Nothingness
The wall appears to be chiseled from one large block of marble. As if the Gods
themselves found a piece of black marble large enough to cover an area apparently the size of Kansas. In fact the Gods themselves did, for this is the wall of Asgaard, realm of the Gods.
Seated amidst mountains of mist and covering fully half of existence, the city of the Norse dead is surrounded by this towering wall of rough black marble. From the mountains, a stone paved path winds down to the foot of the wall. On the path a group of figures are descending its flagstones, working their way to the foot of an immense silver gate, that stands ajar, opening the way for any travelers.
The gate is a delicate appearing mesh of shining sliver; if closed, even Thor could not force it open. He has tried. It must be that strong, it guards the only path between the land of the living and the land of the dead.
Approximately forty souls are approaching the gate; one leads. She is a large woman, with long blonde hair braided down her back. Her white robes flow around her, giving the appearance of reality and solidity, an odd sight in the spirit world. Turning to those who follow her she focuses her gaze on each in turn, ³No matter what happens, do not go through the gate. Only the Seekers may go through. You are not prepared for what will be on the other side.² Her followers do not react, those whose eyes are open are more interested in the terrain.
The majority of the people appear to be sleeping, their faces are relaxed and their eyes are closed. Of those whose eyes are open, only a few are awake and alert. Two are especially noteworthy. One is a tall youth with shoulder length blonde hair, the other is sightly shorter, with long curly dark brown hair. He is wearing a kilt and a short, ceremonial sword at his belt.
The blonde lad is standing still, absorbing his surroundings with a passion. He seems to be looking for something.
The air is cool and crisp. Roosters can be heard welcoming the sun to a new day and a woman is seen, wearing a clean colorful wrap about her body and head, her shadow casting a lone silhouette on the stone wall. The woman leans over to slide a piece of paper into one of the cracks, hoping her prayer will be heard in this city of Jerusalem. Millions are inserting their prayers into the walls of Japanese temples, while an inmate in one of a hundred prisons across the United States looks past his wall toward the prayers he did not keep. Billions fall asleep each night surrounded by four walls and thousands travel to China to witness the grandest one of all. Who builds walls and who tears them down?
The China’s Great Wall is one of the most spectacular and lasting structural feat ever conceived by the human mind. It is considered as the monument to the Chinese civilization constructed at extreme costs and under myriad sacrifices including loss of lives from hard labor for a worthy cause. The Great Wall, which is translated in Chinese as Chang Cheng was originally constructed to provide protection to the Chinese farmers from the marauding nomadic raiders who raided villages for food. The topics that follows attempt to elaborate the history of the Great Wall; the motives behind its construction; the design, materials, methods as well as the processes and labor that were applied in its construction.
The Marble Grave Stele is a horizontal piece that was embedded in a larger piece of marble. The inscriptions of the names of who died have long been lost. Thus, we must interpret for ourselves what the full meaning of the piece is. The artist of the piece is unknown, but it was constructed in Greece in around 360 B.C. during the Classical Era and stands at 171.1 centimeters in height. Its original location, as its name suggests, was at a gravesite; currently, it is located in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Stele was carved from marble. Overall, it is in good condition; however, the body of the woman on the left is missing with only her head surviving. Its stone frame in which it was set is also missing. This frame more than lik...
In this paper I will use Death’s Door as one way to answer the question, should we have hope for an afterlife after death in this world? I will discuss how the artwork supports the idea of life after death in a positive way. I will then look at some potential problems with this view of life after death. Finally, I will look at whether this illustration supports the idea of life after death and is well supported or the arguments against it are better to be believed.
A diversity of skilled laborers was employed to build a framework required to raise stones required to make ceramic tiles for rooftops. Specialists were utilized to measure the fittings to fortify the block of stones to form the essential paraphernalia for modeled scenes. Athenian sculptors discretely etch sculptures for the roof and columns of the temple’s structures. Columns are made of limestone and marble as a foundation to support the ceilings. For example, the Parthenon, made in 447 B.C. to 432 B.C. in Greece, representation of a municipal designed by architects that took interest in each part of the development. The Greek establishments have been fundamental to the general architectural exquisite components regularly that utilizes of reconstructing a whole building. Despite the fact that the Ancient Greeks constructed numerous buildings, the temple best represents the points and techniques for the designs that the Greeks signify. The temple ordinarily fused on at least one or more sections of columns encompassing each of the four sides. The perpendicular formation of the temple adjusted to a request to alter the course of structures bound together by the standards of symmetry and
Have you ever felt insignificant while standing in front of a monumental building that you have seen in small images of your history book? No one could imagine the atmosphere and physical beauty inside the most beautiful structures in the world, the Pantheon and the Florence cathedral. While sitting at the fountain in front of the Pantheon, one can see the huge columns rising towards the entablature and the walls curving behind to form a cylinder. Although the exterior of the pantheon could look majestic, the interior is just as breathtaking. The first thing someone does when they enter the Pantheon is to look up at the coffered dome and the oculus. The important feature that seemed impossible to have been built during the time that the Pantheon
as a stairway to the heavens, and allow the divine pharaoh to reach the Milky
Behind every great structure in the world, there are the people who made them, and who took the time and effort to design them. Those who made Stonehenge succeeded in creating an incredibly complex and mysterious structure that lived on long after its creators were dead. The many aspects of Stonehenge and the processes by which it was built reveal much about the intelligence and sophistication of the civilizations that designed and built the monument, despite the fact that it is difficult to find out who exactly these people were. They have left very little evidence behind with which we could get a better idea of their everyday lives, their culture, their surroundings, and their affairs with other peoples. The technology and wisdom that are inevitably required in constructing such a monument show that these prehistoric peoples had had more expertise than expected.
Stonehenge is a monument that is located in Wiltshire, England. It is one of the most famous monuments in the world, and is meritorious when it comes to the world’s best monuments. Standing tall in Southern England, the Stonehenge is an arrangement of massive stones that form a circular geometry. No one knows who built it, but medieval tales say that it is the work of Merlin the Wizard, during the age of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. As time passed, it is said that the Romans were responsible for the building of Stonehenge. In more recent times, archaeologists have discovered who really might have built Stonehenge. Archaeologists and scientists now believe that Stonehenge was put together more than 4000 years ago, a long time before Medieval England or the Romans. Modern researchers have come to a new hypothesis: Stonehenge was built by people who lived around the time of the ending of the Stone Age. Although scientists and archeologists have come to some conclusions, no one really knows how this monument was erected. Over time the monument has endured some history, and has given humanity time to discover many things about this mysterious monument known as Stonehenge.
George MacDonald the narrator/teacher, from whom Lewis found inspiration for his book, is the guide in the journey through the gates of heaven. This provides great wisdom throughout the book which is not understood without reflection. MacDonald in essence presents Lewis with a choice while journeying in the gates of heaven. The stories of lost ghosts in the heavenly gates only provide reflection for Lewis’ own choice. This choice is not revealed by Lewis, rather it is up to the reader to make his/her own choice. MacDonald gives guidance towards our choice, “The choice of every lost soul can be expressed in the words, ‘Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.’ There is always something they prefer to joy....” (71).
... to its weight it has sunken down. the dome being the largest in the world being in diameter 142 ft make the pantheon very large and finally the oculus the hole in the center of the ceiling being round allows the light to come in.
Not only is the Pantheon one of the most amazing architectural structures of the Roman Empire, but it is also one of the most intriguing. It was built during the early second century under the rule of Emperor Hadrian to replace a temple built in 27 B.C. by Marcus Agrippa which had burned down in 80 A.D. Like the temple it replaced, the Pantheon was a dedication to the Roman gods. An intriguing fact about the Pantheon is that it was one of the first buildings where the focus is on the interior rather than the exterior. On the outside, the cella appears in the shape of a ...
Pantheon plane-round, dome diameter of 43.3 meters, the top height, is 43.3 meters. The central dome opened a diameter of 8.9 meters round hole, indicating that the world of God and the human world together. Projected from the round hole in the soft light, illuminating the Pantheon 's interior, it is full of sacred feeling. Dome materials are concrete, brick, concrete pumice for aggregate. To reduce the weight of the dome, the more, the more thin, the lower 5.9 meters thick, the upper 1.5 meters. And in the dome inside to do five deep concave grid, each circle 28. The wall thickness is 6.2 meters and is also made of concrete. Each pouring about 1 m, to build a layer of large brick. Wall along the circular hair eight coupons, of which 7 are niches, one is the door. Niches and gates also ease the burden of the foundation. The foundation is 4.5 meters deep, and the bottom is 7.3 meters thick. The foundation and the walls of the concrete are made of tuff and gray stone for aggregates. Stigma and pillars are white marble. The flowers and the eaves of the statue, door fan, tile, porch ceiling beam and board, are made of copper, was wrapped in gold foil. The
When I was a child I used to be frightened of entering such a place for it seemed so imposing and somewhat dangerous, especially when music was being played. One day, in order to keep a promise I had made, I saw myself forced to enter. It took me quite a while to get the courage to pass through the old oak door, but the moment I stepped in, I realized just how enchanting and breathtaking this building could be. Its fantastic architecture and exquisite frescoes reflect perfectly the unity between this earth and the unseen kingdom of angels in such a manner that one cannot say where one ends and the other begins. The way in which the church was built is also the vivid testimony of a medieval period. Although it is a place that can sometimes be cold and ask for respect it is where prayers are answered and magic is done. An overwhelming feeling of inner harmony takes over you once you enter and God seems much closer. Darkness and light are welded perfectly together creating Redemption’s house. The tower allows you to see the entire town from the smallest river to the biggest building site, offering you its mightiness.
“The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky – seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.” (96)