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" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Meteorite Mailing List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: "E.P. Grondine" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Meteorite Mailing List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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
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