Up until the Archaic Greeks created the very first freestanding statuary, a remarkable achievement, carvings had mainly been completed in walls and pillars as reliefs. Most of these freestanding sculptures were what is known as kouros figures, statues of young, attractive male or female (kore) Greeks. The kouroi were considered by the Greeks to rep

Having a wall fountain in your garden or on a terrace is great when you wish to relax. You can also make use of a small space by having one custom-built. The requisite elements include a spout, a water basin, internal tubing, and a pump regardless of whether it is freestanding or secured. There are any number of models to choose from most notably c

Himself a highly educated man, Pope Nicholas V headed the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 till 1455 and was responsible for the translation of hundreds of ancient documents from their original Greek into Latin. He undertook the embellishment of Rome to make it into the model seat of the Christian world. In 1453 the Pope instigated the repairing of

It is widely held that modern civilization was begun along the shores of Southern Europe – from the start of science and democracy to viticulture and art. You can explore the history of the “Old World” along its coasts. Whether you lay in the sun on the beaches of Spain and Italy, study the historical s

Sculptors garnished the complex columns and archways with renderings of the greek gods until the time came to a close and more Greeks had begun to think of their religion as superstitious rather than sacred; at that time, it became more accepted for sculptors be compensated to depict ordinary people as well. Rich families would sometimes commission