Folk art around the world

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Usually, construction of a fortress atop Sigiriya has been ascribed to the Sinhalese King Kasyapa, or Kassapa (ruled 473-495 A.D.) – a terrible man, who killed his own father and tried to kill his brother Moggallana, who was the rightful heir to the throne. Moggallana escaped to India, but later returned to Sri Lanka with an army. A huge battle ensued, during which Kasyapa was killed.

Archaeological excavations, however, have revealed that parts of the fortress were built long before Kasyapa’s reign. (Source: Roloff Beny & John Lindsay Opie, 1970. Island Ceylon. Thames & Hudson, London)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The popular name of this thin layer is desert varnish. Into this ‘varnish’, various prehistoric peoples around the world have created artwork by scraping off a part of the varnish, leaving white images on a black or reddish background. Below, examples of such artwork is presented.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 2004, the Danish parliament passed a law regarding normalization of the free city. The listed buildings should be fixed up, and illegally constructed buildings must be removed. However, Christiania was still to be preserved as a district with possibilities to live alternatively, and to continue the social and cultural activities of the area.

In 2011, a foundation called Fristaden Christiania (’Free city of Christiania’) was established, and it was able to acquire the area from the state, partly financed by shares. In 2012, about 900 people lived in Christiania, and the area is visited annually by around half a million tourists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read about long-tailed macaques and many other monkeys on the page Animals: Monkeys and apes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In German, edelweiss means ‘noble white one’, and in the 19th Century it became a symbol of purity. Some even claimed that collecting this plant demanded great courage, which, of course, is pure nonsense, as it grows in alpine meadows and on slopes, and is thus very easy to collect. In his novel Edelweiss, from 1861, German novelist Berthold Auerbach (1812-1882) ridiculously exaggerates this difficulty by claiming that “the possession of one is a proof of unusual daring.”

This genus of the composite family (Asteraceae) counts about 58 species, most of which grow in Asia, a few species extending to Europe. The generic name is from the Greek leon (‘lion’) and podion (‘foot’). When he named the genus, Scottish botanist Robert Brown (1773-1858) was presumably referring to the fuzzy bracts, which somewhat resemble a lion’s paw.