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The Thinker And The Sitting Woman
The ''Thinker of Hamangia'' ()'','' also known as ''Thinker of Cernavodă'' or collectively ''The Thinker and the Sitting Woman,'' is an archaeological artefact, specifically a terracotta sculpture. This ancient Neolithic figurine is believed to date back to the Hamangia culture, which existed in what is now Romania around 5,000 BC. ''The Thinker'' sculpture represents a seated figure, often interpreted as a thinker or philosopher due to its contemplative posture. Discovery Around 5000 BC, in what we now know as Dobruja, Romania, the Western Black Sea region became home to early human communities. These settlers embarked on a lengthy journey originating in Anatolia and are commonly referred to by archaeologists as the Hamangia culture, named after the location where their remains were first discovered. They brought with them their distinctive black polished pottery and long-necked figurines. Unearthed in 1956 near Cernavodă, in southeastern Romania, these ceramic figures were d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fired Clay
Fire clay is a range of refractory clays used in the manufacture of ceramics, especially fire brick. The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines fire clay very generally as a "mineral aggregate composed of hydrous silicates of aluminium (Al2O3·2SiO2·2H2O) with or without free silica." Properties High-grade fire clays can withstand temperatures of 1,775 °C (3,227 °F), but to be referred to as a "fire clay" the material must withstand a minimum temperature of .Minerals Zone, World Mineral Exchange. Retrieved 2011-6-23. Fire clays range from ''s'' to ''plastic fire clays'', but there are ''semi-flint'' and ''semi-plastic'' fire clays as well. Fire clays co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karditsa Thinker
The Karditsa Thinker, or the Thinker of Karditsa (), is a Neolithic clay figurine found in the area of Karditsa in Thessaly, Greece. This artifact, dating back to the Final Neolithic period (4500-3300 B.C.), is a solid clay figurine of a seated man. It conveys the impression of a man looking upwards, and his hand is supporting his head which suggests a person who is thinking. Standing about half a meter tall, the figurine exhibits features of fully developed sculpture and is considered the largest Neolithic artifact found in Greece. The pronounced ithyphallic element, though mostly broken, along with its size, suggests a possible cultic character, possibly representing an agrarian deity associated with the fertility of the land. It is made of terracotta and is considered a significant archaeological find due to its size and artistic value. The figurine is believed to have been created during the Neolithic period, a time characterized by the transition from hunting and gathering t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clay Sculptures
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay particles, but become hard, brittle and non–plastic upon drying or firing. Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impurities, such as a reddish or brownish colour from small amounts of iron oxide. Clay is the oldest known ceramic material. Prehistoric humans discovered the useful properties of clay and used it for making pottery. Some of the earliest pottery shards have been dated to around 14,000 BC, and clay tablets were the first known writing medium. Clay is used in many modern industrial processes, such as paper making, cement production, and chemical filtering. Between one-half and two-thirds of the world's population live or work in buildings made with clay, often bake ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Europalia
Europalia is a major international arts festival held every two years to celebrate one invited country’s cultural heritage. Europalia was established in Brussels in 1969, and from the beginning Europalia was designed to be a multidisciplinary cultural festival. Its name is a combination of two words: “Europe” and “Opalia,” an ancient Roman harvest festival held in mid-December in honour of Ops, earth-goddess and fertility deity. Her name lies at the root of the Latin word “Opus”, that denotes a work of art. The main Europalia events traditionally take place in the Belgian capital but many other cities across the country also host exhibitions and performances. For several years other European cities (in the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg and Germany) have been associated with Europalia and also offer activities on the festival programme. From the beginning of October to January, the culture of the invited country is illustrated in a prestigious series of exhibitions ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Liège
Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from borders with the Netherlands ( Maastricht is about to the north) and with Germany (Aachen is about north-east). In Liège, the Meuse meets the river Ourthe. The city is part of the ''sillon industriel'', the former industrial backbone of Wallonia. It still is the principal economic and cultural centre of the region. The municipality consists of the following districts: Angleur, , Chênée, , Grivegnée, Jupille-sur-Meuse, Liège, Rocourt, and Wandre. In November 2012, Liège had 198,280 inhabitants. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 1,879 km2 (725 sq mi) and had a total population of 749,110 on 1 January 2008. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curtius Museum
The Curtius Museum (''Musée Curtius'') is a museum of archaeology and decorative arts, located on the bank of the river Meuse in Liège, Belgium, classified as a ''Major Heritage'' of Wallonia. It was built sometime between 1597 and 1610 as a private mansion for Jean Curtius, industrialist and munitions supplier to the Spanish army. With its alternating layers of red brick and natural stone, and its cross-mullioned windows, the building typifies the regional style known as the Mosan (or Meuse) Renaissance. After a 50 million euro redevelopment, the museum reopened as the Grand Curtius (''Le Grand Curtius'') in March 2009, now housing the merged collections of four former museums: the ''museum of archeology'', the ''museum of weaponry'', the ''museum of decorative arts'', and the ''museum of religious art and Mosan art''. Highlights in the collections include treasures of Mosan art such as a twelfth-century gilded reliquary triptych, formerly in the church of Sainte-Croix, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Romanian Leu
The Romanian leu (, plural lei ; ISO code: RON; numeric code: 946) is the currency of Romania. It is subdivided into 100 (, singular: ), a word that means "money" in Romanian. Etymology The name of the currency means "lion", and is derived from the Dutch thaler ( "lion thaler/dollar"). The Dutch ''leeuwendaalder'' was imitated in several German and Italian cities. These coins circulated in Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria and gave their name to their respective currencies: the ''Romanian leu'', the ' Moldovan leu'' and the ''Bulgarian lev''. History First leu: 1867–1947 In 1860, the Domnitor Alexandru Ioan Cuza attempted to create a national ''românul'' ("the Romanian") and the ''romanat''; however, the project was not approved by the Ottoman Empire. On 22 April 1867, a bimetallic currency was adopted, with the leu equal to 5 grams of 83.5% silver or 0.29032 grams of gold. The first leu coin was minted in Romania in 1870. Before 1878 the silver Imper ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Two Hundred Lei
The two hundred lei banknote is one of the circulating denomination of the Romanian leu. The main color of the banknote is orange. It pictures, on the obverse a poet, Lucian Blaga, and on the reverse a watermill and a figurine known in Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ... as the Hamangia Thinker ( ro, Gânditorul de la Hamangia). History In the past, the denomination was also in the coin form, as follows: First leu (1867-1947) * coin issues: 1942, 1945 Second leu (1947-1952) * no issues Third leu - ROL (1952-2005) * banknote issue: 1992 Fourth leu - RON (since 2005) * banknote issue: 2006 References External links * Banknotes of Romania Two-hundred-base-unit banknotes {{banknote-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Venus Figurine
A Venus figurine is any Upper Palaeolithic statuette portraying a woman, usually carved in the round.Fagan, Brian M., Beck, Charlotte, "Venus Figurines", '' The Oxford Companion to Archaeology'', 1996, Oxford University Press, pp. 740–741 Most have been unearthed in Europe, but others have been found as far away as Siberia, and distributed across much of Eurasia. Most date from the Gravettian period (26,000–21,000 years ago). However, findings are not limited to this period; for example, the Venus of Hohle Fels dates back at least 35,000 years to the Aurignacian era, and the Venus of Monruz dates back about 11,000 years to the Magdalenian. Such figurines were carved from soft stone (such as steatite, calcite or limestone), bone or ivory, or formed of clay and fired. The latter are among the oldest ceramics known to historians. In total, over 200 such figurines are known; virtually all of modest size, between about in height.Fagan, 740 These figurines are recognised as s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pensive Christ
The Pensive Christ (german: Christus im Elend – 'Christ in Distress' or ''Christus in der Rast''; pl, Chrystus Frasobliwy – 'Worried Christ'; lt, Rūpintojėlis) is a subject in Christian iconography depicting a contemplating Jesus, sitting with his head supported by his hand with the Crown of Thorns and marks of his flagellation. It is, therefore, a picture of Jesus shortly before his crucifixion, although more an andachtsbild or devotional subject than intended to show an actual moment in the narrative of the Passion of Christ. The Pensive Christ is much more common in sculpture than in painting, where the similar Man of Sorrows is more often depicted (in this Jesus is shown with the wounds of the crucifixion). Development of the image Similar images are known from Neolithic sculptures in Europe, dating several thousand years before Christ. The first known depictions of the Pensive Christ occur in northern German sculptures from the latter half of the 14th century, tak ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Middle Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second principal period of the three-age system proposed in 1836 by Christian Jürgensen Thomsen for classifying and studying ancient societies and history. An ancient civilization is deemed to be part of the Bronze Age because it either produced bronze by smelting its own copper and alloying it with tin, arsenic, or other metals, or traded other items for bronze from production areas elsewhere. Bronze is harder and more durable than the other metals available at the time, allowing Bronze Age civilizations to gain a technological advantage. While terrestrial iron is naturally abundant, the higher temperature required for smelting, , in addition to the greater difficulty of working with the metal, placed it out of reach of common use until the end ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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