Explore the eighteenth-century Indian astronomical observatories called the Jantar Mantars, massive, stunning structures built to observe and understand the heavens Between 1724 and 1730, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur constructed five astronomical observatories, called Jantar Mantars, in northern India. The four remaining observatories are an extraordinary fusion of architecture and science, combining elements of astronomy, astrology, and geometry into forms of remarkable beauty. The observatories’ large scale and striking geometric forms have captivated the attention of architects, artists, scientists, and historians worldwide, yet their purpose and use remain largely unknown to the public. In this book, Barry Perlus’s visually driven exploration brings readers to the Jantar Mantars and creates an immersive experience. Panoramas plunge the viewer into a breathtaking 360-degree space, while pages of explanatory illustrations describe the observatories and the workings of their many instruments. The book provides the experience of visiting the sites, the historical context of the Jantar Mantars, and an understanding of their scientific and architectural innovations.

Sima Qian's vast Records of the Historian is the first comprehensive history of China and has exerted an immense influence both upon our understanding of the Chinese past and also upon the style and structure of subsequent Chinese historiography. In addition to his contribution as a historian, Sima Qian is a highly significant literary figure whose writings are among the most elegant and powerful from the ancient world. Durrant's study approaches Sima Qian's work from a literary perspective and demonstrates the relationship between Sima's narrative of the past and his narrative of his own life. That life was a fascinating and complex one. Enjoined by his father to complete a comprehensive history of China, Sima Qian subsequently offended the great Emperor Wu and was sentenced to castration. Rather than take the "noble path" of suicide, he suffered this traumatic punishment and lived on to fulfill his father's injunction—but not without emotional scars, scars that influenced his portrayal of the Chinese past. In fact, the great Han historian's account of the Chinese past, this study argues, is as much his story as it is history.

The idea of a heavenly double—an angelic twin of an earthbound human—can be found in Christian, Manichaean, Islamic, and Kabbalistic traditions. Scholars have long traced the lineage of these ideas to Greco-Roman and Iranian sources. In The Greatest Mirror, Andrei A. Orlov shows that heavenly twin imagery drew in large part from early Jewish writings. The Jewish pseudepigrapha—books from the Second Temple period that were attributed to biblical figures but excluded from the Hebrew Bible—contain accounts of heavenly twins in the form of spirits, images, faces, children, mirrors, and angels of the Presence. Orlov provides a comprehensive analysis of these traditions in their full historical and interpretive complexity. He focuses on heavenly alter egos of Enoch, Moses, Jacob, Joseph, and Aseneth in often neglected books, including Animal Apocalypse, Book of the Watchers, 2 Enoch, Ladder of Jacob, and Joseph and Aseneth, some of which are preserved solely in the Slavonic language.

In the shadow of an ancient cave, hidden deep within the sands of Africa, a new chapter in an epic tale begins. "The Origin of the Sphere" invites readers to join Alex, John, and Michael as they plunge into the heart of a mystery that spans centuries and dimensions. This time, the stakes are higher, the dangers more palpable, and the secrets buried in the annals of history are darker than they ever imagined. Armed with the knowledge from their first adventure, the trio embarks on a perilous journey that will take them from the lost city of Atlantis to the battlegrounds of World War II, and into the heart of a forgotten Nazi conspiracy. With the enigmatic Nalurians watching from the shadows, and the ominous Die Glocke looming over their every step, Alex and his friends must navigate a labyrinth of temporal paradoxes, ancient relics, and a world on the brink of destruction. In "The Origin of the Sphere," be prepared to be swept into a whirlwind of intrigue, action, and profound revelations. As our heroes grapple with the mysteries of time travel and the weight of their own destinies, they will face challenges that test the very fabric of their friendship and the limits of their courage. This thrilling sequel not only delves deeper into the enigmas of the past but also sets the stage for an epic conclusion that will challenge everything they believe. "The Origin of the Sphere" is a masterful continuation of "The Commodore Sphere" journey that promises to transport readers to the farthest reaches of time and imagination, leaving them breathless and hungry for more.

don 't hava intro

The one holding the weapon is the emperor! This was the story of a young man wielding a divine sword and a bronze mirror, saving the lives of countless mountains and rivers. Close]