A hoplon was a deeply-dished shield made of wood. Some shields had a thin sheet of bronze on the outer face. This was placed just around the rim. In some periods, the shield was decorated. At other times, it remained undecorated. These large shields were designed for a mass of hoplites to push forward into the opposing army, and it was their most essential equipment. The shield was carried in the left hand. It was used by Spartans as a weapon of attack.
Probably the most famous decoration is the Spartan. This was a capital lambda (Λ). From the late 5th century BC onward, Athenian hoplites usually used the Little Owl (Athena's sacred bird). The shields of Theban hoplites were sometimes decorated with a sphinx, or the club of Herakles.
Breadfruit
Breadfruit is the name for an evergreen tree in the mulberry family. Originally, the tree grew in Southeast Asia. It has been cultivated and is grown in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Central and South America and the Caribbean. The tree can reach a height of up to . The breadfruit is the fruit of this tree. The fruits contain a lot of starch - much like potatoes; they are ground to make flour, which can then be used for baking.
Ancestors of the Polynesians found the trees growing in the northwest New Guinea area around 3,500 years ago. They gave up the rice cultivation they had brought with them from Taiwan, and raised breadfruit instead. They took the trees with them wherever they went in the Pacific. The exceptions were Easter Island and New Zealand: both places were too cold to grow the trees. Their ancient eastern Indonesian cousins spread the plant west and north through insular and coastal Southeast Asia. In historical times, it has also been widely planted in tropical regions elsewhere.
The Mutiny on the Bounty was caused by breadfruit trees: In 1787, William Bligh was ordered to load a number of these trees on Tahiti and to ship them to the Caribbean; there they would serve as a cheap food for the slaves working on plantations. The main plantations at the time were those of sugarcane. This was the first attempt a government made to grow an economically important plant at a different location. The attempt failed, because the seamen did not understand why the drinking water supply was used to water the plants; they threw the plants overboard.
Bligh was able to ship the trees in a second voyage: Arriving in the Caribbean, he faced a different problem: The slaves there did not accept breadfruit as a replacement for cereals. Bligh won the Royal Society medal for his efforts, even though the introduction was not entirely successful. Although most slaves refused to eat the new food, breadfruit was accepted into the cuisine of Puerto Rico.
Hercules Room
The Hercules Room (sometimes Hercules Drawing Room or Hercules Salon; Fr: "salon d'Hercule") is a State Room in the Palace of Versailles. It occupies what was once the site of a chapel. Louis XIV wanted the Hercules Room to be a showcase for a large painting by Paolo Veronese. The architect Robert de Cotte began working on the room in 1710. Work was completed in 1736. The Room has been the scene of many glittering events in the history of Versailles.
The Hercules Room is a State Room in the Palace of Versailles, France. It is the last of the State Rooms constructed in the palace. The large room is on the ground floor (first floor) of the Palace. It measures 18m x 14m x 45m. A chapel once stood on the site. The Hercules Room connects the royal chapel and the North Wing of the palace with the Grand Apartment of the King. Architect Robert de Cotte started work on the room in 1710. The project was set aside in 1715 when Louis XIV died. Work resumed in 1724. Louis XV hired architect Jacques Gabriel, marble worker Claude-Félix Tarlé, and sculptors Jacques Verberckt and François-Antoine Vassé to complete the room. The room is in the style of the Hall of Mirrors.
Louis XIV wanted this room to be a showcase for a large painting by Paolo Veronese called "Meal at the House of Simon the Pharisee". This picture was painted for the refectory (dining hall) of the Servite Convent in Venice in 1570. In 1664, the Doge gave it to Louis XIV. He wanted the king to support him in a war with the Turks. Veronese's "Eliezer and Rebecca" hangs above the fireplace on the wall opposite "Simon".
"Simon" is a large painting. It measures 4.5 m x 9.7 m. The painting was once displayed in the Apollo Gallery of the Louvre. It was hung in the Hercules Room in 1730. It was removed in 1832. It was sent at that time back to the Louvre. In 1961 "Simon" was returned to the Hercules Room. In 1994 the painting was restored.
The room was completed in 1736 with a painted ceiling called "Apotheosis of Hercules". This was painted by François Lemoyne. The painting gave the room its name. The King was pleased with the ceiling. He appointed Lemoyne First Painter. Lemoyne however did not live long enough to enjoy the honor. He committed suicide shortly after the appointment.
The coving is decorated with representations of the Four Princely Virtues: Justice, Fortitude, Constancy, and Courage. These are separated by Cupids pointing to the Labors of Hercules. In the center of the ceiling, Hercules arrives in his chariot on Mount Olympus. Jupiter offers his daughter Hebe in marriage to the hero. Mars and Vulcan observe the fall of demons and vices. Apollo sits on the steps of the Temple of Memory.
"Apotheosis" is the largest ceiling painted on canvas in Europe480 square meters of surface area. It depicts some 140 figures representing the gods and goddesses of Olympus. They have gathered for the arrival of Hercules after his successful labors raised him to the rank of God. The piece was seen as a metaphorical allusion to the merits of the French King.
Robert de Cotte
Robert de Cotte (1656 – 15 July 1735) was a French architect-administrator. He introduced the Rococo style. He was a pupil of Jules Hardouin-Mansart. He later became his teacher's brother-in-law and his collaborator. De Cotte married Hardouin-Mansart's sister. After Hardouin-Mansart's death, de Cotte completed his unfinished projects. These included the royal chapel at Versailles and the Grand Trianon.
Paolo Veronese
Paolo Veronese (1528 – 19 April 1588) was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. He was a Venetian. He is remembered for paintings such as "The Wedding at Cana" and "The Feast in the House of Levi". He became known as "Veronese" from his birthplace in Verona. His best works are elaborate narratives. These are executed in a dramatic and colorful Mannerist style. They are full of majestic architectural settings and pageantry. His large paintings of biblical feasts are especially notable.
Hill Top
Hill Top is a 17th-century Lakeland farm once in the possession of children's author Beatrix Potter. She bought the farm house as a retreat from London in 1896 at a time when she was making a significant amount of money from her stories. She used the farm as a place to develop her stories. Many of these stories (such as "Jemima Puddleduck" and "Tom Kitten") were set on the farm. Farm furniture, the ponds, and other elements were used as props in her books.
Potter married William Heelis when she was 47. She moved across the road to Castle Cottage. She kept Hill Top though to house her collections of china, the "Two Bad Mice" doll house furniture, and other things. She continued to use the house as a retreat. She willed the houses and a large acreage to the National Trust in 1944. Hill Top is located near Sawrey in Cumbria. It is between Esthwaite Water and Windermere, 2 miles south-east of Hawksmoor.
The Yew Tree Ball