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Scrofa Semilanuta
The ''scrofa semilanuta'' (in English language, Italian: "half-woollen boar") is an ancient emblem of the city of Milan, Italy, dating back at least to the Middle Ages — and, according to a local legend, to the very foundation of Milan. Several ancient sources (including Sidonius Apollinaris, Saint Datius, Datius, and, more recently, Andrea Alciato)Claudio Beretta, ''Letteratura dialettale milanese'', Ulrico Hoepli, pp. 21-26; se/ref> have argued that the scrofa semilanuta is connected to the etymology of the ancient name of Milan, "Mediolanum", and this is still occasionally mentioned in modern sources, although this interpretation has long been dismissed by scholars. The adoption of the half-woolly sow as an emblem of Milan is associated to a legend about the foundation of the city. According to this legend (which partially draws from Livy's writings), the founder of Milan was a Gaul prince named Belloveso. Belloveso reached the Po Valley following a vision he had had in a dream ...
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Scrofa Semilanuta
The ''scrofa semilanuta'' (in English language, Italian: "half-woollen boar") is an ancient emblem of the city of Milan, Italy, dating back at least to the Middle Ages — and, according to a local legend, to the very foundation of Milan. Several ancient sources (including Sidonius Apollinaris, Saint Datius, Datius, and, more recently, Andrea Alciato)Claudio Beretta, ''Letteratura dialettale milanese'', Ulrico Hoepli, pp. 21-26; se/ref> have argued that the scrofa semilanuta is connected to the etymology of the ancient name of Milan, "Mediolanum", and this is still occasionally mentioned in modern sources, although this interpretation has long been dismissed by scholars. The adoption of the half-woolly sow as an emblem of Milan is associated to a legend about the foundation of the city. According to this legend (which partially draws from Livy's writings), the founder of Milan was a Gaul prince named Belloveso. Belloveso reached the Po Valley following a vision he had had in a dream ...
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Bituriges Cubi
The Bituriges Cubi (Gaulish: ''Biturīges Cubi'') were a Gallic tribe dwelling in a territory corresponding to the later province of Berry, which is named after them, during the Iron Age and the Roman period. They had a homonym tribe, the Bituriges Vivisci, in the Bordelais region, which could indicate a common origin, although there is no direct evidence of this. Name They are mentioned as ''Bituriges'' by Caesar (mid-1st c. BC), ''Bitoúriges oi̔ Kou͂boi'' (Βιτούριγες οἱ Κοῦβοι) and ''Koúbois Bitoúrixi'' (Κούβοις Βιτούριξι) by Strabo (early 1st c. AD), ''Bituriges ... qui Cubi appellantur'' by Pliny (1st c. AD), and as ''Bitoúriges oi̔ Kou͂boi'' (Βιτούριγες οἱ Κοῦβοι) by Ptolemy (2nd c. AD). The Gaulish ethnonym ''Biturīges'' means 'kings of the world', or possibly 'perpetual kings'. It derives from the stem ''bitu-'' ('world', perhaps also 'perpetual'; cf. OIr. ''bith'' 'world, life, age', ''bith''- 'eternal ...
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Palazzo Marino
Palazzo Marino is a 16th-century palace located in Piazza della Scala, in the centre of Milan, Italy. It has been Milan's city hall since 9 September 1861. It borders on Piazza San Fedele, Piazza della Scala, Via Case Rotte and Via Tommaso Marino. The palace was commissioned by Tommaso Marino, a wealthy 16th-century Genoese banker and merchant. It became a property of the state in 1781. History The palace was built from 1557 to 1563 for Tommaso Marino. It was designed by architect Galeazzo Alessi from Perugia. Its main facade originally faced Piazza San Fedele, as Piazza della Scala at the time was a warren of medieval houses. The construction was occasionally slowed down by the opposition of the population, that had a very conservative attitude towards the architecture of the centre of Milan. Several sculptors from the Fabbrica del Duomo were involved in the decorations this Palazzo. In the courtyard, sculptures were erected representing the Labours of Hercules and the Metam ...
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Visconti Of Milan
The Visconti of Milan are a noble Italian family. They rose to power in Milan during the Middle Ages where they ruled from 1277 to 1447, initially as Lords then as Dukes, and several collateral branches still exist. The effective founder of the Visconti Lordship of Milan was the Archbishop Ottone, who wrested control of the city from the rival Della Torre family in 1277. Origins The earliest members of the Visconti lineage appeared in Milan in the second half of the 11th century. The first evidence is on October 5, 1075, when Ariprando Visconti and his son Ottone ("Ariprandus Vicecomes", "Otto Vicecomes filius Ariprandi") attended and signed together some legal documents in Milan. Ariprando Visconti's family is believed to have pre-existed in Milan and obtained the title of viscount, which became hereditary throughout the male descent. In the years following 1075, Ottone Visconti is shown in the proximity of the Salian dynasty's sovereigns, Henry IV and his son Conrad. His d ...
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Biscione
The ''biscione'' or ''bisson'' . ("big grass snake"), less commonly known also as the ''vipera'' ("viper"), is a heraldic charge showing on argent an azure serpent in the act of eating or giving birth to a human. It is a historic symbol of the city of Milan, used by companies based in the city. History Etymologically, word ''biscione'' is a masculine augmentative of Italian feminine ''biscia'' "grass snake" (corrupted from ''bistia'', ultimately from Latin "beast"). The charge became associated with the city after the Visconti family gained control over Milan 1277; Bonvesin da la Riva records it in his ''De magnalibus urbis Mediolani'' (''On the Marvels of the City of Milan'') as a Visconti symbol no later than the end of the 13th century. The symbol may have been derived from a bronzed serpent brought to Milan from Constantinople by Arnolf II of Arsago (Archbishop of Milan 998–1018) in the 11th century. One of the oldest depictions of the Biscione is in the Grea ...
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Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean world, the Roman Empire (Western Roman Empire and Eastern Roman Empire), and medieval "Christendom" (Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity). Beginning with the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery, roughly from the 15th century, the concept of ''Europe'' as "the West" slowly became distinguished from and eventually replaced the dominant use of "Christendom" as the preferred endonym within the region. By the Age of Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution, the concepts of "Eastern Europe" and "Western Europe" were more regularly used. Historical divisions Classical antiquity and medieval origins Prior to the Roman conquest, a large part of Western Europe had adopted the newly developed La Tène culture. As the Roman domain ...
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Medieval Commune
Medieval communes in the European Middle Ages had sworn allegiances of mutual defense (both physical defense and of traditional freedoms) among the citizens of a town or city. These took many forms and varied widely in organization and makeup. Communes are first recorded in the late 11th and early 12th centuries, thereafter becoming a widespread phenomenon. They had greater development in central-northern Italy, where they became city-states based on partial democracy. At the same time in Germany they became free cities, independent from local nobility. Etymology The English and French word "commune" ( it, comune) appears in Latin records in various forms. They come from Medieval Latin , plural form of (that which is common, community, state), substantive noun from (common). Ultimately, the Proto-Indo-European root is ''*mey-'' (to change, exchange). When autonomy was won through violent uprising and overthrow, the commune was often called (a conspiracy) ( it, cospirazione ...
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Broletto
In Middle Age Communes in Italy, a broletto was the place where the whole population met for democratic assemblies, and where the elected men lived and administered justice. ''Broletto'' is an ancient Italian word, from medieval Latin "broilum, brogilum", which probably derives from a Celtic word. Its first meaning is "little orchard or garden"; hence the meaning "field surrounded by a wall". Ancient brolettoes are major buildings in Milan, Brescia, Pavia, Piacenza, Como, Monza, Reggio Emilia, Novara and others. Several places or buildings in northern Italy are called "Broletto". Gallery Image:Orta_San_Giulio-Broletto.jpg, The broletto at Orta San Giulio, on Lake Orta Image:5023 - Milano - Broletto nuovo - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 24-July-2007.jpg, The Broletto Nuovo in Milan Image:5027_-_Milano_-_Broletto_nuovo_-_Sotto_il_porticato_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall'Orto,_24-July-2007.jpg, Under the porch of Broletto Nuovo in Milan Image:Palazzo Broletto 03.JPG, The Broletto in Pavia Lis ...
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Palazzo Della Ragione (Milan)
The Palazzo della Ragione ("Palace of Wisdom" literally) is a historic building of Milan, Italy, located in Piazza Mercanti, facing the Loggia degli Osii. It was built in the 13th century and originally served as a broletto (i.e., an administrative building) as well as a judicial seat. As it was the second broletto to be built in Milan, it is also known as the Broletto Nuovo ("new broletto"). The palace is decorated with a relief representing Oldrado da Tresseno (podestà of Milan and fierce prosecutor of the Cathar heretics), and the bas relief of the ''scrofa semilanuta'' ("half-woolly sow"), which has been object of much controversy among scholars of the foundation and origins of Milan. History The building was constructed between 1228 and 1233 for podestà Oldrado da Tresseno. It maintained a central role in the administrative and public life of Milan until the late 18th century. In 1773, under Empress Maria Theresa, it was restored and enlarged to serve as legal archiv ...
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Bas Relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane. When a relief is carved into a flat surface of stone (relief sculpture) or wood (relief carving), the field is actually lowered, leaving the unsculpted areas seeming higher. The approach requires a lot of chiselling away of the background, which takes a long time. On the other hand, a relief saves forming the rear of a subject, and is less fragile and more securely fixed than a sculpture in the round, especially one of a standing figure where the ankles are a potential weak point, particularly in stone. In other materials such as metal, clay, plaster stucco, ceramics or papier-mâché the form can be simply added to or raised up from the background. Monumental bronze reliefs a ...
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Aedui
The Aedui or Haedui (Gaulish: *''Aiduoi'', 'the Ardent'; grc, Aἴδουοι) were a Gallic tribe dwelling in the modern Burgundy region during the Iron Age and the Roman period. The Aedui had an ambiguous relationship with the Roman Republic and with other Gallic tribes. In 121 BC, they appealed to Rome against the Arverni and Allobroges. During the Gallic Wars (58–50 BC), they gave valuable though not whole-hearted support to Caesar, before eventually giving lukewarm support to Vercingetorix in 52. Although they were involved in the revolts of Iulius Sacrovir in 21 AD and Vindex in 68 AD, their aristocracy became highly Romanized under the Empire. Name They are mentioned as ''Ardues'' (Ἄρδυες) by Polybius (2nd c. BC), ''Haedui'' by Cicero (mid-1st c. BC) and Caesar (mid-1st c. BC), ''Haeduos'' by Livy (late 1st c. BC), ''Aedui'' by Pliny (mid-1st c. AD), ''Aidúōn'' (Αἰδύων) by Ptolemy (2nd c. AD), and as ''Aídouoi'' (Aἴδουοι) by Cassius Dio (3rd ...
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Chimera (mythology)
The Chimera ( or ), also Chimaera (''Chimæra'') (Ancient Greek: , ''Chímaira'' means 'she-goat'), according to Greek mythology, was a monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature, composed of different animal parts from Lycia, Asia Minor. It is usually depicted as a lion, with the head of a goat protruding from its back, and a tail that might end with a snake's head. It was an offspring of Typhon and Echidna and a sibling of monsters like Cerberus and the Lernaean Hydra. The term "chimera" has come to describe any mythical or fictional creature with parts taken from various animals, to describe anything composed of disparate parts or perceived as wildly imaginative, implausible, or dazzling. Family According to Hesiod, the Chimera's mother was a certain ambiguous "she", which may refer to Echidna, in which case the father would presumably be Typhon, though possibly (unlikely) the Hydra or even Ceto was meant instead. However, the mythographers Apollodorus (citing Hesiod as his ...
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