Crossroads Of The Mediterranean The Sicily Chronicles Book 2
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Crossroads Of The Mediterranean (The Sicily Chronicles Book 2) by Dick Rosano Pdf
To Luca, the story of Sicily was like an old movie made modern. From black and white to sepia and then to color, the old man Vito's narration of the island's ancient history kept Luca spellbound. Originally a trip to his parents' homeland, Luca's journey was now one of a deeper history, in which the Roman dominion over the island was converted by invasions of Byzantines, Muslims, Normans, French, Aragonese, Bourbons, and even the forces of North America. From the time of Julius Caesar to the present day, the history of Sicily is the history of Western Civilization. Crossroads of the Mediterranean takes the reader on the journey with Luca in discovering the roots of this true melting pot, the island in the Middle Sea. Crossroads of the Mediterranean is preceded by Islands of Fire, which chronicles the history of Sicily from its volcanic origins millions of years ago to the Slave Wars of the 1st century BCE.
Author : John Julius Norwich Publisher : Random House Page : 400 pages File Size : 45,9 Mb Release : 2015-07-21 Category : History ISBN : 9780812995190
Critically acclaimed author John Julius Norwich weaves the turbulent story of Sicily into a spellbinding narrative that places the island at the crossroads of world history. “Sicily,” said Goethe, “is the key to everything.” It is the largest island in the Mediterranean, the stepping-stone between Europe and Africa, the link between the Latin West and the Greek East. Sicily’s strategic location has tempted Roman emperors, French princes, and Spanish kings. The subsequent struggles to conquer and keep it have played crucial roles in the rise and fall of the world’s most powerful dynasties. Yet Sicily has often been little more than a footnote in books about other empires. John Julius Norwich’s engrossing narrative is the first to knit together all of the colorful strands of Sicilian history into a single comprehensive study. Here is a vivid, erudite, page-turning chronicle of an island and the remarkable kings, queens, and tyrants who fought to rule it. From its beginnings as a Greek city-state to its emergence as a multicultural trading hub during the Crusades, from the rebellion against Italian unification to the rise of the Mafia, the story of Sicily is rich with extraordinary moments and dramatic characters. Writing with his customary deftness and humor, Norwich outlines the surprising influence Sicily has had on world history—the Romans’ fascination with Greek civilization dates back to their sack of Sicily—and tells the story of one of the world’s most kaleidoscopic cultures in a galvanizing, contemporary way. This volume has been a long time coming—Norwich began to explore Sicily’s colorful history during his first visit to the island in the early 1960s. The dean of popular historians leads his readers through the millennia with the steady narrative hand of a master teacher or the world’s most learned tour guide. Like the island itself, Sicily is a book brimming with bold flavors that begs to be revisited again and again. Praise for Sicily “Suavely readable . . . The very model of a popular historian, [Norwich] writes to give pleasure to the common reader. And what pleasure it is.”—The Wall Street Journal “Entertaining on every page . . . There is something ancient and sorrowful in Sicily, ‘some dark, brooding quality,’ just as captivating as its spellbinding history or its beautiful and varied landscapes, from beaches to lemon groves, pine forests to volcanoes. . . . The most amiable and freewheeling of guides, Norwich will always find time for the amusing anecdote.”—The Sunday Times “Utterly engrossing . . . written with passion about the art and architecture of this magical island, filled with gossipy tidbits and sweeping historical theories.”—The Daily Beast “Dazzling . . . Norwich is an elegantly graceful and entertaining storyteller.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch “Charming . . . richly nuanced history relayed with enormous fondness.”—Kirkus Reviews “A brisk and always-lively tour.”—Open Letters Monthly “Norwich is deeply in love with Sicily. [His] boundless affection has inspired a determined effort to understand its painful past. The result is impressionistic, as love often is.”—The Times “Norwich sketches personalities vividly. . . . He does the island and the reader a generous service in providing such an amiable introduction.”—The Sunday Telegraph “Norwich tells [Sicily’s] long, sad but fascinating story with sympathy and brio.”—Literary Review
When Luca went to Sicily in search of his parents' roots, he didn't count on meeting Vito: a wizened old man who seemed to embody the history of the island in his bones. He also didn't count on Vito taking him back centuries - millennia - to the ancient times when Sicily was settled by seafaring people, and fought over by warring tribes and invaders. Luca didn't know about Anu and Baia who came to the shores of the island 11,000 years ago, or Telia and Sapira who began Sicily's agricultural revolution thousands of years later. He had never heard of the Sicani, Elymi, and Siculi tribes who settled the island 3,000 years ago, or the Arabs, Greeks, Carthaginians, and Romans who fought to control this vital piece of earth in the Middle Sea. Islands of Fire takes the reader on a journey through time, from the volcanic origins of this island to the era of the Roman Empire. It is a journey chronicled in the dozens of invasions of the island over thousands of years. A waystation in the Middle Sea, Sicily is at the heart of western history.
Crossroads Of The Mediterranean by Dick Rosano Pdf
To Luca, the story of Sicily was like an old movie made modern. From black and white to sepia and then to color, the old man Vito's narration of the island's ancient history kept Luca spellbound. Originally a trip to his parents' homeland, Luca's journey was now one of a deeper history, in which the Roman dominion over the island was converted by invasions of Byzantines, Muslims, Normans, French, Aragonese, Bourbons, and even the forces of North America. From the time of Julius Caesar to the present day, the history of Sicily is the history of Western Civilization. Crossroads of the Mediterranean takes the reader on the journey with Luca in discovering the roots of this true melting pot, the island in the Middle Sea. Crossroads of the Mediterranean is preceded by Islands of Fire, which chronicles the history of Sicily from its volcanic origins millions of years ago to the Slave Wars of the 1st century B.C.E.
Whether you’re vacationing in Italy or simply an armchair traveler, this guide to the Mediterranean island of Sicily is a dazzling introduction to the region’s rich 3,000-year history and culture. A rich and fascinating cultural history of the Mediterranean’s enigmatic heart Sicily is at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, and for over 2000 years has been the gateway between Europe, Africa and the East. It has long been seen as the frontier between Western Civilization and the rest, but never definitively part of either. Despite being conquered by empires—Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Hapsburg Spain—it remains uniquely apart. The island’s story maps a mosaic that mixes the story of myth and wars, maritime empires and reckless crusades, and a people who refuse to be ruled. In this riveting, rich history Jamie Mackay peels away the layers of this most mysterious of islands. This story finds its origins in ancient myth but has been reinventing itself across centuries: in conquest and resistance. Inseparable from these political and social developments are the artefacts of the nation’s cultural patrimony—ancient amphitheaters, Arab gardens, Baroque Cathedrals, as well as great literature such as Giuseppe di Lampedusa’s masterpiece The Leopard, and the novels and plays of Luigi Pirandello. In its modern era, Sicily has been the site of revolution, Cosa Nostra and, in the twenty-first century, the epicenter of the refugee crisis.
Both books in Dick Rosano's 'Sicily Chronicles', a series of historical fiction set in Italy, now in one volume! Islands Of Fire: Luca travels to Sicily in search of his family roots and meets Vito, who takes him back in time to when the island was settled by seafaring people, fought over by warring tribes and invaders. From Anu and Baia's arrival 11,000 years ago to Telia and Sapira's agricultural revolution, Sicily's history is rich and diverse, with the Sicani, Elymi, and Siculi tribes settling the island 3,000 years ago. Through invasions by Arabs, Greeks, Carthaginians, and Romans, the reader journeys through the volcanic origins of the island to the era of the Roman Empire. Islands of Fire explores the role of Sicily, a waystation in the Middle Sea, at the heart of western history. Crossroads Of The Mediterranean: Luca's journey to his parents' homeland in Sicily becomes a deep exploration of the island's rich and diverse history, from Roman dominion to invasions by Byzantines, Muslims, Normans, French, Aragonese, Bourbons, and even the forces of North America. Crossroads of the Mediterranean takes the reader on this journey, chronicling the roots of this true melting pot, the island in the Middle Sea, from the time of Julius Caesar to the present day.
*Includes pictures *Includes a bibliography for further reading It is hard to find an island on the map more central than Sicily. Located at the crossroads between Europe and Africa, and between the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, Sicily has rarely been governed as an independent, unified state. Nonetheless, the island has always occupied a front-row seat to some of the most important events in history, and nowhere is this more obvious than during antiquity. After the Punic Wars, Sicily would remain a Roman domain until the end of antiquity, and affairs on the island dramatically affected the Romans at home. The First Servile War (135-132 BCE) and Second Servile War (104-100 BCE) both took place in Sicily, and they were perhaps the largest (and temporarily successful) slave revolts in antiquity, demonstrating a great unease in the early stages of Roman imperialism. In 70 BCE, the Roman orator and statesman Cicero gave a speech against Verres, the corrupt governor of the island, and over 2,000 years later it still provides an invaluable glimpse into the way things were run in Sicily and the Roman Republic as a whole. Over 1500 years later, the largest island of the Mediterranean remains a complicated place with a fraught relationship to the Italian mainland. Separated by only the narrow Strait of Messina, Sicily feels like a different country in many ways, and the differences between Sicilians and Italians are much vaster than the tiny geographical separating them might intimate. For example, the linguistic differences between the two are substantial, as Sicilian is practically its own language, rather than just a dialect. It differs from Italian most apparently insofar as the normal final "o" of masculine nouns is replaced by a "u," but beyond that difference, there are lengthy, five syllable words that a standard Italian tongue tends to trip over. In fact, most Italians have difficulty understanding Sicilian if they can comprehend any of it at all. There is also an ethnic difference between Sicilians and Italians. Most notably, many Sicilians have bright red hair and light eyes, which is usually thought to be a result of the Norman invasions, although today some historians believe it is because of the strong presence of the British during the Napoleonic Wars, as well as the Anglo-American occupation of Italy during World War II. Even Sicilian cuisine varies from the Italian mainland - Sicily is celebrated for having 72 different kinds of bread, and Sicilians often eat ice cream (gelato) for breakfast. However diverse Sicily might be, it is also paradoxically considered to be an emblem of Italy itself, a paradox it shares with Naples. No writer put it more aptly than the great Romantic poet Goethe. In an April 13, 1787 letter from Palermo, published in Journey to Italy, Goethe made the following declaration: "To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything." As Goethe's words suggest, Sicily is unquestionably unique thanks to its turbulent and rich history, but it shares the same qualities as the Italian nation overall, from its beautiful scenery, delicious cuisine, dazzling sunshine, and unparalleled cultural production to its problems with law and order, and its seeming impenetrability to outside visitors. Through it all, Sicily has been a true cultural melting pot, one that is responsible for some of the greatest contributions to Western culture. Modern Sicily: The History and Legacy of the Mediterranean Island Since the Middle Ages looks at one of the world's most important and contested territories. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about Sicily like never before.
*Includes pictures *Includes a bibliography for further reading It is hard to find an island on the map more central than Sicily. Located at the crossroads between Europe and Africa, and between the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, Sicily has rarely been governed as an independent, unified state. Nonetheless, the island has always occupied a front-row seat to some of the most important events in history, and nowhere is this more obvious than during antiquity. After the Punic Wars, Sicily would remain a Roman domain until the end of antiquity, and affairs on the island dramatically affected the Romans at home. The First Servile War (135-132 BCE) and Second Servile War (104-100 BCE) both took place in Sicily, and they were perhaps the largest (and temporarily successful) slave revolts in antiquity, demonstrating a great unease in the early stages of Roman imperialism. In 70 BCE, the Roman orator and statesman Cicero gave a speech against Verres, the corrupt governor of the island, and over 2,000 years later it still provides an invaluable glimpse into the way things were run in Sicily and the Roman Republic as a whole. Although the conquest of Egypt in 30 BCE would strip Sicily of its central role as Rome's main supplier of grain, the island would remain an important part of the Roman Empire for about 500 more years. Sicily would only become independent again after the fall of the Western Roman Empire to barbarian tribes in the late 5th century CE, which ushered in the beginning of the Middle Ages. Over 1500 years later, the largest island of the Mediterranean remains a complicated place with a fraught relationship to the Italian mainland. Separated by only the narrow Strait of Messina, Sicily feels like a different country in many ways, and the differences between Sicilians and Italians are much vaster than the tiny geographical separating them might intimate. For example, the linguistic differences between the two are substantial, as Sicilian is practically its own language, rather than just a dialect. It differs from Italian most apparently insofar as the normal final "o" of masculine nouns is replaced by a "u," but beyond that difference, there are lengthy, five syllable words that a standard Italian tongue tends to trip over. In fact, most Italians have difficulty understanding Sicilian if they can comprehend any of it at all. There is also an ethnic difference between Sicilians and Italians. Most notably, many Sicilians have bright red hair and light eyes, which is usually thought to be a result of the Norman invasions, although today some historians believe it is because of the strong presence of the British during the Napoleonic Wars, as well as the Anglo-American occupation of Italy during World War II. Even Sicilian cuisine varies from the Italian mainland - Sicily is celebrated for having 72 different kinds of bread, and Sicilians often eat ice cream (gelato) for breakfast. However diverse Sicily might be, it is also paradoxically considered to be an emblem of Italy itself, a paradox it shares with Naples. No writer put it more aptly than the great Romantic poet Goethe. In an April 13, 1787 letter from Palermo, published in Journey to Italy, Goethe made the following declaration: "To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything." As Goethe's words suggest, Sicily is unquestionably unique thanks to its turbulent and rich history, but it shares the same qualities as the Italian nation overall, from its beautiful scenery, delicious cuisine, dazzling sunshine, and unparalleled cultural production to its problems with law and order, and its seeming impenetrability to outside visitors. Through it all, Sicily has been a true cultural melting pot, one that is responsible for some of the greatest contributions to Western culture.
Sicily by Dirk Booms,Peter Higgs (Museum curator) Pdf
"Sicily's central location and natural resources have meant that various peoples have sought to conquer, control and settle on the island throughout its 3000-year history. Its Italian identity, with which we are familiar today, emerges only comparatively recently. Under the successive rule of Greeks, Muslim Arabs, and medieval Normans, the island achieved a distinctly heterogeneous identity, becoming at times a major political actor in the Mediterranean and one of the wealthiest and most culturally prosperous places in the region. This book is the catalog that the British Museum is publishing for its major Spring 2016 exhibition, Sicily: Culture and Conquest. Written by two curators at the British Museum, this book highlights Sicily's long history as a cultural crossroads and battleground between empires and faiths. The book is illustrated with 200 images of objects from the British Museum's collection of Sicilian art and artifacts spanning almost 3000 years. Through text and art, the book uses art, architecture, and a remarkable selection of objects--from monumental metopes and beautiful mosaics to reliquary pendants and chess pieces (many revealing a distinct Sicilian character and style)--to provide a visually stunning insight into the key periods of Sicily's extraordinary past"--
Sicily and the Mediterranean in the Middle Ages by Hiroshi Takayama Pdf
This book is a collection of milestone articles of a leading scholar in the study of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily, a crossroads of Latin-Christian, Greek-Byzantine, and Arab-Islamic cultures and one of the most fascinating but also one of the most neglected kingdoms in the medieval world. Some of his articles were published in influential journals such as English Historical Review, Viator, Mediterranean Historical Review, and Papers of the British School at Rome, while others appeared in hard-to-obtain festschrifts, proceedings of international conferences, and so on. The articles included here, based on analysis of Latin, Greek, and Arabic documents as well as multi-lingual parchments, explore subjects of interest in medieval Mediterranean world such as Norman administrations, multi-cultural courts, Christian-Muslim diplomacy, conquests and migrations, religious tolerance and conflicts, cross-cultural contacts, and so forth. Some of them dig deep into curious specific topics, while others settle disputes among scholars and correct our antiquated interpretations. His attention to the administrative structure of the kingdom of Sicily, whose bureaucracy was staffed by Greeks, Muslims and Latins, has been a particularly important part of his work, where he has engaged in major debates with other scholars in the field.
“Reading these guides is the next best thing to actually going there with them in hand.” —Foreword Magazine AN ENGAGING INTRODUCTION TO A CULTURAL GIANT Long before it became an Italian offshore island, Sicily was the land in the center of the Mediterranean where the great civilizations of Europe and Northern Africa met. Sicily today is familiar and unfamiliar, modernized and unchanging. Visitors will find in an out-of-the-way town an Aragonese castle, will stumble across a Norman church by the side of a lesser travelled road, will see red Muslim-styles domes over a Christian shrine, will find a Baroque church of breathtaking beauty in a village, will catch a glimpse from the motorway of a solitary Greek temple on the horizon and will happen on a the celebrations of the patron saint of a run-down district of a city, and will stop and wonder. There is more to Sicily than the Godfather and the mafia.
In Where Three Worlds Met, Sarah Davis-Secord investigates Sicily's place within the religious, diplomatic, military, commercial, and intellectual networks of the Mediterranean by tracing the patterns of travel, trade, and communication among Christians (Latin and Greek), Muslims, and Jews. By looking at the island across this long expanse of time and during the periods of transition from one dominant culture to another, Davis-Secord uncovers the patterns that defined and redefined the broader Muslim-Christian encounter in the Middle Ages.
Catalogue of Artefacts from Malta in the British Museum by Josef Mario Briffa SJ,Claudia Sagona Pdf
Ancient finds from the Maltese islands are rare, and those held in the British Museum form an important collection. Represented is a wide cultural range, spanning the Early and Late Neolithic, the Bronze Age, Roman and more recent historic periods.
