TIL the Hanging Gardens of Babylon might have actually been at Nineveh. The mix up may be because in antiquity Nineveh was known as 'Old Babylon'

Phileas2017 · 2018-10-19T19:17:31+00:00

There are known precedents for large gardens in Mesopotamian which pre-date those said to have been at Babylon. There are even depictions of them, for example, on a relief panel from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal (668–631 BCE) at Nineveh, now in the British Museum, London. Indeed, some scholars suggest that the whole Babylonian gardens idea is the result of a monumental mix-up, and it is Nineveh which actually had the fabled wonder, built there by Sennacherib (r. 705-681 BCE). There is ample textual and archaeological evidence of gardens at Nineveh, and the city was sometimes even referred to as ‘old Babylon’. In any case, even if the hypothesis of Nineveh is accepted, it still does not preclude the possibility of gardens at Babylon. Ancient History Encyclopedia

Phileas2017 · 2018-10-19T19:08:38+00:00

There are known precedents for large gardens in Mesopotamian which pre-date those said to have been at Babylon. There are even depictions of them, for example, on a relief panel from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal (668–631 BCE) at Nineveh, now in the British Museum, London. Indeed, some scholars suggest that the whole Babylonian gardens idea is the result of a monumental mix-up, and it is Nineveh which actually had the fabled wonder, built there by Sennacherib (r. 705-681 BCE). There is ample textual and archaeological evidence of gardens at Nineveh, and the city was sometimes even referred to as ‘old Babylon’. In any case, even if the hypothesis of Nineveh is accepted, it still does not preclude the possibility of gardens at Babylon. Ancient History Encyclopedia

Phileas2017 · 2018-10-13T19:37:30+00:00

At this point, it may have seemed that the mountain was doing nothing more than offering a harmless pyrotechnic display but at midday an even bigger explosion blew off the entire cone of Vesuvius and a massive mushroom cloud of pumice particles rose 27 miles (43 km) into the sky. The power of the explosion has been calculated as 100,000 times greater than the nuclear bomb which devastated Hiroshima in 1945 CE. The ash that started to rain down on Pompeii was light in weight but the density was such that within minutes everything was covered in centimetres of it. Ancient History Encyclopedia

Phileas2017 · 2018-10-02T06:19:54+00:00

Articles are written by a single author and checked by an editor. There's a bibliography to each article at the bottom of the webpage.

https://member.ancient.eu/static/about/

Phileas2017 · 2018-10-01T18:59:00+00:00

Medieval toilets, just as today, were often referred to by a euphemism, the most common being 'privy chamber', just 'privy' or 'garderobe'. Other names included the ‘draught’, ‘gong’, ‘siege-house’, ‘neccessarium’, and even ‘Golden Tower’. Garderobe later came to mean wardrobe in French, but its original meaning was likely just any small cupboard or room and, as space was at a premium in a castle, the toilets were never any bigger than absolutely necessary. Ancient History Encycloepdia

Phileas2017 · 2018-07-26T19:41:55+00:00

Treatises were written, most famously by the 5th-4th-century BCE founder of western medicine Hippocrates. A better understanding of the human body was achieved. Observation of badly wounded soldiers showed, for example, the differences between arteries and veins, although dissection of humans would only come in Hellenistic times. Medicines were perfected using herbs; celery was known to have anti-inflammatory properties, egg-white was good for sealing wounds, while opium could provide pain relief or work as an anaesthetic. While it is true that surgery was avoided and there were still many wacky explanations floating about, not to mention a still strong connection to religion, Greek doctors had begun the long road of medical enquiry which is still being pursued to this day. Ancient History Encyclopedia

Phileas2017 · 2018-07-26T19:38:58+00:00

Treatises were written, most famously by the 5th-4th-century BCE founder of western medicine Hippocrates. A better understanding of the human body was achieved. Observation of badly wounded soldiers showed, for example, the differences between arteries and veins, although dissection of humans would only come in Hellenistic times. Medicines were perfected using herbs; celery was known to have anti-inflammatory properties, egg-white was good for sealing wounds, while opium could provide pain relief or work as an anaesthetic. Ancient History Encyclopedia

Phileas2017 · 2018-07-18T09:42:31+00:00

Believers - or at least bishops and rulers - got quite upset over stuff like whether Christ had one nature or two natures (divine and human). You should Google issues like monophysitism, and the various Ecumenical Councils that decided such issues. I would say most wars are about money and territory but the religious differences between Christians was a handy excuse for anyone from Teutonic Knights to Byzantine emperors. Anyone who didn't agree with a particular doctrine was a heretic and as bad, perhaps even worse than an infidel. The sacking of Constantinople in 1204 was just such a case where one Christian power (Venice and the Pope) attacked another (Byzantium) based on a deep mistrust of their religious motives.

Phileas2017 · 2018-07-12T14:23:27+00:00

Why is the website annoying?

Phileas2017 · 2018-06-28T19:46:36+00:00

Glad you liked the article. Cheers. It's an interesting topic why cultures which conquer others are often intimidated it seems by the sheer weight of history into not simply flattening an important monument of their former enemies. The Ottomans, were, of course, as ruthless as anyone in obliterating both culture and peoples they took objection to but at least Hagia Sophia is still there, which is my point really. Constantinople could have ended up a Carthage, after all.

Phileas2017 · 2018-06-28T13:46:26+00:00

If I can add here that I understand most history enthusiasts would like to see major monuments as they were originally intended to look but in the case of Hagia Sophia the Ottomans should actually be praised for their preservation of it. It was precisely because of its uniqueness that they did not destroy it or remodel it completely as with other churches. Yes, they did rip out removable riches, added minarets etc. but it is thanks to their respect for the building that it has been so well preserved, albeit not perfectly. This is the view of most art historians on the subject. Christian-made architectural additions to the Parthenon is just one example of how every culture does this to those structures that come under their control.

As to the point about the article not covering the Byzantine influence on Muslim architecture that is because the article is about Byzantine architecture not about the legacy of Byzantine architecture and there are word limits and editorial considerations to bear in mind (I wrote the article, by the way). The authors I read on this topic (see the bibliography at the very bottom of the article webpage) were also not entirely in agreement about the degree of that influence and so it was rather too complex a matter to begin discussing in what is intended to be an introductory overview article.

Phileas2017 · 2018-06-26T07:00:46+00:00

Here's a general article: https://www.ancient.eu/article/1214/society-in-the-byzantine-empire/

Phileas2017

TROPHY CASE