#it was not seen as a ...... Great Amazing Victory in greek history

[dangerousstrawberryshark]

Random Thoughts: A Dark Past

This came into mind; the Male reader is a prisoner of war and is taken back to the mainland. As usual, me and @softboy5393 fanboying over this.

I went overboard with this.

You were taken by a Titan with a long face, like a horse into its mouth. You fell unconscious during the whole time.

When you woke, you were in some room. You looked around to see where you were, you noticed you had a red armband on your left arm. 'What the... where am I?'

Then the door opened. "Ah, I see you're awake." the unknown person said along with others. He had blonde hair and an undercut style which was pushed back. [This] He also had an armband on, but his was more of a lighter red.

You took the people that walked and noticed that Reiner was there. "YOU DAMN TRAITOR!" you attacked him. You didn't do that much damage before getting pulled off of him.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? I THOUGHT WE WERE FRIENDS! DON'T TOUCH ME!" you yelled trying to get away from them.

"So, you're the guy that Pieck took? You island devils are sure are something." The one with blonde hair said, sitting down. Reiner was dusting himself off.

"I guess we should introduce ourselves? I'm Pieck. You already know Reiner. The one with glasses is Zeke and the one next to you is Porco." The girl- Pieck said. She had long, disheveled shoulder-length black hair, a Greek nose, and relaxed dark brown eyes.

"You probably have questions as to where you are?" you calmed down a bit to respond.

"Yes. And why am I here? Why did you take me from my home?" you said, backing away from them.

"You're in the nation of Marley. And it was Reiner's idea to take you."

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It had been 4 years since you were captured. You've kind of gotten used to the new environment. 'So, humanity didn't die after all?'

You were shocked by the outside world. There were these flying ships in the skies, a cart that was driving without horses leading it. The food you have never seen before. A picture that was too detailed for any person to draw.

"That's a blimp, that's a car, and that's a photograph," Zeke said, showing you everything.

You also got to meet others. "That's Gabi, Falco, Sophia, and Udo. They are the next in line to inherit the Titans."

Gabi looked at you with mistrust. She had hatred in her eyes. "Don't mind her, she hates anyone from the 'Island of Devils.'" Zeke whispered into your ear.

It has taken a while for Gabi to get used to you but in due time.

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You were walking with Pieck, Reiner, and Porco in the Liberio Internment Zone. There were stands everywhere and colorful decorations everywhere. You were amazed.

"Today's the festival, M/n. Ambassadors and famous families from all over the world are going to be here for Willy's speech. Of course, since you're with us, you'll be joining too." Pieck said she was your favorite out of all of them.

"Let's go try some things. Try this." she gave you some kind of dessert with a cone?

You gave it one lick... "WHY IS IT SO COLD?!?!" you said, others were looking at you weirdly.

"What's this?" You picked some triangle-shaped food with toppings and cheese? "Mmm, this is good! I never had anything like it!"

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You had a fun time at the festival but now it was time for Willy Tybur's speech. You sat with the others but Porco, Pieck, and Zeke were requested.

Then the sounds of instruments began to play and Willy came on stage. He bowed before starting. "Allow me to tell you a story."

(This is the entirety of Willy's speech)

"Approximately one hundred years ago, the Eldian race ruled the world with the power of the Titans."

"Between the appearance of the Founder, Ymir, and the present day, Titans have stolen the lives of so many people that the present population of the world..." showed Titans eating people. "Could die thrice over and still not compare."

Then the lights turned red, people appeared covered in blood and screaming. "Because of Titans, and an extraordinary number of races, and the cultures ad histories thereof, have been stolen from the world."

"That slaughter has defined human history and the history of the Eldian Empire. And when the Eldian Empire ran out of enemies, it turned to the killings of its own kind."

You were shocked. Was this the history of your ancestors? Were they like this?

"Thus began the Great Titan War."

"Houses holding eight Titans shed blood in combat among themselves. In these desperate times, one Marleyan saw a path to victory. He was our hero, Helos."

"By artfully waging an information war, he led the Eldian Empire's biggest threats to turn against and kill one another. By joining hands with the Tybur family, they forced the unbeatable King Fritz to flee and retreat to Paradis island." the crowd began to clap. You were awestruck.

"But even exiled to the island, the king still held power. Tens of millions of Titans are capable of crushing the world flat still slumber on that island." the crowd gasps at the revelation and fear.

"The fact that our world still exists undisturbed to this day is pure luck. That is the only explanation our Titan experts could muster up. My fatherland, Marley, decided to take the initiative against the island and sent four Titans to neutralize the threat, but that plan failed and only the Armored Titan returned."

'That's why Reiner broke down the walls.'

"In other words, the Eldian Empire, the scrounge of human history, is alive and well."

"Now, the story up to this point consists of facts known to everyone. The truth, however, differs slightly. From here on, I'll discuss the memories passed down in my family alongside the Warhammer Titan."

"The complete truth will be revealed here and now for the first time. Approximately one hundred years ago, the one who ended the Great Titan War was neither Helos nor the Tybur family." Two people standing side by side to him.

One was represented Helos and the other, the Tybur family.

"The man who brought an end to that war and saved the world was King Fritz. He came to regret the Eldian Empire's savage history and the infighting among his own people."

"Above all, he grieved for the Marleyans and the oppression they lived under. When he inherited the Founding Titan, he and the Tybur family devised a plan." The lights turned blue with King Fritz and the Tybur family shaking hands in agreement.

"To establish a single Marleyan as a hero in the war. His name: Helos. After that, King Fritz moved as many Eldians to Paradis as he could. Erecting the great walls around them."

"He left a warning if anyone threatens his peace, countless Titans would be unleashed in retaliation. However, he never intended make good on this threat." Things began to add up to you. That's why the world hates Eldians. 'I'm not what they say we are!'

He continued. "King Fritz made a vow of renouncing war and bound his successors to uphold it, just as he had. Thus his ideology was passed down to each new King of the walls and the Titans with the power to crush the world remain dormant."

"Marley didn't stop Eldia and pure luck hasn't kept the world from being crushed, it was the king of the walls, Karl Fritz, a man who yearned for peace. That's it. That's all he wanted. He said if Marley grew strong someday and came in force to shatter his peace and seize the Founding Titan, he would accept it."

"He believed the sins his people committed were so horrific that they could never be atoned for."

"When the day of retribution finally comes, I will accept it until then let me enjoy this walled paradise, free from strife and conflict. I ask for nothing but a brief span of peace."

"Those were the final words the king left us with." King Fritz stood next to Willy bowing.

The crowd erupted into chatter. "What does this mean?" Gabi was shocked to along with her friends. You were twice as shocked as they were.

"If what he saying is true..."

"So, Marley and the Tybur family didn't save the world?"

"Willy wouldn't lie..."

"That means Paradis doesn't actually pose a threat, right?"

Willy spoked, the crowd went silent. "It's true, to secure our own safety, my family joined hands with King Fritz and became heroes to the world. While our fellow Eldians became devils but plainly, we Tyburs are petty thieves, growing fat on honor we did not earn."

"I stand before you willingly parting with my false glory because I have come to understand that the world we share is in grave danger" the crowd began to chat again. The drums began to ring.

"With the Founder's might, King Fritz erected three walls, using a great host of colossal Titans..." the background changed to colossal titans conjoining arms. "Counted together, the walls surely contains tens of millions of colossal Titans."

"They guard the King's peace as his shield and his spear or they did, but now, that peace is being threatened from within. An uprising has taken place on Paradis, the king has been deposed, the Founding Titan stolen."

The background changed to a devil. "The thief is an enemy to every man, woman, and child outside his island. An enemy of peace, his name... IS EREN JAEGER." Your eyes widen...

"If the colossal of Paradis are ordered to walk, the rumbling will be felt across the Earth and death will follow. Until now, only royalty has had the power to wield the Founding Titan and King Fritz's vow has kept his descendants from using it, but this Eren Jaeger has found a way to use the founder without having royal blood."

"Which means he could begin the rumbling at any moment. Once the walls of Paradis begin to walk, there will be nothing we can do. Except flee in vain from the sound of Earth-shaking steps that will herald our doom." your face turned into a worried one. Was this going to happen?

"These monsters will crush every city, trample every tree and flower, they will literally flatten our world. I have always hated my blood and more than anyone. I have wished that my race would disappear."

Willy sounded like he gonna burst into tears. " However, I confess that I want to live. That despite everything, I believed this world is my birthright just as it is yours."

"The people gathered here may belong to different races, different nations but if we're to survive this crisis then for the first time in history, we must join as one. SO PLEASE, if you wish to live and lend me your strength, help me protect our world's future!" The cameras began to flash. The crowd erupted into cheering.

"If we work together, we can overcome any obstacle, any threat! I ask each of you to join me as I go to fight the devils who would plunge our world into hell! HELP ME DEFEAT THEM!"

The crowd continued to clap and cheer. "Here and now, as a representative of Marley's government, I send this message to the devils of Paradis!"

"CONSIDER THIS, A DECLARATION OF WAR!" As Willy said that, a Titan erupted from the building behind the stage. A Titan you knew very well.

"Eren..."

#x male reader #male reader #male reader insert #male reader imagine #attack on titan #aot #random thought #attack on titan x male reader #aot x male reader #attack on titan fandom #attack on titan thought

[one-leaf-grimoire]

OC Profile: Lisa

I decided to do one of these like everyone else. Not everyone wants to read a 100 chapter fic so this should be a bit more digestible lol.

Anyway, here's Lisa!!! She's a mess but at the core of it all, she's babey.

Basics

Name: Lisa Ambrose Petalon

Ambrose- Greek “ambrosios” (immortal)

Petalon- Greek “butterfly”

Age: 26 (at time of canon)

Occupation: Currently a Royal Advisor, formerly a Magic Knight

Place of Birth: A small town at the edge of the common realm, near the border with the Diamond Kingdom.

Current Residence: Clover Caste

Social Class: Commoner by birth, Noble by marriage

Magic

Grimoire Appearance: Lisa’s Grimoire is a light blue color, matching her magic. It only has a little dark blue trim around the edges and a three-leaved clover in the middle, without any other decoration.

Magic: Lisa’s primary attribute is blue flame magic. However, she inherits Dyad magic from her father’s ancestors, which allows her to combine her magic with another person. Because of this, she now uses Time Magic as well.

Spells:

Solar Bolt- a super-heated, super fast bolt of fire that cauterizes the wound it creates as it moves through a person. The shock from the impact usually knocks the opponent off.

Solar Blitz- an explosion of Solar Bolts from every part of the users body, usually only one use at a time. More recently, Lisa can shoot other spells from its tip.

Flaming Condor- entity created by creation magic that can fly the user around and administer a powerful diving attack. However, it’s very clumsy and Lisa can’t ride on it for long.

Sun God's Leap- Creates winged shoes and a mana-amplifying aura that allows the user to fly.

Dyad- This spell, which only manifests once per generation, creates a magical link with another person, combining their mana into a never-ending, infinite loop that amplifies it to amazing levels. The Dyad is so potent that its mana lingers far after it’s over, and full separation is never possible. The users will carry a shard of each other’s souls within them for the rest of their lives.

Simulcian nonsense: The Simulcian civilization was a small, island nation off the coast of the diamond kingdom, who’s people had magic marks on their body. Each generation was lead by a Dyad, and all Simulcians could tap into the great mana they had. Simulcians believe very strongly in fate, as they also believe they are descended from a Goddess of Fate... the accuracy of this is debatable. However, the Simulcians were all killed in a “natural disaster” caused by a Dyad, who was being manipulated by their son. This son happened to be Mikal, Lisa’s uncle. Mikal relocated himself and his family to the Diamond Kingdom, where the Dyad were forced to fight for the DK while Mikal enacted his plan. Over 100 years, he artificially created his brothers and sisters to be synchronized into Tetrads, Triads, and Septads. His goal was to make seven Septads, who’s resonance would be enough to control humans as well. However, this was stopped by Lisa, who freed the rest of her family. Read Dyad for more details I guess lol. BTW: Simulcians claim to be a distinct species from Humans. This is still an unanswered question, but sometimes Lisa feels very detached from her humanity. 

Physical

Height: 5′6″ (~168 cm)

Weight: 126 lbs (~57 kg)

Race: White // Human-Simulcian Hybrid

Description: She has short, neck-length auburn hair that curls up pretty dramatically, and it’s usually a little messy. Her eyes are black, so dark black that you can’t see her pupils. She is fairly petite, lean, but surprisingly strong.

Clothing: She’s often seen wearing her short blue uniform dress over tights and a shirt with fringed wrists and neckline. She opts to just wear her red cape instead of the usual advisor cloak.

Scars/Tattoos/other marks: Her most distinguishing features is the mark on her forehead, in the shape of a stylized infinity sign. It constantly has a dull blue glow from both loops. She has one tattoo in the shape of an arrow that snakes around her arm. Julius wanted to get a matching one but he could only take about a minute of it-

Abnormalities: Lisa's magic mark constantly channels mana through her body, amplifying her magic and giving her some strange side effects. She no longer needs to eat, drink, or sleep (even though she still likes cooking and coffee). Also, any diseases that enter her body are immediately killed off. Her aging has slowed to almost a complete stop. Probably the most drastic side effect is that she is sterile (at least- for now-), and won't have any children.

Relationships

Family:

Easton Petalon (father/deceased): Owner of a Tavern in town, which he inherited from his father-in-law. A happy-go-lucky yet mysterious man who loved nothing more than his only daughter. He died in a Diamond Kingdom raid.

Arleth Petalon (mother/alive)- Waitress. She was a cheerful, energetic woman with a dream of having a large family. However, once it became obvious that dream was done for, she distanced herself from her husband and developed a bitter hatred of her daughter, who she irrationally blamed for her infertility.

Lyra Ambrose (cousin/alive)- despite being a bit of an airhead, she’s one of Lisa’s best friends.

Other cousins: Rocco and Patrick Ambrose

Aunt: Portia Ambrose

Friends:

Marx Francois- Lisa met Marx shortly after she started seeing Julius. They got along, which was good because Lisa eventually ended up working with him for many years. She considers him to be her best friend.

Fuegoleon Vermilion- Fuegoleon took Lisa under his wing when she first joined his squad. Then vice-captain, the two went on many missions together and became pretty good friends.

Yami Sukehiro- Lisa met Yami through William, and Yami quickly took a liking to her. He never misses the chance to tease her for something, usually her magic mark on her head or her “sugar baby” status.

William Vangeance- When Lisa was 15, she took the MK exam for the first time, and ended up going against William for the 1 on 1 portion. She lost and ended up failing the exam, but William encouraged her to keep trying. Years later, they met again, and their friendship resumed. 

Mereoleona Vermillion: When Lisa was 11, a certain royal stopped in town on her way back to the capitol. Mereoleona thought Lisa was a nosy kid, but encouraged her to try out for the MK so she could spite the other kids in her town. Years later, they meet again, and Lisa regularly visits her in the strong magic region to be trained.

Enemies:

Patri+the Eye of the Midnight Sun- Patri had been watching Lisa through William’s eyes for a long time. He recognized her to be the reincarnation of the elf Saida. Right after the MK exam one year, Lisa was abducted by the EMS, where Patri attempted to cast the evil eye spell. However, it was unsuccessful, and Lisa was able to escape. 

Augustus Kira- Yes, Lisa has her own feud with the King. Julius made the mistake of leaving her alone in the castle, where Augustus quickly showed up and tried to make a move. Lisa, of course, didn’t like this and ended up elbowing him in the face and breaking his nose. Soon after, Augustus realized that she and Julius were in a relationship, and decided that executing her would be a victory against Julius. Luckily, Lisa was able to get out of it, but ended up being stripped of her status as a MK.

Mikal- This is kind of a Dyad thing, but Mikal attempted to use Lisa to enact a plan that would pull many many humans under his control. Luckily, this plan was thwarted and Mikal was killed by Lisa and Julius.

Romantic Relationships:

Julius Novachrono (Dating/later married)- By some strange stroke of fate, Julius and the Grey Deer were close by when Lisa’s town was raided by the Diamond Kingdom. After it was over, Lisa’s magic was awakened, she had a weird mark on her head, and her father was dead. The newly-coronated Wizard King encouraged her to try out for the MK again, while he researched the strange magical presence that was now within her. Lisa found herself admiring him, and it quickly became clear that it was something more than just respect. As for Julius... well, she was cute, had really cool magic, and was a delight to be around. They both made points to spend lots of time together, growing closer and closer. However, things escalated after an assassination attempt, which Lisa thwarted herself. Lisa pushed past her limits once she realized that this desperation was love, and ended up getting gravely injured while fighting. Julius realized that she was special, more special than anyone else, and someone he had to have by his side. However, they faced a big problem when they found out that Lisa was sterile. Julius had confided in her before that he was excited to have a big family with her, and Lisa felt terribly guilty about it. She wouldn't have blamed him if he wanted to end things after that, but Julius, in true Julius fashion, pulled her from her lowest point and made it clear that he was never going to leave her. She was made for him, and he was made for her. The rest is history :))

Personality/Beliefs

Personality: At her core, Lisa strives to be a free-spirited, dependable, and energetic person. She devotes herself entirely to any task she sets for herself and never leaves anything unfinished. But even though she is genuinely interested, polite, and kind to others, there is a subtle distance to her that most people will never quite cross. Lisa’s true self is a closely guarded secret, something people only see in short glimpses. She’s very good at controlling her image, but Julius is the one person who knows her inside and out. Lisa’s very afraid of opening up any vulnerabilities and likes to feel like she’s in control. She is extremely devoted to Julius, the only person she believes would love her unconditionally. The two of them have shared more of themselves than any couple has, and it has gotten to the point that they are described as “so similar, it’s almost scary.”

Religion: Lisa doesn’t really consider herself religious, even though she was brought up worshiping whatever most Clover citizens worship.

Greatest fear: Being left alone in this life, disappointing others, being helpless

Morality: Lisa’s psychology and distance from her humanity have bred some very strange morals within her. She struggles with her individuality at times, stemming from the Dyad she formed with Julius. To be in a Dyad is to let part of your self be destroyed, and sometimes she feels like she’ll never quite be whole without Julius around. Because of this, her views on death, murder, even good and evil are skewed. Is she even human? That’s a question she struggles with every day. She wants to be patriotic and selfless, but deep down inside she knows that she would willingly let everything burn if it would make her feel just a little bit better. Evil is something she doesn’t believe even exists; all people are selfish, vengeful, and dishonest, but they can still be loving or, at the very least, useful to her. She has killed before, countless times in war, and she believes that death is necessary if she deems it so. Even Julius, the most wonderful, pure person she knows, has blood on his hands, after all.

Despite this, Lisa manages to overcome any base instincts she has, and devotes herself entirely for the good of the Kingdom and, more specifically, Julius. In Lisa’s eyes, her love for him, and all the friends she's made over the years, is what makes her human. This strength and resilience has allowed her to defeat the darker side of herself, and turned her into someone many people are ready to follow.

#come get your juice! #dependency issues? #isolation from humanity? #daddy issues? #we got it all! #bc oc #oc profile #oc: lisa #this is more for me than anyone else tbh #but yeah enjoy

[skippyv20]

Amazing women of the ancient world

Human history has often not been kind to women. Even when they escaped the strict boundaries society placed on them they were often scorned.

The Doctor

Medicine was a male art in ancient Athens. Men of the time were obsessed with the legitimacy of their children and so even childbirth was taken out of the hands of experienced midwives and given over to male doctors. Women however were not willing to be seen in labour by men so often gave birth without medical assistance. For one woman called Agnodice this was intolerable.

Agnodice cut off her hair, dressed as a man, and travelled to Alexandria to learn the medical arts. Back in Athens she continued to pretend to be a man so that she could practise medicine. To earn the trust of female patients Agnodice revealed her real sex to them. Soon she was taking most of the jobs out of the hands of her male colleagues. To stop their business drying up completely they brought Agnodice to trial.

medium

The other doctors accused Agnodice of secretly seducing her female patients – that’s why they all wanted to be seen by her. To defend herself Agnodice simply took off her clothes and the charges of seduction were dropped. New charges of being a doctor while female were brought but Agnodice’s patients charged into court and demanded she be let off.

The Philosopher

Ancient Athens was a harsh place to have been a woman. Well bred women were kept cloistered in separate quarters within the home and could not even go to the marketplace without a scandal. The only women with some amount of freedom were the professional prostitutes known as hetairai – concubines renowned for their skill in conversation. One of these ladies of ill-repute was Leontion.

foliamagazine

One of the greatest philosophers of the day was Epicurus and he welcomed everyone who wanted to learn into his school. Inside Epicurus’ Garden slaves, the poor, and most scandalously women were allowed to discuss philosophy. We know little of Leontion’s work but we do know that she was a close associate of Epicurus – he addressed letters directly to her. “My dear Leontion, what transports of joy did I feel when I read your charming letter.” History has erased Leontion’s philosophy but has preserved how harshly she was treated. Cicero was shocked that she had dared to argue with male philosophers. 

The Warrior Poet

Telesilla was a Greek woman from Argos who lived around 500 BC. When she was growing up she was a sickly child. Hoping to become well she asked an oracle what she should do and the answer was that she should dedicate herself to the Muses. Since the Muses were the divinities in charge of literature, art, and science Telesilla chose to become a poet. Her poetry was among the most praised of antiquity, though only single word fragments of her poems survive. While none of her writing remains one story from her life has come down to us.

ancienthistory

Argos was threatened by the Spartans. The Argive men had gone out to face them in battle and been massacred. It was Telesilla who saved the city from capture. She had slaves and old men man the walls if defence but gave armour and weapons to the women of the city who she led out to battle. When the Spartans charged their female enemies they were surprised that they did not flee. The Spartans saw that they could not win. If they beat the women then there would be no glory, and if they lost then the shame would be great. The Spartans retreated and Argos was saved. An image of Telesilla was set up that showed her throwing away her books and picking up her helmet.

The Diver

When Xerxes led a vast force of Persians against the city states of Ancient Greece it seemed impossible that the Greeks would see off the invaders. In a series of stunning victories however the Persians were turned back. One of those victories relied on the help of a female diver called Hydna. Hydna was the daughter of a famous swimming teacher called Scyllis of Scione. He passed on all his abilities to his daughter and both were called on to help defeat the Persian fleet of ships.

Swimming around ten miles out to sea the pair cut the ships of the fleet loose from their moorings and moved their anchors. The fleet was wrecked. Statues of Hydna and her father were set up at Olympia to honour their bravery. When the Roman Emperor Nero wanted to decorate his city he stole statues from across the empire – one of the ones he took was Hydna’s

The Assassin

Jael, or Yael, is a fairly obscure figure from the Old Testament. Mentioned only in the Book of Judges she is both a hero to the Jewish people and someone who committed an act of treachery. The Jewish people were being oppressed by the Canaanites and their general Sisera. When Sisera was defeated in battle however he was forced to flee. And he ran right into the camp where Jael was staying.

“Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid,” Jael called out to Sisera. The general entered her tent, was covered with a soft blanket, given a drink of milk, and promptly fell asleep. It was then that Jael, who was sympathetic to the plight of the Jews, took a tent peg and hammered it into Sisera’s skull. This proved to be fatal.

The Mathematician

realmofhistory

Alexandria in Egypt was one of the intellectual centres of the ancient world. Scholars flocked from around the known world to study in the vast library of the city and learn all that was known at the time. The period of Alexandria’s flourishing however came to an end around the same time that Hypatia of Alexandria died – and the two facts were not unrelated.

Hypatia was a female scholar at a time when this was deeply unusual. She was also a Pagan at a time when Christianity was beginning to take over public life. In the late fourth century AD however it was still possible for a Pagan to teach and Hypatia was a famous teacher. She delivered lectures in public while wearing the male outfit of a scholar. Hypatia was known for her mathematical treatises, her astronomical models, and commentaries on the work of others. Unfortunately she was closely tied to Orestes, the Roman governor of the city. When the Christian bishop Cyril turned against Orestes it was Hypatia that was blamed for leading the governor astray. A group of Christians destroyed the last remnants of Alexandria’s library and a Christian mob attacked Hypatia. They tore her flesh off using broken roof tiles

The First Alchemist

Maria Prophetissima, also known as Mary the Jewess, was an early alchemist who lived in Egypt around the first century AD. Some claim she was the first alchemist in the western tradition. While we do not have any of Mary’s writings she was quoted heavily in later texts and know many of her innovations.

thoughtco

Alchemy is not chemistry and many of Mary’s surviving fragments are mysterious in the extreme. “One becomes two, two becomes three, and out of the third comes the one as the fourth.” The meaning of this is not obvious but luckily several of her innovations are still in use today. Mary is credited with improving a type of vessel used in distillation that would be familiar to many scientists today. She also pioneered the use of a water bath to stop the temperature of an experiment going above the boiling point of water. Today known as a bain-marie (Mary’s Bath) it is still commonly used in cooking.

The First Portraitist

Photo credit: NGA.gov

According to Pliny the Elder (though disputed by some as myth) it was a woman who invented portraiture, and helped to invent the modelling of busts in clay. In some sources she is known as Dibutades, in others as Core. When her lover was about to leave her on a lengthy voyage at sea she was saddened to be parted from him. Seeing his shadow on the wall she took a piece of charcoal and traced around it so that she would always be able to see his face.

Dibutades’ father was a potter and was struck by her creativity. Seeing the outline of her lover’s face he decided to model it in clay. By mixing different colours of clay he was able to make tiles that preserved the features of a person long after they had died. Dibutades was celebrated in antiquity for her contribution to art history and in the Enlightenment many artists made their own portraits of Dibutades in tribute to her.

The First Chemist

historyday

Long before chemistry was a recognised science people were using techniques that would not be out of place in a modern lab. Using heat and solvents to distil chemicals is something all chemists today are trained in – and they were being used 3000 years ago in Mesopotamia by a woman named Taputti. Taputti is the first named chemist in history.

reddit

Taputti is named in a small clay tablet that describes her as a perfumer and overseer of a royal palace. To create her perfumes she is said to have used a still to distil essences from various plants. This is also the first mention of a still, a standard piece of scientific equipment. Taputti was apparently not unique in her position as a chemical worker at the time. The tablet that names Taputti also mentions she had an assistant called… something. Unfortunately the tablet is damaged so only the end of the name, –ninu, survives. As this is a female name ending it seems Taputti was not the only female chemist.

The First Poet

One of the first forms of writing to be developed was the Cuneiform script of ancient Mesopotamia which emerged around 3100 BC. Huge numbers of clay tablets bearing inscriptions in cuneiform have emerged from the sands and contain some of the earliest and most impressive texts from the ancient world. And off all the writings the earliest author whose name we know was Enheduanna – a princess, priestess, and poet who lived around 2300 BC.

literaryhub

Enheduanna was the daughter of the conqueror Sargon of Akkad and it was he gave her the title of En – reserved for high lords. Having taken over the city of Ur Sargon placed Enheduanna at the head of the city as its chief priestess. It was there that she composed the poems that made her famous for centuries to come.

While most of her poems were written as hymns to the Mesopotamian gods, like Inanna, some deal with the troubles she faced in her life. After the death of her father she was driven from her temple. “He has turned that temple, whose attractions were inexhaustible, whose beauty was endless, into a destroyed temple. While he entered before me as if he was a partner, really he approached out of envy.” Later she regained her position and for as long as the cities of Mesopotamia stood her poems were copied and spoken.

https://listverse.com/2020/10/19/top-10-amazing-women-of-the-ancient-world

Thank you...😊❤️❤️❤️❤️

[lawrenceop]

Holy Land Retrospective - Day 3

Reminder: clicking on the link for each photo (links are all in red text) will take you to the Flickr page where you can see the photo in larger sizes. Start with DAY 1, or go back to DAY 2, or read on!

PHOTO 9: This symbol is called the labarum, and it is one of the oldest of Christian symbols, which takes us back to the time of the Emperor Constantine, under whose auspices the Holy Land sites were first explored (by his mother St Helena) and who built the first major churches on these sites. At the centre of the labarum is the monogram of Christ, formed by the first two Greek letters of that title, Χριστός (Christos), and it is surrounded by a laurel wreath, a symbol of victory and imperial power. According to Eusebius, Constantine saw a vision in which he saw this symbol, and he was told by Jesus that in this sign, he would be victorious. He subsequently won the battle at the Milvian Bridge near Rome in 312, which led to his becoming sole Emperor of the Roman Empire. In 313, he ended the State persecution of the Christians, and eventually was baptised. His mother Helena converted shortly after her son became Emperor, and she was proclaimed Augusta Imperatrix. 

In 326-28, St Helena came to the Holy Land and, using funds from the imperial treasury, she found the holy sites which we visit throughout the Holy Land today, and she built great basilicas on these sites. Sadly, none of these basilicas have survived the millennia in which Islamic conquest and the fall of the Byzantine empire led to their destruction. This mosaic of the labarum, though, dates to the 4th-century, almost certainly from the Constantinian basilica that Helena had built here, and it is in now preserved within the current (very modern-looking) basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth; the current basilica was dedicated in 1969. 

Many people cluster around the cave, which is where Our Lady lived, and around which her house was built (although the house was somehow transferred to Loreto for safekeeping when the Christian sites of the Holy Land were being ravaged by Islamic invaders). It was in that cave that the archangel St Gabriel appeared to Mary, and it is here that he made the announcement that changed the course of human history. 

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!"” - Luke 1:26-28

But in our excitement to see this marvellous place, and to contemplate the incarnation, it is easy to miss all that surrounds this rather unique location. For around the site of Mary’s cave are several layers of architectural history. Christianity, you might say, began with Mary’s “Fiat” to the angelic revelation, but in another sense, this mosaic of the labarum reminds us of another beginning that was caused by a divine revelation. For Christ himself intervened in 312 to safeguard his Church from Roman persecution, and thanks to Constantine the Great (whom some Christians venerate as a saint) and his mother St Helena, the Church spread and the Faith flourished, and pilgrimages to the Holy Land began. One of the earliest pilgrims, Egeria, came here in 384, and she mentions being shown this “big and splendid cave” in Nazareth where Our Lady had lived.

But this mosaic labarum, this sign of victory, being all that remains of a great past age reminds us of the essential truth that it signifies: The victory of Christ is not principally about military might, nor the maintenance of empire, nor about worldly power. Rather, in Nazareth, in this humble backwater town where the people lived in caves, in holes in the ground, we see that the victory of Christ is the victory of love, of divine grace winning over the hearts of men and women. And it all began here, where Mary of Nazareth said: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." (Lk 1:38)

PHOTO 10: 

“And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”

This window at the centre of the facade of the Annunciation basilica shows the moment of the divine overshadowing. In the Greek of St Luke, the word used is ἐπισκιάζω (episkiazó). God is all light, pure brilliance, dwelling in inaccessible light, in whom there is no darkness at all. (cf 1 Jn 1:5 and 1 Tim 6:16). Everything that is not God, therefore, i.e., every created thing is by comparison in darkness so that when the divine Light shines upon them, they are overshadowed, literally, they stand in the shade of the light. It’s a beautiful profound image, when we think about it, and this stained glass window vividly expresses its meaning. For Mary is not shown in any shadow at all, but rather, as the word ἐπισκιάζω implies, Mary is enveloped and bathed in light. Thus she is “full of grace”, she is full of God’s divine light. Indeed, he who is Light dwells in her womb. Indeed, it is the light of her Son, his grace, which sanctifies Mary so thoroughly, so completely, that she is conceived, even, in light and hence she is uniquely preserved from the moment of her conception from the darkness of sin. 

PHOTO 11: The inscription reads: “And he came to Nazareth. And he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."” (cf Lk 4:21) On the third morning we had travelled several hours by coach from Jerusalem to Nazareth, praying the Rosary as we went. The town is now dominated by the conical dome of the Annunciation basilica, but a short walk from the basilica is the church built on St Joseph’s house, the place where the Holy Family of Nazareth lived. Like the cave of the Annunciation, this, too, is like a rock-hewn cave underground. Nearby, is the site of the synagogue, shown here, where Jesus had preached. And just a stone’s throw away are more excavations of underground caves where people lived in Nazareth; I was amazed to realise that Jesus and his family were ‘cave-dwellers’. Moreover, everything is ‘nearby’ because Nazareth was a very small village. And yet, two thousand years ago, among these humble cave-dwellers in this humble location, God accomplished his greatest work: the salvation of the human race, overturning the sin of Adam, and the ending the reign of Satan over this world. For in Nazareth Christ had announced to his townspeople “this has been fulfilled in your hearing.” It is mistaken to think that epic events need to be performed on a grand and monumental stage. God’s greatness is precisely to be found in his humility and his attention to the little. All he needs is a human heart that is opened in faith to his Word. 

PHOTO 12: It was a short journey from Nazareth to Mount Tabor. The landscape here was relatively flat; we had come across some hills and mountains as we had driven north from Jerusalem, and now in Galilee, the landscape reaching down to the sea was low-lying. Except for one great mountain that could be seen from miles around. The Bible does not tell us which mountain Christ ascended for his Transfiguration, but in 348 St Cyril of Jerusalem chose Mount Tabor as the most likely location, and this was backed by St Jerome, the great Biblical scholar who lived and died in Bethlehem. This inscription records that “according to an old tradition, Tabor is the mountain of the apparition of Christ”, but interestingly, not simply the mountain of the Transfiguration where Saints Peter, James, and John receive a foretaste of Easter glory, but also where the Risen Lord appeared to his disciples. As Luke 28:16-17 says: “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshipped him; but some doubted.” 

A church was built on this site shortly after St Cyril of Jerusalem identified this place, and in 1099 even a Benedictine monastery was founded here. This photo shows the marble inscription on the ruins of that monastery, which had been destroyed by Islamic invaders in 1113; the monks were martyred. 

Perhaps this is what Resurrection faith entails, and this mountain that witnessed the Resurrection of Jesus fittingly is the place to remember the faith of countless Christian martyrs: 

"Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Mt 10:28 

PHOTO 13: If Tabor is the mountain of the Risen Lord, then it is right to expect symbols of the Resurrection to abound. This stained glass window in the Art Deco style stands behind the Altar where we celebrated Mass. The peacock is, like the labarum, another early Christian symbol although this was installed in the 1920s when the current Transfiguration Basilica was built. Because the ancients believed that the flesh of peacocks was incorruptible, the peacock became a symbol of immortality. The beauty of the peacock was also a symbol of the Resurrection and the new life of grace that transforms and beautifies us. Here, the peacocks flank a Eucharistic chalice, with the Triangle indicative of the Holy Trinity. Therefore, this window is a reminder that we Christians receive a share in divine life through the Eucharist, and that the power of Christ’s Body and Blood gives us eternal life, and also makes us as beautiful as Christ is. Every time we come to the Mass, we stand on Tabor, as it were, and we glimpse the Resurrection; we receive a foretaste of the divine life of heaven; and, indeed, we receive the command and comforting reminder of the Risen Lord which he first pronounced on Mount Tabor: 

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." – Mt 28:19-20

PHOTO 14: The view from the high vantage point of Mount Tabor (which had been an important military post) explains why the Lord chose this mountain to send his apostles out to “all nations” (cf My 28:19). From here, one can glimpse on one side the Sea of Galilee, which for the apostles was home. It was familiar, and safe, and was their ‘comfort zone’. But on the other side, one catches in the distance the glint of the Mediterranean sea, which was perilous, unknown, and forbidding. But, Christ promised to be with them always, and so, secure in that faith, they set out into the big wide world. Thank God for that!

PHOTO 15: Back in Jerusalem, at dinner on the third night, our special guest, Jim Caviezel arrived to join our pilgrimage; he would have a week with us. But I had an appointment somewhere even more special: the Holy Sepulchre! So, I dashed out of dinner and rushed back to spend some quiet moments before the church closed for the night. 

This photo, I think, captures the quiet of the night time in the church of the Holy Sepulchre, and it also shows you one of its many hidden passages and nooks - it is well worth exploring at leisure in the evening. The deeply marked stones on the wall, and the flagstones, worn smooth and shiny by countless feet, speaks of the antiquity of this church, and yet, this section is only a thousand years old.   Before it was vaulted in stone, this section stood open to the elements, a kind of open courtyard between the two structures that sheltered Calvary and the Empty Tomb. At the end of this passageway, in the well-lit space is the prison where Christ and the two thieves were held before they were crucified. 

You may have noticed in yesterday’s photo from the Holy Sepulchre (Photo 8), that a very tall ladder is prominently placed at the entrance of the church. So, too, in this side passage, ladders are in evidence. All these ladders are used for changing the hundreds of votive oil lamps that constantly burn within the church. But the ladders also remind me of two things. Firstly, that a ladder was probably needed to take Jesus down from the Cross for his burial, and so it is fitting that ladders should be seen in this church because the ladder connects Calvary and the Empty Tomb; he goes from the Cross to the Tomb. But, secondly, the ladder is a symbol of what Christ’s Death and Resurrection have accomplished for us. Because of Jesus’s sacrifice on the Cross, and by his rising from the dead, Mankind can now climb up the ladder of grace to heaven; we go from our tombs to eternal life! 

PHOTO 16: The doors of the Holy Sepulchre church are sealed for the night, and a fortunate few are locked within alongside the monks and clergy where they will remain in prayer all night. But the rest of us have been herded outdoors by the Muslim keeper of the keys, and sometimes with the encouragement of the Israeli police. Since at least 1192, the keys of the Holy Sepulchre have been entrusted to a prominent Muslim family because no single Christian denomination could be seen to have control of the church. Although we might see this as a sad sign of Christian disunity, there is a fittingness to it. The Tomb of Christ, after all, had also been sealed by unbelievers. 

The doors are locked, again with a ladder because the lock is so high up, and then a hatch is opened, and the ladder passed back into the church through the hatch. This simple nightly routine is being photographed by the many pilgrims and tourists gathered outside at 9pm, and I liked the look of the blue glow of their screens against the warmer light of their surroundings. 

Hundreds stand outside for this spectacle, but far far fewer will be here before dawn when the church re-opens its doors (before 4am). I suppose this, too, is fitting for only three very devout women came to the tomb early that Sunday morning and saw its stone rolled away. 

“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body.” – Luke 24:1-3

Tomorrow: Sea of Galilee and Capernaum

#Holy Land #pilgrimage #retrospective #reflection #206 Tours #Annunciation

[drgiov]

Kobes’ Mindset

The Mamba Mentality and How It Can Help You Be Better at Golf and Life. 

Gio Valiante, Ph.D. - Author: Fearless Golf & Golf Flow.

Over the course of my 20 year career as a performance psychologist for athletes and executives, I have worked with hundreds of high achievers across some of the most competitive domains: NFL, NBA, PGA Tour, MLB, and C-suite executives ranging from Silicon Valley to Wall Street. I say all this only to convey that I have had the privilege of a front row seat, in the most competitive environments, to the Best of The Best (BoTB).

Even in this sea of excellence in which I have been lucky enough to swim, Kobe Bryant stands out as having perhaps the best mental game I’ve ever studied. The Mamba Mentality is more than an attitude or a mindset; it is a virtual manifesto of a life well lived – what the Greeks (most notably, Aristotle) call Arete – the best expression of oneself, day in and day out. So outstanding was Kobe’s psychological toolbox, that it is the key feature to take away from Kobe’s legacy. It wasn’t Kobe’s 81 point game, nor his 5 championships, nor his business acumen that Tiger Woods recollected in the wake of Kobe’s passing. Rather, Tiger (along with the majority of people with whom I’ve spoken) say the greatest thing they’ve taken from Kobe’s passing was the mindset with which he approached and played the games of basketball and life.

Though my work takes me across many achievement domains, golf remains at the forefront of my thinking because more than any other arena, it puts a premium on one’s mindset. To master the game, one must master so many things, including mastery of oneself. Golf is expository, meaning whatever your weakness, golf will expose it. Golf exposes overconfidence, under-confidence, sloppiness, risk appetite or aversion, motivation, resilience, lack of attention to detail, laziness, self-awareness, imbalance, physical conditioning … and literally every meaningful trait that performance psychologists deem important.

Let me state it unequivocally: Had Kobe chosen to purse golf rather than basketball, he would have been amazing. What did Kobe do that you can learn from to pursue your best game? Read below to find out:

1.     Kobe knew his Why. When psychologists study motivation, they do not only look at the amount of motivation someone has (ranging from low to high) but more importantly the quality of their motivation. People are motivated for different reasons, and not all motivations are created equal. For example, people in a state of panic are highly motivated, but seldom does panic produce great results. The highest quality motivation – what we call a Mastery motivation – is driven intrinsically by pure love of the craft, passion for constant improvement (kaizen), and love of challenge. Kobe loved the game itself. As far back as high school, he would show up two hours before practice, alone, to shoot hoops in a dark gym. When Kobe was done playing professionally, he titled his Oscar-winning film “Dear Basketball.” The film wasn’t a testimonial to himself, his ego, his fame, or his achievement … but rather was an ode to the game itself. Kobe’s love of basketball was consistent with another great, Ben Hogan, who said “Golf is a livelihood in doing the thing I love to do. I don’t like the glamour. I just like the game.” The takeaway is to always play for love of challenge, love of improvement, and love of the game. Not to impress others, show off, or validate yourself (aka, Ego golf). Play simply because you love the game and all the various challenges and special moments of wins and losses it offers.

2.     Kobe followed his Calling. In Extraordinary Minds, Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner studied the common denominator from the most “extraordinary” individuals in history. One of his inferences was this: there was a perfect *fit* between the individual, their particular makeup, and the domain in which they flourished. Mozart found music, Virginia Woolf found poetry, Yo-Yo Ma found the cello, Tiger Woods found golf, Steve Cohen found the stock market, and Kobe found basketball. It is hard to imagine any one of these extraordinary individuals having achieved what they did if they never found their true purpose in life.

3.     Kobe loved to Work. It is hard to imagine outpacing everyone else in any given domain if the work feels laborious. When I interact with the BoTB, what I commonly hear is how much they love their work. How the work is always in the back of their minds, even when they are doing other things. Commonly, an “inversion” happens for these individuals. Whereas most people find a quiet mind when their work is over, the BoTB get anxious and antsy when they are on vacations, having downtime, or otherwise abandoning their pursuit of excellence. Their minds quiet when they are working, not when they are relaxing. Think of what Ben Hogan said: “When I don’t practice for a day, I notice. Two days, my wife notices. Three days, the world notices.” Over the course of 40 years, famed hedge fund investor Steve Cohen has missed four of the 10,000 days the markets were tradeable, and all four of these days, he was in the hospital unable to trade. Kobe’s work ethic was legendary. He was also once quoted as saying: “I can’t relate to lazy people. We don’t speak the same language. I don’t understand you. I don’t want to understand you.” And of course, when a 15 year old Lebron James first asked Kobe the secret to sustained excellence in basketball, Kobe replied “Hard work. There is no substitute for the work.”

4.     Kobe was Confident. Make no mistake about, confidence is the great arbiter on the road to success. Kobe was good, and Kobe knew he was good; after all, he’d put in the work (see #3 above). The first time he prepared to face Michael Jordan, a teammate asked Kobe, “‘Hey, you want some advice? Whatever you do, don’t look him in the eye.’ ‘Wait, excuse me? Why the hell would I not look him in the eye?’ I don’t think my teammate understood that I’m THAT too. Can’t ... look me in the eye either, buddy.’” But that is also true of all the great ones: a young Tiger Woods was criticized when he first came out on Tour for picking himself to win tournaments. His father, Earl, was also criticized for publicly saying how much better his son was than the rest of the players. Jack Nicklaus once observed, “What I do know is that inner certitude about one's abilities is a golfer's primary weapon, if only because it's the strongest defense against the enormous pressures the game imposes once a player is in a position to win. Golf's gentlemanly code requires that you always hide self-assuredness very carefully. But hide it or not, you'll never get very far without it." And about Jack, Tom Weiskopf observed: "Jack knew he was going to beat you. You knew Jack was going to beat you. And Jack knew that you knew that he was going to beat you." The takeaway: Don’t doubt yourself. In basketball, just as in golf and in life, you have to believe in yourself, even when the world doesn’t believe in you.

5.     Kobe was Resilient. One of the hallmarks of confidence is the ability to overcome adversity (what we call “normative failure”). Resilience does not lead to confidence; it emerges from it. The more authentically confident you are in your preparation, work ethic, and self-awareness … the better you can overcome life’s obstacles. Lest we forget, baseball great Derek Jeter began his professional career 0 for 14. Three-time Super Bowl winning QB Troy Aikman threw 9 TD’s and 18 Interceptions in his first season. Van Gogh sold one profitable painting in his lifetime. Steve Jobs dropped out of college and was fired by Apple before forming Pixar. Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, and Jimmy Johnson accounted for 11 of the 19 Super Bowl victories from 1974 to 1993. They also share the distinction of having the worst records of first- season head coaches in NFL history - their collective record was 1 win, 45 losses. Famously, Thomas Edison failed 1,000 times at inventing the light bulb. All of them share two things: they achieved immortality, and they overcame very big roadblocks on their road to BoTB. The lesson for you is this: never experience a setback as something final. Failure is not the opposite of success. It is temporary and built into success. It is the fabric. Embrace your own setbacks and failures, and weave them into the narrative of your own great story.

6.     Kobe practiced with Purpose. Kobe was famous for his relentless work ethic. He often shot 1,000 additional shots a day on top of weight training and team practice to work on particular shots and situations. Kobe mentally rehearsed every scenario he could possibly face so that he was never caught off guard. Shaquille O’Neal noted that he had seen Kobe practicing without a ball – weaving, huffing, faking-out – to practice specific scenarios in his imagination on the court.  Similarly, Tiger Woods is known to use his range sessions prior to the Masters practicing each and every shot on the golf course chronologically, starting from the tee shot on hole 1, then shot into 1 green, and so on.  They are preparing for battle by rehearsing the situations that will actually occur – having to hit a baby fade off the first tee, carving a draw on the 3rd approach shot; not hitting stock shots ball after ball mindlessly. Make your practice meaningful and applicable to the challenges you will face on the golf course. As Tiger’s father advised him Saturday evening before the 1997 Masters, “expect the best. Prepare for everything.” The BoTB plan for every scenario. They mange risk effectively. They are never caught off guard.

7.     Kobe had big dreams. When Kobe was asked about how he continues to push his boundaries and comfort zones, he attributed his success to his dreams. He said, “Make sure that your dreams always stay pure. It’s not a matter of pushing beyond your limitations or expectations. It’s really a matter of protecting your dreams, protecting your imagination. That’s really the key. And when you do that, then the world just seems limitless.” To me, chasing dreams is an act of courage. It is easy to settle in life; easy to live within the parameters of other people’s expectations of you. If you are willing to dream big, to practice with purpose and intent, then you will be occupying space reserved for Gods and Legends.

8.     Kobe was Fearless. While I was a young graduate student at Emory University, I did a study on professional golfers. What emerged from that study was something unexpected: the role that fear plays in golf. This finding was both surprising and unexpected because, unlike football or boxing, there is no real danger in golf. Nonetheless, fear was omnipresent, but the best golfers in the world elevated themselves above the rest by playing fearless golf (which ended up being the title of my first book). Kobe went all-in on basketball, and when he was done, he went all-in on film making, parenting, and coaching his kids. He was once photographed in a Bruce Lee shirt which read, “Fear is for other people” and was once interviewed saying, “Being fearless means putting yourself out there and going for it. No matter what. Go for it. Not for anybody else. But for yourself.” Kobe played, and lived, fearlessly. Surely a lesson for us all.

9.     Kobe Innovated, Evolved, and Reinvented Himself and his Game. If there is one standout feature of BoTB that is largely ignored, it is their willingness to take risks to get better. Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters by 12 strokes, then proceeded to win three more Majors (including the 2000 US Open by 15 strokes) and decided his swing wasn’t good enough, so he overhauled it beginning in 2004. He did it again in 2010. Tiger won in so many different ways: overpowering courses, strategizing around trouble, winning with his short game, his putter, his mind. Gary Player has won professional tournaments in 4 decades, evolving his game and his body. The artist Pablo Picasso is known for his ever-evolving style (Blue Period, Rose Period, African, Cubism, Surrealism) and set the stage for artists to follow. Robert Plant, the lead singer of Led Zeppelin, attributed their success to the fact that they “constantly evolved and changed their style” over the course of a 40-year career. Similarly, Kobe evolved his game over time from that of a lone wolf to a distributor of the ball and team leader. Picasso had his periods; Tiger his differing swings. Likewise, Kobe had his stages of development, marked for history by the fact that he has not one, but TWO jerseys retired in the Lakers arena (#8, #24). His first championship was as a 21 year old in 2000; his last as a 31 year old in 2010. He evolved his psychology and even his identity: Kobe became the Black Mamba. As his body broke down, he won more with strategy, preparation, and leadership than sheer overpowering athletic ability. As you age in golf, your game has to evolve with you. This is where the great Socratic dictum of Gnothi Seauton applies. Gnothi Seauton simply means “know thyself” or “self knowledge.” The BoTB don’t always have the most talent or explicit advantages over their competitors (Jack Nicklaus wasn’t close to being the best pure ball striker of his era). But he, and they, have an uncanny ability to know and trust themselves, and make bets that leverage their strengths while covering their weaknesses. You will need to learn how to compete with distance when young; then compete with precision, course management, intelligence, and composure when older ... all within the framework of knowing your own strengths, weaknesses, predilections, temptations, cognitive biases, and habits of mind.

The best way to honor our icons is to fearlessly put forth the best expression of ourselves and our talents. This is why embracing the Mamba Mentality is a good idea to flourish in both life and golf. To recap: Know your Why, Love to Work Hard, Be Confident, Be Resilient, Practice with Purpose, Dream Big, Be Fearless, and always, always, always innovate and evolve.

Bio:

Dr. Gio Valiante is an expert in the area of human performance as applied to business, finance, and sports. In golf he has been the sport psychologist for some of the games’ best players including US Open Champion Justin Rose, Players Champion Matt Kuchar, Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth, Davis Love III and many others.  He was named Top 40 Under 40 to Influence the game of Golf by Golf Magazine and his players have won over 40 PGA Tour Events in the past 15 years. Dr. Gio is the author of two books, Fearless Golf and Golf Flow and his work been featured in Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, Good Morning America, ESPN, The Financial Times and Time Magazine. He has spent the past 5 years as the in-resident performance coach for Point72 Asset Management, and The Buffalo Bills. He can be reached at www.giovaliante.com, www.fearlessgolf.com, and [email protected].

#Kobe mamba mindset fearlessgolf BoTB

[imwithmars]

Flaunt Magazine 2004 interview

David Fincher – “It goes kind of like, ‘How   can you tell when Jared is lying? His lips are moving.’”

Rock & Roles –

Flaunt Magazine, by Shari Roman

December 2004

“This is fantastic,” murmurs Jared Leto as the relentless Moroccan   sun sears destiny into his bronzed, bare skin. He is sweating under his tight  armor. His dark horse, Mateo, quivers beneath him and paws the ground nervously. A signal is given.

Leto howls a great animalistic yowl straight from his belly to the ears of   the gods. There is another howl, then another. Thousands of voices fuse into   one animal cry. A legion of alpha males surges forward to meet the enemy, Leto,   blond hair hair streaming past his shoulders, muscular thighs gripped bareback   on his galloping horse, rides hard into the thick of a bloody combat. His sword   cuts through all who oppose him.

This is the filming of Oliver Stone’s Alexander and the legendary battle of   Gaugamela, Alexander’s greatest victory over the Persians - a turning point   in his conquest of the known world. Stone’s sweeping historical saga charts   the life and the legend of one of the greatest figures in world history. The   story is an epic that is a daring and ambitious as its subject, a relentless   conqueror who, by the age of 32, had amassed the greatest empire the world hade   ever seen.

Through the clouds of dust, Leto can see Colin Farrell as Alexander the Great,   his massive blade slicing into flesh and sinew. There is the director, Oliver   Stone, shouting, moving rapidly behind the camera line. There are hordes of   men bellowing, bleeding, bodies everywhere. On the fringes lurks famed military   trainer and Stone cohort, Captain Dale Dye. Today, the Captain isn’t wearing   his favorite T-shirt emblazoned with the motto: “Pain is weakness leaving   the body,” but Leto needs no reminders.

Leto has always propelled himself into physical extremes to live inside a character.   As the champion runner Steve Prefontaine, he bled his feet to the bone. In the   drug-fueled Requiem For A Dream, he reportedly swore off sex (with then girlfriend,   Cameron Diaz) and lost 28 pounds to play a junky. Then there was Fight Club   (he’d been recommended for the part his friend, fellow pretty boy, Brad Pitt.),   in which he begged to have his angelic face beaten to a pulp by a jealous Ed   Norton to prove his fealty. Suffering, pain, causality, creation through transformation.   Leto has pledged himself above and beyond to those epithets years ago.

“Killing people face to face for a living, that was their job,” explains   a laidback Leto a few months later from a low-key restaurant in Southern California.   It’s early afternoon. His clothing is relaxed and he looks pleasantly tired.

“It’s not jet lag. I’m over that. I just couldn’t sleep.” It’s not   due to time spent with his (purported) new, luscious It-girl Scarlett Johansson.   He’s been concentrating on working on some new songs for his band, 30 Seconds   To Mars, taking meetings between rehearsals before he heads off to New York   and South Africa for three months to play another aggressor of sorts - an arms   dealer - in the film Lord of War, with Nicolas Cage and director Andrew Niccol   (Gattaca).

He is still pretty tan, making those pioneering blue eyes even more startling.   His long, blonde warrior-god locks are gone now, dyed and clipped into a light   brown Erik Estrada-style shag for the new movie. But there is still a trace   of the Irish lilt he took on for Alexander. (Aside from gearing it toward Farrell’s   natural tones, Stone’s rationale for the accent was that historically, the Macedonians   were to the Greeks what the Irish have been to the English.) Most of the 15   pounds of muscle weight that he strapped on for the six-month shoot has slipped   from his slim frame. Even so, the intensity of that experience is still on his   mind and in his body.

“The film has plenty of f***ing and fighting and killing and death and   blood. My job was to murder people and stand by Alexander.” who, according   to history, was his best friend since childhood, and his lover.

“Hephaestion, the character I play, and [Alexander] have a really special   connection. It’s a strong, strong relationship. I don’t think there is a term   we have today to define their relationship,” he says, deliberately muddling   around the oft-asked erotic question.

Farrell says, “There was no term for 'bisexuality’. It was just the way   society was. People made love to men and women. It was only later on you had   to pick one side of the fence.”

“But I promise you, in the film,” Leto teases, despite the magnetic   charms of Farrell, and costars Rosario Dawson and Angelina Jolie, who play Alexander’s   wife and mother, “the only kiss I gave out was to my horse. My one true   love.”

He takes the tape recorder and places it gently against his chest, which holds   within it the soul of a man who many have tried to reveal before. “I always   tell the truth. What else do you want to know? What do people really want to   know? What is the truth?” His face is a pure cheeky choir boy dare. “When   have I ever not told you the truth? How can you tell that I’m lying?”

I remind him that the last time we met, he told me he owned three Uzis, that   the first girl he kissed was a 47-year-old tranny named Jorge, that he was 19,   raised by circus performers, and that he studied art at the American University   of Paris for a semester, but was booted out when he wouldn’t give in to the   attentions of the headmaster. And he wouldn’t back down to any of those “facts”.

He laughs. “Really? As Ronald Regan used to say, 'I have no memory of   saying such things.’ ”

Says producer/director David Fincher, who worked with Leto on both Fight Club  and Panic Room, “When it comes to his acting, he is beyond method. He gets  into this whole image of his character. It is interesting how that kind of pain and sacrifice can translate. I mean, look at Requiem. I wish I had 100 Jareds   working for me. He was amazing.

"Jared definitely strives not to be a victim of his genetics. On the films   we did together, he was the guy who is constantly curious, the one you couldn’t bottle up. The one who wouldn’t hit his mark. He was like, 'Hey, I’m living it! Over here!’ But he does like to tell stories. It goes kind of like, 'How can you tell when Jared is lying? His lips are moving.’ ”

Leto, who prefers to see his playful fibbing as a way to keep his private life   private, was born the day after Christmas, 33 years ago, in Bossier City, Louisiana. His mother was an artistic soul, and with his father out of the picture, he and his brother, Shannon (who is also in 30 Seconds To Mars), traveled a great deal while they were growing up. After a stint at New York’s School of Visual Arts, he says, he came to Los Angeles around 12 years ago with a couple hundred bucks in his pocket, no friends, and nowhere to stay. For awhile, he slept on Venice Beach. Then kaboom! a role on television’s My So-Called Life (opposite Claire Daines) and for the next few years, he reigned as a teen pinup - a tag   and a look he has been successfully living down ever since.

According to Leto, “Luck is the residue of destiny.” It’s a phrase   he’s heard which he likes very much. He feels it means that we can get caught up in so many things, but the world has what it has for us. That, in our natural state, everything is the way it’s supposed to be - free and joyous - and that our own insecurities get in the way of all that. It’s an idea which could be   applied to his early life.

“When I was young, all that traveling was exciting,” says Leto. “You   do develop an ability to read people more quickly. You have to learn to adapt to whatever comes along, to survive. Maybe the way I grew up is why I’m drawn to acting, to different characters. From film to film, I’m constantly finding myself, reaching different places outside and inside myself. I want to change, to morph into something else.” To be able to do that for Oliver Stone is a gift, says Leto. “He is one of my f***ing heroes. He is a great man. Present, connected, very physical. I find his way very endearing.”

To work with Stone, he traveled to Morocco, where the oncoming sunset had turned the world orange, into the color of dark rust. But the sky was growing dark, the golden scorpions were scuttling under the rocks, another sandstorm was moving toward the camp, fast.

Within moments, Leto, wearing his usual training gear - a T-shirt, tight shorts,   boots covering his calves - couldn’t see two feet ahead of him. The sand whipped raw against his skin as he made for his tent. Inside, he tightened the flap and listened to the wind howl. He had switched off his cell phone, his e-mail. He hadn’t spoken to anyone in the U.S. for months. Apocalyptic fantasies crowded his brain. Many in the cast had already been horribly sick. There was a virus in the dust. His tent was next door to the latrine and he could hear cast and crew heave by the dozens.

One night, Leto got so sick, he thought he was going to toss a spleen.“I lay in bed for a couple of hours staring at the stars, just breathing really   slow, willing it away. I fell asleep dreaming strange, surreal dreams. When   I woke up, it was gone. That’s the desert.”

Says Dawson, “It was beyond primal, all those men bonding - horse training,   fighting, all buffed up wearing nearly nothing. And as soon as a woman came   on set, the energy was so damn erotic.

"One time Jared came to visit the hotel [where women stayed]. He was so   happy to be there. He got to take a shower, have some proper food.So he’s talking, sitting there, and just sort of adjusting the package, not sexually, but in   this slow, languorous way, like there was no one else around.It was all suited   to his character, but I was like, 'Hey dude…’

"And he was like, 'I’m sorry! We’re out there in our underwear and boots   all the time… maybe it’s got us a little too relaxed.’ Maybe. But it was all   good.” She bats her eyes.“It was wonderful being around that kind of really masculine environment.”

“Oh, Rosario,” responds Leto, “she is so beautiful. Such a great   woman.” He drops his head, smiling, not exactly asking for forgiveness.“Working on Alexander was an amazing experience. It’s all about connectivity. There is an old saying that the greatest leader is the servant of them all. Meaning, you are the most powerful when you are giving.”

“I think that as an artist, in any kind of expression of creation, that   you must have to be in love with the process. It is the most exciting part of the work, and that if you have a desire for greatness, you will have to be willing to f***ing bleed. I think it’s true for me.That’s what drives me.”

He claps his hands over his face. “F***. People are going to read this   and think, 'What the f***? Is weirdo Leto on crack? Hitting the old acid tab again.’ But honestly, it’s what I believe. One of my favorite things about getting older is that my intuition is often wrong.To me, it means I’m uncovering something   new about the world.

#flaunt magazine #jared leto #2004 #interview #did i ever post this? #he used to give great and funny interviews

[knowledgeistreasure]

Recommended Reading.

Amazons--fierce warrior women dwelling on the fringes of the known world--were the mythic arch enemies of the ancient Greeks. Heracles and Achilles displayed their valor in duels with Amazon queens, and the Athenians reveled in their victory over a powerful Amazon army. In historical times, Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great, and the Roman general Pompey tangled with Amazons.

But just who were these bold barbarian archers on horseback who gloried in fighting, hunting, and sexual freedom? Were Amazons real? In this deeply researched, wide-ranging, and lavishly illustrated book, National Book Award finalist Adrienne Mayor presents the Amazons as they have never been seen before. This is the first comprehensive account of warrior women in myth and history across the ancient world, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Great Wall of China.

Mayor tells how amazing new archaeological discoveries of battle-scarred female skeletons buried with their weapons prove that women warriors were not merely figments of the Greek imagination. Combining classical myth and art, nomad traditions, and scientific archaeology, she reveals intimate, surprising details and original insights about the lives and legends of the women known as Amazons.

#history #books #ancient #amazons #adrienne mayor

[alpacannot]

Golden Record Project

We did a Golden Record Project in my Leader-Servant class this week where we pick five pieces of art to send pictures of into space in the event that we encounter extraterrestrial life forms, and it really was a beautiful project to do—It truly made me THINK about what I would want to say about humanity and how art should portray that. I’ve decided to share my project here for anyone that wants to read it.

Starry Night—Vincent Van Gogh

Stars and the night sky are romanticized by us, and we are always wondering if we are alone in this world. If we ever encountered alien life, I would want them to know just how innately fascinated we as a species are with things far beyond our reach. We are always searching and learning, trying to satiate our hunger for knowledge of the unknown, and that thirst for knowledge is something I would want to convey very early on. I also love the beauty of this piece—it has always served as an inspiration to me as I create art in my own way. From an analytical standpoint, this depicts the beauty of the chaotic balance between ordered serenity and archaic passions that lie within all of us. When these two aspects of humanity work together, we can truly accomplish great things. I would want extraterrestrial life forms to understand the delicate line that we as a species walk—we are always one step away from senseless good or horrifying evil. To understand the complexity of the human mind and our will is something I could explore forever, and I want to establish this early on in our contact with other life.

The Death of Socrates—Jacques-Louis David

In this painting, Socrates is calmly facing death, not openly showing distress like the others because he genuinely does not fear death—death is an old friend that Socrates will gladly go with. He uses this moment as an opportunity to teach on last lesson, the lesson of living your life the best you can and teaching virtue to your loved ones. The rich imagery is an excellent show of what humanity is capable of creating, and I think the diversity of those in the painting is important to show—this is a better representation of the different people on this Earth, regardless of the lack of women depicted. Socrates spends much of his time inquiring about virtue and what makes humanity virtuous and knowledgeable. These values are incredibly important to represent, and this painting also shows humanity’s ability to empathize and feel genuine sorrow for others, an aspect that can easily be overshadowed by our love of violence—this shows that we can be both soft and vulnerable as well as tough and immovable.

Liberty Leading the People—Eugene Delacroi

I personally love the musical Les Miserables, and this painting pairs well with their song of revolution. The subtlety of this painting is truly amazing: at first glance, the painting is nothing but chaos, but as you look closer, you can see that everything has its own order. Women are depicted a strong leaders in this work, and that is a huge landmark in humanity’s history, something I feel is very important for other life forms to understand. In previous works, women are either not seen at all or are seen as weak and submissive, an error that I feel needs to be corrected early on through the presentation of this piece. Freedom is also an important element in this painting, and in our history. One of the first things I would want to establish to alien life is the fact that we as a species are willing to fight for our freedom, regardless of the costs.

Sistine Chapel: Creation of Adam—Michelangelo

It is said that Michelangelo was never satisfied with the finished product that he was forced to leave on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I believe this serves as a wonderful representation of humanity—we are never satisfied with what we have done, regardless of how much praise we may receive. This is one of the aspects unique to humanity—no other species on this planet has shown the capacity to feel this. I also wanted to represent the best works of art that we have to offer, works of art that evoke emotions. Also, if you look closely at the borders of the painting, the human brain is accurately pictured, something I feel would be beneficial to portray without distracting from the painting—it’s just a nice addition. The painting also portrays the process of birth through analysis of color, draping of fabric, and other shapes in the painting. Birth is something that ties us to every other living creature in this world, and I’d like to believe that this is something we would have in common with other life forms not from this planet.

Winged Victory of Samothrace

On the subject of aesthetics, I personally don’t think any sculptures can match those of the Greeks. This particular statue captures the elegance of the goddess Nike while still paying incredible attention to the details of her clothes being blown in the wind. The sheer dynamic of the pose alone is enough to convey the complexity of humanity—the balance between violent movement and the stillness of marble. I feel that this piece is one of the best showcases of what humanity ever had to offer, while still alluding to our tendency of violent beauty. I think the background of this piece, having been made to celebrate the victory of a sea battle, accurately summarizes what we as a race value so much today—strength, yes, but also a sense of ruthless violence embedded in even our youngest of children. We have lost our sensitivity to the gruesome nature of war, and I think that is well represented in the horrible beauty of this statue.

[foxed23]

Prehistoric Tribes Android Apk

Welcome to the savage prehistoric world of Prisca!Prisca is a mobile fantasy RTS game set in a prehistoric time where you set upon a quest to build your warrior tribe and lead them to glorious battle against menacing enemy tribes in a land filled with ferocious beasts.You begin the game by selecting a male or female hero warrior who can level up over time as you play. If cutesy, Stone Age strategy appeals, though, Prehistoric Tribes delivers all the standard stuff dressed up in funny fur. And two difficulty levels and a Custom game option means it offers a good few hours of play. Ultimately, it's addictive enough that you'll be ready for the Bronze Age sequel before you know it.

An epic turn-based conquest and strategy game set during the years of the glorious Roman Empire.

Hail Caesar! Your legions await you to conquer the world and lead Rome and your dynasty to eternal glory. A war is imminent.

Transform Rome from a small city-state in the heart of the Italian peninsula into the greatest civilization the world has ever seen. Lead your legions in epic battles against every kingdom and civilization that dares to wage war on the Roman Empire.

Upgrade the strongholds of your empire to defend yourself against the warriors of enemy civilizations who will besiege Rome in an attempt to bring down your kingdom.

Survive the challenges that, throughout history, have shaken the power of Rome by breaking up the empire: plots and betrayals, wars and barbarian invasions, riots, and coups d’état.

Caesar Augustus, rewrite the history of the Roman Empire and prevent its total fall.

Age of Dynasties: Roman Empire, features: – a turn-based strategy game: apply the best strategies to manage your empire by retracing, at each game turn, the most significant historical events in the history of Rome in this innovative rome war game. – dynasty and talented people: make your dynasty prosper under the command of your empire and prevent the establishment of the Roman Republic. Educate your heirs by strategically and tactically choosing talented people to train the future imperium to be a great conqueror and legendary emperor. – city management: expand your cities by building imperial forums, Roman amphitheaters, aqueducts, pantheons dedicated to Roman gods, imperial villas, and strongholds. – battle simulator: take command of your armies in ancient Europe and lead them into epic battles. Lead them with military strategy and tactics to subjugate enemy civilizations and conquer territory. – invest in technologies and new ideas to strengthen the army and accelerate your conquests. – game of conquest: lead the legions to take part in the Punic wars, the Spartacus revolt, the conquest of Gaul, Sparta and the greek cities, the civil wars, and the total conquest of territory. Experience the rise and glory of Rome! – Officers and Career: Enlist trusted centurions and generals to devise the strategy and command of your legions. Surround yourself with capable senators and officers to tactically administer the Roman provinces. – political alliances and intrigues: propose royal marriages, alliances or trade agreements to the civilizations that control the territories bordering your empire or declare war on them and send your legions to conquer their territories. Face the mighty empire of Carthage, the tribes of the Gauls, the timeless Egyptian empire, and many other civilizations that were around during the Roman period. – an innovative game of strategy and tactics in ancient Rome. Age of Dynasties blends four different game types perfectly: civilization wars and conquest games, turn-based strategy, management games, and RPGs.

Veni, vidi, vici: relive the deeds of Julius Caesar, lead Rome to victory, and conquer the world. bug fixing

App ID: com.testa.romedynasty

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[thelastdiadoch]

KING COTYS IV OF ODRYSIA (THRACIAN) AND THE THIRD MACEDONIAN WAR (171-168 BCE) AGAINST ROME

This is an excerpt from my post, ‘THRACIANS, REAPERS OF THE BALKANS’.

The Macedonians and Romans clashed in two major conflicts known as the First and Second Macedonian Wars. The Thracians were divided with some of the more “wild” tribes siding with the Romans in 172 BCE while the more “civilized” Odrysians under their king, Cotys IV, sided with the Macedonians.

“Cotys was a man of distinguished appearance and of great ability in military affairs, and besides, quite unlike a Thracian in character. For he was of sober habits, and gave evidence of a gentleness of temper and a steadiness of disposition worthy of a man of gentle birth.” – Histories by Polybius, 27.12.

“Cotys, king of the Thracians, was a man who in matters of warfare moved with vigor and was superior in judgement, and who in other respects as well was responsible and deserving of friendship. He was abstinent and circumspect in the highest degree, and most important of all, was completely exempt from the besetting vices of the Thracian people.” – The Library of History by Diodorus Siculus, 30.3.1.

Battle or Kallinikos (171 BCE):

When the Third Macedonian War (171-168 BC) broke out between Rome and Macedon the Odrysians proved to be valuable assets as they were instrumental in the Battle of Kallinikos (171 BCE). Cotys IV formed the Macedonian king’s left wing with his army of Thracian cavalrymen and light infantrymen, after the initial ranged skirmish “the Thracians, like wild beasts kept in cages and suddenly released, set up a deafening roar and charged the Italian cavalry on the right wing with such fury that, in spite of their experience of war and their native fearlessness, they threw them into disorder. [3] The infantry on both sides snapped the lances of the cavalry with their swords, cut at the legs of the horses and stabbed them in the flanks” (Livy, 42.59.2-3). 

In the end the battle resulted in a stalemate but it is seen as a Macedonian victory since they only lost 20 cavalrymen and 40 infantry while the Romans lost 200 cavalrymen, 2000 infantrymen, and 600 other were imprisoned.

“On their return to camp the victors were all in high spirits, but the Thracians surpassed all in the insolence of their joy. They returned to camp singing and carrying the heads of their enemies fixed on their spears.” – The History of Romeby Titus Livius (Livy), 42.60.2.

^ Osprey – ‘Men-at-Arms’ series, issue 360 – The Thracians, 700 BC-AD 46 by Christopher Webber and Angus McBride (Illustrator). Plate F: The Kallinikos Skirmish, 171 BC – “Livy says that the victorious Thracian troops returned to their camp swaggering singing and dancing, with severed Roman heads on their rhomphaias as trophies.” F1: Thracian infantryman – “He has the late 4th century shield, Chalkidian helmet, and greaves found in the Dolna Koznitza mound near Kyustendil, together with a rhomphaia and the black tunic described by Plutarch. The Thracians at Pydna may have looked like this, as they are described with ‘glittering’ shields and black tunics. Alternatively, this bronze-faced shield may be a parade piece – instead he might carry an ordinary white thureos.” F2: Thracian slinger– “There are only rare mentions and no known depictions of Thracian slingers, and this reconstruction is based on an auxiliary slinger from Trajan’s Column.” F3: Thracian infantryman – “This figure is shown in the clothes worn by a hunter in the Alexandrovo tomb paintings, and armor and equipment found together in the Blagoevgrads region of Bulgaria: bronze Thracian helmet, bronze greaves, three bronze torques, and an iron rhomphaia. They are dated to around the end of the 4th century. He carries an oval thureos like those shown in the Kazanluk tomb paintings. The rhomphaia had a large ring in the centre, which could have been used for a carrying strap.”

Battle of Pydna (168 BCE):

After aiding the Macedonians Cotys IV had to return to his realm since it was invaded by a rival Thracian king named Autlesbis who was backed by the Attalid (Attalid dynasty of Pergamon, an ally of Rome) officer Corragus. After these troubles in Thrace were quelled by the Thraco-Macedonian alliance, Cotys returned to the side of the Macedonians where he would once again aid them against the Romans at the famed Battle of Pydna in 168 BCE. The night before the battle that would decide the fate of Macedon and Thrace there was a lunar eclipse which according to Plutarch was believed by the Macedonians to foreshadow the fall of the Macedonian king.

“[7] Now, when night had come, and the soldiers, after supper, were betaking themselves to rest and sleep, on a sudden the moon, which was full and high in the heavens, grew dark, lost its light, took on all sorts of colors in succession, and finally disappeared. [8] The Romans, according to their custom, tried to call her light back by the clashing of bronze utensils and by holding up many blazing fire-brands and torches towards the heavens; the Macedonians, however, did nothing of this sort, but amazement and terror possessed their camp, and a rumor quietly spread among many of them that the portent signified an eclipse of a king.” – The Parallel Lives (The Life of Aemilius Paulus) by Plutarch, 17.7-8.

How the battle commenced on the next day varies but I’ll just mention the one which gives the Thracians a more prominent role. A Roman mule broke for the nearby river which divided the two armies and from which both drank. When three Roman soldiers went to retrieve it they saw two Thracian soldiers drawing the mule onto their side of the river. The Romans crossed the river, killed one of the Thracians and reclaimed the mule. A group of 800 Thracians who were guarding the bank witnessed the slaying of their comrade so “[9] enraged at seeing a comrade killed before their eyes, ran across the river in pursuit of those who slew him; [10] then more joined in and at last the whole body” (History of Rome by Livy, 44.40.9-10).

“First the Thracians advanced, whose appearance, Nasica says, was most terrible, — men of lofty stature, clad in tunics which showed black beneath the white and gleaming armor of their shields and greaves, and tossing high on their right shoulders battle-axes with heavy iron heads.” – The Parallel Lives (The Life of Aemilius Paulus) by Plutarch, 18.3 or 5.

From this engagement the battle had commenced. The Macedonians lost decisively as their infantrymen crumbled “to pieces like a falling house” (Livy, 44.41) which led the Macedonian and Odrysian kings fleeing the field with their cavalrymen. The Roman pursuit was hampered by their massacring of the enemy infantrymen.

“It is universally admitted that never had so many Macedonians been killed by the Romans in a single battle. As many as 20,000 men perished; 6000 who had fled to Pydna fell into the enemy’s hands, and 5000 were made prisoners in their flight.” – The History of Rome by Titus Livius (Livy), 44.42.7.

For the most part, the Third Macedonian War ended after this battle. King Perseus of Macedon eventually gave himself up to the Romans who paraded him in chains as their captive during the triumph celebrating their victory over Macedon. Perseus was placed under house arrest until his death shortly after. The Antigonid dynasty which was founded by Alexander’s diadoch Antigonus I Monophthalmus back in 306 BCE reached its end with Perseus of Macedon.

^ Perseus surrenders to Paullus by Jean-François Pierre Peyron (1802).

Cotys IV also felt the bitter sting of defeat when the Romans took his son captive along with Perseus and the latter’s family, sending them off to Italy. With Macedon subdued and his son held captive, Cotys made this wise decision to accept the new power shift by sending an embassy to the Romans asking for an alliance with the Romans and the return of his son.

The Macedonians once again rose up in rebellion under a pretender named Andriscus. In the end, the fourth and final Macedonian War was won by the Romans and resulted in the subjugation of Macedon in 148 BCE. Two years later the Romans establishment of the Roman province of Macedonia which encompassed Macedonia, Thessaly, Epirus and Paeonia as well as southwestern Thrace, and coastal and southern Illyria. The Thracians however, along with their Celtic and Illyrian neighbors, continued to harass the new Roman possessions.

After the Macedonian Wars, the Thracians are mentioned less and less until they eventually faded back into the shadows of history. Today few have ever heard of the Thracians and even less know much about them. These “barbarians” who lived on the edges of the “civilized” world of the Greeks and Macedonians made a name for themselves nonetheless. The mere mention of them conjured up thoughts of a foreign, savage, and brutal society of warriors bent on plunder and revelry. They were reviled and feared but were admired for their brave and hardy nature and eagerly sought after by kings and commanders. In the end, the Thracians were victims of a history written by their enemies and outsiders. Let us not forget that the Thracians inspired the use of the pelte shield and the light infantrymen known as peltasts, their caps inspired the Phrygian/Thracian helmets created by the Greeks and Macedonians, supposedly inspired the Athenian general Iphicrates’ reforms, invented the cavalry wedge formation implemented by Philip II and his son Alexander the Great and revolutionized the religious practices and beliefs of the classical Greek and Hellenistic world.

Head over to my post, ‘THRACIANS, REAPERS OF THE BALKANS’, to learn about their culture, religion, weaponry, armors, battle tactics, and their influence on the ancient world. Their history as well, from the tales in the Iliad to the era of the Greco-Persian Wars, and the rise of Macedon under Philip II and his son Alexander the Great.

#thracian #history #thrace #roman #rome

[bites-kms]

Once upon a time in Greece

Land of philosophers, birthplace of Western world, history can be breath in every corner you pass by. Athens, by excellence, is the center of this action and a compulsory stop while in Greece. Welcome to an epic journey to the past, you won’t regret it. 

After 9 hours and 15 minutes, in a direct flight from JFK I arrived at the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport. You can already feel the language challenge bursting by trying to pronounce its name, but nothing easier than to get to the city center with the metro pass by 10 euros. And we were staying meters, I mean, literally 37 steps away from the Acropolis. My friend Mau was waiting for me, and as crazy as it sounds, I guess we’ve seen more of each other during this year in NY, Macau, Hong Kong and now Greece than what we actually hanged out in Singapore - what a beautiful turn of events ♥!

Pomegranate and lemon trees, fake jazmin scent, tons of adventurous and cute, street cats as well as few tortoises, and chirping birds are the beautiful scenery that frames your strolls by Athens. But of course, the beauty highlights are found in the absolute exquisite merge between all of the above with the IV century columns, archeological sites and historic details embedded in every single house at sight.  

It’s a great place to think - if you don’t believe me, then ask Aristotles, but jokes aside, each and every time that I sat down to eat by myself, the writer muse decided to join over for a drink or too, and she hardly ever missed the point. I actually told her “come, stay, make yourself comfortable and talk to me” as per Neil Gaiman’s recommendation. 9 double-sized notebook pages later, I think it worked.

We decided to have a powerful breakfast at Everest, a cute local chain with tons of flavor and delicious coffee and orange juice. Man, if there’s something that I truly miss about living in Asia and Europe is the facility and access one has to delicious organic freshly squeezed juices at an affordable price. They are sweet, tasty and thirst quenching perfect! And I must say, coffee in Greece was an absolute delight as well. Same as in Turkey, their beans are strong yet never burnt, with subtle flavor hints depending on your roast. They were, undoubtedly, a compulsory yet perfect way to start each morning. 

We kicked it off towards Aristotle’s Lyceum. It was quite striking to witness, live and walk around the same inspiration field where major World Philosophers established the Western way of thought. Being Peripatetic for a while - or walking around while wondering about the meaning of things, was quite strange. I had a Philosophy professor that said “the art of wondering is where the questions matter more than the actual answers, and it serves as a sieve for our thoughts” and right there, at the Lyceum, walking around practicing the togetherness of body, mind and soul, with the Greek sun bathing our cheeks, there was absolutely no doubt that this is a magnificent way to create. Surrounding by olive trees and training arenas, contemplation was a must during our stay. We later walked back via the Zappeion or Convention Center, the Olympic Stadium, the National Garden and ended up visiting the Olympion or Zeus Temple, complex which contains the Roman Baths and our beloved Hadrian’s Arch. 

It’s also impressive to acknowledge how long these stone pieces have been standing, and the crazy value they own for thousands of years until today. The same thing happens to me each time I go to a temple, monument or to a very iconic sight. Regardless of the culture or the place where it’s located, these “rocks” contain so much energy, people’s faith, wishes and wonder that is hard not to feel them and truly understand the symbolic attachment and meaning, transforming them into way more than just plain rocks. 

Mau got this amazing tip: checking out the Guard Change on Sundays, when the officials wear their festivity outfits, so beautiful and traditional. Luckily for us, it was Sunday and it was almost 11 am. So it happened that our walk by the National Gardens suddenly became decorated by the Greek Anthem chords, and that was when we knew it was time to approach the Parliament. We found a perfect spot, in the middle of the street, where to witness all the Guard Change and its following parade with the National Marching Band. 

After this dose of Greek nationalism, we decided to go where the action happens: Plaka & Monasteraki. These two are the neighborhoods that surround the Acropolis and where the majority of restaurants and stores are located. Highly touristy, yet beautiful, so it’s well worth to put your “I’m-a-traveler-not-a-tourist” pride inside your pocket, and wonder the streets of Plaka guilt free. The delicious Greek treats you find your way will confirm your decision.

We had a highly Greek traditional lunch by the ladder of the Acropolis, sigh-seeing all Athens at the Klepsydra Tavern. Our first (out of maaaany) delicious Greek Salad with feta cheese, cucumber, peppers, onions and tomatoes, some tzatziki, the delicious yogurt, cucumber, garlic and herbs dip and a spanakopita, the very best spinach pie. 

We had to make a decision: tackling the Acropolis and the Parthenon on the very first day, or leave it for the first thing for the following morning. We decided to go with the second option, having the whole morning to explore and to avoid the crowds - which so far, we’ve been tackling like pros. Hence, we went on and explored Anafiotika, the picturesque and artistic tiny neighborhood full of hidden alley and old houses around Plaka, by the northerneast side of the Acropolis hill.

I loved this house: on the background, a window to the past, where the Parthenon with its Greek and West heritage lays. Inside, the secret and the intimacy of a Greek family, with family portraits, Orthodox crosses, a coffee set and an old TV. And on the same window that allows you a glimpse of this family lifestyle, you can see the reflection of the “outside”, of us, of where we were standing, of today’s Athens, today’s possibilities and tomorrow’s chances in Europe and in the World. I absolutely felt for it.  

The good thing about this area, (not so much Monasteraki) is that no matter which or how many turns you take, you’ll always find your way back. It’s confusing at first, but later you’ll discover its actual pocket size, and start enjoying the joy of being lost, not depending on your map nor phone to figure out where you are (again, another philosophical question to occupy your -un-worried mind while strolling the streets of Athens). 

I don’t know if you had noticed it, but let me call your attention to the sky on all the pictures featured above and on absolutely most of the pictures taken during this trip. There was not a single day where the sky wasn’t entirely blue and without clouds in Athens. It was gorgeous and quite stricken. It’s a Greek clear sky, what I like call the “Gods’ Exodus” - they left their Olympus comfort to wonder around the street of Greece among us mortals, leaving the sky completely clean. Homer already wrote about it on the Odyssey and highlighted a concept that I truly like: the terrenal god, of divine dust and magic that blends, interacts and lives between men. I believe this is the way religion should be lived, felt and practiced, since when the encounter with one another and with oneself happens, it reflects that divinity spark that is walking around, ingrained in us, no doubt about it. 

After more food, learning the Greek traditional dance, having a drink in Athens’ oldest bar and a deserved night full of jet-lag yet some sleep, we woke up with one objective in mind: having a tet-a-tet encounter with the Acropolis. The Acropolis is the name of the ancient citadel and complex group of historic buildings and remains located on one of Athens highest points, hence its name. The most iconic one of all is the Parthenon, but there are a bunch of other meaningful and equally astonishing buildings around worth to check out.  First, the Parthenon is the “newest” temple dedicated to Athena, patron of Athens. It’s the biggest structure on site that remains standing and constant efforts to preserve it are done by the Greek Government and EU institutions. It’s formed by 17 standing columns (weird number, I know) and a smaller and smaller complex done inside with less and less number of them. Right next to it, with incredible goddess-like or nymphs style columns, is the Old Temple of Athena. The Erechtheum is on its right, dedicated to Athena and Poseidon. Then, there’s the famous Temple of Athena Nike, the one that served as an inspiration for the legendary sports brand since Nike is the Victory Goddess in battle and in friendly and athletic encounters. It’s a smaller and secluded temple, yet it’s wonderful and inspiring. The halo of “just do it” spreads around the whole Acropolis complex and inspires its visitor to accomplish and to dare every single desire they have on their bucket lists During sunset, in my mind the only song that was playing in loop while watching the shape of the Acropolis fade to black was “All the things I’ve done” by The Killers, since it played on a Nike commercial a while ago, stating that “All you need is already inside (you)”. Cliche? Maybe. Yet, empowering as hell.

Continuing the exploration of the Acropolis, there’s the Dionysus Theater as well as the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. The first one is small and a little bit ruined down in comparison to the magnitude and the preservation of the second one. Yet, the first one has a deeper and more meaningful connection with me. I used to have a literature teacher that went nuts about Greek Mythology and while teaching us Homer songs, he displayed his beloved fandom towards the Ancient World. We learned about the dithyramb, an ancient Greek hymn and feast dedicated in honor of Dionysus, the God of wine and fertility (my favorite kind of god ;) - so, what happened here, was a kind of old-style, all-in semi orgy with divine purposes where poetry, performances, dances, songs and goat sacrifices were done. Imagine my enthusiasm while witnessing the place my professor was so passionate about, describing it with high-pitched voice, almost like a politician, with emphasis and devotion, as trying to gain the Gods’ approval and grace with his lectures. Those classes were amazing, almost as good as walking and sitting on that same place IRL where comedy and tragedy, with often divine offerings happened.  

Many, many, and some more wines, cafe stops and dishes later, we needed to say goodbye to Athens, at least for now, in order to embark towards Santorini. Mau had left to the airport, and I had yet a night to go. I wasn’t going to bed, regardless of my early flight, at least not before enjoying my last night in Athens, where the sky was clear, the stars were shining and the streets of Plaka were bursting with delicious food and activities to mesmerize me one more time. What happened? I was walking searching for a nice rooftop to have a drink or two and I found Cine Paris - this al fresco cinema, where Joker was playing, right next to the Acropolis. It was a sign: few minutes after its starting time, I walked in, grabbed a blanket, a drink and a pizza -  yet traditional popcorn was available. I just came from experiencing all the tragedy and comedy offered to the Gods, and now I had the opportunity to watch this contemporary masterpiece in which these two elements are being portrait exquisitely by Joaquin Phoenix. It felt I was at the orchestra section while Athena, Dionysus and Poseidon where watching it from the main box. Loved it.  Taking the early train towards the airport the following morning, was also something God-worth it. October 15, 6:56 AM, with the moon setting on my left and the sun rising on my right, in between the Athens hills and the high tension cables, it felt like Apolo was driving his carriage, chasing the moon, bringing the sun. 

So now you know it, when in doubt about Greek plans, or for that sake, with everything you are questioning yourself to do, buy, travel or say, go with Victory’s Goddess wisdom and just do it, Niké already foresees your success ahead. 

#greece #athens #parthenon #acropolis #joker #drama #comedy #europe #travel #discovery #beauty #history #philosophy #greek #food

[rockislandadultreads]

Goddesses, Warrior Women, & Females at War

Reading Recommendations 

Venus and Aphrodite: A Biography of Desire by Bettany Hughes

A cultural history of the goddess of love, from a New York Times bestselling and award-winning historian. Aphrodite was said to have been born from the sea, rising out of a froth of white foam. But long before the Ancient Greeks conceived of this voluptuous blonde, she existed as an early spirit of fertility on the shores of Cyprus -- and thousands of years before that, as a ferocious warrior-goddess in the Middle East. Proving that this fabled figure is so much more than an avatar of commercialized romance, historian Bettany Hughes reveals the remarkable lifestory of one of antiquity's most potent myths. Venus and Aphrodite brings together ancient art, mythology, and archaeological revelations to tell the story of human desire. From Mesopotamia to modern-day London, from Botticelli to Beyoncé, Hughes explains why this immortal goddess continues to entrance us today -- and how we trivialize her power at our peril.

The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World by Adrienne Mayor

The real history of the Amazons in war and love Amazons--fierce warrior women dwelling on the fringes of the known world--were the mythic archenemies of the ancient Greeks. Heracles and Achilles displayed their valor in duels with Amazon queens, and the Athenians reveled in their victory over a powerful Amazon army. In historical times, Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great, and the Roman general Pompey tangled with Amazons. But just who were these bold barbarian archers on horseback who gloried in fighting, hunting, and sexual freedom? Were Amazons real? In this deeply researched, wide-ranging, and lavishly illustrated book, National Book Award finalist Adrienne Mayor presents the Amazons as they have never been seen before. This is the first comprehensive account of warrior women in myth and history across the ancient world, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Great Wall of China. Mayor tells how amazing new archaeological discoveries of battle-scarred female skeletons buried with their weapons prove that women warriors were not merely figments of the Greek imagination. Combining classical myth and art, nomad traditions, and scientific archaeology, she reveals intimate, surprising details and original insights about the lives and legends of the women known as Amazons. Provocatively arguing that a timeless search for a balance between the sexes explains the allure of the Amazons, Mayor reminds us that there were as many Amazon love stories as there were war stories. The Greeks were not the only people enchanted by Amazons--Mayor shows that warlike women of nomadic cultures inspired exciting tales in ancient Egypt, Persia, India, Central Asia, and China.

Hell Hath No Fury: True Stories of Women at War from Antiquity to Iraq by Rosalind Miles, Robin Cross

An engaging collection that uncovers injustices in history and overturns misconceptions about the role of women in war When you think of war, you think of men, right? Not so fast. In Hell Hath No Fury, Rosalind Miles and Robin Cross prove that although many of their stories have been erased or forgotten, women have played an integral role in wars throughout history. In witty and compelling biographical essays categorized and alphabetized for easy reference, Miles and Cross introduce us to war leaders (Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Margaret Thatcher); combatants (Molly Pitcher, Lily Litvak, Tammy Duckworth); spies (Belle Boyd, Virginia Hall, Noor Inayat Khan); reporters and propagandists (Martha Gellhorn, Tokyo Rose, Anna Politkov- skaya); and more. These are women who have taken action and who challenge our perceived notions of womanhood. Some will be familiar to readers, but most will not, though their deeds during wartime were every bit as important as their male contemporaries’ more heralded contributions.

Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine by Joseph Campbell, Safron Rossi (Editor)

The first Joseph Campbell work to focus on the Goddess, edited and introduced by Safron Rossi, PhD, Curator of Collections at Opus Archives and Research Center, home to the archival collections of Joseph Campbell, Marija Gimbutas, James Hillman, and other scholars of mythology, Jungian and archetypal psychology, and the humanities. Joseph Campbell brought mythology to a mass audience. His bestselling books, including The Power of Myth and The Hero with a Thousand Faces, are the rare blockbusters that are also scholarly classics. While Campbell’s work reached wide and deep as he covered the world’s great mythological traditions, he never wrote a book on goddesses in world mythology. He did, however, have much to say on the subject. Between 1972 and 1986 he gave over twenty lectures and workshops on goddesses, exploring the figures, functions, symbols, and themes of the feminine divine, following them through their transformations across cultures and epochs. In this provocative volume, editor Safron Rossi—a goddess studies scholar, professor of mythology, and curator of collections at Opus Archives, which holds the Joseph Campbell archival manuscript collection and personal library—collects these lectures for the first time. In them, Campbell traces the evolution of the feminine divine from one Great Goddess to many, from Neolithic Old Europe to the Renaissance. He sheds new light on classical motifs and reveals how the feminine divine symbolizes the archetypal energies of transformation, initiation, and inspiration. 

#nonfiction #non-fiction #women in history #history or women #warrior women #booklr #booklist #reading recommendations #recommended reading #book recs #library #mythology #the amazons #aphrodite #venus #greek #roman

[jrgsportsbuzz]

BUCKS VS RAPTORS EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS PREVIEW

The Milwaukee Bucks’ magical season continues into the Eastern Conference Finals. Milwaukee is one step away from the NBA Finals for the first time since 2001, which was the last time the Bucks won a playoff series before the first-round victory over the Detroit Pistons this season.

The team continued its roll from that series into last round’s bout with the Boston Celtics. Boston shocked Milwaukee in the series opener with a 22-point victory at Fiserv Forum to take the 1-0 lead. Former Celtic great Paul Pierce, now an ESPN analyst, famously said “I don’t know where Milwaukee goes from here,” and “I think it’s over,” after that game.

It certainly was over after that, but for the Celtics. The Bucks went on to victory, to answer Pierce’s concern. Milwaukee proceeded to win the next four games, including Games 3 and 4 in Boston. The Bucks won both home games by 20+ points (Games 2 and 5).

Milwaukee now hosts the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals (ECF) for the right to play on the league’s biggest stage. Toronto advanced after a seven-game series against the Philadelphia 76ers in which star forward Kawhi Leonard’s fadeaway mid-range jumper bounced on the rim three times before dropping for the game-winning basket in a 92-90 Game 7 victory.

The Bucks have looked dominant so far in dispatching Detroit and Boston. However, the Raptors battled Milwaukee for home court advantage in the playoffs before falling two games short of the Bucks’ NBA-best 60-22 record. Here is a position-by-position breakdown of the series.

PG: Eric Bledsoe (MIL) vs. Kyle Lowry (TOR)

Bledsoe has had consistency issues throughout the playoffs and his shot has been nearly nonexistent, but he has been a valuable player during this postseason. He has exhibited his ability to drive to the hoop and score in contact. In addition, he has found other ways to help the Bucks when his offensive game has been off, as it was for most of the series against the Celtics. He had two key blocks in Game 4, demonstrating his athleticism along with his hustle, the latter of which has been on display throughout much of the playoffs. Milwaukee will have a great chance of emerging from the series vs. the Raptors if Bledsoe can continue his high-energy play and rediscover his shot.

Lowry has been very inconsistent throughout the playoffs, but is one of the league’s better point guards when he’s on his game. He always plays well during the regular season, but has been known to disappear during the postseason. That has often reflected on Toronto as a whole, but with Leonard in the fold, the Raptors have remained a tough out. Lowry has become a much better distributor in the later stages of his career and can be a go-to player when his shot is falling. He is a late bloomer, as he did not become an All-Star caliber floor general until his late-20s/early 30s. His best years have been in Toronto and he has been a fixture at the position during a successful time period for the Raptors.

Both Bledsoe and Lowry have tendencies to be on one game, off the next. However, both of them are extremely valuable to their respective squads. Bledsoe plays with more energy, is quicker and better on the glass, but Lowry’s game as a point guard is somewhat more refined, as he is a better shooter and passer. Both player’s ball-handling skills are about equal. Difficult to pick an edge here, but Lowry wins by a little bit. Edge: Raptors

SG: Malcolm Brogdon (MIL) vs. Danny Green (TOR)

Brogdon could be the Bucks smartest player and is one of their most efficient. He can score from anywhere and almost never forces the issue on offense. In addition, he plays solid man-to-man defense and is deceptively quick, which allows him to jump into passing lanes and get on-ball steals from time to time. His absence was felt by Milwaukee despite the team’s continued success. He returned for Game 5 against the Celtics and looked a bit rusty to start, but seemed more comfortable with each minute he played. Now that he is healthy again, he will likely retake his place in the starting lineup and become the valuable player he was before his injury.

Green came over with Leonard in the trade with the San Antonio Spurs for star wing DeMar DeRozan and center Jakob Poeltl. Green has been a role player throughout much of his career as a sharpshooter. He was a starter on the 2014 NBA Championship Spurs team with Leonard and has hit some key playoff shots during his career. He has mostly been a 3-and-D player during his career.

Brogdon is a heady player who is a perfect third or fourth scoring option. He was a second-round draft steal in 2016 and has found his way into the Bucks lineup due to his smarts and underrated talent. Green is dangerous when he’s hot from three, but is not very impactful outside of that. Edge: Bucks

SF: Khris Middleton (MIL) vs. Kawhi Leonard (TOR)

Middleton had a couple rough shooting games against Boston and was not as effective as he was last year vs. the Celtics, but he still was an impactful player during the series. He was his normal smooth offensive self and was one of a myriad of players who kept Boston off balance. His matchup against the Raptors will require him to be at his best, but he has often stepped up in situations such as these. However, he hasn’t been tested on a stage this big. It will be interesting to see if he can fulfill his role as star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo’s sidekick during the ECF.

Leonard is one of the superstars in today’s game. He has been regarded as the best ‘two-way player’ in the league, as he is one of the best on both ends of the floor. He consistently ranks among the league leaders in steals and in almost impenetrable when he’s guarding man-to-man. In addition, he can score from anywhere on the court, has an incredible amount of athleticism and a flair for the dramatic and his versatility allows him to thrive in any offensive system. He was not that excited about playing in Toronto after his malcontent in San Antonio, but to say he has made the most of his time with the Raptors could be an understatement. He was unstoppable against the 76ers and his composure in clutch situations came in handy, especially in the deciding game. He not only hit the aforementioned game-winner, but he took over the game down the stretch. Finally, Leonard has playoff pedigree, as he won the NBA Finals MVP award in 2014 for the Spurs when he was still an up-and-coming player. He has used the momentum from those playoffs and his tireless work ethic to become one of the faces of the league today.

Middleton can be a dangerous offensive player and has the ability to take over games from time to time. However, Leonard is a dominant force who can single-handedly carry a team and he lives for big moments. If he is the player he was against Philadelphia, the Bucks are in for a tough series. Edge: Raptors

PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) vs. Pascal Siakam (TOR)

Giannis is the Bucks’ superstar and, like Leonard, is one of the premier players in the NBA. He has steadily improved every season and is now basically unstoppable due to his length and ever-evolving offensive game. He cannot be contained in transition and runs the floor better than almost any player his size in the league. Anytime he has the ball in his hands, he is a threat to produce a highlight reel play, whether it’s a thunderous dunk or a contorted layup that has rarely been seen from players in the past. In addition, his humble nature has allowed him to become one of the most well-liked players in the league while helping him maintain the work ethic he’s needed to go from a raw, thin rookie in 2013 to the amazing talent he is today. In 2019, he has taken on the leadership role on one of the best teams in franchise history and has finally been able to make his mark deep in the postseason.

Siakam has grown a lot for the Raptors during his first three seasons and has made his biggest jump in 2018-19. He has become a potent threat from 3-point range for a power forward and has become an efficient offensive player. He supplanted veteran forward Serge Ibaka in the starting lineup and has teamed with Leonard and midseason trade acquisition center Marc Gasol to create one of the league’s best frontcourts. Siakam and Lowry each have an argument for being the Raptors’ second-best offensive threat behind Leonard.

Giannis is a freak of nature, hence his nickname The Greek Freak, and is looking to lead the best Bucks team in recent memory to an NBA title. Siakam is quickly becoming a solid player in the league and may even be a star in time, but he is nowhere near the player Antetokounmpo is now. Edge: Bucks

C: Brook Lopez (MIL) vs. Marc Gasol (TOR)

Lopez was a great signing for the Bucks, as he became a perimeter threat in first-year coach Mike Budenholzer’s system. However, that has not translated into the playoffs. His shot has been off against both Detroit and Boston and he has not been as effective as the Bucks may have hoped for during the postseason. He has been solid on defense, as he averaged 3.5 blocks against the Pistons and, while his block numbers were down against the Celtics, his presence forced them to settle for many outside shots, especially in the last four games. However, the Bucks could become an even bigger threat to win it all if he regains his offensive form.

Gasol is past his prime, but is still an effective center who can be dominant at times. He is a 7-1 tower who provides an intimidating defensive presence down low. He, like Lopez, also can step outside and shoot on offense, which keeps defenses honest and opens the lanes for slashers like Leonard and Siakam. His numbers and playing time have decreased since being traded to Toronto near the trade deadline after spending the first 10-plus years of his career with the Memphis Grizzlies, which is largely because of the deeper frontcourt he has around him. He is also an effective passing center, averaging nearly three assists per game. Defensively, he uses his length well, averaging over a steal per game.

Both centers in this series use their length well defensively and can be perimeter threats on offense. Neither one of them is counted upon to shoulder a large scoring load and are role players for their respective teams. There really is no advantage here. Edge: Even

BENCH: George Hill, Pat Connaughton, Nikola Mirotic, Ersan Ilyasova, Sterling Brown, D.J. Wilson, Tim Frazier, Tony Snell (MIL) vs. Serge Ibaka, Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell, Jeremy Lin, Jodie Meeks, Malcolm Miller, Eric Moreland, Patrick McCaw (TOR)

Hill was easily the Bucks’ most valuable bench player against the Celtics and could even be argued for as their second or third best overall player in the last two games of that series. His veteran presence and underrated quickness and athleticism has been invaluable throughout the playoffs. Connaughton is a jumping jack hustle player who has grabbed double-digit rebounds in a few games during the postseason despite his 6-5 height. His jumper, occasional highlight plays and energy have made him the perfect spark plug off the Bucks’ bench. Mirotic has regained his form in the playoffs after coming back from injury following the regular season. His jumper has returned and he has been a solid presence on the glass while starting in place of Brogdon. Ilyasova has taken on a role similar to that of Mirotic, but he hasn’t been as impactful on offense. Many of his contributions are not visible on the stat sheet, but, like the rest of the Milwaukee reserves, his energy has served the team well during the first two rounds. Brown’s versatility has helped the Bucks get through playing without Brogdon, but he has lost much of his playing time because of the increased level of play by more experienced players. Wilson, Frazier and Snell will likely only see inconsequential minutes.

The Raptors struggle with depth and play their starters most of the game except for Ibaka, who often gets as much, if not more, playing time than Gasol. Ibaka began his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder as a shot-blocking specialist, but he has diversified his offensive game since then. He is a step slower at this stage of his career, but is still a physical defensive presence who can knock down perimeter shots. VanVleet is a steady hand at point guard and has filled in fairly well during Lowry’s occasional struggles, but his production is somewhat meager. Powell is an energy wing who plays well on defense, but, like VanVleet, does not provide much offense. Lin, Meeks, Miller, Moreland and McCaw have rarely seen playing time throughout the playoffs, and that likely won’t change against the East’s top regular season team.

The Bucks’ bench and Giannis’ superlative play are the two main reasons the Bucks have gotten to the ECF without much resistance. Hill and Connaughton have played as well as any starters would and the rest of the significant reserves have been solid too. Toronto relies extremely heavily on their starting lineup, as their bench does not offer much beyond Ibaka. Edge: Bucks

COACH: Mike Budenholzer (MIL) vs. Nick Nurse (TOR)

Budenholzer ushered in a new offensive system that made the Bucks one of the most efficient and prolific offensive units in the NBA. He inherited a talented group led by a superstar and molded it into the league’s best regular season team. He is the likely NBA Coach of the Year (COY) who is looking to finish off his outstanding first season with Milwaukee with a championship.

Nurse continued the Raptors’ success from previous coach Dwane Casey, who was controversially fired last season despite winning COY honors. He has overseen Siakam’s breakthrough and has maintained the success from the last few seasons despite the new alpha dog in Leonard. Toronto’s identity has not changed much despite the coaching change, as the Raptors remain a defense-oriented team that plays a half-court-based offense.

Budenholzer has turned a talented but somewhat disorganized group into a cohesive, dangerous bunch in his first year. Nurse has done a solid job in his first season, but has largely continued the success from the previous regime Edge: Bucks

FINAL ANALYSIS

The Bucks are in the midst of their deepest playoff run since 2001, when they lost a controversial ECF in seven games to star guard Allen Iverson and the 76ers. Milwaukee is looking to make its first NBA Finals appearance since 1974, when they lost in seven games to the Celtics (Bucks were a Western Conference team until the 1980-81 season). Antetokounmpo is an amazing talent and his supporting cast has proven they can provide enough punch to keep teams from focusing too much attention on him. Toronto has a superstar of its own in Leonard, who is capable of matching Giannis’ production, especially in the scoring column. The difference in this series will likely be the surrounding players, and guys like Middleton, Bledsoe, Brogdon, Hill and Connaughton should provide enough to help the Bucks take advantage of the home court and earn a chance to play for the NBA’s biggest prize. Milwaukee has been dominant except for one game, and its momentum and depth advantage over the Raptors allows that run to continue. PREDICTION: Bucks in 5

#bucks #eastern conference #nba finals #nba #pistons #celtics #fiserv forum #paul pierce #espn #nba on espn #raptors #76ers #kawhi leonard #eric bledsoe #kyle lowry #malcolm brogdon #danny green #demar derozan #spurs #jakob poeltl #khris middleton #giannis antetokounmpo #pascal siakam #serge ibaka #marc gasol #brook lopez #grizzlies #george hill #pat connaughton #nikola mirotic

[thefortyeightlawsofpower-blog]

LAW # 9 : WIN THROUGH YOUR ACTIONS, NEVER THROUGH ARGUMENT

JUDGEMENT

Any momentary triumph you think you have gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.

TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW

In 131 B.C., the Roman consul Publius Crassus Dives Mucianus, laying siege to the Greek town of Pergamus, found himself in need of a battering ram to force through the town’s walls. He had seen a couple of hefty ship’s masts in a shipyard in Athens a few days before, and he ordered that the larger of these be sent to him immediately. The military engineer in Athens who received the order felt certain that the consul really wanted the smaller of the masts. He argued endlessly with the soldiers who delivered the request: The smaller mast, he told them, was much better suited to the task. And indeed it would be easier to transport.

The soldiers warned the engineer that their master was not a man to argue with, but he insisted that the smaller mast would be the only one that would work with a machine that he was constructing to go with it. He drew diagram after diagram, and went so far as to say that he was the expert and they had no clue what they were talking about. The soldiers knew their leader and at last convinced the engineer that it would be better to swallow his expertise and obey.

After they left, though, the engineer thought about it some more. What was the point, he asked himself, in obeying an order that would lead to failure? And so he sent the smaller mast, confident that the consul would see how much more effective it was and reward him justly.

When the smaller mast arrived, Mucianus asked his soldiers for an explanation. They described to him how the engineer had argued endlessly for the smaller mast, but had finally promised to send the larger one. Mucianus went into a rage. He could not concentrate on the siege, or consider the importance of breaching the walls before the town received reinforcements. All he could think about was the impudent engineer, whom he ordered to be brought to him immediately.

Arriving a few days later, the engineer gladly explained to the consul, one more time, the reasons for the smaller mast. He went on and on, using the same arguments he had made with the soldiers. He said it was wise to listen to experts in these matters, and if the attack was only tried with the battering ram he had sent, the consul would not regret it. Mucianus let him finish, then had him stripped naked before the soldiers and flogged and scourged with rods until he died.

THE SULTAN AND THE VIZIER

A vizier had served his master for some thirty years and was known and admired for his loyalty, truthfulness, and devotion to God. His honesty, however, had made him many enemies in the court, who spread stories of his duplicity and perfidy. They worked on the sultan day in and day out until he too came to distrust the innocent vizier and finally ordered the man who had served him so well to be put to death. In this realm, those condemned to death were tied up and thrown into the pen where the sultan kept his fiercest hunting dogs. The dogs would promptly tear the victim to pieces. Before being thrown to the dogs, however, the vizier asked for one last request. “I would like ten days’ respite,” he said, “so that I can pay my debts, collect any money due to me, return items that people have put in my care, and share out my goods among the members of my family and my children and appoint a guardian for them.” After receiving a guarantee that the vizier would not try to escape, the sultan granted this request. The vizier hurried home, collected one hundred gold pieces, then paid a visit to the huntsman who looked after the sultan’s dogs. He offered this man the one hundred gold pieces and said, “Let me look after the dogs for ten days.” The huntsman agreed, and for the next ten days the vizier cared for the beasts with great attention, grooming them well and feeding them handsomely. By the end of the ten days they were eating out of his hand.

On the eleventh day the vizier was called before the sultan, the charges were repeated, and the sultan watched as the vizier was tied up and thrown to the dogs. Yet when the beasts saw him, they ran up to him with wagging tails. They nibbled affectionately at his shoulders and began playing with him. The sultan and the other witnesses were amazed, and the sultan asked the vizier why the dogs had spared his life. The vizier replied, “I have looked after these dogs for ten days. The sultan has seen the result for himself. I have looked after you for thirty years, and what is the result? I am condemned to death on the strength of accusations brought by my enemies. ”The sultan blushed with shame. He not only pardoned the vizier but gave him a fine set of clothes and handed over to him the men who had slandered his reputation. The noble vizier set them free and continued to treat them with kindness.

THE SUBTLE RUSE: THE BOOK OF ARABIC WISDOM AND GUILE, THIRTEENTH CENTURY

Interpretation

The engineer, whose name has not been recorded by history, had spent his life designing masts and pillars, and was respected as the finest engineer in a city that had excelled in the science. He knew that he was right. A smaller ram would allow more speed and carry more force. Larger is not necessarily better. Of course the consul would see his logic, and would eventually understand that science is neutral and reason superior. How could the consul possibly persist in his ignorance if the engineer showed him detailed diagrams and explained the theories behind his advice?

The military engineer was the quintessence of the Arguer, a type found everywhere among us. The Arguer does not understand that words are never neutral, and that by arguing with a superior he impugns the intelligence of one more powerful than he. He also has no awareness of the person he is dealing with. Since each man believes that he is right, and words will rarely convince him otherwise, the arguer’s reasoning falls on deaf ears. When cornered, he only argues more, digging his own grave. Once he has made the other person feel insecure and inferior in his beliefs, the eloquence of Socrates could not save the situation.

It is not simply a question of avoiding an argument with those who stand above you. We all believe we are masters in the realm of opinions and reasoning. You must be careful, then: Learn to demonstrate the correctness of your ideas indirectly.

OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW

In 1502, in Florence, Italy, an enormous block of marble stood in the works department of the church of Santa Maria del Fiore. It had once been a magnificent piece of raw stone, but an unskillful sculptor had mistakenly bored a hole through it where there should have been a figure’s legs, generally mutilating it. Piero Soderini, Florence’s mayor, had contemplated trying to save the block by commissioning Leonardo da Vinci to work on it, or some other master, but had given up, since everyone agreed that the stone had been ruined. So, despite the money that had been wasted on it, it gathered dust in the dark halls of the church.

This was where things stood until some Florentine friends of the great Michelangelo decided to write to the artist, then living in Rome. He alone, they said, could do something with the marble, which was still magnificent raw material. Michelangelo traveled to Florence, examined the stone, and came to the conclusion that he could in fact carve a fine figure from it, by adapting the pose to the way the rock had been mutilated. Soderini argued that this was a waste of time—nobody could salvage such a disaster—but he finally agreed to let the artist work on it. Michelangelo decided he would depict a young David, sling in hand.

Weeks later, as Michelangelo was putting the final touches on the statue, Soderini entered the studio. Fancying himself a bit of a connoisseur, he studied the huge work, and told Michelangelo that while he thought it was magnificent, the nose, he judged, was too big. Michelangelo realized that Soderini was standing in a place right under the giant figure and did not have the proper perspective. Without a word, he gestured for Soderini to follow him up the scaffolding. Reaching the nose, he picked up his chisel, as well as a bit of marble dust that lay on the planks. With Soderini just a few feet below him on the scaffolding, Michelangelo started to tap lightly with the chisel, letting the bits of dust he had gathered in his hand to fall little by little. He actually did nothing to change the nose, but gave every appearance of working on it. After a few minutes of this charade he stood aside: “Look at it now.” “I like it better,” replied Soderini, “you’ve made it come alive.”

Interpretation

Michelangelo knew that by changing the shape of the nose he might ruin the entire sculpture. Yet Soderini was a patron who prided himself on his aesthetic judgement. To offend such a man by arguing would not only gain Michelangelo nothing, it would put future commissions in jeopardy. Michelangelo was too clever to argue. His solution was to change Soderini’s perspective (literally bringing him closer to the nose) without making him realize that this was the cause of his misperception.

Fortunately for posterity, Michelangelo found a way to keep the perfection of the statue intact while at the same time making Soderini believe he had improved it. Such is the double power of winning through actions rather than argument: No one is offended, and your point is proven.

THE WORKS OF AMASIS

When Apries had been deposed in the way I have described, Amasis came to the throne. He belonged to the district of Sais and was a native of the town called Siuph. At first the Egyptians were inclined to be contemptuous, and did not think much of him because of his humble and undistinguished origin; but later on he cleverly brought them to heel, without having recourse to harsh measures. Amongst his innumerable treasures, he had a gold footbath, which he and his guests used on occasion to wash their feet in. This he broke up, and with the material had a statue made to one of the gods, which he then set up in what he thought the most suitable spot in the city. The Egyptians constantly coming upon the statue, treated it with profound reverence, and as soon as Amasis heard of the effect it had upon them, he called a meeting and revealed the fact that the deeply revered statue was once a footbath, which they washed their feet and pissed and vomited in. He went on to say that his own case was much the same, in that once he had been only an ordinary person and was now their king; so that just as they had come to revere the transformed footbath, so they had better pay honor and respect to him, too. In this way the Egyptians were persuaded to accept him as their master.

THE HISTORIES. HERODOTUS. FIFTH CENTURY B.C.

KEYS TO POWER

In the realm of power you must learn to judge your moves by their long-term effects on other people. The problem in trying to prove a point or gain a victory through argument is that in the end you can never be certain how it affects the people you’re arguing with: They may appear to agree with you politely, but inside they may resent you. Or perhaps something you said inadvertently even offended them—words have that insidious ability to be interpreted according to the other person’s mood and insecurities. Even the best argument has no solid foundation, for we have all come to distrust the slippery nature of words. And days after agreeing with someone, we often revert to our old opinion out of sheer habit.

Understand this: Words are a dime a dozen. Everyone knows that in the heat of an argument, we will all say anything to support our cause. We will quote the Bible, refer to unverifiable statistics. Who can be persuaded by bags of air like that? Action and demonstration are much more powerful and meaningful. They are there, before our eyes, for us to see—“Yes, now the statue’s nose does look just right.” There are no offensive words, no possibility of misinterpretation. No one can argue with a demonstrated proof. As Baltasar Gracián remarks, “The truth is generally seen, rarely heard.”

Sir Christopher Wren was England’s version of the Renaissance man. He had mastered the sciences of mathematics, astronomy, physics, and physiology. Yet during his extremely long career as England’s most celebrated architect he was often told by his patrons to make impractical changes in his designs. Never once did he argue or offend. He had other ways of proving his point.

In 1688 Wren designed a magnificent town hall for the city of Westminster. The mayor, however, was not satisfied; in fact he was nervous. He told Wren he was afraid the second floor was not secure, and that it could all come crashing down on his office on the first floor. He demanded that Wren add two stone columns for extra support. Wren, the consummate engineer, knew that these columns would serve no purpose, and that the mayor’s fears were baseless. But build them he did, and the mayor was grateful. It was only years later that workmen on a high scaffold saw that the columns stopped just short of the ceiling.

They were dummies. But both men got what they wanted: The mayor could relax, and Wren knew posterity would understand that his original design worked and the columns were unnecessary.

The power of demonstrating your idea is that your opponents do not get defensive, and are therefore more open to persuasion. Making them literally and physically feel your meaning is infinitely more powerful than argument.

A heckler once interrupted Nikita Khrushchev in the middle of a speech in which he was denouncing the crimes of Stalin. “You were a colleague of Stalin’s,” the heckler yelled, “why didn’t you stop him then?” Khrushschev apparently could not see the heckler and barked out, “Who said that?” No hand went up. No one moved a muscle. After a few seconds of tense silence, Khrushchev finally said in a quiet voice, “Now you know why I didn’t stop him.” Instead of just arguing that anyone facing Stalin was afraid, knowing that the slightest sign of rebellion would mean certain death, he had made them feel what it was like to face Stalin—had made them feel the paranoia, the fear of speaking up, the terror of confronting the leader, in this case Khrushchev. The demonstration was visceral and no more argument was necessary.

The most powerful persuasion goes beyond action into symbol. The power of a symbol—a flag, a mythic story, a monument to some emotional event—is that everyone understands you without anything being said. In 1975, when Henry Kissinger was engaged in some frustrating negotiations with the Israelis over the return of part of the Sinai desert that they had seized in the 1967 war, he suddenly broke off a tense meeting and decided to do some sight-seeing. He paid a visit to the ruins of the ancient fortress of Masada, known to all Israelis as the place where seven hundred Jewish warriors committed mass suicide in A.D. 73 rather than give in to the Roman troops besieging them. The Israelis instantly understood the message of Kissinger’s visit: He was indirectly accusing them of courting mass suicide. Although the visit did not by itself change their minds, it made them think far more seriously than any direct warning would have. Symbols like this one carry great emotional significance.

When aiming for power, or trying to conserve it, always look for the indirect route. And also choose your battles carefully. If it does not matter in the long run whether the other person agrees with you—or if time and their own experience will make them understand what you mean—then it is best not even to bother with a demonstration. Save your energy and walk away.

GOD AND ABRAHAM

The Most High God had promised that He would not take Abraham’s soul unless the man wanted to die and asked Him to do so. When Abraham’s life was drawing to a close, and God determined to seize him, He sent an angel in the guise of a decrepit old man who was almost entirely incapacitated. The old man stopped outside Abraham door and said to him, “Oh Abraham, I would like something to eat.” Abraham was amazed to hear him say this. “Die, exclaimed Abraham.”It would be better for you than to go on living in that condition.”

Abraham always kept food ready at his home for passing guests. So he gave the old man a bowl containing broth and meat with bread crumbs. The old man sat down to eat. He swallowed laboriously, with great effort, and once when he took some food it dropped from his hand, scattering on the ground. “Oh Abraham, ” he said, “help me to eat.” Abraham took the food in his hand and lifted it to the old man’s lips. But it slid down his beard and over his chest. “What is your age, old man?” asked Abraham. The old man mentioned a number of years slightly greater than Abraham’s old age. Then Abraham exclaimed: “Oh Lord Our God, take me unto You before I reach this man’s age and sink into the same condition as he is in now. ” No sooner had Abraham spoken those words than God took possession of his soul.

THE SUBTLE RUSE: THE BOOK OF ARABIC WISDOM AND GUILE, THIRTEENTH CENTURY

Image: The Seesaw. Up and down and up and down go the arguers, getting nowhere fast. Get off the seesaw and show them your meaning without kicking or pushing. Leave them at the top and let gravity bring them gently to the ground.

Authority: Never argue. In society nothing must be discussed; give only results. (Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881)

REVERSAL

Verbal argument has one vital use in the realm of power: To distract and cover your tracks when you are practising deception or are caught in a lie. In such cases it is to your advantage to argue with all the conviction you can muster. Draw the other person into an argument to distract them from your deceptive move. When caught in a lie, the more emotional and certain you appear, the less likely it seems that you are lying.

This technique has saved the hide of many a con artist. Once Count Victor Lustig, swindler par excellence, had sold dozens of suckers around the country a phony box with which he claimed to be able to copy money. Discovering their mistake, the suckers generally chose not to go the police, rather than risk the embarrassment of publicity. But one Sheriff Richards, of Remsen County, Oklahoma, was not the kind of man to accept being conned out of $10,000, and one morning he tracked Lustig down to a hotel in Chicago.

Lustig heard a knock on the door. When he opened it he was looking down the barrel of a gun. “What seems to be the problem?” he calmly asked. “You son of a bitch,” yelled the sheriff, “I’m going to kill you. You conned me with that damn box of yours!” Lustig feigned confusion. “You mean it’s not working?” he asked. “You know it’s not working,” replied the sheriff. “But that’s impossible,” said Lustig. “There’s no way it couldn’t be working. Did you operate it properly?” “I did exactly what you told me to do,” said the sheriff. “No, you must have done something wrong,” said Lustig. The argument went in circles. The barrel of the gun was gently lowered.

Lustig next went to phase two in the argument tactic: He poured out a whole bunch of technical gobbledegook about the box’s operation, completely beguiling the sheriff, who now appeared less sure of himself and argued less forcefully. “Look,” said Lustig, “I’ll give you your money back right now. I’ll also give you written instructions on how to work the machine and I’ll come out to Oklahoma to make sure it’s working properly. There’s no way you can lose on that.” The sheriff reluctantly agreed. To satisfy him totally, Lustig took out a hundred one-hundred-dollar bills and gave them to him, telling him to relax and have a fun weekend in Chicago. Calmer and a little confused, the sheriff finally left. Over the next few days Lustig checked the paper every morning. He finally found what he was looking for: A short article reporting Sheriff Richards’s arrest, trial, and conviction for passing counterfeit notes. Lustig had won the argument; the sheriff never bothered him again.

#manosphere #advice #mgtow #mras #redpill #business #quotes #philosophy #money #entrepreneur #success

[offthebeatenstacks]

The Amazons: Lives & Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World, by Adrienne Mayor "Amazons—fierce warrior women dwelling on the fringes of the known world—were the mythic archenemies of the ancient Greeks. Heracles and Achilles displayed their valor in duels with Amazon queens, and the Athenians reveled in their victory over a powerful Amazon army. In historical times, Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great, and the Roman general Pompey tangled with Amazons. "But just who were these bold barbarian archers on horseback who gloried in fighting, hunting, and sexual freedom? Were Amazons real? In this deeply researched, wide-ranging, and lavishly illustrated book, National Book Award finalist Adrienne Mayor presents the Amazons as they have never been seen before. This is the first comprehensive account of warrior women in myth and history across the ancient world, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Great Wall of China. "Mayor tells how amazing new archaeological discoveries of battle-scarred female skeletons buried with their weapons prove that women warriors were not merely figments of the Greek imagination. Combining classical myth and art, nomad traditions, and scientific archaeology, she reveals intimate, surprising details and original insights about the lives and legends of the women known as Amazons. Provocatively arguing that a timeless search for a balance between the sexes explains the allure of the Amazons, Mayor reminds us that there were as many Amazon love stories as there were war stories. The Greeks were not the only people enchanted by Amazons—Mayor shows that warlike women of nomadic cultures inspired exciting tales in ancient Egypt, Persia, India, Central Asia, and China. "Driven by a detective’s curiosity, Mayor unearths long-buried evidence and sifts fact from fiction to show how flesh-and-blood women of the Eurasian steppes were mythologized as Amazons, the equals of men. The result is likely to become a classic." CLICK HERE to request through SearchOhio (Note: Edition and cover art may vary.)

#adrienne mayor #amazons #nonfiction #Princeton University Press

[tripsterguru]

20 best excursions in Armenia

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20 best excursions in Armenia

The ancient civilization of the prehistoric state of Urartu left a lot of unique “evidence” of its existence. Having become an independent country, modern Armenia is actively developing the tourism industry. More and more International tourists flock here to see the extraordinary beauty of the mountainous country and its monuments. Therefore, group and individual excursions in Yerevan have become the main element of the tourist destination.

Lake Sevan, pagan Garni and Geghard cave monastery

Becoming a member of the “chamber” excursion around the outskirts of Yerevan, you will plunge into the world of interesting legends. Authentic ancient structures amaze your imagination amid landscapes of unearthly beauty. A friendly Caucasian guide will treat everyone with fruits and national sweets. The world-famous alpine lake Sevan with fresh water – the priceless “pearl of Armenia” makes you dazzle with delight for its incredible beauty.

The turquoise-blue expanse of water is surrounded by picturesque mountain ranges covered with snow caps. The coastal landscape of a unique reservoir rich in fish is picturesque and diverse. Here you can breathe plenty of pure air. Rare luck – in the 21st century. see the pagan temple, which is Garni, which has become a symbol of Armenia. It was erected in the Hellenic style in the 1st century. n e. and dedicated to the Sun God Miter. The earthquake of 1679 destroyed the sanctuary, but the magnificent appearance of the architectural masterpiece of Hellenism was “resurrected” from ruins. When looking at the majestic colonnade of Garni, a pre-Christian history comes to life.

A truly unforgettable experience leaves the monastery complex Geghard. The scale of its premises, cut down in the rocks of a gloomy canyon, is amazing. It’s hard to imagine how much effort the monks put into by manually hollowing out the rock! Everything here is amazing and fascinating.

Bright colors of Yerevan

Subscribe to our channel in Telegram, where we daily post the most last-minute tours and flights. A 3-hour walk through the evening Yerevan will allow you to learn the sacred places of the city, to feel the spirit of its 3-thousand-year-old history. The narrow ancient streets will reveal the secrets of the past, introduce you to the unique oriental architecture. The connection of times will visibly appear before you in the guise of buildings. In the guide’s story, the heroes of Armenian legends and genuine historical figures, whose names are forever inscribed in the monuments, will come to life. A unique view of the city, shining with rainbow lights, will open from a height.

Going down the famous Cascade, enjoy the authenticity of the Old Town. A spiritual and aesthetic shock (in a good way) will be a visit to one of the churches here. Once on the square Republic, you will admire the play of light and water of the famous Singing Fountains. A pleasant touch in the “chord” of the promenade will be the tasting of Armenian dishes in the restaurant of national cuisine.

Tasting and historical tour of Yerevan and its environs

An 8-hour road trip with an experienced guide is an opportunity to plunge into the atmosphere of iconic objects of antiquity, to literally be under the clouds and from there to view the stunning panorama of Armenia. 40 km from Yerevan near the border with Turkey is another 1 symbol of ancient Armenia – the monastery-fortress Khor Virap. It was built on the site of a medieval prison, the prisoners of which were thrown into the pit for certain death. Gregory the Illuminator spent 15 years here. The powerful walls of the building represent strength and reliability, over which time has no power.

At an altitude of 30 m above sea level among the mighty cliffs there is a narrow cleft. This is the entrance to the Bird Cave, discovered by an Armenian archaeologist in 2007. He discovered an impressive space with an abundance of bird nests (hence the name). Further research revealed that people lived here for 4 millennia BC. e. Evidence of this – fragments of pottery, shoes, skulls, the remains of the winery. An indelible impression of penetration into eternity will remain for a long time.

Journey to the Khor Virap and Noravank Monasteries

In the country, one of the first to adopt Christianity, many ancient shrines have been preserved. In 6 hours you will visit 2 monasteries. In sec. Areni will see near the divine Ararat, hear a lot of interesting information. A truly breathtaking picture will open before you: against the background of the majestic peaks of Ararat, the tower of the monastery-fortress Khor Virap (deep hole) rises.

You will find out what famous religious figure was kept in the church pit for 13 years. You will see authentic cells, guest houses, office buildings of the 17th century. The road along the winding bank of the river. Arpa leads to Noravank Monastery. Against the background of sheer red cliffs, you will see a 2-story old church. Noravank is the architectural masterpiece of the outstanding Armenian sculptor Momik, with whose name the legend about the foundation of the miracle monastery is associated.

Discover the beauty of nature in Armenia

Unique natural and man-made monuments, the majestic beauty of mountain peaks, gorges and canyons await everyone in an 8-hour trip around the outskirts of Yerevan. A tremulous excitement will sweep you over the pass, where in June 1829 the ingenious classics of Russian literature met. The pass described by Pushkin in the documentary Journey to Arzrum will open up irresistible landscapes for you from its height. Once on the edge of the deep canyon Dzoraget, you will see a truly fantastic picture.

Among the steep cliffs covered with greenery of centuries-old moss and shrubs, a river of the same name flows with a winding gray ribbon. Numerous grottoes gap in mysterious depths. On the way to the Lori Gorge, you will have time to catch a glimpse of the color of Greek and Armenian villages, lost among the mountains and gorges. The surrounding landscapes are stunning with wonderful views. Feel yourself climbers, going down the rocky path to the river. Debed, and rising again up.

High above the river. Debed is located 2 monasteries (10 century.) – Examples of Armenian architecture of the Middle Ages. You will get an idea of ​​that era and feel the spirit of those times. When you see stone crosses, you will find out that these are “khachkars”, you will understand their purpose and types. The guide will tell you in detail about one of them. Lunch in a typical Armenian restaurant you will surely enjoy.

Sightseeing tour in Yerevan

During a leisurely walk (4.5 hours), you will see iconic sights – symbols of a long-suffering and great country. The secrets of little-known corners, traditions and life of old-timers will be revealed. The old city will amaze the imagination with incredible scale and grandeur of buildings, unique museums. You will not remain indifferent at the sight of Cascade, “Mother of Armenia”, Victory Park, memorial to the Genocide Victims Memorial.

Touch the antiquity in the famous Matenadaran, admire the paintings of local artists. In the New City, submit to the scope of the Northern Avenue, the beauty of modern buildings made of colorful tuff. Make a complete picture of contemporary Armenian art in the museum complex. Gafeshchyan. Pleasant moments await in cozy cafes where the Caucasian hospitality is combined with amazing Armenian dishes.

Sevan and Dilijan: the marvelous nature of Armenia

The opportunity to visit the beautiful Lake Sevan, in the popular resort of Dilijan provides a 5-hour tour. You will fall under the charm of azure waters, virgin forests and ancient monasteries. The pearl of Armenia – Sevan – the country’s largest voluminous lake with fresh water. More than 20 mountain rivers flow into it, filling it with melt water. Magnificent mountain landscapes surround the azure expanse, in the depths of which trout splashes. The ancient monastery built of black tufa makes a stunning impression.

Remember how the hero F. Mkrtchyan from the movie “Mimino” praises his Dilijan? You will also fall in love with this wonderful resort town, surrounded by blue mirrors of lakes and green forests. Walking along the picturesque streets, you will see local architectural attractions. Complement your experience with views of medieval monasteries around the city.

Lake Sevan, ancient monasteries, ethnic workshops

A 10-hour auto tour of the foothills and highlands of Armenia is a vivid impression of everything seen. The bewitching beauty of Sevan, pine and deciduous forests, the amazing harmony of nature and ancient monasteries will not leave anyone indifferent.

You cannot take your eyes off the landscapes that open from the windows of the bus, on the way to Lake Sevan – they are so magnificent! A rest near the coast of Sevan will give aesthetic pleasure from the view of a unique lake. Serving freshly prepared fish dishes will add positive emotions.

The ancient monasteries of Haghartsin and Sevanavank, merged with nature, will conquer you with their architecture and touching authenticity. You will hear the story of their occurrence in an interesting presentation of the guide.

In the resort Dilijan, feel the fertile microclimate created by the surrounding forests. You will see the inimitable sculptural composition – 3 famous heroes of Mimino.

Take a short course in pottery (ethnic master class) and woodcarving.

If you wish, you can plunge into the thermal springs.

In the main Christian places of Armenia. Etchmiadzin and Zvartnots

The Ararat Valley will open its arms to you, where you will “go through” the path of development of Christianity from birth to flowering. Rare churches and temples will become visual objects, at the sight of which you will feel the breath of centuries. The former grandeur of the Temple of the Watching Angels (Zvartnots) will reveal to you the partially restored ruins of an ancient sanctuary damaged by a strong earthquake.

Even from them you will conclude how grandiose this religious structure was. A visit to the residence of the Catholicos of all Armenians, the religious center of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the city of Etchmiadzin – an introduction to the cradle of Christianity. Gather a lot of information in the local museum, admire the cathedral. You will enter the building of the former seminary, where the Art Gallery is now.

The best way to learn Armenian cuisine

Becoming a member of such a 10-hour tour, get into the secrets of the famous Armenian cuisine, famous throughout the world. Feel the flavor of the eastern bazaar, learn to cook true Armenian dishes and taste the taste of divine wines. The picturesqueness of the Yerevan market is difficult to describe in words; it is better to see the whole variegated spectrum of cheeses, vegetables, fruits and other products on the plentiful counters. You will become aware of new varieties of cheese, exotic pickles and methods for their preparation.

After a walk around the market, you will go to a hospitable country house. On the way you will see a relict cave with prehistoric finds. A visit to one of the oldest wineries will be a pleasant highlight of the trip. Here you can taste high-class Armenian wine.

A real gastronomic holiday awaits you in a cozy house where you take part in the preparation of delicious national dishes. It will not do without dolma (the subject of laudatory odes of the “professor” Khachikyan-Mkrtchyan), without a juicy barbecue-horovac. Kalyagosh, baskyrtat and other dishes with unusual names for you will become known to you.

Khor Virap, Noravank and Areni – the best in the south of Armenia

A trip to the Ararat Valley, rich in vineyards, will delight you with a wonderful experience. Red rocks, grottoes and caves, ancient Christian shrines, amazing landscapes await you. Khor Virap, located on the river bank of Araks, at the foot of St. Ararat, will impress with its mighty monastery walls and great history. You know about the role of Gregory the Illuminator in the formation of Christianity in Armenia.

The legendary Noravank – a work of art of monastery architecture will delight you with the beauty of lines and shapes. The story of its creator, the in love architect Momik, will also impress. In the cradle of Armenian wine traditions – Areni village visit the winery, taste the taste of several varieties of wine. Then walk along the relict Cave of birds, learn about amazing finds and feel yourself in another dimension.

Garni Pagan Temple and Geghard Monastery

A trip to the iconic shrines of Armenia will introduce you to the main Christian symbols. You will see a priceless monument of Hellenic architecture. You will visit the monastery monastery, which, according to legend, kept a spear of Longinus, piercing the body of Jesus.

Seeing the majestic colonnade of the Temple of Garni, you seem to find yourself on a piece of land of Ancient Hellas – the features of Hellenism in the pagan sanctuary are so precisely observed. Hear the history of its construction, you will find out who was the initiator of this and how the temple was restored after the earthquake.

After visiting Garni, you go to the Gokht River, where the Geghard Christian monastery is located in a picturesque gorge. One cannot help but froze in amazement at the sight of the gray walls and domes of the monastery against the backdrop of mighty rocks. You will learn that this complex, founded by Gregory the Illuminator, has undergone many destructions not only from earthquakes, but also from human hands. It was in the temple of Garni (according to legend) that there was a spear of Longinus.

Culture and Heritage of Yerevan

You will learn about the most interesting facts and events from the history of the city, everyday and cultural traditions during an 8-hour trip around Yerevan. Unique buildings, structures and institutions will serve as visual aids.

Feel the national flavor on the Vernissage, where handicrafts are presented in abundance.

Taste the product produced by Ararat Brandy Factory and appreciate the art of its manufacturers.

You will visit Etchmiadzin – the historical center of the Apostolic Church of Armenians, visit the local Cathedral. If you’re lucky, listen to the beautiful singing of the male choir.

In the Museum of Spiritual Relics you will see a plaque from Noah’s Ark, an authentic Spear of Destiny and stone crosses.

The cave labyrinth will amaze you not so much with its enormous dimensions (depth 21 m, length 150 m, 7 rooms), but with the scale of work of the Armenian Levon.

A walk through the evening Yerevan will introduce you to the most outstanding architectural structures, the Republic Square and the Singing Fountains.

The road to the temple: about Christianity and art

During the educational excursion, uniting the themes of religion, history and art, a close connection of the past and present of Yerevan is traced. You are waiting for a visit to ancient Christian shrines and modern institutions. A panoramic walk along the old and new streets, a tour of the Blue Mosque, Cascade, monuments will give a vivid idea of ​​the city, embodying antiquity and youth.

By visiting the Cathedral, you will learn many interesting things from the history of Christianity in Armenia from the distant past to the present. The chapel of the 13th century, the church of the Holy Virgin Zoravor and the new church of st. Anne. Matenadaran – the repository of ancient manuscripts will impress with the number and linguistic diversity of rarities. If you choose the Museum of Modern Art, you will be captivated by the talented works of famous sculptors and artists of the 20-21 century.

Travel to the cave city and Tatev Monastery

The most vivid feelings and impressions await you on a trip through the mountains. Rises to dizzying heights, descents into millennial caves, incredible views of mountain gorges. Khndzoresk – an ancient city located on the side of the mountains – the first stop on the way from Yerevan. Here you will see unusual caves, resembling giant nests of swallows, “hanging” on the rocks in several tiers.

Take an extreme walk on a suspension bridge over a deep gorge. The cableway (the longest in the world) Tatev’s Wings will take you after a short halt to the Tatev Monastery. Flying “on wings” literally under the clouds, you will see stunning views of the gorge of the river below. Vorotan. The feeling of “bird’s flight” is unforgettable.

Tatev Monastery (9 c), considered the center of spiritual strength, will make an indelible impression. The unique architecture of the religious building, the beauty of the surrounding nature will enchant. The history of Tatev, who became the center of science and art in the 14-16th century, will be an important discovery. The final “chord” of the trip is a visit to the healing springs with 3 types of healing water, acquaintance with the “bridge of Satan.”

Rose City Photo Walk

A fascinating voyage (3.5 hours) in a relaxed, without officialdom, atmosphere will allow to reveal more deeply the traditions and mentality of Armenians, their way of life and culture. Your photo lenses capture amazing atmospheric objects and spaces. Significant symbols of Yerevan will appear before you in all its glory. Vernissage will amaze with its unique exhibits. On Republic Square, admire its architecture and sights. The famous modern building – Cascade will present the brightest “photo frames”, like the ancient church.

Yerevan flavor will be revealed throughout the promenade. You will understand why the city is called pink after seeing the bright facades of houses. You will have the opportunity to compare the arrangement of yards of Yerevan from different eras. When visiting an elite staircase, an old carpet shop and an artist’s workshop, make sure once again how diverse and colorful the life of the city is, where antiquity and modernity go together.

Wine Tour: Khor Virap – Areni – Noravank

In this tour you will discover the unique nature of Armenia, amazing Christian buildings, incredible Armenian hospitality and exquisite taste of local wines. Ararat Valley will meet you with amazing mountain landscapes. You will admire them on the way to the Khor Virap monastery, which is especially revered by the Armenians.

Located off the river. Araks, not far from the border with Turkey, Khor Virap resembles a powerful “guard” guarding the homeland. The stunning view of the majestic Ararat will enhance the impression of the reliability of the borders. At the next shrine, the architectural pearl of Noravank, you will freeze with admiration for the view of the monastery and be inspired by the narrative of the romantic love of its creator.

The picturesque gorge of the river. Arpa will be the enchanting backdrop of the visit. In sec. Areni, where the guide Anna will invite all participants, get acquainted with the long-term wine traditions of her family. Learn interesting facts from family-friendly wine production technologies. At a welcoming table you will taste several sorts of wines, with various “highlights”.

Master class on desserts of Armenian cuisine

In a country with such a rich history as Armenia, a special national cuisine could not help but appear. A variety of Armenian desserts can satisfy the taste of the most demanding gourmets. There is hardly a person who would not like baklava, gata or nazuki. In the course of the master class, the secrets of making these amazingly tasty and healthy desserts will be revealed to you.

All the intricacies of the “creation” of confectionery masterpieces, the dosage of the constituent ingredients and products will become known from an experienced guide as a pastry chef. Watching his actions and manipulations, you yourself can cook some kind of dessert. Upon returning home, you will delight relatives and friends with confectionery novelties.

In 3 hours of fun communication, you will learn the history of the appearance of traditional Armenian desserts, which products are used most often. Get comprehensive answers to all your questions. In conclusion, treat yourself to aromatic coffee with cooked “goodies”.

Little Switzerland in Armenia

On an 8-hour trip, you will meet with the truly unearthly beauties of the natural and architectural pearls of Armenia. Paradise corners of “Little Switzerland” will charm with its bright tones and midtones, the divine harmony of forests, water, mountains and ancient monasteries.

On the way to the natural miracle – Lake Sevan, from the mouth of the guide you will hear many interesting things, admire the surroundings from the windows of a comfortable mini-bus. The amazing blue of the water surface of Sevan, a necklace of snow-white peaks along its shores will captivate your imagination. Visiting the Senavank monastery, you will understand how strong the spiritual connection of nature and the Armenian culture is.

There will be no limit to your delight in Dilijan Reserve. The richest beauty of these places, indeed, will seem Switzerland. The slopes covered with dense forest, picturesque gorges, rocks amaze the imagination. The Haghartsin and Goshavank monasteries will “discover” the secrets of their appearance, captured in official history and romantic legends.

Six types of Armenian temples and their secrets

The Armenian people, the first to adopt Christianity, created many religious symbols. A trip to the Christian shrines – 6 ancient monasteries – an exciting immersion in the fateful history of Christianity in Armenia. In the small mountain villages that meet along the way, you will get acquainted with the life and lifestyle of local residents and see the ruins of the princely palace.

At the picturesque slopes of the extinct volcano Aragats, you will visit the ancient temples 7 in:

Church of st. Hripsime (city of Vagharshapat) is the first central domed authentic temple in the world. 13 centuries stood without destruction.

In the temple of Aruchavank you will see preserved frescoes and a unique method of building a dome.

In the temple of the Watching Angels (Zvartnots) you will admire the amazing sculptural decorations of the facade, you will learn the unusual history of the shrine.

Church of St. Gregory (Hovhannavank Monastery) will give an idea of ​​the earliest religious architecture.

In the church of st. Karapet (Hovhannavank) get acquainted with the features of the domed hall.

The Karmravor cross-domed church (the city of Artashak) will surprise with its extraordinary resilience (14 centuries)

A wonderful tour will end with a pleasant visit to the “paradise” – the garden of a local resident, where you can enjoy juicy fruits.