Easter Island has long been the subject of curiosity and speculation. How and why did its inhabitants carve and transport the massive statues which surround the island? What remains of this culture today, and what lessons can we learn from their legacy? This page is a resource for information on the Internet about Easter Island, also known as “Rapa Nui” and “Isla de Pascua”.
“Easter Island is over 2,000 miles from the nearest population center, (Tahiti and Chile), making it one of the most isolated places on Earth. There has been much controversy and confusion concerning the origins of the Easter Islanders. Thor Heyerdahl proposed that the people who built the statues were of Peruvian descent, due to a similarity between Rapa Nui and Incan stonework. Some have suggested that Easter Island is the remnant of a lost continent, or the result of an extra-terrestrial influence . Archaeological evidence, however, indicates discovery of the island by Polynesians at about 400 AD – led, according to legend, by Hotu Matua. Upon their arrival, an impressive and enigmatic culture began to develop. In addition to the statues, the islanders possessed the Rongorongo script; the only written language in Oceania. The island is also home to many petroglyphs (rock carvings), as well as traditional wood carvings, tapa (barkcloth) crafts, tattooing, string figures, dance and music.”
“The mystical city Istanbul hosted many civilizations since centuries, of which Byzantium and Ottoman Empires were both the most famous ones. The city today carries the characteristics of these two different cultures and surely Hagia Sophia is a perfect synthesis where one can observe both Ottoman and Byzantium effects under one great dome.
If there is one work that realizes the ‘ideal’ Byzantine model, it is the astonishing church of Hagia Sophia built as the new Cathedral of Constantinople by the Emperor Justinian…He intended it as the keystone of his vast architectural campaign…”
Hagia Sophia was built in the amazingly short time of five years…The daring of the design, and perhaps the speed of the construction, made the structure unstable. Its first dome fell after an earthquake, and its replacement had to be repaired after partial collapses in the ninth and fourteenth centuries.
Mosaic over the imperial entrance to the interior. Photo made by Helen Betts
The choice of plan was…decided and imposed by Justinian himself. “Santa Sophia does not have the basilical plan generally adopted for large buildings, but is on the centralized pattern… The architectural form of Santa Sophia is concealed by the richness of decoration. The walls, from the ground up, are covered in identical manner. Plaques of red, yellow and green marble blend with the mosaics, and these are further embellished by the capitals, imposts, architraves and friezes”.
”Located in Australia’s Kata Tjuta National Park, Uluru, also called Ayers rock, is the world’s largest monolith, and one of Australia’s most famous natural wonders. Ayers rock Uluru has long been a sacred site for Aboriginal peoples, and is one of the most stunning natural sites travelers will see when coming to the North Territory.
Not only is the breathtaking rock incredibly impressive due to its size, but also due to the strange colors it reflects back from the sun at different times during the day. Shadows on the rock face are also constantly changing with the movement of the sun, altering the look of the rock from moment to moment”.
Uluru is considered once of the great wonders of the world.It is one of Australia’s most recognisable natural icons.It is located on a major planetary grid point much like the Great Pyramid in Egypt.
“The Lascaux cave paintings were discovered on Thursday, September 12, 1940, by four French teenagers. The news of the discovery quickly spread and many villagers came to see it themselves. Soon archaeologists visited the site as well.
Lascaux cave painting. Public domain.
Shortly after World War II ended, the entrance to the cave was enlarged and the floor was lowered to enable easier access for visitors. Nearly 1,200 tourists visited the cave every day.
By 1955, it became apparent that the cave’s popularity had begun to cause significant damage. A study showed that the primary cause was the high levels of carbon dioxide from the visitors’ breath.
A system was implemented to monitor carbon dioxide levels, but soon patches of green algae on the walls and other damage began to appear. To protect the ancient site from further damage, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs closed the Lascaux cave to the public on April 20, 1963. The original climatic conditions were recreated, and the site is now in the state in which it was discovered in 1940.
TheLascaux caves a cave complex in southwestern France, contain some of the most remarkable paleolithic cave paintings in the world. Known as “the prehistoric Sistine Chapel” the Lascaux paintings are at least 15,000 years old.”
“The Eiffel Tower was built for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889 commemorating the centenary of the French Revolution. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII of England, opened the tower. Of the 700 proposals submitted in a design competition, Gustave Eiffel’s was unanimously chosen. However it was not accepted by all at first, and a petition of 300 names – including those of Maupassant, Emile Zola, Charles Garnier (architect of the Opéra Garnier), and Dumas the Younger – protested its construction.”
Author:George Stoev
“In 1889, Gustave Eiffel began to fit the peak of the tower as an observation station to measure the speed of wind. He also encouraged several scientific experiments including Foucault’s giant pendulum, a mercury barometer and the first experiment of radio transmission. In 1898, Eugene Ducretet at the Pantheon, received signals from the tower.The tower was almost torn down in 1909, but was saved because of its antenna used both for military and other purposes, and the city let it stand after the permit expired. When the tower played an important role in capturing the infamous spy Mata Hari during World War I, it gained such importance to the French people that there was no more thought of demolishing it.- used for telegraphy at that time.From 1910 and on the Eiffel Tower became part of the International Time Service. French radio (since 1918), and French television (since 1957) have also made use of its stature.At 300 meters (320.75 m including antenna), and 7,000 tons, it was the world’s tallest building until 1930.”
During its lifetime, the Eiffel Tower has also witnessed a few strange scenes, including being scaled by a mountaineer in 1954, and parachuted off of in 1984 by two Englishmen. For many (including me) the tower is sign of love and adoration
