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Category Archives: Scholarship
If Archimedes (or Da Vinci) designed and built it you know it worked. Trouble would be reload/reset times, and handling parameters. To be effective you'd need a number of cannons firing in strict rotation, and you'd need some pretty damned effective ammunition. You couldn't beat the Romans on psychological effect alone. Almost no one ever did.
Overall, and histrionically speaking, they were the most "cool under fire" military that ever existed.
Greek scientists make successful test with replica of ancient steam cannon
Source: Xinhua| 2018-07-01 20:01:38|Editor: mmm
ATHENS, July 1 (Xinhua) — A group of Greek scientists including engineer Alexandros Oikonomidis made a successful test this weekend, firing a replica model of the ancient steam cannon designed by Archimedes of Syracuse (287-212 BC), the ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer and inventor.
The test was carried out in a field at Koropi, a suburb of Athens. Original cannon had been used to defend the city from invading Romans (213-211 BC). The replica model was constructed four decades ago by Oikonomidis' late colleague Yannis Sakkas.
Centuries before him, Leonardo da Vinci had also reconstructed Archimedes' war device, according to scholars.
The steam cannon basically consists of a metal tube. One end of the tube is capped while the other is loaded with the projectile. Once the tube is heated and reaches high enough temperature, a small amount of water is injected in behind the projectile. It rapidly turns into high-pressure steam, blasting the projectile out of the barrel.
A projectile of about 6 cm diameter reached some 30 meters on Saturday, far less than the over 1,000 meters the ancient steam cannon larger in size could reach. Still the mission was accomplished.
Oikonomidis, assisted by Yorgos Sakkas, the son of the late engineer, and other Greek experts, proved once again that the design of the machine is working and simple ideas can make great difference.
"This is a replay of an experiment made by my colleague and friend Yannis Sakkas 37 years ago. He worked based on a manuscript discovered in the archives of the great inventor, engineer, mechanic, architect and artist Leonardo da Vinci," Oikonomidis told Xinhua before the test.
"Among these archives there were three sketches depicting da Vinci's version of the steam cannon Archimedes had invented to target the Roman ships which had gathered around Syracuse," he said.
"He (Sakkas) wanted to prove that Archimedes' achievements, as narrated, were not legends but the crystal clear reality," Oikonomidis added.
Oikonomidis undertook the task of tearing apart, repairing and putting together again the 1.2 meter-long device which had been left aside in a warehouse for years.
Saturday's experiment was carried out ahead of an exhibition on Ancient Greek warfare technology which will be hosted at the Herakleidon museum opposite the Acropolis hill from August 22, Pantelis Mitsiou, head of the museum's marketing and communication department, told Xinhua.
"Basically we wanted to have a firing shot for educational purposes, to see how this device functioned in antiquity," Mitsiou said.
"The idea is very simple. The aim is to create enough pressure inside the chamber so that it will blast the projectile to a distance," he explained.
Posted in Ancient, Artefacts, Article, History, Real World, RESURRECTED RELICS, Scholarship
Tags: Archimedes, Greek
Interesting, especially given the differences of the cultures…
Il DNA dei moderni Greci è strettamente affine alla Civiltà Minoica e Micenea
Di Matteo Rubboli in data Lug 6, 2018
Dai tempi di Omero, i greci hanno idealizzato i loro antenati Micenei in poemi epici e tragedie classiche che glorificano le imprese di Ulisse, del re Agamennone e di altri eroi che entravano e uscivano dal favore degli dei ellenici. Sebbene i micenei raccontati nei poemi fossero frutto della fantasia, un team di studiosi ha compiuto una serie di analisi genetiche per appurare la discendenza dei moderni Greci.
Il DNA dei moderni greci è strettamente correlato agli antichissimi Micenei e Minoici
La Civiltà Micenea si sviluppò fra il 1.600 e il 1.200 a.C. nella zona di Micene, nel Peloponneso, per poi scomparire in modo repentino e misterioso, gettando però i semi per la cultura della Grecia Classica. I Minoici erano la popolazione dell'isola di Creta, oggi così chiamati grazie al nome del mitico Re Minosse, che costituirono la civiltà cretese fra il 2.000 e il 1.450 a.C.. I Micenei, contemporanei per lungo tempo dei Minoici, erano più combattivi di questi ultimi, che invece si dedicavano al commercio, e a un certo punto, fra il 1.450 e il 1.400 a.C., li assoggettarono al proprio controllo.
Sotto, la Porta dei Leoni a Micene. Fotografia di Andrea Trepte condivisa con licenza CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikipedia:
Epicamente non furono solo i Minoici a cadere, ma anche la città di Troia in Turchia, conquistata dai Micenei
In una ricerca del 2013, l'antico DNA di 19 persone vissute fra il 2.900 e il 1.700 a.C. (fra cui 10 minoici cretesi, 4 Micenei del sito archeologico di Micene e 5 persone di altre culture fra Grecia e Turchia) è stato confrontato con quello di 30 moderni Greci e altre 334 persone vissute in antichità in tutta l'area Mediterranea ed Eurasiatica.
I risultati sono stati sorprendenti
I micenei erano strettamente legati alle popolazioni minoiche, ed entrambi dovevano 3/4 del loro DNA ai primi agricoltori che vivevano in Grecia e nell'Anatolia sud-Occidentale. Entrambe le culture avevano un DNA connesso ai coltivatori caucasici nei pressi all'odierno Iran, suggerendo che la migrazione di persone dall'est avvenne prima che i micenei si separassero dai minoici. Tutte queste popolazioni, hanno un DNA profondamente diverso da quello delle popolazioni Africane ed Egiziane dell'epoca.
Rispetto agli abitanti di Creta, i Micenei portavano un'importante differenza:
Dal 4 al 16% del loro DNA proveniva da popolazioni del Nord-Europa o della Siberia
Uno degli autori dello studio, Iosif Lazaridis, genetista delle popolazioni presso l'Università di Harvard, afferma come sia quindi chiaro che le migrazioni dalla steppa eurasiatica proseguirono sino a poco prima del periodo Miceneo, ma non raggiunsero gli abitanti di Creta.
Sotto, affresco di una danzatrice al palazzo di Cnosso:
Non a caso, minoici e micenei si assomigliano. Negli affreschi, nelle ceramiche e in genere in tutte le opere d'arte, gli artisti di entrambe le culture dipingevano persone con gli occhi scuri e i capelli scuri, sebbene le due culture parlassero e scrivessero lingue diverse (Lineare A e Lineare B). I micenei erano più militaristi, e la loro arte era caratterizzata da lance e immagini di guerra, mentre l'arte minoica non era centrata sul culto della battaglia.
Sotto, una donna raffigurata a Micene:
E i greci moderni?
La parte forse più interessante dello studio è quella che raffronta la popolazione della moderna Grecia con quella degli antichissimi Greci. Fra i Micenei, i Minoici e i Greci Moderni esistono numerosissime sovrapposizioni genetiche. Per George Stamatoyannopoulos, co-autore dello studio, la continuità fra popolazioni vissute oltre 3.500 anni fa e i Greci moderni è sorprendente.
La Grecia subì le invasioni dei Persiani, dei Romani, dei popoli Barbari, il dominio dei Veneziani e dei Turchi Ottomani
Questo suggerisce che le componenti genetiche degli antenati dei Greci erano già consolidate durante l'età del bronzo (3.500-1.200 a.C.), dopo che la migrazione dei primi agricoltori dall'Anatolia stabilì il modello per il corredo genetico dei greci e, di fatto, per molti altri popoli europei.
Pittura a Cnosso:
La conclusione di Stamatoyannopoulos è che: "Ora sappiamo che i fondatori delle prima civiltà europea avanzata erano europei. Essi erano molto simili agli europei del neolitico e molto simili ai cretesi del giorno d'oggi".
Il prossimo obiettivo dei genetisti è riuscire a identificare le connessioni fra il misterioso popolo Ittita e i moderni abitanti dell'odierna Anatolia.
Articolo parzialmente tradotto e da Science Mag., altre fonti sono le pagine Wikipedia riguardanti la Civiltà Micenea e Minoica.
Posted in Ancient, Archaeology, Real World, RESURRECTED RELICS, Scholarship, Uncategorized, Website
Tags: Minoa, Mycinea
SAINT OLAF
Archaeologists in Norway discover church and altar of Viking King Olav Haraldsson
https://sketchfab.com/models/6729409680154b68b703c348e50d06e2/embedKirke/church at Søndregate 18/10 by nikunorway on Sketchfab
ARCHAEOLOGISTS IN NORWAY CLAIM TO HAVE DISCOVERED A CHURCH WHERE THE VIKING KING, OLAF HARALDSSON WAS FIRST ENSHRINED AS A SAINT.
Archaeologists working on a site near Trondheim have unearthed the foundations of a wooden stave church and the alter where Olaf may have been enshrined immediately after being declared a saint. The discovery gives credibility to Norse saga accounts surrounding important events of that era.
Director of the project, Anna Petersén said "This is a unique site in Norwegian history in terms of religion, culture and politics. Much of the Norwegian national identity has been established on the cult of sainthood surrounding St. Olaf, and it was here it all began!"
Olaf II Haraldsson, later known as St. Olaf, was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028 till his death in the Battle of Stiklestad. His younger half-brother, Harald Hardrada, was also present at the battle who also became King of Norway in 1047, only to die in a failed invasion of England at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066.
In his Chronicle of the Kings of Norway, the medieval Icelandic historian Snorri stated that "following King Olaf Haraldsson's martyrdom in 1030, his body was buried in Trondheim, or Nidaros" (as it was known) and that the local populus soon reported portents and miracles attributed to the martyred king. A year after his death, Olaf's coffin was dug up and opened in the presence of the bishop, revealing his miraculously well-preserved body. He was immediately declared a saint by popular acclaim and his body was enshrined above the high altar in the royal church of St. Clement's church before being moved to the Cathedral some years later.
St. Clement's church discovered
Archaeologists working for the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) have recently uncovered the stone foundations for a wooden stave church which they believe is the actual ruin of St. Clement's Church from the dating evidence. Dating evidence and a study of the ruins places its construction at the time Olaf ruled.
During its excavation, the archaeologists uncovered a small rectangular stone-built platform at the building's east end which is probably the foundation for an altar – probably the very same altar on which St. Olaf's coffin was placed in 1031. In addition, a small well was also discovered which may be a holy well connected with the saint.
Niku
Posted in Archaeology, History, Medieval, Real World, Relics, RESURRECTED RELICS, Scholarship, Uncategorized, Website
Tags: Norway, St. Olaf, Viking
WORLD WAR ZERO – DESIGN OF THINGS TO COME (AND PAST)
WORLD WAR ZERO?
Indeed, as I've been saying for decades, the First World War did not begin in the 20th century. Hell, the First World War of the modern era didn't even begin in the 20th Century. That's just a common, modern-era-minded conceit of modern people. A mere and entirely erroneous nomenclature. Historians are every bit as absorbed in their own prejudices and misguided assumptions as anyone else.
World Wars, depending on precisely how you define them at any given time may extend well back into pre-history. What the Zero-Point really is we may never know, but it extends well, well beyond our age.
Something to remember about Real Life, something to remember in constructing your fiction, and something to remember when constructing your milieus and game worlds as well.
Just because the events are long lost to time doesn't mean the effects are…
Archaeologist Talks About A Bronze Age 'World War Zero' That Brought Down Three Ancient Civilizations
POSTED BY: DATTATREYA MANDAL MAY 16, 2016
Back in March, we talked about a 3,200-year old massive battle that took place in the cultural 'backwaters' of Bronze Age northern Europe (circa 13th century BC), and how this mysterious encounter involved over 4,000 well-armed men from different regions, including Poland, Holland, Scandinavia and even Southern Europe. Intriguingly enough, there also seems to be a date-oriented significance relating to 13th century BC. Within a generation of these contemporary times, the increasing scale of warfare and over-arching political affairs seemed to have swept through many parts of the known world, including the eclipse of the Mycenaean Greeks, the invasion of Egypt by the 'sea-people' and the concurrent downfall of the Hittites. And furthermore, there is also the literary narrative of the Trojan War – a large scale conflict (and possibly the proverbial 'last hurrah' of the Mycenaeans) that pitted the Greeks against the mystifying Trojans. Considering all these 'mega' events of the ancient times, archaeologist Eberhard Zangger has alluded to what he calls 'World War Zero' – a seemingly cataclysmic scenario that severely affected and ultimately shattered the thriving nature of eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age civilizations.
According to Zangger, the so-called 'World War Zero' (or at least some parallel event) was possibly triggered by the emergence of a more powerful Bronze Age civilization in the proximate region. According to him, this faction – often overlooked by historians, probably pertains to the Luwians, who were based in ancient Anatolia. So who exactly were these Luwians? According to Britannica–
Luwiya is mentioned as a foreign country in the Hittite laws (about 1500 bc). It probably coincided roughly with Arzawa, a large region composed of several principalities in western or southwestern Anatolia, and Kizzuwadna, a district occupying the Cilician Plain. Both Arzawa and Kizzuwadna were independent kingdoms during the Old Hittite period (c. 1700–c. 1500 bc) but later became vassals of the Hittite empire. Linguistic evidence testifies to the cultural penetration of the Hittite empire by Luwians.
As for this seemingly 'wild' conjecture put forth by Zangger, the archaeologist (who is also the head of international non-profit, Luwian Studies, based in Zurich, Switzerland), the Luwians were intrinsically powerful because of the availability of natural resources in western Anatolia, including the region's rich minerals and metal ore deposits. Moreover, based on satellite imagery, it has been found that the proximate areas of Anatolia were quite densely populated by Bronze Age standards, with evidences of around 340 big settlements found in the region.
Now regarding literary evidences, as the last sentence of the Britannica excerpt confirms, Hittites were already aware of the rising power of the collective kingdoms of western Anatolia, many of which had the lingua franca of Luwian. In fact, historically some of these 'Luwian' factions did unite together (periodically) to make their forays, raids and even invasions of the nearby Hittite lands. One of such major incursions, along with pressure from the eastern Assyrians, might have brought about the ultimate downfall of the Hittite empire.
Zangger continues with his conjectural narrative about how these victorious Luwians then (perhaps) coveted the rich lands of the Egyptian realm. Thus come in the Egyptian texts that document the arrival of so-called 'Sea People' – who could have been the Luwians sailing across from 'distant' Anatolia to raid northern Egypt. Finally, threatened by the warmongering and other baleful international affairs, the Mycanaean Greeks braced up for an imminent invasion by the Luwians – by attacking the enemy first through their own large offensive, as described in Homer'sIliad. However on nullifying this external threat from Anatolia (aka Trojans), the Mycanaeans squabbled among themselves, and soon civil wars snuffed out their flourishing culture – as hinted at in Homer's Odyssey.
But of course, from the historical perspective, this expansive (and world-changing) sequence of events of World War Zero is entirely hypothetical – with no exact clue pointing to Luwian dominance in contemporary political affairs. However from the archaeological context, researchers have come across ruins of many Anatolian settlements (circa late Bronze Age) that bore the destructive marks of warfare. Furthermore, since we brought up history, there are rare occurrences of 'latent' powers being ultimately responsible for toppling the more conventionally powerful empires, in spite of their relative unfamiliarity in global affairs. One pertinent example would obviously include the burgeoning Islamic realm (after Mohammed), circa 7th century AD, that managed to defeat two contemporary 'superpowers' of the time – the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) and the Sassanian Persian Empire, to claim their subsequent Caliphate.
In any case, beyond conjectures and mirroring events, there is the whole science of extant evidences to consider. These evidences could include both textural works and architectural specimens. As Christoph Bachhuber at the University of Oxford, said –
Archaeologists will need to discover similar examples of monumental art and architecture across western Anatolia and ideally texts from the same sites to support Zangger's claim of a civilization.
Sadly, the archaeological ambit is still lacking in regard to the machinations of the eastern Mediterranean theater in Bronze Age. But as always there is a silver lining to this academic scope. So while Zangger's World War Zero mirrors the nigh universal narrative of warfare and destruction, it could also potentially redirect the attention of the experts in this field to 'dig deeper' into the mystery of the late Bronze Age. Bachhuber aptly put it forth –
He's [Zangger] really getting the ball rolling to do larger holistic studies of the area,. I'm actually quite excited that he's bringing attention to this region.
Posted in ALLTHING, Ancient, Archaeology, Artefacts, Article, Battle/War, Commentary, DESIGN OF THINGS TO COME, Exploration, Gaming, History, Information, LOST LIBRARY, Milieu/World/World Building, MY WRITINGS AND WORK, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Pre-History, Real World, RESURRECTED RELICS, Scholarship, Science, Uncategorized
Tags: ancient, archaeology, civilization, conflict, discovery, history, prehistory, warfare, World War
BRILLIANCE AND EFFORT – LOST LIBRARY
A rather unique and brilliant and innovative use of archaeoastronomy/archaeoastrology, to predict past city construction behavior among an ancient people. The boy is sharp and asked all the right questions.
Excellent work kid.
Teen uses Google Maps to discover ancient Mayan site
Unfortunately, the driving directions are pretty beastly.
David Grossman, PopularMechanics.com Updated 2:39 pm, Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Editor's note: Since this story first appeared, several members of the scientific community have voiced skepticism that the image shown above is the ruins of a Mayan civilization. Read more on that story here.
Next time you think there's nothing left to explore—that GPS and satellites have already discovered everything on Earth—just think about the 15-year-old kid from Canada who discovered an ancient Mayan city, The Fire Mouth.
It sounds like a reboot of Indiana Jones, one where a kid is able take raw data from satellite imagery and put it in crucial context. William Gadoury, 15, became obsessed with Mayan history after the endless media drumbeat over the predictions of the end of the world in 2012. Gadoury's discoveries appear to be the only worthwhile development stemming from that cesspool of clickbait. Gadoury became curious as to why the Mayans lived where they did, often removed from natural options like rivers. He started to focus on twenty-two Mayan constellations and began to wonder if there any correlation with the placement of Mayan cities in Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and El Salvador.
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He had solid grounds for his theory: Mayans placed a heavy emphasis on astrology, the idea that the stars directly effect life on Earth. They would use astrological signs to determine farming cycles, so it stands to reason that the signs could influence where Mayans would want to live. Gadoury started to map out the constellations and noticed that they corresponded with 117 known Mayan cities. Then he decided to add a twenty-third constellation to his map.
A 15 year old Canadian used Google Earth and images from the Canadian Space Agency to discover a Mayan City. (Hosted by Josh King @abridgetoland)
Media: Buzz60 English
The twenty-third constellation was a small one, only three stars. But Gadoury, using Google Maps and later images from the Canadian Space Agency, was able to determine that a 118th city should correspond to it. He plugged in the appropriate coordinates, you can see what he found above. Dr. Armand LaRocque, a remote sensing specialist from the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, who is working with Gadoury, believes it is a Mayan pyramid surrounded by thirty smaller structures. "Geometric shapes, such as squares or rectangles, appeared in these images, forms that can hardly be attributed to natural phenomenon," LaRocque said, and it's hard to argue with that. Gadoury chose the name Fire Mouth.
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Still, all the evidence lays with satellite imagery—no one has actually explored the location Gadoury spotted on Google Maps. "It's always about money," says Dr. LaRocque, bringing to light the stark contrast between the costs of physical expeditions and digital ones. Funds are currently being raised to get Gadoury to Brazil's Expo-Sciences International, where one hopes he'll be able to direct his ample abilities towards networking and finding someone willing make their way Fire Mouth.
Source: Gizmodo
This article originally appeared on PopularMechanics.com
Posted in Ancient, Archaeology, Artefacts, Commentary, Education/Training, Exploration, History, LOST LIBRARY, Real World, RESURRECTED RELICS, Scholarship, Uncategorized
Tags: analysis, archeology, discovery, exploration
BAM! THE ANCIENTS WERE ANCIENT BUT HIGHLY DEVELOPED
Archaeologists Unearth Spectacular 3,500-Year-Old Warrior's Grave in Pylos
BY GREGORY PAPPAS ON OCTOBER 26, 2015CULTURE, GREECE, HISTORY, NEWS
The Greek culture ministry announced that an international team of archaeologists led by the Department of Classics from the University of Cincinnati have uncovered a spectacular 3,500-year-old, treasure-filled grave of a warrior has been discovered near an ancient palace in southern Greece.
UC's Sharon Stocker with the 3,500 year-old skull found in the warrior's tomb (Photo Department of Classics/University of Cincinnati)
The Culture Ministry says the grave is the most spectacular discovery of its kind from the Mycenaean era in more than 65 years on continental Greece. The discovery has revealed about 1,400 artifacts, including gold and silver jewelry, cups, bronze vases, engraved gemstones and an ornate ivory-and gilt-hilted sword.
The grave escaped plunderers who looted a monumental beehive tomb discovered decades ago in the area, near the palace of Pylos — one of the most important Mycenaean administrative centers.
The warrior's remains were found with a yard-long bronze sword and a remarkable collection of gold rings, precious jewels and beautifully carved seals. Archaeologists expressed astonishment at the richness of the find and its potential for shedding light on the emergence of the Mycenaean civilization, the lost world of Agamemnon, Nestor, Odysseus and other heroes described in the epics of Homer.
It said the dead warrior, aged 30-35, must have been a "leading member" of Pylos' aristocracy. The tomb, which stands at 2.4 meters (7 feet 10 inches) long and 1.5 meters wide, was unearthed during excavations begun in May near Pylos, on the site of the palace of Nestor.
"Probably not since the 1950s have we found such a rich tomb," said James C. Wright, the director of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.
Nicholas Wade wrote in The New York Times that the discovery could be a gateway to discovering unknown things about the relationships between the Minoan civilization on Crete and the Mycenaean civilization that flourished on the Greek mainland more than 3,000 years ago.
Posted in ALLTHING, Ancient, Archaeology, Art, Artefacts, Article, Battle/War, Community, Discovery, Education/Training, Exploration, History, Information, LOST LIBRARY, Milieu/World/World Building, Non-Fiction, Real World, RESURRECTED RELICS, Scholarship, Science, Uncategorized, Vadding, Website
Tags: ancient, archaeology, discovery, education, explore, Greece, history, Pylos, site, tomb, Treasure
THINGS OF INTEREST AND USE – GAMEPLAY
THINGS OF INTEREST AND USE
I have a Pinterest account in which I have compiled things of interest and use for my writings, gaming, and inventions.
Some of you might find these things useful for designs, idea-generation, or mapping.
https://www.pinterest.com/occu77/games-and-maps/
Some of the other boards you might find useful are these:
https://www.pinterest.com/…/archeology-exploration-and-vad…/
https://www.pinterest.com/occu77/history/
https://www.pinterest.com/…/gadgets-invention-and-technolo…/
https://www.pinterest.com/…/entertainment-politics-pop-cul…/
https://www.pinterest.com/occu77/art-and-icons/
Posted in Adventure/Adventure Development, ALLTHING, Campaign/Campaign Development, Character/Character Development, Codes/Cyphers/Crypts, Comics/Modern Myth, Commentary, Community, Computer, DESIGN OF THINGS TO COME, Discovery, Education/Training, Enjoyment and Fun, Entertainment, Exploration, GAMEPLAY, Gaming, Gaming Site, GPAD: Games of Personal Advancement and Development, Information, Items, Links, LOST LIBRARY, Media, Milieu/World/World Building, MY WRITINGS AND WORK, Myth, Non-Fiction, Real World, Role Play, RPG, Scholarship, Science, Tabletop, THE FORGE, TSS: Transferable Skill Simulations, Uncategorized, Wargame, Website, Work, Writings and Verse
Tags: alchemy, board, game, interesting, Pinterest, symbol, useful, writing
How to destroy gods
AUGUST 16, 2015 BY MEDIEVALISTS.NET
In the year 1168 a Danish bishop destroyed three pagan gods. The story is told in Gesta Danorum, by Saxo Grammaticus, which has recently been entirely translated into English for the first time.
Saxo Grammaticus was a Danish cleric and historian who around the year 1188 began writing the first full history of Denmark. Stretched over 16 books, the Gesta Danorum goes back to the time before Jesus Christ to relate the mythological beginnings of the Danes. It has long been popular reading for the tales and legends it gives relating to the pagan past of this region, as well as for covering the rise of important leaders such as Cnut the Great.
As it moves into the twelfth century, the focus of the work concentrates on the rule by various Danish kings, most notably Valdemar I, who was King from 1146 to 1182. While Denmark had long been a Christian country, some of its neighbours in the Baltic Sea region were still pagan, including the Wends, a people who inhabited the island of Rügen, which lies just off the coast of northeastern Germany.
After years of pirate attacks by the Wends, King Valdemar was persuaded by Absalon, the Bishop of Roskilde and the chief royal advisor, to launch a crusade against the people. In the year 1168 the Danes landed on Rügen and besieged the capital city of Arkona. Once Valdemar's forces set fire to the walls and buildings of the city, the residents of Arkona made a deal to surrender.
Once King Valdemar took control of Arkona and received hostages from the leaders of the Wendish people, he ordered the statue of local deity a god named Svantevit. Saxon writes that the men:
found themselves unable to wrest it from its position without the use of axes; they therefore first tore down the curtains which veiled the shrine, and then commanded their servants to deal swiftly with the business of hacking down the statue; however, they were careful to warn their men to exercise caution in dismantling such a huge bulk, lest they should be crushed by its weight and be thought to have suffered punishment from the malevolent deity. Meanwhile a massive throng of townsfolk ringed the temple, hoping that Svantevit would pursue the instigators of these outrages with his strong, supernatural retribution.
After much work, the men cut down the statue:
With a gigantic crash the idol tumbled to earth. The swarths of purple drapery which hung about the sanctuary certainly glittered, but were so rotten with decay that they could not survive touching. The sanctum also contained the prodigious horns of wild animals, astonishing no less in themselves than in their ornamentation. A devil was seen departing from the inmost shrine in the guise of a black animal, until it disappeared abruptly from the gaze of bystanders.
While the god in Arkona was being destroyed, the Danes received word from the people of Karenz – another important town on the island – they were ready to surrender. Absalon traveled to the town along with 30 men, where they were met by 6000 warriors. However, the Wends prostrated themselves to the Christians and welcome the bishop.
Karenz was the home to three pagan deities – Rugevit, Porevit and Porenut – which were believed to be the gods of war, lightning and thunder. Bishop Absalon came to destroy these gods, and Saxo Grammaticus (who may have been an eyewitness) describes the scene of coming across the the first of the three pagan temples:
The largest shrine was surrounded by its own forecourt, but both spaces were enclosed with purple hangings instead of walls, while the roof gable rested only on pillars. Therefore out attendants tore down the curtains adorning the entrance area and eventually laid hands on the inner veils of the sanctuary. Once these had been removed, an idol made of oak, which they called Rugevit, lay open to the gaze from every quarter, wholly grotesque in its ugliness. For swallows, having built their nests beneath the features of its face, had piled the dirt of their droppings all over its chest. A fine deity, indeed, when its image was fouled so revoltingly by birds! Furthermore, in its head were set seven human faces, all contained under the surface of a single scalp. The sculptor had also provided the same number of real swords in scabbards, which hung on a belt at its side, while an eighth was held brandished in its right hand. The weapon had been inserted into its fists, to which an iron nail had clamped it with so firm a grip that it could not be wrenched away without severing the hand; this was the very pretext needed for lopping it off. In thickness the idol exceeded the width of a human frame, and its height was such that Absalon, standing on the toes of its feet, could hardly reach its chin with the small battleaxe he used to carry.
The men of Karenz had believed this to be the god of war, as though it were endowed with the strength of Mars. Nothing about the effigy was pleasant to look at, for its lineaments were misshapen and repulsive because of the crude carving.
Bishop Absalon soon ordered his men to begin destroying the gods:
Every citizen was possessed by sheer panic when our henchmen began to apply their hatchets to its lower legs. As soon as these had been cut through, the trunk fell, hitting the ground with a loud crash. Once the townsfolk beheld this sight, they scoffed at their god's power and contemptuously forsook the object of their veneration.
Not satisfied with its demolition, Absalon's workforce now stretched their hands all the more eagerly towards the image of Porevit, worshipped in the temple close by. On it were implanted five heads, though it had been fashioned without weapons. After that effigy had been brought down, they assailed the sacred precinct of Porenut. Its statue displayed four faces and a fifth was inserted in its breast, with its left hand touching the forehead, its right the chin. Here again the attendants did good service, chopping at the figure with their axes until it toppled.
After the idols had been broken, the Danish bishop wanted to inflict a more permanent destruction on the pagan gods:
Absalon then issued a proclamation that the citizens must burn these idols the city, but they immediately opposed his command with entreaties, begging him to take pity on their overcrowded city and not expose them to fire after he had spared their throats. If the flames crept to the surrounding area and caught hold of one of the huts, the dense concentration of buildings would undoubtedly cause the whole mass to go up in smoke. For this reason they were bidden to drag the statues out of town, but for a long time the people resisted, continuing to plead religion as their excuse for defying the edict; they feared that the supernatural forces would exact vengeance and cause them to lose the use of those limbs they had employed to carry out the order. In the end Absalon taught them by his admonitions to make light of a god who had not power enough to rise to his own defence, once they had become confident of being immune from punishment, the citizens were quick to obey his directions.
As the remains of the pagan gods were being dragged away, Sven of Arhus, another bishop who came with Absalon, added insult to injury:
So that he might show them the idols deserved disdain, Sven made it his business to stand high on top of them while the men of Karenz were heaving them away. In so doing he added affront by increasing the weight and harassed the pullers as much with humiliation as with the extra burden, when they viewed their deities in residence lying beneath the feet of a foreign bishop.
As this was being done, Bishop Absalon went about preparing the area to be Christian. He first consecrated three burial sites in the countryside just outside Karenz, and after celebrating a mass baptized the people. Saxo then adds, "Likewise by constructing churches in a large number of localities, they exchanged the dens of an esoteric superstition for the edifices of public religion."
The island of Rugen came to accept Christianity – and Danish rule. Bishop Absalon would become the Archbishop of Lund in 1178, serving until his death in 1201. Saxo Grammaticus would finish his Gesta Danorum in the early thirteenth-century, covering his account of Denmark's history up to year 1185.
Gesta Danorum: The History of the Danes, has been edited and translated by Karsten Friis-Jensen and Peter Fisher and was published in two volumes earlier this year by Oxford University Press. Click here to visit the publisher's website for more details.
Posted in ALLTHING, Archaeology, Article, DESIGN OF THINGS TO COME, Education/Training, History, Medieval, Real World, RESURRECTED RELICS, Scholarship, Uncategorized, Website
Tags: Bishop, Christian, Cleric, Danish, Europe, gods, history, Medieval, pagan
THE MEGAFLOODS
'Megafloods' Spurred Collapse of Ancient City of Cahokia, New Study Finds
POSTED BY BLAKE DE PASTINO ON MAY 4, 2015 IN ANTHROPOLOGY, ARCHAEOLOGY, CAHOKIA, CAHOKIA MOUNDS, ILLINOIS,INDIANS, MISSISSIPPIAN, NATIVE AMERICANS, NATURE, NEWS, RECENT, SCIENCE | 372 VIEWS | LEAVE A RESPONSE
It's been attributed to war, crop failures, political strife, and even an epic fire.
But new research in the heart of one of North America's most influential prehistoric cultures suggests that its demise may have been brought about, at least in part, by disastrous "megafloods."
An artist's rendering depicts Cahokia's city center at its prime (Painting by L. K. Townsend/Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site)
The new findings come from a team of archaeologists and earth scientists who have been studying the land surrounding the ancient metropolis of Cahokia in what's now southernIllinois.
At its peak — between around 1050 and 1200 — Cahokia was the continent's largest and most prominent cultural center north of Mexico, wielding economic power and religious influence from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.
But by the early 13th century, signs of the city's might began to wane as suddenly and mysteriously as they had first appeared.
And while many human factors likely played a role — including economic hard times and bloody conflicts — researchers say one important force remained out of Cahokians' control: the Mississippi River.
[Learn about human sacrifice at Cahokia: "Infamous Mass Grave of Young Women in Ancient City of Cahokia Also Holds Men: Study"]"Our study shows that Cahokia emerged during an unusually arid period in midcontinental North America, when large floods were suppressed," said Sam Munoz, a geographer at the University of Wisconsin, who led the current research.
"But [it] began to decline after A.D. 1200, when large floods became more frequent."
An artist's depiction shows central Cahokia around the year 1150 (Cahokia Mounds Museum Society/ Art Grossman)
Munoz and his colleagues made this discovery somewhat by accident, while researching the area's agricultural history.
They extracted 10 deep cores of sediments from two sites in the Mississippi River floodplain aroundCahokia's former boundaries, each cross-section representing 1,800 years of geologic history.
"When we were examining these cores, we noticed unusual layers that had a very fine and uniform texture, and contained almost no pollen, charcoal, or plant macro fossils," Munoz said.
These strangely sterile layers turned out to contain the silty, small-grained clay typical of floodwater sediments.
"We designed this study so that if we saw the same kind of deposits in both [sets of] cores at the same times, then that would confirm that they were deposits from floods of the Mississippi River," Munoz said.
"We found five out of five overlapping deposits with distinct particle-size distributions that were deposited at the same times, and thus concluded that these must represent Mississippi River floods."
The layers above and below those bands of flood sediment, meanwhile, contained charcoal and other plant material that allowed the researchers to date the strata, and re-create Cahokia's environmental past.
Until about 1,400 years ago, the evidence showed, the area where the ancient city would one day stand was prone to frequent and severe floods, with the Mississippi River rising at least 10 meters (about 33 feet) above its base level.
But then the climate shifted, and the great floods stopped.
"Beginning around A.D. 600, high-magnitude floods became less frequent, and indigenous peoples moved into the floodplain and began to farm more intensively and increase their numbers," Munoz said.
By the mid-11th century, these settlements had grown into a metropolis that, at its zenith, housed at least 10,000 people in its central district.
However, Munoz' team found that the city only continued to thrive at the pleasure of the Mississippi.
Starting around 1200, the data show, the climate of central North America became wetter again, and the large floods returned, inundating the region with increasing frequency.
Munoz' team speculates that these "megafloods" would have devastated crops, ruined caches of food, and forced the temporary relocation of thousands of people.
A map shows the central district of Cahokia (inset right) in the context of the water levels reached by the flood of 1844 (blue). (Credit: Sam Munoz)
While there's no direct archaeological evidence of the disruptions that these disasters likely caused on Cahokians' lives, Dr. Sissel Schroeder, a Wisconsin archaeologist who collaborated in the research, said that the return of the floods coincides closely with many signs of political instability and social upheaval in the community.
"We see some important changes in the archaeology of the site at this time, including a wooden wall that is built around the central precinct of Cahokia," Schroeder said, in a press statement.
Population in the region soon began to drop, as well as agricultural production. Then, the construction of religious and elite structures that helped hold the community together came to a halt.
[Read about Cahokia's ceremonial beverage: "Ancient Americans Pounded Vomit-Causing 'Black Drink' 6 Times Stronger Than Coffee"]"There are shifts in craft production, house size and shape, and other signals in material production that indicate political, social, and economic changes that may be associated with social unrest," Schroeder said.
"It would have had a particularly destabilizing effect after hundreds of years without large floods."
[Explore other recent research into Cahokia's collapse: "Epic Fire Marked 'Beginning of the End' for Ancient Culture of Cahokia, New Digs Suggest" ]The new clues found in the ground under Cahokia may reflect only one of many contributors to the ancient city's collapse, Munoz said. But they may still hold lessons for modern societies, as they too grapple with a changing climate.
"Beyond the Cahokia site, our results demonstrate how sensitive large rivers like the Mississippi are to climatic variability — and how dependent human societies are on rivers.
"It isn't clear yet how rivers like the Mississippi will respond to the climatic changes projected for the 21st century, because our historical records cover only the last 100 to 150 years, and do not represent the range of climatic variability projected for the next 100 years."
Munoz and his colleagues report their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Posted in ALLTHING, Artefacts, Article, Construction/Monument/Ruins, Education/Training, History, Non-Fiction, RESURRECTED RELICS, Scholarship, Science, Uncategorized
Tags: archaeology, Cahokia, flood, Gulf of Mexico, Illinois, Indians, Mississippi
THE TRIGGERING OF THE HUMAN IMAGINATION – LOST LIBRARY
Recently I have undertaken a new career (or perhaps it would be more accurate to say, an additional career) as a fiction writer. My background as an author is as a non-fiction writer, primarily dealing with such subjects as business, science, and technical matters. Although on occasion, often for private clients and sometimes just to pursue my own interests, I write analytical, white, and theory papers on everything from military and law enforcement matters to educational techniques to religious subjects.
But, as I said, now I am embarking upon a new or supplementary career as a fiction writer. Last night, while reclining in bed, and reading a fiction story before sleeping, it occurred to me that the author was very good as describing some scenes (thereby easily provoking my imagination to work "independently" of the actual words used to construct the scene) and at other times the author did a very poor job of description and my imagination had to work very hard, or was confused as to exactly what the author was describing. (The author was Michael Moorcock.)
I went to sleep and later awoke about 0500 hours from a dream, and then an idea suddenly occurred to me about what had triggered the dream. (I didn't connect my dream directly to the story Moorcock had written but it had triggered an "oblique set of imaginings" which I thought were related to some of the ideas expressed in the story.) After I was awake about fifteen minutes or so replaying the dream through my mind it occurred to me that many authors, as well as others, such as really good playwrights, poets, filmmakers, graphic or visual artists (I had recently taken my children to see one of the largest collections of Sacred and Italian and Spanish Gothic and Renaissance Art in the entire nation, and most all of the works were both highly symbolic, and fantastically beautiful), even inventors, scientists, and religious leaders often express their ideas in such a way as to have a great and lasting impact upon the imagination of the consumer. (I am using the term consumer here to represent any partaker or user of such services, products, information, or ideas as are being now discussed.)
And herein lies the seed of my theory. That there are certain techniques that writers, artists, inventors, etc. use that are capable of triggering the imagination of the listener, audience, or observer in such a way that the imagination of the consumer is expanded to such a degree that it becomes heavily provoked, and can then operate almost entirely independently on similar matters (if not indeed completely independently) of whatever the original trigger that had initially produced it.
Using a writer as an example of my intent, for instance, certain authors are so good at description, that they can create an image in the mind of many readers that even when the reader completes reading the description or has finished the work, there lingers a sort of lasting or almost semi-permanent impression of (and on) the imagination, that is not static and calcified, but is rather "alive," flexible, and on-going. A sort of Living and On-Going After-Image that is not static, but is fluid and almost vital. The images and impressions made by the work do not die out with the reading of the last word, or by finishing the book, but rather they "carry on" almost as if they had created a sub-rosan or virtual reality within the mind and psyche of the consumer or the partaker. And this new and virtual mind-reality is likewise not limited to the breadth, depth, or scope of the original subject matter of the work, but rather one type of imagining or image activates numerous others in a long and continuing chain of triggered imaginary impulses, the limits of which are constrained only by the inventiveness, potentialities, and desires of the particular consumer in question.
As a side note I should also mention that I am not using the term Virtual to imply something that lacks reality, as much as to represent something that has not as of yet become imminently real, but could very well become empirically real when imagination is determinedly and ambitiously combined with actual work and concentrated effort. (Now of course a badly executed or ill-conceived effort of work, imagination, or description may leave the consumer either highly confused as to what exactly the author meant by virtue of his description, or may lead the consumer completely away from the actual intent of the author, or may simply provoke a feeling of disinterest or "dullness" on the part of the consumer, triggering within him not sustained and powerful imaginings, but rather impressions of distraction, or a shallowness that can only be indicative of a total lack of interest and respect for the work in question and what it produces.)
But my theory (and my theory is not new, I am sure, but I am seeking a sort of specialized or different application of it) is that while there are certainly defective techniques of the act of describing or envisioning a thing that lead to a failure to spur on the imagination of the consumer, that miscarry the attempt to create a "virtual reality" of the mind through the lacking exertion(s) of a peculiar creator, there are also techniques that rarely fail to produce the sort of positive effects that I am discussing here in respect to the imagination.
That is to say if there are techniques that fail in the cause of provoking and exciting and expanding upon the capabilities of the imagination of the consumer, then there are obviously other and more intense techniques, which will, more often than not, have the desired effect of expounding upon, elucidating, enlarging, edifying, and invigorating (perhaps permanently) the imagination of the consumer. Techniques that can help to create a sort of "perpetual inner motion" of the imagination, and that will have effects far beyond and far exceeding the actual individual triggers or spurs that were used in producing this state of affairs.
(Now, for purposes of this discussion, I am not going to really address the receptivity or state of internal agreement that any particular consumer feels toward the subject matter he is consuming. That is outside the bounds of what I am discussing, and in any case there is very little, practically speaking, that any creator can do to control the state of receptivity on the part of the consumer. The creator can use the best techniques possible, and undertake his or her work in the most crafty and acute manner by which he is able, but he cannot control the inner state of receptivity on the part of the consumer. That is almost entirely the duty or the affair of the individual consumer of information. If someone else wants to discuss this issue of information dispersal versus information receptivity, then feel free, but as for me, and at this moment, I intend to avoid the issue as a momentary distraction to the other more important points at hand.)
It also occurred to me this morning, after teaching my classes, that the same sort of thing happens in Role Play Gaming, and that moreover in such an environment such "triggering of the human imagination" is often a corporate act, as much as an act of the creator of the plot, storyline, and/or milieu being explored. (And if indeed it is an act of both the corporate and individual imagination, then this in itself might be an important clue towards the feasibility and dynamic nature of important methods of "imaginative triggering.") That being the case it seemed to me that this website and blog would be the perfect place to solicit further ideas for this discussion. And that a discussion of role-play techniques and methods geared specifically towards the architecture of imagination might yield vital and important clues towards even larger issues of the mind and visionary invention.
Now there may indeed be, and I very much suspect that indeed there are, more or less Universal Techniques and Methods for the "triggering of the human imagination" in the way in which I am framing the issue. (Techniques that may vary in application according to media type, or in discipline or field of endeavor, but are still interchangeable in intent and basis of intended achievement.) However let's put that possibility aside for the moment and work at the problem inductively.
Let me ask the question(s) very simply in this way: What techniques or methods do you employ as a DM (or even as a player), adventure writer, milieu creator, writer, songwriter, inventor, and so forth that seem to you to "trigger the human imagination" in a very intense and enduring fashion? So that your work takes on a "virtual life of its own in the mind of your consumers," and/or so that it continues to excite your consumers long after the actual act of the game is concluded? And how do you go about employing such techniques on a consistent basis in order to repeat these effects in a systematic and continuing manner?
I'm looking forward to your answers, ideas, opinions, and speculations…
Posted in ALLTHING, Avocation/Hobby, Commentary, Community, DESIGN OF THINGS TO COME, Discovery, Education/Training, Essay, Fiction, Information, LOST LIBRARY, Non-Fiction, Paper, Psychology, Real World, Scholarship, Science, TSS: Transferable Skill Simulations, Uncategorized, Work, Writings and Verse
Tags: design, essay, game, Imagination, library, non-fiction, psychology, RPG, science, skill, work, writing
THE MANUSCRIPTS – THE FORGE
THIS WEEK IN MEDIEVAL MANUSCRIPTS
Posted in Art, Artefacts, Community, History, Illustration/Image, Information, LOST LIBRARY, Media, Medieval, Non-Fiction, Real World, RESURRECTED RELICS, Scholarship, THE FORGE, Uncategorized
Tags: art, book, Europe, Forge, history, illustration, image, library, manuscript, Medieval, works
THE MEDIEVAL FORGE
Discoveries, Donations and Digs: Medieval News Roundup
A couple dozen items to share with you as we get caught up with the medieval news from the last few weeks…
Finally, we wanted to show you this beautiful video of a 16th century Irish castle…
Posted in ALLTHING, Archaeology, Art, Artefacts, Article, Community, Discovery, Education/Training, History, Information, Links, LOST LIBRARY, Medieval, Non-Fiction, Real World, RESURRECTED RELICS, Scholarship, THE FORGE, Uncategorized, Video
Tags: archaeology, education, Europe, Forge, history, Ireland, Irish, library, Medieval, round-up, scholarship, video
GONE A'VIKING
The Viking women who disappeared
Medievalists.net
– April 15, 2015Posted in: News
By Cathinka Dahl Hambro
Women played an important part in Viking Age society, and their role far exceeded that of mother and the "housewife". Why, then, are they barely mentioned in the history books?
"The standard specialist literature within the field is pervaded with Viking expeditions, kings, weapons, and battles," says Viking researcher Nanna Løkka.
"If women are mentioned at all they are placed within an everyday context, with children, handicraft and domestic life. Thus, when the characteristics of the Viking Age are described, women are either left out completely, or they are given their own little paragraph, as they appear neither very exciting nor spectacular."
In the recently published anthology Kvinner i vikingtid ("Viking Age Women"), sixteen women and one man challenge this standard saga inspired account of the early Norwegian Middle Ages, which is characterized by raiding kings and chieftains. Løkka has edited the book in collaboration with Nancy Coleman.
Kvinner i vikingtid examines the various roles of women in a society where not only men possessed political power and influence. The book shows that the role of women was not always a domestic one. On the contrary, they actively participated within various aspects of public life such as trade, textile production, medicine, and religious practice.
None mentioned, all forgotten
Both the sagas and the schoolbooks tell us show many benches the master builder Torberg Skavhogg built for the rowers when he equipped the hull of King Olav Tryggvasson's legendary longship Ormen Lange ("The Long Serpent"). The women who were responsible for weaving the sail, however, are not mentioned by name.
"The Vikings wouldn't have reached England unless someone had equipped the ships with sails. It is a well-known fact that the Vikings were far ahead of their European neighbours in terms of maritime techniques. In an episode of the TV series Vikings, they make a big fuss about the ship's anchor, but the sail is not mentioned with a single word," says Løkka.
The textile production was probably organised hierarchically, where women supervised other women in extensive collaborative work. Løkka adds, "The larger Viking ships used 100 square meter sized sails. In order to produce that, the women needed 200 kilos of wool from approximately 2000 sheep, and it required hundreds of working hours. We are talking about more than just a small-scale family business."
High school textbooks are the worst
According to the researcher, the models applied to understand the Viking Age ignore the women's impact and contribution. This is particularly visible in the high school history books. Løkka found that only one among the six most popular history books from the 1990s and 2000s provides its own paragraph on women.
"If women appear at all in the general literature on the field, they are usually depicted as the stereotypical "housewife" who is tied to the farm and the home, not as someone who participates in important social processes," says Løkka.
In the standard accounts of the Viking Age, the farm is regarded as the smallest, yet most significant unit. Other important institutions in the Viking society are the family, the chiefdom, and the Thing.
The woman is usually associated with the farm and the private sphere, whereas the man is connected to public life. Hence, the gender roles are often described in terms of "inside" and "outside" in order to distinguish between men and women's responsibilities.
"I'm not saying that the stereotypical representation isn't feasible at all, but it contributes to a description of the Viking Age based solely on male activities. Most probably the Viking society consisted of other dividing lines and hierarchies where women to a larger degree ranked on top," Løkka adds.
The "housewife" as business manager
For example, recent research shows that being a "housewife" might involve major responsibility and hard work, particularly if the farm was of some considerable size. The chieftain's home at Borg in Lofoten, which is the largest known chieftain's farm, was more than eighty metres long. That is only twenty metres shorter than the Nidaros Cathedral. A typical chieftain's farm may have had a longhouse of approximately fifty metres. A banquet on such a large farm could easily involve 150 people, all of them expecting to be served food and drinks.
"Running a farm like that is like managing a medium size business. Thus, these women should rather be regarded as business managers than mere housewives," says Løkka.
With this in mind, one may therefore ask whether this type of feast actually belonged to the so-called private sphere. At these banquets, contracts and deals were made, politics was developed, and alliances were formed.
If the food or drink was unsatisfactory it could cause diplomatic crisis or disgrace. Therefore, the women who cooked and served the meals held an important public function. According to Løkka, categories like inside/outside and private/public have probably become antiquated due to recent research.
Malevolent Viking women
It doesn't make things better that the women who did position themselves at the top of the male warrior hierarchy were often severely condemned by the later saga writers. This was the case with Queen Gunnhild, who according to tradition received training from Sami magicians. Allegedly, she took over the leadership of her sons' army when her husband Eirik Blodøks (Eric Bloodaxe) was driven into exile and subsequently killed.
Alfiva, the de facto Norwegian ruler in the beginning of the eleventh century, received an equally bad reputation, becoming highly unpopular after introducing new legislation and a new tax system.
Viking reverie as nation building
Nanna Løkka emphasizes that in many ways the term Viking Age is a nineteenth century construction, which was formed along the lines of the era's prevailing national romantic ideals.
For instance, historian Jørgen Haavardsholm has noted that the term Viking Age can be connected to a political process in which the goal was to create a nation with a proud and common past where the Vikings served as masculine and unyielding heroes and adventurers.
"An entire period and society has been connected to the Viking raids. In reality, however, only a small number of the men actually went on Viking raids. It has nevertheless added masculine value to the era, and consequently the female half of the population has been neglected," says Løkka.
Farewell to the Viking Age?
The national romantic heritage is one of the reasons why a new generation of historians preferred to use the more neutral and European term Early Middle Ages in the four-volume history work Norvegr from 2011. Archaeologists, on the other hand, have mainly preferred the term Late Iron Age.
Lokka explains, "I ended up using the term Viking Age primarily because I want people to understand what I am working with. Moreover, the Viking Age sells and attracts attention. But there is definitely an ambivalence there."
See also: Viking Women: Not as Different as You Might Think
Posted in ALLTHING, Archaeology, Article, Community, Discovery, Education/Training, Exploration, History, Information, LOST LIBRARY, Medieval, Non-Fiction, Real World, Scholarship, Science
Tags: archaeology, article, chieftain, Europe, history, Iceland, Medieval, Saga, Viking, women
SEA PEOPLES ABANDONED?
Researcher casts doubt on sea peoples theory
Posted by Past Horizons, on April 14, 2015
The ancient city of Lachish was one of the 16 sites re-examined in the research project. Image: Mark A. Wilson/Wikimedia commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
University of Tübingen doctoral candidate Jesse Millek has been honoured for his research, which questions the controversial theory of the "sea peoples".
Mr. Millek has been awarded the Sean W. Dever Memorial Prize by the William F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem for a paper presenting his findings on the topic. He has been studying the control of resources during the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age in the Southern Levant. The research focuses on the fall in trade at the end of the Late Bronze Age in what is now Israel and Jordan.
The award winning work is entitled, "Sea Peoples, Philistines, and the Destruction of Cities: A Critical Examination of Destruction Layers 'Caused' by the 'Sea Peoples," and deepens the understanding of what caused the decline of the Southern Levant at the end of the Bronze Age.
More complex
Until now, an inscription in the Mortuary Temple of Ramses III – Medinet Habu – has been said to be evidence of an invasion by the "sea peoples". The engraving, dating back to 1180 BCE, became the basis for the much-discussed theory which blamed the invasion for the collapse of the neighbouring Levantine kingdoms and the collapse of interregional exchange. Mr. Millek's recent findings, however, indicate that the causes for a sharp decline in trade are much more complex and likely to have been related to internal, revolutionary processes of social change and an altered approach to handling resources.
Critical examination of 16 sites
Mr. Millek critically examined 16 sites in the Southern Levant said to have been destroyed by the "sea peoples" in a Collaborative Research Center (SFB) 1070 paper. One example is the city of Lachish. Located 44 kilometres southwest of Jerusalem, it is one of the largest and most significant archaeological sites in the Southern Levant.
During early excavations, archaeologists uncovered the charred remains of a temple and building in the Late Bronze Age Destruction of Level 7. Subsequent research interpreted these finds as evidence of a military conflict with the "sea peoples." However, a critical reassessment of the excavation reports indicates that several significant factors were missed in the initial interpretations.
Jesse Millek says that, "The Late Bronze Age building in Area S was most likely destroyed by a kitchen fire, as the area around the hearth showed the most destruction and was very likely the source of the fire. Even in the past, buildings could be destroyed and preserved in the archaeological record by a common place event like a kitchen fire. Moreover, the Fosse Temple appears to have been ritually terminated as all valuable or cultic items were removed from the temple before it was burned and there were no signs of vandalism. Additionally, the site remained sacred after it was burned as no later people built on top of it, or dug into its remains, which would again indicate the temple was ritually terminated." The orderly de-consecration of sacred sites points towards changed handling of spiritual resources and a cultural reorganization of values within the society. Continuing research should determine in how far the fall in trade is linked to this change in values.
The head of project A06, Professor Jens Kamlah, emphasizes the significance of disproving the "sea peoples" theory. He says, "The goal of our research is to disprove the evidence supporting this old, extremely simplified, model. Mr. Millek's work represents a significant contribution to this effect. The time period we are investigating is crucial for the rise of the Israel we know from the Old Testament of the Bible. Demonstrating the different reasons and complex economic relationships behind the decline in trade can provide new insights into this key epoch."
Posted in ALLTHING, Ancient, Archaeology, Artefacts, Article, Community, Discovery, Education/Training, Exploration, History, LOST LIBRARY, Non-Fiction, Pre-History, Real World, Scholarship, Science, Uncategorized
Tags: archaeology, Bronze Age, Egypt, Europe, Greek, Levant, Middle East, Millek, Near East, Sea Peoples, temple, Tubingen
'WARE THE SKOT AND THE SKOTLANDS
Vikings 'were warned to avoid Scotland'
Scotland is full of dangerous natives who speak an incomprehensible language and the is weather awful. That was the verdict of a series of 13th century Viking travel guides that warned voyagers to visit at their peril.
Revellers at the Up Helly Aa Fire Festival in Shetland Photo: GETTY
9:41AM BST 20 Sep 2009
The medieval chronicles, set down on yellowed calf vellum eight centuries ago, describe Scotland – or Skotland, as it was known – as an unwelcome and inhospitable country offering rewards only to the bold.
"Icelanders who want to practise robbery are advised to go there," says one saga. "But it may cost them their life."
Another saga tells the story of Icelandic merchants who sailed into a west coast sea loch where they met 13 ships bristling with what they called "Vikings" – more an occupation than a nationality – but were actually natives.
A Scot identified in the saga as Grjotgard, a kinsman of Melkolf, king of Scotland (Malcolm II), told them: "You have two choices. You can go ashore and we will take all your property, or we'll attack you and kill every man we lay our hands on." The merchants were terrified, the saga says, but presumably lived to tell their tale.
The chronicles have been interpreted by Gisli Sigurdsson, a historian at Reykjavik University, who believes the sagas – part fiction, part fact – reveal how the ancient Norse were far from the fearless pirates of legend.
As the Norsemen became as keen on trade as marauding, they were particularly nervous about sailing up the west coast sea lochs they referred to as the "Scottish fjords". "The only places the Norse could have expected a safe reception was Orkney and Shetland, where the people were basically the same as them and where they would be greeted as kin," Mr Sigurdsson said.
The Norse Viking age peaked between the 9th and 12th centuries, when Scandinavian seafarers conquered new lands, settling Orkney, Shetland, Iceland and Greenland, and establishing colonies in Scotland, England, Ireland, France, North America and Russia.
The Icelandic sagas, written in the 13th century but based on earlier oral stories, were often used as route guides for raiders, traders, crusaders and explorers, effectively a road map of medieval Europe and the Middle East. They have proved remarkably accurate, even helping archaeologists to pinpoint the remains of a Norse village in Newfoundland.
Orkney is described as a handy base camp for pillaging Scotland. But the Norse had other bases too, some of which would feature high up in a modern guide for tourists. If you are planning to raid Scotland, one saga reads, you could do worse than base yourself in Fort Skardaborg. That's today's Scarborough.
Mr Sigurdsson believes the Norse Vikings were particularly nervous about the Gaels of Ireland and west Scotland.
Orkney historian Tom Muir said: "They picked weak targets, like monasteries. Some of the monasteries were basically unguarded banks of cash with a sign above them saying 'free money'. The truth is that there were raids both ways and that the Norse had every reason to fear their Celtic neighbours. There are well-documented accounts of Gaelic-speaking Lewismen raiding Orkney."
The Norse eventually lost their hold in Scotland. But Celts and the Vikings must ultimately have started to get along. DNA evidence suggests many Scots and Icelanders interbred and settled in both countries.
Posted in ALLTHING, Article, Battle/War, Combat Techniques, Commentary, Community, Discovery, Exploration, History, Humor, Information, LOST LIBRARY, Medieval, Non-Fiction, Real World, Scholarship, Uncategorized, Website
Tags: archaeology, Celt, chronicle, Europe, exploration, fjord, history, Iceland, Irish, Norsemen, Scotland, travel, Viking
CAIRNS OF THE DEAD
Excellent gaming and story background materials.
Forgotten monuments of Northern Sweden
Posted by Carl L. Thunberg, on March 22, 2015
The larger of the Spir Mountain Cairns from NW. Photo by Carl L. Thunberg 2014-06-26. (CC BY-NC)
Carl L. Thunberg
Carl L. Thunberg is a Swedish archaeologist and historian, born in Stockholm 1963, with master's degrees completed at the Universities of Gothenburg and Uppsala. His two main areas of specialisation are ancient Scandinavian monuments and the transitional period between the Viking Age and the Nordic Middle Ages. Academia Page
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The Spir Mountain cairns are located near to the Swedish city of Örnsköldsvik in Norrland. These two exceptionally well preserved Early Bronze Age cairns are arguably the finest examples of this region, and aesthetically, they are equal to the best prehistoric monuments that Sweden has to offer.
Forgotten monuments in a wild landscape
Norrland's ancient monuments are often – in comparison to southern Sweden – relatively inaccessible, and to reach these particular examples one must climb a rugged mountain covered with pine trees.
In the main, the information concerning the most northerly Swedish prehistoric sites is outdated, and was brought together in the 19th and early 20th centuries (e.g. Ekdahl 1827-1830; Sidenbladh 1864, 1867, 1868; Olsson 1911, 1914). However, these inventories are often the only references available, as can be seen from the FMIS system of the Swedish National Heritage Board.
Monuments to the dead
The vast majority of the cairns appear to have been built as monuments to the dead, mainly during the southern Scandinavian Bronze Age; circa 1800-500 BC. They occupy prominent positions overlooking the surrounding area, and some researchers speculate that they had a function as tribal markers for family group territories (Baudou 1959, 1968; Burenhult et al 1999).
Unlike the cairns from the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age which appear to contain cremation burials, the Early Bronze Age examples like one of the Spir Mountain cairns (RAÄ Grundsunda 109:1), have internal burial chambers with cists containing skeletal remains, accompanied by various grave goods. In some cases the cairns have been used repeatedly, and have been expanded out from their original structures (ibid).
Many of the cairns were constructed near or overlooking what was once the sea shore; some 30-50 metres above present sea level (ibid), and it is interesting to note that Spir Mountain had once been an island within a bay during the Bronze Age.
Norrland's coastal cairn-zone is usually considered to extend from northern Uppland to Piteå in Norrbotten, a distance of about 860 kilometres. The coastal cairn-zone in Ångermanland is particularly rich, and includes about 700 registered sites.
Two remarkable structures
During the investigations of prehistoric sites in Ångermanland, the project reached the Spir Mountain and its cairns in 2013. The first visit was an overwhelming experience, standing before two remarkable structures of dry stone masonry with spectacular views across the surrounding landscape. The larger of the cairns (13m in diameter) is exceptionally well preserved, and almost perfectly circular. The stone required for construction must have required an immense investment of labour. The smaller cairn is just to the east and is 6m in diameter.
There are few known settlements that can be associated with the coastal cairns, but it is likely that the area's inhabitants must have had an economy based on fishing and seal hunting (Baudou 1968). In Västernorrland there are cairns dating from the Earlier Bronze Age through to the Iron Age, with some still in use as late as the Viking Age, long after the tradition disappeared in many other places in Sweden and other parts of Scandinavia (Baudou 1959, 1968; George & Vinberg 2006).
Although the groups of coastal cairns in Norrland, with their contextual continuity, must represent the cultural remnants of a resident population, until further modern research takes place in this landscape it is difficult to fully interpret the sites and identify the cultures that created them.
Link to map and satellite photos: http://www.hitta.se/karta/partner?s=014c725f
Link to the archaeological search engine of FMIS: http://www.fmis.raa.se/cocoon/fornsok/search.html
Link to the RAÄ page for Carl L. Thunberg and the Spirmountain Cairns: http://www.raa.se/aktuellt/vara-evenemang/arkeologidagen/till-arrangemangen/angermanland/spirbergsrosena-en-majestatisk-fornlamningsplats-i-ornskoldsvik/
Link to Carl L. Thunberg's Academia.edu page: http://gu-se.academia.edu/CarlLThunberg
Baudou, E. 1959. Till frågan om de norrländska kuströsenas datering. Fornvännen: Journal of Swedish Antiquarian Research (1959): 161-176. KVHAA.
Baudou, E. 1968. Forntida bebyggelse i Ångermanlands kustland. Arkeologiska undersökningar av ångermanländska kuströsen. Arkiv för norrländsk hembygdsforskning XVII. Härnösand.
Burenhult, G (ed.). 1999. Arkeologi i Norden. Bokförlaget Natur & Kultur. Stockholm.
George, O. & Vinberg, A. 2006. Arkeologisk undersökning av gravröse vid Älandsfjärden. Rapport 2006:10. Länsmuseet Västernorrland & RAÄ. Härnösand.
Ekdahl, N. J. 1827-1830. Berättelse till Kongl. Witterhets, Historie och Antiqvitets Academien om de Wettenskapliga Forskningsresor, som blifvit företagna åren 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830 i Norrland … (etc). Antikvarisk-topografiska arkivet: N. J. Ekdahls samlingar.
Olsson, E. 1911. Berättelse öfver arkeologiska undersökningar i Ångermanland. KVHAA.
Olsson, E. 1914. Översikt av de fasta fornlämningarna i Ångermanland. Fornvännen: Journal of Swedish Antiquarian Research (1914): 49-80. KVHAA.
Sidenbladh, K. 1864. Några fornminnen i Norra Ångermanland, antecknade sommaren 1864 av Karl Sidenbladh Phil.stud.Norrl. KVHAA.
Sidenbladh, K. 1867. Berättelse till Kongl. Witterhets, Historie och Antiqvitets Akademin om de antikvariska undersökningar gjorda under 1867. KVHAA.
Sidenbladh, K. 1868. Fornlemningar i Ångermanland och Medelpad 1864-1868. KVHAA.
Posted in Ancient, Artefacts, Article, Construction/Monument/Ruins, DESIGN OF THINGS TO COME, Education/Training, Exploration, Fantasy, Fiction, Game Design, History, Information, Medieval, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Pre-History, Real World, Scholarship, Uncategorized, Vadding, Website
Tags: archaeology, cainr, construction, dead, design, Europe, history, monuments, ruins, Sweden
I don't know how many of you RPG players who frequent my blog are old enough to remember the Empire of the Petal Throne (in Tekumel).
I'm old enough to remember both it and the original Blackmoor, and I bought and played both, though some short time after their original releases.
In any case I always thought Empire of the Petal Throne, not just the D&D setting, but the entire milieu (fictional and gaming) was one of the very most interesting fantasy mileus/worlds ever invented.
So in honor of this I will be making some posts, today and in the near future, on this brilliant and fascinating fantasy setting, and world.
Anyway, to you younger players, or to you older players who still remember this world and this setting, you should find this interesting.
"What kind of a world, then is Tékumel? Socially and culturally, Tékumel is as complex—and as alien to modern thinking—as Byzantium, ancient Egypt, Tenochtitlan, or the India of the Mughals."
M.A.R. Barker, Introduction to Swords & Glory Volume 1, Copyright ©1983 M.A.R. Barker.
The World of Tékumel
At what point does a world become real? You can detail the languages, cultures, personalities, political systems, histories … but beyond all this is something more that can bring a world alive in the imagination … and make it almost exist.
The Thoroughly Useful Eye
The world of Tékumel is complex—steeped in history, hoary tradition, a complex clan and social system, myriad flora and fauna. There is a proverb for every time and place, several complete languages and their beautiful scripts, and thirty-four forms of the personal pronoun 'you' in Tsolyáni.
This section holds canonical information (recognised by Professor Barker as 'official' or 'real' Tékumel) about the world of Tékumel that has been previously published in various game systems, sourcebooks and novels. Over time The Eye of Illuminating Glory section will become a comprehensive overview of all aspects of the world of Tékumel: history, races, maps, cultures, language, militaria, arcana and more.
[Return to Top]
You are about to enter the world of Tékumel, the incredible work of imagination by Professor M.A.R. Barker.
If you've never encountered Tékumel before, you've stumbled upon an entire world the equal of Tolkien's Middle-earth in detail and wonder: thousands of years of history, entire languages, rich cultures, unique creatures, bloody conflicts and fascinating mysteries.
Whether a new visitor or an old fan, there's a world to explore here at the official home of M.A.R. Barker's Tékumel:
The Eye of Incomparable Understanding
If you're new to Tékumel, start by reading this section: a brief welcome, a guide for new visitors, a history of changes to the site, and a comprehensive site map. Here also can be found the Tékumel FAQ and the Tékumel Product List, plus the site's ever-useful search function.
The Eye of
World of Tékumel
Lots of fascinating information to immerse you in the rich science-fantasy world of Tékumel. We'll explore the world's history, the most common gods worshipped, some of the strange beings that share the planet with mankind, and a comprehensive collection of maps of the northern continent.
Tékumel Gaming
Role-playing, boardgaming and miniatures gaming, for those who wish to adventure among Tékumel's inhabitants. Here you'll find a wealth of roleplaying systems, adventure materials, game system tools and playing aids, plus a look at miniatures created for Tékumel.
Retaining All
Tékumel Archive
Hard-to-find information from now-defunct fanzines and online mailing lists, including the Eye of All-Seeing Wonder and Visitations of Glory. Visit Tékumel Tales for fiction set on Tékumel. You'll find useful links to other sites and discussions, plus The Blue Room, a vast repository of information.
Want to talk with other explorers of Tékumel? The Forums.
Hunting for that rare Tékumel item? Tita's House of Games.
Writing new Tékumel material? The Tékumel Foundation.
Posted in Action-Adventure, Adventure/Adventure Development, Artefacts, Avocation/Hobby, Battle/War, Campaign/Campaign Development, Commentary, Community, Construction/Monument/Ruins, DESIGN OF THINGS TO COME, Discovery, Entertainment, Exploration, Fantasy, Fiction, Game Design, Game Development, Gaming, Gaming Site, History, Information, Links, Milieu/World/World Building, Real World, Role Play, RPG, Scholarship, Uncategorized
Tags: Dungeons and Dragons, Empire of the Petal Throne, game, hsitroy, milieu, role play game, RPG, Tekumel, world
GOT MAIL?
WE'VE GOT MAIL
We are selecting objects for a new permanent display of metalwork on the first floor (Lower Gallery). Whilst searching through the museum's reserve collections at our off-site storage facility we found this wonderful board mounted with different types of mail armour. Mail is often referred to as 'chain mail' – terminology introduced by Sir Walter Scott in his 1822 novel "The Fortunes of Nigel".
This assemblage was collected – and possibly arranged – by General Pitt-Rivers himself. Pitt-Rivers collected from many sites in London during the 1860s, often as part of early 'salvage archaeology' excavations during groundworks for civic construction projects such as the London Underground and the Victoria Embankment.
C17th-centruy mail with rounded jumped (butted) rings and f
lat, welded rings. 1884.31.41. 5 © Pitt Rivers Museum
The pieces of mail are described in an early catalogue of 1874 as "Twenty fragments of Chain armour. European and Oriental". The hand-written labels date some of them to the XVII (17th) century, and several are recorded as being recovered from the "Thames Embankment". The board has clearly been put together as an exhibit rather than a cataloguing or storage device. We have no record of whether it was ever displayed at the Pitt Rivers Museum but it may well have been displayed in Bethnal Green Museum (now the V&A Museum of Childhood) and South Kensington Museums (now the V&A) where the General's archaeological and ethnological collection was first shown to the public in London from 1874-1878 (Bethnal Green) and from 1878-1882 (South Kensington), before being donated to the University of Oxford in 1884.
The board was arranged to show a variety of different types and gauges of linkage variations within the single category of 'mail armour' – a neat demonstration of Pitt-Rivers's concept of 'typological' arrangements. Some samples are of butted or 'jumped' mail, arranged in alternating rows with solid welded rings. Butted rings were the cheapest type of mail to make and buy, though the most vulnerable to a well-placed thrust from a sword or spear. Each ring is linked to four others in the European '4-in-1' style.
There were also examples of what seemed to be imitation rivets – perhaps to give the illusion of quality or strength – plus large-gauge hooked mail with spiral links, which may have been worn by horses in conjunction with solid barding armour.
Mail with possible imitation rivets (left) and hooked mail, possibly for horses (right)
1884.31.41. 15 and 1884.31.41. 13 © Pitt Rivers Musuem
The different pieces of mail were fixed to the painted wooden board with metal staples. Many of the metal rings were suffering from corrosion and rust and some links were missing. When the items were sent to our Conservation lab, our conservator Andrew rearranged tangled links and cleaned the metal with a sponge and stiff brush.
Of the twenty small pieces, a handful demonstrating the different mail types were chosen for the new Metalwork display. One substantial piece of fine mail was arranged flat on the left side of the board, rather like a half-folded T-shirt, but in fact consisted of a tube that opened out into a flat piece. Perplexed, we consulted the experts. Staff at the Royal Armouries were very helpful and Thom Richardson, Keeper of Armour and Oriental Collections, suggested it was part of C17th-century pajama zereh (mail trousers), worn by an Indian Mughal warrior.
Half riveted mail armour, identified as being part of Indian pajama zereh (mail trousers), India. 1884.31.41. 3
© Pitt Rivers Museum
Next, Andrew considered how to create a mount that would both support the mail for display and illustrate how it would be positioned on the body. Using a template from the armour, and based on his own leg, he made a liner out of calico, and filled it with polyester wadding. After padding it out to form a rough leg shape, he then tacked the mail to the calico with cotton thread. Research indicated this is not too dissimilar to how the armour would have been worn, as it would originally have been sewn to fabric trousers. Mail armour can adjust to many shapes and is very heavy, so this mount should support most of the weight and hopefully help visitors understand how it was worn.
Andrew at work in the Conservation lab making a new display mount for the pajama zereh leg armour
You can see just how much work has to go into preparing just a few objects. You will be able to see the mail armour, alongside up to 200 other objects, in the new Metalwork display on the first floor this summer. In the meantime, you can still find examples of full mail shirts, plus various other armours (plate, lamellar, brigandine) upstairs on the Upper Gallery or here on our Arms and Armour site.
Helen Adams
VERVE Project Curator
Posted in Ancient, Archaeology, Artefacts, Article, Battle/War, Combat Techniques, Community, Discovery, History, Medieval, Non-Fiction, Real World, Scholarship, Technology, Uncategorized
Tags: archaeology, armor, Artifact, chain mail, combat, England, history, mail, Medieval, Oxford, Thames, war
William Roy's 'Military Antiquities of the Romans in North Britain' (1793) Online
William Roy's 'Military Antiquities of the Romans in North Britain' (1793) is a classic work on the military conquest of Scotland by the Romans.
Plan shewing the course of the Roman wall called Grime's Dyke? – from NLS website
One of the earliest detailed descriptions of Roman antiquities in Scotland, with 51 map plates and 174 pages of supporting text.
This website is a complete electronic facsimile of the original. Many newly-discovered Roman remains were recorded in the volume for the first time. As a record of early archaeology in Scotland and of related topographical information regarding Roman sites, it can never be entirely superseded.
Its author, William Roy, is better known for his work on the Military Survey of Scotland (1747-1755), and in founding what became the Ordnance Survey, but he was also a keen antiquarian and man of science, and this splendid volume is also a lasting monument to these interests.
http://maps.nls.uk/roy/antiquities/index.html
Posted in Ancient, Archaeology, Art, Artefacts, Article, Battle/War, Combat Techniques, Commentary, Community, Discovery, Game Development, Gaming, History, Information, Milieu/World/World Building, Real World, Relics, Role Play, Scholarship, Tabletop, Uncategorized, Wargame, Website
Tags: 1793, antiquities, archaeology, gaming, Great Britain, history, map, military, Roman, Scotland, website
HOW YA REALLY DO IT
Posted in Ancient, Artefacts, Combat Techniques, Commentary, Community, Education/Training, Information, Medieval, Non-Fiction, Real World, Scholarship, Skill, Uncategorized, Video
Tags: ancient, archery, combat, firing, manual, Medieval, skill, technique, video


text:
Karncza Góra (niem. Kentschkau, a od 1937 Keltingen) – dawna wieś w Polsce, położona w województwie dolnośląskim, w powiecie wrocławskim, w gminie Kąty Wrocławskie.

Nazwa wsi
Nazwa Karncza Góra jest nazwą dzierżawczą i pochodzi od nazwy osobowej Karnek, oznaczającej kogoś o okaleczonym uchu lub nosie. W różnych średniowiecznych dokumentach wystawianych od XII do XIV wieku nazwa wsi ulegała stopniowo zmianom od pierwotnej postaci Carnchagora, poprzez Cansgor do Kanczgo, stąd ukształtowała się później niemiecka nazwa Kentschkau, czasem też używana w postaci Kentschke. Tak ukształtowaną niemiecką nazwę niektórzy niemieccy badacze jak np. Paul Hefftner na początku XX wieku błędnie interpretowali jako wywodzącą się od nazwy osobowej Kędziora. W 1937 roku, w ramach akcji usuwania słowiańsko brzmiących nazw topograficznych na Śląsku, nazwę wsi zmieniono na Keltingen. Po 1945 roku, przez pewien krótki okres, obowiązywała polska nazwa Kęczków, ostatecznie nazwa Karncza Góra weszła w życie na początku roku 1948.

Geografia
Dawna wieś Karncza Góra była ulicówką położoną na podłużnym wzgórzu o wysokości bezwzględnej 128 m n.p.m., wznoszącym się ponad otaczającą je równinę na wysokość 8 metrów. Od południa i zachodu wieś sąsiadowała ze Smolcem i Krzeptowem, a od wschodu i północy wieś otaczały Strachowice i Muchobór Wielki – wsie, które po II wojnie światowej zostały przyłączone do Wrocławia. Na zachód od wsi znajdował się cmentarz. Miejsce po cmentarzu znajduje się obecnie w granicach Wrocławia, pozostałe tereny dawnej wsi mieszczą się w granicach gminy Kąty Wrocławskie. Obecnie teren Karnczej Góry należy do wrocławskiego lotniska im. Mikołaja Kopernika i ma charakter obszaru zamkniętego.

Historia
Pierwsza wzmianka o wsi pochodzi z wystawionej w dniu 23 kwietnia 1155 roku bulli wrocławskiej, Karncza Góra jest w niej wymieniona pośród nazw kilkudziesięciu innych wsi należących do biskupa wrocławskiego pod nazwą Carnchagora. Po raz drugi wieś Karncza Góra wymieniona jest dziewięćdziesiąt lat później w bulli papieża Innocentego IV, wystawionej w dniu 9 sierpnia 1245 roku. Przez większą część swojej historii wieś była własnością kapituły katedralnej we Wrocławiu, a po sekularyzacji dóbr kościelnych stała się własnością państwa. Pod koniec XVIII wieku wieś liczyła 12 domostw zamieszkiwanych przez 64 mieszkańców oraz jedną karczmę i jedno wolne sołectwo.
W roku 1802 wieś zamieszkiwało 3 kmieci, 2 zagrodników, 5 chałupników, karczmarz i sołtys.
W roku 1830 Karnczą Górę zamieszkiwało 121 osób, z czego 49 było ewangelikami, a reszta katolikami. Piętnaście lat później, w roku 1845 we wsi mieszkało 155 osób, w tym 40 katolików; zabudowę wsi stanowiło 16 domów, wolne sołectwo i gorzelnia, wśród mieszkańców było dwóch szewców i jeden przekupień. Katolicy korzystali z kościoła w Muchoborze Wielkim, a ewangelicy z kościoła w Jerzmanowie. W roku 1887 wieś zamieszkiwało 245 osób – 195 ewangelików, 41 katolików i 9 żydów. W jednym z ostatnich spisów ludności w Niemczech przed końcem II wojny światowej, na początku 1941 roku, we wsi naliczono 135 mieszkańców. Zniszczone w 1945 roku zabudowania wsi nie zostały zasiedlone, a samą wieś zlikwidowano; powodem takiej decyzji władz były plany powiększenia wojskowego lotniska na Strachowicach, leżącego w bezpośrednim sąsiedztwie wsi.

Zabytki

Jedyną pozostałością po wsi Karncza Góra są dziś dwa granitowe krzyże, stojące przy drodze prowadzącej z Wrocławia do Smolca, w miejscu gdzie znajdował się cmentarz wsi. Według pomiarów dokonanych przed wojną pierwszy z nich miał 1,6 m wysokości, 0,65 m szerokości i 0,14 m grubości, a drugi 1,9 m wysokości, 0,38 m szerokości i 0,14 m grubości. Aktualnie oba krzyże wystają 1,33 m nad ziemię.   Oba krzyże są uszkodzone; jeden ma urwane ramię, a drugi oba ramiona. Krzyże te przez długi czas uznawane były za zaginione, odkryto je dopiero w roku 1994 w czasie porządkowania terenu lotniska. Pięć lat później jeden z nich został złamany, wprawdzie udało się go skleić i wzmocnić, jednak nie uchroniło go to przed kolejnym uszkodzeniem w roku 2011. Wkrótce po tym zdarzeniu oba krzyże zostały zabrane i poddane gruntownej konserwacji w specjalistycznej pracowni konserwatorskiej, ponowne ustawienie obu krzyży miało miejsce w dniu 13 maja 2011 roku. Obok krzyży umieszczono tabliczkę informacyjną nawiązującą do legendy, że są to tzw. krzyże pokutne o treści: "Legenda głosi, że: W tym oto miejscu 1514 Roku Bożego 4 dnia sierpnia na wysokiej drodze ograbił i zabił dwoje kupców czeskich Jan z Kętrznik. Pokutę czyniąc własnym sumptem te dwa krzyże postawił". Prace związane z konserwacją sfinansował zarząd portu lotniczego Wrocław.

Przypisy

Linki zewnętrzne

Opuszczone wsie w województwie dolnośląskim
Kąty Wrocławskie (gmina)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
US Sport
The fame game still suits you, McGregor
Updated / Tuesday, 22 May 2018 20:27
Moving on up - Conor McGregor is now inside the Top 20 on the Fame list
By Ed Leahy
RTÉ Sport journalist
'Who the f*** is that guy?' you might say as you trawl the lower ranks of this year's ESPN Fame List, the self-proclaimed '100 most famous athletes in the world'.
Of course, that's also the now famous catchphrase of Dubliner Conor McGregor, the former UFC world champion who was recently charged with assault and criminal mischief in New York as he allegedly decided to attack a parked bus.
Nope, not a Jose Mourinho football reference, but rather the night that McGregor seemingly finally came back to inhabit this world with a bump, a barrier and a broken window.
What could easily have been dismissed as a stunt in line with much of the pageantry of the UFC world, things all went a bit belly up for the son of Eireann as someone had the temerity to call the police about the incident, while others broadcast it to the world.
So in what has proved a troubling few months for the mixed marshal arts fighter, it would be no real surprise to see his star wane just a tad.
McGregor may be set for an imminent New York court date, but will surely be buoyed to find himself making real inroads into the top 20 of this year's Fame list.
The one-time UFC world champion has not entered an octagon since November 2016, yet managed to move up seven places to number 18.
Of course, McGregor took part in what many deemed a charade of a sporting event last summer as he tempted Floyd Mayweather out of retirement for a freak-show style boxing match.
McGregor, to nobody's shock except his own, perhaps, lost that one, yet came out of the once-off Las Vegas spectacle US$100m richer from the experience, which probably accounts for the southsider's surge.
The irony of the situation is not lost in that the list's ranking have little directly to do with sporting aptitude or success, but rather a marketing popularity contest where you are judged on the amount of times your name has been searched, and your total endorsement deals combined with your social media following.
McGregor's 'search score' is almost double that of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has topped the Fame 100 for the third year in a row, and is, in fact, the only winner of this much-coveted award, since its inauguration three years ago.
The two-weight UFC champion's 'social following' score of 22.6m also adds to his rating, but for some reason, the Dubliner's 'endorsements' tally pale in comparison to most of those higher in the rankings.
Should have gone with the Big Mac.
The only other Irish sports person on the list is Rory McIlroy who lies four spots higher than McGregor, sitting pretty at number 15 with only two other golfers ahead of the four-time major winner, Tiger Woods at six and Phil Mickelson at 10.
The top three, Ronaldo, LeBron James and Lionel Messi, have remained the same for all three versions of this 'Who's the most famous athlete in the world?' survey, while most of the top ten have also been there for the last three years but swapped the odd place here and there.
But once you venture out beyond the top 20 there are some real surprises to be found, which is probably the most interesting aspect of the list.
Soccer – it's an American-created list – golf, tennis and basketball would certainly be the sports to be involved in if making money, tweeting to the masses and spending as much time with advertising executives as you do on the training pitch is your thing.
But the one sport that somehow fails to register near the top of this list is American football.
Despite the vulgarity of riches that surrounds its Super Bowl showpiece event every February, poster boy Tom Brady is the highest rank of the gridiron guys sitting way out in the wilderness, just edging Radamel Falcao to 38th spot.
"Be more like, Sun Yang" may well be Brady's mantra for the next 12 months as the ageing quarter-back ponders his future in the game.
Sun Yang, ranked 17th on the list, of course, is a Chinese swimmer and has the lowest possible 'search score' of one, and has no official endorsements adding to his rankings, however, the three-time Olympic gold medallist has amassed a whooping 32 million social media followers.
The global nature of this list sees nine Indian cricket players make the Top 100, with Virat Kohli the highest at number 11, while there is the odd table-tennis player, badminton star and figure skater at the lower end of the rankings.
The current state of heavyweight boxing is probably well reflected by reigning champion (or one of) Anthony Joshua barely making it inside the top 50, ranked 46th.
But fear not, pugilist purists, the Gypsy King, Tyson Fury returns to the ring in a matter of days. ESPN may want to keep tabs on his ever-entertaining Instagram account over the next 12 months.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Q: What does this symbol in Hextech Crafting mean? I went through my Hextech Crafting loot and I noticed that some of the skin shards I have display a symbol that looks like a ward while other skin shards don't.

What does this symbol mean? I originally thought that it had something to do with the amount of essence each one disenchants into, but the Butcher Urgot shard and Outback Renekton shard are worth the same amount of essence as well as the same amount of RP in-store.

A: That symbol indicates a legacy skin (a skin that you can no longer buy in the shop).  Source

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange