[Steppes] Period Week in Review 01-07-2007 through 01-13-2007

[Mike]

Heilsa,

Hope the reader will enjoy this look at History
within Period - both from the past and the present
as it affects the history that is known today.

01-07-2007
Modern Day
England
Historic images from above
Now through February 2007, the British Museum presents
The Past from Above, an exhibition of aerial photos of archaeological
and heritage sites taken by Swiss photographer Georg Gerster.
 >From the exhibition description:
    Over 100 sites including the ancient cities of Babylon
(in modern-day Iraq), Leptis Magna (in Libya) and Teotihuacan
(in Mexico), will be explored in this exhibition. Objects from the
Museum's permanent collection will feature alongside Gerster's
photographs to provide an added insight into the people behind these
extraordinary locations.
http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/thepastfromabove/index.html


01-08-2007
Modern Day
Devil's Music in the Vatican  1201 - 1300 CE
    Rock and roll music will represent Hell in a new opera based upon
Dante's medieval epic, The Divine Comedy. The composition by
Monsignor Marco Frisina will premiere in Vatican City.
     Reports suggest heaven will be full of classical style melodies, the
limbo of purgatory will be illustrated with Gregorian Chant, with hell
full of more jarring music.
    Frisina said the use of rock music to describe the devil's den was
not a value judgment on the genre but that rock's
"violent and rebellious tones" help create "a hellish atmosphere".
    He confirmed most of the opera's lyrics are taken directly from the
poem, a classic considered one of the first works of Italian literature.
    The dancing routines were also inspired by Dante's descriptions,
and elaborate sets will be enhanced by dozens of images projected
on screens, Frisina said.
     Organisers plan to start rehearsals in the next few weeks and have
asked permission for the premiere to be held at the Vatican in the
presence of Pope Benedict XVI.
     They added it was hoped it would be possible to tour the production
around Europe.
    The Divine Comedy is an epic Renaissance poem describing the
journey through three parts of the afterlife.
    Frisina has written a large number of songs and soundtracks, for
TV movies as well as religious works.


01-09-2007
Modern Day
England
Jorvik Viking Festival set for February 2007
Travelers to the north of England may want to mark their calendars for
February 14-18, 2007 when the Jorvik Viking Festival takes place in York.
    Activities will include mock battles, historical tours, craft 
workshops,
and a boat race down the Ouse River. The calendar has not been
finalized but should include:
    * Wednesday 14th February: Family Day
    * Thursday 15th February: Combat Day
    * Friday 16th February: Viking Arts Day
    * Saturday 17th February: Invasion Day
    * Sunday 18th February: International Day
http://www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/events3.htm

01-10-2007
Modern Day
Epact offers catalog of medieval and renaissance scientific instruments
A digital catalog of scientific instruments from the Museum of the
History of Science, Oxford, the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza,
Florence, the British Museum, London, and the Museum Boerhaave,
Leiden is now available to view online. The instruments are described
and include photographs.
 >From the website:
    "Epact consists of 520 catalogue entries and a variety of supporting
material. All European instruments from the four museums by makers
who were active before 1600 have been entered in the catalogue.
They include astrolabes, armillary spheres, sundials, quadrants,
nocturnals, compendia, surveying instruments, and so on.
Examples range from ordinary instruments for everyday use to more
extravagant and often lavish pieces destined for the cabinets of princes."
http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/epact/introduction.php

01-11-2007
Chivalry in the modern world
The website Chivalry Today offers discussions of the necessity of a
Code of Chivalry in a 21st century world. The site includes online
discussions and podcasts on a number of topics such as
"Influential People," "Women and Chivalry" and "Today's Heroes."

 From the website:
    Not long ago, chivalry was a concept that was largely ignored.
It was something that was known to literary scholars and history
professors, but it didn't seem to have any place in the world of
business, politics, relationships or personal conduct in the modern
world. Women had been taught that displays of chivalry were
demeaning and condescending, and men had come to believe that
courtesy and respectful attitudes weren't "manly."
    Recently, however, those ideas have begun to change. Current
events and front-page headlines have made us all aware of the
importance of ethical conduct and personal integrity. In the wake of
terrorist attacks, corporate scandals and betrayals of public trust,
people are recognizing that duty, heroism, honesty and self-respect
are more valuable today than ever before.
    People are realizing that the 21st century needs a Code of Chivalry.
http://www.chivalrytoday.com/

01-12-2007
Modern Day
China   0601 - 0700
Mysterious rings puzzle archaeologists at the tomb of Chinese empress
    Chinese archaeologists have found a group of huge rings at the site
of the 1,300-year-old tomb of Wu Zetian, China's only empress, but they
are unable to explain their existence.
    At least 10 rings appeared on aerial photographs taken by experts
from the Xi'an Preservation and Restoration Center of Cultural Relics
and Qianling Museum in a survey of Qianling.
     Most of the rings were 30 to 40 meters in diameter and were in a
zone four kilometers long from east to west and two kilometers from
south to north, said Qin Jianming, a researcher with the center.
The most eye-catching was the largest ring, with the diameter of
110 meters sited in fields, he said.
     Qin said the foundation of the largest ring was three meters thick,
and the color was distinctly darker than the fields. Three quarters of
the ring were clearly visible, despite being broken by a footpath.
     "At first we believed the rings were atmospheric phenomena
caused by lights, but after analysis and comparison with previous
aerial photos, we are sure they are historic remains," he said.
    Located 80 kilometers northwest of the ancient city of Xi'an, capital
of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Qianling is the joint tomb of
Wu Zetian, who ruled for 50 years, and her husband, Emperor Li Zhi
of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
    It is the only tomb in China which contains the bodies of two rulers.
Wu Zetian was buried in the tomb 22 years after her husband.
Qianling is the best preserved ancient tomb in China and has not
been looted.
     The researchers conducted a ground search for the rings three to
five kilometers from Lianshan mountain range, which was the territory
of Qianling, and they were difficult to see from the ground.
     "The layout of the rings seems irregular and some are no longer
intact. We are assuming there were more rings in the past, but they
have eroded due to geographical conditions and human activities,"
said Qin.
     Despite searches of historical records, the researchers still have no
idea of the purpose of the rings or their relation with the tombs.
     "Based on our experience, we assume they were tunnels built in
ancient times," said Qin.
     However, the center of the largest ring was an excavated tomb
belonging to a ruler of the Yan State in the Tang Dynasty, which was
a subsidiary tomb of Qianling, but it was uncertain if the ring was part
of the tomb, said Fan Yingfeng, head of the Qianling Museum.
     "Human activities in that area began in New Stone Age. Emperor
Qin Shihuang built a palace there and rebellious forces in late Tang
Dynasty occupied the area as well," he said.
     Experts said the discovery indicated there might be more historic
relics yet to be discovered in the Qianling area.   Source: Xinhua


01-13-2007
Modern Day
England
Canterbury Cathedral in crisis
    England's Canterbury Cathedral has launched an international
fundraising campaign in a effort to raise more than UK£50m
necessary for urgent repairs.
     Necessary repairs include work on the cathedral's exterior
stonework, especially where the cathedral was damaged during
bombing raids in World War II, and repair of the leaking roof.
     A website has been created to make contributing to the campaign
easier.
http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/fundraising/


YIS,
 Lord Michael Kettering
Steppes Knight Marshal
Combat Archer for the Condottieri