Ancient World Review

French Morons Approve Plans To "Disneyify" Notre Dame Cathedral

"French authorities have approved a proposal to revamp the interior of Notre-Dame Cathedral despite opposition from 100 cultural figures and criticisms saying the changes would 'Disneyify' the historic landmark." Source: Art Net News.

"The French National Heritage and Architecture Commission offered a favorable opinion to the proposal following a meeting on Thursday, December 9, giving the plan a green light to proceed.

"The proposals submitted by the diocese of Paris, which is responsible for the cathedral, would install contemporary artworks and mood lighting to give the 850-year-old gothic structure a new look when it is scheduled to reopen in 2024, just in time for the Paris Olympics."

Comment: This isn't just an abomination; it makes no sense. For instance, why does a Gothic cathedral with its fantastic open spaces, stained-glass windows and vaulted ceilings need "mood lighting?" Weren't these buildings designed to use natural light? And if the morons behind this renovation are determined to put up new pieces of art, wouldn't it be more appropriate to select, I don't know, something traditional with religious themes instead of "modern art" atrocities by painters like Anselm Kiefer and Louise Bourgeois, two of the "artists" being considered? Keifer produces dark, ugly Pollock-style paint splatters and sculptures that look like carbonized pieces of junk, and Bourgeois made giant spider sculptures and a lot of weird, sadomasochistic stuff that can only be described as psychotic.

The trendy, pretentious jackasses in the diocese of Paris apparently think that they need to include modern artists in order to make the cathedral "more accessible to contemporary audiences." They want to "appear modern" and so on, but they're basically turning Notre Dame into a kind of theme park which "completely distorts the decor and the liturgical space" of this beautiful old cathedral, according to critics. And why does the cathedral need a "new look" at all? What was wrong with the old look? Wasn't that it's main attraction in this first place? And what kind of religion has to update its message and image in order to appeal to the masses and keep up with the changing trends of the secular world? This is, after all, a church, right? Or is it? If the cathedral is primarily a tourist attraction these days, maybe they could install a McDonald's in the main sanctuary. That would make it "more accessible to modern audiences."

The Maya City Of Palenque

"Palenque ... anciently known in the Itza Language as Lakamha (literally: 'Flat-Place-River'), was a Maya city state in southern Mexico that perished in the 8th century. The Palenque ruins date from ca. 226 BC to ca. 799 AD.After its decline, it was overgrown by the jungle of cedar, mahogany, and sapodilla trees, but has since been excavated and restored." (Wikipedia)

"A prime example of a Mayan sanctuary of the classical period, Palenque was at its height between AD 500 and 700, when its influence extended throughout the basin of the Usumacinta River. The elegance and craftsmanship of the buildings, as well as the lightness of the sculpted reliefs with their Mayan mythological themes, attest to the creative genius of this civilization." Source: UNESCO World Heritage List.

"The first published account of this lost city was in 1567, from a Spaniard, Father Pedro Lorenzo de la Nada," according to National Geographic.

"Exploring near the Usumacinta River, located in the modern Mexican state of Chiapas, Lorenzo came upon its stone temples and plazas, originally decorated with blue- and red-painted stucco but by then long abandoned by the Maya who built it. Lorenzo gave the grand structure the name Palenque, a Spanish word meaning 'fortification.'

"500 years later, Palenque — one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico — is a modern wellspring from which researchers have drawn some of the most detailed information about Maya culture."

The Temple Of Isis In Pompeii

"The Temple of Isis is a Roman temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis. This small and almost intact temple was among one of the first discoveries during the excavation of Pompeii in 1764." (Wikipedia)

"... The preserved Pompeian temple is actually the second structure; the original building built during the reign of Augustus was damaged in an earlier earthquake of 62 AD. Seventeen years later with the massive volcanic eruption, the Iseum [Isis temple] alone was the sole temple to be completely rebuilt—ahead even of the Capitolium."

Next video shows the standing ruins of the temple as they appeared in 2009. All of its wall paintings and statues were apparently moved to the Archaeological Museum at Naples.

"The worship of Isis was [originally] treated with suspicion in official circles [in Rome] because of its associations with Ptolemaic Egypt," according to Pompeii: The Last Day by Paul Wilkinson (p.47). "After the annexation of Egypt by Augustus in 30 BC, however, attitudes relaxed and by AD 38 Rome itself had a Temple of Isis. The cult of Isis had its own full-time priests, whereas the more official Roman religions did not[??]."

More views of the temple (including the entrance to an underground ritual purification chamber) can be seen in the next video. Turn up the volume.

According to Pompeii: The Last Day (pp. 176-177), "The sanctuary around the Temple of Isis is enclosed by walls on its east and north sides. It adjoins the Samnite Gymnasium [1] to the west and the theaters to the south. Very little is left of the original temple because it had been almost completely destroyed by the earthquake of AD 62. It was completely rebuilt in interesting circumstances by Numerius Popidius Celsinus. He was a six-year-old child who was admitted into the ruling body of Pompeii, the collegium decurionum, as a reward for his generosity (his father having actually provided the finances)." [2]

[1] "In the 5th century BC, the Samnites conquered [Pompeii] (and all the other towns of Campania); the new rulers imposed their architecture and enlarged the town. After the Samnite Wars (4th century BC), Pompeii was forced to accept the status of socium of Rome, maintaining, however, linguistic and administrative autonomy. In the 4th century BC, it was fortified. Pompeii remained faithful to Rome during the Second Punic War." (Wikipedia)

[2] According to Wilkinson, Numerius Popidius Celsinus was the name of the six-year-old child, but other sources give this as the father's name. It's possible that they both had the same name, however. One of the temple inscriptions reads "'Numerius Popidius Celsinus, son of Numerius, rebuilt at his own expense from its foundations, the Temple of Isis, which had collapsed in an earthquake; because of his generosity, although he was only six years old, the town councilors nominated him into their number free of charge.'" Source: The Post Hole. The Latin and an English translation of the inscription can be found here.

Note: The video above is part of a longer lecture series on a variety of ancient history topics.

Isis was an important deity in Pompeii, probably because of the goddess's association with water:

"Because this temple served the Isis cult and was not a public civil space, the Temple of Isis, or Iseum, and Isis herself must have held special meaning and value for the city of Pompeii. Pompeii’s seafaring economy and the rise of personal religion in the Roman world may explain this high value. Since Pompeii relied on commercial seafaring to support its economy, Isis’s emphasis on stable and life-giving water defeating the often treacherous, unpredictable, and sometimes-deadly water of the sea, strengthened the local cult. The confluence of architecture, art, and rituals implies why the Pompeiians so highly valued a cult sanctuary – gentle Isis, offering resurrection and regulated water, provided a comforting counterbalance to unpredictable Neptune." (The Post Hole).

Related: The Temples of Pompeii

Oriental and Mystery Cults in Pompeii

Billionaire Hedge-Fund Manager Hands Over $70 Million Of Stolen Artifacts

"A billionaire hedge-fund manager has surrendered 180 stolen artifacts worth $70 million and has received a lifetime ban on acquiring more relics as part of a deal struck with the Manhattan district attorney's office." Source: Live Science.

"Manhattan District Attorney (DA) Cyrus Vance, Jr. said in a statement that Michael Steinhardt, the 81-year-old founder of Steinhardt Partners and former chairman of the board of WisdomTree Investments, 'displayed a rapacious appetite for plundered artifacts without concern for the legality of his actions, the legitimacy of the pieces he bought and sold or the grievous cultural damage he wrought across the globe.'

"The DA's office said it had found 'compelling evidence' that Steinhardt's extensive collection — which includes stone death masks from Israel, a chest for human remains from Crete and a fresco ripped from the walls of an ancient Roman villa — came from 11 countries and that at least 171 relics passed through trafficking networks before he bought them."

See Art News for more details.

Leicester's Neglected Roman Ruins (2019)

"It is believed that the Romans arrived in the Leicester area around AD 47, during their conquest of southern Britain. The Corieltauvian settlement lay near a bridge on the Fosse Way, a Roman road between the legionary camps at Isca (Exeter) and Lindum (Lincoln). It remains unclear whether the Romans fortified and garrisoned the location, but it slowly developed from around the year 50 onwards as the tribal capital of the Corieltauvians under the name Ratae Corieltauvorum. In the 2nd century, it received a forum and bathhouse. In 2013, the discovery of a Roman cemetery found just outside the old city walls and dating back to AD 300 was announced. The remains of the baths of Roman Leicester can be seen at the Jewry Wall; recovered artifacts are displayed at the adjacent museum." (Wikipedia)

Video from 2020. The Life in Roman Leicester channel can be found here.

The Ancient City Of Sigiriya In Sri Lanka

"Once a famous royal palace, Sigiriya is a popular tourist destination, known for its ancient frescoes, which are similar to those found in the Indian Ajanta caves. It is one of the seventh sites in Sri Lanka that were listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is considered one of the best examples of town-planning that date back from ancient times." Source: Unusual Places.

"During the Middle Ages, Sigiriya was for a short time the capital of the island. It was under the reign of Dhatusena Dynasty. Originally used in the third century BC by Buddhist monks as a place of retreat and meditation, the site served later as a residence and fortress to King Kassapa I (477 – 495 AD). When Kassapa was defeated by Mogallana and lost his throne, the site was given to the Buddhist monks. In the fifth century, the Buddhist cult Sangha opened here a church."

Note: "The environment around the Sigiriya [rock] may have been inhabited since prehistoric times. There is clear evidence that the many rock shelters and caves in the vicinity were occupied by Buddhist monks and ascetics from as early as the 3rd century BC. The earliest evidence of human habitation at Sigiriya is the Aligala rock shelter to the east of Sigiriya rock, indicating that the area was occupied nearly five thousand years ago during the Mesolithic Period." (Wikipedia)

The city and citadel at Sigiriya were built by King Kassapa I during the conflict following his usurpation of the throne previously held by his father, Dhatusena. The story is all too familiar. Kassapa wasn't in line to become king even though he was Dhatusena's eldest son -- the rightful heir was his brother, Moggalana -- so Kassapa staged a coup and threw his father into prison and his brother fled to India. 

The mirror wall at Sigiriya and views from the rock.

Kassapa thought Dhatusena had a large treasure stashed away somewhere, demanded its return and ended up murdering his own father because he thought the former king was holding out on him. Widely condemned for this and worried that his brother was going to attack him, Kassapa moved to Sigiriya where he built an elaborate defensive position:

"Sigiriya was a large rock rising above the surrounding plain, offering an unhindered view in all directions. It was chosen as the capital because of the strategic advantage this would give the defenders during an attack. Large ramparts and moats were built around the city. An elaborate and large garden was built around the rock. These gardens consisted a number of pools, fountains and other structures. A complex underground irrigation system supplied water to these pools and fountains, and the fountains are functional to this day." (Wikipedia)

"The constructions on top of the Sigiriya rock include the king’s palace among several other buildings and pools. The Sigiriya frescoes [next video], which depict maidens carrying flowers, were also created during Kashyapa’s reign at Sigiriya.The Mirror Wall which is also known as the Ketapath Pawura is another important creation."

Kassapa's defenses didn't do him any good, however. His brother returned and defeated his army, and he ended up killing himself with his own sword.

Note Dame Cathedral Being Turned Into "Woke Theme Park?"

"Fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral is being turned into a 'woke theme park' with renovators adding a 'discovery trail' and 'Christianity for dummies' exhibits, critics have claimed." Source: Daily Mail.

"Under new plans, confessional boxes, altars and classical sculptures will be scrapped for trendy art murals, with sound and lighting effects creating 'emotional spaces.'

"A 'discovery trail' will lead visitors through various chapels, with an emphasis on Africa and Asia, and scripture will be beamed onto the walls in various languages, including Mandarin. One of the sanctuaries will even be dedicated to the environment.

"Maurice Culot, an award-winning Paris-based architect, told The Telegraph: 'It's as if Disney were entering Notre-Dame.

"'What they are proposing to do to Notre-Dame would never be done to Westminster Abbey or Saint Peter's in Rome. It's a kind of theme park and very childish and trivial given the grandeur of the place.'" 

Comment: As far as I can tell, these idiotic plans are just proposals being floated by woke morons like the ones who originally wanted to rebuild the cathedral with a glass roof, steel spire or Islamic minaret. According to the Daily Mail, "The majority of the members of the scientific committee overlooking the restoration are not keen on the plans, but General Jean-Louis Georgelin, who Macron has tasked with leading the restoration, and the Paris Archbishop want to press ahead." The decision will apparently be made next month, so let's hope that sanity prevails. If it doesn't -- if they actually go through with this atrocity -- then it would probably be better to just burn the cathedral to the ground.

Next video shows the state of the restoration as of July, 2021.

Artist Recreates Otzi The Iceman Tattoos On Her Body With Her Own Blood

Video from 2017.

"When is a tattoo parlor the perfect venue for a contemporary art show? When the art on view is Nicole Wilson’s nearly decade-long project 'Ötzi,' in which she recreated each of 61 tattoos found on the over 5,000-year-old Ice Age mummy of the same name on her own body, using her own blood in lieu of ink—and documented the healing process, photographing as the marks slowly faded away." Source: ArtNet.

I'm not sure how permanent these tattoos are. According to Wilson, "In 2012 and using existing research, I tattooed — to scale and in the same location on my body — images of Ötzi’s 59 tattoos in my own blood. My body reabsorbed almost all of the blood back into itself immediately following the process of tattooing, but left behind dark scars where heme, the pigment within blood, slowly disappeared from the skin’s surface.

"In December 2016, I re-executed this project in light of a newly published study that used non-invasive multi spectral photographic imaging techniques and found that there are more tattoos on Ötzi than originally believed. Researchers have confirmed that the corpse contains 61 total tattoos divided into 19 groups. I worked with these researchers and Three Kings Tattoo in order to redo this project and ensure that all 61 of Ötzi’s tattoos were tattooed into my skin."

Comment: I can't decide if this is an interesting attempt to connect with the past or just another example of hipsterish performance-art nonsense. In any case,  Wilson does seem to be genuinely interested in mummies and tattoos. In the next video (2021), for instance, she moderates a Q & A about the subject with Dr. Albert Zink, head of the Institute for Mummy Studies in Italy.

Discussion starts at around 2:00.

The Mysterious 11,000-Year-Old Kilisik Sculpture Of Ancient Turkey

"The apparently anthropomorphic appearance and meaning of (at least some of) the T-shaped pillars known from Göbekli Tepe, Nevalı Çori (and likely many of the other sites with similar pillars in the area too) could have been convincingly explained by a number of very characteristic details depicted in reliefs on these pillars. Among them arms and hands as well as stola-like garments and, in the case of Göbekli Tepe’s Pillars 18 and 31 (in Building D), even belts and loincloths." Source: Gobekli Tepe Research Project (many excellent photographs of the sculpture can be found here).

"It was the discovery of these peculiar new type of T-shaped pillars, for the first time excavated in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic settlement of Nevalı Çori on the middle Euphrates (like Göbekli Tepe in Şanlıurfa Province) in the 1980s ... which also shed new light onto another find – until then rather considered an archaeological oddity – of a unique piece of sculpture: The so-called Kilisik Sculpture found in 1965 near Adıyaman in southeastern Turkey.

This is a really unusual sculpture, especially considering its age. "...Although its original find context still could not have been figured out (Hauptmann (2012, 18) suggested an early Neolithic settlement north of the village), the Kilisik Sculpture is an extraordinary find among depictions and sculptures of that period due to its specific shape, apparently combining characteristics of very different elements of other types of known Neolithic sculpture..."

One Attempt To Decipher Gobekli Tepe's Pillars

Video from 2020.