A thousand years later, chariots raced around the still-lying sculpture in honor of a friend who died before his time. The competitors had never heard of the Hittites.
What happens to the work of empire when the empire disappears?
Read the full story here: https://survivingtheflood.substack.com/p/monuments-and-quarries
Warring States · Crystal Cup
Warring States period (475–221 BC)
Height 15.4 cm, rim diameter 7.6 cm, base diameter 5.2 cm
Excavated in 1990 at Shitang, Banshan, Hangzhou
To verify its authenticity, the crystal cup was sent to Beijing for appraisal. Combined with carbon-14 and thermoluminescence dating, archaeologists collected charcoal samples left behind from the tomb ruins where the crystal cup was buried.
Name: Jade Pig-Dragon
Category: Jade Ware
Period: Late Hongshan Culture (3500–3000 BC)
Dimensions: Length: 7.8 cm | Width: 5.6 cm | Thickness: 2.1–2.6 cm
Description
Made of pale yellowish-green jade, this piece features a larger, more mature sculpted animal embryo form. Proportionally, the animal head end is enlarged, featuring upright prominent ears and bulging eyes encircled by curved lines. The bridge of the nose and the area beneath the nostrils are carved in relief with dense wrinkles.
A perforation is drilled on the back for suspension and wearing; when worn, the opening points roughly toward the 20 or 40-minute position on a clock face.
While archaeologists generally refer to this type of jade artifact as a "pig-dragon," some scholars suggest it may represent an animal embryo of a tiger.
This particular pig-dragon is relatively large in size. When viewed from the back, a pair of large ears and a wider neck are visible, which are characteristic features of pig-dragons from the mature period.
Alexander the Great loved comparing himself to the heroes of mythology. He believed that he was destined for greatness and conquest of the known world. His mother, Olympias, instilled in him a sense of divine purpose, and Alexander came to believe that he was the son of Zeus and destined to conquer Persia. This belief was further reinforced when he was proclaimed the son of Zeus-Ammon after visiting the Oracle of Amun at Siwa in Egypt.
When he visited the Oracle at Delphi, the sanctuary was closed. Not taking no for an answer, Alexander reportedly dragged the Pythia, the priestess of Apollo, by her hair until she cried out, “You are invincible, my son!” Satisfied with the response, Alexander is said to have replied, “Now I have my answer.”
The Gordian Knot was another instance of such validation for Alexander that he was destined to become the ruler of Asia. According to the legend, the famous Gordian Knot was formed by fastening the yoke of a wagon to its pole. The wagon had been dedicated to Zeus by a Phrygian ruler named Gordius. According to Arrian, an ancient prophecy stated that whoever succeeded in untying the knot would become the ruler of Asia.
The challenge had reportedly remained unsolved for generations. However, Alexander approached the problem with an unconventional solution. The prophecy did not specify how the knot had to be untied. In the popular version of the story, Alexander drew his sword and sliced through the knot, effectively solving the challenge.
This episode perfectly showcases Alexander’s decisive and bold personality. Rather than allowing himself to be constrained by the conventional interpretation of a problem, he found his own solution and seized the initiative. The same qualities would become hallmarks of his military career, where he frequently took the initiative and dictated the pace of battle.
For more detailed information on the legend of the Gordian Knot and what actually happened at Gordium, please read the full article.
Guinness World Records
Oldest painting – figurative art
Who
Leang Karampuang pig and humans cave art
What
51,200 year(s)
Where
Indonesia (Maros-Pangkep)
When
03 July 2024
2024, a paper published in Nature described a ceiling panel found in the Leang Karampuang limestone cave in the Maros-Pangkep region of Sulawesi, Indonesia, in 2017. The composition in red pigment depicts a pig-like animal (suid) – most likely thought to represent the extant Sulawesi warty pig (Sus celebensis) – interacting with a group of at least three human figures (two holding stick-like objects), possibly depicting a hunting scene. A new method of dating, known as laser-ablation U-series imaging, assessed that the art was created a minimum of c. 53,500 years ago, give or take 2,300 years (hence the youngest possible minimum age of 51,200 years).
The Battle of the Horns of Hattin was a significant battle that broke the field army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Following the death of King Baldwin IV, Guy of Lusignan was crowned king. Guy was highly unpopular and was considered to have poor leadership skills. This would prove to be a deadly combination in an already strained situation for the Crusaders.
When Saladin attacked Tiberias, Guy abandoned his stable position at Sepphoris and marched his army to relieve the city. The march was a gruesome ordeal for the Crusader army. Without access to water and under the harsh sun, the Crusaders became dehydrated, demoralized, and weak.
Saladin did not rush into battle. Instead, he waited for the Crusaders to exhaust themselves, constantly harassing them with hit-and-run tactics. The Crusaders eventually halted near the Horns of Hattin, which provided a good terrain advantage but lacked the water they desperately needed.
Under constant harassment from Saladin's mounted archers, the Crusaders attempted to break through but failed, as the main bulk of the army remained trapped. Here, they would make their last stand as the remaining Crusader forces lost cohesion and surrendered. Guy was captured along with several other high-ranking nobles.
The significance of this loss was catastrophic for the Crusaders. With the main army destroyed, the Crusader states and their cities were left vulnerable. Jerusalem would eventually fall to Saladin as panic spread across the Crusader states, prompting the Third Crusade. The relic known as the True Cross was also captured by Saladin, depriving the Crusaders of an object of immense religious and psychological value.
The Battle of Hattin is a lesson in the importance of logistics and the availability of resources to an army. The defeat can largely be attributed to poor decision-making on the part of the Crusader leadership. For Saladin, it was a decisive victory and his greatest military triumph, opening the path to the conquest of Jerusalem.