WHY The Bull?

On the photo is a scene from the rape of Europe, the Daughter of the Phoenician King Agenor. Everybody knows this story. Is there somebody who asked him/herself: WHY Zeus transformed himself in a bull? Why not an ass or a cat or a dog? Why not a bear, finally?

What is a bull for Europe? Not that mythic girl but a part of the Earth. We wanted to make a list of the bull appearances in the human life in Europe. Here is this list.

1/ "Italia"= "Vitelia"= "the land/country of the bulls"
It's difficult to find the real roots of many words today. This is one of the possible interpretations.

2/ One of the Sannitic totemic animals was the bull.

3/ The myths about Hercules and the bulls

4/ Androcephalic bull Mesopotamia

5/ God Api, Egypt

6/ Crete, jumps over the bull

7/ Minotaur

8/ Shedu, Mesopotamia

9/ "Odissea"

10/ "Suovetaurilia" -one of the most sacred and traditional rites of Roman religion

11/ Corrida

Now, you see how much was loved this character in (Sud-) Europe and (North-)Africa. I'll be glad if you add other stories, images that prove it. It is very interesting as a theme of study.

We say, bull was not only the biggest, most powerful and unpredictable animal in the forests of Europe. It was one of the most important sources of the economy of these countries (Italy).

More about it in my next posts.

The Joy To Remember The Tap Dance

I'm absolutely sure you will enjoy to remember this music and this dance. Two different musics but the same CLASS. Confront them. Remember them. Do you agree with me? Oh yes, I know, you LOVE it!!!





PS
20 Feb
Well, today I found this "Lord of the Dance" and, you know, have understood the origins of this strainge mode to dance.

Why She Sits Defiantly?

«Монумент Маргериты из Дураццо» на Яндекс.Фотках

The photo over here I took in the cathedral of Salerno. Sitting in the center is Margaret of Durazzo (1347 -1412), mother of the King of Naples, Ladislas the Magnanimous.

The story of this family was sad enough, the poor Margaret had to live great tragedies in her life. The son was probably not so self-possessed as a royalty has to be and as his mother was, that is why he ordered to represent his mother sitting in this pose that seems not as a lady has to sit.

When I was a little girl, all the women said to me and to other girls, we have to sit with the knees close one near the other. And the hands we had to takeon the knies. Like Constance de Hauteville, here on the left. Now you can understand why I was surprized when I saw the mode to sit of Margaret on her funeral monument.

The medieval women, in my opinion, specially those noble, were educated in modesty. In the monasteries. I read many books about it. And before I wrote this post, I looked for all available pictures, original from that times.

Now, WHY Margaret sits so defiantly?
I looked with attention all the images I could find with the women of that period. Next photo represents the same Constance but on her Seal of Queen. And... she sits with open knees, too.

By the way, Margaret is not only sitting like a man. Her dress is so eng that you can see not her breast. And she had 3 children. Do you think it was the way to wear of the women? Not properly. Look at the other woman near the queen, on the first photo. She HAS the breast.

My opinion -the woman near the king had to demonstrate the importance of the man. Without the king, the queen has to assume not only all the tasks of the king, she assumes the mode to sit of the man too. "Working" as a king, she has to become a man. :0)))

Chinese Or Japanese Paintings

I like this art very much, did a good research once but the WP platform cancelled the post I wrote about it. Unfortunatelly. Some days ago Footiam wrote about it in one of his posts An Attempt at Chinese Painting and today I found this very interesting galery of the members of Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco that wanted to share with you. Promise to make the research once more when I'm a little more free. I really would like to learn this art.


Find more images like this on Chinese Culture Center Online Gallery

The Inside Of The Dom Of Salerno, Italy

It is forbidden but I took some photos inside the Dom one day. I want to show them to you to admire the beauty and the harmony of the persian art. There are similar examples of this art and of the ambons in this zone, so you will notice them if you see them next time.

Here you see the central navel with both ambons. There are 2 of them, big and little. The barocco columns of the navel cover the original structure that was unstable. Inside the barocco columns you can see the open parts with original columns coming from the Roman villas. The Dom of Salerno is different from the other Doms -of Amalfi, for example- because it is very clean and contains only essential. So in this purity the ambons are like flowers.


«Кафедральный Собор Салерно» на Яндекс.Фотках

What I like in the Dom of Salerno, are it's collection of paleochristian symbols. People were illiterate in Early Middle Ages and the churches gave their messages through the symbols to them. I just wrote some posts about it, so I want only write about this sunny mosaics today.


«Кафедральный Собор Салерно» на Яндекс.Фотках

Here we are in the XII century. The artist was surely inspired by persian art with it's adoration of sun. Because S. John comared Christ with "the sun that is shyning with it's full powers" (pls correct the quotation if you know the exact text), the artist represent Him, Christ, as the sun here. And you can see and feel it on the next photo.

The entire structure wants to remember the Redemption. The big ambon (on the photo over here) is dedicated to the Resurrection, was used originally for Christenings. The Eagle (symbol of S. John too) becoming too old flew high to the sun till it burned it's wings, than dove 3 times in the water and turned young. In the same way those who goes for christening "becomes young once more as the eagle" (Psalm 102.2 Unfortunatelly I could not find the original text in internet)


«Кафедральный Собор Салерно» на Яндекс.Фотках

Persons Of What Nation Are On This Fresco?

Well, the main question of this post I just wrote in the title. This is the fresco from our excavations, It has to be from XIII century. Because I'm Russian and lived some years in Caucasus, the persons on the fresco seem to me Caucasians. (click on the photo).


«Фреска XIII века» на Яндекс.Фотках

Other our volunteers say, they think it's semitic type of the face. If so, I say, the hairs have to be frizzy. The face of the first Saint on the left is very different.

What do you think about it?

Spring... It's Just Here. Salerno

«Салерно» на Яндекс.Фотках
It seems, the weather is too bad with us in the last years. And this winter is too unfriendly. We could not see the sequence of two sunny days from the autumn here. Ohhh, I miss sunny days so much! There is so much to do in the garden. Roses, Wisterias, they need cures. But it's unpossible to do it because I have to wash everything in one day. The house is wet and if I hang the washing in the house, it needs a week to become dry.

We had only about a week of great cold this year. The summits of the mountains were white that days. Except this the temperatures were not very low.

So, the weather and the mood are so as in this photo.


«Салерно» на Яндекс.Фотках

«Весна на подходе» на Яндекс.Фотках
The meteo forecast was: it will not be spring till the April this year. I became very sad, when I heard it. The day after I went in Salerno for my shift in our museum. I had to wait for the bus and ... I saw these marvel of the nature. My God, I sad, the spring IS JUST HERE!!!

When I came in Salerno, I had some time and wanted to make some steps near the sea. On the grass plots I found little white flowers. I was so closed inside the house, inside my personal feeling of the Cold that I did not notice that the spring was just here.

Are you likewise inattentive? Did you look around you? Or you are waiting the announcement about the spring in the TV too?

The Miracle Of Healthy Birth

Посмотреть на Яндекс.Фотках

One of my preferite TV channels is Discovery. It is possible to find many interesting videos about all branches of science, I think. One of them is about the illnesses the human body can suffer. If you follow "My shoking story" and other similar documentaries, you know what I'm speaking about. If you don't know, visit this page of Discovery.

Some of you will say, it's not good I tell about it in my blog. I want you understand me. I don't enjoy looking the sufferings of these persons. I only am surprized, how fragile our health, our life is. We do not understand often how fortunate we are to be "normal". Sincerely, sometimes I can't understand HOW is it possible that some of us can born healthy.

What I like in Italy is that the invalids are not closed in the houses here. The parents of ill persons are not afraid to take their children with them for a walk or in the restaurants or in other places. I was shoked when I heard "My children have not to see these monsters!" once in the street.

And now one good notice. I found Discovery channel in YouTube. Here it is: Discovery YouTube