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ZonirenSiji, Los Angeles, CA (2025)

06/10/2025

😀👇🎅🎄⛄𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟑:

Afterwards, according to Macrobius… ‘On December 17th, the Saturnalia began with a sacrificium publicium and a public feast convivium publicum before the temple of Saturn. Both were concluded with the cry Io Saturnalia’ Macrobius Saturnalia 1.10.18 ✍📚
This occasion was seen as a really great time of joy, with shops, law-courts and schools were shut for the festive period, with public gambling being permitted too. Albeit the festivities and celebrations were not for everyone, and much like our own times some people hid away from the occasions. Seneca refers with disapproval to the din that the city created with their merrymaking, and Pliny was known to have retired into a sound-proof room while the rest of his household enjoyed the rejoicing.

‘When I betake myself into this sitting-room, I seem to be quite away even from my villa, and I find it delightful to sit there, especially during the Saturnalia, when all the rest of the house rings with the merriment and shouts of the festival-makers; for then I do not interfere with their amusements, and they do not distract me from my studies.’ Pliny the Younger Letters to Gallus 2.17.24 ✍📚

‘It is the month of December, and yet the city is at this very moment in a sweat. Licence is given to the general merrymaking. Everything resounds with mighty preparations, as if the Saturnalia differed at all from the usual business day! So true it is that the difference is nil, that I regard as correct the remark of the man who said: “Once December was a month; now it is a year.’ Seneca Moral letters to Lucilius 18.1 ✍📚

Merchandise:
📌www.romeisthelight.com

06/10/2025

The Most Popular Sport. Do you agree?

06/10/2025

Today is the feast day of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki!

He was honored throughout late antiquity, the medieval era, and even today as the patron saint of Thessaloniki.

This ancient church, Agios Demetrios, was burned down in the great fire of 1917 in Thessaloniki, & rebuilt.

#θεσσαλονικη #θεσσαλονίκη

06/10/2025

😀👇🎅🎄⛄𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟒:

One of the most well known features of this holiday occurred when masters waited upon their servants at meal-time. Thereby for a brief period, those who for so much of the year endured an inferior position to their owners now had the chance to be considered momentary equals. A fragment found of the Latin poet Accius (170 B.C.) we are told, ‘when they celebrate the day they joyfully hold feasts throughout the countryside and towns, and each man waits upon his own slaves’

The family would assign a mock king, a Saturnalicius princeps, to be the Masters of Revels, a custom reflected more recently at Twelfth Night. During this event there was the customary giving of presents, with the children getting little pottery dolls, and wax candles to friends of the family. We are also told the miserly Cato recommended an additional ration of wine to be given out.

‘In addition, issue 3½ congii per person for the Saturnalia and the Compitalia’ Cato the Elder On Agriculture 57.1 ✍📚

The Saturnalia was a very special occasion, people spending time visiting friends and many restrictions were relaxed. It was believed that even gambling was permitted.

📌𝐓𝐡𝐞 📸 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐎𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢 (𝟏𝟗𝟐𝟖-𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟎).👈

Merchandise:
📌www.romeisthelight.com (20-25% Off Majority of Products).

06/10/2025

The Chachapoyas civilization, a pre-Incan culture that thrived in what is now Amazonas, Peru, developed a unique and highly sophisticated approach to mummification despite the region’s unfavorable climate for organic preservation. Their burial sites were carefully chosen—rocky mountain cavities with cold temperatures and low humidity, offering natural protection against decay.

Their mummification process was meticulous. After death, bodies were bound tightly, forcing the limbs into a fetal-like position with knees bent and arms raised toward the face. This was a symbolic pose, possibly representing a return to the womb or preparation for the afterlife. The skin was treated like leather, ensuring that facial features remained intact while also significantly reducing the body's weight for easier transport. Once prepared, the mummies were wrapped in multiple layers of insulating fabric and placed in chullpas—hidden burial chambers carved into the cliffs.

This remarkable technique not only preserved the physical form of the deceased but also honored their passage into the afterlife, leaving behind some of the best-preserved mummies in the Andes, a testament to the ingenuity and spiritual beliefs of the Chachapoyas people.

06/10/2025

A beautiful mosaic of Christ from the medieval Chora Church, today known as Kariye Camii in Istanbul. I took this photo myself this past summer.

It is a majestic mosaic and showcases the skill and passion of the mosaicists of Constantinople! I personally think Hagia Sophia has the best mosaics, but Chora has more and they are very high quality. It gives the visitor a better idea of how artistically immersive these churches were in that era!

06/10/2025

😀👇🎅🎄⛄𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟓:

During this period slaves were too allowed to wear the clothing of their masters as well as to be waited upon by their masters too. This reversal of roles was attested by none other than the god Saturn himself, speaking through the Pontifex Maximus he told the Romans what to do for his celebration:

‘During My Week the serious is barred; no business allowed. Drinking, noise and games and dice, appointing of kings and feasting of slaves, singing naked, clapping of frenzied hands, an occasional ducking of corked faces in icy water, such are the function over which I Preside’ The works of Lucian of Samosata 📗✍

It was a strict period of when this could be celebrated and Petronius informs us about when he disciplined his slave for his outburst of laughter, asking him if it was December yet? Furthermore, Cassius Dio informs us of Aulus Plautius cajoling his troops during the invasion of Britain who had shown hesitancy, ‘indignant at the thought of carrying on a campaign outside the limits of the known world and would not yield’ until Narcissus, a former slave, addressed them. This was initially rebuked when the soldiers suddenly shouted ‘IO Saturnalia’ this was due to their knowledge of the master and slave role reversal of Saturnalia. Cassius Dio Roman History 60.19.1-4 📗✍

📌𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚?.

𝐌𝐲 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐈𝐬 𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡.

📌𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.𝐜𝐨𝐦

06/10/2025

✈️ Bessie Coleman: Breaking Barriers in the Sky 🌍

“The air is the only place free from prejudices…” – Bessie Coleman

Bessie Coleman’s story is one of resilience, ambition, and breaking barriers. Born in 1892 in Atlanta, Texas, she faced poverty, racism, and gender discrimination from an early age. Despite these challenges, she refused to let society define her limits.

🚶‍♀️ Early Struggles & Education:
🔹 Walked four miles daily to a segregated school 📚
🔹 Thrived in math & reading despite financial struggles
🔹 Worked as a cotton picker & laundress to help support her family

✈️ The Dream of Flying:
🔹 Inspired by Harriet Quimby (first female U.S. pilot) & war stories from her brother
🔹 Faced rejection from U.S. flight schools due to race & gender
🔹 Learned French and moved to France to train as a pilot

🏆 Making Aviation History (1921):
✅ First Black & Native American woman to earn an international pilot’s license
✅ Returned to the U.S., but faced rejection again – no one would hire a Black woman pilot
✅ Went back to Europe to train as a stunt pilot & parachutist

🔥 “Queen Bess” Takes Flight:
💥 Became a renowned barnstormer (stunt pilot)
💥 Mastered loop-the-loops, barrel rolls, & daredevil dives
💥 Used her fame to inspire Black youth & fight for aviation equality

💔 Tragic End, Lasting Legacy (1926):
Bessie’s dream was to open an aviation school for Black pilots, but a mechanical failure led to her untimely death at 34 years old.

Her Impact Lives On:
🛫 Inspired future generations of Black aviators, including the Tuskegee Airmen
🛫 Honored in the National Aviation Hall of Fame
🛫 Bessie Coleman’s name is written in the sky of history – a reminder that no barrier is too high to break

👉 Follow AdamZane for more inspiring historical figures! 📜🔥

06/09/2025

Merry Christmas to the Roman history lovers out there!!!

06/09/2025

The Hagia Sophia was formally inaugurated in Constantinople by the Emperor Justinian and the Patriarch on December 27, 537AD.

It was the pinnacle of Greco-Roman engineering.

Happy 1487th birthday to the Hagia Sophia!

06/09/2025

Step right up and meet the Giant Short-faced Bear, the colossal titan of the Ice Age that reigned supreme as the largest bear and most massive carnivorous land mammal in history! Hailing from the subfamily Tremarctinae, this beastly behemoth known as Arctodus simus prowled from Alaska to central Mexico, leaving a trail of fear and astonishment in its wake. With its bulldog-like appearance, towering stature of 12 feet, and lightning-fast speed of over 40 miles per hour, this majestic predator was the ultimate apex predator of its time. So brace yourself for a journey back to a world where giants roamed the earth, and let the legend of Arctodus simus leave you in awe of nature's ferocious past.

06/09/2025

😀👇🎅🎄⛄𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲:

Many consider Phocas to be a usurper, who took power illegitimately. However, during his reign the empire faced a series of setbacks, with the Lombards in Italy under King Agilulf forcing new demands from the exarch of Ravenna, to give further territorial concessions in a treaty of 604/605, as well as the Avars raising their tribute demands. This led to Phocas moving many of his Balkan troops to the eastern front.

The worst issues to deal with was the renewed conflict with Persia, thereby leading to the eastern frontier coming under heavy bombardment. Dara was to fall to a siege in 604, as well as the changing of sides that resulted in the two Anatolian fortresses of Theodosiopolis and Citharizon to switch to foreign control. This led to Mesopotamia and the whole of Asia Minor being exposed, with strongholds in Mardin, Amida, Rhesaina and Edessa falling.

This led to Phocas facing a crisis of confidence, which spurred Heraclius, the exarch of Africa based in Carthage to send a fleet commanded by his nephew Nicetas to seize Alexandria, thereby, this move cut off the grain supply to Constantinople.

More and more the power of Heraclius grew, and this in turn led to the assassination of Phocas on the 5th of October 610. Heraclius proclaimed Roman Emperor, and his rule was a successful one, lasted from 610-641 A.D. The reign of Heraclius encompassed the last great struggle between the Roman and Sassanian Empires.

The Eastern Empire had not long before this faced extinction but the reign of Heraclius reaffirmed the position of the empire. The verdict on the Emperor Heraclius seems to be divided but his reign was a long one and as a recent author says about him, ‘he acted responsibly until the end, no matter what his physical pain. He took responsibility for trying to salvage matters.’

ZonirenSiji

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