Homer)The choice was in the childhood of Achilles, to live a little, and to die with honor, or to live long, but in obscurity. Thus, the desire to become a chariot fighter, to be doomed to a short but full of fame and exploits, the Achaeans did voluntarily and consciously. True, the fate of an elite soldier, a representative of the caste of soldiers, was predetermined. Death overtook them early and with inevitability. Or the warrior perished on the battlefield, or was he too late to go crazy. In the case of Ajax and Hercules, alcohol played the role of trigger reaction. But the advantages, obviously, outweighed the cons. The fighters were aware of the brevity of their being and agreed to this, all the more it was necessary, and besides, the reward was very weighty. Managing a madly racing chariot, the fighter had to be able to make very fast decisions and have the rare power to fight under the weight of heavy armor. When the cavalry replaced the battle chariot, the tactics of fighting changed, the need for stimulants disappeared.
LENSES AND PRODUCTS FROM MINING CRYSTAL. Findings of the Epoch of the Bronze Age from the Troy, the Crete and the Mycenae
A lot of highly artistic products of the finest work related to the Bronze Age – gems, jewelry, and products from rock crystal were found. The carving on gems is so miniature that it is unclear how and how ancient craftsmen could create such a miracle. Products made of gold are also striking in the fineness of the work. The crystal cup from Mycenae in the form of a swan and a top of the crystal of Trojan work would be extremely difficult to do without special locksmithing. Also in the region were found lenses from crystal. For more than a century scientists did not pay attention to them. We are talking about optical lenses of thin instruments made of different materials, which prove the existence of developed optics already in ancient times. Were people able to make precise optical instruments several thousand years ago, with the help of which it is possible to correct astigmatism, observe distant stars and perform work at a microscopic level? In Ephesus, as many as 30 lenses were found, and, interestingly, they were all concave and reduced the image by 75 percent. In Knossos, Crete, it was found set lens. They were made in such quantities that even managed to find a real workshop of the Minoan era for their production. Tarnished and scratched lens-like pendant made of rock crystal. Minoan culture about 1450 BC. Size 1.2 cm Museum Metropolitan, New York Accession Number 26.31.403. Was this object originally a lens? It is possible, and it is for Minoans that there are many such types of items. Originally – probably a lens in the form of a shield, then for some reason it was polished from both sides of the center. Minoan culture. Around 1450 B.C. Size 1.3 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Accession Number 26.31.404.
pic.36 Photo of crystal lenses found by J. Sakellarakis.
The rock crystal lenses, found by Jannis Sakellarakis in the Ideon Cave (Ida Mount in Crete, near Knossos) – the first diameter of 8 mm, the second 15 mm. Photo by J. Sakellarakis. In fact, fine work, increasing the capacity – nominal 20 + -fold and 10-fold, useful 7-fold and 25-fold – and the question. Why is such a laborious item manufactured? A similar in quality lens was also found in the Palace of Knossos back in 1921 by the famous archaeologist Evans, the discoverer of this object, several more lenses a few years later by Fosdike in the Mavropelio cemetery, and it was this archaeologist who first suggested that they could have had optical use. And, interestingly, several more lenses were found in Amatos (near Limassol) when excavating the temple of Aphrodite among other small gifts to the goddess (gems, beads, amulets), probably refers to the archaic Ancient Greece, that is, the 8th-6th centuries. BC. The lens found in rock crystal from Knossos Palace has a diameter of 14 mm, an increase of 11-fold. Found in 1921 by Evans.
pic.37 Photo with wooden vessels from the swamps of Western Siberia.
The reverse side is silver foil and therefore it was assumed that this is some sort of insertion – for example, in a ring. So most likely this mirror. The first glass mirrors were made according to this scheme. In itself, outside the optical system, a mirror of this kind is useless. But for a number of complex systems of lenses and mirrors, it is important and necessary. A number of Trojan crystal lenses have traces of silver, so, probably, they were also used as mirrors. The description of finds confirming the high level of knowledge of the ancients in optics and crystal processing methods could be continued, but the available information allows us to state that in the past there was a high level of knowledge that the current civilization began to master only in the 17th century. The most interesting monuments of this kind are the small vessel found in the grave Omicron of circle B, carved from a whole piece of rock crystal. Crystal was widely used in Aegean art for decorating weapons and making beads, but the second whole vase from this material was not found. It’s more like a ladle than a vase. A small (13.2 cm long) bowl is made in the form of a duck: the bird’s body forms the vase’s receptacle, its tail is its drain. The head, gracefully turned on a thin neck, is a handle. It is dated to the 16th century. BC. The laconism of execution, which is combined with the workshop by transferring the characteristic forms of the bird, is striking. Smooth outlines of the vase perfectly harmonize with the material from which it is made. The outstanding quality of performance has led some researchers to suggest that this thing is Egyptian imports. However, this motive is typical for the culture of the Abashev culture of the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. In the marshes of western Siberia, vessels of wood of the same shape were found. To the same culture are the finds of vessels with the image of a meander and war chariots. Crystal vessel in the form of a duck from the grave Omicron circle B. XVI century. BC. e. On the right is a photo of the finds from the marshes of Western Siberia, the beginning of 2 thousand BC. The discoverer Troy Schliemann found 48 lenses in the ruins of a mythical city, one of which was particularly distinguished by the perfection of dressing and the traces of familiarity with the engraver’s tools. That two of them had a diameter of 25 mm, one 50 mm and one 54 mm, the latter having focal length of 150 mm. One of them had a hole in the center (catalog number Aar 230)] But-interestingly, the ancient artisans did not remove the chamfer from the edge of the lens, as a result of which the edge had to be very sharp. In the same place were found other lenses from crystal. When H. Schliemann showed the Trojan gold to the best English jeweler, he noted that such things could only be made with the help of a magnifying glass. Later in the last treasure, dozens of mysterious «lenses» from rock crystal were found, and among them there was one that gave a twofold increase. On some lenses there are traces of copper and silver. Recall that the lens from Knossos had a silver substrate. that is, the lens was used as a mirror, as part of a complex optical system. A lens with an aperture could be used as a mirror in a system similar to the Maksutov-Cassegrain optical system. In the Pushkin Museum. Pushkin there is an exhibit Cat. No. 257 Aap 257, P 384 a round plate of silver with a diameter of 3.75 cm.. It was she who served as a reflector in this device. In Priam’s treasure, there were also blanks for lenses and precious stones. Along with products made of precious metals in Mycenaean tombs, things were found from other materials. From the translucent alabaster, a three-handed goblet was cut out, distinguished by the amazing grace of shapes. His beautifully curved volute-shaped handles are made separately and attached to the body by metal pegs, just as the handles of vessels of gold and silver, which he undoubtedly imitates in shape, riveted. This product is also the most difficult to process, and could not be done without a lathe. This vessel is very close to the vase mentioned above from the palace in Kato Zakro, with the same high curved handles; this closeness makes him consider a Cretan product.
pic.38 Cup from Mycenae.
