The Coronation of Charlemagne

My book review was in relation to the Dark Ages, period shorty after the Fall of Rome. While the book, The Dark Ages Reconsidered, makes the case for a less dark time, there is little dispute that civilization received a substantial boost when Charlemagne was crowned emperor in 800 C.E. I found an article, "The Crowning of Charlemagne," that gives a brief overview of the event. The author, Patrick Henry Reardon, relates how Charlemagne accomplished a remarkable feat on Christmas Day of that year. Actually, there are three results of his coronation. First is the fact that Charlemagne united much of Europe. "Although the political unity Charlemagne imposed on the greater part of that continent did not outlive him, the cultural unity of Europe did." Second, his relationship with the Catholic church afforded the church great influence and power in European politics for centuries to come. Finally, Charlemagne fought against the Eastern Orthodox tradition of Christianity, furthering the schism between the East and West, and changing the dynamics of religious tradition.

Charlemagne's objection to the Eastern Orthodox form of the Nicene Creed was especially troublesome. Two and a half centuries after Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne, those doctrinal and canonical tensions between East and West finally became schismatic and tragic, when the legates of Pope Leo IX excommunicated the Patriarchof Constantinople in 1054.

The article seems to portray Charlemagne in an almost too flattering light, but it seems that if ever there would be a time to overlook a man's faults, it would be the day of his coronation.

Halloween Origins

Everyone remembers the holiday that was just celebrated last week, unless there was heavy drinking involved. Halloween is a big deal in America and it invokes thoughts of candy, costumes, and a cold night spent begging at strangers' homes. Almost everyone participates in it as children and even as adults, treat it as a day of celebration.

However, the concept of Halloween that we know today shares many differences and similarities with its Celtic and Christian origins. The name itself, Halloween, developed from Christian roots. In the 800's CE, November first was declared by the pope as All Saint's Day, or All-Hallows. The word Halloween developed from the old English word for the evening before All-Hallows.

For example, many people wear costumes during Halloween for fun, trick or treating, and for tradition. In the old Celtic traditions, costumes take on a more serious meaning. During the Celtic celebration of Samhain, it was believed that the barrier between the physical and the spiritual worlds would be at its thinnest as the world transitions from warm to cold seasons. At this time, spirits, both malevolent and benevolent, are able to move between worlds. In order to ward off evil spirits, the Celtic people would wear masks and disguises that made them look like the evil spirits. The evil spirits, seeing only other spirits and no people, would wander off in search of other victims. The reason for wearing costumes has obviously changed over the years, taking on a more light-hearted meaning.

The modern symbol of caramel apples in connection with Halloween has roots in both Roman and Celtic cultures. One reason is that, before the Roman occupation, Halloween was the end of Summer, the beginning of Fall, and the beginning of the apple harvest. The other reason is that after Roman Occupation, the Celtic celebration of Samhain was merged with two Roman festivals, the day of the dead, and the festival for the goddess of trees and fruits, whose symbol was the apple.

Halloween is a holiday with many meanings. It started as a religious festival and has evolved into a secular holiday that anyone from any religious background can participate in. The holiday has grown and changed along with Humanity to where it is now, incorporating fun and candy to appeal to the young and the old. It has a fun celebration of the change between season for any person, of any age, of any religion. Halloween is truly an accessible holiday.

For more information:
http://www.history.com/content/halloween/real-story-of-halloween>http://www.history.com/content/halloween/real-story-of-halloween

Britain and Greece Argue Over Stolen Sculptures

A few weeks ago, it was mentioned in class that Britain did a little bit of looting from Greece's Parthenon. Specifically, Thomas Bruce, the British ambassador to the area during the early 1900's, managed to make off with a sizeable amount of sculptures and architecture from the Acropolis and the Parthenon. The marble pieces were sent back to Britain and the British Museum, where they have remained for almost two hundred years. In class, there was a brief mention that Britain may not have legal ownership of the pieces and that they should be returned to their homeland of Greece.

Ever since then, Greece has advocated the return of the "Elgin Marbles", while Britain has refused to do so for almost two centuries. The British Museum has adamantly claimed that the pieces do not belong to Greece, as they are a part of history, and as such, should be viewed as part of the entire world history. Also, the British propped up their arguments with claims that if Greece receives its monuments back, what's to stop other nations from withdrawing their pieces from foreign museums? Another crucial British argument was that Greece did not have any measures of protecting the pieces and that pollution and weathering would have damaged them anyways.

Greece has its own arguments to get the Elgin Marbles back. One point is that the actions of Thomas Bruce were pretty close to vandalism and looting, as he defaced a historical site and damaged many of the monuments and sculptures. The other Greek point is that they have newly constructed The New Acropolis Museum, a state of the art museum is dedicated to the Acropolis. The New Acropolis Museum has many protective measures in place and claims to be safer for the Marbles than the British Museum.

So far, the only real British offer was a temporary loan of the pieces to the new museum. However, this only angered the Greeks, as they believe that by acknowledging the loan offer, they would provide legitimacy to British ownership of the Elgin Marbles. As the Greeks see it, only an owner can loan things out, and the British have no right to do so, because they are not the legal owners of the pieces. Greece is not the only country demanding artifacts from Britain, as that list extends from India to Nigeria.

More information can be found at:
http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2009/06/12/parthenon-marbles-loan.html

Egyptian Lightbulb?

All history students are fascinated by strange things in history which are unknown or partially known to people today. As was posted in my last entry, I thoroughly enjoy such things.

This second 'mystery' points to a small ancient store room in Denderah, Egypt. On the wall, there is an inscription of what many historians and wishful thinkers see as a light bulb. Others believe it is a religious scene of a snake being born from a flower.

To evaluate the truth to the light bulb theory, one must look at the materials and skills needed to produce a lamp of this sort. The first is glass, the second is a vacuum, and the third is electricity.

While no one knows how far back glass was invented, we do know that the Egyptians made usable glass objects by dipping sand figurines in vats of molten glass. Could Egyptian scientists make a stable enough glass bulb to hold a vacuum?

Perhaps it wasnt necessary. According to some, this light bulb could have been filled with an inert gas heavier than oxygen. This is entirely possible yet it is equally unprovable that it was done. Assuming it was, they still need a sizable enough source of electricity.

For this, archeologists have found what is known as the 'Baghdad battery;' essentially, it's a jar that can be (and was) filled with a number of different substances. Throughout the ancient world, people were getting low-voltage results by combining acidic fruit juice with quiones (a chemical that can be harvested from common Egyptian scarab beetles - vinegar and other substances could also be used) while sticking a 1/4" thick, solid copper bar encircled by an approximately 1" in diameter iron tube vertically in the center. The currently accepted conjecture for the use of this battery deals with using this and a spatula to bind gold on the surface of silver objects. Naturally, this 'out there' suggestion of a light bulb demands a different interpretation.

The theory of this 'Denderah light bulb' has been stuck in my head for a while. The weakest point of the argument is the isolation of heavy gases or the creation of the vacuum. Perhaps this is just another mystery of the past that students can glaze over to make the memory of neoclassical and modern scientists seem more original. I leave you with these low quality videos (comment if you can find better) of a plasma lamp designed to prove the feasibility of the drawn design. In the latter video, it is a nonworking model where the location of the batteries can be seen.





Does this support the 'aliens help build the pyramids' theory?

Sources:
http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/Denderahlightbulb.html

http://www.kinsalecrystal.ie/history.htm

http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/bbattery.htm (among others for the battery...used about 15 of them)

Hadrian's Wall

Walls have been a permanent feature in world history. From ancient times up to modern day walls have been used. Originally used for defensive reasons, today walls are used mainly to keep people in. One of the best known walls in the world is Hadrian's Wall that stretches across the the border between England and Scotland. Hadrian's Wall was built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian (r. 117-138 CE) in 122. This project was part of Hadrian's goal to consolidate the Empires gains and create a stable border. Also the wall was built for protection from the barbarian tribes of Scotland.

Hadrian's wall stretches 73.5 miles across northern England, from the North to Irish Sea. The wall was built out of stone. It was fifteen feet high with a width of 8 feet. Every mile there was a small fort with two towers between each of them. Also there were 16 large forts that could house up to 1000 soldiers. On the north side of the wall there was a ditch that ran along the wall. On the south side of the large forts towns sprang up to provide for the Roman soldiers.

Emperor Hadrian died in 138 CE and his successor Antoninus Pius wanted to expand the empire. Therefore, the Antonine Wall was built across the narrow part of southern Scotland between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde, in 142 CE. At this time Hadrian's wall was abandoned, and the northern border of the Roman Empire was the Antonine Wall. However, when Antonius Pius died in 161 CE his wall was abandoned and Hadrian's wall was refortified.

Hadrian's Wall was abandoned when the Romans abandoned Britain in 410, however, many of the towns by the forts continued on. Unfortunately, the wall fell into disrepair, with many stones being taken for other buildings. Today the main foundations of the wall and the forts remain. I have been to Hadrian's wall, and what surprised me the most was how well it was built. The wall was in a perfect straight line and the forts in symmetric distribution. What is left of the wall varies, some of it is gone completely, while some is over six feet high.

A great site for pictures of Hadrian's Wall
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/hadrian_gallery.shtml
For other information
http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/rome/a/aa060600a.htm
http://www.hadrians-wall.org/page.aspx//About-the-World-Heritage-Site/Archaeology-

The World in 1492

After spending some time discussing Early American History with high school students and touching on it in conversation with an elder generation it has become apparent that little is known about the true doings of one Christopher Columbus and his first voyage to the New World. Many cliches are today used to teach this man and his history to school children and it is important that they be addressed at some point other than in an AP History class or other college requirement.

Firstly, no educated person in the late 15th century believed that the world was flat and that a ship might fall off the edge and be devoured by dragons and whatnot. If the world was thought to be flat then Columbus' intentions to sail westward to find East China would more than explain the rejection he suffered at the hands of the monarchs. Furthermore, Columbus messed up his calculations and he messed them up badly. One of the reasons he was turned down for his voyages was the fact that the Council of Portugal whom he met before believed his calculations to be off. They knew that the world was not near as large as he painted it to be, the only problem here is that no one had charted that large expanse. Perhaps some of Columbus' crew believed that the world was flat and that could explain why he kept two log entries of their travels. If the crew didn't know how far they had traveled, worrying about the edge of the world seemed pointless.

Further, too often are the true exploits of Columbus forgotten amongst his findings. Yes, the discovery of the New World changed the world, but the treatment of its people changed an entire culture. The Colombian Exchange would reap all the gold Europe could possibly want, along with the labor to find it and work the lands. Never again would such a plague ravish the New World as the one that absolutely crippled the Native Americans whose home was rightly here.

To some scholars this information is likely easily recognized as what truly happened, however it's importance cannot be underestimated. What really happened in history is too often a far cry from what is remembered and an event such as Columbus' voyage has become so wrought with fairy tales that the truth is only known to those who actively study the subject. Columbus was not necessarily a bad person or a good person, historians have the responsibility of making others see the facts. Columbus was merely an explorer looking for wealth and fame, and he found it, his methods however need to be remembered by all.

For more info on Columbus:
http://www.millersville.edu/~columbus/columbus.htm
http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/christopher-columbus.htm

Original Melting Pot

It seems that Americans are born taking pride in the idea of the melting pot. The American Melting Pot allows each and every citizen to feel that no matter their culture, their beliefs, or their heritage, they are valued as an important ingredient in a larger matter. However, something not quite publicized is that the Americas were not the first great melting pot society. Ancient cultures have long been experts at assimilating new religious and political regimes to create a much stronger union. The famous Silk Road can be viewed as one of these great melting pots that would change much of Europe and Asia at the height of many an empire.

The Silk road established a route that could, in theory reach all the way from the Chinese city of Luoyang near the Pacific Ocean to Tyre on the Mediterranean Sea. Although seldom traveled to their whole length by single merchants, these roads still allowed for the transportation of much besides wealth. Culture traveled with merchants, and most merchants coming from India traveled with Buddhism in their hearts and spread the religion across Asia. Soon western China would be home to Buddhist cities and temples.

However, Buddhism was not immune to the effects of the melting pots. Secular affairs in wealthy cities neighboring the Silk Road rose in number although original Buddhism had supposedly shunned material world. In some of the northwest regions of India, Buddhism met with the remnants of Alexander and Buddha's statues became slightly Greco-Roman in nature. A Greco-Roman son of Zeus (Herakles) was adopted by Buddhists of the area to represent one of the divine protectors of Buddha.

However, as culture is allowed to transit from place to place with greater speed, so is disease. In today's world we are always bombarded with this fear as more and more diseases spread with greater speed and the word epidemic is thrown out so often that it is rare to watch the news without hearing something of it. The Silk Road on the other hand gave rise to perhaps one of the most feared diseases ever found-the Black Death. After the Mongol control of the Eurasian landmass came to an abrupt end, interactions between Asia and Europe increased as under one empire the advantages of long distance trade became apparent. The Black Death was the result, a series of diseases that are believed today to be comprised mostly of bubonic plague, anthrax of other epidemics. It is believed, that within 4 years 1/3 of Europe was killed by the Black Death...4 years. The Melting Pot failed to assimilate that one.

Whether it be the American Melting Pot which is credited with creating a diverse and dominant culture in today's world or the Silk Road, cultural collision existed. Some cultures resisted and sought to remain true to their roots. Most of them aren't around anymore although a few likely exist to some degree. Cultures, disease, the good comes with the bad, but as the test of time as the example, those cultures that adopt new practices and assimilate new ideas are the ones that will become the greats.
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I cannot find much information of Vajrapani that makes much sense to me, Robert Strayer's textbook Ways of the World: A Brief Global History is where my info comes from or you can feel free to check wikipedia at your leisure.

For a brief Chinese version on the effects of the Silk Road please follow this link
http://library.thinkquest.org/13406/sr/