Ave atque Vale

* Antinous Flavius

Ave atque Vale

Random historical things....

October 8 , 2007

Together forever

Posted at 17:00 EST

This is so touching:

"Archaeologists discovered the tomb of a young couple locked in an embrace during their work in Hakemi Use in the Bismil district of the southeastern province of Diyarbakır on Saturday. The young couple, archaeological history’s oldest buried lovers, was discovered by excavations in Bismil; they were still embracing one another. Archaeologists assert that the couple, who presumably died some 8,000 years ago, is likely to set a record as the oldest embracing couple in the history of archaeology." - Diyarbakır excavation reveals ancient tomb of young lovers.

Diyarbakı is in SE Anatolia, incidentally. According to Wikipedia - that fount of all knowledge - it is famed for its culture, folklore and its... watermelons.

September 24 , 2007

Frustrations

Posted at 16:00 EST

I am learning the frustrations of attempting research without access to resources *sighs and tears at hair*. My nearest library is miles away and possibly the most academic book on its shelves is the Guiness Book of Records. I can't afford to buy all the books I see referenced on whatever subject I want to research, and yet I know better than simply to rely on information found on the internet. What do other people do in these situations? Sell their house (or body) to open an Amazon account, or give up the day job so they can spend the time in a university library?

I had to laugh when I was talking to a real-life friend about this problem of researching the history and general feel of an ancient city or site one has never been to, and their solution was to shrug and simply say, "So - go visit it!" *laughs* Ah, but if only it was that simple and I really were in a position to be able to just drop everything and head off for northern Turkey! Needless to say, I'm not *chuckles*.

September 13 , 2007

Bithynion - Bithynium - Claudiopolis - Bolu

Posted at 17:00 EST

A few initial working notes on the city of Bithynium because everyone has to start somewhere.

The Greeks called it Βιθύνιον (Bithynion), the Romans called it Bithynium and later, Claudiopolis, and under the Ottoman Empire it acquired its present name of Bolu.

Strabo (Geography XII, 4, 7) refers to it as: "Bithynium, which is situated above Tieium and holds the territory round Salon, where is the best pasturage for cattle and whence comes the Salonian cheese."

Pausanias claimed Bithynion was founded by Arcadians from Mantinea: "by ancestry the Bithynians are Arcadians and in fact Mantineans." (Description of Greece, VIII, 9)

According to the archaeological data, the first settlement period of the Salon (modern Boli) valley of Bithynia dates to around 3000 BCE. Bithynium itself was part of the Hittite kingdoms around 2000 BCE, and excavations at the Hisartepe ruins in Bolu in 1978 reveal it became one of the leading cities of the Kingdom of Bithynia around 700-500 BCE.

The town was renamed Bithynium-Claudiopolis or just Claudiopolis after Emperor Claudius in the 1st century CE.

Lots more to come.

October 15 , 2006

The inspiration...

Posted at 07:00 EST

I've always been fascinated by Antinous, the Greek boy from Bithynia who captivated an Emperor. He was about 14 when he joined the Emperor Hadrian's entourage and accompanied him on his journeys through the empire, until his death by drowning in the Nile at the age of 19 or 20 and subsequent deification by the grief-striken Emperor. Whether Antinous's death was an accident, religious sacrifice, murder or suicide remains one of those much speculated upon and tantalisingly unresolved questions in history.

Behind the mystique of his death, the real living Antinous remains something of an enigma, but he must have been a remarkable youth to retain the attention of an Emperor for several years. He was beautiful, of course, and charming. He was said to be greatly intelligent and with a keen wit, and quite the hunter and athlete - all qualities that must have appealed strongly to the Hellenophile Hadrian.

To be continued, as they say, here or elsewhere....

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