Sunday walk

Wanting to escape from the all too usual Sunday dullness, yesterday me and my mother went for a walk. We decided to get out of our home city and go somewhere else nearby. So off we rode to a town called Batalha (Portuguese word for "battle"), located about twenty kilometres from where we live, for a brief visit to one of the most ellaborate gothic monasteries in Portugal.

It's full and "official" name is Santa Maria da Vitória na Batalha, which literally translates as Holy Mary of Victory in the Battle, and owns it to the fact that it was comissioned by king John I after his decisive victory over a Castillian army in 1385. The battle assured him the throne and founded a new Portuguese dinasty that would last two hundred years, which is about the same amount of time it took to build the monastery. Well, it was more of an ongoing project that was never really finished, as new kings from the dinasty kept adding their own contributions to the building. It served as a royal resting place for John I, his family and his heirs, including the probably best known prince Henry the Navigator, the architect of the first decades of the Portuguese Discoveries. I took the oportunity to leave some roses by three of the tombs.

The whole building went through major restauring and reconstruction works in the 19th century after it was damaged in the 1755 earthquake, sacked in the Napoleonic invasions of 1810 and abandoned during the expulsion of religious orders in 1834, in the aftermath of the Portuguese civil war. In the 20th century, an equestrian statue of Nuno Álvares Pereira, the Portuguese general responsible for the military victories against the Castilians in the 1383-85 crisis, was raised in the exterior.

Here are some of the photos I took. Hope you enjoy them, Aylin ;) A more detailled history of the monastery (and more pictures) can be found by clicking here.

Back from Lisbon

Hello all!

Let me start by saying that it's a sunny and somewhat hot day around here. Not summer hot, but pleasant autumn high temperature. I might be in for an afternoon on the beach, which will be nice, especially since the weather has been mostly stormy, with heavy rain and some thunder. We actually had a brief twister in the centre of the country! Not normal at all! But returning to the blog, there's some catching up to do and with pictures! And I'll insert links in the text for further data, so if you don't know how to do it, I'll tell you how in the end.

First, the congress. Went well and overall was fine. Not super, but fine. Did get a proposal to write an article on something about women (your topic, Aylin) and someone suggested I should present a class in a course on History of European People. Not bad for a start. The whole thing ended with a small tour around the Roman remains in downtown Lisbon and the old city, and let me tell you: old academics turned out to be just as bad as small brats. They talk endlessly, they run around and it's a hell of a problem to keep them quiet and paying attention. Gods know the guide from the city hall got a headache out of it!

Anyway, we started by visiting some underground remains of the older settlement dating back to the pre-Roman Iberian tribes and Fenicians, followed by those of the older Roman manufacturing area, located by the ancient banks of the Tagus. We also got to see a primitive Christian grave, all of this under an 18th century building. Diggers found the remains while doing some construction works in the basement, so the bank who owns the building decided to convert the lower floor in an underground museum. They eventually came across other things, including daily objects, trading objects and Roman mosaichs from what was probably a private bath.

You can also get a glimpse of some of the wooden stakes on which Lisbon's downtown was rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake.

Afterwards we went to the city's medieval episcopal church, whose cloister has been escavated in the past few years. Archaeologists found a Roman stepped road that probably went from one of hills all the way down to the river. The road was later used as a floor for several houses, as at the close of Antiquity the concentration of population inside the city walls made every available space precious. On the other end of the cloister, the wall of a house from Moorish Lisbon was found and it still had some of its original paiting! It seems that salmon was a popular colour back then :p



On the left side, Roman road and one of its steps; on the right, the walls of the Moorish house.

Next to the church stands the Roman Theater Museum. The remains of the theater were only found in the earthquake's aftermath, since this sort of natural catastrophies are usually an archaeological feast as broken structures reveal their building blocks - often older materials - and what's under their foundations. At the time, someone proposed a full reconstruction of the theater but there was a pressing need to build new houses, so the ruins were covered up again. Still, the author of the idea did leave us very detailed notes and drawings, which allows us to fill in the gaps of what little has been escavated today.



On the left, some surviving pieces from the theater; on the right, outside ruins. The red arrow points at what's left of one of the tunels that went beneath the theater seats.

Finally, we took a look at two Roman ex-votos and one comemorative inscription that were used as construction material in the 18th century. Fortunately, someone back then noticed it and had the wisdom of at least face them outwards, which means you can still read them, though they're stuck in a wall. They refer to promises made to the gods Mercury and Cybele and comemorate a Roman nobleman from Lisbon, respectively.

Well, this post is already long enough. Next month I should get some news on my phd proposal, so I'll write again around that time (and post more pictures). If you want to add links to your texts, you can check how to do it here.

Cheers!

hello all

Hi guys, the blog is a great idea but looks to be in danger of a slow death so here is some quick resucitation. I'm still in Perth and am starting to be roped into doing things for UWA - I've agreed to become the Treasurer of the local medieval and renaissance group, and have also been asked to co-ordinate the postgrad medieval/early modern student group, which I've declined - I think phd, treasurer, and Aurore coming out is enough to happily fill my time, plus all that wonderful music that keeps coming out!!

I've now submitted my phd scholarship proposal to UWA and will post one to Melbourne next week, and I'm hoping that Alex's referee forms will arrive in time. I've also just finished a journal article which I'll send off soon - hopefully they'll accept it!

Last week I went to visit my grandparents in Dongara, a seaside town about 400km north of Perth. While there I also went to the town I lived in from the age of 10-15, which is an hour and a half inland in an area currently in drought. It was interesting to return and have a look but I'm very glad we moved back to the city!!

So currently my life is taken up with work, where I'm acting supervisor and seem to spend far too much time in boring meetings, listening to music, study, and late night internet chats - it will get better!!

...And hello from France!

Hi everyone!


Here is the fourth of us! Back to the old routine, where the four of us never met and never meet. Here the yellow leaves of autumn are replacing the green leaves of an eventful summer! After a bit more than two weeks of excavations full of drawings (cf the photo!), I got a wonderful job for one month in Mc Donald’s: selling food. The beginning of the term is about ten days away now! How strange it is to be back in Rouen with the previous friends, teachers, places to eat... I have to admit that I miss Uppsala, the kanelbullar, our interesting courses in English (very interesting compared to what I’ve done here so far for ten days), meeting each other in Ofvandhals or at Aylin’s for a great dinner and also…listening to some of you talking about women and gay males and sex! But I’ll be back soon to Sweden for one week or so, to finish my thesis research there, and to draw some ceramics in the historical museum of Stockhom. It will be strange. I have now to concentrate on my thesis, and hopefully finish it by June to be able to live one year (at first) in ‘Kangaroo Land’! How exciting it will be!
This blog is a great idea, as it will allow us to meet again, even if only in the cyberspace! But please, just like in the real life, be indulgent with my English. I’m almost the only non-English speaker here, Hélio doesn’t really count! Off to eat a delicious couscous now! Sigh…happiness of living with a nice cordon-bleu cook father!

Ciao amici!

Sumer History anyone...

Sending a reminder of me when I was relaxed on a boat..Nothing like that now. Still desperately searching for work. Shane I am really proud of you and you too Helio! God you are going to become famous academics soon! notice the slight tinge of jealousy!(smiling) Helio good luck with the PHD I'm SURE you will get it. Who else knows so much about that field in Lisbon?! I have started to read an interesting book on Sumer History, translated into Turkish, it argues that the bible and the Torah were actually based on myths from Sumer history. She makes a good argument, but basically there is only her knowledge and one other man who is the best in the field. Helio, it's an agricultural society and therefore there are fertility gods, and sexual rites related to that. Not sure if it can be related to Norse but will make notes.. also found a book by Yale University Press-Bisexuality in the Ancient World-Eva Cantarrella. Have you read it? Should i get it if i ever make money? Well I am desperate to get back to some sort of studying, otherwise I will lose my mind, I've started to look for Roman law in Turkish! English books are in Pounds Sterling!!! Thankfully there are secondhand shops! Do you really think I should make my paper into an article, and if so who would look at it? Well, off to read some more, frustrated in more ways then one!!! :) Glad I have you guys..