Alexios' daughter, and imperial historian Anna Komnene aptly phrased the magnitude of Pecheneg defeat on April 29, in one single sentence:
"All because of one day the Scyths [Pechenegs] never saw May."
And indeed, the Pechenegs would never be such a serious threat to the Empire again.
Imagine having a powerful enemy at your gates.
An enemy that threatens the very heartland of your empire.
And then you annihilate this powerful adversary in one single battle.
Well, that s what emperor Alexios I Komnenos did to the Pechenegs at the Battle of Levounion in 1091...⬇️
🎨Giuseppe Rava
Michael Crichton was a prophet
Imagine if #AWS and #Azure have access to raptor cages...
Only Google Cloud is missing
Also f off 'AI'
👀
I knew that the art looks weirdly familiar! Now I know why?
So nothing Roman/Byzantine in the pipeline?
Ooh, I ll definitely give it a look
Alt history is one of my guilty pleasures
Especially if not counterfactuals
Yup. But I would like to see more games with Justinian reconquest topic
Such a fascinating period, yet almost no coverage :/
Though it endured only a few years beyond this date, with Northern Italy lost, the Romans struggling to defend the Apennines - the Empire at the end of Justinian’s reign remains a staggering achievement.
Always breathtaking to behold.
Link to high res
www.deviantart.com/cyowari/art/...
#OTD in 537 AD, the first Siege of Rome began, lasting for a year and nine days. The city was besieged by the Ostrogothic army led by king Vitiges. The Romans were commanded by general Belisarius.
The siege ultimately failed, and Belisarius could continue his reconquest of Italy
🖼️Giorgio Albertini
A ghost from the past
The SS United States, once the fastest ocean liner in the world, on her way to become artificial reef off the Florida's coast
If you squint, you can imagine her tearing through the ocean waves again, a reminder of the golden age
Courtesy of the captain of the tugboat "Vinik"
In 1400, emperor Manuel II arrived in London where he met with Henry IV.
It was the first such visit to these islands by a Roman emperor since Constans arrived in Britannia in 343, more than 1,000 years before. And the first time since Constantine III left Britain in 407.
what a sight, indeed
Well, the dark side will remain the home for a while, but yes, looking forward to the blue skies
While emperor Claudius coming to Britain atop an elephant is a tempting scene, the reality was probably different, with "elephant" marking a sort of siege weapon.
After all, the Romans had a history of using animal names to name military machines (aries, onager, scorpio, corvus)
After becoming "religio licita" under Constantine the Great, Christianity rapidly permeated all aspects of daily life in the Roman Empire.
Signet rings with a prayer to God, like the silver ring from the Fine Arts Museum in Budapest (4th c), became ubiquitous among the wealthy
A poignant reminder of an eternal love
The lions represent a married couple, female (mirror and a comb); male (pruning knife and grapes) - symbols of Aphrodite and Dionysius
Under them is a Greek inscription, which once stood over a closed door, saying "The way is shut"
Fine Arts Museum, Budapest
I am not the only one reading this in Avasarala's voice, right?
The 2192-ton iron-hull giant, Milverton was not the largest of the sailing ships at the turn of the century.
Imagine seeing several of those iron colossi anchored in the port!
Imagine strolling down the street with a view like that to keep you amused.
Mind you, that guy out on the bowsprit gives a good idea of how big some of those ships were.
SS Milverton in Stewarts Dock, Manchester Road, Isle of Dogs,
And no, this is not AI-generated shlock - photo taken in 1919
Plot twist - Grammarly is seducing you
The whole Pavilion was lavishly illustrated; Mucha's main aim, celebrating the rich history and cultural diversity of the soon-to-be-annexed region.
An annexation, which would eventually end with shots in Sarajevo and guns of August, plunging the world into a bloody war...
In 1900, Austro-Hungary opened the Bosnia Pavilion at the Paris World Fair.
Its chief designer was celebrated art-nouveau artist Alfonse Mucha, who painted a stunning mural depicting Bosnia as a beautiful enthroned woman surrounded by her diverse people
🔽
Clearly practiced it in the mirror over & over
Yet still blew it
Awkward
Indeed. Need to buy a new one
why you are so cool
all it needs is VR
#OTD in 532 AD, the Nika Riots, a protest against emperor Justinian's unpopular ministers and then a full-fledged rebellion, came to its bloody end, resulting in the death of 30,000 rioters.
With stability restored, Justinian could now focus on the reconquest of the West.
#byzantinebluesky
Veni, vidi, convedi, cubavi.
I came. I saw. I fit. I reclined.
Pay attention to Christ the king/emperor, sitting on the opulent Roman emperor's throne, similar to one in the Great Palace of Constantinople
A stark difference from a powerless infant in the cave (or stables)
Mary sits next to the child, emulating Augusta (the empress).
Καλά Χριστούγεννα! С Рождеством Христовым! Христос се роди!
Today is Christmas according to the Julian calendar, which the Byzantines would have celebrated!
Nativity of Christ mosaic, Santa Maria Maggiore, 5th century (one of earliest depictions of Nativity)
Happy Birthday, Professor,
You've woven a world so vibrant and imbued in wonder that we find ourselves irresistibly drawn back to its shores, yearning to lose ourselves once more in its magic and lore.
A part of Middle-earth shall forever reside within us.