Catholic Info
Traditional Catholic Faith => The Sacred: Catholic Liturgy, Chant, Prayers => Topic started by: Emile on October 19, 2021, 02:14:24 PM
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Diver Discovers 900-Year-Old Sword Dating to the Crusades
The sword, recovered off the coast of Israel, most likely belonged to a knight who fell into the sea or lost the weapon in battle, experts said.
A four-foot-long sword dating back to the Third Crusade was found on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea.CreditCredit...Shlomi Katzin
By Eduardo Medina (https://www.nytimes.com/by/eduardo-medina)
Oct. 18, 2021
Shlomi Katzin attached a GoPro camera to his forehead, slipped on his diving fins and jumped into the waters off the Carmel coast of Israel, eager to go exploring.
On the sandy floor of the Mediterranean Sea, he found a sword. Archaeologists would later determine that it was about 900 years old. It weighed four pounds, measured about four feet long and originated from the Third Crusade, experts said.
“Oh yes, he was surprised and happy,” said Jacob Sharvit, the director of the marine archaeology unit at the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Mr. Katzin said he would give the sword to Mr. Sharvit’s agency, but he wanted just one thing: a photo with the shell-encrusted weapon.
(https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/10/18/us/18xp-sword-02/18xp-sword-02-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)
Image(https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/10/18/us/18xp-sword-02/18xp-sword-02-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)
Shlomi Katzin with the sword he discovered while diving off the Carmel coast of Israel.Credit...Nir Disteleld/Israel Antiquities Authority
The recent discovery was welcomed in a country that takes immense pride in its history and has a law requiring that any artifacts found must be returned to the nation.
The sword was among several artifacts discovered by Mr. Katzin, who declined to be interviewed because he said he did not want the discovery to be about him. He also found stone anchors and pottery fragments that date back hundreds of years. But nothing was more impressive than the sword, which Mr. Sharvit described as “extremely rare.”
All of the items were found in the same 1,000-square-foot site. The authority has been aware of the location since June, after a storm shifted the sand. Still, finding artifacts remains elusive because of the movement of the sand.
“It’s normal to find swords in bad condition, but this one was found under the water — and under the water, it was preserved in very good condition,” Mr. Sharvit said on Monday. “It’s the first time that we found a beautiful sword like this.”
Editors’ Picks
The water off the Carmel coast remains the same temperature year-round, which helped preserve the iron in the sword. Because the iron was oxidized, shells and other marine organisms stuck onto it like glue, Mr. Sharvit said. The discovery of ancient artifacts has increased as diving has grown in popularity in Israel, he said.
In the Second Crusade, the Muslim commanders defeated Western crusaders at Damascus, said Jonathan Phillips (https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/jonathan-phillips(b03e8695-cb27-4488-b5a0-80af2e5b3d77).html#:~:text=Jonathan Phillips was educated at,of Crusading History in 2005.), a professor of the history of the Crusades at Royal Holloway, University of London.
During the Third Crusade, King Philip Augustus of France, King Richard I (also known as Richard the Lionheart of England), and the holy Roman emperor, Frederick I (also known as Frederick Barbarossa), set out to retake Jerusalem. Saladin, the ruler of an area covering modern Egypt, Syria and Iraq, had conquered it in 1187, said Dr. John Cotts (https://www.whitman.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/history/history-faculty/john-d-cotts), a professor of medieval history at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash.
At the time, Pope Gregory VIII tried to inspire Western Christians through “great emotional language” to retake Jerusalem from Muslims, but ultimately the Muslim army maintained control of the city, Dr. Cotts said.
The sword would have been expensive to make at the time and viewed as a status symbol, Dr. Phillips said. It makes sense that it was found in the sea, he said, because many battles were waged near beaches, where Christian soldiers landed and were sometimes attacked by Muslim forces.
“It could have been from a knight who fell in the sea or lost it in a fight at sea,” he said.
When Mr. Katzin found it, he said he was afraid it would be stolen or buried beneath shifting sand, according to a statement from the authority.
The general director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Eli Escosido, praised Mr. Katzin because “every ancient artifact that is found helps us piece together the historical puzzle of the Land of Israel.” Mr. Katzin was given a certificate of appreciation for good citizenship.
After the sword is studied and cleaned, it will be placed in one of the country’s museums, Mr. Sharvit said. He would not disclose how much it could sell for, he said, because in his opinion, it was “priceless.”
“Every artifact we find is always a really great feeling,” he said. But this one “is very, very special.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/18/world/middleeast/crusader-sword-found-israel.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes
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Diver Discovers 900-Year-Old Sword Dating to the Crusades
The sword, recovered off the coast of Israel, most likely belonged to a knight who fell into the sea or lost the weapon in battle, experts said.
A four-foot-long sword dating back to the Third Crusade was found on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea.CreditCredit...Shlomi Katzin
By Eduardo Medina (https://www.nytimes.com/by/eduardo-medina)
Oct. 18, 2021
Shlomi Katzin attached a GoPro camera to his forehead, slipped on his diving fins and jumped into the waters off the Carmel coast of Israel, eager to go exploring.
On the sandy floor of the Mediterranean Sea, he found a sword. Archaeologists would later determine that it was about 900 years old. It weighed four pounds, measured about four feet long and originated from the Third Crusade, experts said.
“Oh yes, he was surprised and happy,” said Jacob Sharvit, the director of the marine archaeology unit at the Israel Antiquities Authority.
Mr. Katzin said he would give the sword to Mr. Sharvit’s agency, but he wanted just one thing: a photo with the shell-encrusted weapon.
(https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/10/18/us/18xp-sword-02/18xp-sword-02-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)
Image(https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/10/18/us/18xp-sword-02/18xp-sword-02-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)
Shlomi Katzin with the sword he discovered while diving off the Carmel coast of Israel.Credit...Nir Disteleld/Israel Antiquities Authority
The recent discovery was welcomed in a country that takes immense pride in its history and has a law requiring that any artifacts found must be returned to the nation.
The sword was among several artifacts discovered by Mr. Katzin, who declined to be interviewed because he said he did not want the discovery to be about him. He also found stone anchors and pottery fragments that date back hundreds of years. But nothing was more impressive than the sword, which Mr. Sharvit described as “extremely rare.”
All of the items were found in the same 1,000-square-foot site. The authority has been aware of the location since June, after a storm shifted the sand. Still, finding artifacts remains elusive because of the movement of the sand.
“It’s normal to find swords in bad condition, but this one was found under the water — and under the water, it was preserved in very good condition,” Mr. Sharvit said on Monday. “It’s the first time that we found a beautiful sword like this.”
Editors’ Picks
The water off the Carmel coast remains the same temperature year-round, which helped preserve the iron in the sword. Because the iron was oxidized, shells and other marine organisms stuck onto it like glue, Mr. Sharvit said. The discovery of ancient artifacts has increased as diving has grown in popularity in Israel, he said.
In the Second Crusade, the Muslim commanders defeated Western crusaders at Damascus, said Jonathan Phillips (https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/jonathan-phillips(b03e8695-cb27-4488-b5a0-80af2e5b3d77).html#:~:text=Jonathan Phillips was educated at,of Crusading History in 2005.), a professor of the history of the Crusades at Royal Holloway, University of London.
During the Third Crusade, King Philip Augustus of France, King Richard I (also known as Richard the Lionheart of England), and the holy Roman emperor, Frederick I (also known as Frederick Barbarossa), set out to retake Jerusalem. Saladin, the ruler of an area covering modern Egypt, Syria and Iraq, had conquered it in 1187, said Dr. John Cotts (https://www.whitman.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/history/history-faculty/john-d-cotts), a professor of medieval history at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash.
At the time, Pope Gregory VIII tried to inspire Western Christians through “great emotional language” to retake Jerusalem from Muslims, but ultimately the Muslim army maintained control of the city, Dr. Cotts said.
The sword would have been expensive to make at the time and viewed as a status symbol, Dr. Phillips said. It makes sense that it was found in the sea, he said, because many battles were waged near beaches, where Christian soldiers landed and were sometimes attacked by Muslim forces.
“It could have been from a knight who fell in the sea or lost it in a fight at sea,” he said.
When Mr. Katzin found it, he said he was afraid it would be stolen or buried beneath shifting sand, according to a statement from the authority.
The general director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, Eli Escosido, praised Mr. Katzin because “every ancient artifact that is found helps us piece together the historical puzzle of the Land of Israel.” Mr. Katzin was given a certificate of appreciation for good citizenship.
After the sword is studied and cleaned, it will be placed in one of the country’s museums, Mr. Sharvit said. He would not disclose how much it could sell for, he said, because in his opinion, it was “priceless.”
“Every artifact we find is always a really great feeling,” he said. But this one “is very, very special.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/18/world/middleeast/crusader-sword-found-israel.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes
Too bad he had to hide the pearly whites.
You couldn't have possibly blasted the smile off my face, if it had been me.(https://i.imgur.com/l3jIwdW.jpg)
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Centuries-old Good Shepherd ring recovered from shipwrecks off Israel
Reuters (https://www.reuters.com/authors/reuters/)
2 minute read
(https://i.imgur.com/K7xxS2L.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/h6KVdUC.png)
A centuries-old ring engraved with an Early Christian image of Jesus as the "Good Shepherd" that was recovered from shipwrecks off Caesarea, a major Holy Land port in ancient times, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority, is displayed in Jerusalem December 22, 2021. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/centuries-old-good-shepherd-ring-recovered-shipwrecks-off-israel-2021-12-22/
JERUSALEM, Dec 22 (Reuters) - A ring bearing an early Christian depiction of Jesus as a shepherd has been found along with other artefacts from centuries-old shipwrecks off the coast of Israel, archaeologists said.
The gold ring with a green gemstone engraved with a figure of young boy bearing a ram or sheep on his shoulders was found along with hundreds of silver and bronze coins on the Mediterranean seabed near the ancient port of Caesarea, the Israel Antiquities Authority said.
The good shepherd was one of the earliest symbols used by the Christian community in the east, one of the archaeologists said, adding that the ring was from around the mid-third century.
In the New Testament Book of John, Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd who would protect his flock of faithful followers.
The Israel Antiquities Authority said the haul, which also includes Roman-era figurines and a ring carved with an image of a biblical lyre, came from hulls of two ships, dating back six and 17 centuries, which probably foundered during a storm while anchored at the site.
The Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament describes Peter baptising the Roman centurion Cornelius in Caesarea. The city was one of the earliest centres of Christianity and housed one of the first Christian communities, the Israel Antiquities Authority said.
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Clean that sword off and see if it has markings.
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(https://i.imgur.com/ghBw3ht.jpg)
hilarious! :laugh1:
One for posterily!
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April 13, 2022 5:29 AM PDTLast Updated a day ago
Church of the Holy Sepulchre's ancient altar rediscovered, researchers say
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/church-holy-sepulchres-ancient-altar-rediscovered-researchers-say-2022-04-13/
By Rinat Harash (https://www.reuters.com/authors/rinat-harash/)
3 minute read
JERUSALEM, April 13 (Reuters) - Pressed against a wall in a back corridor of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a stone slab bore testimony only to the graffiti etched on it by multitudes of pilgrims through the ages.
But the 2.5 x 1.5 metre stone turned out to be far more precious when its other side was exposed during recent renovations at the church, the traditional site of Jesus's crucifixion and burial.
Researchers believe the elaborate looping ornaments they found on the long-hidden part of the slab indicate it was once the decorated front of a medieval high altar that took pride of place centuries ago in one of Christianity's holiest sites.
"You cannot see it now, but originally it was inlaid with pieces of precious marble, pieces of glass, pieces of small, finely made marble," said Amit Re'em, Jerusalem regional archaeologist for the Israel Antiquities Authority.
"It was shining and this was a really amazing artefact," said Re'em, who conducted the research with Ilya Berkovich of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
They identified the unique decoration method as "Cosmatesque", which combines Classical, Byzantine and early Islamic art in which finely cut tiles of colourful marble are used to fill in circular engravings on the stone.
"It stood at the apex, at the sanctuary of the Church (of the Holy Sepulchre)," Re'em said.
(https://i.imgur.com/2Tcak3g.jpg)
A stone slab said to be the decorated frontal of the Crusader-era high altar of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre according to researchers at the Israel Antiquities Authority and Austrian Academy of Sciences, is seen covered in graffiti after it was recently turned over during renovations in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and its significance rediscovered, in Jerusalem's Old City, April 11, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
(https://i.imgur.com/2tdnKU8.png)
A stone slab said to be the decorated frontal of the Crusader-era high altar of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre according to researchers at the Israel Antiquities Authority and Austrian Academy of Sciences, is seen in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre after it was recently turned over during renovations and its significance rediscovered, in Jerusalem's Old City, April 11, 2022. Picture taken April 11, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
People visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City, April 11, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo
"All the eyes of the believers, of the pilgrims, (went) to this object. And right above it and around it, all the high priests, the priests and the monks of the church did all the liturgy, the main liturgy of the church, on the table, right here on the table of this altar," he said.
Similarly decorated altars have been found inside churches in Rome dating to the 12th and 13th centuries, the researchers said.
They believe the relic in Jerusalem corresponds with past archaeological findings and with pilgrims' accounts of the consecration of the church by the Crusaders and the forming of its main altar in 1149.
The altar was used by the Catholic clergy to celebrate mass until the Crusaders left Jerusalem, Re'em said. Afterwards it was used by the Greek Orthodox church until it was damaged in a fire in 1808, cast aside and forgotten until the recent renovations, he said.
Archbishop Aristarchos of Constantina, the chief secretary of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, welcomed such research at the church.
"Works from people of art, people of archaeology, contribute to us, contribute to the belief of the church, to the conviction of the church, that this is the place...on which Jesus Christ was crucified...buried and from which he came to resurrection," he told Reuters.
The researchers' findings are due to be published by the end of the year by Israel's Exploration Society.