Pytheas was a Ancient Greek geographer, navigator, astronomer and explorer during the 4th century BC. Pytheas was from the Greek colony of Massilia, which is modern day Marseilles. He explored the Atlantic coasts of Spain and France,and in about 325 BC he made a voyage of exploration to northwestern Europe, travelling around and visiting a vast part of Great Britian. Pytheas made the earliest report of Stonehenge, and was the first person on record to describe the Midnight Sun, Polar Ice and to study alternative cultures such as the Germanic tribes. He was also the first person to state that the tides of the sea are controlled by the moon.
Tarragona (or Tárraco in Roman times) is an ancient settlement from the 3rd century BC and later became the capital of the Spanish province. The city was fortified by defensive city walls, within which were a Provincial Forum, an amphitheatre, a theatre, and the Roman Circus - as has been beautifully captured on film by Tomàs.
The Roman Circus at Tarragona was built inside the walls separating the heart of the city and the commercial & residential zones, highlighting the significance of the buildings and business which took place inside the "Comitium" - the nerve centre of the Roman Forum.
Writer, anthropologist and four-time Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Kim MacQuarrie spent five years living in Peru. While exploring one of the country’s most hidden regions, he filmed a group of indigenous people whose ancestors remembered their contacts with the Inca empire. Their stories were passed down in the oral tradition. And so the seeds for this riveting book were sewn.
Not only has Macquarrie worked in locations as far-flung as Siberia and Papua New Guinea, but he is rightly considered one of the foremost experts on the history of Peru, and indeed the Incas. The Last Days of the Incas is authoritative, exhaustively researched, entertaining but factual.
MacQuarrie’s narrative style is accessible and contemporary, making this an enthralling account of one of the most fascinating periods in world history. It’s more of an epic adventure yarn than a plodding history book.
Moses Ben Maimon (also known as Moses Maimonides) was a Spanish-born Jewish rabbi, healer, scientist and preeminent philosopher of the 12th an 13th century AD. He was born in Cordoba, but fled to Egypt in order to practice Judaism openly.
Some of his theories - in particular the idea that it's impossible for truths derived from human intellect to contradict those revealed by God - have become cornerstones of Jewish thought, even though they were largely overlooked in their time. His skills as a healer were so respected he worked as private physician to the Muslim sultan of Egypt and Syria Saladin for a period; he would also aid the poor, who would visit his synagogue in Cairo in droves.
Maimon died in 1204, and was briefly buried in his synagogue, before later being reinterred in the Holy Land.
Panoramic landscape shots like this one of the Aqueduct of Segovia by Gisleno F.L. always grab my attention. A scenic landscape shot is the perfect image for a blank wall, in my eyes, and this beautiful capture is most definitely worthy. Located 60 miles north west of Madrid, this gorgeous city boasts one of the best preserved structures from the Roman era in Spain.
Lack of inscriptions mean that the aquaduct cannot be reliably dated, although the ranges offered are anywhere between the second half of the 1st Century AD and the early years of the 2nd Century AD. Constructed with two tiers, the aquaduct reaches 93.5 feet at its tallest point, and until recently would still carry water from Rio Frio (River located 11 miles away) to the town of Segovia!
Here in Europe in the 21st century we like to think we’re pretty sophisticated. Yet, judging by a clutch of recent discoveries, our Iron Age, Bronze Age and even Stone Age ancestors weren’t so backward themselves. International trade? Social networking? Fancy gadgets? In every case, they went there, did that, bought the t-shirt (well, the animal hide). If they’d had a connection quicker than 28.8K dial-up, they’d probably have just blogged about it themselves, saved me the effort.
