MaryAnn Bernal's Blog, page 241

Mr. Chuckles checks out "tell all" author, Brenda Perlin, around The Wizard's Cauldron

Funny, effervescent, incredibly hard working and a massive supporter of Indies, I caught up with Brenda on the Wizphone as she picked ripened olives from the vines surrounding her boulevard Hacienda, and that.
Read more at:  The Wizard's Cauldron

History Trivia - St. Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury, captured by marauding Danes

Sept 8

 1011 St. Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury, was captured by marauding Danes, held prisoner for months, and eventually murdered. He refused to allow himself to be ransomed because the money would have had to be raised by taxing the people. After his death he was venerated as a martyr, and the parish church of Greenwich is dedicated to him.

1157 Richard the Lion-Hearted, King of England, was born.

1504 Michelangelo's David was unveiled in Florence.

Everville The Rise of Mallory $1.99 Kindle Countdown Deal 9/7-9/13

Everville: The Rise of Mallory, has won the Readers' Favorite 2014 Young Adult Fantasy Silver Metal. A $1.99 Kindle Countdown deal is scheduled 7 days beginning 8pm Pacific Sept 7th through 11pm Pacific Sept 13th. Please note this is for the new version republished under 21st Century Lion Books August 2014. ASIN B00MFTC5NY

Amazon Link

As the epic journey continues, a victorious Owen Sage stands undefeated against his enemies. His last battle in Everville gave rise to a new insidious evil, Mallory; whose determination to defeat him opens an unexplored Pandora’s box. Owen's search for truth will unveil the mystery and surprising insights surrounding himself and his friends at Easton Falls University. New creatures will be uncovered and the true value of friendship will be tested, as Owen embarks on yet another battle in Everville.

FULL MOON BOOK PROMOTION A Pocketful of Smiles for just 99p/99c! 7th September for 1 wk only

FULL MOON BOOK PROMOTION
From 7th September for 1 wk only you can buy
Wendy Woo's Year - A Pocketful of Smiles for just 99p/99c! 
 “Wendy Woo's Year – A Pocketful of Smiles – 101 ideas for a happy year and a happy you” doesn't proclaim it has the answer to everlasting happiness but is packed with ideas to try to bring a smile to every day.

It is a book born out of lessons learned while searching for peace, harmony and happiness in the author's own life.

“Wendy Woo's Year – A Pocketful of Smiles – 101 ideas for a happy year and a happy you” is written around the months and seasons of the year making the book suitable to dip into when required or because it is only a short book, can easily be read to the end.

“Wendy Woo's Year – A Pocketful of Smiles – 101 ideas for a happy year and a happy you” is often practical, sometimes spiritual but never religious, occasionally witty and full of ideas to bring a smile to your day.
  Amazon UK Amazon US  

History Trivia - solar eclipse marks the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes, Greece.

Sept 7

 1251 BC a solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes, Greece.

70 The Romans sacked Jerusalem, which ended the Jewish revolt and left only the "Wailing Wall" intact.

1191 Third Crusade: Battle of Arsuf – Richard I of England defeated Saladin at Arsuf, which ended the sultan's aura of invincibility.

1497 Sailor Perkin Warbeck becomes English King Richard IV.

1533 Queen Elizabeth I was born. The birth of a daughter was a setback to King Henry VIII in his quest for an heir, and a serious blow to his wife Anne Boleyn.

History Trivia - Charles II spends the day hiding in an oak tree

Sept 6

 973 Pope John XIII died. John maintained a peaceful pontificate, and stayed closely allied with the Holy Roman Empire.

1525 Peace was declared between England and France.

1651 Charles II spent the day hiding in an oak tree following defeat by Oliver Cromwell at Worcester.  

Mosaic Floor Revealed at Alexander the Great-Era Tomb

By Megan Gannon

This image, released Aug. 31, shows the mosaic floor revealed at Amphipolis.
Credit: Greek Ministry of Culture

At a site under excavation in Greece, archaeologists have uncovered mosaic floors that pave the entrance to a huge tomb from the era of Alexander the Great.
The freshly revealed floor covers the antechamber behind the sphinx-guarded entrance to the tomb at Amphipolis in Macedonia, a historical region of Greece, photos released by the Greek Ministry of Culture show. Small, irregular fragments of white marble are embedded against a red background in the floor, which is preserved in excellent condition, the excavators said.
No graves have been discovered yet at the so-called Kasta Hill site at Amphipolis. But that hasn't stopped tourists, journalists and politicians from flocking to the ancient village to get a glimpse of the excavation. Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras toured the site last month and told reporters he was standing in front of an "extremely important discovery." Some local media outlets have derided the media circus. The Greek Reporter charged that Amphipolis has become "archaeological Disneyland."
What (if anything) archaeologists might find inside the tomb is still a matter of speculation. Surrounded by a 1,600-foot (500 meters) marble wall, Kasta Hill may be the biggest tomb of its kind. Excavators believe the complex dates back to the fourth century B.C., during the era of Alexander the Great. They also think the structure was built by Dinocrates, Alexander's chief architect.
Besides the broken sphinxes, archaeologists have also revealed architectural elements that still bear traces of their original black and red paint. There are also traces of a blue fresco on the wall behind the sphinxes.
Before the excavators could continue digging farther into the tomb, they had to put in place a drainage ditch and other infrastructure to collect rainwater and protect the exposed entrance to the complex, according to another update on Tuesday (Sept. 2) from the Greek Ministry of Culture.


Live Science

Psychedelic Culture Tripped Circa 500 A.D.

Artifacts recovered from the ritual bundle: a) wooden snuffing tube; b) fox-snout leather container; and c) polychrome textile headband.

Jennifer Viegas

Sophisticated drug paraphernalia, complete with a hippy-looking headband, provide evidence that an elite, hallucinogen-using culture flourished at around 500 A.D. in the south-central Andes and lasted there for at least another 600 years.
       The items, described in the latest issue of the journal Antiquity, shed light on the lifestyle and belief systems once held by the people of Tiwanaku, an ancient city-state located near Lake Titicaca, Bolivia.
The objects, which include “snuffing tablets,” a wooden snuffing tube, spatulas, a multi-colored textile headband and more, also provide clues to early usage of psychoactive substances.
“Snuffing tablets in the Andes were primarily used by ritual specialists, such as shamans,” lead author Juan Albarracin-Jordan of the Fundación Bartolomé de Las Casas in La Paz, Bolivia, explained to Discovery News. “Psychotropic substances, once extracted from plants, were spread and mixed on the tablets. Inhalation tubes were then used to introduce the substances through the nose into the system.”
Albarracin-Jordan and colleagues Jose ́Capriles and Melanie Miller analyzed the items and related objects unearthed during excavations at the site, called Cueva del Chileno. They also found drinking cups known as “kerus,” used for drinking chicha, an alcoholic brew made from fermented corn.
Cueva del Chileno, viewed from the west. Antiquity Publications Ltd. It is now believed that famous surviving monoliths from the region, such as the Bennett monolith, show individuals holding a keru with the left hand and a snuffing tablet with the right.
Clearly such individuals would have been higher than a kite, but this altered state of mind -- based on archaeological and ethnographic evidence -- had spiritual significance to the Tiwanaku.
The function of psychoactive substance users “was to be mediators between the natural and the supernatural,” Albarracin-Jordan said. “They were also conflict brokers between the living and the dead.”
“Patients” of the individuals might have received tobacco and stimulants meant to treat health conditions, according to the researchers. They added that since the Tiwanaku wore masks and hides depicting predators like pumas and condors, the drugs also could have been taken during ritual ceremonies involving these species. Evidence for both animal and human sacrifice has been found at the
The snuffing tablets suggest a more romantic scenario as well.
 The researchers further believe that elite members of the Tiwanaku society held tight control over the access and circulation of mind-altering substances, although the general populace might have been given limited access to them during private healing ceremonies or public events.
Capriles said the drug culture declined after the disintegration of the Tiwanaku state at around 1100 A.D., but the new leadership did not give up their enjoyment of fermented brew.
As Capriles said, “Consumption of chicha persisted, including its use in public feasts.”
Chicha is now considered to be Bolivia’s national drink, and is widely available all across the country.site.
 Discovery news
 

Ancient Roman Jewelry Found Under Shop

Rossella Lorenzi

2,000-year-old story of terror and devastation has been brought to light during renovation work at an English department store, revealing one of the finest collections of Roman jewelry as well as human remains of people who were slaughtered at the site.
The jewelry had been undisturbed since 61 A.D. in Colchester, some 50 miles northeast of London. It was found in a wooden box and bags under a department store in the town’s high street.
The small treasure includes three gold armlets, a silver chain necklace, two silver bracelets, a silver armlet, a small bag of coins and a small jewelry box containing two sets of gold earrings and four gold finger-rings.
NEWS: Viking Jewelry Unearthed in Denmark
According to Philip Crummy, the director of Colchester Archaeological Trust who excavated the area, the jewelry belonged to a wealthy Roman woman who may not have survived to recover her treasure.
“The find is a particularly poignant one because of its historical context,” Crummy said in a statement.
“It seems likely that the owner or perhaps one of her slaves buried the jewelry inside her house for safe-keeping during the early stages of the Boudican Revolt, when prospects looked bleak,” he added.
The revolt against the Roman rule was led from 60-61 A.D. by the warrior Queen Boudicca of the Iceni, a British tribe. In her unsuccessful attempt to defeat the Romans, Boudicca, also known as Boadicea, managed to burn to the ground three towns.
BLOG: Bronze Age Bling: Black Stone, Amber and Shells
Colchester was her first target.
“The inhabitants knew a large British army was marching towards them and they knew that they were practically defenseless with only a small force of soldiers on hand and no town defenses,” Crummy said.
“Imagine their panic and desperation when they learned of the massacre of a large part of the Roman Ninth Legion on its way to relieve them,” he added.
Terrified, the Roman woman hastily hid her valuable jewelry in a small pit dug in the floor of her house, hoping to come back and recover her belongings. But after a two day siege, the fate of her home was sealed.
PHOTOS: Digging Up Windsor’s Earliest Queen
Near the jewelry, Crummy and his team found vivid evidence of the last dramatic moments in the house.
Foodstuff including dates, figs, wheat, peas and grain lay burnt black on the floor with a collapsed wooden shelf. The ingredients were carbonized by the heat of the fire so their shapes were preserved perfectly.
“The dates appeared to have been kept on the shelf in a square wooden bowl or platter,” Crummy said.
In the thick red and black debris layer left by the revolt, the archaeologists also found human remains which include part of a jaw and shin bone. They appear to have been cut by a sword.
“These remains suggest that at least one person fought and died in the building during the revolt,” the archaeologists said.
BLOG: Mystery of Byzantine Garbage Pit
Nothing is known about the fate of the jewels’ owner, but it was likely unpleasant.
As reported by the ancient historian Dio Cassius, during the sacking of Colchester the “noblest” of the women were taken to sacred groves where they were killed in a horrific way.
“The quality of the jewelry suggests that the owner would have been in this category, although there is no direct evidence to indicate that she ended up in a sacred grove,” the statement said.
As the excavation continues, the archaeologists expect to find more artifacts.

Discovery News

History Trivia - Great Fire of London ends

Sept 5

 394 Theodosius reunited the entire Roman Empire for the last time with victory at the Battle of Frigidus.

1316 John XXII the second Roman Catholic pope to reside in Avignon, France rather than Rome, was crowned.


1548 Catherine Parr, sixth wife of Henry VIII, died.

1666 Great Fire of London ended: 10,000 buildings including St. Paul's Cathedral were destroyed, but only 16 people were known to have died.