TOP HISTORICAL PLACES IN WORLD
European CastlesEuropean Castles Medieval castles, whether in ruins or restored, dominate the varied landscapes of Europe. Stone fortifications were nothing new to the continent, but during the Middle Ages, there was an explosion of castle construction as feudal lords sought to consolidate their power and provide fortresses for the inhabitants of their kingdoms. Some were described to be little more than dirty, cold stone boxes, but others evolved to become impressive reminders of years past.Many people today cling to a romantic view of castles-complete with knights, damsels in distress and nonstop medieval feasting. Research shows that castles served a very utilitarian role in feudal society. It was protector, visible landmark, and source of pride among many communities.Soon after the collapse of the Roman Empire, Germanic tribes began to construct heavy stone fortifications. Near the first millennium, another force would greatly spread the use of castles in Western Europe. William the Conqueror, from Normandy, France, invaded England in 1066 and changed the medieval landscape forever. Medieval societies soon witnessed the erection of stone towers and walls in every country. Simple Norman donjons evolved into more elaborate strongholds with towering walls, defensive systems and could house sometimes thousands of people.
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StonehengeThe Stonehenge is a creation that can be accredited to the wizard of Arthurian legend, Merlin. He is said to have magically moved the gigantic stones from Ireland to Britain. The giants of Ireland were said to have transported them till Ireland. The stones were erected here to create a fitting memorial for the 300 British noblemen who had been massacred by Hengest, the treacherous and unrelenting Saxon leader.
As per another legend, Danes who had invaded the region were responsible for these stones being put up; whereas yet other claim that it could be the ruins of an ancient Roman temple. The current day interpretations of the purpose of the site are anything but colorful. Some people claim that the monument is built in the shape of female genitalia, given the fact that it was a symbol of fertility. |
Angkor WatThe Angkor Wat In the 10th Century were built under Yasovarman I (reigned 889 - ca 910) numerous irrigation and dams, which contributed to that among other things several times a year rice could be harvested. This successful agriculture led to food surpluses, and the Khmer Empire brought great wealth. So it happened that the land in the south of China as a regional power center in the Khmer and Southeast Asia has been able to build large cities and huge temples to In 1113 King Suryavarman II ascended the throne and ruled until about 1150th He built the power of Angkor, and then Kambuja called in several military campaigns against the neighboring Cham, against Dai Viet (see History of Vietnam) and from the Mon Kingdom Haripunjaya further. In addition, he restored temples at Angkor and builds new ones
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Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China is not a continuous wall but is a collection of short walls that often follow the crest of hills on the southern edge of the Mongolian plain. The Great Wall of China, known as "long Wall of 10,000 Li" in China, extends about 8,850 kilometers (5,500 miles). A first set of walls, designed to keep Mongol nomads out of China, were built of earth and stones in wood frames during the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE).Some additions and modifications were made to these simple walls over the next millennium but the major construction of the "modern" walls began in the Ming Dynasty (1388-1644 CE). The Ming fortifications were established in new areas from the Qin walls. They were up to 25 feet (7.6 meters) high, 15 to 30 feet (4.6 to 9.1 meters) wide at the base, and from 9 to 12 feet (2.7 to 3.7 meters) wide at the top (wide enough for marching troops or wagons). At regular intervals, guard stations and watch towers were established.
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Machu PicchuMachu Picchu was first brought to the attention of the world in 1911. The Spanish invaders at the time of the Conquest and during certuries of colonial rule, never discovered the city, and nobody ever led them there, suggesting that the site had long since been abondoned and forgotten. In the nineteenth century explorers like Eugenie de Sartiges, George Ephraim Squire, Antonio Raimondi and Castelnau never reached Machu Picchu, although most of them crossed the Andes to the almost inaccessible ruins of Choquekirau, built high above the Apurimac river. In fact, the outside world simply stumbled upon Machu Picchu, for it had never been lost to those who lived around it. Those same people eventually led the American explorer, Hiram Bingham, and his team to the site in 1911. Hiram Bingham, now world-famous as the discoverer of Machu Picchu, did not initially travel to South America to explore the land of the Incas. In fact, the Hawaiian-born Yale and Harvard educated historian first journeyed south from the United States to complete his study of the great nineteenth century liberator, Simon Bolivar.
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The ParthenonThe Parthenon... The construction of the Parthenon was a key political issue not only for Athens, but for all Greece. Among others, Thucydides deals extensively with this issue in explaining the causes of the Peloponnesian War, the catastrophe that brought Greek classical civilization to a tragic end. The beginning of the construction in 447 B.C. is related to a decisive turning point in Greek politicis: In 448 B.C. occurred the death of Cimon, the leader of the oligarchic party in Athens, which stood for an understanding with Sparta and for a sacred union of all the Greeks in a national war against Persia. Cimon’s death gave a chance to Pericles, the leader of the democratic party, to proceed to a total reversal of Athenian policy. Pericles’ aim was to transform the Delian league, which had been created for the purpose of opposing Persian expansion, into an instrument of Athenian imperialism. The key point of this imperialistic policy was to force the other Greek cities to pay tribute to Athens. Money had been originally collected by Athens on the ground of providing for the transport of the Athenian fleet which defended all the Greeks against Persia. However, by developing the Athenian fleet, the policy of Cimon built the power of the democratic party.
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Taj MahalThe Taj Mahal in Agra goes down in world history as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. A magnificent work of marble built at a time when technological was unheard of. History of Taj Mahal Agra will take you to the depth of the Indo-Islamic history of architectural elegance. Taj Mahal is still acclaimed or its carvings and work and is an epitome of love. Shah Jahan, the mughal emperor in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal in 1648, built Taj Mahal. It took 22 years for the completion of this wondrous mausoleum.With the tragic end of Mumtaz Mahal began the beautiful architectural history of India. With the last wish of Mumtaz Mahal, Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned this magnificent tomb after her death in 1631 after giving birth to their 14th child. Two tombs lie below the Taj Mahal that of the emperor and his wife. Shah Jahan died in the year 1666 AD and was laid to rest here. Mumtaz Mahal died at the age of 39. The inconsolable emperor mourned her death for two long years.
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The PetraPetra...... The classical name Petra, and the early name Sela both mean the same thing, " Rock "; and surely no city was ever more aptly named. But " Rock " only conveys half the picture of the city: the wild, fantastic shapes of the hills, the great chasms which cleave them, the brilliant colouring--all these must be seen to be be]ieved. Petra is unique alike in its antiquities, its natural setting, and its approach. The track winds down the hill from the little village of Wady Musa, with its neatly terraced gardens and vineyards looking more like a model than reality, and the first glimpse of the wildness. the first impression of the strangeness of the place is felt on entering the valley at the foot. Rocks weathered by tims into rounded masses like domed towers, the facade of an occasional tomb showing unexpectedly in some side valley--all is so different from what has just been left behind that there is the sensation of having wandered into another world. The valley narrows, and a sheer cliff in front seems to offer little promise of further progress. Rounding a corner, a great dam built of carefully dressed blocks of stone fills the valley from side to side and confirms this impression, but there is a narrow cleft in the cliff- face just by the wall. This is the road to Petra, and a handful of men could hold it against an army.
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The RomeRoman Empire affected modern life in ways we are only beginning to comprehend. It grew from a collection of mud huts on a hill next to the Tiber River to a city of 1 million inhabitants, from which the Imperator (Emperor) ruled an empire made up of 60 million people, one quarter of the Earth’s population at the time. They hold the record for being the strongest military for 500 of the 800 years of the Roman army’s existence. While the actual Roman Empire existed from the 3rd century BC until 476 AD, the eastern half of the Empire lived on as the Byzantine Empire until 1453 AD when it was destroyed by the Turks. In effect, the Roman odyssey spanned over 2000 years. Romans believed they were descendents of Troy, who settled in Latium in central Italy after the fled from the Greek conquest of that city. In reality the origins of the city are much cloudier, but we do know that by the 8th century BC a group of people known as the Latins had settled on the east bank of the Tiber River on a group of seven hills. It is suspected that the traditional founding date of Rome (753 BC) was the when the various villages on the hills joined together to become a single political entity. Etruscan king imposed their reign soon after and the Romans did not throw off their rulers until the late 6th century BC. Fed up with kings they created a republic, made up of elected officials drawn from the upper classes, although later lower citizens were allowed to run for public office.
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The EgyptThe Egypt is one of the most fertile areas of Africa, and one of the most fertile of the countries around the Mediterranean Sea. Because Egypt is so fertile, people came to live in Egypt earlier than in most places, probably around 40,000 years ago. At first there were not very many people, but gradually Egypt became more crowded, so there was more need for a unified government. For a while there seem to have been two kingdoms, which we call Upper Egypt (in the south) and Lower Egypt (in the north). Around 3000 BC, at the beginning of the Bronze Age, the king of Upper Egypt conquered the king of Lower Egypt and made Egypt into one kingdom, called Egypt. People called the ruler of this new kingdom the Pharaoh. From that time until around 525 BC, when Egypt was conquered by the Persians, we divide Egypt's history into six different time periods. In the Old Kingdom (2686-2160 BC), the Egyptians built the Pyramids as tombs for their pharaohs. Then about 2200 BC there seems to have been a change in the climate, and Egypt came apart into a bunch of smaller kingdoms. We call this the First Intermediate Period (2160-2040 BC). By 2040 BC, the pharaohs managed to pull Egypt back together again to form the Middle Kingdom (2040-1633 BC), but the Middle Kingdom pharaohs were never as powerful as the Old Kingdom pharaohs, and they didn't build pyramids anymore. Around 1800 BC, the Middle Kingdom pharaohs lost power again. We call this the Second Intermediate Period (1786-1558 BC). During the Second Intermediate Period, some people from the north called the Hyksos invaded Egypt and ruled Lower Egypt for a while. The Hyksos had horses and chariots, and soon the Egyptian army also learned to use horses and chariots. Around 1500 BC, the Egyptian pharaohs from Upper Egypt were able to push out the Hyksos and reunite Egypt into one country again as the New Kingdom (1558-1085 BC). This is the time when the Bible talks about the Jews being slaves in Egypt. At the end of the Bronze Age, there was a general crisis all around the Eastern Mediterranean and West Asia. Along with the Mycenaeans and the Hittites, the Egyptian government also collapsed, leading to the Third Intermediate Period (1085-525 BC). During the Third Intermediate Period, East African kings from south of Egypt in Nubia ruled most of Egypt.
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