11th Feb 2010

Ancient Roman Pottery


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In the second millennium BC, the Romans emerged from a small settlement near Rome to begin a course of expansion that was to make them the dominant power in the Mediterranean. By the 1st Century AD, Roman territories expanded from Britain in the north to Egypt in the south. Much of the Roman culture and crafts reflected the preceding Hellenistic period; however, their extensive trade network provided them with a great variety of materials. Artisans often combined styles and materials creating their own unique designs.

Terracotta (baked clay) pottery was made and used throughout the middle east and was produced in the earliest settlements along the Fertile Crescent where the clay was abundant and varied in color. The early potters had ample resources with which to experiment, create and develop their styles. The pottery was made as a fairly course, porous clay that when fired, assumes a color ranging from dull ochre to red and was usually left unglazed.

Most terracotta pottery has been utilitarian because of its cheapness, versatility and durability. As technique and firing methods improved, a great variety of shapes evolved. The most widely utilized pottery in the Ancient World was oil lamp, bottles, unguentariums, pitchers, bowls and plates, their basic shapes remaining unchanged for over a thousand years and still being used in today’s modern world. The oil lamp was the source of light in every household, the bottles and pitchers were used to store wine, water and other liquids, the unguentarium held oils, spices, unguents and balm and the bowls and plates were used to eat from and hold food stuffs. The amphora, classic in shape, was used for storage and shipping in the ancient world and was meant for household use and to hold wine, oil, spice or unguents.

The bronze Age was an important element in time even thought not any particular period of time. Some areas had their bronze Age early, others had it late. The primary function of any metal industry in antiquity was the production of weapons and tools. A spear point was ranked as the chief weapon used in the battle of ancient Asia and Europe. The famous Greek poet, Homer, tells how Achilles speared Hector with a bronze pole. Ancient Roman spear points have played an important part in history.

Early men tied jagged pieces of stone onto their throwing sticks until they learned to shape pointed spearheads from pieces of flint. In the 2nd millennium BC, the Romans emerged from a small settlement near Rome. By the 1st Century AD, Roman territories expanded from Britain in the north to Egypt in the south. The Roman army was originally made up of citizens. By Caesar’s time, in the 40’s BC, most soldiers were professionals in a standing army, forming a civilizing force as well as a conquering one.

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19th Jan 2010

A History of Taxation – Part 1


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Taxes and Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was not a land of cruel overseers and slaves, the oppressed – the impression that we in the story of Moses – which came at a time of unrest in Egypt's. The modern translation of the hieroglyphics show that life in ancient Egypt and the frequency was generally calm. The country was rich, men and women equally and has enjoyed life. Now there were tax collectors – as numerous as the sand of the sea. "The order is maintained in Egyptian lifeThe scientists involved in the enforcement of the tax burden on the policy of the Pharaoh's trusted. Almost everything was in charge – sale, slaves, foreigners, imports, exports and business. Agriculture was taxed at a significant 20%. There was even a tax on oil and kitchens inspectors would visit regularly to ensure that the free fat load were not used instead of oil.

Incidentally, the word "freedom" in the ancient world did not mean a political and social freedom, but histax status. If you are "free" you do not pay taxes. Interestingly, the word is not found everywhere in the Egyptian language. But the scribes not brutal. They were taught to be nice for the poor and defenseless. An ancient text ", is like a poor farmer in arrears in his taxes, task 2 / 3 of them."

Another text warns civil servants, "to comfort them and all in good spirits." And if someone is suffering under the pressure of taxes, or until the end of hismeans you must not let the matter be contained. "

This policy was described as "philanthropa. From there we use the word philanthropy. In the 3000 years of the Egyptian empire, there were times, for a humane and decent control.

Taxes and Greeks

The Greeks had two systems of taxation. One was where rich people Liturgy selflessly contributed more to the government than they were. The other system is "tax and agriculture, which has a long and colorful history. Tax farmerswere private entrepreneurs, give a public auction for the right to tax collection, including port charges, taxes, an inn or a sales tax. With accurate records of recent years, and if a disaster can reduce the amount of expected tax revenues are calculated. The company was risky, but proved to have seems profitable. In the city-states, tax farming was superior to the Treasury. The private man was a better and more efficient work of collectingTaxes.

The right to tax collection is an extreme delegation of sovereign power. But because taxes were low in the Greek democracies, but agriculture is not tax a big company. For the Greeks it was just a cheap way to collect taxes in a system where the tax is not worth it. The serious human rights abuses of the tax system came from the peasants.

The modest system of tax farming, which was originally established by the city-states strongly with the system of the Greeks, in contrast to laterThe third to the first century before Christ, we see accounts of how the world groaned under the terrible oppression of the tax farmers. And that was before the Romans got possession of it! The Greek democrats who developed agricultural tax would be amazed that their one hundred years would be in a few simple private collection system to develop into a monster of repression. It might have been more surprised that bloomed tax policy for agriculture in Western civilization, learn many bizarre forms,for the year 2500, finally out of fashion in the early 1900s.

Greeks were giants in the ancient world and had an interesting view on taxation and the government. The Greeks said that the freedom and the freedom of a society is best measured by the tax authorities. We, the 2500 years later, are less deep the tax in our analysis. We seem to accept, was approved by our legislature. We leave class to make the tax policy. And we have just about every tax legislators what they want, in whatever formWish.

Overall, the bright spot in the Greek history in the administration of taxes. Tax revenues have been assessed and managed by the taxpayers themselves, without massive state agency. Even more important was the reaction from the rich to the needs of the community. They shared their wealth with the community and do not hesitate to the city and its people benefit from the given benefits to be seen.

The Greek view was simple – Taxestyrannical and therefore illegal, if requested by arrogance and intimidation. They were justified when, on reasonable and loving care.

We have retired a long distance of these lofty ideas.

Taxes and The Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone was unearthed by Napoleon and was perhaps the most important archaeological discovery in Egypt's history. The stone had the same letter, in 3 different languages: hieroglyphics, vernacular (Egyptian script) and Greek. ByGreek translation, we were able to decipher the population and then hieroglyphics.

But the question remains: Egyptians had paper, called papyrus, why the script was written in stone? So why 3 languages? Why Greek?

The stone has been since 3000 + BC. The Rosetta Stone was carved around 200 BC during the reign of Ptolemy V (king of Greek descent). What happened to Pharaoh? At that time, conquered Egypt in 700 BC by the Assyrians, the Persians thenand finally the Greeks in 330 BC. According to another 2000 + year, Egypt was in decline.

The Ptolmey were good and great kings, but to 200BC, when the stone was cut off of Rosetta, had just entered Egypt a decades-long civil war. The civil war broke out, excessive and oppressive taxes, the emphasis on hard Greek customs officials. When it was over, there was still much unrest. Ptolemy V proclamation of peace, that a general amnesty granted to all rebels and tax debtors, illuminatedTax laws, eliminate forced military service in the Navy, and restored fiscal immunity for the priests and the temple and its plants and soil, as in the days of the great pharaohs.

That was a big advantage, and the financial windfall for the priests and temple, and they wanted to ensure that everyone could do that the first and second do not want it taken away again at some point in the future.

As a result, the "Rosetta Stone" were cut and compared with every temple in Egypt.The Rosetta Stone said that all the tax exemptions enjoyed by the priests and the temple, and functioned as a "Do Not Enter" signs, limiting the lawlessness of the duty of the king's men.

This raises the question of all: Why is carved in stone? The answer is: because the priests certainly do not disappear or be easily destroyed. Another question was why it is written in 3 languages? The stone is written in 3 languages, so that all attention is the message and read thewould be to all those priests in Egypt. It is in Greek more visible to tax the king's men, that they are written not even a foot in the temple gates.

Thus, the great Egyptian archeological find ever: the stone, which unravels the mysterious language of the Egyptians, the stone which will enable us to discover the mysteries of hieroglyphics, and thus the key to unlocking the history and understanding of the Egyptian empire is The year 3000, was in fact a taxDocument.

Taxes and the Colussus of Rhodes

The island of Rhodes – the gateway to Rome and Greece. All shipping from the east stopped the supply or transfer of cargo to Rhodes. The Port of Rhodes, like any other port, had a duty – 2%. Rhodes flourished and prospered, banking and commerce in particular. The entrepreneur was a 100 meter-high bronze statue of Apollo Colussus at the entrance of the harbor. It was us as one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient known (oractually straddled the harbor entrance is unknown).

Things were good until 225 BC. An earthquake was not much more and the Colossus of Rhodes then heard. Has the earthquake wipe them out? Ruins of the port? Well, here is the rest of the story. The Roman Senate was furious at Rhodes, as during the last war in Rome, Macedonia had declared neutrality Rhodes. After expecting so much for so many years in Rome, Rome more. They wanted to take their side and on RhodesContributions to the war effort. So, after the war, the Romans made to move. It is a tax-free port on the nearby island of Delos. There was no port 2% tax! In the early years, the market fell 85% on Rhodes. Rhodes was ruined.

Has the earthquake do? No, really Rhodes was rebuilt after the earthquake (although not the right place) for the colossus. What has Rhodes was not an earthquake or a natural disaster or war or famine. It was the Roman fiscal policy. Anything to avoid a 2% tax. TheSwitzerland from the old world, the commercial giants of the East was thrown to the ground, because people wanted a 2% strength by avoiding tax.

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13th Jan 2010

Fun Facts About Angola – From Basketball to the story!


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Foreign Relations

Have you-Present-day Angola has an independent foreign policy since the 1990s. At present, the modern state of Angola has close diplomatic relations with the United States of America. It also has excellent links with Brazil and the People's Republic of China. In December 2008 ruling of the country, José Eduardo dos Santos, a Soviet-trained engineer, in Beijing, the capital of China, came off for an official visit. During the Cold War in 1970 andIn the early 1980s, she had rocky relations with the White House. During this time, Luanda forged strong ties with the Soviet Union (now Russia), Cuba, Bulgaria and the German Democratic Republic (now Germany). Because of his anti-American policy, the Angolan line, along with other pro-Soviet States, boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, CA.

Tourism

Did you know that this country is important to exploit opportunities in order to have the potential in the field of fisheries and eco-tourism. ThereSeveral pristine beaches unknown in the world – with a spectacular landscape and a favorable climate.

Geography

Did you know that this former Portuguese colony in Africa's seventh largest country after Sudan, Algeria, Libya and other countries. Otherwise, the African nation of Angola bordering Namibia (former South African territory) and Zambia (formerly British colony), and in Congo (formerly French territory) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerlyZaire). It is one of the richest countries in the world, tropical jungles, savannas and mountains, rivers, waterfalls and deserts.

Economy

Did you know that, countries thanks to oil exports from 1994 to 2004 the country boasted one of the fastest growing economies in the world, some Asian and Latin American.

Modern History

Did you know that, like many Portuguese colonies on the African continent, the modern countryAngola, once the seat of an ancient empire that had its national independence in the mid-1970s. Then, in subsequent years it is that was the Soviet-Cuban support to the Marxist republic in the third world, alongside countries such as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (aka North Korea), Laos, Cambodia, Ethiopia and Benin (formerly Dahomey). In the next ten years, Angola, under the regime of José Eduardo dos Santos, ruler of the country since 1979 to leave Marxism-Leninism withBenin, Ethiopia and Sao Tome & Principe.

Language

Did you know that the Portuguese is the official language, but Angola, a large country with many ethnic groups, does not have a large Portuguese-speaking people.

If Ruacana

Did you know, it is the home of Ruacana Falls, one of the natural wonders of Africa. It is South Africa's fourth largest waterfalls

Famous visitors

-Did you know that Pope Benedict XVI visitof the country in March 2009, the first visit by a Vatican leaders in Africa since 2000, when John Paul II went to Mount Sinai, Egypt. By the early 1990s, Pope John Paul II traveled to Angola

Luanda

Have you-Luanda, one of the sub-Saharan Africa's major cities, the capital of the country.

Angola & Miss World

Did you know that during the Miss World 2007 in Sanya (China), the representative of the country reached Micaela Patricia Reisthe highest finish ever for an Angolan beauty queen, first runner-up. Miss Rice was hand-picked by an international jury. Since the late 1990s the African nation of Angola was Miss World in 11 games.

Basketball

Have you-Amazing, Angola, a former war-torn nation (1976-1992), has competed, with no foreign coach in five FIBA World Cups (Spain'86, Argentina'90, Canada'94, USA'02 and Japan, "06) . Even the AngolanMen's basketball team is one of 24 teams in attendance at the basketball tournament in 2010 in Istanbul, Turkey. In 1986, the World Cup, the Angolan team, took the fight to Australia (one of the top ten basketball teams of the world) in the final round of the 20th. In the early 2000s, he finished in the 11th World Tournament in Indianapolis (USA), followed by China, Venezuela and Canada. On the other hand, the nation participated in five Olympic Games (Barcelona'92, Atlanta'96,Sydney'00, Athens'04 and Beijing '08). At the XXV Summer Games in Spain, Angola defeated the People's Republic of China from 79-69.

Awards / Medals (1983-2009)

1983: Regional Tournament, Cairo (Egypt) – silver medal

1985: African tournament, Abidjan (Ivory Coast) – Silver Medal

1987: Continental Tournament, Tunis (Tunisia) – bronze Medal

1987 All-Africa Games, Nairobi (Kenya) – Champion

1989: ContinentalTournament, Luanda (Angola) – Winner

1992: African Cup, Cairo (Egypt) – Gold Medal

1993: Continental Tournament, Mombasa (Kenya), Gold Medal

1995: Continental Tournament Algiers (Algeria), Gold Medal

1997: African Cup, Dakar (Senegal) – bronze Medal

1997: All Africa Games, Harare (Zimbabwe) – Champion

1999: Regional Tournament, Luanda (Angola) – Winner

1999: All Africa Games, Johannesburg (South –Africa) – Champion

2001: African tournament, Rabat (Morocco)-Winner

2003: Regional Tournament, Cairo (Egypt) – Champion

2003: All Africa Games, Abuja (Nigeria) – Champions

2005: Regional Tournament, Algiers (Algeria) – Winner

2007: Continental Tournament, Luanda (Angola) – Winner

2007: All Africa Games, Algiers (Algeria) – Champion

2009: African Cup, Tripoli (Libya) – Gold Medal

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