~ Seated Puppy.

Culture: Jalisco

Date: 300 B.C.-A.D. 300

Period: Late Pre-Classic

Medium: Ceramic buffware with ochre paint overall

Roman Funerary Altar Found in Italy

Buried in a rocky riverbed in northern Italy sat a forgotten ancient artifact. The artifact certainly wasn’t intended to be forgotten. It was too big and ostentatious for that. But the waterway and the passing centuries had prevailed over the ancient stone.

Not anymore.

Ervino Silvestri spotted the ancient artifact in the gravel of the Torre river in San Vito al Torre and alerted officials, the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape of Friuli Venezia Giulia said in a Feb. 22 news release.

Archaeologists excavated the riverbank and unearthed a massive block of carved limestone. They identified it as an ancient Roman funeral monument.

The monument weighed about 13,000 pounds, archaeologists said. One corner of the rectangular monument was chipped, but the rest was generally intact.

One end had a carved figure of Erotes holding a torch and poppy flower, symbols of eternal sleep or death, officials said. A photo shows the figure inside a carved frame.

Erotes was a figure of ancient Roman mythology comparable to Cupid or Eros, according to Britannica. Although generally the god of love, Eros could represent different symbols in different contexts.

Archaeologists also found an inscription on the ancient Roman monument but did not provide a translation.

The decoration style indicated the monument was from the high imperial era. Archaeologists did not give a specific date range, but, according to National Geographic, ancient Rome’s imperial era lasted from 27 B.C. to 476 A.D., peaking in 117 A.D.

The stone monument was so heavy that an excavator was needed to move it, officials said. Photos show this process. The artifact was placed in a temporary shelter for cleaning and further study.

Excavations of the gravel riverbed also uncovered a stone urn, a limestone carving of a man’s face, other limestone artifacts, bricks and tile pieces, archaeologists said. Photos shared by officials in a Feb. 22 Facebook post show some of these finds.

San Vito al Torre is about 300 miles northwest of Rome and near the Italy-Slovenia border.

By Aspen Pflughoeft.

Imagine Hob Gadling overhearing his students say something like "I really need a gothic partner" and his mind goes "well, how could anyone resuract a nomadic Germanic people who fought against Roman rule in the late 300s and early 400s A.D. and that just to date them?" After a bit research he finds out he might also got a need for a gothic partner.

Who was i, to deserve such a love?

Word count: around 2.1k Warnings: none except teeth rotting fluff and dadrry

Authors note; Hi! First post! I wrote this last year, but Lucia was just the other day, and i decided to post this to really set the mood for Lucia and christmas. I really love Lucia, and as a Scandinavian girlie i celebrate it religiously every year, and last years Lucia resulted in this messy piece. Again, i am in no way a professional writer, this is unedited and MESSY, but if you have any feedback for me or just an encouraging word or two, i'd love to hear it <3 enjoy lovelies.

It’s Elidas big choir day in the local church. Harry was struggling to get Elida’s coat on, clumsy fingers trying to zip up her tiny coat. He’s huffing and puffing by the time she’s finally got her thick winter gear on to combat the icy winds on the other side of the door. Y/N is situated on the couch, still. Feeding their fresh baby, Ruth, just four weeks old. Ruth whimpers and writhes in her arms, not yet decided if she’s full or if she’s ready for her nap. ”I’ll buckle her up in seat, take your time, lover.” Harry shouted from the hallway, popping the baby bubble Y/N was currently in. Shaking out of her thoughts, she rises from the couch, Ruth on her shoulder, trying to get one final burp in before heading out to see Elida sing in the Lucia choir.

Harry never really understood the Lucia tradtition. When Y/N first started seeing eachother they were both living in London, which Y/N understood quickly, had no Lucia arrangements on december 13th. However, Y/N went on and on on their first few dates in december talking about the tradition. In scandinavia Lucia is celebrated on december 13th every year. Lucia was an old saint, apparently. Her story was told as she was a young woman, living in Sicily around 300 years A.D. She refused to be married of to a man and suffered the consequenses of a martyr death, but in her memory, it’s common to bake saffron buns and light candles, to bring some light in the absolute darkest season. Harry knew he was in love with her the moment she told him the story about Lucia. He knew by the time she had finally found a Lucia celebration in London and dragged him with her, that he wanted to buy her a ring. Harry was sold just hearing hear speak about her roots, traditions and her passion for keeping up with it, even though she was far away from home.

-

Y/N had been up early that morning with Ruth, leaving Harry to get another hour of slumber as he had been up with her throughout the night. She knew she couldn’t have a Lucia without her saffron buns. So there she was, barely 5 am, throwing sugar, flour, yeast and saffron in the mixture, Ruth drowsy on her chest. She had been trying to make this a tradition in their home, so that her family could wake up to the smell of freshly baked saffron buns on Lucia morning. And she was tired, god was she tired, but the smiles on Harry’s and Elidas faces when they wake up would be priceless, this she knew.

-

And now years later, having just welcomed their second baby girl, Y/N had signed her up for the Lucia event in their local church. She couldn’t help herself, she knew Elida would make the sweetest Lucia and Harry, although slightly apprehensive about a chuch choir, agreed when she reminded him about the tradition and how important it was to her.

With everyone in the car, Elidas long white dress and pretend candlecrown packed they left, warm and fuzzy in the cold weather, and knowing that tears will shed from their eyes watching ther first daughter participating in the event. Harry grabbed the sling and put Ruth on his chest, leaving Y/N to help Elida get her white dress on. ”Mumma, i’m going to be Luica!” Eldia proudly said when she was finally dressed. Twirling around and dancing in her long gown in the entrance of the church. Y/N smiled at her daughter, pride filling her chest at the little person she’s forming into. ”You are, my love. The prettiest one.” Ruth was fast asleep on Harry’s chest, letting out small puffs of air while Harry’s lips were constantly ghosting on the top of her head, breathing in the baby scent that he just couldn’t get enough of.

Elida was off as soon as she saw her choir teacher, giggling with all the other children in the choir and getting their little voices ready for the event. Y/N and Harry sat down on the benches, quite up front sp they could get a good look at Elida during her performance. ”How are you feeling?” Harry murmured, sound muffled with his lips still ghosting over Ruths downy hair. He had noticed how Y/N had gotten quiet, and by now, he could read her quite well. He knew she was excited, nervous, proud, all at the same time. But of course, he’d still ask. She let out a breath she had been holding, body inching closer to Harry to let her in on his warmth. ”I’m alright, it just feels…full circle in some ways. I can’t belive this is where we ended up” She gave him a watery smile, eyes glazed over from the overwhelming feeling. Harry chuckles. He knows exactly what she’s talking about, and he’s thinking about it too. How their little girl grew up so fast. How it feels like it was yesterday when Y/N had dragged Harry along to his first Lucia celebration, with that all consuming, freshly in love feeling aching in their hearts.

Harry had grabbed her hand as they sat on the bench in the old church, giving it a squeeze to get her to look at him. ”I never imagined myself being where i am today, and i wish i could tell you how all of this feels for me too, but i think you already know.” He said, eyes already watery as he’s thinking of his oldest baby girl performing in just a few minutes. Y/N smiles, leaving him with a kiss on his jaw, and a kiss on Ruth’s soft head. She squeezed his hand back, and she was just supposed to answer him when the lights dimmed and and the faint voices of the childrens choir started sounding in the back of the church. Their heads turned towards the back of the church, seeing a little train of children dressed as Luica, gingerbreadmen and little elves trailing down towards the altar. Elida was singing on the top of her lungs, not yet having spotted her parents in the crowd, and looking around the church like the curious child she is. Harry and Y/N was beaming with pride as Elida finally spotted them in the benches, waving energetically, with Harry and Y/N waving back.

With the choir in the front of the church, their little candlecrowns slidning here and there on top of their heads, Ruth had started writhing againgst her father’s chest. The mummy instinct immidietly kicked in with Y/N and she turned her head away from Elida to coo at her second baby girl. ”I’ve got her, i’ll walk around for a bit to soothe her” Harry said, a now experienced father to his newborn. He rose from the bench, ditching the sling in his seat, cradling Ruth in the crook of his arm. He sneaked out of the row, walking down the aisle while bouncing Ruth, whispering incoherent scentences to his littlest love. Y/N had to turn around to the front, focusing on Elidas performance, instead of watching her glorious baby daddy having a moment with his daughter. She let out a shaky breath, he looked so good with their baby in his arms. She’d give him a million if she could just to watch this scene unfold again and again. Not that there was anything special with his looks on this particular day, just plain beige trousers and a loose, button up shirt. The sleeves were rolled up due to the heat in church with all the candles, and his uruly hair is tamed by a single hairclip.

Suddenly Elida spots Harry and Ruth in the back of the church, bouncing around with slow steps. Elida takes a step forward out of the choir, searching to contact with her father, and the moment she knows that she’s spotted him, she waves and waves, and finally let’s out ”Hi daddy!! Hi Wuth!” With her tiny, but mighty, 4 year old voice. Harry is startled, the crowd of people turning their heads to the back of the church where he was stood. Many women oogling his tattooed forearms with his fresh baby cradled in the crook of one. Y/N couldn’t stop laughing, it was like a pot boiling over as she let out a genuine laugh at her daugher. That girl truly had no shame. Y/N watched Harry as he blushed, raisin ghte hand that wasn’t holding Ruth, and waving, shouting back. ”Hi darling!” A stream of giggles and embarrassed laughter rolled through the church, finding their little Elida absolutely adorable with her curly hair and crooked candlecrown.

-

As they stepped through their front door, with one sleepy child in each of their arms, Y/N and Harry smiled at eachother as they put Elida down for a nap after her big day. Ruth got changed and put in her crib for some downtime. The parents stepped out of their daughters bedrooms at the same time. ”You know,” Harry said as he walked up to Y/N. ”She’s absolutely insane, that girl, i don’t know if we’ll be able to keep up with her.” Y/N raised an eyebrow, eyeing him. ”Hmm, and i wonder where she gets that from?��� Acting clueless as a big smile takes over her features. Harry bites down a laugh, looking down at the floor below them, grabbing Y/N to bring her close to him. ”She did really good.” He said, eyes still gleaming with pride. That was his daughter, His own flesh and blood becoming a person and growing up in front of their eyes, all too quickly, ”She did. I really hope she’ll take on the tradition and love it as much as we do. I have to say though, i thought maybe she would freak out when she saw the crowd, i’m surprised she didn’t care too much” Y/N said softly, knowing that Elida wasn’t nessicarily shy, but she could definitely become overwhelmed with that many people. Harry nodded, looking down at Y/N, a look in his eyes. ”Are you even listening to me?” Y/N laughed as she tilted her head, questioning him. ”Mhm, i’m listening. Just thinking.” He said, proceeding to hide his face in her neck, leaving a few soft kisses around her pulsepoint. ”Yeah? Penny for your thoughts?” She answered, genuinely interested if it was going to be a horny answer, or a lovey-dovey answer. ”I’m so in love with you. I’m so in love with our daughters. I want you to know that i’m not taking any of this for granted, not you, not these traditions, not our love. I just…i feel like my heart is bursting with all these emotions for you, Elida, and Ruth, that i sometimes don’t know where to put them.” He confessed, head still in her neck, crouched down, with Y/N’s hands running soft patterns on his back. This was indeed not a horny comment. She smiled, taking his face in her hands and looked at him. ”You put them here. With me, in our home, with our family. Write it down, take pictures, spend time. I know just the feelings you’re talking about. I feel it too. And although i sometimes have a hard time accepting that this actually is my life, i’m so thrilled about it. I love you, you know this, but…i promise to never stop putting my feelings here as long as you promise me the same.” She said, eyes scanning his features, landing on his forrest green eyes. ”I promise.” He said, leaning in to catch her lips with his. Warm, plushy lips dancing together, like they were made for eachother. ”I love you.” He told her between soft kisses, ”I’ll never stop, i don’t think i can.”

Bracelet. 500 BCE–A.D 300. Credit line: Gift of Cynthia Hazen Polsky, 1987 https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/37675

Figure

Hawai'i, 9th–11th century

This enigmatic head and torso is one of a group of eleven stone figures discovered in 1894 on Necker Island, a barren outcrop of rock 300 miles northwest of the Hawai'ian islands. Necker was once inhabited by Polynesian settlers who built temple platforms and carved stone figures from the local basaltic rock, but the island was abandoned several centuries prior to European contact. Therefore, the precise identity and function of the Necker Island figures, which may date from about A.D.1000, is unknown. Because they were found in association with temple platforms, it is likely that the figures are images of gods or deified ancestors that were used during religious ceremonies.

For quite a while, the section “The Bishop in the Presence of an Unknown Light,” was my favourite bit of Les Misérables, and this was my favourite line of that section:

“A cloud had been forming for fifteen hundred years; at the end of fifteen centuries it burst. You condemn the thunderbolt.” [1500 from at little before 1800 gives you somewhere around 300 A.D.; this is far too long to be referring to the Bourbon monarchy - thanks to a friend for the idea that it probably refers to the creation of a state church under Constantine in the A.D. 300s.]

N.K. Jemisin has a line communicating what is, I think, a very similar idea in her Broken Earth trilogy, in a world that is beset by great earthquakes:

When a comm [community] builds atop a fault line, do you blame its walls when they inevitably crush the people inside? No; you blame whoever was stupid enough to think they could defy the laws of nature forever. Well, some worlds are build on a fault line of pain, held up by nightmares. Don’t lament when those worlds fall. Rage that they were built doomed in the first place.

And this us not, in some respects, all that different from what Bishop Myriel himself said in an earlier chapter:

“The faults of women, children, and servants, of the feeble, the indigent, and the ignorant, are the faults of their husbands, fathers, and masters, of the strong, the rich, and the wise…If the soul is left in darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but he who causes the darkness.”

As I’ve learned more detail about the French Revolution, I have become unconvinced of the conventionary’s assertion that it “loosened all the secret bonds of society, made the waves of civilization flow over the earth, is the consecrecration of humanity.” If it destroyed the old tyranny and oppression, it replaced it with a new tyranny and oppression (actual several new ones, from the partisan purge to the ‘managed democracy’ to the military dictatorship); if it removed the old religious intolerance, it replaced it with a new religious intolerance. It was more willing to kill people for following their consciences than the regime of Louis XVI that preceded it, and it encouraged ordinary people to kill not rich oppressors but ordinary neighbours (ref: Murder in Aubagne by D.G.M. Sutherland, a case study on the cycles of violence that came from it becoming socially normal to kill your neighbours for being associated with a different form of republicanism than yourself, and then normal to even kill anyone who agreed with you politically but objected to the murdering).

You condemn the thunderbolt, is, I think, the more convincing assertion - if pressure builds up to a certain point, it will break, like a dam, and the primary blame lies with those who allowed it build up to that point. The argument is not that the dam breaking is the ideal, but that under certain circumstances it is inevitable. Oppression should be fought; reform should be made, firstly for its own sake became it is good and necessary and just and compassionate, and secondly to avert the damage the thunderbolt would do to the innocent; and if that reform is not happening fast enough, the answer is not to say to the suffering, “Be patient!” but to say to the powerful, “Move faster!”

🐘 vdB 142, also known as the Elephant's Trunk Nebula due to its unique shape, is a dark globule of gas and dust within the much larger emission nebula IC 1396 in the constellation Cepheus, about 2,400 light-years from Earth.

✨ vdB142 is a fascinating region in space, known for its intricate structures formed by the interaction of new stars with their surrounding molecular clouds. As a site of active star formation, vdB142 is a dense column of interstellar matter that's being shaped and eroded by intense radiation and stellar winds from nearby massive stars. This radiation causes the brighter edges of the trunk to glow, while the denser regions shield the interior, creating dark silhouettes. #stars

🔭 We the #Astrophotography enthusiasts enjoy the vast amount of H-alpha light emitted from there, which clearly reveals the nebula's distinct shape and the contrast between the bright emission regions and the darker dust lanes, see my image below.

🏛️ In 79 A.D., some 300 years later, as the light from vdB142 began its journey, and this is the light we are witnessing with our astronomy cameras tonight while photographing it, Mount Vesuvius in Sicily 🇮🇹 erupted, burying the Roman city of Pompeii in ash and pumice and preserving it for centuries.

Image by @xipteras, #NP127is telescope, QSI-683ws8 CCD camera, Hα filtering, ~50 minutes integration time.

DOGS

Comala Phase. Colima, West Mexico

c. 200 B.C. - A.D. 300 Fired Clay

Bowers Museum

Egyptian, God's Wife Tagerem, daughter of the priest Imhotep, Ptolemaic Period, 300-250 B.C.

Egyptian, Torso of a Striding Draped Male Figure, Ptolemaic or Roman Period, 304B.C.-A.D. 364

~ Relief with a parturition scene.

Date: 400 B.C.-A.D. 300

Place of origin: Ostia

Medium: Marble

Provinience: London, Science Museum

Sprawling 2,000-Year Old Cemetery Discovered in France

In the middle of the first century B.C. — more than 2,000 years ago — scattered graves were dug next to a roadside in France.

For the next 600 years, what started as a few burials evolved into a sprawling cemetery filled with various types of graves and teeming with burial treasures. About 1,300 years ago, the site finally fell out of use, and its contents were left alone.

That is until now.

The development of a park near what is now the village of Saint-Vulbas led archaeologists to the discovery of the huge burial site in 2018, according to a Jan. 22 news release from the Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (INRAP). Since then, they’ve discovered more than 1,000 funerary structures — including 550 burials, 200 cremations, 30 funerary enclosures and 200 structures of an unknown nature.

After the initial burials, the cemetery, which was delimited by ditches and the road, became more densely populated toward the end of the first century B.C. and the start of the first century A.D., officials said.

The majority of these early burials belonged to toddlers. Archaeologists said they discovered 160 child graves. Most children were buried in a container made of wood or stone. Four children were cremated.

An area of pyre pits that was used through the second century was also found at the site, archaeologists said. Later, graves appeared closer to the edges of the site, marked by ditches, and were organized in rows.

Experts said they found evidence of both burials and cremations. Early on, burials were most common, but cremations became more popular between 60 A.D. and 100 A.D. before declining and mostly disappearing by the start of the fourth century A.D.

Cremated remains were usually found in single containers — such as a vase or box — but there were some double and triple containers, according to officials.

A variety of burial types were discovered at the site. Archaeologists unearthed some burials from the ground, but they also found covered pits and coffins.

Some burials were full of treasures, including an abundance of furniture and small vases, experts said.

Archaeologists found more furniture and grave deposits in child graves in early period burials at the cemetery.

However, the connection between age and burial treatment seemed to weaken over time. Ceramic objects and small pieces of furniture were found in later burials of all aged people.

A ditch at the site was also excavated, and researchers found a trove of cooking pots and jugs that might have been used to bring food and drinks for funeral meals or commemorations at the cemetery, officials said.

Saint-Vulbas is about 300 miles southeast of Paris.

By Moira Ritter.

We Were Destined To Fall (But I’ll Catch You) [Masterlist]

Pairing: Jeonghan x fem!reader, Seokmin x fem!reader

Featuring: Seokjin, Joshua

Synopsis: In which Yoon Jeonghan traded the fate of humanity for your love.

Genre: Angst, betrayal, greed, hint of fluff, greek myth!au, reincarnation, modern dystopia, historical, time jump/travel(?), one-sided pining/jealousy/implied love triangle (w/Seokmin), bestfriend!seokmin, fallen angel!jeonghan, sinner!reader, blacksmith!seokjin,  angel!joshua

Warnings: PG-13, may contain smut (pending), additional warnings specified per chapter. Contains inaccurate representations of history and time.

Disclaimer: Though the intent of this drabble series is not meant to be religious, there are religious references (e.g. angels, heaven vs hell, devil, Greek mythology, mentions of multiple deities rather than one). They are not accurate nor do they necessarily represent mine or SVT's beliefs. All religions are welcomed here.

A/N: Important notes for this series under the cut!

The intent and structure of this series is meant to be unchronological. If the timeline and there seems to be a lot of holes doesn't make sense - good! That's the point. We’ll be skipping between past and present. As the series goes along the pieces will start falling together - promise.

The point in time in which each chapter takes place will be labeled accordingly (e.g. 300 BC vs present day). The chapters labeled "present" refer to the a current timeline revolving around the implied problem in the original drabble!

This au is completely fictional. Fantastical historical, if you will? That said, major events mentioned here are very similar to/inspired by the ones in world history! Present day is a modern dystopia: medieval meets technologically advanced? 😬

This is a drabble series! The chapters are meant to be short (1K-ish or less).

Though the idea came from Jeonghan's character(?) in the HOT MV, the plot was inspired by a multitude of Greek myths, namely Pandora's Box and Icarus and Daedulus.

Updates will be irregular to say the least (I have two ongoing series, one in the works, and drabbles for previous works to finish) . . . I'm publishing this on a whim since I have so many ideas bursting for this series, I couldn't keep it all to myself! I apologize if there are long periods without updates. Thank you be patient with me and waiting to see this unfold.

That said, taglists are the best way to stay updated! Please send an ask if you're interested in being a part of it. This is the best way to keep track of them. DMs and comments are easily lost. ​

original drabble

prologue [present.]

one [1584 B.C.]

two | [present.]

three | [1769 A.D.]

four | [1572 A.D.]

five | [present.]

six| [1213 B.C.]

seven | [1923 A.D]

eight (1/2) | [1500 B.C]

eight (2/2) | [1500 B.C.]

nine | [present.]

ten | [1927, Paris]

eleven | [present]

twelve | interlude

thirteen (2/2) | [present: seokmin's pov]

other:

bonus i: to give you the stars

[additional chapters TBD. Chapter title/order subject to change.]

Submission: Death/Dying/Mortality & The Jack-O-Lantern of it all.

The first 🎃 was sent on May 13, 2023.

#4. 🎃 “Speaking of, I love Halloween, don’t you? I’m already counting the days until October.”

#11. 🎃 “Imagine this. It is 3 am and Halloween is over"

All Saints Day, while exact origins are uncertain, was originally most commonly celebrated in May (like, a LONG time ago. ~300-600 A.D). Specifically…MAY 13. The night before All Saints Day was called “All-Hallows Eve”, which is what we now know as Halloween. (I acknowledge that is through the Christianity lens, as I know there this is a holiday with pagan roots as well). 

This is a celebration dedicated to remember the dead. I believe the use of the pumpkin/jack-o-lantern and the references to this celebration were easter eggs for the direction of TS11, before we even KNEW a new album was in the works. Furthermore, someone sent in a post identifying May 13 as the first documented date of JK & KK, which was also linked to the original spade riddles about MAY. 

Now that it has been a few days since the release of TTPD, I’m shocked to see just how many references there are to the concept of death, dying, endings, resurrection, etc. Here is an incomplete list of all of the references to this theme throughout the TTPD rollout and release:

TN easter egg

“We hereby conduct this post-mortem” - AKA….after death. This was ultimately revealed to be lyrics from “How Did It End?”

Track 4 - Down Bad

“I might just die, it would make no difference.”

Track 5 - So Long, London

“My white knuckle dying grip holding tight to your quiet resentment.”

“I died on the altar waiting for the proof.”

Track 9 - Guilty As Sin

“One slip I’m falling back into the hedge maze, but what a way to die.”

Track 10 - Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?

“If you wanted me dead you should’ve just said. Nothing makes me feel more alive.”

Track 12 - loml

“Are they second hand embarrassed that I can’t get out of bed, cause something counterfeits dead?”

“And I’ll still see it until I die, You’re the loss of my life.”

Track 14 - The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

“Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead?”

“I would’ve died for your sins, Instead, I just died inside.”

Track 16 - Clara Bow

“I’m not trying to exaggerate but I think I might die if it happened, die if it happened to me”

Track 17 - The Black Dog

“Old habits die screaming.”

“Now I wanna sell my house and set fire to all my clothes, and hire a priest to come and exorcise my demons, Even if I die screaming, And I hope you hear it.”

Track 19 - The Albatross:

“She’s the death you chose”

Track 21 - How Did It End:

“We hereby conduct this post-mortem”

“Say it once again with feeling, How the death rattle breathing, Silenced as the soul was leaving, The deflation of our dreaming, Leaving me bereft and reeling. My beloved ghost and me, Sitting in a tree,D-Y-I-N-G”

Track 23 - I Hate It Here

“I dreamed about it in the dark, the night I felt like I might die”

Track 25 - I Look In People’s Windows

“I had died the tiniest death.”

And finally…resurrection (note: I am not a religious person, I’m writing about this from a literature/contextual perspective).

Track 9 - Guilty as Sin:

What if I roll the stone away? They’re gonna crucify me anyway. What if the way you hold me is actually what’s holy? If long suffering propriety is what they want from me, they don’t know how you’ve haunted me so stunningly. I choose you and me, religiously

propriety (noun) - 1: the quality or state of being proper or suitable, 2: conformity to what is socially acceptable in conduct or speech, fear or offending against conventional rules of behavior especially between the sexes.

🫚 - 2/5/2024

Frost untouched, Conformity wins fights.

This 🫚 message seems to convey the message that conforming to what what society and the media, her fans, etc expect of her and will tolerate from her, is the only way she could gain enough traction to move forward. But in Guilty as Sin, she finally asks the questions “what happens if I roll away the stone?” Rolling away the stone, in a biblical sense, would reveal an empty tomb. An empty tomb was EVIDENCE that Jesus had risen from the dead.

So my thought is, what does rolling away the stone mean for Taylor? What are the implications of her asking, “What if I just give them all the evidence revealing my truth? They are going to judge me no matter what, so I might as well. If they want me to suffer my entire life by conforming to societal standards, they don’t know how impossible of an ask that is.”In Summary, 🫚 & 🎃 have absolutely proven themselves credible in foreshadowing the themes of this album and overarching story. And I’m sure as we continue to decipher their messages, we are going to find so much more.

Women in Alchemy

Like many aspects of history, woman have been widely removed from the narrative of alchemy’s history. However, this false narrative hides the extraordinary impact that female figures had in the world of alchemical practices.

Michael Maier (German physician and counsellor to Rudolf II Habsburg, a notable alchemist) named women who were able to create the famed Philosopher’s Stone. 

Mary the Jewess

A.k.a. Mary the Prophetess or Maria the Copt; Mary the Jewess was an early alchemist who became known from the works of Zosimos of Panopolis (Greco-Egyptian alchemist). On the basis of this work, Mary the Jewess lived between the first and third centuries A.D. in Alexandria. She is noted as one of the first alchemical writers, with her works not being dated later than the first century.

Mary is credited with the invention of multiple kinds of chemical apparatus, and is considered the first true alchemist of the Western world. She believed that metals had two different genders, and that if you were to join these two together a new entity could be made.

Axiom of Maria

One becomes two, two becomes three, and out of the third comes one as the fourth

Carl Jung notably used this axiom as a metaphor for individuation, and wholeness.

Inventions

Tribikos

An alchemical still (alembic) with three arms used to obtain substances purified by distillation

Still used today in chemistry labs

Kerotakis

Device used to heat substances used in alchemy, as well to collect vapors

Bain-marie

A.k.a. “Mary’s bath”

Limits the maximum temperature of a container and its contents to the boiling point of a separate liquid (essentially, it is a double boiler) 

Cleopatra the Alchemist

A Greek alchemist and philosopher active in Alexandria during the 3rd or 4th century A.D. It’s notable that this is not Cleopatra VII, rather this is a pseudonym for an unknown author (or even a group of authors). Despite her hidden identity, Cleopatra the Alchemist is a foundational figure in alchemy, her influence perhaps even pre-dating Zosimos of Panopolis.

Cleopatra the Alchemist is most noted for the Chrusopoeia of Cleopatra, a lone sheet document containing only symbols, drawings and captions. Examples of the imagery seen are the Ouroboros, an inscription saying:

One is the Serpent which has its poison according to two compositions, and One is All and through it is All, and by it is All, and if you have not All, All is nothing.

There are also drawings of “dibikos”, an instrument similar to a kerotakis.

Another is a symbol of the eight-banded star, and many believe the drawing of these star symbols and the crescent shapes above them are a depiction of turning lead into silver.

Paphnutia the Virgin

Living around the time of 300 C.E., Paphnutia was an Egyptian alchemist referred to in the letters between Zosimos of Panopolis and his sister, Theosebeia (also assumed to be an alchemist). Within these letters, Zosimos criticizes his sister for associating with Paphnutia, someone he considered to be uneducated and incorrect in her practice of alchemy. 

Little else is known about her, aside from the possibility that she could have also been a priestess. It’s also theorized that she was connected to a school of alchemy that competed with that of Zosimos.

Detail, Roman mosaic, A.D. 300-400, from Isurium Brigantum (Aldborough, North Yorkshire), on display in Leeds City Museum. The mosaic depicts the legend of Romulus and Remus.⁣