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Here are some wonderful Art Exhibits online that deal with Germania's rich history.
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Also in my library I will comment on historical figures and posts that interest me outside of the Germanian wheelhouse.
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Hannibal's Oath
I have recently been researching another fantastic warrior, Hannibal of Carthage. Now, I will present Livy’s (59 BC – 17 AD) discussion on the Legend of Hannibal’s Oath.
…High passions were at work throughout, and mutual hatred was hardly less sharp a weapon than the sword; on the Roman side there was a rage at the unprovoked attack by a previously beaten enemy; on the Carthaginian, the bitter resentment at what was felt to be the grasping and tyrannical attitude of their conquerors. The intensity of the feeling is illustrated by an anecdote of Hannibal’s boyhood: his father, Hamilcar, after the campaign in Africa, was about to carry his troops over into Spain, when Hannibal, then about nine years old, begged, with all the childish arts he could muster, to be allowed to accompany him; whereupon Hamilcar, who was preparing to offer sacrifice for a successful outcome, led the boy to the altar and made him solemnly swear, with his hand upon the sacred victim, that as soon as he was old enough he would be the enemy of the Roman people…
Reckless in courting danger, he [Hannibal] showed superb tactical ability once it was upon him…Mounted or unmounted he was unequaled as a fighting man, always the first to attack, the last to leave the field. So much for his virtues – and they were great; but no less great than his faults; inhuman cruelty, a more than Punic perfidy, a total disregard of truth, honor, and religion, of the sanctity of an oath and of all that other men held sacred.
Taken From:
Livy, The War with Hannibal, Books XXI-XXX of The History of Rome from Its Foundation, trans. Aubrey de Salincourt, ed. Betty Radice (Harmondsworth, England: Penguin, 1965) pp. 23, 26.
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The Karnali Zone of Nepal
The Karnali zone is the largest and most isolated of Nepal’s fourteen zones; this administrative zone occupies about fifteen percent (about 5,000 square miles) of Nepal’s total area. The zone is northwest of the capital, Kathmandu. The town of Jumla is the administrative center of the entire zone and is only a short trek from the impressive Rara Lake, which was designated a National Park beginning in 1975. Like most of Nepal, the majority of the people practice Hinduism although Buddhism does have a following. It is easy to see how the location of Nepal between India and Tibet has had an effect on the religion and culture of the people.
Quick Map Reference:
Click Here - Karnali Is Zone Number Six
Fun Fact #1
The Karnali River is the longest river in Nepal. Snow that melts from the Himalayas form its headwaters and once it runs into India it is named the Ghaghara River.
Lila and Barry Bishop’s Trek Through The Karnali Zone
In approximately 1972 and 1973, Lisa and Barry Bishop [Geographers and Anthropologists] reported on the Karnali Zone for The National Geographic Society: School Bulletin. The team studied the close interaction between the people of Karnali and their environment. They witnessed the terraced fields of rice, barley, and various other crops that surrounded the town of Jumla. They reported on how the people of Karnali use the jhuma (a cross between a yak and cattle) to facilitate their trading after the harvest. Lila and Barry Bishop completed the first ethnography ever in Karnali.
Links of Note
A Country Study: Nepal
The Library of Congress
Adventure Karnali
Fun Fact #2
The people of Karnali measure distance in silpas or pipes. It takes about forty-five minutes for a man to puff a pipeful of tobacco.
Fun Fact #3
Nepalese farm the highest rice paddies on Earth; paddies which are as high as 9,000 feet above sea level!
Bibliography
Bishop, Lila and Barry Daily Life in Faraway Nepal National Geographic School Bulletin September 17, 1973, No. 3
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Image Credits for the Rooms of My Home
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Current Amount in My Cashbox:
18,750 strti.
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