The ruins of Herculanum
Similar, but better preserved than Pompeii.
Herculanum was an ancient Roman city located in the Italian region of Campania, destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D. J. -C, preserved for centuries in a volcanic gang and brought to light from the 18th century onwards.
The city was small with an estimated area of twenty hectares, of which about 4.5 hectares were cleared, and an estimated population of four thousand inhabitants
According to legend, as the nota Denys of Halicarnasse (60 BC), the city was founded by the Greek hero Hercules on his way home from Iberia where he had completed his task of stealing the flock of Geryon, one of his 12 famous works.
There was even a legend that Hercules fought fiery giants at this place. Clearly someone knew somewhere that Vesuvius wasn’t always the peaceful backdrop of the picturesque coastline it has now become.
Herculanum’s notoriety is eclipsed by that of Pompeii, but the site still offers a concentrated perimeter of very evocative vestiges, thanks to their elevation and restoration of many blankets.
She is less famous, less extensive, and less visited than her neighbor. Yet, of all the cities buried by the eruption of Vesuvius (Stabies, Boscoreale and Oplontis… ) is the best preserved.
Devils tower or bear den….
( Wyoming, United States )
Devils Tower is a protected goal in the Devils Tower National Monument. This is the first national monument in the United States, having been given the title on September 24, 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. The height of this volcanic neck is 386 meters above the surrounding ground.
Many Indian tribes had geographical and cultural ties to this monolith long before Europeans and early immigrants reached Wyoming.
Different names have been given by these tribes to the monolith: “Bear House” (Cheyenne, Crow), “Bear Den” (Cheyenne, Lakota), “Bear Tipi” (Arapaho, Cheyenne). “Tree Rock” (Kiowa) or more “Grizzly Shelter” (Lakota).
Toutes ces références à un ours proviennent de différentes légendes amérindiennes, dont une que je vais me faire un plaisir de vous narrer :
This Indian legend has it that seven young Sioux girls were playing in the forest, when they were hunted by a bear.
“The girls climbed a rock and prayed to the Great Spirit to help them.” Immediately the rock began to grow. In an attempt to reach its prey, the hungry bear jumped onto the rock that rose toward the sky, but slid and left its claws mark on the rock (in the form of the vertical prisms that stretch Devils Tower). “The rock continued to grow, pushing the girls toward heaven, where they were transformed into seven stars: the Pleiades.”
This place has remained sacred for some tribes. During the month of June, they have ceremonies there. Visitors are then asked not to climb the rock, which is considered a desecration by the Native Americans.
The history of flood villages…
(Zhrebchevo, Zapalnya and Dolno Panicharevo, Bulgaria)
Today I want to tell you the story of a church, a village, a lake and a promise to discover in Zhrebchevo,
I would like to start with the church because it plays the most important part in this story. Built in the second half of the nineteenth century, it owes its name to one of the most famous and respected Bulgarian saints: Saint Ivan of Rila.
The name “Ivan” is still one of the most popular names among men in the country. You could compare him to the French “Jean”.
The church was not and still is not big or rich in ornaments and decorations, but it does have a very interesting and distinctive feature – it is the only building in the village, left almost intact!
I gotta go back a little bit in time to tell you the rest of the story. In 1965, the government decided to build an artificial lake in this area.
Residents of the village of Zhrebchevo, as well as those of two other neighboring villages, were ordered to leave. They tried to fight against the government decision but in the end they had no choice but to leave their homes and find a new place to live, still preserving part of their church and moving the altar and bell to the villages Neighbours.
… And the lake was built Like the church was built on a hill, it didn’t completely sink underwater. She was left unattended, but surprisingly her walls have withstood the forces of nature and time.
Today, almost the entire church is under water for 10 months each year as the dam lake there reaches its maximum size. But for the remaining two months the waters recede and the church reappears in its (almost) full beauty.
Weddings and other ceremonies take place here, people come to light candles, bring flowers, or just gather…
In accordance with the vow made by villagers in exile, the church bell continues to ring every time a former resident of the submerged villages dies…
