Master List Of Museums With Greek, Roman, Egyptian, And/or Near Eastern Antiquities In The United States

Τraditional Wedding dress from the Greek island of Leukada (Λευκάδα)! Leykada is in West side of Greece, in the area of Eptanisa (seven islands). Venetians and French had the island at times and their influence to the traditional dress is apparent. (She looks like a princess!!!)

I have been led to this article twice in the past few months and I think it’s proof I just need to stop making excuses and start taking steps to make the things I want to happen a reality.

Thought Catalog

10 Brutally Honest Reasons Why Your Life Is So Boring Right Now

“But then I’d have to put on real pants” is a legitimate excuse that you use to not do things.

My Application Proccess in Emirates – Assessment Day

So after you pass your Open Day, you get a call from EK Recruiter to come for the next day.

I got my call rather late around 4 pm and by that time I was losing hope… When my phone rang, I was shocked and I started jumping around :)

When I went again to hotel for the assessment day, I saw that only 32 people out of 200 made it into Assessment Day.

So Here is What Happens in Assessment Day

Part 1

They made 2 groups of 16 people. We were given each reference numbers (remember this number you will need on later stages)

With my group we all sat down in a circle. The recruiter handed us pictures of the objects and I paired up with the person sitting next to me. We had to come up with a different usage of the objects. We got umbrella. So we discussed it between us and each one of us came up with her own idea which we were going to present to the others. I thought we can use umbrella as motion picture gadget (it is little bit silly, I know) so you put pictures on umbrella, like they draw cartoons, slightly different motions and when you roll the umbrella, the picture would be in motion.  :) I think the recruiter found it creative and my friend said that we can use it as Emirates logo , we could put pictures of Emirates cabin crew; each from a different culture on the umbrella. Unfortunately, she couldn’t pass this stage.

Also in this stage we did a height test. So you need to have an arm reach of 212 cm.  (Last time I  checked I was around 164 cm, I was most nervous of this stage but I passed it. Even I was above 10 cm of the tape line and I didn’t had to stand on my tip toes.Before measuring I told the recruiter that I am afraid even she was laughing at me when I passed it (I guess my arms are quite long!) :)

 WHY they do it? You will need to close the over-head compartments in the bigger planes and be able to access the emergency equipment that is sometimes located in there.

HOW  they do it? Take a measuring tape and put a mark on the wall next to 212 cm. Without shoes – you may get on your tip toes if necessary, you will need to touch the mark. No jumping to reach it is allowed. A person who is 160 cm  should be able to have an arm-reach of 212 cm without problems.

After this stage you go out and the next group comes in, you will be waiting around an hour to learn about the results. If you are successful you get a letter like this: (My heart was beating like crazy when I opened mine and when I read the Thank you bla bla part at the beginning I thought I was eliminated already :D)

Part 2 & 3

After the first part around 8 people were eliminated. So now we were around 24 people.

In the part 2, if you are native language is not English, then you need to take the English Test. It is fairly easy, no essay, just multiple choice exam. Only one girl failed at this stage.

Part 3 was the most challenging one. You are in group of 8 people. And you are each given a paper, on the paper it says; you are a General Manager of a hotel and all of your rooms are full except 2 rooms. 8 people have reservation for the hotel. You can only choose two out of this 8.(some of the people were; general manager, loyal customers, travel writer…) You are given 15 min to discuss who to choose among this 8 people. This stage was stressful, because you have to speak up and at the same time not overshadow other people around you. Some people will try to lead the conversation and may not give you a chance to tell your ideas. So be careful with it :)

After this we had a role play with the recruiter. She was the angry customer and we were the general managers. So she asked if anyone wanted to volunteer, no one did and I felt like I should raise my hand (I had no idea how angry she could get :D) So in this stage, you have to keep calm and try to find a solution for the problem by offering her something extra (you may say; you can use our facilities for free or we will provide you a voucher on your next vacation etc.) and you need to offer another place in an another hotel.

After this stage, we were given again the papers “congratulations or unfortunately”. So at the end we were 16 girls left. We had to fill in some documents before our Final Interview. We had to declare which languages we speak and that  we don’t have tattoos in visible places. On the end, they sent us online psychometric test that we had to do before our Final interview

After all this, I was scheduled to have my Final Interview the next day.

Much of the western United States began the morning with the view of a super blue blood moon total lunar eclipse. In this silent time lapse video, the complete eclipse is seen over NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, located at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, California.  This Jan. 31 full moon was special for three reasons: it was the third in a series of “supermoons,” when the Moon is closer to Earth in its orbit – known as perigee – and about 14 percent brighter than usual. It was also the second full moon of the month, commonly known as a “blue moon.” The super blue moon will pass through Earth’s shadow to give viewers in the right location a total lunar eclipse. While the Moon is in the Earth’s shadow it will take on a reddish tint, known as a “blood moon.”

Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.  

#justiceformuslims

ETRUSCAN ART: 

THE art of the Etruscans, who flourished in central Italy between the 8th and 3rd century BCE, is renowned for its vitality and often vivid colouring. Wall paintings were especially vibrant and frequently capture scenes of Etruscans enjoying themselves at parties and banquets. Terracotta additions to buildings were another Etruscanspeciality, as were carved bronze mirrors and fine figure sculpture in bronze and terracotta. Minor arts are perhaps best represented by intricate gold jewellery pieces and the distinctive black pottery known as bucchero whose shapes like the kantharos cup would inspire Greek potters.

The identification of what exactly is Etruscan art - a difficult enough question for any culture - is made more complicated by the fact that Etruria was never a single unified state but was, rather, a collection of independent city-states who formed both alliances and rivalries with each other over time. These cities, although culturally very similar, nevertheless produced artworks according to their own particular tastes and whims. Another difficulty is presented by the consequences of the Etruscans not living in isolation from other Mediterranean cultures. Ideas and art objects from Greece, Phoenicia, and the East reached Etruria via the long-established trade networks of the ancient Mediterranean.

Read More 

Sources about the origin of Aphrodite

I will keep adding to this post (by re-blogging) each time I have something new.

I thank @junkblog101 for giving the following sources:

1) Aphrodite’s Origins: http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/aphrodite/origins.html

2) Book “Transformation of a goddess : Ishtar, Astarte, Aphrodite”: https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/10648962

3) Short description of Aphrodite/Venus figurines by the Museum of Art and Archeology: https://maa.missouri.edu/media-gallery/detail/71/322

4) A small pdf, part of a book, “The Olympian goddesses”: http://people.uncw.edu/deagona/MYTH/OlympianGodesses.pdf

My thoughts:

From those sources I have understood that there are some common elements between Aphrodite and eastern goddesses of love, but Aphrodite’s origin is still obscure.

I quote from the first: ”These divinities were associated with power, fertility, and war, and were characterized by fierce jealousy and aggressive sexuality” (For the Aphrodite figurine) “The nudity and breast-holding gesture are typical of much earlier Near Eastern figures, and make clear the importance that was ascribed to fertility and sexuality.” Also, “[Goddess Hathor’s] presence on this head (of an Aphrodite sculpture) again testifies to the Near Eastern elements that contributed to Aphrodite’s identity at Cyprus.” The last one puzzles me a little. I haven’t read it was common for gods to have other gods in their crowns. Maybe it wasn’t the goddess Hathor but Eastern people who dressed in a similar manner as this goddess?

So, their common elements were: sexuality, power, fertility, war (not so much for Aphrodite, though), nudity and breast-holding gesture. Well, those are similarities, but at the same time they don’t say much. While they clearly show some influence (nothing existed in a vacuum), they are not much, or enough to suggest the one came from the other. Influenced, would be a better word. Also, Ishtar/Astarte and Aphrodite have different “dynamics” as goddesses and different stories. I am not aware of any common stories between them (inform me if you know any, please!).

I can’t comment for the book, since I haven’t read it yet.

I don’t think the third link gives information about Eastern influence. It just states it. And while I would love to take their word for that, I would love more to have them say why or how this connection exists between the goddesses.  

For the last link (and pdf) the things that I found in relation to eastern goddesses are these: “As a divine being, Aphrodite had close links with the Semetic goddess of love, Ishtar/Astarte, who was worshiped in Mesopotamia and Phoenicia. Aphrodite often bore the title “Heavenly” (Urania), while Astarte was invoked as the Queen of Heaven; and both goddesses were honored with incense altars and sacrifices of doves. Sacred prostitution, one of the best publicized aspects of the cult of Ishtar/Astarte, was also to be found in some of the centers of Aphrodite’s worship”. (Historical example of an athlete who dedicated women as prostitutes to an Aphrodite’s temple follows).

Moreover: “The Herodotus’ statement that the oldest cults of Aphrodite in Greece had been established in Phoenician settlers may contain a broader element of truth. The goddess had very strong associations with the island of Cyprus […]. And from the time of Homer onwards the epithet most commonly applied to her was ‘Cypris’, or ‘the Cyprian’. It is possible that she started life as a local Cyprian love goddess who took on some of Astarte’s characteristics when the island was colonized by the Phoenicians in the ninth century BC.[…] The reconstruction is speculative, however, for the picture of the goddess’s early development is still very unclear”.

Well, from what I gather from the last source, we know nothing for sure. If anything, the text actually suggests (with caution) that Aphrodite was a local Greek goddess and then she was influenced by cults of eastern love goddesses. And we are not sure of it either.

Why I am saying she was Greek when they say “local”? Greeks (Mycyneans) were already in Cyprus from 14th CBC*. (We are talking about Pre-historic Greeks and they lived in one of the periods of the Greek culture. Greek doesn’t necessarily mean classical Athens). As trade was happening, there were cultural exchanges between the East and the island. So again, because she was made in Greece (according to the last source), we shouldn’t say that there wasn’t any influence. There probably was. Also, people existed in the island before the Greeks came, so perhaps it was they who made the early form of the goddess. But in the Geometric era (see the Homeric epics and hymn) the goddess had already a Greek name and came from Greek gods. So,  if she came from residents of the island at all, she probably came from the Greeks.

*-Thomas, Carol G. and Conant, Craig: The Trojan War, pages 121–122. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005. - A.D. Lacy. Greek Pottery in the Bronze Age

About Aphrodite’s identity as a Greek goddess:

Now if we accept she was indeed taken (for the argument’s sake) she is still distinctly Greek. She was already part of the pantheon in the Geometric era, when the Homeric epics and hymns were written, because she is in them. Her transition period could have been in 9th-8th centuries BC and maybe a little later. Until 381AC, when Greek polytheists started getting prosecuted, the Greeks had more than a millennia to make her a Greek goddess and give her her unique attributes and stories. For more than a thousand years Aphrodite has been into Greek/Hellenic households.

I am not saying the case of Aphrodite is closed because four sources are on the table. And I still haven’t read the book (2nd link)! I am sure there will be more good info there. So the picture is not completed.

Anyone who has found additional sources, pm me or tag me! And if you have something to say about the post, feel free to reblog and add stuff! Perhaps correct me even.

Examples of a Brocken Spectre, a phenomenon where a person’s giant shadow appears magnified onto clouds miles away. The shadow from the sun behind the person creates a halo, giving it an angelic appearance. This mostly occurs on any misty mountainsides or cloud banks, and can even be seen from aeroplanes.

Lanzarote, Spain: british artist Jason Decaires Taylor has finally completed his monumental underwater project Museo Atlantico.