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Maarit Johanna Hellsten | Ancient History

@maaritjohannahellsten

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🏛️Ancient History & Christian Heritage⚔️
📜Bringing the past to life through stories and places
Historian & Writer
MA History | BA Theology
📧Collabs👇
🇫🇮🇮🇹

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Notre-Dame de Lourdes, priez pour nous. Sainte Bernadette, priez pour nous. +RS by @maaritjohannahellsten

I'd like to introduce you to my friend Anselm @pirambla He is a researcher, explorer, specialist in symbology and Ancient cultures. Anselm has completed numerous archaeological, anthropological and ecological studies for more than 30 years, covering unknown aspects of our evolution and studies of questions relative to our history that have remained hidden throughout the centuries.

Since 1982 he has completed expeditions and explorations in Europe, America, Asia and Oceania, and has sailed the yacht, Bohic Ruz, on different occasions, to the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean and the Caribean Sea in collaboration with various international organizations.

Anselm has worked with the World Wildlife Fund Peru on different projects to protect and preserve wildlife. He has collaborated with the Peruvian Goverment on important endeavors relating to Peru's national cultural heritage.

Visit Anselm's website at http://www.pirambla.com

Follow Anselm on Instagram ⬇️
@pirambla

#anselmpirambla #follow #instagram #bohicruz #researcher #specialist #symbology #ancientcultures #archaeology #peru #wildlife #friends by @maaritjohannahellsten

I miss this wonderful and talented man so much ❤️ Thank you @paulocoelho for everything!!! Love you! #PauloCoelho #Memories #GreatWriters #Paris #France by @maaritjohannahellsten

Death is a bend in the road,
To die is to slip out of view.
If I listen, I hear your steps
Existing as I exist.

The earth is made of heaven.
Error has no nest,
No one has ever been lost.
All is truth and way.

*** *** ***

La morte è la curva della strada,
morire è solo non essere visto.
Se ascolto, sento i tuoi passi
esistere come io esisto.

La terra è fatta di cielo.
Non ha nido la menzogna.
Mai nessuno s’è smarrito.
Tutto è verità e passaggio.

Fernando Pessoa

🖼️"Deposition",1602-1604
by the Italian painter
Michelangelo Merisi,
known as Caravaggio,
(1571 - 1610)
Vatican Pinacoteca

📷 @antonellabasile

#art#arte#painting#oilpainting#artmuseum by @maaritjohannahellsten

by @maaritjohannahellsten

by @maaritjohannahellsten

Christ Pantocrator from Saint Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai is one of the oldest Byzantine religious icons dating from the 6th century AD. The earliest known surviving depiction of Jesus Christ as Pantocrator (ruler of all). It’s regarded by historians among the most important and recognizable works in the study of Byzantine art as well as Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christianity.

Many believe that the icon represents the dual nature of Christ, illustrating traits of both man and God. Christ’s features on his right side are supposed to represent the qualities of his human nature while his left side represent his divinity. His right hand is shown opening outward, signifying his gift of blessing while the left hand and arm are clutching a thick Gosbel book.

With a height of 84 cm, width of 45.5 cm, and a thickness of 1.2 cm, the icon was originally taller and wider before its top and sides were cut. Otherwise, there is only one spot with major damage, a large portion of Christ’s hair on his left side, including his left ear and shoulder. The original encaustic surface has continually been preserved in excellent condition overall.

As with many of the early icons from Sinai, the Christ Pantocrator was created by using encaustic, a medium using hot wax paint, that was rare in the Byzantine world after the iconoclastic controversies of the eighth and ninth centuries. The monastery at Sinai is the only place where a substantial number of encaustic icons have been preserved, some dating from as early as the sixth century. During the period of Byzantine Iconoclasm (belief in the importance of the destruction of icons and other images or monuments, often for religious or political reasons) the production of Orthodox icons continued at Sinai, as they were being destroyed in Constantinople.

#icon #christ #christpantocrator #jesus #byzantine by @maaritjohannahellsten

The Lion of Amfipoli
📍 Greece, Amfipoli

The Lion of Amphipolis is one of the most impressive and majestic monuments of ancient times. It is a huge stone lion located near Amphipolis in Macedonia and symbolizes strength, courage, and pride.

The monument dates back to the 4th century BC and is connected to the history of Ancient Macedonia.Its construction demonstrates the importance of sculpture and art in Ancient Greece .It is also an important part of Greek history ,as it is associated with the time of Alexander the Great .

Today, the Lion of Amphipolis remains one of the most important archaeological symbols of Macedonia and reminds us of the great cultural heritage of the ancient Greeks.

#ancientgreece #macedonia #alexanderthegreat #greece #amfipoli by @maaritjohannahellsten

In Ancient Rome, people could try to destroy their enemies by writing their names on lead tablets.

The Romans wrote curses on lead tablets, asking gods or spirits to harm an enemy. The tablets were hidden in tombs and sacred sites.

These curse tablets are known by the Latin name defixiones. Usually made of lead or a lead alloy, they carried requests to gods or supernatural forces. They were intended to influence another person’s actions, luck or fate. Curses could relate to legal disputes, theft or love.

One significant findspot is Bath, in present day England, known in antiquity as Aquae Sulis. During Roman times, a sanctuary dedicated to Sulis Minerva stood there. Numerous tablets found near the sacred spring show people asking the goddess to intervene in injustices they had experienced.

One fascinating story concerns Docilianus, who appealed to Sulis after his hooded cloak was stolen. He asked the goddess to punish the thief and deny them sleep or children until the garment was returned to her temple. He hoped the curse would affect the thief’s life until the cloak was returned.

Tablets could be folded or rolled up before being placed in sanctuaries, springs and burial sites. Their placement was not necessarily random. A sacred place could connect the person to a god believed capable of fulfilling the request, although not all tablets followed the same ritual.

Some curses targeted a specific person, while others targeted an unknown perpetrator. If the thief was unknown, a tablet might list possibilities: the thief could be a man or a woman, a slave or a free person.

Curse tablets tell us not only about religion but also about everyday conflicts and how people sought justice when they lacked the means to defend themselves. They are a kind of private message.

The history of emperors and wars often tells us about those in power. Curse tablets open a window into ordinary people’s lives, their possessions, disputes, jealousy and despair. We cannot know whether every writer believed a curse would work, but they considered the ritual worth trying.

📷 Source: Roman Inscriptions of Britain

#AncientRome #RomanHistory #AncientHistory #Archaeology #cursetablets by @maaritjohannahellsten

I’m delighted to be collaborating with @millennia_books to introduce this beautiful edition. ✨📚

I’m pleased to introduce Alexander: God, King, Man by Edmund Richardson, a stunning new biography of one of the most fascinating figures in history: Alexander the Great.

This beautiful edition is truly a feast for the eyes.🖤💛 From its striking black and gold cover and the Macedonian Sun symbol adorning the spine to its richly illustrated pages, every detail feels thoughtfully crafted. The book features fascinating historical imagery, including ancient mosaics, sculptures, coins and artefacts that bring Alexander’s world vividly to life.

From its striking black and gold cover and the Macedonian Sun symbol adorning the spine to its richly illustrated pages, every detail feels thoughtfully crafted.

Yet beyond its extraordinary beauty lies a compelling story. Who was Alexander beyond the legend? A conqueror, a king, a man - ambitious, complex and deeply human. Edmund Richardson explores the many sides of this remarkable historical figure, inviting us to look beyond the myths and discover the person behind the legend.

I’m delighted to add this beautiful signed edition to my history book collection. A truly special volume for anyone fascinated by Alexander the Great and the ancient world. 🏛️✨

Thank you, @millennia_books for this beautiful book and the opportunity to share it with my readers! 🤍

The edition is available on the Millennia Books website🔗

#AlexanderTheGreat #AncientHistory #HistoryBooks #Bookstagram #SpecialEditionBooks by @maaritjohannahellsten

Мраморная статуя девушки

Древний Рим, императорский период, I–II века н. э.

Эта мраморная статуя представляет собой римскую копию или адаптацию греческого оригинала, созданного в III–II веках до н. э.

В эпоху эллинизма скульпторы достигли высокого мастерства в изображении человеческой фигуры и сложных складок одежды. Особое внимание уделялось передаче движения ткани, её объёма и естественности. Эти художественные особенности прекрасно отражены в представленной скульптуре.

Однако за внешней красотой статуи скрывается необычная история.

В начале XVII века скульптура подверглась масштабной реставрации. Были восстановлены задняя часть головы, шея, основание с обеими ступнями, а также отдельные участки драпировки возле левой ноги и вдоль левой стороны фигуры.

Особенно интересен тот факт, что лицо девушки действительно является античным, однако первоначально оно принадлежало совершенно другой статуе.

Таким образом, скульптура сочетает в себе подлинные античные элементы и реставрационные дополнения XVII века. Она представляет интерес не только как произведение древнеримского искусства, но и как свидетельство истории коллекционирования и реставрации античных памятников.

Известно, что ранее статуя входила в собрание маркиза Винченцо Джустиниани в Риме, знаменитого итальянского коллекционера произведений искусства.

В 1903 году скульптура была подарена музею госпожой Фредерик Ф. Томпсон.

(The Metropolitan Museum of Art), New York

#KedrHistory #AncientRome #RomanSculpture #AncientArt #MetMuseum by @maaritjohannahellsten

Benedict XVI will always be the pope of my heart. Thank you, Pope Benedict, for showing us the beauty of the Church ⛪️✝️🕊️ Rest in God’s arms, Holy Father🙏

#BenedictXVI #PopeBenedict #PopeOfMyHeart #CatholicChurch #CatholicFaith by @maaritjohannahellsten