Amazing it’s also still standing in it’s current state. Also the largest unsupported dome to this day. Astounding.
I actually prefer the forum and the colosseum to wonder round. Hundreds of years of history in every step whereas to me, the Pantheon is an impressive church viewed purely as such. Of course when you factor its age in…
Yes the Romans built for function and to expand their empire but the sheer waste of time money and resources just because they didn’t like the water at their regional HQ must make the PDG the greatest indulgence in existence.
Any castle fans? Love those of North Wales. Mrs doesn’t understand but I can spend all day walking round then. Caernarfon the greatest, shame it was never finished.
Since a young boy I’ve wanted to go to Leptis Magna. I grew up in Windsor and would visit Virginia Water at least once a year where you can find part of the ruins from the great Libyan Roman metropolis
Aryabhatta and Brahmagupta. The former, a great mathematician and astronomer who conceptualised zero as ‘shunya’. The latter expanded on its idea.
They also made the current day numerical system, which the Arab scholars took, improvised and spread everywhere.
Shushruta a physician who conducted surgeries, dentistry, plastic surgery (performed rhinoplasty), gynaecology, etc back in 800 BC. He wrote about 1120 diseases, created medicines using plants and animals, conceptualised surgical techniques. Some of the concepts are relevant even today in modern medicinal field.
Kautilya or as he is famously known Chanakya, a philosopher, economist and advisor to the king, wrote the exceptional Arthashastra, that explains economic administration, military strategies and even statecraft back in the 3BCE, which is interestingly relevant even to today’s times.
He was part of the massive Maurya empire which looked like this.
That would be me; and not just the castles of North Wales; South Wales has some gems as well!
Caernarfon castle though is unique, with its polygonal towers modelled upon those at Byzantium.
Speaking of Byzantium, and the Eastern Roman Empire, Hagia Sophia is magnificent (if you ignore the Ottoman/Turkish vandalism), and well worth an extended visit.
You probably know this but Wales has more castles per square mile than any country on the planet (roughly around 600),obviously some are just ruins but we have some beauties,this is my view when i go for break in work every day.
Yeah thats it,it’s not as close to my works as the photo suggests,you can see it clearly up in the mountain but it’s a little further in the distance but it stands out like a sore thumb,when it’s lit up at night.
Carew is great. They have some decent exhibits and stuff, but mainly because in the summer you can just walk in with a picnic basket and chill out on the lawn eating cheese sandwiches and beer surrounded by it all. In Pembs, Pembroke castle is the most famous because it was the birth place of Henry Tudor, but it’s Manorbier that is the real show stopper. It is privately owned now but you can still go in and have a wander around most days. It feels like the place Men of Harlech was written about.
Yeah, it’s on the road right as you enter the castle grounds. It dates to the 11th century, but is thought to have been moved to its current spot at the castle several hundred years afterwards. I never made the connection, but was told last time I was there that the CADW emblem was based specifically on this rather than just being a celtic cross in general. Not sure how legit that is.
Lucky to have been to both Konigstein and Neuschwanstein in Germany. The former a seriously powerful fortress with massive walls and huge storage for guns men and ammo. I’ll admit to admiring the design on the powder mags. Sloping sides and weak roofs. Sensible.
Neuschwanstein was far more like Hurst Castle, ironic that it was the inspiration for Disneyland too.
