This is the famed Lion’s gate at the entrance of the ancient city of Mycenae. The citadel is roughly 3600 years old. This is also the city of the famed King Agamemnon, as made famous by Homer. The capstone above the gate depicts two (lions?) creatures that appear to be lions. This city controlled much of the peloponnesia for centuries. Agamemnon, from what we know of him, exercised much power over Hellas. His tomb is a short way away, and it is a mound type “bee-hive” tomb. Of course there was nothing left, because the tomb had long been picked clean of treasures by grave robbers. But back to the city walls. The Myceneans had discovered how to build huge walls that baffled the classical Greeks. They decided that the walls were cyclopean. That cyclops giants must have built it because they were too large to have been built by human hands. Very amazing. It’s easy to see why the Myceneans were able to exert such influence on the area.
The library of Ephesus. I was in shock that such an amazing structure still stands. The Artemision (temple of Artemis) did not survive and that was disappointing, but seeing a structure that was this well preserved was quite amazing. I wonder what it looked like in it’s prime when it was full of codices, manuscripts, and scrolls… For a book lover like me it would be amazing… The inscriptions on the walls are quite legible and there’s plenty of detail that hasn’t worn away. To be completely honest it looks like it could fall down at any moment, because the front wall and entrance is the tallest part. The other four sides are considerably shorter, at any rate Ephesus as a whole was quite amazing. There are even ancient latrines. It’s an archaeologist’s dream. Maybe one day I can return as a professor and give it some further study.
This is the famous Parthenon. Dedicated to Athena, then rededicated as a Catholic church, then used for gunpowder storage, which is the reason it looks like it does today. This is one of the most recognizable sites of Greece. The columns are of the Doric style, and the ancient Greeks built it slightly out of proportion so that it would appear to be perfect, so it appears perfect because of a calculated imperfection. The numerous friezes that survive are located both in the Acropolis museum and in the British museum in London. (Still a point of contention between the two nations) The friezes depict different mythological scenes. At one point the cache of powder housed within exploded destroying the roof. It’s a wonder that the Parthenon still stands at all considering what it’s been through. It’s not the only temple on the acropolis but it surely is the most important. It’s currently being restored, they are however, not going to try to recreate the roof. It amazing to see this shining example of classical architecture.
Beginning in the reign of Nero, Christians were persecuted by the Roman empire. After the great fire of Rome, Nero had to find a scapegoat and the Christians fit the bill. This would be the first of several intermittent but strenuous persecutions of the Christian faith. The atrocities committed are absolutely horrendous. Being wrapped in oily rags and set on fire as a live human torch, being wrapped in animal skins and being mauled to death by wild dogs, and of course being thrown to the lions. Trajan’s persecution appears to be just as brutal, but Christians were not quite as strenuously sought and it only took a denial to get off scot free. Although a strong Christian would never have taken that out. But… at the same time some Romans recognized the goodness of Christianity remarking on their way of returning good for evil and always remaining joyful in the face of persecution. And as strongly opposed as it was Christianity was always gaining converts. In the end, Christianity won against the entire might of Rome. Truly He has set forth a Kingdom that will never be defeated.
This beautiful polyptych is located in the Cathedral at Ghent. Painted by brothers Hubert and Jan Van Eyck this is a very detailed and beautiful religious icon. And it’s really a miracle it still exists. It survived the attack of the iconoclasts, who destroyed statues of saints and religious artwork. It survived being captured by the Germans… twice. Although one of the panels is not the original. It was stolen, and is supposedly still hidden somewhere in Ghent. Wish I could find it… However, this is not a picture that I took. The original is set off in an alcove and photography is forbidden. I hate that rule… Anyway, the center of the polyptych portrays the adoration of the lamb (Christ). The next two panels on either side depict the various people who come to adore the Lamb. Above the center panel is the panel of the Father as well as those of angels in chorus. On the far upper right and left, Adam and Eve stand there. As I said before the detail of the painting is very remarkable and distinguishes the artwork as a product of the Northern Renaissance. Worth a trip to see.
Virgil’s Aeneid is the first truly Roman literary masterpiece. Although not quite copying Homer’s style, the Aeneid is very similar to the Iliad and Odyssey, in fact the Aeneid is a continuation of those stories. Virgil gave Rome an origination story/myth of which they could be proud, in much the same manner that the Greeks thought of Homer and the Myceneans. The Roman’s chose to identify themselves with the long destroyed Troy. The Aeneid follows the destruction of Troy with the voyages of Aeneas, the father of the Roman race. Another particular thing I found in this reading is the death of Laocoon. Laocoon, the Trojan priest, warns the people of Greeks bearing gifts. Because the gods were on the Achaeans side he was bitten by the snakes, him and his son. Amazing statue. Amazing story.
Notre Dame, another signature Paris sight. This middle Gothic Cathedral is among one of the most famous in the world. Erected to honor the virgin Mary (Our Lady), it is close to eight hundred years old. It’s the setting of Victor Hugo’s famous book, Notre Dame de Paris. We might know it by it’s Disney movie name… The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The cool thing about that is that Victor Hugo probably saved Notre Dame from decay. His novel sparked a widespread nationalistic pride that began restoration of the Cathedral. The cathedral has a very nice treasury, filled with golden objects and reliquaries. The inside would have had an austere peacefulness but for the hundreds of chattering tourists that gave me a headache… Normally most cathedrals that I’ve been in have allowed me to reflect and relax, but not Notre Dame. The architecture really is quite amazing, inasmuch it uses the flying butress to make the use of stained glass windows a reality. There’s only one of the original windows left, the other two large ones were bombed out. The tympanum over the western portal depicts the last judgement, obviously a far cry from the sculptures of the renaissance but quite elaborate and detailed for its time. At one point it housed many bells, but the big one is still there for tourists to see. It’s quite interesting, the towers, because they have internal wooden framework because the bells would crack solid stone. All in all this is a remarkable World Heritage and French Heritage site. Completely worth a visit despite the insane crowds.
Ah, the Louvre. Possibly the greatest art museum in the world. If one were to stand thirty seconds in front of each individual artwork one would be there for over thirteen days. The famous pyramid is located outside. At one point the Louvre was a palace, until the Bourbon dynasty decided Paris wasn’t good enough for them and moved to the outskirts at Versailles. Later, much later the Louvre was converted into the art museum it is now with three massive wings (Richelieu, Sully, Dinant) and three floors. (Ground, 1st, 2nd). It houses the Mona Lisa, the Raft of Medusa, Liberty Leading the People, The Coronation of Napoleon, The Code of Hammurabi, The Winged Victory of Samothrace… So many cool things and objets d’art as the French would say. Really awesome place.
The Eiffel Tower is pretty much one of the signature Paris landmarks. In fact it’s probably the first thing one thinks of when one thinks of Paris. It’s just shy of a 1,000 feet, and it’s quite large. This is not the first time I’ve been to the Eiffel tower, but It was still very enjoyable to go again. It’s best at night when it’s lit up and sparkles on the hour. Very beautiful, which is quite ironic because when it was first built over a century ago the Parisians hated it. They thought it was ugly as sin, which is not surprising because a great deal of Parisians are negative like that. Haha In fact one particular writer, I can’t remember his name, ate in the Eiffel tower every day so he didn’t have to look at it. Pretty clever but there’s something wrong with that logic… At any rate this icon of Paris deserves a photo.
Dachau, Germany… The site of the first Nazi run concentration camp. Thousands were imprisoned here for political crimes, or just for the crime of being different. Although not an extermination camp per se thousands still died here due to poor treatment, sickness, lack of food, and depression. It’s places like this that make one come to terms with the evil that can lurk in men’s hearts. And it really does make one question whether or not humans are inherently good, but this place should never be forgotten. No one should ever forget what happened here. Because if we remember the horror and pain and tragedy that this place held… maybe it won’t happen again. It must never happen again. ”Arbeit Macht Frei” Work makes you free… Possibly one of the worst and biggest lies ever told. That same gate barred the entrance at every concentration and death camp. With the same lies in wrought iron. We must never forget the atrocities of Dachau or Auschwitz, or Ravensbruck or any of them.