[meteorite-list] In search of a hammer

From: Matthias Bärmann <majbaermann_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2007 11:25:25 +0200
Message-ID: <000a01c77e76$d5af61b0$0200a8c0_at_ibmtp23>

Hi Sterling, Doug & list , -

lightning and/or "heavenly body" (as far as it's not concerning the
misstress of the Emperor ;-) - well:

Plinius quotes Sotakos' (3rd cent. b.c.) unfortunately lost tractatus on
stones, mentioning that the baityloi (sacred stones) belong to the class of
keraunia, the so called "lightning stones" which can be found at
lightning-stroken places. That could of course mean a rock hit by lightning.

But, other theory: the old Greek and Romans (f.e. Philon of Byblos) called
the baityloi also lithoi empsychoi (animated stones); they've been
worshipped above all in Syria but also in the old Nabatean culture (with
Petra as a central place / today's
Jordan) as well as in Arabian pre-islamic nomad-cultures. Antique sources
define the baityloi as "arrived from heaven", "single or together in swarms,
round shaped with differing size and color", travelling very fast and
accompanied by strong light and sound effects.

So, probably baityloi - keraunia - meteorites could be synonymous. Would be
interesting to do a serious research on this subject.

A nice weekend to all,

Matthias





----- Original Message -----
From: "Sterling K. Webb" <sterling_k_webb at sbcglobal.net>
To: "Meteorite Mailing List" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Cc: "E.P. Grondine" <epgrondine at yahoo.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2007 9:29 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] In search of a hammer


> Hi, Doug, List,
>
> In case this gets confusing to anybody who's
> reading this thread, we should explain that the dead one,
> Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo (nickname: "Squinty"), is
> the father of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus ("The Great").
> Some sources (not original, but contemporary ones)
> say merely that the elder Pompeius was killed on the
> field of battle; others that he was killed by lightning.
>
> That is clearly a case of an historian's reading of the
> text. Latin has a word for "lightning." The Romans were
> familiar with lightning. Duh. If they meant "lightning,"
> wouldn't they have said "lightning"?
>
> Being struck by lightning is a familiar notion; in
> mythology, Enceladus, Mimas, Menoetius, Aristodemus
> and Capaneus, Idas, Iasion, and Asclepius all get struck
> by lightning. It's associated with getting Zeus (or Jove)
> pissed off at you.
>
> Julius says "struck dead by the blast of a heavenly
> body." It's worthwhile to note that the "blast" has its
> origin in a "heavenly body." No one, not even the old
> Romans, believes lightning originates in a "body." Neither
> is Squinty struck BY the body. Nope, "a blast" from the
> body. What do the Roman know about hypersonic shock
> waves? Nothing, so how else could they describe it?
>
> I'd call this one a good reference for impact (or airburst).
> The problem is that after you've put together a list of 100
> such incidents, the unconvinced remain unconvinced. It's
> all annecdotal. It's vague and not specific enough. Haven't
> you got any video?
>
>
> Sterling K. Webb
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "MexicoDoug" <MexicoDoug at aim.com>
> To: "Meteorite Mailing List" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Friday, April 13, 2007 5:57 PM
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] In search of a hammer
>
>
> Thanks for that gem, Ed!, List,
>
> This Googled up from the event:
>
> "On the morning of August 9, 48 bc, Rome's most famous general--Gnaeus
> Pompeius Magnus, or Pompey the Great--apprehensively prepared his troops
> to
> face the army of Rome's most successful general, Gaius Julius Caesar.
> Pompey's unease was fueled by a meteor that had shot across the sky near
> his
> camp the night before. To some of his soldiers it was an ill omen. After
> quelling the disturbance caused by the meteor, Pompey retired to his tent.
> There he dreamed of being applauded by Rome's citizens as he dedicated a
> temple to the goddess Venus, Bringer of Victory. The dream must have made
> the great commander nervous. Venus was the goddess from whom Caesar's
> aristocratic clan, the Julians, claimed to be descended. Though unknown to
> Pompey at the time, Caesar had vowed that very day that if Venus brought
> him
> victory at Pharsalus he would build a great temple to her in Rome."
>
> ref:
> http://www.historynet.com/historical_conflicts/3030956.html
>
> Best Wishes and Great Health,
> Doug
> PS from the pay Internet reference JSTOR, we have: "Pompeius Strabo met
> his
> death by lightning"
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "E.P. Grondine" <epgrondine at yahoo.com>
> To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Friday, April 13, 2007 4:38 PM
> Subject: [meteorite-list] In search of a hammer
>
>
>> Hi all -
>>
>> Going through some notes from 2003, I found this:
>>
>> >From Julius (IULII: OBSEQUENTIS AB ANNO URBIS CONDITAE
>> DV PRODIGIORUM LIBER)
>>
>> "Consulship of Gnaeus Octavius and Licius Cinna (87
>> BCE)
>>
>> "56a. While Cinna and Marius were displaying a cruel
>> rage in their conduct of the civil war, at Rome in the
>> camp of Gnaeus Pompeius [Strabo] the sky seems to
>> fall, weapons and standards were hit, and soldiers
>> struck dead. Pompeius [Strabo] himself was struck
>> dead by the
>> blast of a heavenly body."
>>
>> good hunting,
>> Ed
>>
>>
>> __________________________________________________
>> Do You Yahoo!?
>> Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
>> http://mail.yahoo.com
>> ______________________________________________
>> Meteorite-list mailing list
>> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>>
>
> ______________________________________________
> Meteorite-list mailing list
> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>
> ______________________________________________
> Meteorite-list mailing list
> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Received on Sat 14 Apr 2007 05:25:25 AM PDT