Medieval

February 09, 2025

When we arrived in Rhodes I was not prepared for the abrupt shift in focus (time and culture). The Greek sites we had been touring dated from the Classical – Hellenistic – Roman eras, or the 1000-year period from 600 BCE to 400 CE. Rhodes seemed to jump forward another 1000 years to concentrate on the later times of the Crusaders (14th and 16th centuries CE) and the Ottomans who controlled the island and city until the early 20th century. Our tour of Rhodes featured this Medieval history.

When I looked online, I found the history of Europe known as the medieval period, or Middle Ages, lasted from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, and was similar to the post-classical period for global history. The medieval period began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and transitioned into the Renaissance (Age of European Discovery). The period is marked by population decline, counter-urbanization, the collapse of centralized authority, invasions, and mass migrations of tribes, which began in late antiquity and continued into the Early Middle Ages. The large-scale movements of the Migration Period, including various Germanic peoples, formed new kingdoms in what remained of the Western Roman Empire. Although there were substantial changes in society and political structures, the break with classical antiquity was incomplete. The Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman) survived in the Eastern Mediterranean and remained a major power. The Roman Empire’s law code (Corpus Juris Civilis) was rediscovered in Northern Italy in the 11th century and most western kingdoms incorporated the few extant Roman institutions. Monasteries were founded as campaigns to Christianize the remaining pagans across Europe continued. The Franks, under the Carolingian dynasty, briefly established the Carolingian Empire during the latter 8th and early 9th centuries. I The medieval period covered much of Western Europe but later succumbed to the pressures of internal civil wars combined with external invasions from the Vikings (north), Magyars (east), and Saracens (south).

The island of Rhodes stands at a crossroads between Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, which has given the city and the island many different identities and cultures. The island itself has been inhabited since the Neolithic (stone) Period (4000 BCE), but Rhodes became an important trading post for shipping between Constantinople and Alexandria during the Byzantine Period and the European Crusades to the Holy Land. The Knights Hospitallers captured and established their headquarters on Rhodes when they left Cyprus in 1307 and remained on the island for the next two centuries. The Ottoman Empire expanded rapidly after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, and the Knights defense of the island in 1480 halted Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror from the invasion of the Italian peninsula by Ottoman forces. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent led a second Ottoman Siege of Rhodes in 1522 but after a spirited defense the Knights were allowed to depart on January 1, 1523. New buildings were constructed during the Ottoman era, including mosques, public baths, and mansions, while the Greeks were forced to abandon the fortified city and move to new suburbs outside its walls. The tours of Rhodes were not like the ruins we had visited, but of intact buildings for continuous occupation for the last 1000 years. A different tour, but very interesting.

Thoughts: Disembarking our ship, we approached the Medieval city through one of the smaller side gates. We then wound our way up hill from the harbor to the Palace of the Grand Masters(fortress) at the top of the citadel. The stone-lined streets were the same as the crusaders and Ottomans trod for the last 1000 years as they wound toward the top. You find a sense of longevity and continuity in Europe that does not exist in the US. This also illustrates the transitory nature of human rulers and kingdoms. Both are good reminders. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Ephesus

February 08, 2025

Today I was able to visit Ephesus, one of my bucket list sites. I studied Old World Archaeology and New Testament Church History, so it is natural to be drawn to this site. Ephesus was founded as an Attic-Ionian colony in the 10th century BCE on a hill 1.9 miles (3 km) from the current center of ancient Ephesus. The Greek goddess Artemis and the Anatolian goddess Kybele were identified together as Artemis of Ephesus and venerated in the Temple of Artemis (550 BCE), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and largest building of its time. Ephesus has intrigued archaeologists because there is no definite location during the Archaic Period. The silting up of the natural harbor along with the movement of the Kayster River meant the location never remained the same. During the Hellenistic period the city was again forced to move to its present site, as the silted in marshes caused malaria and death. During the Classical Roman period (129 BCE to 395 CE) Ephesus became part of the kingdom of Pergamon. Deforestation, overgrazing (goats), erosion, and soil degradation, means the coast is now 2 miles (3 to 4 km) away from this once port city.

When I looked online, I found Ephesus was a city in Ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, 1.9 miles (3 km) southwest of present-day Selçuk, Turkey. During the Classical Greek era (5th and 4th centuries BCE), it was one of twelve cities that were members of the Ionian League. The city later came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BCE. The city was famous in its day for the nearby Temple of Artemis and the many monumental buildings, including the Library of Celsus (12,000 reported volumes) and a theatre capable of holding 24,000 spectators. Ephesus was a recipient of a Pauline epistle, and one of the seven churches of Asia addressed in the Christian Bible in the Book of Revelation. The Gospel of John may have been written there, and it was the site of several 5th-century Christian Councils (Council of Ephesus). The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263CE, and although later rebuilt, its importance as a port and commercial center declined as the river continued to slowly silt up the harbor. The present-day ruins of Ephesus are a favorite local and international tourist attraction accessible from the resort town Kuşadası, Turkey. The city ruins were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.

Our Ephesus tour guide led us through the gates and past the upper theater along the stone paved road. While most of the groups continued to follow this road, our guide took us off to the left to see some of the servant houses. Even this area had sewers, water pipes, and a fountain used to cool the air and stone blocks during the heat of the summer. The stone side street we found led back to the main street leading down through the city toward the Celsus library. Another tour could have taken me through the excavated houses of the rich with their mosaic tile floors and muraled walls. Half-way down the street was the (small) temple of Hadrian, dedicated by the emperor to his companion whom he had killed for infidelity (remorse?). Then it was down to the library, a truly impressive building whose style I recognized from Petra and other ancient sites. We passed the Plaka (market) and proceeded out of the city, pausing to look back at the larger theater. This area is currently under excavation using a lift crane and dump trucks to remove the dirt to be sifted for artifacts (not the trowel and hand baskets I was used to). Ephesus stood at the eastern end of the silk road to Persia.

Thoughts: Arriving at Ephesus we went through the metal checks and turnstiles and gathered around our tour guide. Seeing the well-fed stray dog upside down and spread eagle in the middle of the path I noticed she had a clip tag in her ear. The tags mean they’ve been neutered/spayed and vaccinated. Like the strays of Greece, these dogs (and cats) are fed by the community, but life outside is still hard. The same is true for unhoused people. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.

Beards

November 27, 2024

As we approach Turkey Day, also known as Thanksgiving in the US, there have been a rash of stories on my browser about these interesting birds. These include the recent tradition of the Presidential Pardon. The first official presidential turkey pardon was given by George H.W. Bush in 1989, but reports credit many presidents with the tradition. Abraham Lincoln’s son took a liking to the turkey destined for Christmas dinner and the bird was spared. Harry Truman liked his bird so much he had the first presidential photo op, but that bird was not so lucky and was later served as a meal. Two days ago, President Biden pardoned Peach and Blossom. These domesticated turkeys weighed an impressive 40 and 41 pounds (18.1 and 18.6 kg) respectively. Another story was offered by the National Audubon Society and provided 10 Fun Facts About the Wild Turkey. The most interesting of these facts concerned the bundle of feathers sprouting from their chest is known as turkey beards, and it gets longer as the bird ages.

When I looked online, Audubon also offered an in-depth discussion on turkey beards. Turkey beards are plumes of dark brown or black feathers, more hair-like than a typical feather, that protrude from the bird’s chest. “If you had it in your hand, it has the consistency of a miniature horsetail,” says Gary Norman, a retired gamebird biologist at Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. While all adult male turkeys (toms) have beards, nearly 10% of hens also have one, although it is a smaller and wispier version. Male turkey beards are thought to be used as another tool for mate selection, but it is unknown why some female birds have them. Kelsey Sullivan, a gamebird specialist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, says the beards can “indicate dominance and health”. Turkey beards start sprouting when youngsters are around five months old and continue to grow at a rate of nearly 5 inches (12.7 cm) a year throughout a bird’s life allowing the biologists a rough estimation of the bird’s age. While a one-year-old beards may measure only a few inches older males can have beards over 10 inches (25 cm). The longest beard length recorded on the National Turkey Wildlife Federation website is 11.75 inches (29.2 cm). Some toms even grow 2 or 3 (and even up to 13) separate beards. In the rare occasion where multiple beards are grown most are just short, wispy feathers with a single dominant cluster.

Turkeys can lose their beards several ways. Turkey beard rot is caused by vitamin deficiency and may result in the beards shearing off. Longer beards can snap from the heavy weight of snow and ice that collects on them during winter. Fraying from being dragged on the ground is also an issue. Terrain is another factor that influences beard length, and turkeys inhabiting rocky terrain may have shorter beards than those foraging across flat, sandy ground. The abundance of bearded hens varies by region and is perhaps affected by previous conservation efforts to recover Wild Turkeys. In the mid-1900’s, wildlife biologists trapped turkeys and moved them across state boundaries to restore severely depleted turkey populations due to hunting and habitat loss. Wild Turkeys have sharply rebounded and now inhabit every US state except Alaska. Wild turkey populations peaked at 7 million birds by the early 2000’s.

THOUGHTS: There are only two species of Wild Turkey; the North American (Meleagris gallopavo) and the Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata) in Central America. The domestic turkey (Meleagris gallopavo domesticus) shares their cousin’s trait by having beards, neither sex of the ocellated turkey have beards. As for the two pardoned turkeys, they will live out the remainder of their life at Farmamerica, a 360-acre agricultural interpretive center in Waseca, Minnesota. Act for all. Change is coming and it starts with you.