Wayward Son (63 page)

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An important figure in Egyptian mythology,
Osiris
was the god of the underworld, the afterlife and the dead.  He was typically depicted as a green-skinned man, symbolizing re-birth. His legs are wrapped mummy-style. He has a pharaoh’s beard and a white, feathered crown; in his hands he holds a crock and flail. 
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A staple in ancient Egyptian homes, beer was drunk daily.
Egyptian beer
was thick and cloudy and full of nutrients. It is believed to have been made by first making a high-yeast bread, then pouring water over pieces of the bread through a sieve. 
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Serving as a burial tomb for Egypt’s pharaohs, the earliest form of pyramids rose in layers, each layer smaller than the one beneath it, resembling giant steps. The first
step pyramid
was completed by 2630 BC for Pharaoh Djoser. This was the predecessor to the smooth-sided  “true pyramid,” such as the Great Pyramid of Giza (2550 BC).  Other ancient civilizations also built similar step pyramids, the Mesopotamians, Aztecs and Mayans, for instance. 
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God inflicted the
Ten Plagues
upon Egypt in order to pressure Pharaoh to release the Hebrews from slavery.  The final plague---the death of all first born Egyptian males---broke Pharaoh’s resolve, and he let the Israelites leave Egypt. The account is found in the Bible in the book of Exodus. 
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The Trojan War
, in Greek mythology, is the story of a 10-year war between the Greeks and Trojans. According to the story, the Trojans appeared to sail away, leaving behind a large hollow wooden horse, which was brought inside the city gates. At night, hidden soldiers emerged from the horse, opened the gates to the rest of the Trojan soldiers who had returned and Troy was destroyed. It is believed that the story was modeled after an actual war that took place around 1200 BC. 
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The great epic poem of ancient Greece,
Odyssey
, written by Homer, told the story of Odysseus’ struggles to get home to his wife after the (mythical) Trojan War.  Homer also wrote the
Iliad
.  
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A large public square in Rome, the
Piazza del Popolo
sits just inside the northern entrance to the city through the Aurelian Walls; this is where the Via Flaminia, an important ancient road that lead to the north started. The square contains an Egyptian obelisk that was built in 1300 BC, surrounded by four lion water fountains; and just beyond that are two symmetrical churches. 
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Recovered from underwater wreckage off an island in Greece in 1900, the
antikythera device
was believed to have been used to calculate the position of the planets and stars. It was made around 100 BC and, like the inner workings of a well-made clock, had many gears and dials.

Dig a little deeper at:

http://www.antikythera-mechanism.gr

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At the
Battle of Marathon
in 490 BC, an outnumbered force of some 10,000 Athenians conquered at least twice the number of attacking Persians in this first battle of the Persian Wars. Casualties: Persians, 6400; Athenians, 192. 
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Pliny the Elder wrote about a
mechanical reaper
, invented by the Romans, or possibly the Celts.  It was pushed by oxen and removed the grain but not the straw.  During the dark ages, it was forgotten about, and people went back to using scythes and sickles. 
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Marvels of engineering,
Roman aqueducts
carried water from the mountains into the cities via underground and above ground trenches, perfectly graded so that gravity propelled the water. Rome had the greatest concentration of them, 11, about 500 miles worth. 
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Considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the
Lighthouse at Alexandria
, was completed by Ptolemy II on the island of Pharos (280 BC).  Its height was between 393 and 450 ft. and it was destroyed in an earthquake in the 14th century. 
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What would be the equivalent to today’s universities, the
Musaeum
or
Mouseion
at Alexandria, Egypt, was founded by Ptolemy I. One room was devoted to the study of anatomy and the constellations, while another room for music and poetry. The Musaeum also contained a philosophical school and library. 
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A term used to describe the ancient trading route that stretched across China to reach Europe,
the Silk Road
was aptly named for the silk that was exported along this route by the Chinese. Later, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism would find their way into China via this route. 
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A form of funerary art, the
Terracotta Army
is a collection of terracotta sculptures---8,000 soldiers, 670 horses, and 130 chariots---that are buried with the First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. 
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The Star of Bethlehem
signaled the Wise Men that a baby had been born who would be King of the Jews (Matthew 2:1-12). According to Matthew’s account, the star led them directly to Jesus, stopping directly over where he was.

Dig a little deeper at:

http://www.bethlehemstar.net

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Ancient
Greek boats
 employed rowers, and a bank of oars on each side, to propel the ship through the seas. The oldest form of these had one row on each side, a penteconter; after that the bireme, with two rows of oars, followed by the trireme, with three rows of oars stacked on top of each other and one man at each oar. 
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The Land of Nod
is mentioned in the book of Genesis in the Bible and is a place located East of Eden. “Nod”, which is from the Hebrew word meaning “to wander”, is where Cain went after killing his brother, Abel. 
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As the second lowest point in Africa at more than 400 feet below sea level, the
Qattara Depression
is an area in the Libyan Desert that is comprised of sand dunes, salt marshes and salt pans. It spans more than 7,500 square miles.

Dig a little deeper at:

http://geology.com/below-sea-level/

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The desert cypress tree
 (or Saharan Cypress) is a rarity, but more than 200 exist in the harsh climate conditions of the Sahara. They are the only species in the plant kingdom that clones its male genetic material in order to reproduce. To learn more, visit this website:
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200705/a.cypress.in.the.sahara.htm
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In 1852, Pope Pius IX created the
Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology
in order “to take care of the ancient sacred cemeteries, look after their preventive preservation, further explorations, research and study, and also safeguard the oldest mementos of the early Christian centuries, the outstanding monuments and venerable Basilicas in Rome, in the Roman suburbs and soil, and in the other Dioceses in agreement with the respective Ordinaries.” 
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Cape Sounion,
 located at the southernmost point on the Attica peninsula in Greece, served as home to the ancient Greek temple Poseidon, who was the Greek god of the sea. 
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Piraeus
 is a renowned port city south of Athens on the east coast of Greece off the Saronic Gulf. As the chief harbor of ancient Greece, Piraeus today serves as the largest passenger port in Europe. 
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