| So, I was in class. Chillin' like a villain. When in our history books, we run across these two characters from time. XD Persia having conquered Greece. A man and his sister ruled through tyranny from the ancient Greek city known as Halicarnassus (now called Bodrum). Wikipedia has this to say:"...it was under Mausolus, a Persian satrap who assumed independent authority, that Halicarnassus attained its highest prosperity. Struck by the natural strength and beauty of its position, Mausolus removed to Halicarnassus from Mylasa, increasing the population of the city by the inhabitants of six towns of the Leleges. He was succeeded by Artemisia II of Caria, whose military ability was shown in the stratagem by which she captured the Rhodian vessels attacking her city, and whose magnificence and taste have been perpetuated by the "Mausoleum," the monument she erected to her husband's memory..."He had married his sister, a practice not really...happening...at a lot of places as the time. XD But when he had died, and it crushed her. Her reign was for 24 years, but as a woman she was a POWERFUL strategist and ruler. Those Rhodians thought 'hey! woman! ding! Let's conquer, hey?' But no man...no...XD She took their whole fleet, and then took THEM.Halicarnassus was chosen for its location and ability to be protected. As well as its beauty. Mausolus was experienced in military stuff, so he quickly errected a massive fortess out of the place, and had a naval fleet raised of a hundred shipsHe had been building, what is now known today as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Mausoleum. The word mausoleum has since come to be used generically for any grand tomb, though "Mausol-eum" originally meant "in honour of Mausol". It was...bad ass to say the least. But he never saw its completetion. And now because I'm lazy, some more Wiki! XD"...He started making Halicarnassus a fit capital for a warrior prince. The workmen built walls and watch towers on the land ward side and put up a Greek-style theater and a temple to Ares, the Greek god of war. Mausolus Artemisia spent their huge amount of tax money on beautifying the city. They bought statues, temples, and buildings of gleaming marble. In the center of the city Mausolus planned to place a resting place for his body after he was dead. It would be a tomb that would forever show how rich he and his queen were. Then in 353 BC Mausolus died, leaving Artemisia broken-hearted. (It was the custom in Caria for rulers to marry their own sisters. One reason for these marriages might have been that it kept the power and wealth in the family.) As a tribute to him, she decided to build him the most splendid tomb in the known world. It became a structure so famous that Mausolus's name is now associated with all stately tombs through our modern word mausoleum. The building was also so beautiful and unique it became one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World...."So now...this thing was hella awesome. And hell big. You can look up more about the details, but what got my attention (and made me think both Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse...and...the Student Council duelists? XD;;) was this: "...The roof, which comprised most of the final third of the height, was in the form of a stepped pyramid. Perched on top was a quadriga: four massive horses pulling a chariot in which images of Mausolus and Artemisia rode..."In a way, it was thanks to the efforts of their 'horses' that Anthy and Akio were able to ride the way to their revolution. The classic tradegy of Artemisia's famous grief over the death of her brother has become the subject of several paintings and romantic writings by later poets and artists. I just thought I'd share this cool thing I learned, ya know? :D Gives a neat spin to things. Especially with the Utena universe. |
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excited]Archimage** has been updated
STILL stuck in class?!] [music
Stuck in Class] [music
bouncy]Hello! Welcome to the community.Stories, essays, poems are accepted here, even bits of works-in-progress. To get the ball rolling, I'm posting part of one of mine:( The World According to Cosmo -- PGCollapse )