had made Babylon into one of the most beautiful cities in the world. This great metropolis straddled the Euphrates and was surrounded by a moat and huge walls 85 feet thick with massive reinforcing towers. Eight gates led into the city, the most important being the double gate of Ishtar with a blue facade adorned with alternating rows of yellow and white bulls and dragons. Through the Ishtar gate a broad, paved, processional street known as "Marduk's Way" passed between high walls, past Nebuchadrezzar's palace and the famous "hanging gardens" to the ziggurat of Marduk, the national god. This tremendous brick structure named E-temen-an-ki, "the House of the Foundation of Heaven and Earth," was 300 feet square at the base and rose in eight successive stages to a height of 300 feet. Temples dedicated to various gods and goddesses abounded. Beyond the city were lush orchards, groves and gardens, fed by an intricate canal system, from which supplies of fruits and vegetables were obtained. Domesticated animals, fish, wild fowl and game provided a varied diet. From east and west, north and south, came caravans with goods for trade and barter. In festal seasons, sacred statuary from shrines in nearby cities was brought to Babylon by boat and land vehicles. Truly Babylon was, as her residents believed, at the "center" of the world. The magnificent splendor of the city must have impressed the Jews, and as we shall see, there is some evidence that Babylonian religious concepts also made an impression on the exiles.
A royal procession. Water color by W. Anger (Pergamon Museum, Berlin;)
In front: the Procession Street;
center: the Ištar Gate;
on the horizon: the Etemenanki Tower of Babel.
Neo-Babylonian Period
(626–539 bc). The Babylonians, in coalition with the Medes and Scythians, defeated the Assyrians in 612 bc and sacked Nimrud and Nineveh. They did not establish a new style or iconography. Boundary stones depict old presentation scenes or the images of kings with symbols of the gods. Neo-Babylonian creativity manifested itself architecturally at Babylon, the capital. This huge city, destroyed (689 bc) by the Assyrian Sennacherib, was restored by Nabopolassar (r. 626–605 bc) and his son Nebuchadnezzar II. Divided by the Euphrates, it took 88 years to build and was surrounded by outer and inner walls. Its central feature was Esagila, the temple of Marduk, with its associated seven-story ziggurat Etemenanki, popularly known later as the Tower of Babel. The ziggurat reached 91 m (300 ft) in height and had at the top a temple (a shrine) built of sun-dried bricks and faced with baked bricks. From the temple of Marduk northward passed the processional way, its wall decorated with enamelled lions. Passing through the Ishtar Gate, it led to a small temple outside the city, where ceremonies for the New Year Festival were held. West of the Ishtar Gate were two palace complexes; east of the processional way lay, since the times of Hammurabi, a residential area. Like its famous Hanging Gardens, one of the SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD, (q.v.), at the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II little of the city remains. The Ishtar Gate (c. 575 bc) is one of the few surviving structures. The glazed-brick facade of the gate and the processional way that led up to it were excavated by German archaeologists and taken to Berlin, where the monument was reconstructed. The complex, some 30 m (about 100 ft) long, is on display in the city’s Vorderasiatische Museum. On the site of ancient Babylon, restoration of an earlier version of the Ishtar Gate, the processional way, and the palace complex, all built of unglazed brick, has been undertaken by the Iraq Department of Antiquities.
Nabonidus (r. 556–539 bc), the last Babylonian king, rebuilt the old Sumerian capital of Ur, including the ziggurat of Nanna, rival to the ziggurat Etemenanki at Babylon. It survived well and its facing of brick has recently been restored.
In 539 bc the Neo-Babylonian kingdom fell to the Persian Achaemenid king Cyrus the Great. Mesopotamia became part of the Persian Empire, and a royal palace was built at Babylon, which was made one of the empire’s administrative capitals. Among the remains from Babylon of the time of Alexander the Great, the conqueror of the Persian empire, is a theater he built at the site known now as Humra. The brilliance of Babylon was ended about 250 bc when the inhabitants of Babylon moved to Seleucia, built by Alexander’s successors.
The site of Palmyra is an oasis in the Syrian desert, north-east of Damascus, it contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world, Palmyra mixed Graeco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences, it was listed UNESCO World Heritage in 1980
© Eric Lafforgue