Viking Fact Fifteen

Vikings ate two meals a day. Day meal was in the morning after they had put in two hours of work. Night meal was after the day's labor had been completed.


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American Civil War Fact Fifteen

Alexander Hamilton Stephens was the Vice President of the Confederate States of America. He was a U.S. Representative from Georgia. First he was elected to the Confederate Congress and they chose him to be Vice-President of the provisional government. He was then the running mate of Jefferson Davis as they ran unopposed in the Confederate States presidential election in November 1861.


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Ancient Egypt Fact Fifteen

The Ancient Egyptians had the view that Egypt was divided into two types of land. Black land was the area with the black, fertile soil along the Nile River. Red land refers to the vast deserts which acted as a buffer between neighboring countries on both sides.


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Pirate Fact Fifteen

Music was important on ships as a form of entertainment and nearly every ship had its own band. The musicians were very popular with the crew. At a bare minimum they had a drummer, fiddler and someone playing the flute. Bagpipes, oboes and trumpets were among the other instruments sometimes used aboard the ships. 


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St Evaristus Fifth Pope

St Evaristus was the fifth Pope from 97 to 105. He was originally from a Jewish family from Jerusalem although he was born while they were living in Greece. Evaristus converted to Christian and later decided to become a priest. When chosen he didn't think he was worthy of being Pope but accepted the challenge. He was noted for appointing seven deacons to Rome. Pope Evaristus is also credited with dividing Rome into parishes and appointing priests to over see them just as Pope Anacletus had done. This may have been necessary due to the constant persecution the Christians were under and organization was undone when Roman Emperor Trajan exiled Pope Clement I. Pope Evaristus was arrested an imprisoned. Whether he just died in prison or was executed is unconfirmed. His Feast day is celebrated on October 26.

Ancient Seven Wonders of the World Fact Fourteen

Contrary to popular belief the Pyramids at Giza were not built by slaves but by farmers. There were numerous farmers available and willing to work when the Nile River flooded their fields in late summer and early autumn each year. They were paid with food and clothing and given a place to live during the flooding.


Ancient Seven Wonders page

Colossus of Rhodes

The Colossus of Rhodes was a bronze statue on the Greek island of Rhodes and was one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. The statue was commissioned to commemorate a decisive victory on the island. After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC three of his generals divided the empire into three regions and Rhodes was within the region controlled by General Ptolemy. General Antigonus was one of the other generals and he ordered his son Demetrius to invade Rhodes in 305 BC. Demetrius commanded 40,000 troops and 200 warships but could not break through the defenses of Rhodes.

The people of Rhodes determined the victory should be remembered by a statue dedicated in honor of Helios, the patron god of Rhodes. Greek sculptor Chares of Lindos started in 294 BC to cast the giant bronze monument and it took Chares and his laborers 12 years to complete the task. The project was financed by the sale of equipment left behind by the army of Demetrius. The statue was completed in 280 BC.

The most popular theory is that the statue was forged around towers of stone blocks. The bronze sculpture was 110 feet or 30 meters tall and stood on a marble base that was 50 feet or 15 meters tall. It stood at the entrance of the harbor which was at the intersection of the sea-trade routes to Asia Minor and Egypt. Some historians thought the statue of Helios may have been nude while others believed the figure was semi-nude holding a cloak. There were also differing theories whether the statue had the feet together or standing apart.

The statue was severely damaged by an earthquake in 226 BC which broke it off at the knees. Egyptian King Ptolemy III offered to rebuild the statue commemorating his grandfather's victory but an oracle advised against it. The ruins of the Colossus of Rhodes remained on the ground for 900 years to be seen by visitors from around the world. Then in 654 AD Arab Muslims conquered Rhodes and dismantled the remains of the statue and transported the pieces to Syria so they could sell the metal.



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