Greek Mythos:η θεά Εστία..[ 4101 ]

Greek Mythos: Όταν ο Πρίαπος μέθυσε & ετοιμαζόταν να βιάσει τη θεά Εστία, τη θεά της οικογένειας και κορίτσι του «σπιτιού», την πραότερη & συνετότερη! Τι συνέβη όμως;

16 Ιουνίου 2014

Η Εστία είναι μια από τις πιο αξιόλογες, σεβαστές και σεμνές μορφές του αρχαίου ελληνικού Δωδεκάθεου. Κόρη του Κρόνου και της Ρέας, αδερφή της Ήρας, της Δήμητρας, του Ποσειδώνα, του Δία και του Πλούτωνα, προστάτιδα της οικογενειακής ζωής, αρμονίας και ευτυχίας, προσωποποίηση της εντιμότητας και της σταθερότητας στο συζυγικό και οικογενειακό βίο. Ως πρωτότοκη κόρη του εξουσιαστή και κυρίαρχου των πάντων, η Εστία είχε από την αρχή τεθεί επικεφαλής όλων των μεγάλων θεοτήτων. Η γέννηση της Εστίας, της αρχαιότερης των θεών, ανάγεται στα πρώτα σχεδόν χρόνια της θεογονίας και ακριβέστερα στην εποχή της εκθρόνισης του Ουρανού από το γιο του -και μετέπειτα πατέρα της Εστίας- Κρόνο. Ο Κρόνος, θέλοντας να διασφαλίσει την εξουσία του, αποφασίζει να εξολοθρεύσει τη μοναδική για το θρόνο του (και σύμφωνα με τη μοίρα) απειλή, τα παιδιά του. Παρά τις παρακλήσεις της Ρέας, τα καταπίνει όλα εκτός από τον Δία, που αργότερα με τέχνασμα της μητέρας του κατορθώνει να τον ξεγελάσει και να επαναφέρει τα αδέρφια του στη ζωή. H Eστία γρήγορα ανταπέδωσε το καλό που της έκανε ο αδερφός της. Από τη στιγμή που ο Δίας ανέλαβε τη βασιλεία του ουρανού, τον βοήθησε ουσιαστικά στην εξολόθρευση των Γιγάντων και στην οριστική εγκαθίδρυση της εξουσίας του. Ο Δίας εκτιμώντας την προσφορά της την ανακήρυξε θεά του Ολύμπου και της χάρισε το μοναδικό προνόμιο να μπορεί να έχει και να αποκτά οτιδήποτε θέλει και επιθυμεί με ή χωρίς τη μεσολάβησή του. Επιπλέον της παραχώρησε το δικαίωμα να τιμάται σ' όλους τους ναούς των θεών ανεξαιρέτως κι ακόμη ο κάθε της βωμός να αποτελεί "κοινή εστία" για όλους τους Έλληνες. Η Εστία ήταν η πραότερη και δικαιότερη απ' όλους τους Ολύμπιους θεούς. Ντροπαλή και σεμνή, συνεσταλμένη και κλειστή στις επαφές της με τους άλλους θεούς, διέθετε ένα πραγματικά ιδιαίτερο χαρακτηριστικό: εμφανιζόταν από την αρχή αρνητική τόσο στην ιδέα του γάμου, όσο και στην ερωτική της ένωση με οποιονδήποτε την επιθυμούσε. Πολλοί αξιόλογοι εραστές και ανάμεσά τους αντάξιοί της θεοί είχαν από πολύ νωρίς γευτεί την κατηγορηματική της άρνηση - απόρριψη. Κάθε ερωτική προσέγγιση την απομάκρυνε και οποιαδήποτε εμμονή σε παρόμοια θέματα δεν έβρισκε την παραμικρή ανταπόκριση στο πρόσωπό της. Προβάλλοντας μόνιμη αντίσταση σ' όλες τις ερωτικές προκλήσεις (όπως ακριβώς έκαναν η Άρτεμη και η Αθηνά) αρνούνταν παγερά και με επιμονή το παιχνίδι μιας τρυφερής περιπέτειας. Πιστή και αμετάκλητη στις αποφάσεις και τις αρχές της, δε δίστασε να αποκρούσει τον Απόλλωνα και τον Ποσειδώνα που ένθερμα είχαν εκδηλώσει το θαυμασμό και το ενδιαφέρον τους γι' αυτήν. Δεσμευμένη με τον όρκο της αιώνιας παρθένας και ταγμένη στην υπηρεσία του σπιτιού και της οικογένειας, είχε συνειδητά αποβάλει κάθε ερωτική σκέψη και διάθεση που θα μπορούσε να προδώσει τον όρκο της. Η Εστία ήταν μια θεά με σταθερές ιδέες, "πιστεύω" και ιδανικά. Καμιά ερωτική πολιορκία δεν μπορούσε να την κάνει να υποκύψει και καμιά κατάσταση δεν μπορούσε να την εξαπατήσει, να την ξεγελάσει ή και να την απομακρύνει από τον κυριότερό της στόχο: την εξολοκλήρου αφιέρωσή της στην προστασία της οικογενειακής ευημερίας και θαλπωρής, στη διαφύλαξη και προάσπιση της σταθερότητας και της ιερότητας του γάμου, της οικογένειας, του σπιτιού. Το μοναδικό, ίσως, επεισόδιο που σώζεται με θέμα την αποπλάνηση της θεάς έχει σαν πρωταγωνιστή τον Πρίαπο. Αυτός σε κάποια γιορτή των θεών ύστερα από το πολύ φαγοπότι κι αφού όλοι τους (μαζί και η Εστία) εξαντλημένοι κοιμήθηκαν, επιχείρησε να τη βιάσει. Κανείς (ούτε και η ίδια) δεν πρόλαβε να αντιληφθεί τίποτα μέχρι που το γκάρισμα ενός γαϊδάρου την ξύπνησε και την έσωσε.Η Εστία ως θεά διέφερε σημαντικά απ' όλες τις άλλες γυναικείες θεότητες. Αφοσιωμένη στο σπίτι και στους συνοίκους της, έμενε πάντοτε στον Όλυμπο, χωρίς ποτέ να μετακινείται, ούτε καν να πηγαινοέρχεται, όπως έκαναν όλοι οι υπόλοιποι. Εξαιτίας της γαλήνης, της πραότητας και της ηρεμίας που τη διέκρινε δε συμμετείχε ποτέ σε πολέμους ή διαμάχες. Ήταν δίκαιη και φιλάνθρωπη και για το λόγο αυτόν αφιερωμένη σ' αυτό που πρέσβευε. Η Εστία αποτελούσε την προσωποποίηση του σπιτιού, το σύμβολο της οικίας και κατ' επέκταση της πιστής και γερά δεμένης οικογένειας. Σ' αυτήν οι αρχαίοι Έλληνες απέδιδαν την επινόηση της τέχνης για το χτίσιμο του πρώτου σπιτιού. Σ' αυτήν επίσης και στην ενότητα που η ίδια αντιπροσώπευε είχαν αφιερώσει το κυριότερο μέρος της οικίας: εκεί δηλαδή που έκαιγε η φωτιά και συγκεντρώνονταν όλα τα μέλη της οικογένειας τριγύρω της. Η Εστία δεν ήταν η θεά που κλεινόταν και οριοθετούνταν μέσα στα στενά πλαίσια του σπιτιού. Η εύνοια και οι διαστάσεις της, οι δικαιοδοσίες και οι αρμοδιότητές της πολύ γρήγορα επεκτάθηκαν, με αποτέλεσμα σταδιακά ως θεά να αντιπροσωπεύει όχι μόνο το κέντρο του σπιτιού, αλλά και της γης, και ολόκληρου του σύμπαντος.

US-Japan treaty 'covers disputed islands'..[ 4088 ]

Obama Asia tour: US-Japan treaty 'covers disputed islands'

BBC,.. 24 April 2014 Last updated at 06:08 GMT

Obama: "It would be a profound mistake to continue to see escalation around this issue rather than dialogue"

US President Barack Obama has reaffirmed his support for Japan in its row over islands with China, after talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Mr Obama, who is on a four-nation Asia tour, warned against escalation in the dispute and said he wanted to see the row resolved peacefully. 
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But he confirmed that the islands fell under a security treaty that commits the US to act if Japan is attacked.
The two leaders also discussed a major trade deal as well as North Korea.
The US president arrived in Japan late on Wednesday ahead of stops in South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Analysis

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes BBC News, Tokyo

It was, as expected, a delicate balancing act for Mr Obama.
Referring to disputed islands in the East China Sea as the Senkaku, he made it clear US troops would defend them if China ever tried to take them by force.
But he also stressed that he wanted Tokyo and Beijing to make much more effort to talk to each other, and he called on both to tone down the rhetoric.
Mr Obama went out of his way to portray the Japan-US relationship as close and friendly. At one point he referred to Mr Abe as Shinzo - only close friends in Japan use first names.
But on trade he said it was time for Mr Abe to act boldly to open Japan's markets to more American-made goods. He said that was his bottom line and he would accept no less.

He is not going to Beijing but relations with China are expected to dominate his meetings with regional leaders.

'Deep belief' Mr Obama's trip - which ends on 29 April - comes nearly seven months after he cancelled a visit to the region because of a US government shutdown.
Officials say it is aimed at reassuring America's Asian allies of its commitment to the region amid concern over China's growing power.
On Wednesday Mr Obama had an informal dinner with Mr Abe. The two leaders then held talks on Thursday morning and gave a joint press conference.
"Article five [of the US-Japan security treaty] covers all territories under Japan's administration including [the] Senkaku islands," Mr Obama said, echoing comments published in Wednesday's Yomiuri newspaper. "We do not believe that they should be subject to change unilaterally."

Obama's Asia tour

• 23 Apr: Arrives Tokyo (evening) for dinner with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe
• 24 Apr: In Tokyo; talks and joint press conference with Abe, state dinner
• 25 Apr: Flies Tokyo-Seoul; talks and press conference with South Korean President Park Geun-hye
• 26 Apr: Visit to military base; flies to Kuala Lumpur and state dinner
• 27 Apr: Talks with Malaysian PM Najib Razak, press conference
• 28 Apr: Flies to Manila, talks with Philippine President Benigno Aquino
• 29 Apr: Ends visit to Philippines, returns to US

"This is not a new position. This is a consistent one," he said.

However, Mr Obama also said he told Mr Abe that it "would be a profound mistake to continue to see escalation around this issue instead of dialogue". 
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The islands are called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
Japan controls the islands but China has been strongly pressing its claim in recent months, flying and sailing vessels in and out of what Japan says are its waters and airspace.
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Japan depends on the US for its security, under a decades-old alliance that dates back to the end of World War Two. If Japan is attacked, the US is obliged to come to its aid.
Nuclear test? China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that it opposed the US stance.

Analysis

PJ Crowley Former US Assistant Secretary of State

The region has welcomed renewed American engagement to balance an assertive China. Each country Mr Obama visits has some kind of territorial dispute with China and will be looking for assurances the US will be there if push ever comes to shove.
Mr Obama faces a delicate balancing act, reasserting America's commitment to the region and the importance of its security relationships without feeding China's concerns that Washington's actual policy is not engagement but containment.

• 
  

"The so-called US-Japan alliance is a bilateral arrangement from the Cold War and ought not to harm China's territorial sovereignty and reasonable rights," spokesman Qin Gang said in Beijing.

Mr Abe and Mr Obama also discussed the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a giant trade deal involving 12 nations.
It is currently stalled partly due to a row between the US and Japan over agricultural tariffs. 
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North Korea was also on the agenda. Mr Obama wants Tokyo and Seoul to work together on the issue, but ties between the two remain badly strained because of war-related historical issues.
The US president flies to Seoul after Tokyo, amid reports of increased activity at Pyongyang's nuclear test site - potentially suggesting a fourth nuclear test could be imminent.
"China's participation in pushing the DPRK [North Korea] in a different direction is critically important," Mr Obama said.

Ο Χίτλερ δεν αυτοκτόνησε...[ 3451 ]

Ο Χίτλερ δεν αυτοκτόνησε, αλλά έζησε ελεύθερος στη Βραζιλία έως το 1985!

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ΗΜΕΡΗΣΙΑ On Line
"Η" Online 26/1 11:22

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Ο Αδόλφος Χίτλερ έδωσε τέλος στη ζωή του με μία σφαίρα στις 30 Απριλίου 1945 μέσα στο καταφύγιό του στο Βερολίνο, όταν διαπίστωσε πως έχασε τον Β' Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο. Η΄τουλάχιστον αυτό πιστεύαμε μέχρι σήμερα...
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Διότι η Simoni Renee Guerreiro Dias στο βιβλίο της «Ο Χίτλερ στη Βραζιλία -Η ζωή και ο θάνατός του» έρχεται να δώσει μία νέα τροπή στις ιστορικές εξελίξεις, ισχυριζόμενη ότι ο Φύρερ απεβίωσε το 1985, σε ηλικία 95 ετών στη Λατινική Αμερική.
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Σύμφωνα λοιπόν με την Simoni Renee Guerreiro Dias, ο Χίτλερ δεν αυτοκτόνησε, αλλά κατάφερε να βγει ζωντανός από τις στάχτες του πολέμου και από το Βερολίνο να διαφύγει στη Λατινική Αμερική. Αρχικά βρήκε καταφύγιο στην Αργεντινή και μετά στην Παραγουάη.

Ο τελικός του όμως προορισμός ήταν η περιφέρεια Μάτο Γκρόσο στη Βραζιλία, όπου επιδόθηκε σ' ένα κυνήγι θησαυρού, σύμφωνα με τον χάρτη που του είχαν δώσει συνεργοί του μέσα από τους κόλπους του Βατικανό.

Μάλιστα, μέσα στην αγωνιώδη προσπάθεια να σώσει τη ζωή του και να διαφύγει για πάντα τη σύλληψη και την καταδίκη, ο Χίτλερ δεν δίστασε να συνάψει σχέση με μία γηγενή Βραζιλιάνα, μαύρη, ώστε να αποδείξει ότι δεν μπορούσε να είναι ο δικτάτορας εκείνος που σιχαινόταν τους σκουρόχρωμους και είχε όραμα την Αρεία φυλή.

Σύμφωνα με τη συγγραφέα, ο Αδόλφος Χίτλερ είχε μετονομαστεί σε Αδόλφο Λάιπζιγκ και ζούσε στη μικρή πόλη Νόσα Σενιόρα ντο Λιβραμέντο, 30 μίλια από την πρωτεύουσα της περιφέρειας Μάτο Γκρόσο, Κουιάμπα. Η ίδια η συγγραφέας, Βραζιλιάνα που κατάγεται από την Κουιάμπα, λέει ότι ο Λέιπζιγκ ήταν γνωστός στους ντόπιους ως ο "γερο-Γερμανός".

Η δημοσιογράφος-συγγραφέας συνδέει την υποτιθέμενη άφιξη του Φύρερ στην περιοχή με την προσφορά των δικαιωμάτων κυριότητας από το Βατικανό για έναν θησαυρό ιησουητών θαμμένο σε σπηλιά κοντά στη νέα πατρίδα του.

Τονίζει μάλιστα ότι οι υποψίες της επιβεβαιώθηκαν όταν συνέκρινε τη φωτογραφία του Λάιπζιγκ με αυτήν του ηγέτη των ναζί.

Σύμφωνα με τη Simoni, μία Πολωνή καλόγρια αναγνώρισε τον ηλικιωμένο άνδρα που διακομίστηκε στο νοσοκομείο στην Κουιάμπα για επέμβαση στις αρχές της δεκαετίας του '80 και απαίτησε να φύγει, αλλά την επέπληξε η ηγουμένη της επειδή ο άνδρας βρισκόταν εκεί με εντολή του Βατικανό.

Οι ακαδημαϊκοί στη Βραζιλία θεωρούν εντελώς ψευδή τη θεωρία της συγγραφέως ότι ο Χίτλερ έζησε και πέθανε στη Νόσα Σενιόρα ντο Λιβραμέντο.

ΠΗΓΗ: DAILY MAIL

Turkish "black stain" on democracy ..[ 3420 ]

Has Turkish democracy failed?

CNN|Added on January 23, 2014 

Turkish PM says corruption probe is a "black stain" on democracy as critics question his credibility. 
Ivan Watson reports
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History of the World ...[ 3335 ]

History of the World in Two Hours

Did you know that 1% of the white noise you see on your television is actually background radiation from the Big Bang? 

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From the formation of the earth and the emergence of life, to the advance of man and the growth of civilization, the CGI-driven special HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN TWO HOURS offers viewers a rapid-fire view of 14 billion years of history - an epic story that reveals surprising connections to our daily lives...
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 Note
A controversial low value video of two hours irrepressible chatter without a single second reference to Greece.
Σημείωση
Ένα αμφιλεγόμενης χαμηλής άξιας βίντεο  δυο ωρών ακατάσχετης φλυαρίας δίχως ούτε ένα δευτερόλεπτο  αναφορά στην Ελλάδα..

Relic, brought to Russia from Mount Athos in Greece...[ 2544 ]

About 800,000 worshipped Christian relic in week

Believers from central Russian regions, as well as from other former Soviet states, have poured into the capital to see the belt.
RIA Novosti. Vladimir Astapkovich //01:25 // 28/11/2011

MOSCOW, November 28 (RIA Novosti)

More than 800,000 people visited Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior last week to see the a belt believed to have belonged to the Virgin Mary.
The relic, brought to Russia from Mount Athos in Greece for the first time in history, has been on display in the Cathedral since November 19. The access to the belt will be allowed until 2:00 a.m. Monday [22:00 GMT].
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"The total number of pilgrims since November 19 surpassed 800,000 people on Sunday evening. At least 40% of them are residents of other Russian regions, as well as Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. During this period, over 850 busses with pilgrims arrived to Moscow," a source in the organizing committee said.
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Believers from central Russian regions, as well as from other former Soviet states, have poured into the capital to see the belt. The line stretched several km and on some days worshippers had to queue for 24 hours on average.
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Over 1,500 policemen, two patrol boats and 25 ambulance cars were on duty to help the believers. The worshippers were provided with free meals and tea as they waited. Some 50 people have been taken to hospital since November 19.
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Believers say the Virgin Mary wove the belt out of camel wool and wore it until the end of her Earthly days, when she passed the belt on to the Apostle Thomas.
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The relic belongs to the Vatopedi monastery on Mount Athos in Greece. The belt was brought to Russia on October 20 and has already been shown in many Russian cities, including St Petersburg.

Fyrom had never been Macedonia...[ 2539 ]

Skopje historically had never been Macedonian

Posted by D-Mak in FYROM Propaganda, skopje

Typical residents of modern Skopje (FYROM) : two Albanians and a cop.

- Ancient Scupi (modern Skopje), initially a Paeonian settlement, was founded in early antiquity near Axios (Vardar). It became the Capital of ancient Dardania, hence it was not part of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon.
 

- Dardanians were racially, a totally unrelated people to Ancient Macedonians and belonged probably to the Illyrian Group [1] . They could be described as natural Enemies of ancient Macedonians since their relation is characterised by continuous Dardanian incursions in Macedonian territories and wars against Macedonians.

More: 

• Skopje historically had never been Macedonian
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Assumption of Mary...[ 2388 ]

Assumption of Mary, 15 of August

The Assumption of the Virgin Mary This painting is by Rubens, 1626.

For the Orthodox Christians the 15th of August is a great holiday more or less equal to the Easter's Holiday.-


The feast of the Assumption on August 15 is a public holiday in many countries, including Austria, Belgium, Chile, Ecuador, France, Greece, Lebanon, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal and Spain ..-

The capital city of Paraguay is named Asunción in honour of the Assumption of Mary. It was founded on August 15, 1537, by Juan de Salazar y Espinoza.
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May 29th, 1453,,A Day to Remenber [ 1321 ]

     ΕΑΛΩ  Η  ΠΟΛΙΣ    

Constantinos Paleologos the Last Emperor of Byzantium, 
died fighting at Constantinoupolis 
on May 29th 1453 
in the gate of  "Saint Romanos'

The Marathon battle 2500 years ago...[ 1097 ]

Battle of Marathon

Darius I of Persia Invades the Greek Mainland

After gaining control of the rebellious Ionian Greeks in 495 BC, Darius I of Persia realized that they would be a perpetual bother as long as they could gain help and encouragement from the Greek mainland so he determined to conquer Greece proper, secure his western frontier and lay the groundwork for Persia's expansion into Europe. He was also outraged that during the Ionian rebellion an obscure city-state (Athens) from mainland Greece had assisted in the expulsion of the Persians from Sardes, the capitol of the Ionian Greek city-states. His anger was such that he vowed to punish them and every night at dinner he had a servan repeat to him "Lord, don't forget the Athenians" Darius I of Persia Palace of Darius I Darius had two routes to invade Greece, one by land and one by sea. He chose them both and in 492 BC began his expedition. However, his first attempt failed because a terrible storm destroyed his fleet. First expedition of Darius Two years later he launched his second attempt, again by sea but with a more southernly route. This expedition resulted in the Battle of Marathon. During the two year interval he sent heralds to the Greek city-states. The heralds, as was the custom, asked for "earth and water" as a token of submission. Many of the Greek city-states acquiesced but many did not, including the two most important, Sparta and Athens. The Athenians threw the heralds off the Acropolis and the Spartans threw them down a well where there was plenty of "earth and water". The Athenians even executed the unfortunate translator of the Persian demand for defiling the Greek language. War was now certain. Spartans throw the envoy down a well The Persian fleet conveying a force of infantry and calvary sailed across the Aegean Sea in late August or early September of 490 BC. Second expedition of Darius Most of the islands along their route submitted but Eretria did not and was under seige for six days until some of its citizens helped the Persians enter its walls. The city was sacked, its buildings destroyed and its inhabitants who survived the massacre that follwed were taken prisoners. This was in retaliation for the part that Eretria played in assisting Athens in the destruction of Sardis in the Ionian rebellion. This was a clear indication to the Athenians that theirs would be the same fate. Athena from the Temple of Appollo destroyed by the Persians at Eretria The Persian army sailed from Eretria to the Marathon Bay and landed there, about twenty five and a half miles from Athens. Persian sea route from Eretria to Marathon The Athenians had sent to Sparta for help but Sparta was unwilling to leave until the moon was full and they were also reluctant to fight beyond the borders of the Pelopennese, therefore Athens stood alone. The Spartans eventually arrived after the battle was over. But the Athenians had a most welcome surprise when they arrived at Marathon for they were joined by a force of 1000 Plataians (their entire army) to fight against the common enemy. Athens was eternally grateful for that brave act of the Plataians. Together they would face the Medes and their conquerors, the Persians. No one had been able to stand up against them in the past. The Athenian army took up its position in the Valley of Vrana, outnumbered three to one. The battle lines were about one mile apart and the Athenians did not have enough troops to cover the entire valley. Therefore, their leading General, Miltiades, set a weak center and strengthened the wings. Here were the characteristics of the two opposing armies. The Persian army consisted of infantry and execellent calvary. Their tactics were of a defensive nature since their main weapon was the bow. Their usual tactic was to wait for the enemy to come close and then to "bury" him under a barrage of arrows. Miltiades The Helmet of Miltiades Dedication by Miltiades, as the inscription informs us "Miltiades dedicates to Zeus". It is the same helmet worn by the Athenian general in the battle of Marathon, where he defeated the Persians, and thus offered it to Zeus as a sign of gratitude. Archaeological Museum at Olympia, Greece The Immortals (persia) Persian Calvary Man Darius' infantry The Greek's army doctine on the other hand was of an offensive nature. Their main weapon, the long, heavy spear, their heavy armament (helmet, shield, breastplate, greaves) and their battle formation, the phalanx, favored close combat. The Greeks used neither bow nor calvary at this time. Athenian hoplite Spartan hoplite Greek Infantry Greek phalanx Miltiades attacked at dawn. The Athenians charged at a run. The Persians waited, not really believing that anyoneone could run that far and still fight well. They routed the Greek weak center and charged up the valley. The Greeks retreated, pulling the Persians forward and extending their lines. Then the Greek wings fell upon the Persian flanks while the center suddenly stood firm. The Persians broke ranks and began to retreat. As the Greeks pressed, the retreat became a rout. The Greeks harried them all the way to the beach and followed them into the water, swiming out after the boats and capturing seven Persian ships. The Athenians had won at Marathon but they certainly had not destroyed the Persian army. They had made plans before the battle that if they won, they would get word back to Athens as soon as possible because they knew that the Persian fleet was sure to sail around Attica and attempt to take the city while it was undefended. The citizens were to man the walls and make it appear that Athens was strongly defended. Miltiades sent a young soldier (probably Phaedippas) to take word back to Athens. He ran the entire distance, 42.192 kms, shouted "We have won!" and fell dead of exhaustion. In memory of this event the Marathon Run was included among the contests since the first contemporary Olympic Games. Phidipides an Athenian soldier run from Marathon to Athens 42 kilometers, after the battle , announced " Nenikikamen" and died The Persians did indeed sail around Attica hoping to find the city helpless but when they met with resistance, they hesitated. Not long after, the Greek army arrived. The Persians decided they had enough of these Greeks and sailed home. The Battle of Marathon is perhaps the single most important battle in Greek history. Had the Athenians lost, Greece would have eventually come under the control of the Persians and all the subsequent culture and accomplishments of the Greeks would probably not have taken the form they did. However, the Persian were not finished. In 481 BC, Darius I's son, Xerxes, gathered together an army of some one hundred fifty thousand men and a navy of six hundred ships. He was determined that the whole of Greece would be conquered by Persia.

Russia Against Napoleon....[ 998 ]

Napoleon's Russian defeat, reexamined

How a well-prepared army -- and not the legendary winter -- turned the tide on the French emperor

Editor: Laura Miller

Tuesday, Apr 20, 2010 17:20 EDT Updated: Today

By Meredith Hindley, Barnes & Noble Review

"Russia Against Napoleon"

"Brave descendents of courageous Slavs! You always smashed the teeth of the lions and tigers who sought to attack you. Let everyone unite: with the Cross in your hearts and weapons in your hands no human force will defeat you."

With these words, Tsar Alexander I appealed to the Russian people to join the fight against Napoleon's Grande Armée, which began pouring into Russia at the end of June 1812.

Much has been written about how and why Napoleon came to lose more than a half-million men in the Russian invasion. Hitler and his generals even studied the ill-fated campaign hoping to avoid making similar mistakes. But missing from Western scholarship on the Napoleonic Wars is a full-fledged account of how Russia came to smash Napoleon. With "Russia Against Napoleon: The True Story of the Campaigns of War and Peace," Dominic Lieven, one of the preeminent scholars of 19th-century Russia, aims to fill the void, tackling not only the French invasion of 1812, but also the battles of 1813-1814. What sets Lieven's book apart from the handful of other accounts is his prolific use of Russian sources, particularly regimental histories available to Western researchers only since 1991.

After Napoleon destroyed the Russian army at Austerlitz in 1805 and drove the Russians out of Poland, it was only a matter of time before another showdown occurred between the two powers. Russia was unhappy about losing Poland and being compelled to adhere to the Continental System, which circumscribed Russia's ability to trade, to the detriment of its economy. Faced with economic collapse, Tsar Alexander I decided to ignore France's blockade against Britain. Napoleon, who abhorred disloyalty, vowed to make Russia see the error of its ways.

Saladin, Noble Prince of Islam [ 957 ]

Islam Heroes for strugle against Christianity

Saladin, Hero and Noble Prince of Islam

Saladin , Arabic Salah ad-Din, 1137?-1193, Muslim warrior and Ayyubid sultan of Egypt, the great opponent of the Crusaders, b. Mesopotamia, of Kurdish descent. He lived for 10 years in Damascus at the court of Nur ad-Din , where he distinguished himself by his interest in Sunni theology.

He accompanied his uncle, Shirkuh (or Shirkoh), a lieutenant of Nur ad-Din, on campaigns (1164, 1167, 1168) against the Fatimid rulers of Egypt. Shirkuh became vizier there and on his death (1169) was succeeded by Saladin. Saladin later caused the name of the Shiite Fatimid caliph to be dropped from the Friday prayer, thus deposing him.

After the death of Nur ad-Din, who was planning to campaign against his too powerful subordinate, Saladin proclaimed himself sultan of Egypt, thus beginning the Ayyubid dynasty. He spread his conquests westward on the northern shores of Africa as far as Qabis and also conquered Yemen.

He took over Damascus after Nur ad-Din's death and undertook to subdue all of Syria and Palestine. He had already come into conflict with the Crusaders , and he put the rulers of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem on the steadily weakening defensive.
He was unsuccessful in his efforts to conquer the Assassins in their mountain strongholds, but he took Mosul, Aleppo, and wide areas from rival Muslim rulers and became the principal warrior of Islam.

Gathering a large force of Muslims of various groups—but all called Saracens by the Christians—he set out to attack the Christians.
Raymond of Tripoli was at first his ally, but then joined the other Crusaders, and the great battle of Hattin (near Tiberias) in 1187 found Christians matched against Muslims. Saladin won brilliantly, capturing Guy of Lusignan and Reginald of Châtillon .

The city of Jerusalem also fell to him. The Third Crusade was gathered (1189) and came to the Holy Land to try to recover the Holy City.
Thus it was that Richard I of England and Saladin met in the conflict that was to be celebrated in later chivalric romance.
The reputation that Saladin had among the Christians for generosity and chivalry does not seem to have been a legend, and there seems no doubt that Saladin admired Richard as a worthy opponent.

The Crusaders, however, failed in their purpose and succeeded only in capturing Akko. In 1192, Saladin came to agreement with the Crusaders upon the Peace of Ramla, which left the Latin Kingdom only a strip along the coast from Tyre to Yafo.
The Christians were never to recover from their defeat.

El Cid Campeador, National Hero of Spain..[ 956 ]

White European heros of the struggle against Islam!

EL CID, THE NATIONAL HERO OF SPAIN

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Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar (c. 1040 – July 10, 1099), known as El Cid Campeador, was a Castilian nobleman, a military leader and diplomat who, after being exiled, conquered and governed the city of Valencia. Rodrigo Díaz was educated in the royal court of Castile and became the alférez, or chief general, of Alfonso VI, and his most valuable asset in the fight against the Moors. He is considered the national hero of Spain.

The name "El Cid" comes from the Spanish article el (meaning "the"), and the dialectal Arabic word سيد sîdi or sayyid, which means "Lord" or "The Master".
The title Campeador is the Old Spanish version of the Latin campi doctor or campi doctus; the term can be found in writings of late Latinity (4th – 5th century) and can be found in some inscriptions of that era. After that period it became rare, although still sometimes found in the writings of the less educated writers of the Middle Ages. The literal significance of the expression campi doctor is "master of the military arts", and its use in the period of the late Roman Empire appears to have signified only one who instructed new military recruits. But it was in current usage when El Cid was still alive, and was applied to Rodrigo by a member of his circle in an official document promulgated in his name in 1098. Overall, then, El Cid Campeador

translates as "The lord, master of military arts", or more directly, "The Champion."

El Cid's signature: Ego Ruderico, "I, Rodrigo".

In 1084, he defeated Sancho of Aragon atthe battle of Morella. In 1086, the great Almoravid invasion of the Iberian Peninsula through and around Gibraltar began. The Almoravids, Berber residents of present-day Morocco and Algeria, led by Yusuf Ibn Tashifin, were asked to help defend the Moors from Alfonso. The great battle of Sagrajas took place on Friday, October 23, 1086, near Bafajoz.

The Moorish Andalusians, including the armies of Badajoz, Málaga, Granada and Seville, defeated a combined army of León, Aragón and Castile.

Terrified after his crushing defeat, Alfonso recalled the best Christian general from exile — El Cid. It has been shown that the Cid was at court on July 1087; however, what happened after that is unclear.

Conquest of Valencia

Around this time, the Cid, with a combined Christian and Moorish army, began maneuvering in order to create his own fiefdom in the Moorish Mediterranean coastal city of Valencia. Several obstacles lay in his way. First was Berenguer Ramón II, who ruled nearby Barcelona. In May 1090, the Cid defeated and captured Berenguer in the Battle of Tébar. Berenguer was later ransomed and his nephew Ramón Berenguer III married the Cid's youngest daughter Maria to ward against future conflicts.

Along the way to Valencia, El Cid also conquered other towns, many of which were near Valencia, like Castejón and Alucidia.

El Cid gradually came to have more influence on Valencia, then ruled by al-Qadir. In October 1092 an uprising occurred in Valencia inspired by the city's chief judge Ibn Jahhaf and the Almoravids. The Cid began a siege of Valencia. A December 1093 attempt to break failed. By the time the siege ended in May 1094 the Cid had carved out his own principality on the coast of the Mediterranean. Officially the Cid ruled in the name of Alfonso; in reality, the Cid was fully independent. The city was both Christian and Muslim, and both Moors and Christians served in the army and as administrators.

El Cid died peacefully at Valencia in 1099. His wife, Jimena ruled in his place for three years until the Almoravids besieged the city. Unable to hold it, she abandoned the city. Alfonso ordered the city burned to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Almoravids. Valencia was captured by Masdali on May 5, 1102 and would not become a Christian city again for over 125 years. Jimena fled to Burgos with her husband's body. Originally buried in Castile in the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña, his body now lies at the center of the Burgos Cathedral.

Warrior and general,Battle tactics

During his campaigns, the Cid often ordered that books by classic Roman and Greek authors on military themes be read in high-pitched, loud voices to him and his troops, both for entertainment and inspiration before battle. El Cid's army had a novel approach to planning strategy as well, holding what might be called brainstorming sessions before each battle to discuss tactics. They frequently used unexpected strategies, engaging in what modern generals would call psychological warfare—waiting for the enemy to be paralyzed with terror and then attacking them suddenly, distracting the enemy with a small group of soldiers, etc. (El Cid used this distraction in capturing the town of Castejón as depicted in Cantar del Mio Cid (The Song of my Cid). El Cid accepted or included suggestions from his troops. In The Song the man who served him as his closest adviser was his vassal and kinsman, Álvar Fáñez "Minaya" (meaning "My brother", a compound word of Spanish possessive Mi (My) and Anaia, basque word for brother), although the historical Álvar Fáñez remained in Castile with Alfonso VI.

Taken together, these practices imply an educated and intelligent commander who was able to attract and inspire good subordinates, and who would have attracted considerable loyalty from his followers including those who were not Christian. It is these qualities, coupled with El Cid's legendary martial abilities, which have fueled his reputation as an outstanding battlefield commander.

Babieca

Tomb of Babieca at the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña.

Babieca or Bavieca was El Cid's warhorse. Several stories exist about the Cid and Babieca. One well-known legend about the Cid describes how he acquired the stallion.

According to this story, Rodrigo's godfather, Pedro El Grande, was a monk at a Carthusian monastery. Pedro's coming-of-age gift to El Cid was his pick of a horse from an Andalusian herd. El Cid picked a horse that his godfather thought was a weak, poor choice, causing the monk to exclaim "Babieca!" (stupid!) Hence, it became the name of El Cid's horse.

Another legend states that in a competition of battle to become King Sancho's "Campeador", or champion, a knight on horseback wished to challenge the Cid. The King wished a fair fight and gave the Cid his finest horse, Babieca, or Bavieca.

This version says Babieca was raised in the royal stables of Seville and was a highly trained and loyal war horse, not a foolish stallion. The name in this instance could suggest that the horse came from the Babia region in León, Spain. In the poem Carmen Campidoctoris, Babieca appears as a gift from "a barbarian" to the Cid, so its name could also be derived from "Barbieca", or "horse of the barbarian".

In either case, Babieca became a great warhorse, famous to the Christians, feared by El Cid's enemies, and loved by the Cid, who allegedly requested that Babieca be buried with him in the monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña.^{[citation needed]} His name is mentioned in several tales and historical documents about El Cid, including The Lay of the Cid.

Swords

Tizona

A weapon traditionally identified as El Cid's sword, Tizona, used to be displayed in the Army Museum (Museo del Ejército) in Toledo. In 1999, a small sample of the blade underwent metallurgical analysis which confirmed that the blade was made in Moorish Córdoba in the eleventh century and contained amounts of Damascus steel.

In 2007 the Autonomous Community of Castile and León bought the sword for 1.6 million Euros, and it is currently on display at the Museum of Burgos.

El Cid also had a sword called Colada.

Major Battles of Greaco-Persian Wars [ 952 ]

THE BATTLE OF SALAMIS

It was one of major battles of Graeco-Persian wars which took place from B.C. 492to B.C. 448. Although, this battle has less fame than another major field battles, such as the Battle of Marathon and The battle of Thermopylae, it was turning point for the Athens.

Historical Background

Conflicts between Persian and Greek

At that time, the world was under control of the Persian Empire. Persians established immense empire from West Asia to Cacausus areas. To expand their land to the west, this thriving empire had to conquer Greek city states. They constantly invaded Greek through many their king's reigns.

The battle of Salamis took place during the reign of Persian king, Xerxes, the son of Darius the Great of Persia whom invaded Ionian area. Several city-states in Ionia confederated and rose in rebellion against Persian Empire. Darius the Great sent Persian army and put down a rebellion. When Ionian city-states asked aides, only Athens sent army for them. Consequently, the Persians settled the plan to invade Athens and another Greek city states which allied with Ionians.

When Persians invaded Greek mainland again, Athenians confronted Persian large forces in the field of Marathon, which is situated in north-east from Athens. After this battle, one messenger ran to the Athens and conveyed the victory of their army. He died when he accomplished his mission. His mission became the inspiration for the Marathon race of modern Olympic Games.

Invasion of Persian

Darius, the Great planned the invasion to the Athens again, but he died before he carried out plans and this mission was handed down to his son. Xerxes wasn't warlike man, but his followers didn't let him stay in Persia. He settled invasion plan and gathered men from his colonial areas. When he was ready to war, his army marched to the Greek mainland. Herodotus assumed Persian army was around 5.28 million, but modern Sagas calculated estimated army was 360,000.

They marched down along coastline, because their navy supplied food and arms. Finally, Persian army arrived at Takis of Malis which is located nearby Thermopylae, this was the key point of the Central Greek. If Greeks lose this area, Athens might be devastated by Persians. South Greek 31 city states allied and sent their army against Persians. Spartans were the leader of this allied army.

At August 18, B.C.480 the battle of Thermopylae had joined, Leonidas, a king of Sparta confronted Persian army with 7,000 Greek army. Persian army was twentyfold than Greeks. For two days, Persians couldn't defeat small Greek army. Crafty Xerxes asked to the Spartan traitor the shortcut which is directly connected to Thermopylae. Soon, the Persian contingent took a shortcut. Greek allied army suggested to Leonidas to retreat from Thermopylae, but this brave king and his 300 bodyguards left and had battle with Persians.

While Leonidas and his army were in the battle, Greek city states' fleets were gathered at Artemisium and mainland to support Greek army in Thermopylae. Xerxes penetrated this Greek strategy and sent his naval fleet to here.

On the way to Artemisium, Persian fleet lost a lot of warships during a heavy rainstorm. And they lost more warships at the Battle of Artemisium. This was one of the reasons which Greek fleet defeated Persian fleet at the Battle of Salamis. However, Greek Historian Herodotus claimed that Persians filled the loses by another Greek city states in Aegean Sea which were under the Persians.

When Greek fleets were told the defeat of the Battle of Thermopylae, they withdrew and headed to the island of Salamis to evacuate their people from their states to another safe place.

The Battle

Fleet and commanders

Fleet and commanders

	Winner : Greek fleet	Persian fleet
Commander	Commander-in-chief : Eurybiades, Spartan commander Themistocles, Athens commander	Commander-in-chief : Xerxes I of Persia
Warships	Between 300~370 tiremes, and smaller 50-oared pentekonters	Around 800 warships, (Conservative estimate : 650 tiremes, Greek historians claim : over 10,000)

Council of war

After Athens escaped to the island of Salamis, the leaders of 31 united Greeks had meeting. Spartans asserted to withdraw to the Strait of Korint which is located nearby their land. Athens opposed to this idea, because they knew their people would be scapegoat of massacre by Persian army.

The result of meeting was in the dark. Themistocles went out of meeting site and thought the way to let Greek fleets stay in island of Salamis. After few minutes, he sent his dutiful and Persian slave to the Xerxes with the letter. He wrote the division of united Greeks and made Xerxes to believe they would win if they attack this island as soon as possible.

Xeres made an order to their navy to attack Greek fleets in island of Salamis. When Greek leaders were told the Persian fleet was coming to the island, they had no choice. They prepared the battle.

While Greeks were preparing the battle, Xerxes were at the mountain Aigaleos to observe the battle. By his side, his entourage wrote down the name of the warship which destroyed much Greek warships.

Battle has joined

The Persians divided their fleet to send some ships around the island and made them to cut off the Greeks. Remaining warships had to divide their fleet again, cause the islet in front of the island of Salamis. They sailed into the Strait of Salamis, while Greeks were making a line of battle.

Greeks pretended to be overwhelmed by the Persian fleet and tricked the Persians to believe that Greeks were retreating. Though Persian ships were not easy to enter the strait of Salamis, they suddenly entered into the sea to chase Greek warships. Soon, Persian warships were mixed together and couldn't move either forward or backward.

When Persian warships entered, Greeks winded a ship and attacked first. Themistocles' strategy was to break the line of battle by their ships' bronze ram. Greek ships started rammed down Persian warships gradually and they surrounded Persians. The Persian warships at the front line were trying to retreat, but their rout of retreat was stuck by another Persians ships. While Greeks lost only 40 ships, Persians lost about 200 warships and they were sunk in the sea.

Result

The Athens' fleet led the victory and the Golden Age of Athens started by this battle. After this battle, Persians invaded Athens again, but Greeks defeated them.

When Graeco-Persian wars were ended, Athens established Athenian Empire and Greek became one of the powerful countries in Mediterranean Sea.

The Modern Hellenic Navy celebrates this day's victory as Battle of the Salamis day in every 12 September.

On the other hand, Persian Empire had more frequent rebellions in their colonial areas. It lasted 150 years more, till the Alexander the Great defeated the last Persian king's army.