Serves as both visual and textual record of the exhibition of the same name, surveying the art of the Middle Byzantine period from the restoration of the use of icons by the Orthodox Church in 843 to the occupation of Constantinople by the Crusader forces from the West from 1204 to 1261. Conceived as a sequel to the 1976 exhibition "Age of Spirituality," which focused on the first centuries of Byzantium. Preceding the catalogue, 17 essays treat the historical context, religious sphere, and secular courtly realm of the empire, and the interactions between Byzantium and other medieval cultures. Abundantly illustrated. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Treasures of many kinds still lie hidden below crumbling castles and ruined monasteries; in macabre tombs; in subterranean labyrinths and sinister caverns. Many sunken treasures lie beneath the seas, oceans and lakes of the world. Vast stores of pirate gold are still hidden on many a real life treasure island such as Oak Island at Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. Many treasures were looted, hidden and lost after the two World Wars - Hermann Goering, for example, one of most powerful leaders of Nazi Germany, is strongly suspected of hiding huge treasures at Veldenstein and Lake Zeller. This fascinating, expertly researched book brilliantly reveals all these unsolved mysteries. The final section covers useful ideas for treasure-seekers: the study of old maps and charts; coded messages; secret symbols; and intensive research into the lives and locations of those people through out history who probably in all certainty, had treasure to hide.

This special 16-book bundle collects fearless investigations into the paranormal from the pens of Lionel and Patricia Fanthorpe, who for several decades been researching and writing about ancient and eternal mysteries. Their entertaining and thought-provoking works span numerous topics, from numerology, freemasonry, voodoo, satanism and witchcraft to the very nature of death and time. Additionally, they have produced numerous volumes examining the great unexplained mysteries and places of history, including The Bible, European castles, strange murders, arcane objects of power, the mysterious depths of the sea and remarkable people. Take a strange and beautiful trip to the mystical side of life in this special set! Includes Death Mysteries and Secrets of Numerology Mysteries and Secrets of the Masons Mysteries and Secrets of the Templars Mysteries and Secrets of Time Mysteries and Secrets of Voodoo, Santeria, and Obeah Satanism and Demonology Secrets of the World’s Undiscovered Treasures The Big Book of Mysteries The Oak Island Mystery The World’s Greatest Unsolved Mysteries The World’s Most Mysterious Castles The World’s Most Mysterious Murders The World’s Most Mysterious Objects The World’s Most Mysterious People Unsolved Mysteries of the Sea

This book provides a lucid introduction to the basics of gemmology. It familiarizes archaeologists, art historians and conservators with the science of gemstones and allows them to understand the basic concepts of their provenance, typology and treatments. Which are the main types of gems? What treatments can be applied? How does one analyse gems? How can gems contribute to archaeometrical research? This volume is written by four experts in the fields of gemmology and archaeometry and addresses both students who need an introduction to this field and professionals who want to refresh their knowledge of the topic. This work is part of a series of introductory texts that deal with a broad range of materials-related topics in archaeometry.

Bulgaria is a country of extraordinary beauty, with high, wild mountains and gentle valleys, and with picturesque cities and idyllic villages. It’s bordered by Romania, Serbia Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, and the Black Sea. After many years of communist rule, Bulgaria adopted a democratic constitution and began the process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007. This third edition of Historical Dictionary of Bulgaria covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Bulgaria.

Travel through time to discover the paintings and sculptures that enrich our world. This terriffic ebook has a single timeline running through it - a glorious gallery of art through history, from prehistoric cave paintings to street art, and everything in between. Art movements such as the Renaissance, Impressionism, Surrealism, and Pop Art are explored and explained. There are biographies, too, of key figures behind some of the world's best-known artworks, from Rembrandt to Rodin, Botticelli to Banksy. With every story plotted on a timeline, the pages give a snapshot of each era, and reveal the influences and connections behind the works of art and artistic movements that have reflected our world. With more than 1,000 images of paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures, Art Year by Year is the ultimate visual guide to the history of art, century by century, year by year.

Gems have been used in the manufacture of jewellery and as ornaments since antiquity. Considering gems, recent statistics have shown that about 15 billion Euros are annually at stake. Nowadays, gemmology, i.e., the study of gem materials, is one of the most expanding fields in the earth sciences, positioned between academia and industry. As an applied science, in gemmology, the instruments used should be non- or microdestructive, and their cost should be reasonable both in terms of equipment and time consumption. Gemmology can also be used contribute to the development of pure science and in some cases, destructive techniques may have to be used. Taking into account the fact that gems are albeit rarely available for scientific research, this compilation of 20 articles by around 100 researchers from over 30 different institutions situated in 20 countries from around the globe, presented in the Special Issue entitled “Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Gems”, offers very good examples on the application of various methods for their study which will hopefully contribute to our better understanding of gem formation in general and will enhance scientific debates attracting more scientists from various disciplines to get involved in this field.