Eclipse de Luna en Vivo, hoy miércoles 15 de Junio del 2011, completo

El eclipse lunar total, hoy se podrá apreciar por más de 100 minutos en casi todo el mundo, sin embargo, en centro y norteamérica no se podrá ver. Por lo que en México solo lo podremos apreciar vía google / youtube .

Sigue la transmisión completa desde el blog de ciudades antiguas, vía YouTube

¡Gracias Google y YouTube!

Nínive - La ciudad y sus palacios

English version 

Nínive

La ciudad y sus palacios

Los logros técnicos de Nínive

 Fue Senaquerib quien trasladó a Nínive la capital de Asiría, sustituyendo la efímera ciudad que su padre, Sargón, había construido en Jorsabad. Edificó una muralla con 15 puertas, que portegió simbólicamente con toros alados con cabeza de hombre, genios benéficos encargados de aterrorizar al enemigo. Estas murallas seguían por el oeste el curso del Tigris, y al este estaban reforzados por otros muros y por un foso. Delimitaban un territorio de más de 5 kilómetros de longitud, atravesado por un puqueño curso de agua. Como éste no bastara para regar el campo circundante, a Senaquerib se le ocurrió captar las aguas de los manantiales de la colina de Bavian, a 50 kilómetros, trabajo de titanes que exigió construir, sobre un barranco de casi 300 metros, un acueducto de cinco arcos de piedra, con 22 metros de anchura y 9 de altura. El rey mandó representar en su palacio las labores agrícolas que hizo posible esa obra.

  Este palacio, aún no explorado en su totalidad, resulta excepcional en algunos aspectos. Por eso, para conocer el marco en que se desenvolvía la vida de los monarcas asirios es preferible considerar primero el dificio en Kalkhu (la actual Nimrud) por Asurnasirpal II (883-859 A.C),  explorado ya por Layard y más tarde por sir Max Mallowan, en compañía de su esposa, Agatha Christie.

El Gran Palacio

 A partir del siglo IX A.C., los reyes de Asiria hicieron de Nimrud el símbolo de su política imperialista, edificando allí un palacio y añadiendo un enorme arsenal capaz de equipar a  cien mil hombres. La ciudad todavía inexplorada, como Nínive, estaba dominada por la ciudadela construida a orillas del Tigris, donde se alzaba el palacio de Asurnasirpal. Al lado había un templo con una torre escalonada. El plano del palacio muestra la esctricta organización a que respondía una morada palaciega asiria. En sus inscripciones, los reyes de Asiria mencionan dos secciones bien diferenciadas, cada una  con su patio: el babanu, reservado a los visitantes de menor importancia y a los servicios administrativos, situado cerca de la entrada, y la vivienda o "casa", llamado bitanu. En el palacio de Asurnasirpal, el babanu albergaba la tesorería, la residencia de un alto funcionario y la cancillería, donde estaban los documentos administrativos clasificados en estanterías  de ladrillo. Al fondo del patio del babanu, dos puertas monumentales, guardadas por toros alados, daban acceso  a la sala del trono, centro del edificio. Cubrían los muros de esta larga sala bajorrelieves de yeso amarillo verdoso que representaban las hazañas venatorias y bélicas del rey. Sin duda tenían por objeto impresionar al visitante, enfrenttarlo con el incoercible poder asirio.

  El trono real estaba al fondo de la sala, adosado a un relieve que mostraba al rey en adoración ante el árbol simbólico del dios Asur, la gran divinidad de los asirios. Los aposentos reales, perpendiculares a la sala del trono, daban a un patio interior. Comprendían dos largas salas paralelas, adornadas con bajorrelieves que representaban un banquete real, y pequeñas habitaciones privadas. Desde el patio interior se podía llegar a las dependencias comunes Allí fueron descubiertos magníficos marfiles, ornamento del mobiliario real de la época.¿Fueron importados de los países de Levante, donde aún había elefantes, o eran obra de artistas siro-fenicios deportados? Los temas revelan una clara influencia egipcia. Encontramos el nacimiento, sobre una flor, del pequeño Horus, protegido no por las dos hermanas Isis y Neftis, sino por genios fantásticos. El muerto que contemplaba el sol por la ventana de su pirámide se ha convertido en una diosa del amor, apostada como una cortesana detrás de su celosía. Este amable, característico del siglo VIII A.C., y presente también en la imagen de un joven cuyo rostro sonriente ha sido comparado al de la Gioconda, ha dejado asimismo huellas en el palacio de Samaria, destruido por Sargón, y en su palacio de Jorsabad. Hay que señalar que en este palacio, gigantesca construcción que ocupa 10 hectáreas, el conquistador no hizo sino copiar, ampliándola, la estructura del palacio de Nimrud, incluyendo en ella templos y agrupando una serie de capillas abovedadas que durante mucho tiempo se creyó que eran de las damas del herén.

Nineveh - The city and its palaces

Versión en Español 

Nineveh
The city and its palaces

The technical achievements of Nineveh

 It was Sennacherib who moved to the capital of Assyria, Nineveh, replacing the ephemeral city that his father, Sargon, had built in Khorsabad. He built a wall with 15 gates, which symbolically Portegies winged bulls with human heads, beneficial geniuses responsible for terrorizing the enemy. These walls were from the west during the Tigris, and this was reinforced by other walls and a moat. Delineating an area of more than 5 miles long, traversed by a watercourse puqueño. As this was not enough to irrigate the surrounding countryside, Sennacherib came up to capture the spring water from the hill of Bavi, 50 miles, required Herculean task to build, on a cliff nearly 300 feet, a pipeline of five stone arches, 22 meters wide and 9 tall. The king in his palace represent agricultural work that made possible this work.

  This palace, not yet fully explored, is exceptional in some respects. So to know the context in which they unfolded the life of the Assyrian monarchs is preferable to consider first the diffi cult in Kalkhu (modern Nimrud) by Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BC), and by Layard explored and later by Sir Max Mallowan, accompanied by his wife, Agatha Christie.

The Grand Palace

 From the ninth century BC, the Assyrian kings at Nimrud were the symbol of imperialist policies, building a palace there and adding a huge arsenal capable of equipping a hundred thousand men. The city still unexplored, such as Nineveh, was dominated by the citadel built on the banks of the Tigris, where stood the palace of Ashurnasirpal. Beside it was a temple with a tiered tower. The plan of the palace shows the organization to respond esctricta an Assyrian palatial abode. In their inscriptions, the Assyrian kings mentioned two distinct sections, each with its courtyard: the babanu, subject to minor visitors and administrative services, located near the entrance, and the home or "house", called bitanu. In the palace of Ashurnasirpal, the babanu housed the treasury, a senior official residence and the chancery, where they were placed in administrative documents brick shelves. At the end of the courtyard of babanu, two monumental gates, guarded by winged bulls, gave access to the throne room, the center of the building. Covered the walls of this long room greenish yellow plaster bas-reliefs depicting the exploits of King VENATORIA and war. Undoubtedly were intended to impress the visitor with intractable enfrenttarlo Assyrian power.
 The royal throne at the back of the room, attached to a relief showing the king in adoration before the symbolic tree of the god Ashur, the great god of the Assyrians. The royal apartments, perpendicular to the throne room, overlooking a courtyard. They included two long parallel rooms, decorated with bas-reliefs depicting a royal banquet, and small private rooms. From the courtyard one could reach the common areas, where they were discovered magnificent ivory, royal furniture ornament of the time. "They were imported from the countries of the Levant, where elephants still had, or were the work of the Syro-Phoenician artists deported? The subjects show a clear Egyptian influence. Find birth, on a flower, small Horus, protected not by the two sisters Isis and Nephthys, but great geniuses. The dead man who looked at the sun through the window of his pyramid has become a goddess of love, stationed as a courtesan behind the lattice. This friendly, typical of the eighth century BC, and also present in the image of a smiling young man whose face has been compared to that of the Mona Lisa, has also left traces in the palace of Samaria, destroyed by Sargon, in his palace Khorsabad. Note that in this palace, a huge building that occupies 10 hectares, the conqueror did nothing but copy, expanding, the structure of the palace of Nimrud, including in her temples and grouping a series of vaulted chapels for a long time were believed to the ladies of the inheritance.

Nineveh - The bloody history of Assyria

Versión en Español 

Nineveh

On the plains of Assyria

 

 The plain of Assyria, crossed by the Tigris, faster and torencial the Euphrates, has a cooler climate than Babylon, sel neighboring southern lowland scorched by the sun and often flooded by the waters of the two great rivers. Ply this plain the Great and Little Zab, which allow water it, but always rains have led to believe there grasses easy to grow grass for goats and wild sheep. In sum, the country seemed destined Assyrian fat agriculture, associated with livestock. And indeed it was there, ten thousand years ago, the men began to be cuentade they could grow food instead of living precariously as predators, according to the prevailing lifestyle of humanity Palaeolithic from hundreds of millennia ago.

But this country's agricultural potential would see emerge and flourish on its soil to a warrior people, the Assyrians.

Archaeological discoveries of the cities

 Classical Europe had never land of Ashur and its agents more than vaguely familiar. The prestigious cities of Nimrud and Nineveh Khorsabad, located in the region between the Tigris and Great Zab, were destroyed before the travelers and historians had been able to visit and discover. However, the study of ancient authors distuinguir allowed several "empires" Assyrians, who had happened since the second millennium BC until the fall and destruction of Nineveh (612 BC), held a little later by the prophet Nahum as punishment for cruelty. The "big city" had entered into legend. Jonah's book reports that were so huge that it took three days going through on foot. Such data agree with those of the Greek geographers, who did not even know well what side of the Tigris to locate the city, was quite a feat. However, in the Middle Ages, a Spanish rabbi Benjamin of Tudela, placed exactly the ruins of Nineveh on the east bank of the river from Mosul. There were two mounds, one of them occupied by a people bearing the name of Ninivah transparent. The same location was confirmed in the nineteenth century by the British Rich, Layard and Rawlinson, and the French Botta and Place.
Botta, located in Mosul, was dedicated first to explore a neighboring mound Ninivah: Quyundjik. Not what I expected to find there his research directed towards the town of Khorsabad, about ten miles. Excavations undertaken by the top and found the bottom of two parallel walls, separated by a platform six feet wide.

"I was pleased to see that the whole surface was covered with carvings, the more curious since some are without dudaalgún important historical event"

 Botta believed he had discovered Nineveh, but in reality it was the palace that was built in Khorsabad King Sargon II of Assyria (721 705 BC), and had been kind of Versailles of this monarch. But there was to discover the "big city."

  This finding corresponded to English Layard. After exploring the area of Nimrud, south of Mosul, where sculptures found comparable to Khorsabad, Layard explored Quyundjik Hill and, more fortunate than Botta, ran to the southeast of the site, with the palace of Assyrian King Sennacherib ( 704-681 BC), "son of Sargon." This palace was built in Nineveh by Sennacherib, was renovated by his grandson Ashurbanipal (6629-627 BC), who set up his library there: thousands of clay tablets covered with cuneiform texts reveal the essentials of the intellectual heritage of the Assyrians, taken much of the Babylonians.
  A bright young English Assyriologist G. Smith, who undertook the reading of the tablets from the library of Ashurbanipal, was surprised to econtrar with the text of the story of the Flood, which coincided with the many details of the Bible. Others came after British missions to Nineveh to explore the depths of the archaeological site and reconstructed the formative stages of Assyrian civilization. It was learned that Nineveh was founded in the sixth millennium, and who were the nomadic Amorites, from the north of Syria, Assyria that gave his historic appearance at the beginning of the second millennium BC

  Investigations by Iraqi archaeological services have allowed us to find a palace built by Asarhaddón array (680-669 BC), son of Sennacherib.

Babylon

Versión en Español 

Babylon

 By the year 450 B.C. Herodotus had described Babylon as a great capital, crossed the Euphrates and protected by a gigantic wall of about 86 kilometers in circumference. According to this historian, traveler, was in Babylon a hundred brass hinged doors, houses three and four floors, a palace and a temple topped by a tall tower, the same as in Genesis, attempted to construct the descendants of Noah to reach heaven. The city's history, Herodotus barely knew more than two female figures and Nitocris Semiramis, and ignored even the name of Nebuchadnezzar. As for the customs of its inhabitants, was interested especially in women the annual auction, in which the most beautiful passing into the hands of the wealthy while the poor had to settle for the ugliest. Had, finally, that every woman should go once in his life "to a sanctuary of Aphrodite and join a foreigner." Your autoridadde "father of history" imposed for a long time these fantasy news. It was not until Roman times to Diodorus of Sicily historians describe as one of the wonders of the Hanging Gardens, attributed to Semiramis and we do not know if any real or are they added by historians but imagined in their dreams because among historians today is debatable whether an irrigation system discovered in Iraq was part of this wonder. Regarding the location of the "Tower", located in the tradition, south of the town of Hillah, the immensity of the ruins discouraged archaeologists. However, some went to Birs Nimrud to find, while others sought in the district of Baghdad, Aqarquf.

The Discovery of the Ruins

 In the late nineteenth century, German archaeologists led by the architect Robert Koldewey undertook the exploration of Babylon, which lasted until 1917. Delicate task if we think in Mesopotamia temples, palaces and houses are adobe, effective material against the relentless heat, but that breaks easily. At last, the painstaking work of archaeologists was rewarded, and appeared the ruins of Babylon, high walls covered with molded and glazed bricks. There are some remains great, but art remains poor when compared with the Assyrian palaces in the same period.


The Code of Hammurabi

 First it was necessary to delimit the territory of the city. Then it was found that the measures mentioned by Herodotus were fanciful, but nevertheless it was the city to have an outline of 18 kilómetrosy of actually being crossed by the Euphrates, whose bed was moved from antiquity. Year after year were progresanso Assyriologists work while deciphering the thousands of texts discovered. It is well known that Babylon was a relatively young city in Mesopotamian history.

  Sumerian cities had been founded long before her, and his name appears for the first time to the 2250 AC Nomadic Amorites, coming from the northern edge of the Syrian desert, established a series of kingdoms in the former site of the Sumerians, and further north, at Assur and Mari. In Babylon, the first royal dynasty founded in the early nineteenth century BC The city was then called Babila, significadose old name which was lost and who was awarded a etiomología Semitic (bab "gate" and ili, "the god"), you would come to mean "gate of god." But during his two thousand years of existence shall hold in official inscriptions Kadingirra name, translating Sumerian Babili, as the Sumerian language was learned from the Babylonians.

Hammurabi, the fifth monarch of the Babylonian dynasty I was undoubtedly the most prestigious ruler (reigned from 1792 to 1750 BC). It was crushing on his opponents, usually Ammonites like him, and formed a powerful empire that included all of southern Mesopotamia. His genius unifying be evident in the drafting of a code inscribed on a stela discovered at Susa 1901-1902. There is a relief to the king receiving the god Shamash, patron of justice, the content of these laws. 

 Promulgated by Hammurabi code was not the oldest, the Sumerians had already made one three centuries earlier. But the perfection of language and the code of Hammurabi and conciseness of his style warrant further consideration as the legislature's most famous monument of antiquity. No statue has been found in the ruins. We only know that led to the Elamite Susa when the foreign dynasty overthrew the Kassites, whose kings had adopted Babylonian culture. At the end of the twelfth century A.C. the Babylonians, under the command of Nebuchadnezzar I, expelled the Elamites, destroyed their capital, Susa, and took captive the statues of the gods of Babylon.

Pompeii - The city frozen in time

 Versión en Español

Pompeii
The city frozen in time

Pompeii, 24 August 79 A.D.

"The city has only just waking up in the streets begins the bustle of carts and mules. The cries of street vendors mingle with the sounds of street vendors. By midmorning a roar rends the air terrifying: the lava plug that blocked the chimney of Mount Vesuvius just jump out of the gas pressure, releasing a cloud so thick lapilli that obscure the sun before returning to fall as rain on housing. At night, Pompeii is buried under several meters of lapilli and ash. In vain have tried to flee their inhabitants suffocated by the gases, crushed beneath the buildings, have been falling one after another in houses and streets. Before he died, someone has the courage to escrbir on a wall: "Sodom and Gomorrah!".

The Bay of Naples in 79 A.D

Disaster reporter

  The end of Pompeii had an illustrious witness. The letters sent Pliny the Younger, Tacitus to describe the eruption of Vesuvius and its consequences are a force, humanity and stunning realism:

"Had already begun to fall ash, but still was not very dense. I turned: a thick fog like a raging torrent towards us. Suddenly fell the night, black as ink, like the inside of a tomb. You could hear the wailing of women, children crying, the clamor of men. Some called their relatives, others to their children or spouses, while trying to recognize their voices. Some wept over his fate, others by their relatives . There were even those who invoked the death, so great was his fear of dying. There were many who implored the gods, but some said that there were no gods and that night was the last of the world. "

 From the beginning the beginning of the eruption, the celebrated naturalist Pliny the Elder, Pliny the Younger's uncle, who commanded the fleet Miseno, had gone to Stabiae to observe more closely the phenomenon:

"He ran down the beach to see if we could return to sea, but the sea was very rough. Then he lay on a blanket to take a short break and asked several times water, bebiío eagerly. But the flames and fumes sulfur, drove the inhabitants and woke him. He stood up and supported by two slaves, but fell back when, because the ash thickened the air you breathe and prevent him from obstructing the trachea. When the light came back (to three days), both the leather and wearing clothes were found intact. It had said that he slept, but he was dead. "

 If this testimony, the only one we have, is really exceptional, the fact remainsthat under the deadly ash layer could be perfectly preserved city. The day he was discovered and this layer was removed, appeared miraculously intact, costreets, which still had traces of the passage of wagons, their homes andpublic buildings. To this must be added the bodies of men and animals thatwere caught in the terrible trap. An ingenious system invented by thearchaeologist Giuseppe Fiorelli, consisting of pouring plaster into the cavitiesleft by the bodies, has allowed them to return as they were at the time of his death. They have also resurfaced, walls, popular designs, refined paintings, imprecations and obscene comments, along with inscriptions on the marble.

Pompeii - History and Public Places

 Versión en Español

Their History 

 We do not know too much about the history of Pompeii, a city that was the scene of any important event (rather than a major volcanic eruption, of course) and has remained in the shadow of not having made famous destination.

 The presence of a Doric temple of the sixth century BC the city proves that existed at that time and was permeable to Greek influence. Pompeii had been then submitted, to the late sixth century and the beginning of V, for Etruscan domination is another problem, as complex and controversial. Some architectural motifs in terracotta and numerous fragments of vases with inscrpiciones show undoubtedly Etruscan influence in the art. But as political domination, opinions are divided, and some people say that Pompeii has always remained under the supervision of the Greek colony, established at the beginning on the coast, were slowly gaining the country's interior. In any case, even as some Etruscan influence, necessarily end in the year 474 with the defeat of the Etruscans at the Battle of Cumae, which led to Pompeii to be brought under the Greek influence. Towards the 425 starts a whole new historical phase, which, in triungo of the Samnites, from the interior, will meet the first reunion Campania under the rule of an Italic people.

 The fourth century is for a period of expansion cities. From its original core. located in the area of large public buildings, will grow to the north and east, with large housing estates. At the beginning of the third century, Rome defeated the Samnites extends its hegemony throughout the Campania, without thereby resulting significant changes to Pompeii. The town seems to ignore once again the great historical events, and chronicles continue to ignore it until, in the year 59 AD Tacitus tells us a curious anecdote: the quarrel between Pompey and nucerianos that broke out in the amphitheater for gladiatorial combat, which was due no doubt to quarrels steeple.

 Here is the account of Tacitus:

"At that time there was a terrible massacre of Pompeii and nucerianos during a gladiatorial contest organized by the famous Livineius Regulus, expelled from the Roman Senate. The contention was másbien motivode trivial, and at first the audience is limited to trading insults , that passed the stones and finally to arms. They won the Pompey, whose city is celebrating the show. nucerianos Among the many wounded, and not a few people in this city had to mourn the death of their children relatives. The emperor ordered that the senate who was handling the matter, the Senate cinfió the consuls, and they entrust to the Senate again, he finally decided to prohibit Pompeian amphitheater organize games for a period of ten years. Also agreed to the dissolution of associations formed Concul existing laws. As Libineius Regulus and those responsible for the riot, were condemned to exile. "

 Three years later, in 62 AD Pompeii and other cities of Campania were affected by an earthquake, drama perpetuated in the reliefs that the banker Caecilius Jucundus made carve in the atrium of its new home. Pompeii's reaction to catastrophe est made the whole city is transformed into an immense work, with passion that tests the strength of its economy. It bears witness to one of the latest discoveries in the ruins of Pompeii, the famous "treasure" found art in the house of Julius Polybius. These art works have been gathered in one room to not disturb the workers, even as evidence piles of lime and amphorae. It should be clarified that the owner was an influential politician whose good works, which seems very specific, were propagated mural inscriptions such as: "It provides good bread. "

  The verses that follow, scrawled on a wall of the house are very different in tone and form a kind of drama promonición the future:

"Nothing is eternal and shine so much that eventually sinking into the sea. Also, the moon disappears when you still shone a moment in the firmamanto. Then if one day, under the influence of anger, your choice of fire corazónecha flames, remain unmoved, that the storm will soon succeed the gentle breeze. "

The city's public places

 The Curious trapezoidal perimeter of the walls of Pompeii follows the contours of a hill of volcanic origin chosen for its privileged position at the crossroads of several trade routes. But the settlement took place at different times, which explains why within the fortifications, built largely on the semnitas time (late V century and early fourth century BC), had empty areas intended for future expansion. These spaces were not completely filled, so it has been calculated that only two thirds of the urban area were built at the time of the disaster. Thus the population, calculated before twenty thousand people, should not exceed ten thousand.
  The first town was formed in the southwestern corner of the city today, about the Civil Forum, where it flourished and was the largest group of public buildings. With relation to this first núclero, square shaped, triangular space of the Forum, which is further east, was to play the role of foreign sanctuary. Since the sixth century there was a sacred building, the Doric temple. It came after a third public area opposite the first, in the southeast corner, with the amphitheater and arena. In the final phase of development, the three major public buildings were, therefore, in three areas of the south, while occupied residential neighborhoods, from the Samnite period, the center and north. Also in the middle of the neighborhood districts are some public buildings such as baths and shrines, but few in number and never reaching important groups in extension form. 
 The development of neighborhood districts responded to very precise rules. Among the main streets that crossed at right angles, blocks of houses were built in turn split by streets pequeñas.El major north-south axis (cardo maximus) was the street of stabilization and the largest east-west axis (decumani Maximini) the streets of Nola and Abundance. The white spaces can be seen in the survey correspond to unexplored areas or recent excavations have shown that they were never built, as with several plots of I and II. These plots, reserved for future housing and fully fenced, were harvested in the meantime to grow vegetables and vines.

How public buildings were distributed in the three areas of the South?.

The oldest, and most importantly, the Civil Forum, around which are the temple of Apollo, basilica, comitium, Eumaquia building, the Temple of Vespasian, the Sanctuary of the gods lars, the macellum (market) and theTemple of Jupiter.