Historical site Bagheera - secrets of history, mysteries of the universe. Mysteries of great empires and ancient civilizations, the fate of disappeared treasures and biographies of people who changed the world, secrets of special services. The history of wars, mysteries of battles and battles, reconnaissance operations of the past and present. World traditions, modern life in Russia, the mysteries of the USSR, the main directions of culture and other related topics - everything that official history is silent about.

Study the secrets of history - it's interesting...

Currently reading

Places on the planet that have not yet been mapped are often called “white spots.” But science has not yet decided what color to paint the surfaces of “extra” cartographic objects. What is known for certain is that changes in the Earth’s surface occur all the time, and even modern technical means do not allow us to avoid the need to pick up an eraser and erase an extra element from the map.

He was a man of extraordinary destiny - a soldier and a scientist, a propagandist and a revolutionary, a diplomat and a journalist. But many people know Richard Sorge only as a spy who worked in Japan for many years, supplying important information from there to the USSR. However, there is still debate about their real value, because Stalin himself did not particularly trust the resident under the call sign Ramsay.

Take a look on the Internet and you will find a lot of statements about “how bad Americans are.” Moreover, many people are clearly gloating that they, just like we did in our time, “got caught up” in Afghanistan and “got stuck in it up to our ears.” But there are different opinions, and today our story will focus on whether this is really so.

On April 27, 1988, on the second anniversary of Chernobyl, academician Valery Legasov was found dead in his apartment. The next day, the scientist who spent four months at the site of the disaster was supposed to announce his results of the investigation into its causes. Valery Alekseevich passed away in the prime of his creative and physical strength at the age of 52. Along with Legasov’s archival documents, the investigation seized five audio tapes on which the academician dictated his thoughts on the Chernobyl accident, as well as the chronology of the liquidation of its consequences with previously unknown details.

After the Red government was overthrown in Finland in 1918, hundreds of local communists fled to Russia. In August 1918, the Finnish Communist Party - FKP - was created in Moscow. Petrograd became the center of Finnish emigration.

The wars between the two great powers of antiquity - Rome and Carthage - are one of the most famous pages of world military history. These wars were called Punic ("punes" - that's what the Romans called the inhabitants of Carthage). There were three Punic Wars in total. Since ancient times, each of them has been overgrown with a whole bunch of myths and established misconceptions. Today our story is about the First Punic War (264-241 BC).

Towards the middle of the year, many of the holidays of our ancestors were dedicated to preparing for the harvest. And also - as in other months - the struggle between good and evil, in which good invariably won.

All women in all centuries give birth in the same way - in accordance with the general level of development of medicine in this particular country. Persons of royal blood also did not have any privileges during childbirth; rather, it was even more difficult for them in some ways than for ordinary peasant women. However, judge for yourself.

The shield had a center with a slight elevation, which symbolized the firmament of the earth, which, according to the ancients, had the shape of a shield with a middle mountain, the “navel of the earth.” On the shield, Hephaestus depicted the earth, sky, stars, as well as numerous episodes of urban and rural life.

On the round shield, as on the circle of the earth, the fullness of human life unfolds: marriage and war, plowing and harvesting, grape harvest and pasture. This series is completed by a picture of a round dance, where beautiful young men and maidens skillfully dance. Each of the paintings is an animation: the figures depicted on the shield begin to move, and entire stories are played out before the beholder (listener or reader). The sounds of music, the roar of animals and the voices of people are heard so clearly that it becomes known what the characters are talking about, and the experiences that fill their hearts are also known. Hephaestus surrounded the outer rim of the shield with an image of the “terrible power of the Ocean River” in accordance with how, according to the cosmology of Homeric times, the Ocean embraces the Earth. The fact that one of the paintings represents a battlefield, where “Malice, Trouble, and the terrible Death between them prowl,” and the other depicts a bloody battle between shepherds and lions, does not prevent Homer from repeatedly using the lexemes “joy”, “when describing the shield.” fun", "miracle", "beautiful" and their derivatives. The words with the semantics of light, brilliance, radiance have the highest frequency in this fragment.

In a uniform and strong light, a thing appears before us, like a mirror, reflecting the entire natural and human world. Homer unites the elements and objects, plants and animals, people and demons, life and death in a harmonious, never-ending round dance. The image of the circle of life becomes the dominant feature of this fragment: not only is the shield itself round, but also in each of the paintings the figures are either gathered in a circle, or dancing in a round dance, or making return circular movements. Conceptually, the shield, representing the entirety of the world, is similar to the whole of the Homeric epic, which is considered an “encyclopedia of Hellenic life”, since the poems provide enough material for the reconstruction of beliefs, ideas about nature, rituals, holidays, customs, methods of management and warfare - in a word, everything way of life and structure of thought of the ancient Greeks of the archaic period.

Despite the fact that Homer sets in motion and gives voice to the images covering the surface of the shield, they still remain unchanged in their very vividness, they are eternal, like the durable noble metals from which the shield is made. The shape of Achilles' shield also recalls the eternal return, the motionless time of myth in which the action of the poem unfolds.

Of course, the wondrous shield was made by God, but the Hellenes believed that all arts and crafts are a divine gift, and then on all things, regardless of whether they are made by divine or human hands, lies the reflection of heavenly fire. Homer convincingly demonstrates the ability of a thing, if not to contain the world, then to bear its trace, to testify to the completeness, harmony and perfection of the cosmos. The thing radiates the radiance of meaning, it is revealed in it, presented. The act of creating a thing is recognized as an effort to resist darkness. The contemplation of a thing pleases the heart and elevates the mind. The way Homer constructs a statement about a thing is fundamental to understanding his artistic world, as well as the construction of the souls of his contemporaries.

“Why are you, Thetis, covered with a veil, coming to our house,
425Dear and venerable to us? you rarely visit us.
Molvi, what do you want? my heart tells me to do it,
If I can do it and if it can be done.”

And Thetis, bursting into tears, spoke to Hephaestus<…>

Tells the story of Achilles.
<…>The famous Amphigia immediately answered her:
“Be calm and don’t lose heart about it anymore.
ABOUT! Yes, I can Achilles is far from terrible death
465It’s just as easy for me to hide when a powerful doom befalls him,
How easy it is for me to make armor for him, with which
Everyone from countless mortals will be amazed, having seen!

Having said this, he left her and began to work on the furs.
He turned them all towards the fire and gave the order to act.
470At once twenty bellows suffocated into the furnace holes,
Breathing from their different blows, fanning the flames,
Either impetuous, serving those in a hurry, or calm,
Looking at the will of the creator and the need of the work being created.
He himself plunged the indestructible copper into the blazing fire,
475 Threw tin, silver, precious gold; and after
He planted a heavy anvil on the pillar, and in the right hand
He took a huge hammer, and he grabbed the pincers with another.

And at first he worked as a shield, both huge and strong,
Decorating everything gracefully; he drew a rim around it
480White, shiny, triple; and attached a silver belt.
The shield consisted of five sheets and on a wide circle
God has created many wonderful things according to his creative plans.
There he imagined the earth, imagined both the sky and the sea,
The sun, on its tireless journey, a full silver month,
485All the beautiful stars with which the sky is crowned:
Visible in their host are the Pleiades, Hyades and the power of Orion,
Arktos, still called by the sons of the earth as a chariot;
There he always turns, always watches Orion
And only one shies away from washing himself in the waves of the Ocean.

490There he introduced two cities of clear-speaking peoples:
In the first, beautifully arranged, marriages and feasts took place.
There are brides from the palaces, bright and shining lamps,
Wedding songs are accompanied by clicks, along the city streets.
The young men dance in choruses; are heard between them
495The lyre and pipes are cheerful sounds; respectable wives
They look at them and marvel, standing on the gate porches.
Further, many people crowd into the marketplace; noisy
A dispute arose there; two people argued about foam,
Bribe for murder; and he swore alone, declaring to the people,
500As if he had paid everything; and the other denied admission.

Both decided, having presented witnesses, to end their litigation
The citizens around them shout, each wishing for his own:
The messengers tame their noisy cry; and the city elders
Silently they sit on hewn stones in the middle of the sacred circle;
505Scepters are accepted into the hands of loud-voiced messengers;
They stand with them, and one by one they pronounce their judgment.
In the circle before them lie two talents of pure gold,
A bribe for the one who proves the right more justly.

Another city was surrounded by two strong armies of nations.
510Weapons flashing terribly. Rati was threatened in two ways:
Either destroy, or citizens must separate from them
All the riches that their blossoming city contains.
They had not yet bowed down and were preparing for a secret ambush.
The husband, with his visors, will guard the wall,
515Young sons and husbands, whom old age has overtaken,
They go out themselves; Ares and Pallas are their leaders,
Both are golden, both dressed in golden clothing;
Their appearance is beautiful, they are majestic in armor, real gods!
They are different to everyone; people are far below them.
520They came to the place where it seemed convenient for them to ambush,
To the river bank, where there was a watering place for heterogeneous herds,
They sit there, hiding behind shiny copper.
Two of their spies, having separated, sit in front.
They look around to see if they see sheep and oxen coming.
525Soon the herds appeared; two shepherds tending their flocks,
Amusing themselves with the ringing lantern, they walk, not anticipating any treachery.
The entrenched men quickly attack when they see them;
They rob and drive away horned oxen and silver-fleece sheep:
The whole flock was driven away and the shepherds of the flock were killed.
530In the camp, when they soon heard the cry and alarm of the herd,
Warriors standing in the guard square quickly mounted their horses
The stormy ones jumped up, galloped in response to the shout and were instantly there.
They form formations and fight along the river bank in battle;
They stab each other, throwing copper spears rapidly.
535 Malice and Troubles prowl, and the terrible Death between them:
She either holds the pierced one or catches the unpierced one,
Or the body of someone killed by the leg is dragged along the slash;
The robe on her chest is stained with human blood.
In battle, like living people, they attack and fight,
540And one before the other the bloody corpses are carried away.

He also made a wide field on it, rich arable land.
Loose, three times plowed fallow; there are farmers on it
They drive the jugular oxen, turning back and forth;
And always, as the fields approach the end,
545Into each hand is a cup of wine that gladdens the heart,
The husband serves; and they, turning in their lanes,
They again rush to reach the end of the deep steam.

The field, although golden, turns black behind the screaming ones,
Like a plowed field: he imagined such a miracle.

550Next he made a field with high fields; harvest
The mercenaries stung, sparkling with sharp sickles in their hands.
Here, thick handfuls fall in a continuous strip;
There the bandages tie them into sheaves with bandages.
Three bandagers follow the reapers; behind them are their children,
555A handful of ears quickly, one after another in armfuls
They are served to knitters. The ruler between them, silently,

With a club in his hand, he stands on the reins and has fun with his soul.
The messengers are preparing a meal at a distance, under the shade of an oak tree;
Having slaughtered an ox as a sacrifice, they fuss around it; and the wives
560White flour is sown for a sweet supper for those who reap.

He made a vineyard on it, laden with grapes,
All golden, only the grape clusters were blackened;
And he stood on silver supports embedded nearby.
Near the garden and the moat there is a dark blue and a white wall
565Brought out of tin; there was one path leading to the garden,
Which porters walk when the grapes are harvested.
There are both girls and boys, with childish gaiety of heart,
The sweet fruit was carried in beautiful wicker baskets.
In their circle there is a beautiful youth with a ringing lyre
570Sweetly rattled, singing beautifully to the flaxen strings
In a thin voice; they dance around him harmoniously,
Singing, and shouting, and stamping their feet, they rush in a round dance.

There he also presented the herd with oxen raising their horns:
He made some of them from gold, and others from tin.
575With a roar, the oxen break out of the fences and rush towards the pasture,
To a noisy river, to thick reeds along a damp bank.
Following the flock are the shepherds and the four, golden ones,
And they are followed by nine fleet-footed dogs.
Two thick-maned lions attack the leading oxen,
580The heavy mooing bull is caught; and he roars terribly,
Drawn by lions; and the dogs defend and the young men rush;
The lions felled him and, tearing off his huge skin,
Black blood and womb are swallowed; they work in vain
The shepherds scare the lions, inciting the fleet-footed dogs.
585The dogs do not listen to them; trembling lions, they do not take them with their teeth:
They will come close, bark at them and run back.

590There the famous Hephaestus performed a varied round dance,
Equal to him as ancient in the wide-arranged Knossos
The cunning Daedalus made Ariadne beautiful-haired.
Here are young men and blooming maidens, desired by many,
They dance in a circular choir, kindly intertwining their hands.
595Virgins in linen and light clothes, youths in vestments

They are lightly dressed, and their purity, like oil, shines;
Those - lovely wreaths of flowers decorate everyone;
These are golden knives, on silver belts over the shoulder.
They dance and spin with their skillful feet,
600As easily as a wheel can be turned under a testing hand,
If a poor person tests him to see if he can spin easily;
Then they will develop and dance in rows, one after another.
A crowd of villagers surrounds a captivating choir and heartily

604-605 He admires him; two among the circle of their heads
Starting to sing in tune, they spin wonderfully in the middle.

There the rivers of the Ocean presented a terrible power,
With which, under the upper rim, he surrounded the magnificent shield.

Having made the shield so ornately, both huge and strong,
610 Hephaestus made the armor lighter than the fiery flame;
He also made a heavy sheath, proportionate to the head of Peleion,
Magnificent, adorned all around, topped with a golden comb;
Then he made leggings from flexible tin.
And when the Olympic artist forged all the armor,
615Taking; He laid them on the ground in front of Pelid's mother.
And, like a hawk, she is from Olympus, hoarded with snow.
She rushed, rushing away from Hephaestus to bring her son’s shining armor.

Every fruitful hypothesis initiates an astonishing eruption of unforeseen discoveries.

Brillouin

According to legend, the shield of Achillesforged in one night by Hephaestus. Achilles' shield had a raised center, symbolizing "The center of the world" On the shield of Achilles, Hephaestus forged the earth, sky and stars. According to legend, no one had such a shield: neither the warriors nor the Olympian gods. Heinrich Schliemann tried unsuccessfully to discover the Shield of Achilles all his life. So what was Achilles' shield? Researchers of Homer's Iliad have long paid attention to the cosmogonic information woven into the narrative of the death of Troy. This is how one of theelectric dischargespace explosionswho destroyed Troy, in the eighteenth chapter of the Iliad:"Got up Achilles, favorite of Zeus. Athena dressed his powerful shoulders with the fringed aegis of Zeus. The goddess of goddesses thickened a golden cloud above her head, and lit a dazzling flame around herself..

Just like smoke rising from the city rises to the skycdistant islands, where the city is besieged by the enemy; ... the light from Achilles' head reached the ether. ... Everyone’s heart trembled. The swift horses turned back in their chariots, sensing the death threatening their spirit. The drivers were horrified, seeing the unquenchable fire above the head of Achilles Pelides, high in spirit, blazing terribly; it was kindled by Pallas Athena. God-like Achilles shouted three times terribly over the ditch» . (see “European epic of antiquity and the Middle Ages” M., Children's Literature, 1989, pp. 145-146.) It must be assumed that the height of the fiery pillar of the electric-discharge cosmic explosion that destroyed Troy, described in the Iliad, was very large, after all, the word “ether” (from the Greek aether), among the ancient Greeks, meant topmostatmospheric layer, in which the gods lived. I said this so that it can be clearly seen that the shield of Achilles, made by Hephaestus, is a type of world horoscope, which served to count down the time of the onset of the upcoming global space catastrophe (“ end of the world»): "First of all I forged shield it is huge and strong, decorating it everywhere; I forged a rim along the edge Bright, triple; and he made a silver strap for it at the back. There were five layers on this shield; on them he skillfully presented many different objects, cleverly planning them. In the middle of the shield he created the earth and the sky and the sea, the Tireless Sun, and full silver month, He also depicted the constellations with which the sky is crowned; Were visible Pleiades, Hyades And Orion's power, Also Ursa- the one that is also called the Cart; She walks across the sky and secretly watches Orion and is the only one who is not involved in swimming in the waves of the Ocean.”. (ibid., p. 152). Isn't it true that this resembles the description Star disk from Mittelberg?

Later, when talking about meteorite showers, we will clarify this information, but for now let’s recall some places from the legend of Achilles, which the Achaeans identified with cosmic explosions that occurred over Achaea.

According to legend, Achilles' mother, Thetis, wanting to make him invulnerable, holding the heel, dipped him into the waters of the underground river Styx. Therefore, the heel turned out to be Achilles’s only vulnerable spot. And still the expression "Achilles' heel" means "vulnerable spot" a place of death. This mythological story is known to every schoolchild. In Russian the word Pyatina designated pillar base, including the fiery pillar of a cosmic explosion. In addition, in the world flood mythology the symbols “ retribution comets» served figure five and a hand. According to the legend, death of Achilles everyone mourned Achaeans, after which he was burned and buried in gold urn, made by Hephaestus in the burial mound at Cape Sigei, at the entrance to the Hellespont from the Aegean Sea.

And this myth has its own historical justification. As archaeological excavations testify, after the Cretan cosmic catastrophe of 1528 BC, many areas of Achaea were almost completely depopulated. Therefore, it is easy for us to extract scientific information from the myth of Achilles. The mythological dictionary testifies that “there were also sanctuaries of Achilles in the cities of Byzantium, Erythra, near Smyrna, on the island of Levka at the mouth of the Danube, in the Northern Black Sea region, in Olbia, near the Kerch Strait, where there were temples, altars and just plots of land dedicated to Achilles". (See Mythological Dictionary edited by E.M. Meletinsky, M., “Soviet Encyclopedia” 1990)

I believe that in this case we are talking about scorched areas of the earth, which were traces of cosmic explosions of the Cretan space catastrophe (“ Pyatinakh"), which the Greeks called by the mythological term Achilles' heel. It should also be recalled that Paris, who struck Achilles in the heel with an arrow, was born by Hecuba, who, during pregnancy, had a prophetic dream that she gave birth to a flaming torch (comet), from which Troy burned. And I admire the brilliant mythological interpretation of this cosmic catastrophe. Cosmic explosions that caused massive deaths of troops, in addition to the Iliad, are also described in “ Mahabharata", in the chronicles of the times of the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose the Second, as well as in Russian chronicles, which will be discussed in detail during the course of the story. Traditions of Mithraism, which substantiated the legislative basis for the mythologization of all information about global space disasters associated with “ comet - retribution"in Christianity, which I already wrote about in the article about tauroctonia, made it possible to create a magnificent world mythological school with its own traditions and laws. Thanks to this, ancient authors, with the help of myths, managed to convey to us without distortion scientific information about space disasters of the past, and especially in detail about Noah's flood.

And I managed to fairly fully recreate the events of this disaster. And so that the reader does not get the impression that the above explanation was invented by me to justify my hypothesis, let’s expand the scope of information about “ space fives» , taking as an example facts from world religions: Judaism, Islam and Russian Orthodoxy.

It is not without reason that Jerusalem is considered the city of three religions, because This is where one of the most powerful cosmic explosions took place Cretan disaster of 1528 BC. The events of this cosmic catastrophe formed the basis of all major modern religious beliefs. According to one legend, in ancient times, on the top of Mount Moriah, a archangel with a fiery sword, who brought it over the holy city of Jerusalem. And in that place "Where heel The divine messenger touched the rock, the rock turned black and melted. And in this form it has remained to this day.". Later, David's son Solomon would place a altar, and then the famous Jerusalem Temple, the ruins of which are still amazing and are one of the greatest Jewish shrines. By the way, in the drawing accompanying the text of the legend, the fiery sword of the archangel is depicted in the form of a tailed comet.

Mount Moriah is also associated with a beautiful Muslim legend about the foundation of the most amazing Caliph Omar Mosque. This mosque has created a unique light effect, which, penetrating inside through colored glass, flickers with all colors. rainbows, reminding about Rainbow of the Covenant. According to Muslim legend, later, on top of Mount Moriah, The memorable events of the Muslim “Night of Ascension” also took place, during which the Almighty transmitted to the prophet the divine knowledge of the Koran, and it was from this mountain that the Prophet Muhammad began the difficult path to the establishment of the Muslim faith. Currently, the symbolic place of the epicenter of the cosmic catastrophe is shown to gullible tourists and pilgrims as « the center of the world » and the center of the whole world.

Needless to say, not far from Jerusalem, considered the navel of the Earth, there is Ginnom valley, better known as biblical "fiery Gehenna", in which thousands of city residents died, seeking salvation from a cosmic explosion. The place of another “underworld” (i.e., the epicenter of another cosmic explosion) of the cosmic catastrophe of 1528 BC. legends call the city Kutu(modern Tell Ibrahim). Moreover, the consequences of this cosmic explosion were so horrifyingly terrible for eyewitnesses who visited the site of the tragedy that Muslims still often call the underworld the word kutu.

And the word Armageddon(literally “top” Megiddo mountains » ), due to the death of the city of the same name from a cosmic catastrophe, is still a common noun to designate the “second coming” and “last judgment” among Christians.

In addition, we should talk about the most famous hours in Orloy, which count down the time remaining until the next appearance " comets - retribution”, which was symbolically depicted as an “angel with a fiery sword”, who counts down the time remaining until end of the world.

The Iliad talks a lot about shields and tastefully. The description of Achilles' shield alone is worth it. But we must not forget that the Trojan War took place somewhere in the range of 1250 - 1100. But the entire era of the Minoan time, the Cretan-Mycenaean culture, the Achaean period and the Aegean civilization (in fact, they are all the same thing!) began earlier and ended somewhat later than this time. Therefore, the story about the most common round shields around the world should begin with the fact that such round shields began to be used in the Aegean region around 1300 BC.

Mycenaean dagger with a hunting scene. Athens Archaeological Museum.

Moreover, all-metal (bronze) shields of this time are known from finds in Central and Northern Europe, but not in Hellas and Asia Minor. But since well-preserved round bronze shields are found there, their use is considered completely possible by the warriors of the Achaean world.

Figurine of a god or warrior from Enkomi, Cyprus (c. 1200 BC). Museum in Nicosia.

Some of the gold plaques, buttons and terracotta decorations from the royal mine graves at Mycenae dated to 1500 BC. were interpreted by Heinrich Schliemann as miniature copies of shields. His view is supported by the discovery of a large wooden object (which was assembled from many fragments) in Grave No. 5 at Mycenae (c. 1500 BC), as it is almost certainly part of a shield. In the center of the preserved part there is a round hole, which served to attach the handle, which was covered from the outside by a metal umbon.

Map of the Aegean world.

There is a fragment of a fresco with a hunting scene from Pylos (circa 1300 BC), which also shows a round shield. Round shields made of several layers of leather are also described in the Iliad. There is a copper figurine, an "Enkomi figure", depicting a warrior with a spear and a round shield. The warriors of the “Sea Peoples” depicted on the reliefs of the Temple of Ramses II in Medinet Habu are also armed with round shields.

But it was in this part of the world that the so-called “proto-Dipylonian” shield, which had the appearance of a huge convex figure eight, appeared, completely unusual in shape. These shields had a vertical wooden edge and a base most likely woven from wicker and covered with ox hide.

Dipylon shield made of leather. Reconstruction. At the beginning of the 8th century. BC. In Greece, there were two main types of shields: oval, with notches on both sides - this type is usually called Dipylonian, after the name of the cemetery in Athens, where many images of such shields were found, and round, with a handle located in the center. The Dipylonian shield is almost certainly directly derived from the Mycenaean figure-eight shields.

When weaving, the rods could be passed through holes in this wooden frame, although this is nothing more than a hypothesis. In this case, the strength characteristics of such a shield increased even more, and it could be covered not with just one skin, but have a cover made of several skins tanned and joined together. In this case, the strength of such a shield could well correspond to the strength of the Kaffir-Zulu shields of the 19th century, which were made from rhinoceros and hippopotamus skin and could withstand the blow of a lion’s clawed paw!

Shield on a fresco from the palace at Knossos (circa 1500 - 1350 BC)

There are plenty of images of these shields. These are frescoes from the palace in Knossos, and Minoan vases and even figurines of lion hunters on the blade of a magnificent bronze dagger from the archaeological museum in Athens. This blade, by the way, depicts two types of shields: “figure-of-eight” and rectangular with a semicircular protrusion at the top.

Such a shield could be reinforced with metal frames along the edges and even covered with a metal sheet on top. It is interesting that in the Iliad, the main material for the shields of the Achaeans and Trojans is tanned bull skins, reinforced with metal elements. There are images of rectangular shields quite clearly covered with bull skin, six outwards, in the famous frescoes from Akrotiri on the island of Santorini.

A lion hunt involving an archer and a spearman with a figure-of-eight shield. Seal from Kudonia, 16th century. BC.

Fresco from the so-called "western house", from Akrotiri on the island of Santorini. On the fresco in its upper part, warriors in helmets made of boar tusks with large, human-sized rectangular shields covered with multi-colored bull skins are clearly visible. Such a shield was supposed to serve the warrior as excellent protection, but its presence also speaks volumes. It makes no sense for one warrior to have such a shield! Only many warriors with such shields, lined up in a phalanx, make sense on the battlefield. This means that the phalanx was already known then. By the way, the long spears in the hands of the warriors confirm this hypothesis. By the way, the drawing itself is very clear, although it was drawn by an artist who lived from us in time immemorial. The warriors protect the city, the women living in it and the shepherds driving their flocks into the city. At sea we see a fleet and divers busy with some important task.

Ajax with his shield. Modern reconstruction.

Simple shields with a “cover” of hairy skin could be significantly improved. For example, by connecting several skins together. This is exactly what the shield of Ajax Telamonides was, that is, “seven-skinned” and still covered with a bronze sheet. It is believed that such a large shield would be too heavy. It is known that the average density of bronze is 8300 kg/m3. Thus, with a sheet size on such a shield from 1.65 m to 1 m, a width of about 70 cm and a thickness of 0.3 mm, it will give us a weight of about 4 kg. The total weight of seven bull hides is 6 kg plus 4 kg of bronze plate, that is, the total weight of the shield will be about 10 kg. It’s hard, but possible, and besides, the Iliad emphasizes that this shield was heavy for Ajax himself.

The Iliad also describes the shield of Achilles, made by the god Hephaestus, and for the sake of beauty, he made many images on it. The famous English scientist Peter Connolly and the Italian historian Raffaele D'Amato tried to reconstruct the scenes depicted on this shield. A lot of work was done, since there were 78 scenes in total on the shield of Achilles, so its volume can be imagined!

To maximize the authenticity of the image and copy the characteristic manner of that time, images from frescoes, as well as various artifacts, were used. For example, hunting dogs - a fresco from Tiryns of the 13th century. BC e.; Achaean woman – Tiryns fresco of the 13th century. BC e.; women on a chariot – Tiryns fresco from the 13th century. BC e.; priestesses from a temple fresco from Mycenae, 13th century. BC e. - and so on.

Reconstruction of the shield of Achilles.

Based on the description in the Iliad, Hector's shield can easily be imagined as a "figure-of-eight" (proto-Dipylonian type) made of several layers of bull hide.

Amazing pages of historical discoveries

Historical artifacts in the modern world are not only confirmation of historical facts, but also sometimes an excellent example for art. One of these is the shield of Achilles. According to historical legends, Hephaestus forged it in one night.

The elevated center implied a kind of symbol of the Earth - the Navel of the Universe. In addition, the earth and starry sky were depicted on the shield. This shield was forged in a single copy. For archaeologists and historians, this is an invaluable find. The German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann spent his entire life searching for the artifact. What exactly is this shield of Achilles?

The chapters of Homer's Illiad reveal to researchers a fantastic picture of the death of the Trojan civilization. The author weaves into the narrative a metaphorical cosmic explosion that allegedly destroyed the beautiful Greek city of Troy. In particular, chapter 18 tells about this event, when Zeus’s favorite Achilles was clothed with a fringed aegis by the goddess Athena.

Around her head, the Greek goddess lit a fiery cloud with a dazzling flame.

Further, the author compares the smoke smog of the besieged city with the smoke that rises from a distant island. The fiery glow of Achilles' head is so huge that it reaches the ether. In ancient Greece, the word “ether” (from the Greek aether) was associated with the upper layers of the atmosphere. Consequently, the pillar of fire was so powerful that those around them were horrified by their imminent death. The author colorfully describes the fear of the charioteers who saw the fiery fire above the head of Achilles Pelides.

It was kindled over Pallas Athena's head. Furious horror overcame them from the cry of God-equal Achilles. Such a meticulous description of the death of a historical tragedy suggests that the Achilles shield represents one of the versions of predictions that mark a certain time for a possible catastrophe of modern civilization, called the “end of the world.” The author’s description of the making of the shield by Hephaestus fully reveals the image of the shield in the minds of his contemporaries. To begin with, the god Hephaestus made a large and durable shield. I decorated the edges with a bright rim. On the other side I attached a silver belt. Not surprisingly, the shield is heavy, as it is made of five layers. God's idea was skillfully embodied in the object.

The middle of the shield is decorated with a symbol of the earth, expanses of water and heavenly beauty, where the heavenly bodies are harmoniously combined: the shining sun, the month in silver. Hephaestus did not forget about the heavenly constellations. Here are majestically placed the Pleiades, the Hyades, and the unknown paths of Orion, and the great Ursa, which is called the Cart. Historians compare this detailed description with the Stellar Disk from Mittelberg. But more on that later. Now, let's remember what the legends of Ancient Greece say about the origin of Achilles. Everyone knows from the school history curriculum that the mother of the god Achilles, Thetis, wanted her son to live forever. To do this, the baby had to be dipped into the sacred river Styx. But since one of Achilles’ legs was not immersed in water, his heel remained vulnerable. In linguistics there is even a phraseological phrase for this “Achilles' heel”, which means a weak point.

The word “pyatina” in the Old Russian language means the base of a pillar. This meaning includes the concept of a cosmic explosion. The number five and a hand were used to designate the symbols of the “retribution comet” in world literature. But let’s return to our legend about the divine being. The death of Achilles plunged the inhabitants of Achaea into grief. After death, the body was burned, and the ashes were placed in a golden urn, which was skillfully made by the same Hephaestus. The urn was placed in a mound near Cape Sigei, overlooking the Aegean Sea. Historians have found confirmation of this legend. Archaeological excavations have shown that as a result of the Cretan cosmic tragedy of 1528 BC, the areas of Achaea were deserted. Scientists have been able to extract information from historical narratives. The mythological dictionary contains information that sacrificial places and temples of the god Achilles were present in the cities of the Black Sea region, Byzantium, and Olbia. Here, perhaps, mention is made of the terrible destruction after the Cretan tragedy “Pyatina”, which the Greeks conventionally called the term Achilles’ heel. In this context, mention should be made of the killer of Achilles, Paris.

Paris Kills Achilles in the heel.

The mother of the god Paris, Hecuba, had a dream about what she carried within her child, a fiery torch that would later burn Troy. The consequence of the prediction came true. One can only admire how the author of the Illiad spoke about the tragedy of Troy with the help of beautiful metaphorical images. In confirmation of what is happening, this is narrated in the Mahabharata. Additional sources for studying the tragedy are historical chronicles from the time of Pharaoh Thutmose of Egypt and Russian chronicles.

The existing tradition of ancient literature in describing the exploits of the gods and the concept of “comet - retribution” associated with these descriptions in Christianity together created a mythological interpretation with certain norms of storytelling. Therefore, the ancient chroniclers were able to clearly and accurately convey the historical truth without speculation. For contemporaries, it is not so much information about a cosmic explosion that is important as information about Noah’s flood. This is probably inspired by the Christian worldview about the end of the world. Having analyzed ancient sources, we can confidently say that it is possible to restore another historical tragedy by making “parallel” understandings about cosmic spots in different religions. According to Brillouin, any reasoned hypothesis can give rise to new research and unforeseen discoveries.

For now, to confirm and convince the hypothesis, let’s take the famous Israeli city of Jerusalem. Our choice is not accidental. The uniqueness of the city is not only in the historical origin of three religious movements, as evidenced by historical monuments. According to legend, a powerful outbreak occurred here in a series of explosions of the Cretan tragedy. Therefore, this fact has been confirmed in the religious sources of all preaching religions.

One of the legends tells of an archangel who divinely appeared on Mount Moriah. He raised his huge sword over Jerusalem. As a result, a cosmic explosion hit the city. The place of the rock where the deity stood looks like a blackened, melted piece of rock. This historical fact has survived to this day. As a sign of worship of the gods, the son of Solomon built an altar at this place. Later the famous Jerusalem Temple was erected. History has not been kind to the majestic structure. But the ruins still delight archaeologists with new finds. It remains noteworthy that in the illustration to the legend the sword of the divine archangel is depicted in the form of a comet.

Jerusalem Temple of Solomon.

The Muslim legend about the mosque of Caliph Omar, by an amazing coincidence, is for some reason connected with the top of Mount Moriah. The architects who built the temple played with the light effects of the sun's rays, transforming their multi-colored reflections. They easily walked inside the temple through the multi-colored glass windows. The peculiar rainbow of colors was reminiscent of the Rainbow of the Covenant. The Muslim legend tells that it was at the top of the mountain that the miracle of ascension took place.

This great event marked the beginning of the origin of Islam. The Almighty gave the future prophet Muhammad the knowledge that is described in the Holy Quran. At the top of the mountain, the prophet preached his knowledge and began his righteous path. For contemporaries this symbolic place became significant. Therefore, the number of pilgrims and tourists wishing to visit the top of Mount Moriah is growing from year to year. Religious beliefs consider it the center of the entire world.

Not far from Mount Moriah is the Ginnom Valley. Christian belief says that many Jerusalem residents died here as they fled from the explosion. Unfortunately, they were plunged into the abyss of “fiery Gehenna.” No one was spared by this powerful force of fire.

Legends indicate another place of the underworld of a cosmic explosion in the city of Kutu or modern Tell Ibrahim. In a deserted place after the tragedy, a beautiful city grew over time. But the scale of the tragedy is still so great that Muslims call the underworld “kutu.” Translated, the top of Mount Megiddo means Armageddon. The word came from a terrible tragedy, which was also damaged by the explosion. In Christianity, the word is associated with the concepts of “second coming” and “last judgment.”

In conclusion, mention should be made of the famous clock in Orloy. According to legend, they count down the time of the end of the world. In the narrative we again encounter the image of an angelic deity with a fiery sword in the form of a comet. Coincidence? Don't think. In any case, I remind you of the theory of historical development. History repeats itself in a spiral. Therefore, perhaps another cosmic explosion awaits earthly civilization, or, as the biblical teaching says, the second coming with a terrible judgment.