 | Ancient Macedonian tomb-Kinch The famous tombs of Lefkadia, on the ancient road connecting Mieza and Pella, the capital of the Macedonian Kingdom, are among the finest and best preserved monuments in the region. The first tomb near the village of Kopanos was named after the Danish architect K. F. Kinch who discovered and studied it in 1887, 1889 and 1892. Kinch drew the tomb and its painted decoration which is now lost. The tomb dates to the first half of the third century BC. The tomb, which consists of a flat-roofed ante-chamber and a barrel-vaulted burial chamber, was covered by a mound 2.50 metres high. The Doric fa?ade had two antae with capitals but no columns. The door was sealed with poros blocks. The Doric entablature has six triglyphs and six metopes painted blue and yellow respectively. Above the entablature was an Ionic kymation. The interior walls were plastered and painted. Inside the antechamber, at 1.70 metres from the ground, was a relief cornice with white, red and green flowers painted on a red band. The walls were painted yellow in their lower part, dark red in the middle and dark blue with flowers at the top. On the east wall a painted panel, now lost, depicted a Macedonian on a galloping horse attacking a Persian who was on foot and protected himself with his shield. The 'Kinch' Tomb was severely damaged during the construction of the Thessaloniki-Monasterion railroad. In 1970-71 the Archaeological Service cleaned and restored the monument to its former appearance. Author I. Psarra, archaeologist music by Stamatis Spanoudakis |
 | Ancient Macedonian tomb-KRISEOS-Judgement Description One of the most important and best-preserved Macedonian tombs discovered so far is the so-called Tomb of Judgement. Its name derives from the painted representation of the judgement of the dead, unique in antiquity. The tomb lies with other similar funerary monuments along the road connecting the town of Mieza with Pela, the capital of the Macedonian Kingdom. Dated to the last quarter of the fourth century BC, it has a particularly imposing fa?ade and is the largest known Macedonian tomb. The monument is a typical double-chambered Macedonian tomb with barrel-vaulted ceilings, buried under a tumulus 1.50 metres high and 10 metres in diameter. The two-storeyed fa?ade, which combines both Doric and Ionic styles, is crowned by a pediment and gives the impression of a two-storeyed building. The 'ground floor' is Doric with four engaged columns in antis supporting a Doric entablature of triglyphs and metopes. The eleven metopes preserve part of their polychrome decoration with representations of the battle of the Centaurs and Lapiths, a popular theme. A band of pegs and another with painted flowers and volutes separate the metopes from the Ionic frieze above. This bas-relief frieze with stucco figures depicts a battle between Greeks and Persians. The 'second storey' has six Ionic engaged columns, 1.46 metres high, alternating with false doors, and was surmounted by a pediment. The pediment, of which only fragments survive, had painted decoration. On the 'ground floor', between the antae and the engaged columns are four painted panels representing the judgement of the deceased. The dead soldier is lead by Hermes Psychopompos ('guide of the souls') before the judges of the Underworld, Aiakos and Rhadamanthys. This theme, known from Plato's Gorgias, is extremely rare in iconography. Differences in the rendering of the figures indicate that two painters worked on the composition. The ante-chamber, though not fully excavated, does not appear to have had painted decoration. The interior of the burial chamber, however, with its ornate architectural features recalls the houses at Pella and Delos. It has a toichobate, a wall proper, antae at each corner, an entablature and a vaulted ceiling. The walls are painted deep blue, red and white, and the architectural members are decorated with painted Ionic kymatia, rosettes and bands. The Tomb of Judgement was discovered during road construction in 1954 and was excavated by Professor Photios Petsas in 1954-1964. Both the ante-chamber and the fa?ade were severely damaged in antiquity. The monument was re-excavated in recent years by L. Stephani and restored in 1998. An access ramp for visitors with ambulatory difficulties is currently under construction. Author I. Psarra, archaeologist music by Stamatis Spanoudakis |
 | Springbanks Arch Oops! My narration is mistaken. I say that this arch is Glen Span but it's Springbanks. I got confused and mixed the two up, because I read that Springbanks was hard to find. Actually -- it's quite easy. Also, my narrated details are incorrect. Here are the facts (from "Greensward Foundation"): "ts semicircular arch is segmented with rough stone from the Hudson River Valley. Narrow, long, but with little headroom, the archway measures 17 feet 5 inches across, 9 feet 2 inches high and 71 feet long. Red brick lines the passage. A modified entablature follows the shape of the arch at the center and extends outward along the revetments that curve at right angles into the soil. The abutments are covered with soil and planting. A cast-iron railing on the south side is 50 feet 8 inches long." Central Park above 96th street isn't as heavily "trafficked" as the southern part. The section called the North Woods is 90 acres of woodland (deciduous forest) right in the heart of New York City. For some reason Springbanks is called hard to find. I didn't find hard to find at all. Just walk up the path that cuts through the playing fields above 96th street and you'll find it. Keep walking on that path & you'll be in the woods. The path leads straight to Huddlestone and the Lasker rink. Glen Span, my favorite arch, is on the way, to the west (left) as you walk north. You can't miss that; it's 18 feet high and very distinctive. But you have to look out for Glen Span. There was a guy hanging out there who got a bit, shall we say, insistent, so I stopped filming, but I don't think he was really dangerous. |
 | The Circus (Bath) - 13/august / 2006 The Circus (Bath) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search The Circus Enlarge The Circus The Circus is a famous example of Georgian architecture in the city of Bath, begun in 1754 and completed in 1768. The name comes from the Latin word 'circus', which means a ring, oval or circle. Divided into three segments of equal length, the Circus is a circular space surrounded by large townhouses. Each of the curved segments faces one of the three entrances, thereby ensuring that whichever way a visitor enters there is a beautiful facade straight ahead. The Circus, originally called King's Circus, was designed by the architect John Wood the Elder, although he never lived to see his plans put into effect as he died less than three months after the first stone was laid. It was left to his son, John Wood the Younger to complete the scheme to his father's design. The initial leases for the South West segment were granted in 1755-67, those for the South East segment in 1762-6, and those for the North segment in 1764-6. The Circus was part of John Wood the Elder's grand vision to recreate a classical Palladian architectural landscape for the city. Other projects included nearby Queen Square and the Forum (which was never built). The Circus is the culmination of Wood's career, and is considered his masterpiece.[1] Wood's inspiration was the Roman Colosseum, but whereas the Colosseum was designed to be seen from the outside, the Circus faces inwardly. All three Orders of Roman architecture, (Roman Doric, Ionic and Corinthian) are used, one above the other, in the elegant curved facades. The frieze of the Doric entablature is decorated with alternating triglyphs and 525 pictorial emblems, including serpents, nautical symbols, devices representing the arts and sciences, and masonic symbols. The parapet is adorned with stone acorn finials. The central area was originally paved with stone setts, covering a reservoir in the centre which supplied water to the houses. In 1800 the Circus residents enclosed the central part of the open space as a garden. Now, the central area is grassed over and is home to a group of venerable plane trees. During the Baedeker Blitz of 1942, a bomb fell into the Circus, demolishing several of the houses. These have since been reconstructed in the original style. PS: text taken from wikipedia |
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