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Avernus (Dungeons
Avernus was an ancient name for a volcanic crater near Cumae (Cuma), Italy, in the region of Campania west of Naples. Part of the Phlegraean Fields of volcanoes, Avernus is approximately in circumference. Within the crater is Lake Avernus ('). Role in ancient Roman society Avernus was believed to be the entrance to the underworld, and is portrayed as such in the ''Aeneid'' of Virgil. According to tradition, all birds flying over the lake were destined to fall dead, hence the lake’s name was transferred to Greek as ‚ or 'birdless (lake)'. This was likely due to the toxic fumes that the mouths of the crater gave off into the atmosphere. In later times, the word was simply an alternative name for the underworld. On the shores of the lake is the grotto of the Cumaean Sibyl and the entrance to a long tunnel (Grotta di Cocceio, c. ) leading toward Cumae, where her sanctuary was located. There are also the remains of temples to Apollo and Jupiter (god), Jupiter. During the Roman ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ruined Temple To Apollo, Avernus
Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate destruction by humans, or uncontrollable destruction by List of natural phenomena, natural phenomena. The most common root causes that yield ruins in their wake are Natural disaster, natural disasters, War, armed conflict, and population decline, with many structures becoming progressively derelict over time due to long-term weathering and Scavenger, scavenging. There are famous ruins all over the world, with notable sites originating from History of China, ancient China, the Indus Valley civilisation, Indus Valley, History of Iran, ancient Iran, History of Israel, ancient Israel and Judea, History of Mesopotamia, ancient Iraq, ancient Greece, ancient Egypt, History of Yemen, ancient Yemen, Ancient Rome, Roman, History of India, ancient I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman people, Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the Crisis of the Roman Republic, transformation of the Roman Republic from a Constitution of the Roman Republic, constitutional republic into the autocratic Roman Empire. Antony was a relative and supporter of Julius Caesar, and he served as one of his generals during the conquest of Gaul and Caesar's civil war. Antony was appointed administrator of Italy while Caesar eliminated political opponents in Greece, North Africa, and Spain. After Assassination of Julius Caesar, Caesar's assassination in 44 BC, Antony joined forces with Lepidus, another of Caesar's generals, and Octavian, Caesar's great-nephew and adopted son, forming a three-man dictatorship known to historians as the Second Triumvirate. The Triumvirs defeated Caesar's killers, the ''Liberatores'', at the Battle of Philippi in 42 BC, and divided th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roman Mythology
Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these representations, and to the subject matter as represented in the literature and art of other cultures in any period. Roman mythology draws from the mythology of the Italic peoples and shares mythemes with Proto-Indo-European mythology. The Romans usually treated their traditional narratives as historical, even when these have miraculous or supernatural elements. The stories are often concerned with politics and morality, and how an individual's personal integrity relates to his or her responsibility to the community or Roman state. Heroism is an important theme. When the stories illuminate Roman religious practices, they are more concerned with ritual, augury, and institutions than with theology or cosmogony. Roman mythology also draws on Greek mythology, pri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cape Misenum
Cape Miseno (Italian: ''Capo Miseno'', Latin: ''Misenum'', Ancient Greek: ''Μισήνον'') is the headland that marks the northwestern limit of the Gulf of Naples as well as the Bay of Pozzuoli in southern Italy. The town of Miseno is located on the north side of the cape. The cape is directly across from the island of Procida and is named for Misenus, a character in Virgil's ''Aeneid''. History Historically, the cape was important to the Romans since it was a natural shelter for passage into the inner harbour of Portus Julius, the temporary home port for the Roman western imperial fleet from 33 BC. It was more important when Misenum became the new home for the fleet where it remained. Mythologically, important sections of the ''Aeneid'' play out in the Gulf of Naples: This is where Aeneas' comrade, Misenus, master of the sea-horn (the conch-shell) made "the waves ring" with his music and challenged the sea-god Triton to musical battle. He was dashed into the sea and k ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyclopædia, Or An Universal Dictionary Of Arts And Sciences
''Cyclopædia: or, an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences'' is a British encyclopedia prepared by Ephraim Chambers and first published in 1728. Six more editions appeared between 1728 and 1751, and there was a ''Supplement'' in 1753. The ''Cyclopædia'' was one of the first general encyclopedias produced in English. Noteworthy features The title page of the first edition summarizes the author’s aims: The first edition included numerous cross-references meant to connect articles scattered by the use of alphabetical order, a dedication to the king, George II of Great Britain, George II, and a philosophical preface at the beginning of Volume 1. Among other things, the preface gives an analysis of forty-seven divisions of knowledge, with classed lists of the articles belonging to each, intended to serve as a table of contents and also as a directory indicating the order in which the articles should be read. Printing history A second edition appeared in 1738 in two volum ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yomotsu Hirasaka
In Japanese mythology, Yomotsu Hirasaka ( or ) is a slope or boundary between the world of the dead (Yomi) and the world of the living. Overview The myth, which holds that there is a boundary place between the realms where the living and the dead reside, is an idea that is shared by the Sanzu River and others, and can be found throughout the world. In Japanese mythology, Yomotsu Hirasaka is thought to be an impression from the stone structure of kofun and the road leading to the stone chamber that housed the coffin. In Kojiki, it appears twice in the upper part of the book, and there is a tradition that it is located at Ifuyasaka in Izumo Province. The word "hira" is said to mean "cliff". Places of connection Shimane Prefecture, Matsue City, Higashiizumo Town erected a stone monument in 1940 in Iya, Higashiizumo, Shimane as the place where Hiraizumi Hiraizaka was located. A huge stone, said to be the rock of Senbiki, is also placed at the site. Nearby is the Iya Shrine, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pluto (mythology)
In Religion in ancient Greece, ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Pluto () was the ruler of the Greek underworld, underworld. The earlier name for the god was Hades, which became more common as the name of the underworld itself. Pluto represents a more positive concept of the god who presides over the afterlife. ''Ploutōn'' was frequently conflation, conflated with Plutus, Ploûtos, the Greek god of wealth, because mineral wealth was found underground, and because as a chthonic god Pluto ruled the deep earth that contained the seeds necessary for a bountiful harvest. The name ''Ploutōn'' came into widespread usage with the Eleusinian Mysteries, in which Pluto was venerated as both a stern ruler and a loving husband to Persephone. The couple received souls in the afterlife and are invoked together in religious inscriptions, being referred to as ''Plouton'' and as ''Kore'' respectively. Hades, by contrast, had few temples and religious practices associated wit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ploutonion
A ploutonion (, lit. "Place of Plouton") is a sanctuary specially dedicated to the ancient Greek god Plouton (i.e., Hades). Only a few such shrines are known from classical sources, usually at locations that produce poisonous emissions and were considered to represent an entrance to the underworld. Instances At Eleusis, the ploutonion was near the north entrance to the sacred district ('' temenos''). It was built by Peisistratos in the 6th century BC and rebuilt two centuries later, when the Eleusinian mysteries were at the height of their influence. The cave was the traditional site of the birth of the Divine Child Ploutos. The Greek geographer Strabo mentioned three sites as having a ploutonion. One was on a hill between Tralleis and Nysa. Its precinct encompassed a sacred grove, a temple dedicated to Plouton and Persephone, and an adjoining cave called the Charonion, after the ferryman of the dead. According to Strabo, it "possesses some singular physical properties" a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mefitis
In Roman mythology, Mefitis (or Mephitis; Mefite in Italian) was a minor goddess of the poisonous gases emitted from the ground in swamps and volcanic vapors. Overview Mefitis was the Samnite and Oscian goddess of the foul-smelling gases of the earth, worshipped in central and southern Italy since before Roman times, with her main shrine at the volcano Ampsanctus in Samnium. There were temples dedicated to her in Cremona and on the Esquiline Hill in Rome. It is theorized that Mefitis was originally a goddess of underground sources, such as natural springs— the fact that many of these springs were sulfurous led to her association with noxious gases. She is almost always identified with volcanoes, having been worshipped at Pompeii. Her name, which likely means "one who smokes in the middle", is sometimes spelled Mephitis. The connection with subterranean spaces also links her with Chthonic deities. Foul-smelling geological fissures connected to the divinity (see below) are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cave Of Dogs
The Cave of Dogs () is a cave near Naples, Italy. Volcanic gases seeping into the cave give the air inside a high concentration of carbon dioxide. Dogs held inside would faint; at one time this was a tourist attraction. Description The Cave of Dogs (, literally "Cave of the Dog")) is a cave about ten metres deep on the eastern side of the Phlegraean Fields near Pozzuoli, Naples. Inside the cave is a fumarole that releases carbon dioxide of volcanic origin. The cave is thought to have been constructed in classical antiquity, possibly as a sudatorium; if so, the CO emissions must have been much lower at the time. It may have been known to Pliny the Elder, who, in his ''Natural History'' Chapter 95 (written 77–79 AD), mentions a location near Pozzuoli where animals die from poisonous fumes. However, the first unambiguous reports about the cave only appear in the 16th century. Later, it became a tourist attraction for travelers on the Grand Tour. The CO gas, being denser than ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dictionary Of Greek And Roman Biography And Mythology
The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' is a biographical dictionary of classical antiquity, edited by William Smith (lexicographer), William Smith and originally published in London by John Taylor (English publisher), Taylor, Walton (and Maberly) and John Murray (publishing house), John Murray from 1844 to 1849 in three volumes of more than 3,700 pages. It is a classic work of 19th-century lexicography. The work is a companion to Smith's ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities'' and ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography''. Authors and scope The work lists thirty-five authors in addition to the editor, who was also the author of the unsigned articles. The other authors were Classics, classical scholars, primarily from University of Oxford, Oxford, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, Rugby School, and the University of Bonn, but some were from other institutions. Many of the mythological entries were the work of the German expatriate Leonhard Schmit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Servius The Grammarian
Servius, distinguished as Servius the Grammarian ( or ), was a late fourth-century and early fifth-century grammarian. He earned a contemporary reputation as the most learned man of his generation in Italy; he authored a set of commentaries on the works of Virgil. These works, ("Exposition on Three Works of Virgil"), ("Commentaries on Virgil"), ("Commentaries on the Works of Vergil"), or ("Commentaries on the Poems of Virgil"), constituted the first incunable to be printed at Florence, by Bernardo Cennini, in 1471. In the ''Saturnalia'' of Macrobius, Servius appears as one of the interlocutors; allusions in that work and a letter from Symmachus to Servius indicate that he was not a convert to Christianity. Name The name Servius also appears as Seruius owing to the unity of the Latin letters V and U from antiquity until as late as the 18th century. Many medieval manuscripts of Servius's commentaries give him the praenomen Marius or Maurus and the cognomen Honoratus. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
