View allAll Photos Tagged ancienthistory
Reference: APAAME_20160526_RHB-0242.jpg
Photographer: Robert Howard Bewley
Credit: Aerial Photographic Archive for Archaeology in the Middle East
Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommerical-No Derivative Works
Babylon and its gardens destroyed, by Gustav Doré (1832-1883)
Terraces and two tiers of arches may represent the gardens, apparently based on Ctesias.
Situati nell'antica città di Babilonia (letteralmente, Porta del Dio), vicino alla odierna Baghdad (Iraq), i giardini pensili di Babilonia furono costruiti intorno al 590 a.C. dal re Nabucodonosor II (anche se la tradizione attribuisce la loro costruzione alla regina assira Semiramide).
La leggenda vuole che la regina - raffigurata nel celebre quadro di Degas, Semiramide alla costruzione di Babilonia, e le cui gesta sono state descritte in numerose opere liriche - trovasse nei giardini rose fresche ogni giorno, pur nel clima arido che caratterizzava la città.
Va notato che nella cultura tradizionale della Mesopotamia, il significato della parola giardino somiglia a quello di paradiso. Alcuni storici, va detto, sono in disaccordo sull'esistenza reale o meno della città di Babilonia e dei suoi giardini.
La questione della localizzazione dei giardini è ancora oggi irrisolta e gli studi, ancora in corso, hanno lasciato emergere le più varie ipotesi, tra cui anche quella che Babilonia non ospitasse affatto una delle Sette Meraviglie del mondo antico, poiché le fonti antiche, pur concordando nella descrizione dei giardini, non ne forniscono alcuna localizzazione precisa all'interno della città.
Artwork: Isaiah's vision of the destruction of Babylon
Artist: DORÉ, Gustave
Date: 1865
Technique: Engraving
Notes: From "La Sainte Bible"
Subject: The Vision of the Fall of Babylon
The great havoc and destruction which it was foretold should be made by the Medes and Persians in Babylon here end in the final destruction of it. 1. It is allowed that Babylon was a noble city. It was the glory of kingdoms and the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency; it was that head of gold (#Dan. ii. 37, 38|); it was called the lady of kingdoms (#ch. xlvii. 5|), the praise of the whole earth (#Jer. li. 41|), like a pleasant roe (so the word signifies); but it shall be as a chased roe, #v. 14|. The Chaldeans gloried in the beauty and wealth of this their metropolis. 2. It is foretold that it should be wholly destroyed, like Sodom and Gomorrah; not so miraculously, nor so suddenly, but as effectually, though gradually; and the destruction should come upon them as that upon Sodom, when they were secure, eating and drinking, #Luke xvii. 28, 29|. Babylon was taken when Belshazzar was in his revels; and, though Cyrus and Darius did not demolish it, yet by degrees it wasted away and in process of time it went all to ruin. It is foretold here (#v. 20|) that it shall never be inhabited; in Adrian's time nothing remained but the wall. And whereas it is prophesied concerning Nineveh, that great city, that when it should be deserted and left desolate yet flocks should lie down in the midst of it, it is here said concerning Babylon that the Arabians, who were shepherds, should not make their folds there; the country about should be so barren that there would be no grazing there; no, not for sheep. Nay, it shall be the receptacle of wild beasts, that affect solitude; the houses of Babylon, where the sons and daughters of pleasure used to rendezvous, shall be full of doleful creatures, owls and satyrs, that are themselves frightened thither, as to a place proper for them, and by whom all others are frightened thence. Historians say that this was fulfilled in the letter. Benjamin Bar-Jona, in his Itinerary, speaking of Babel, has these words: "This is that Babel which was of old thirty miles in breadth; it is now laid waste. There are yet to be seen the ruins of a palace of Nebuchadnezzar, but the sons of men dare not enter in, for fear of serpents and scorpions, which possess the place." Let none be proud of their pompous palaces, for they know not but they may become worse than cottages; nor let any think that their houses shall endure for ever (#Ps. xlix. 11|), when perhaps nothing may remain but the ruins and reproaches of them. 3. It is intimated that this destruction should come shortly (#v. 22|): Her time is near to come. This prophecy of the destruction of Babylon was intended for the support and comfort of the people of God when they were captives there and grievously oppressed; and the accomplishment of the prophecy was nearly 200 years after the time when it was delivered; yet it followed soon after the time for which it was calculated. When the people of Israel were groaning under the heavy yoke of Babylonish tyranny, sitting down in tears by the rivers of Babylon and upbraided with the songs of Zion, when their insolent oppressors were most haughty and arrogant (#v. 11|), then let them know, for their comfort, that Babylon's time, her day to fall, is near to come, and the days of her prosperity shall not be prolonged, as they have been. When God begins with her he will make an end. Thus it is said of the destruction of the New-Testament Babylon, whereof the former was a type, In one hour has her judgment come. .
Les Murailles de Babylone avaient suffisamment impressionnées les auteurs antiques pour que plusieurs d’entre-eux les citent parmi les sept merveilles du monde. Selon Hérodote, leur longueur totale atteignait 360 stades (64 kilomètres). Le dispositif défensif avait été pensé par Nabopolassar, qui en commença la réalisation, et son fils Nabuchodonosor l’acheva.
Babylone : reconstitution de la porte du palais nord.Les fortifications intérieures consistaient en trois murs : un premier mur intérieur de 7 mètres de large en briques crues, puis douze mètres plus loin un deuxième mur de 7,80 mètres en briques cuites, puis un troisième de 3,25 mètres en briques cuites aussi, lui même précédé d’un fossé extérieur qui avait entre 80 et 100 mètres de large. L’espace compris entre les deux premiers murs d’enceinte était comblé de terre, l’ensemble (24 mètres) faisait office de voie de circulation.
Tous les dix-huit mètres environ les deux premiers murs étaient renforcés de tours en quinconce. Ces murs étaient probablement surmontés de créneaux, semblables à ceux que l’on peut voir sur les bâtiments babyloniens figurant sur les reliefs assyriens. Comme Jérusalem, l’enceinte de Babylone était percée de huit portes, chacune ayant un nom de cérémonie, suivi de son nom commun : la Porte d’Urash : « L’ennemi lui est répugnant », la Porte de Zababa : « Elle déteste ses attaquants », la Porte de Mardouk : « Son Seigneur est berger », la Porte d’Ishtar : « Ishtar vainc son assaillant », la Porte d’Enlil : « En1i1 la fait briller », la Porte du Roi : « Que son fondateur prospère ! », la Porte d’Adad : « O Adad, protège la vie des troupes » , la Porte de Shamash : « O Shamash, soutiens les troupes ! » Ces noms de portes garantissaient à la ville la protection divine. De chaque porte partaient les voies processionnelles des grands dieux.
L’accès à la cité se faisait par une magnifique avenue de 250 mètres de long, flanquée de murs de 7 mètres d’épaisseur, avec trois séries de bastions. Ces murs étaient coupés à intervalles par des tours construites légèrement en saillie. Ils étaient décorés de frises de briques en relief et émaillées de couleurs vives (bleu, jaune, blanc et rouge), figurant 120 lions, l’emblème d’Ishtar.
Babylon was one of a number of cities built by a succession of peoples that lived on the plain starting around 5,500 years ago. There developed a tradition in each city of building a temple in the shape of a stepped pyramid. These temples, or ziggurats, most likely honored a particular god. The people of Mesopotamia believed in many gods and often a city might have several ziggurats. Over time Babylon became the most influential city on the plain and its ziggurat, honoring the god Marduk, was built, destroyed and rebuilt until it was the tallest tower.
Iconic Symbol of Acolman, Mexico, is plausibly a road map of Jerusalem.
I waited 60 days to present this extreme theory, from myself an amateur.
I know the symbols and icons of Acolman are so radically non-Aztecan, non-Toltec, so Greekish in style, as to defy explanation.
But what I didn't count on is that the premier Solomon landmarks of Jerusalem seemed to line up with this explicit image. I can almost see in the shadown images of modern day Jerusalem, this right hand, PLUS the faded shape of a left hand too.
So I challenged myself, find out if I could locate any plausible connection and landmarks still visible in the modern street map, with this iconic symbol.
And in a 60-70% confidence rate, I think I have.
What is most impressive, is the shoulder bone portion of the right arm, shows what?
Just, the Great Synangogue, the Palace of Solomon, and the Entrance to the Tomb of Christ!
For this reason, I think this symbol and many other map symbols, may have been found by the Templars of the 1200 AD era Crusades, and the various maps led them to the Central Mexico location in 1325 AD, 18 years after they were attacked by Philip IV of France, and Pope Clement V on October 13, 1307, "Friday the 13th".
"A Tragic Day", also from Wikipedia....
itsoutoftheordinary.blogspot.com/2009/10/october-13-1307-...
Aztec legends state that in the year 1325, a group of white men, with hair "the color of the Sun" descended into the Valley of Mexico and taught the minor tribe "Aztecs" in city-building and governorship of the multi-cultural area. An even more obscure "urban legend" stated that some of those men had white robes and a red cross, but this has never been verified.
Also note: The emblem of Sau Paulo, Brazil, labeled "Non Ducor, Duco", is amazingly like this "Right hand of God" symbolic, only their's has a Templar Cross in the waved flag. The translation of the symbolic is... "I am not led, I lead". This is enormously interesting to me.
www.flickr.com/photos/kassapian/3180696077/
Is this symbolic evidence that the legends are true, that the Templars may have reached the Valley of Mexico in 1325? Did they find the map of the "Old World" under the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, and aid in the construction of Jerusalem West, Huitzilo Pochtli?
See also...
www.flickr.com/photos/10749411@N03/5443199208/in/photostream
Uma construção do século 18 inspirada nos Jardins Suspensos.
Embora seja a mais conhecida das Sete Maravilhas, os Jardins Suspensos da Babilônia talvez nunca tenham existido. Não há registro da época sobre eles e os achados arqueológicos até hoje não provaram sua existência.
Quando Nabucodonosor assumiu o reino da Babilônia, em 600 a.C., construiu um complexo arquitetônico composto por palácios, templos e muralhas e transformou-o no mais luxuoso de toda a Mesopotâmia (atual Iraque). O esplendor era tanto que pessoas que passavam por lá saíam contando maravilhas – muitas exageradas. Os historiadores gregos Diodoro e Strabo podem ter juntado descrições dos jardins assírios – que tinham animais, plantas exóticas e sistemas de irrigação – com obras de Nabucodonosor quando escreveram sobre os jardins da Babilônia.
The Temple of Artemis literally had its ups and downs over the centuries. It was erected around 600 BC and burned down in about 550 AD. It was then rebuilt into a bigger and more magnificent version.
The Temple of Artemis was destroyed again in 336 BC, this time by an arsonist named Herostratus who wanted to immortalize his name (2300 years later it appears he succeeded).
The temple was again rebuilt, even bigger and better than before. Except for its lumber-supported roof covered with glazed terra cotta tiles, the new Temple of Artemis was made almost exclusively of marble (a first in its day). Inside, the temple was richly decorated with sculptures and other artworks created by leading artists. It more or less survived intact until the invading Goths severely damaged it in 262 AD.
Sadly, the Temple of Artemis was never rebuilt again. What remained slowly disintegrated with the help of earthquakes. By the 5th Century AD, most of the marble had been salvaged for local building needs.
When I explored the Temple of Artemis site 15 centuries later, all that remained was one reconstructed column (of uncertain origin) and a marshy field strewn with large chunks of marble (that may or may not have belonged to the Temple of Artemis).
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was Gaius Octavius, later Caesar Augustus's most trusted and unshakably loyal general. He was also a very close friend to Octavius and, even later, his son-in-law.
He was responsible for constructing some of the most notable buildings in history, including the original Pantheon.
He is well known for his critical military victories, notably the Battle of Actium in 31 BC against the forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra.
Agrippa was also husband to Julia, the Elder( Augustus' only daughter)(who had later married the second Emperor Tiberius). He was the maternal grandfather of Caligula and the maternal great-grandfather of Emperor Nero.
If Caro's doing it, then I will, too.
My mom made the dress. The guy is now an MD/PhD and no longer has a perm. I don't have a perm anymore, either.
I scanned this for ye old blog a long time ago. Sorry it's not any bigger. I just have a wallet size photo!
TRANSLATION
(Adapted from Marzahn 1995:29-30)
Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, the faithful prince appointed by the will of Marduk, the highest of princely princes, beloved of Nabu, of prudent counsel, who has learned to embrace wisdom, who fathomed their divine being and reveres their majesty, the untiring governor, who always takes to heart the care of the cult of Esagila and Ezida and is constantly concerned with the well-being of Babylon and Borsippa, the wise, the humble, the caretaker of Esagila and Ezida, the firstborn son of Nabopolassar, the King of Babylon.
Both gate entrances of Imgur-Ellil and Nemetti-Ellil —following the filling of the street from Babylon—had become increasingly lower. Therefore, I pulled down these gates and laid their foundations at the water-table with asphalt and bricks and had them made of bricks with blue stone on which wonderful bulls and dragons were depicted. I covered their roofs by laying majestic cedars length-wise over them. I hung doors of cedar adorned with bronze at all the gate openings. I placed wild bulls and ferocious dragons in the gateways and thus adorned them with luxurious splendor so that people might gaze on them in wonder
I let the temple of Esiskursiskur (the highest festival house of Markduk, the Lord of the Gods—a place of joy and celebration for the major and minor gods) be built firm like a mountain in the precinct of Babylon of asphalt and fired bricks.
DESCRIPTION
Language: Akkadian
Medium: glazed brick
Size: c. 15 meters high
c. 10 meters wide
Length: 60 lines of writing
Genre: Dedication Inscription
Dedicator: Nebuchadnezzar
King of Babylonia
(reigned 605—562 BCE)
Approximate Date: 600 BCE
Place of Discovery: Babylon
(near modern Baghdad, Iraq)
Date of Excavation: 1899—1914
Current Location: Pergamon Museen
(Berlin, Germany)
Ao longo dos rios Tigre e Eufrates, no oriente médio se formou uma civilização através da ocupação da área que margeava os rios. Berço das primeiras civilizações, atualmente o território é ocupado pelo Iraque. Em grego significa terra entre dois rios.
A cerca de 10.000 anos, com o fim do último período glacial, as calotas polares recuaram, transformando a área que margeava os rios, até então pradarias férteis, em desertos áridos. Mas ao longo da margem dos rios sobraram férteis terras. Os homens, que até então eram caçadores nômades, forçaram-se a se instalar junto aos rios, principiando a criação de cidades. Aprenderam a semear e colher. Construíam diques e canais de irrigação. Construíram cabanas, domesticavam animais, dos quais aproveitavaram o leite, carne e vestuário.
A cerca de 4.000 a.C. um povo da Ásia central estabeleceu-se na Mesopotâmia. Este Sumérios primitivos eram hábeis agricultores, construíram templos de pedra e objetos cerâmicos. Era a base formada para a vida civilizada ao longo dos dois vales, estendendo-se com o tempo.
Foram vários os povos que se apossaram-se dessa fértil terra do Oriente Médio por maio de lutas. Entre eles, podemos citar: Sumérios, Elamitas, Hititas, Acádios, Amoritas (antigos babilônicos), Cassitas, Assírios, Caudeus (novos babilônicos) e outros.
Os povos antigos da Mesopotâmia não acreditavam na imortalidade da alma, pois levavam uma vida sem se preocupar com a morte ou a pós-morte. Uma das divindades mais cultuadas era a Deusa Ishtar, que era o planeta Vênus.
Babylon (Babylonian Bab-ilim or Babil, "gate of God"), one of the most important cities of the ancient world, whose location today is marked by a broad area of ruins just east of the Euphrates River, 90 km (56 mi) south of Baghdad, Iraq. Babylon was the capital of Babylonia in the 2nd and 1st millennia BC. In antiquity the city profited from its location extending across the main overland trade route connecting the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean. Although the site was settled in prehistoric times, Babylon is first mentioned in documents only in the late 3rd millennium BC. About 2200 BC it was known as the site of a temple, and during the 21st century BC it was subject to the nearby city of Ur. Babylon became an independent city-state by 1894 BC, when the Amorite Sumu-abum founded a dynasty there. This dynasty reached its high point under Hammurabi. In 1595 BC the city was captured by Hittites, and shortly thereafter it came under the control of the Kassite dynasty (circa 1590-1155 BC). The Kassites transformed Babylon the city-state into the country of Babylonia by bringing all of southern Mesopotamia into permanent subjection and making Babylon its capital. The city thus became the administrative center of a large kingdom. Later, probably in the 12th century BC, it became the religious center as well, when its principal god, Marduk, was elevated to the head of the Mesopotamian pantheon.
After the Kassite dynasty collapsed under pressure from the Elamites to the east, Babylon was governed by several short-lived dynasties. From the late 8th century BC until the Assyrians were expelled by Nabopolassar, between 626 and 615 BC, the city was part of the Assyrian Empire.
Nabopolassar founded the Neo-Babylonian dynasty, and his son Nebuchadnezzar II expanded the kingdom until it became an empire embracing much of southwest Asia. The imperial capital at Babylon was refurbished with new temple and palace buildings, extensive fortification walls and gates, and paved processional ways; it was at that time the largest city of the known world, covering more than 1000 hectares (some 2500 acres).
The Neo-Babylonian Empire was of short duration. In 539 BC, Cyrus the Great captured Babylon and incorporated Babylonia into the newly founded Persian Empire. Under the Persians, Babylon for a time served as the official residence of the crown prince, until a local revolt in 482 led Xerxes I to raze the temples and ziggurat (temple tower) and to melt down the statue of the patron god Marduk.
Alexander the Great captured the city in 330 BC and planned to rebuild it and make it the capital of his vast empire, but he died before he could carry out his plans. After 312 BC, Babylon was for a while used as a capital by the Seleucid dynasty set up by Alexander's successors. When the new capital of Seleucia on the Tigris was founded in the early 3rd century BC, however, most of Babylon's population was moved there. The temples continued in use for a time, but the city became insignificant and almost disappeared before the coming of Islam in the 7th century AD.
The topography of Babylon is best known from the occupation levels of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty, as excavated by Robert Koldewey and other German archaeologists just before World War I. At that time the Euphrates divided the city into two unequal parts-the old quarter, with most of the palaces and temples, on the east bank, and the New City on the west bank. A prominent place near the center of the city was occupied by Esagila, the temple of Marduk; just to the north of that was Etemenanki (the ziggurat), a seven-storied edifice sometimes linked in popular legend with the Tower of Babel. A cluster of palaces and fortifications was found at the northwest corner of the old city; the German excavators identified one ruin in this area with the foundations of the Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, which Nebuchadnezzar II built for his Median wife. Nearby was located the Ishtar Gate, with its lions and dragons in brightly colored glazed brick. Through it passed the main Processional Way, the route followed by cultic and political leaders for the New Year's festival ceremonies. Through nine major gates of the massive inner fortification walls passed roads to the principal settlements of Babylonia.
Reference: APAAME_20160526_RHB-0241.jpg
Photographer: Robert Howard Bewley
Credit: Aerial Photographic Archive for Archaeology in the Middle East
Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommerical-No Derivative Works
from wikipédia
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the main part of a complex setting of buildings that included two mortuary temples in honor of Khufu (one close to the pyramid and one near the Nile), three smaller pyramids for Khufu's wives, an even smaller "satellite" pyramid, a raised causeway connecting the two temples, and small mastaba tombs surrounding the pyramid for nobles. One of the small pyramids contains the tomb of queen Hetepheres (discovered in 1925), sister and wife of Sneferu and the mother of Khufu. There was a town for the workers of Giza, including a cemetery, bakeries, a beer factory and a copper smelting complex. More buildings and complexes are being discovered by The Giza Mapping Project.
A few hundred metres south-west of the Great Pyramid lies the slightly smaller Pyramid of Khafre, one of Khufu's successors who is also commonly considered the builder of the Great Sphinx, and a few hundred metres further south-west is the Pyramid of Menkaure, Khafre's successor, which is about half as tall.
The generally accepted estimated date of its completion is c. 2560 BC. Although this date contradicts radiocarbon dating evidence, it is loosely supported by a lack of archaeological findings for the existence prior to the fourth dynasty of a civilization with sufficient population or technical ability in the area.
Khufu's vizier, Hemon, or Hemiunu, is believed by some to be the architect of the Great Pyramid.
The building is thought to be the first completely constructed with marble and one of its must unusual features were 36 columns whose lower portions were carved with figures in high-relief (left). The temple also housed many works of art including four bronze statues of Amazon women.
Pliny recorded the length of this new temple at 425 feet and the width at 225 feet. Some 127 columns, 60 feet in height, supported the roof. In comparison the Parthenon, the remains of which stand on the acropolis in Athens today, was only 230 feet long, 100 feet wide and had 58 columns.
According to Pliny, construction took 120 years, though some experts suspect it may have only taken half that time. We do know that when Alexander the Great came to Ephesus in 333 B.C., the temple was still under construction. He offered to finance the completion of the temple if the city would credit him as the builder. The city fathers didn't want Alexander's name carved on the temple, but didn't want to tell him that. They finally gave the tactful response: "It is not fitting that one god should build a temple for another god" and Alexander didn't press the matter.
Pliny reported that earthen ramps were employed to get the heavy stone beams perched on top of the columns. This method seemed to work well until one of the largest beams was put into position above the door. It went down crookedly and the architect could find no way to get it to lie flat. He was beside himself with worry about this until he had a dream one night in which the Goddess herself appeared to him saying that he should not be concerned. She herself had moved the stone in the proper position. The next morning the architect found that the dream was true. During the night the beam had settled into its proper place.
The city continued to prosper over the next few hundred years and was the destination for many pilgrims coming to view the temple. A souvenir business in miniature Artemis idols, perhaps similar to a statue of her in the temple, grew up around the shrine. It was one of these business proprietors, a man named Demetrius, that gave St. Paul a difficult time when he visited the city in 57 A.D.
The location of the Reclining Devil's Embrace is 116 miles at 170 degrees from Block Island.
In the first 72 hours of this display, I believe I have made an honest mistake, and it is wonderful.
I am adding two images:
The Zoomorphic image of the Canaanite Dagon fish God, father of Baal, allegedly drawn by a Rick Sardinha...(waiting for permission)
...and the Anthropomorphic version of Pan, by an unknown artist.
Obviously, the horrific looking Dagon, who holds many roles, is followed in history by a kinder, gentler, male super-hero, Pan, aka Faun of the Greek and Roman pantheons.
media.comicvine.com/uploads/3/31451/613629-dagon_large.jpg
Ancient Gods' attributes evolving into modern Gods...
The Abraxus and Pan figures may have come to prominence in more modern times, in the form of a Goat and then wild man, and ultimately Dionysius I truly believe. At this moment, I am seeking permission to use the images of Dagon, and Pan, in this non-profitable, educational way. The Dagon image is owned by "Wizards of the Coast".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizards_of_the_Coast
The image was displayed and explained on comicvine.com...
As an amateur researcher, I have read that in some cultures, this Dagon fish character and the more modern "Abraxus-type", then the Pan-Faun character is the Devil himself. In other cultures, he is the epitome of Male fertility, or he is the savior of all mankind, the Rising Sun figure, or he is the agricultural God. It's tough being a God when Mother Nature destroys your kingdoms.
However, one thing this ocean floor fish-image is not, and that is Osiris, the bird-man-God, aka "Kah-Kah", the Raven, as I previouosly believed.
A prayer to the Gods, not an insult...
In this depiction of the fish figure at 7500 feet down, given the earlier discovery of the Aten Disc thrower insulting the Aten-circle believers, I think this image is meant not to be an insult as previously thought. Instead, this figure is probably meant to portray this "Father of Baal" as the "original seed of all mankind", sort of the Post-flood, last-humanoid-standing, "Adam and Eve" or "Noah".
Let me take the time to mention the "Decline of Osiris", the dismemberment of Osiris in mythology terms...i.e., "The flood".
Because I made the mistake of identifying the fish-headed figure as the bird-beaked figure Osiris, I will leave the original explanation of the consequence of the flood, in Egyptian and Greek terms.
Osiris went from the pre-flood God-of-all-Gods, to the post-flood wanton, craven devil. In fact, after one of the major flood epochs, the previous "God of all Gods" - aka Soker-Osiris became the "God of Death", with his decapitated head kicked around in ball games, i.e., "Soccer".
If you remember the mythology of his decline, that he went to a grand feast with the treacherous Set and many of his contemporaries, wherein he was tricked into a coffin and cast into the sea.
When the coffin was retrieved, his body was hacked and dismembered, with the remains scattered throughout the world. The only body part that was never recovered was the male genitalia, which was "swallowed by a fish"! Is this where the Dagon mythology was born? Dagon, father of Baal, provided the seed according to Canaanite legend, that restored the human race! Or, were the Canaanite tribes trying to impress anyone who would listen, that only the Canaanites themselves were inheritors of the seed of Osiris, via the Fish?
I am noting to the reader that this image covers 275 square miles, sloping down from 7500 to 8500 feet deep, overlooking the Bermuda-area floor ancient habitats of 17,000 feet deep.
Overall, though, I believe this image is an appeasement, an apology, a prayer message to the Gods in the Heavens, saying..."We know that the previous citizens of this area were depraved and lived evil lives, and we know why you destroyed all the kingdoms below us (-7500 ft) in the cataclysms. THEY ARE NOT US!!! We are asking forgiveness, we restored the human race, please don't destroy us too."
At the sloping elevation of -8500 upwards to -7500 feet, I am guessing that the age of this habitat-image and the zoomorphic form of the mythology, is a minimum of 10,000 years old. And note, I find very intriguing possibilities that this freakish monster may have represented the earlier form of humans, the Neanderthals, who in their tribal cultures, plausibly attempted to mate with their neighbors.
Either way, I think I have made a significant discovery, for real experts and academics to evaluate.
Further notes: The presence of the various place names in my own area, probably related in etymology to Dagon and Pan, could be mentioned here:
Taconic, New York (the Great-"ek" of Dagon/Tacon, Ta-con-ek?)
Tokoneke, Connecticut
Ticonderoga, New York
New Canaan, Connecticut
Shippan, of Stamford, Connecticut
Also note: The Greek version of the "Dagon" myth of re-seeding humanity after the flood, might be "Deucalion" and "Pyrra"....
ancienthistory.about.com/od/myths/qt/101807Deucalion.htm
"In the complicated, ever-changing Greek pantheon, there is also the curious parallel with the serpent "Ophion" and Eurynome..."In some versions of Greek mythology, Ophion (Ὀφίων "serpent"), also called Ophioneus (Ὀφιονεύς) ruled the world with Eurynome before the two of them were cast down by Cronus and Rhea."
Strangely, is the evil fish monster Dagon, a prototype of the "Serpent" in the Garden of Eden?
Huge thanks to Radagast the Brown with his Canaanite background info, on comicbook.vine, and to the alleged designer of the "Dagon image", Rick Sardinha, with copywrite ownership by "Wizards of the Coast".
See also related to this Tacon, Dagon image...
www.flickr.com/photos/10749411@N03/5372308484/in/photostream
www.flickr.com/photos/10749411@N03/5336241690/in/photostr...
www.flickr.com/photos/10749411@N03/5097718144/
May 5, 2012 note: The fish symbolic cut into the landscape of the ocean floor, 118 miles at 170 degrees from Block Island, is now officially "obscured", and is no longer visible on Google Earth. So be it! Also, the idea that the Dagon figure is "reclining" is probably a misnomer, in that the expanse of time for this figure to be perfectly upright in a North-South posture would indicate it was built in today's time frame, or one complete cycle of the North-line in the celestial heavens, 25,600 years! The fact that this figure is postured in a "today's West, the construction time's North" plausibly indicates to me, an amateur, that this is 6400 years previous to our own. (4400 BC)
December 2, 2012 update: With all the anomalies that I am uncovering, especially regarding the "Fortunate Islands", I am now leaning towards the name Deucalion as being related to Dagon, aka "Teu-kay-yawn", aka Taconic, aka Tokeneke. Yes, that is Deucalion of the Atlantis benchmark fame.
The name of this place, the 275 square miles of imagery South of Block Island, may in fact be "Deucalion".
Luís XIV revelou um interesse especial pela história de Alexandre. Le Brun pintou uma série dedicada a aspectos da vida e da história do rei macedónico
A Festa de Baltazar - Rembrandt, c. 1635
National Gallery, London
Belshazzar's Feast
Rembrandt, 1635
Oil on canvas
167.6 × 209.2 cm
National Gallery, London
Belshazzar's Feast is a painting by Rembrandt painted in about 1635. The source for this painting is the story of Belshazzar, in the Old Testament Book of Daniel (Daniel 5).
Belshazzar's Feast refers to an event described in the Book of Daniel, in which the Babylonian king Belshazzar profanes the sacred vessels of the enslaved Jews, and, as prophesized by the writing on the wall, is slain, leading to their freedom.
The writing on the wall (or sometimes 'handwriting on the wall') is an expression that suggests a portent of doom or misfortune. It originates in the Biblical book of Daniel—where supernatural writing fortells the demise of the Babylonian Empire, but it has come to have a wide usage in language and literature.
www.nationalgallery.org.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects.dll/Collect...
Belshazzar's Feast is a painting by Rembrandt painted in about 1635. The source for this painting is the story of Belshazzar, in the Old Testament Book of Daniel (Daniel 5).
biblia.com/jesusbible/daniel4.htm
The Temple of Artemis (Greek: Artemision; Latin: Artemisium), also known as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to Artemis completed around 550 BC at Ephesus (in present-day Turkey) under the Achaemenid dynasty of the Persian Empire. Nothing remains of the original temple, which was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The temple was a 120-year project started by Croesus of Lydia. It was described by Antipater of Sidon, who compiled a list of the Seven Wonders:
I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, 'Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught (anything) so grand." (Antipater, Greek Anthology [IX.58])
The Temple of Artemis was located in the ancient city of Ephesus, about 50 km south from the modern port city of Izmir, in Turkey. Like the other wonders, Antipater chose the temple for his list not because of its beauty or size, but rather because it rested near the border of the Greek world. This inspired a sense of mystery and awe for the Greeks, and emphasized Alexander the Great's vast empire.
Most of the physical description and art within the Temple of Artemis comes from Pliny, though there are different accounts and the actual size varies.
Pliny describes the temple as 377 feet (115 meters) long and 180 feet (55 meters) wide, made almost entirely of marble. The Temple consists of 127 Ionic-styled columns, each 60 feet (18 meters) in height.
The Temple of Artemis housed many fine artworks. Sculptures by renowned Greek sculptors Polyclitus, Pheidias, Cresilas, and Phradmon adorned the temple, as well as paintings and gilded columns of gold and silver.
The sculptors often competed at creating the finest sculpture. Many of these sculptures were of Amazons, who are said to have founded the city of Ephesus.
Pliny tells us that Scopas, who also worked on the Mausoleum of Mausollos, worked carved reliefs into the temple's columns.
The Temple of Artemis was located at an economically robust region, seeing merchants and travellers from all over Asia Minor. The temple was influenced by many beliefs, and can be seen as a symbol of faith for many different peoples. The Ephesians worshipped Cybele, and incorporated many of their beliefs into the worship of Artemis. Artemisian Cybele became quite contrasted from her Roman counterpart, Diana. The cult of Artemis attracted thousands of worshippers from far-off lands. They would all gather at the site and worship her.
...The conquests of Tiglath-pileser once more raised the Mesopotamian question in Babylonia, whose sphere of influence in that region had been invaded. Marduk-nadin-akhe, the grandson of Nebuchadrezzar I, "arrayed his chariots" against Tiglath-pileser, and in the first conflict achieved some success, but subsequently he was defeated in the land of Akkad. The Assyrian army afterwards captured several cities, including Babylon and Sippar...
Amulets were worn around the neck or placed within mummy wrappings and were believed to have magical properties that would protect the wearer from evil and disease. Various amulets depict deities like Thoth and Duamutef or protective symbols such as the wadj-pillar and udjat-eye. Clay moulds were used to make such amulets.
Faience, clay
Late Period
VM 531, VM 212, VM 1839, VM 1842, VM B157, VM B160
Gustavianum, Uppsala University Museum
The Mediterranean Sea and the Nile Valley
Uppsala Sweden
Classicizing reconstruction by Athanasius Kircher, 1679
apparently based on Ctesias, c.400 BC (square footprint, theatre-style terraces, open galleries & apartments)
and Philo, c.250 BC, or c.150 BC,
or 1st century AD, or 6th century AD (fountains)
The Temple of Artemis (Greek: Artemision; Latin: Artemisium), also known as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to Artemis completed around 550 BC at Ephesus (in present-day Turkey) under the Achaemenid dynasty of the Persian Empire. Nothing remains of the original temple, which was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The temple was a 120-year project started by Croesus of Lydia. It was described by Antipater of Sidon, who compiled a list of the Seven Wonders:
I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, 'Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught (anything) so grand." (Antipater, Greek Anthology [IX.58])
The Temple of Artemis was located in the ancient city of Ephesus, about 50 km south from the modern port city of Izmir, in Turkey. Like the other wonders, Antipater chose the temple for his list not because of its beauty or size, but rather because it rested near the border of the Greek world. This inspired a sense of mystery and awe for the Greeks, and emphasized Alexander the Great's vast empire.
Artemis was the Greek goddess, the virginal huntress and twin of Apollo, who supplanted the Titan Selene as Goddess of the Moon. Of the Olympian goddesses who inherited aspects of the Great Goddess of Crete, Athene was more honored than Artemis at Athens.
At Ephesus, a goddess whom the Greeks associated with Artemis was passionately venerated in an archaic, certainly pre-Hellenic icon. The original - of which many copies and reductions circulated in Antiquity - was carved of wood, with many breasts denoting her fertility (rather than the virginity that Hellene Artemis assumed).
Most similar to Near-Eastern and Egyptian deities, and least like Greek ones, her body and legs are enclosed within a tapering pillar-like term, from which her feet protrude. On the coins minted at Ephesus, the many-breasted Goddess wears a mural crown (like a city's walls), an attribute of Cybele (see polos). On the coins she rests either arm on a staff formed of entwined serpents or of a stack of ouroboroi, the eternal serpent with its tail in its mouth.
Like Cybele, the goddess at Ephesus was served by hierodules called megabyzae, and by (korai).
A votive inscription mentioned by Bennett (see link), which dates probably from about the 3rd century BC, associates Ephesian Artemis with Crete: "To the Healer of diseases, to Apollo, Giver of Light to mortals, Eutyches has set up in votive offering (a statue of) the Cretan Lady of Ephesus, the Light-Bearer."The Greek habits of syncretism assimilated all foreign gods under some form of the Olympian pantheon familiar to them, and it is clear that at Ephesus, the identification that the Ionian settlers made of the "Lady of Ephesus" with Artemis was slender.
The sacred site at Ephesus was far older than the Artemisium. Pausanias understood the shrine of Artemis there to be very ancient. He states with certainty that it antedated the Ionic immigration by many years, being older even than the oracular shrine of Apollo at Didyma. He said that the pre-Ionic inhabitants of the city were Leleges and Lydians.
The Temple was designed and constructed around 550 BC by the Cretan architect Chersiphron and his son Metagenes. This early construction was built at the expense of Croesus, the wealthy king of Lydia. Marshy ground was selected for the building site as a precaution against future earthquakes, according to Pliny the Elder.
The temple became a tourist attraction, visited by merchants, kings, and sightseers, many of whom paid homage to Artemis in the form of jewelry and various goods. Its splendor also attracted many worshippers, many of whom formed the cult of Artemis.
The temple was a widely respected place of refuge, a tradition that was linked in myth with the Amazons who took refuge there, both from Heracles and from Dionysus.
The temple of Artemis at Ephesus was destroyed on July 21, 356 BC in an act of arson committed by Herostratus.
The Ephesians, outraged, announced that Herostratus' name never be recorded. Strabo later noted the name, which is how we know today.
That very night, Alexander the Great was born. Plutarch remarked that Artemis was too preoccupied with Alexander's delivery to save her burning temple. Alexander later offered to pay for the Temple's rebuilding, but the Ephesians refused.
Eventually, the temple was restored after Alexander's death, in 323 BC.
This reconstruction was itself destroyed during a raid by the Goths in 262, in the time of emperor Gallienus: "Respa, Veduc and Thuruar, leaders of the Goths, took ship and sailed across the strait of the Hellespont to Asia. There they laid waste many populous cities and set fire to the renowned temple of Diana at Ephesus", reported Jordanes in Getica (xx.107).
Over the next two centuries, the majority of Ephesians converted to Christianity, and the Temple of Artemis lost its religious appeal. Christians tore down the remenants of the temple, and the stones were used in construction of other buildings.The main primary sources for the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus are in Pliny the Elder's Natural Historyand Plutarch's Life of Alexander III.5 (referencing the burning of the Artemisium).
The site of the temple was rediscovered in 1869 by an expedition sponsored by the British Museum, and while several artifacts and sculptures from the reconstructed temple can be seen there today, as for the original site, only a single column remains from the temple itself.
Architecture and art
Most of the physical description and art within the Temple of Artemis comes from Pliny, though there are different accounts and the actual size varies.
Pliny describes the temple as 377 feet (115 meters) long and 180 feet (55 meters) wide, made almost entirely of marble. The Temple consists of 127 Ionic-styled columns, each 60 feet (18 meters) in height.
The Temple of Artemis housed many fine artworks. Sculptures by renowned Greek sculptors Polyclitus, Pheidias, Cresilas, and Phradmon adorned the temple, as well as paintings and gilded columns of gold and silver.
The sculptors often competed at creating the finest sculpture. Many of these sculptures were of Amazons, who are said to have founded the city of Ephesus.
Pliny tells us that Scopas, who also worked on the Mausoleum of Mausollos, worked carved reliefs into the temple's columns.
The Temple of Artemis was located at an economically robust region, seeing merchants and travellers from all over Asia Minor. The temple was influenced by many beliefs, and can be seen as a symbol of faith for many different peoples. The Ephesians worshipped Cybele, and incorporated many of their beliefs into the worship of Artemis. Artemisian Cybele became quite contrasted from her Roman counterpart, Diana. The cult of Artemis attracted thousands of worshippers from far-off lands. They would all gather at the site and worship her.
Shot this last Oct. Wasn't too happy with my earlier overdone HDR processing.
Decided to give it an ancient / antique feel.
OK, it's also an excuse that I haven't been going out for photoshoots lately :-P & have no new pics to share.
--------------------
The temple of Ta Prohm was used as a location in the movie, Tomb Raider.
Ta Prohm is the modern name of a temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built in the Bayon style largely in the late 12th and early 13th centuries and originally called Rajavihara.
Located approximately one kilometre east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray near Tonle Bati, it was founded by the Khmer King Jayavarman VII as a Mahayana Buddhist monastery and university.
Unlike most Angkorian temples, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors.
Source :
The Ishtar Gate at Babylon
Reconstruction Glazed Brick
Total Height–47 Feet, Width-32 Feet
Neo-Babylonian
7th–6th Centuries BC
Dedicator: Nebuchadnezzar II
Language: Akkadian
Date of Excavation: 1899-1914
Staatliche Museen , Berlin
Dept. of the Near East
The lion was represented in other middle-eastern cultures; The Dying Lioness is a relief panel from 650 BCE, Nineveh (modern day Iraq) depicting a half-paralyzed lioness pierced with arrows, while the Babylonian goddess Ishtar has been represented driving a chariot drawn by seven lions.[3] Ishtar's Sumerian analogue Inanna was frequently depicted standing on the backs of two lionesses.
Happy St Andrews day Folks
The legends say that in 832AD Óengus II on the eve of a battle at Athelstaneford against the Angles prayed to St Andrew to grant him victory against the bigger army , he would make St Andrew the Patron Saint of Scotland . On the moring of the battle the clouds made a cross shape that the Scots and picts thought was the crux decussata that St Andrew was crucified on and a sign of divine intervention and after the Scots and picts won the battle Óengus II kept his promise and St Andrew became the patron Saint of Scotland and the Saltire became our flag
Reference: APAAME_20160526_REB-0216.jpg
Photographer: Rebecca Elizabeth Banks
Credit: Aerial Photographic Archive for Archaeology in the Middle East
Copyright: Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommerical-No Derivative Works
Members of 155ath Brigade Combat Team (BCT) are given a tour of the historical city of Babylon, Iraq as a gesture of goodwill by the Iraqi people, Babil, Iraq, on March 21, 2005. These periodic tours of the ancient ruins are given to service members to learn more about Iraq's history and help boost moral. U.S. Military Reserve and Active Duty personnel are forward deployed to central Iraq in support of Iraqi Freedom. This 180-degree panorama was assembled from 13 separate digital images to create one photo illustration. (U.S. Navy photo illustration by Chief Photographer's Mate Edward G. Martens) (Released)
Blood Oranges
When we talk on the phone, a black wire is strung
between us, heavy with ice, and somehow we know
we must speak the condensed code of last words,
never referring, out of love, or fear, to the end.
I'm in my kitchen with the phone caught, like a violin,
between chin and shoulder, but with my hands freed.
I listen. I cut into the pliant flesh of oranges, bought
this past week at a store you will likely never see.
Each fruit is identified, like a painting, with provenance,
(Serena, Valencia)
We are always in the middle of life, looking forwards and backwards; the only movement we can make to defy physics and history is the journey of the spirit. The Ishtar Gate, a ceremonial gate from the palace of Nebuchadnezzar at Babylon, reconstructed and housed in the Staatliche Museum, Berlin, is my personal symbol for the merging of ancient and modern culture, the old goddess-centred religions and the scholarly, rational West. So wrote Diana Brebner of the book she planned to write. Though cancer claimed her life before she could complete this project, she wrote some thirty poems towards it. Here is a poet in extreme control of her craft: the aesthetic refinement, the musicality of language, the spiritual vision, and the playfulness that drew readers to Brebner's previous award-winning books - "Radiant Life Forms," "The Golden Lotus," and "Flora & Fauna" - resonate with even greater force in her last poems. The elements - earth, air, water, and fire - are all here. And the voice is singular, full of elegance and abandon, an Old World respect for art and history and a New World desire for wilderness and adventure. From within the Ishtar Gate, we see a canoe on a northern lake, a scene from Vermeer, a line by Sylvia Plath, a Polaroid image of a heart, a jar of orange marmalade, a frozen Aphrodite in a field of snow. In this place of beauty and danger, the poems live. "The Ishtar Gate" testifies to Brebner's belief in "the indefatigable forces of poetry and imagination."