The history of Glassblowing

Glassblowing originated from the ancient art of glass forming, which dates back to 50 B.C. Glass was discovered around 2500 B.C., yet back then it was not made with the art style that it is crafted with today. Glass was mainly crafted for the purpose of vessels for holding liquids and foods, yet once the hand blown glass process was uncovered and better understood it became widespread and started to become an art form.

Handblown glass became popular with the rise of the Roman Empire. As glass blowing became well known, its usefulness and beauty made it desirable worldwide. Different religions, regions, and cultures adapted it for different needs, and hand blown glass works quickly became a favorite regardless of how the were used.

http://www.handblownglass.net/Hand-Blown-Glass-History

The Die: Roman Gambling

Gambling existed in Rome before many other civilizations. The Circus Maximus was a well known place to gamble, where throwing die was usually called "casting lots" (even referenced in the Bible, where Roman soldiers casted lots over Jesus' garments when he died). This bronze gaming die dates back to the Ancient Roman Empire and features impressed dots for numbers on each of the six faces. Smaller than our present-day die, these little dice were popular with troops as they gambled and played a variety of wagering games to stave off boredom while on long military campaigns.

http://www.paleodirect.com/r047.htm

Cargo of Sunken Ship linked to Ancient Temple

An ancient shipwreck off the west coast of Turkey was investigated by archaeologist Deborah Carlson during 2005 and 2006. The shipwreck was one of five others found in Kizilburun in 1993 on a survey of Turkey's Aegean coast by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M University, where Carlson is employed. This shipwreck's cargo consisted of columns and marble, that were later linked to the construction of the Claros temple 2000 years ago. In addition, Carlson and her archaeologists were also able to determine the origins of the marble that was to be used for the temple; a marble quarry 200 miles away on an island in Turkey's Sea of Marmara.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/090223-roman-shipwreck-turkey-missions.html

Biography on Hannibal

Hannibal was born in 247 B.C. in Carthage at a time when Carthage was suffering losses from the first Punic War. His father was Hamilcar Barca, and when he was eight he left Carthage with his dad on his campaigns to conquer Spain. He grew up to hate the Romans, and until he was 25 he served as a military leader under his brother-in-law, Hasdrubal. In 221 Hasdrubal died, and he was elected by the Carthaginian army as Commander in Chief. During territorial advances of the Carthaginian army he clashed with the Roman army, starting the First Punic War. He is noted to have had a long journey across the alps to Italy with a large army, which was believed to have lost 15,000 men along the way. However, he did not march straight to Rome, but succeeded in taking several victories over Roman forces. By the time he fought Rome, the battle ended up as a failure for Carthage and most of his allies deserted him. Eventually he was forced back to his own front and was defeated, and agreed with a treaty with Rome. He became the chief magistrate of Carthage, but was later sacked by Rome because he wished to continue issues between Rome and Carthage. He escaped to Syria and fought with Antiochus, but lost against Rome again, where he committed suicide.

http://looklex.com/e.o/hannibal.htm
http://www.livius.org/ha-hd/hannibal/hannibal.html
http://www.sacklunch.net/biography/H/Hannibal.html

Catacombs of Paris

The Catacombs of Paris are a series of underground necropolises that lie under the city of Paris. The Catacombs are a section of renovated stone mines that have been used to dispose of human skeletal remains in the 1700s, later being reassembled into an elaborate ossuary consisting of bones and skulls lining the walls of the catacombs. In the Roman times of Paris, the dead were usually buried in the outskirts of the cities. However, by the 10th century, population problems caused cemeteries to pop up in cities, and eventually population got so out of hand that bodies had to be buried in mass on several occasions.

Catacombs of Paris museum

In parte operis mei licet mihi praefari, quod in principio summae totius professi plerique sunt rerum scriptores, bellum maxime omnium memorabile quae unquam gesta sint me scripturum, quod Hannibale duce Carthaginienses cum populo Romano gessere. Nam neque ualidiores opibus ullae inter se ciuitates gentesque contulerunt arma neque his ipsis tantum unquam uirium aut roboris fuit; et haud ignotas belli artes inter sese sed expertas primo Punico conferebant bello, et adeo uaria fortuna belli ancepsque Mars fuit ut propius periculum fuerint qui uicerunt. Odiis etiam prope maioribus certarunt quam uiribus, Romanis indignantibus quod uictoribus uicti ultro inferrent arma, Poenis quod superbe auareque crederent imperitatum uictis esse. Fama est etiam Hannibalem annorum ferme nouem, pueriliter blandientem patri Hamilcari ut duceretur in Hispaniam, cum perfecto Africo bello exercitum eo traiecturus sacrificaret, altaribus admotum tactis sacris iure iurando adactum se cum primum posset hostem fore populo Romano. Angebant ingentis spiritus uirum Sicilia Sardiniaque amissae: nam et Siciliam nimis celeri desperatione rerum concessam et Sardiniam inter motum Africae fraude Romanorum, stipendio etiam insuper imposito, interceptam.

I say that I am allowed to bear labor, which in the beginning all of it is mostly the business of writers, when at a time I shall carry the memory of great wars in writing,

do this! (reminder to myself)

http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/cicero/att1.shtml

http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/livy/liv.21.shtml

http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/bible/job.html#9

My Hero: Tank Williams

Hank Williams was a drug dealer for 20 years in the Bronx, having a drug ring that relied heavily on cocaine and heroin exports from Southeast Asia during the period of the Vietnam War. When the war was resolved, Hank's drug ring instantly dried up and his associates were angry with him. When he decided to leave the business and start a family with his fiance, his associates found him and killed his wife, then concealed him in a room filled with yellow jackets exposed to radioactive matter, knowing that he was allergic to yellow jackets. He was stung multiple times, but did not die despite that one sting would guarantee his death. Instead, he got an adrenaline rush from it and he gained permanent superhuman powers, abilities granting him superhuman strength as long as yellow jacket venom was in his bloodstream. Like Popeye has spinach, Hank Williams has yellow jackets, and became Tank Williams because of his superhuman strength. Now he hunts drug dealers and those that killed his family.

Lyric Poetry

Lyric Poetry is songlike poetry which emphasizes the feelings of the author, and is usually put into a heroic perspective. Lyric poetry can be any length of poetry, as length is relative. Apollo is the guardian of lyric poets.

Christianity meets Mythology!

Mythology and Paganism preceded Christianity, so it was natural for Christianity to be influenced by these ancient beliefs. One example of this is through Christian Mythology, stories from religious narrative told through a religious perspective. These things probably did not happen, such as the story of Jonah and the Leviathan, but they were only depicted in this fashion to prove a broader point with more appeal. Mythology was full of appeal with the story of the universe under the Pantheon of Mt. Olympus, and Christianity probably sought to gain appeal by this type of narrative.

Story of Jonah and Leviathan, Jonah 1:17, 2:10

William Shakespeare and Ovid's Metamorphasis

William Shakespeare was influenced by Ovid's book of poems called Metamorphoses to a large extent, for he references to it in some of his most famous works. The story of Pyramus and Thisbe was an influence behind the story of Romeo and Juliet, and a play for Pyramus and Thisbe is preformed by a group of actors for a wedding in Midsummer Nights Dream. Shakespeare has also frequently referenced to occurrences in mythology in character speech. However, Shakespeare's take on Pyramus and Thisbe was comedic in Midsummer Night's Dream when acted out by the amateur actors.

Skakespeare's Ovid: Analysis of Shakespeare's use of Metamorphoses in his works

The Story of Narcissus: Structural Analysis in Ovid's Metamorphoses

Structural Analysis of Ovid: Story of Narcissus
Literature can often be interpreted differently among various readers; ultimately the author has limited effect on how their writing is interpreted. The interpretation of some types of literature are debated more often than others. This is usually dependant on how a piece of literature can apply to different situations. Broad pieces of literature, such as mythology, can be interpreted in a variety of ways because these stories typically in relatively abstract terms try to explain why events occur or why humans have particular traits. An example of literature that can be interpreted unrestrictedly is that of Ovid’s analysis of transformations through mythology in his series of poems entitled Metamorphoses. One such poem, “The Story of Narcissus,” is written to capture some common themes of of life, and therefore can be interpreted many different ways. Through reading Ovid’s poetry and interpreting various aspects of it, one can see that literature can be interpreted in ways that go beyond the plotline. In addition, this type of literature can even show the culture of the writer and possibly the way they wanted their work to be interpreted.
As for most literature, the story of Narcissus can be interpreted simply by the sequence of the events and the unfolding of the plot, also known as proairetic interpretation. At the beginning of his story (which in Metamorphosis is continued from “The Transformation of Echo”), the character Narcissus is introduced as a very attractive, yet vain, boy who just turned sixteen. Narcissus begins walking through a forest with a nymph named Echo following closely behind him, Narcissus unbeknownst of this. As Narcissus walks through the wood Echo mimics every sound he makes, for she is only able to mimic other people’s sounds and not any sounds of her own. Finally Echo appears to Narcissus and embraces him. However, Narcissus is unmoved by Echo’s sign of affection, and Echo becomes heartbroken. Ovid then explained that Echo withdrew to secluded places such as “solitary caves” and “dark abodes” in her despair, eventually withering away so that only her echoing voice remained. Echo’s spirit prays that Narcissus may love like she did in vain. Soon, Narcissus becomes thirsty and encounters a pool of water, and upon looking in the pool he falls in love with his reflection. He remains at the pool of water staring at his reflection for a very long time, neglecting to sleep or eat. By the time he realized that the reflection was his own, he became mentally distressed and started to beat himself, and his mutilation resulted in him losing his youthful beauty and his attractiveness. Echo’s spirit found him in his misery and echoed his last sounds, saying "Ah youth! Beloved in vain” and “Farewell” after Narcissus says them in his dying breath. When the nymphs returned to his body to bury it, there was only a flower that grew from the spot, “a rising stalk, with yellow blossoms crowned.”
Connotations can be described as the understood meaning behind words or phrases, and how they are perceived by the interpreter. The mode of analysis that looks at connotations which can be proven in text is known as semic analysis. The entire story of Narcissus can be interpreted with themes that link it to how it applies to the real world. One such theme is “what goes around comes around”, especially regarding pain and suffering. Ever since his 16th birthday, Narcissus had shunned every youth that ever displayed intimate feelings for him. His cold heart had finally neglected Echo's feelings, who sought revenge through the goddess Nemesis. In turn he was finally heartbroken by his own looks when he saw his reflection in a pool of water. Just as Echo died a miserable and lonely death, Narcissus would also die at the hand of his own looks. Despite that this exact phrase “what goes around, comes around” was not known by Ovid when he wrote the story of Narcissus, the concept of revenge was familiar to Ovid. Desire for revenge is a universal trait in people that has been with humanity ever since the beginning; this connotation is simply a broad interpretation of how revenge blossoms from pain. There are several other connotations that can be observed from the story of Narcissus, another being that “looks can be deceiving.” Although Echo saw great beauty in Narcissus, she was hurt to find that he wanted nothing to do with her (or anybody else for that matter). His shallow personality certainly did not qualify as one of a desirable person, yet his appearance confused his admirers into viewing him in a favorable light. Interestingly, the Narcissus flower named after Narcissus may also follow this connotation, as although some parts of the plant are edible, the flower's bulb contains the poison lycorine. These bulbs can easily be confused with onions and have lead to accidental poisonings on several occasions (2).
The story of Narcissus can be further interpreted into hermeneutic means, which consists of interpreting parallels and suspension in literature. In the case of this story, the hermeneutic means of interpretation yields possibly the most information on how this story could be interpreted. This is because Ovid litters the poem with several cases of parallelism, and many of these are quite evident. However, Ovid also uses suspension frequently in the poem as well, to carry out the plotline in a dramatic manner. An example of this is Narcissus asking the woods why he is tormented by his image, inquiring in lines 47-50: “‘You trees,’ says he, ‘and thou surrounding grove, who oft have been the kindly scenes of love, tell me, if e'er within your shades did lye a youth so tortur'd, so perplex'd as I?’” Even though Narcissus knows that the woods will not respond back to him, Ovid uses this to show Narcissus’ confusion in his own words. In addition to suspension, hermeneutic interpretation highlights parallels in the story of Narcissus. One parallel in this story is Narcissus' looks. While Narcissus takes advantage of his looks through his life to accomplish whatever he wishes to accomplish, in the end his looks ultimately betray him and lead to his death. In another aspect, everyone falls under the spell of Narcissus' looks, until Narcissus ultimately falls in love with himself and "breaks the spell" with his admirers. There are other similarly distinct parallels in this story that are made known in text. For example, as Narcissus peers into the pool of water in the 4th stanza, Ovid notes of Narcissus' reflection mimicking everything he does, demonstrated in lines 69-70: “His eyes with pleasure on my face he keeps, he smiles my smiles, and when I weep he weeps.” Another example is in lines 67-68: "When e'er I stoop, he offers at a kiss, and when my arms I stretch, he stretches his." Ovid parallels Narcissus' every action to show that Narcissus is confused with how the reflection mimics everything that he does, not knowing that it is only a reflection and not another person. The character Echo also can be interpreted hermeneutically on several occasions simply because of her nature of echoing every sound she hears. An example of Ovid paralleling through Echo is in lines 119-120 where Echo repeats the sounds that Narcissus makes: "She answer'd sadly to the lover's moan, sigh'd back his sighs, and groan'd to ev'ry groan: 'Ah youth! belov'd in vain,' Narcissus cries; 'Ah youth! belov'd in vain,' the nymph replies." In this case, the parallels are not in context, but are in the text and dialogue.
There are various literary devices that appear in literature, but symbolism in particular can be used in the same way that these other methods have been used to interpret literature. Example of symbolism are seen many times in the story of Narcissus, in several different forms. The character Echo is a symbol of the phenomenon of an echo, which is a reflection of sound. The word "Echo" derived from this character, as she was punished by Hera for her loquacity and was therefore stripped of her ability to talk except for repeating what others said. There are other more subtle symbols that appear in Ovid's story of Narcissus. The deity that answers Echo's prayers is Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, who represents the resolution of this story, with Narcissus receiving a fate similar to that of Echo. Narcissus' name links in a peculiar manner to his character as well. Narcissus' story has lead to the development of the concept of narcissism, which can be defined as selfishness and conceit. It is seen as a psychological problem, which can hint to modern readers of Ovid's Metamorphoses that Ovid did intend to portray Narcissus as a protagonist in any way. In fact, his cold-heartedness and his actions in the story actually are more typical of an antagonist. This can be further supported by the conflict being resolved with Narcissus feeling the same grief that women and nymphs, such as Echo, vainly felt for him.
Referencing a work of literature can vary depending on when a work is analyzed relative to when it was produced. Over time, more literature will be produced that can reference back to the original work. Now, the story of narcissism can be referenced almost indefinitely in culture and humanity in general. Ovid was not the first person to write about the mythical character Narcissus; this story had been popular before Ovid, and was often a topic of poetry used to express deeper meanings of human nature. Various artists have visually depicted Narcissus and his story on multiple occasions, one of the most well known being Narcissus by Caravaggio (3). Various other poets attempted to depict the stories of Echo and Narcissus with other similar plots as well. In modern day culture, characters in movies and novels with narcissism are often antagonists and similarly meet unfortunate fates at the end of the plot. The story of Narcissus and narcissism in general is also seen occasionally in songs. An example of which is Bob Dylan’s song "License to Kill” (4).
Diagetics is another way of interpreting literature, which relies on grammatical elements (mood, tone, word order), regardless of the content of the literature. This can also be used in the story of Narcissus, with particular regards to wording. Through Ovid's choice of words and word order, it is clear that he plans on making the story of Narcissus a tragedy, starring a character with a major flaw that ultimately leads to his downfall. He uses similes and other literary tools to highlight events taking place in the story. For example, in lines 109-112, Ovid details Narcissus withering away to add drama and somberness to the story: "As wax dissolves, as ice begins to run, and trickle into drops before the sun; so melts the youth, and languishes away, his beauty withers, and his limbs decay". Ovid also details Narcissus' beauty by focusing on everything he does with pleasant descriptions. A valid example of this is in lines 102 to 106: "Then rends his garment off, and beats his breast: his naked bosom redden'd with the blow, in such a blush as purple clusters show, ere yet the sun's autumnal heats refine their sprightly juice, and mellow it to wine."Here he describes something as perverse as self-mutilation as beautiful in a way, as pleasant as wine being refined. The atmosphere is also described by Ovid in a way that indicated an intent for the reader to interpret this as a tragedy. After Narcissus confronts Echo, the setting switches to a forest described as “darksome”, synonymous to dismal or dark. However, the woods are also described further in lines 9-11: “Nor stain'd with falling leaves nor rising mud; untroubled by the breath of winds it rests, unsully'd by the touch of men or beasts.” This description suggests that the forests have not been perverted by humans or other creatures, and may possibly suggest that the fate that Narcissus would face in the woods would be based on divine interference. In other words, maybe Ovid is saying that Nemesis conjured this pool of water for Narcissus just so that he would face the vain feelings of love that his admirers faced.
Interpretation is a basic mental tool that people use to understand what something is saying. In the case of Ovid’s version of the Story of Narcissus, there are a variety of methods for interpreting the text and context behind the story. The reader must take into consideration that good writers do not just recount their ideas down into a working plotline. Usually they put careful consideration into their writing so that what they want to convey can be realistically understood. The Story of Narcissus is such a piece of complex literature; something that covers as much as mythology or religion as this story can be interpreted very broadly, and is usually appreciated for the various aspects of interpretation that have revealed what the author wishes to say about human nature.


Appendix:

(n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2009, from Teleflora: http://www.teleflora.com/images/vendors/00005557/giftguides/meaning/daffodil.jpg

the Narcissus flower

(n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2009, from Light and Matter: http://www.lightandmatter.com/html_books/5op/ch02/figs/narcissus.jpg

"Narcissus" by Caravaggio

(n.d.). Retrieved November 4, 2009, from SongLyrics.com: http://www.songlyrics.com/bob-dylan/license-to-kill-lyrics/

Ovid. (8 A.D.). The Story of Narcissus. In Metamorphoses (p. Book 3).

Werewolves poem

Werewolves are after us, eating us all alive
Lycaon was the first, Zeus turned him into one.
be scared beware and run now!
When the moon beams on them they come.

These creatures are not wolf, yet neither are they man
created from a curse, or from a werewolf friend (bite)
these creatures have no morals
Except when turning back to man.

Most of them are tired, when one becomes human
night killings result this, some triggered by full moons.
superstition is their proof
their only remedy is death.

Ancient Brundisium

Brundisium is the capital city of the province of Brundisi, in the Apaulia region off the Adriatic Sea. Brundisi was originally an ancient Greek settlement (it was the most important city for the Messapians), and was a prominent city before Roman expansion. In 267 B.C. it was conquered, and became the chief embarkation point to Greece after the Punic Wars. One could travel between Rome and Brindisi through the Via Appia. Trajan constructed the Via Trajana from Brundisium to Beneventum. In the future Brindisi would have other important functions, such as being a temporary capital of Italy for a short period during World War 2. The name of the city means "Stag's Head" in Messapian dialect, referring to the shape of the city.

http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/BRI_BUN/BRUNDISIUM_Gr_Bpevrkwv_mod_Brin.html