Dura-Europos - Rostovtzeff report of 1931-32 excavations - horses & tack

Salvete Omnes,
the Old Year is almost done - it was not the easiest one for many, for me the biggest loss was the death of my beloved German Shepherd dog Inka.
Anyway, perusing great Archive.org I came across several articles and books on the world library site, including  famous professor M. I. Rostovtzeff Report on 1931-32 excavations at Dura-Europos (captured and destroyed  by the Sassanians in AD 256) site in Syria. - curiously the Yale publication was printed in Praha, Czechoslovakia in 1934.

I would like to remind you that one of the best images, attached above, ancient images of the armoured horseman aka clibanarius/cataphractus comes from Dura-Europos (in graffito form) - you can read about the Parthian and Sassanian armor from Dura-Europos in the article by H. Wójcikowski (University of Rzeszow magazine Anabasis 4/2013 - available via academia) or Patryk Skupniewicz, or recent publication from Siedlce University & Azad Univeristy- on the Persian helmets.

 horse archers hunting graffito from Dura-Europos

Horse graffito from Dura Europos - the entire page from the Report - great horse tack and horse conformation information in there.

also professor Simon T. James article on the siege warfare during the siege of Dura-Europos by the Sassanians ( two vplatforms - academia & archive).
Valete!

ps

I am awaiting a book from D'Amato and Negin team on the Roman Heavy Cavalry, recommended to me by Patryk Skupniewicz. I have seen the plates already, 'published' on Facebook ( nota bene I am somewhat skeptical about the  reconstructions and horses etc), but I am quite curious about the text - I enjoyed their work, separate and joint,  in the past. None of these two authors has some serious knowledge (evident in the images and text made available) about the horses and horse tack, but they are solid on sources and excavated materials - nota bene the plates have some amazing artwork by Negin showing armour, weaponry and Roman emblems etc - now, how they have gone on interpreting them it remains to be seen until I read it.

Powstanie Wielkopolskie 1918-2018 - video - vivat !

Ignacy Paderewski przyjezdza do Poznania

Salvete Omnes,
[in Polish]

Fragment pomnika w Poznaniu

dzisiaj mamy 100 rocznice Powstania Wielkopolskiego, wielkiego zwycieskiego zrywu Wielkopolan (inne wielkie walki powstancze Wielkopolski to 1768-72, 1794, 1806, i  1848).

Powstancza zandarmeria w Krotoszynie

Film dokumentalny na temat powstania

Kurtka i rogatywka, mundur kaprala  1 pulku ulanow wielkopolskich

Galeria na Wiki commons

                                   Vivat! Vivat! Vivat!

Valete!

Young Medici in Polish costume by Justus Sustermans

Salvete Omnes,
and so it was Christmas AD 2018, sadly it is gone ,  now we shall await  the New Year's coming in less than a week time.

Ferdinando de Medici, Konopiste castle

Just I would like to share with you these three paintings by a Flemish painter Justus Sustermans, showing Ferdinando and Leopoldo de Medici  - their father the ruler of Tuscany died in 1621 AD and brave mother became the regent for oldest son, Ferdinando.

Leopoldo with his mother-the regent

Boys are painted in a contemporary Polish costume, circa 1622.
Here you'll find the story behind the costumes in the paintings.
                                                     

Leopoldo alone with a sabre and bulawa-mace

The horse tack is very interesting - it reminds me quite a bit of  the  Stockholm Roll winged hussars horse trappings,  while the saddle has some characteristics of the Polish winged hussar saddles, royal gifts to the Tzar,  the collection of the Imperial Moscow Armory (Oruzhennaya Palata).

de Medici horse trappings and winged hussars' ones

Valete

Horses from Praeneste

Salvete Omnes,
It is Christmas today, and away from eating and merriment I have been perusing the images on the Wiki commons related to the ancient Roman art and horses.
There is a book I have not bought yet - Roman Heavy Cavalry (1): Cataphractarii & Clibanarii 1st Century BC - 5th Century AD" (Elite 225) by Raffaele D'Amato and Andrey Negin.  My friend Patryk Skupniewicz says the book is good, so I will have to add it to my collection. It has some intersting and some very new imags of Roman cavalrymen and their mounts and equipment.
Why I mention this book, well, in other books by D'Amato & Negin  there are many images, often for the first time seen outside the academic works,  of the original Roman artwork, iconography and archaeological findings as well as many reconstructed horsemen and their horse tack.

I enjoy studying these books for the images and text , and more often than not I find myself looking for the places and objects mentioned in the books, seeking if there are more images an/or texts available on Wiki.
This led me to Palestrina - the ancient Praeneste - where the spectacular monumental temple to Fortuna Primigenia, probably the largest sanctuary in Latium or even the whole Italy.


and some amazing relieves from there, showing horses and horse tack.

 

I put this horse in vertical position, the original is part of the horizontal adornment

 My Good Fortune always be with you all.
valete

Vigiliae Christi Natalis - Vesper Sanctus

Salvete Omnes,

 

Swieta Bozego Narodzenia jutro, a dzisiaj Wigilia - vigiliae Christi Natalis
Wesolych, zdrowych, pogodnych i pelnych humoru Swiat - dla wszystkich!
*

 

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Merry Christmas to you all, my friends and fellow travellers.
*

 

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Feliz Navidad para todos ustedes

 

Valete !

 

Polonia Victrix - Katyn Forest Massacre Monument to stay

Victrix

Salvete Omnes,

Victoria

  Polonia Victrix (we, Polish Americans) won the fight against Jersey City mayor and his corporate real estate developers (and some other shadowy figures)
City Council voted unanimously on Thursday - Katyn Forest Massacre Memorial is to stay.

Athena Parthenos

Victoria 

Victrix

Vivat! What a great gift to the Polonia all around the world! In spite of the actions of the current Polish goverment and its envoy in the US the New York City Consul.
Katyn Forest Massacre on Twitter [English]

young horseman and Nike - IV century BC cup

Katyn Forest Massacre Monument of twitter [Polish]
 Polish state radio on the subject  - po polsku.

Valete

o husarii z Wiarusa AD 1936

Salvete Omnes,

[in Polish]
 Wiarus to dzielny, stary a dziarski żołnierz. napisano w Encyklopedii M. Arcta z 1916 roku.
Wiarus to rowniez byl periodyk wydawany w II Rzeczpospolitej, gdzie w 1936 roku wydawca byl Wojskowy Instytut Naukowo-Oswiatowy, pod redakcja kapitana Jerzego Ciepielowskiego a w redakcji sekretarzem znany juz nam Narcyz Witczak-Witaczynski.
Byl to periodyk, dwytygodnik, dla korpusu podoficerow wojska ladowego, marynarki wojennej i Korpusu Ochrony Pogranicza wydawany przez 10 lat do 27 sierpnia 1939 roku.
Wczesniej, do czasu zespolenia sie z innymi periodykami wojskowymi w czasopismo Zolnierz Polski,  byl to tygodnik wydawany przez Ksiegarnie Wojskowa pod redakcja dr Waclawa Tokarza (od 1918 do 1921).
Od czasu do czasu pojawialy sie tam artykuly z historii wojskowosci polskiej , i w numerze 29 (VII rok) z 18 lipca 1936 roku  napisal ktos ( mnie nieznany jest autor) krotki artykul o skrzydlatej husarii I Rzeczpospolitej.
Oto tenze artykul ze strony 697.

nota bene druk wykonala Drukarnia Naukowa z Warszawy, Stare Miasto 11.

Tenze numer rowniez zawiera inne ciekawostki, ale o tym w osobnym wpisie.

Ida Swieta..
dla podroznych i spragnionych odpoczynku a schronienia karczma przydrozna pedzlem  Wladyslawa Karola Szernera,

karczma

Valete  - :)

Sketching husaria

Salvete Omnes,
just doing some digital sketching - I have bought a new computer so now I will have to buy a new tablet, or a pen display, my  tablet needs a replacement for sure

 quick black and white sketch

 

Valete

new Radek Sikora book on husaria

Salvete Omnes,
 [Polish]
dzisiaj druh moj imc pan Radoslaw Sikora oglosil na swej stronie fejsbukowej, ze w styczniu 2019 wydawnictwo Znak wyda jego najnowsza ksiazke poswiecona skrzydlatej husarii.
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Ksiazka, oprocz ogromnie ciekawego i zaiste wyjatkowego tekstu opartego na zrodlach z epoki i badaniach naukowych autora,  jest bardzo, ale to bardzo bogato ilustrowana - min mamy ilustracje z epoki, rysunki wspolczesne, oraz przede wszystkim zdjecia, doskonale zdjecia autorstwa Marka Kalisinskiego i Radoslawa Szleszynskiego, pokazujace  rekonstruktorow husarii jak i historyczne przedmioty.
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Ksiazka bedzie zawierac 5 moim ilustracji, w tym byc moze pierwsza taka grafike-rekonstrukcje husarskiego pocztu z poczatku XVIIw, czyli towarzysza husarskiego, 2 pocztowych, czeladz, wierzchowce bojowe, luzaki/konie powodne, konie czeladne i pociagowe, pojazdy i wozy, woly oraz namioty.
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 Wybuchowa ilustracja na okladce jest pedzla Mariusza Kozika, dobrze znanego ze swoich prac dla gier Total War.  Mam obiekcje co do wyboru tematu na okladke - glownie dlatego, ze widzimy towarzysza husarskiego jako nieledwie rajtara z szabla (choc faktycznie husarze rajarami bywali), a przeciez wyobraznie nasza poruszaja i wrogow serca strachem karmili  skrzydlaci husarze ze swoimi dlugimi kopiami na wspanialych rumakach.

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Byc moze te nowa praca mosci Radka, bazujaca na badaniach autora wykonanych do pracy doktorskiej jak i na badaniach ciagle prowadzonych od czasu uzyskania doktoratu do dzisiaj zostanie ktoregos dnia przetlumaczona na jezyk angielski i inne jezyki.
                                                * **

[English]
today my friend Radek (Radoslaw) Sikora, Ph.D.,  announced on his Facebook page that next January 2019 his Polish publisher,  Znak, will release his new book on the winged hussars.

The book, apart from its very interesting, rich and exceptional text entirely based in primary sources and research, is profusely illustrated with period images, drawings, photos of winged husaria reenactors and historical objects related to husaria  - thses are  fine photos by Marek Kalisinski and Radek Szleszynski.
There will be 5 drawings of mine in this book, including perhaps the first ever reconstruction showing the entire winged hussar retinue from the early XVII century:   mounted winged hussar comrade, his two retainers also mounted, multiple servants both mounted and riding carts and wagons, war steeds, spare horses and draft horses,  wagons, carts, oxen and tents.

The explosive cover was done by Mariusz Kozik, well known by his Total War games artwork. My objection to this cover is that we see our winged hussar as a cuirassier with a sword (and in fact they did fight as cuirassiers at times) and not a heavy lancer with his long painted kopia (lance) who put fear in the hearts of our foes and today lance-armed winged hussar dominates our imagination.

Perhaps this new book, based in the doctoral and post-doctoral research done by the author, might get translated into English and other languages one day.

detail from my preliminary sketch

Valete

December sketeches etc

Salvete Omnes,
 a quick photo of a ball pen & Antique White acrylic paint drawing done in the spirit of the Old Poland horse and tack (the wire retained for the purposes of seeing the size of the artwork - 9X12 wired sketchbook)

 

and a beautiful Renaissance Polish eagle from the late XVI century book (the end of chapter illumination)

crica AD 1576

Valete..

December sketches

Salvete Omnes,
some sketches, perhaps it will be mostly sketches this month -  Christmas and holiday season coming fast this month of December 2018.
so here are some ballpen digitally-manipulated sketched of horses of Old Poland

 

 

 

I may, time permitting, add some daily sketches

Valete!
ps
Novelist Helena Schrader wrote this very interesting article about Spartan sexuality before the Persian Wars. - I enjoyed and perhaps could suggest it as a must read  if you are into the ancient history, especially the ancient Greek state.