autumn haiku d'automne – the wild rice moon = la lune du riz sauvagethe wild rice moon silvers us all her loons we trill la lune du riz sauvage nous argente tous ses huards qui hurlons Richard Vallance photo public domain The Wild Rice moon is the lunar cycle moon roughly corresponding to September. The verb “argenter” , which means “to make silver” is a neologism in French. La Lune du riz sauvage est la lune du cycle lunaire qui correspond à peu près au mois solaire de septembre. Le verbe “argenter”, ce qui signifie “rendre argenté” est un néologisme en français.
Tag: silver
winter haiku d’hiver – the silver moon = la lune argentée = luna d’argento
winter haiku d'hiver – the silver moon = la lune argentée = luna d'argentosilver moon silver snow silver wolves la lune argentée la neige argentée des loups argentés luna d'argento neve d'argento lupi d'argento Richard Vallance photo public domain
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summer haiku d’éte – Pays Basque
summer haiku d'éte – Pays Basque Pays Basque my silver sea you dawn on me!Pays Basque toi, mer d'argent tu me réveilles ! Richard Vallance photo by/ par Sév Ice
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summer haiku d’été – yellow hibiscus = hibiscus jaune
summer haiku d’été – yellow hibiscus = hibiscus jaune yellow hibiscus by the lanai – sunlit dewhibiscus jaune près de la véranda – rosée au soleil Richard Vallance
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summer haiku d’été – the moon casts shadows = les ombres lunaires
summer haiku d’été – the moon casts shadows = les ombres lunaires the moon casts shadows over the rippling prairies – silvery wheatles ombres lunaires sur les prairies ondulantes – le blé argenté Richard Vallance
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spring haiku de printemps – dandelion seeds = graines de pissenlit
spring haiku de printemps – dandelion seeds = graines de pissenlit dandelion seeds on a silvery pinwheel the breeze spins away...graines de pissenlit d’un moulinet argentée que la brise emporte ... Richard Vallance
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winter haiku d’hiver – super snow moon = lune super des neiges
winter haiku d’hiver – super snow moon = lune super des neiges super snow moon, silver Moonlight Sonata once in a blue moonlune super des neiges Sonate au clair de lune sinon la lune bleue Richard Vallance Super Snow Moons are very rare. We have just experienced one here in Canada in February 2019. Les Lunes super des neiges sont très rares. Nous venons de la voir au Canada en février 2019.
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winter haiku d’hiver – pine and spruce forest = les pins et sapins
winter haiku d’hiver – pine and spruce forest = les pins et sapins the ice-encrusted pine and spruce forest silvered by sunlightla glace argentée sur les pins et sapins en plein soleil Richard Vallance It should be obvious by now that one of my favourite winter season words or kigo is “silver”, which in not a Japanese kigo at all. But I have firmly established it as a Canadian winter kigo. It est enfin bien évident que l’un des mots-saisons ou mots d’hiver que j’utilise souvent, c’est le mot « argent », qui n’est guère un kigo japonais. Mais je l’ai nettement établi comme kigo canadien d’hiver.
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autumn haiku d’automne – silver rushes = des joncs argentés
autumn haiku d’automne – silver rushes = des joncs argentés silver rushes whispering to the wind before the first snowdes joncs argentés, leurs soupirs au vent avant la nouvelle neige Richard Vallance
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winter haiku d’hiver -the silver moon = la lune d’argent
winter haiku d’hiver -the silver moon = la lune d’argent the silver moon on silver snow - a silver wolfla lune d’argent sur la neige argentée - un loup argenté Richard Vallance
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winter haiku d’ haiku – silver grass = herbe argentée
winter haiku d’ haiku - silver grass = herbe argentée silver grass bowing to the blast - trees whip-lashedherbe argentée s’agenouillant à la rafale - arbres fouettés Richard Vallance If we yield to life we survive better than if we put our backs up. Si l’on cède à la vie, on réussit mieux que si l’on reste têtu.
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Displays of exquisite Minoan-Mycenaean jewellery # 4 as a prelude to the stunning gold pin from the Ayia Nikolaos Museum
Displays of exquisite Minoan-Mycenaean jewellery # 4 as a prelude to the stunning gold pin from the Ayia Nikolaos Museum:
All of these displays illustrate just how exquisite Minoan-Mycenaean craftsmanship was.
The last of these displays is that of the stunning gold pin from the Ayia Nikolaos Museum. This pin is of particular interest to us here because in the next post I succeed in completely deciphering the inscription, which is written entirely in Mycenaean derived New Minoan.
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Displays of exquisite Minoan-Mycenaean jewellery # 3 as a prelude to the stunning gold pin from the Ayia Nikolaos Museum
Displays of exquisite Minoan-Mycenaean jewellery # 3 as a prelude to the stunning gold pin from the Ayia Nikolaos Museum:
All of these displays illustrate just how exquisite Minoan-Mycenaean craftsmanship was.
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Displays of exquisite Minoan-Mycenaean jewellery # 2 as a prelude to the stunning gold pin from the Ayia Nikolaos Museum
Displays of exquisite Minoan-Mycenaean jewellery # 2 as a prelude to the stunning gold pin from the Ayia Nikolaos Museum:
All of these displays illustrate just how exquisite Minoan-Mycenaean craftsmanship was.
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Displays of exquisite Minoan-Mycenaean jewellery # 1 as a prelude to the stunning gold pin from the Ayia Nikolaos Museum
Displays of exquisite Minoan-Mycenaean jewellery # 1 as a prelude to the stunning gold pin from the Ayia Nikolaos Museum:
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The full range of marvelous, rich colours the Minoans at Knossos used on their stunning frescoes!
The full range of marvelous, rich colours the Minoans at Knossos used on their stunning frescoes!
We notice right away that the colours they had at their disposal ran from various shades of yellows (saffron) and oranges to blues and various shades of purple. The Minoans at Knossos, Pylos, Thera (Thira, Santorini) and elsewhere were unable to reproduce green pigment. This minor drawback had little or no perceptible effect on the splendid results they almost invariably came up with in their breathtaking frescoes, the likes of which were not reproduced anywhere else in the Occidental ancient world, except perhaps by the Romans, especially at Pompeii. The Romans were able to reproduce greens. Two lovely frescoes from Pompeii:
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Minoan Linear A silver pin at the A.Y. Nickolaus Museum, Crete & the word for “silver”
Minoan Linear A silver pin at the A.Y. Nickolaus Museum, Crete & the word for “silver”:The Minoan Linear A silver pin at the A.Y. Nickolaus Museum, Crete apparently contains one of two possible words for “silver”, these being either awapi or tazasa. There is a third word on this tablet, adara, which might have meant “silver”, except for one mitigating factor: I have already deciphered the word adaro as meaning “barley” in our Minoan Linear A Glossary, and adara is too close for comfort. So I have had to eliminate it as a candidate for “silver”. This tablet also features 5 multi-syllabic words which are almost certainly eponyms (personal names). These are: Dadumine Qami*47nara Tesudesekei Tititeqati Tateikezare This brings the total number of of Minoan Linear A words I have deciphered, more or less accurately, to 134, which represents 26.8 % of all intact Minoan Linear A terms in Prof. John G. Younger’s Linear A texts in phonetic transcription. Cf. Chris Tselentis, akuro = silver in Mycenaean Linear B.
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Rita Robert’s brilliant essay, The Construction of the Mycenaean Chariot
Rita Robert’s brilliant essay, The Construction of the Mycenaean Chariot: The Construction of a Mycenaean Chariot Even though we have examples shown on frescoes and pottery vessels depicting chariots, it is difficult to say for sure how a Mycenaean chariot was constructed. These examples however, only give us mostly a side view, which presents a problem. What we really need to find, is an example which shows all angles, for us to get a better understanding of the Mycenaean chariots construction. It is hard to visualize these chariots as they actually appeared in Mycenaean times, 1400- 1200 BC. But they were certainly built for battle worthiness when needed. It is to be noted that the Mycenaean military, as that of other ancient civilizations, such as those of Egypt in the Bronze Age, the Hittite Empire, the Iron Age of Athens and Sparta, and later still, of the Roman Empire, most certainly would have gone to great lengths in manufacturing all parts of the chariots to be battle worthy, strong and resistant to wear, and of the highest standards within the limits of technology available to them in Mycenaean times. The chariot, most likely invented in the Near East, became one of the most innovative items of weaponry in Bronze Age warfare. It seems that the Achaeans adopted the chariot for use in warfare in the late 16th century BC, as attested to on some gravestones as well as seals and rings. It is thought that the chariot did not come to the mainland via Crete, but the other way around, and it was not until the mid 15th century BC that the chariot appears on the island of Crete, as attested to by seal engravings and the Linear B Tablets. The Achaean chariots can be divided into five main designs which can be identified as, “box chariot”, “quadrant chariot”, “rail chariot” and “four wheeled chariot.” None completely survived, but some metallic parts and horse bits have been found in some graves and settlements, also chariot bodies, wheels and horses are inventoried in several Linear B tablets. The “rail chariot” was a light vehicle which featured an open cab and was more likely used as a means of transport than as a mobile fighting vehicle. The “four wheeled chariot,” used since the 16th century BC, was utilized throughout the late Helladic time. Both the “rail chariot”, and the “ four- wheeled chariot “ continued to be used after the end of the Bronze Age. Based on some hunting scenes and armed charioteer representations on pottery vessels and Linear B tablets, there is no question that the chariots were used in warfare as a platform for throwing javelins (or thrusting long spears), as a means of conveyance to and from battle and, on fewer occasions, as a platform for a bow-armed warrior. These warriors could have fought as cavalry or a force of mounted infantry, particularly suited to responding to the kind of raids that seem to have been occurring in the later period. Some thoughts on the construction of the Mycenaean chariot: As we cannot be absolutely sure how the Mycenaean chariot was constructed, we have to use pictorial examples, leaving us little choice, other than that of resorting to a close examination of the pottery vessels and frescoes depicting them, and whatever other sources are available. So I have chosen the beautiful “Tiryns Fresco” 1200 BC as an example of the construction and design of the Mycenaean chariot, although some points differ in other depictions on various other frescoes. The Mycenaean chariots were made to be drawn by two horses attached to a central pole. If two additional horses were added, they were attached on either side of the main team by a single bar fastened to the front of the chariot. The chariot itself consisted of a basket with a rail each side and a foot board” for the driver to stand on. The body of the chariot rested directly on the axle connecting the two wheels. The harness of each horse consisted of a bridle and reins, usually made of leather, and ornamented with studs of ivory or horn. The reins were passed through collar bands or yoke, and were long enough to be tied around the waist of the charioteer, allowing him to defend himself when necessary. The wheels and basket of the chariot were usually of wood, strengthened in places with bronze, the basket sometimes covered with wicker wood. The wheels had four to eight spokes. Most other nations of this time the, “Bronze Age,” had chariots of similar design to the Greeks, the chief differences being the mountings. Source: Chariots of GreeceThe components needed to build a chariot: Chariot = iqiya Axle = akosone Wheels = amota Rims of Wheels = temidweta Willow wood = erika Elm wood = pterewa Bronze = kako Spokes Leather = wirino Reins = aniya Pole Rivets Studs Spokes Ivory = erepato Horn = kera Foot board = peqato Gold = kuruso Silver= akuro
The lovely Tiryns Fresco
Chariot Fresco from Pylos
Bronze Age Chariot
Bronze Age War Chariot
Amphora depicting Bronze Age chariot
Achaean Small Box Chariots with an example of the horse harness The cabs of these chariots were framed in steam bent wood and probably covered with ox-hide or wicker work, the floor consisting more likely of interwoven raw-hide thongs. The early small box-chariots were crewed either by one single man or two men, a charioteer and a warrior. The small box-chariot differ in terms of design from the Near Eastern type. The four spoke wheels seem to be standard throughout this period. Rita Roberts, Haghia Triada, Crete
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Comprehensive Architectural Lexicon, Knossos & Mycenae (Part A)
Comprehensive Architectural Lexicon, Knossos & Mycenae (Part A):Since I have been posting scores of photos of the magnificent Third Palace of Knossos, Late Minoan IIIb (ca. 1450 BCE), I have decided to compile an Architectural Lexicon in 2 parts. This is the first. The vocabulary is relatively straightforward, with a few minor exceptions: 1 Decorated with spirals. The Minoans at Knossos and the Mycenaeans went crazy decorating many of their lovely frescoes and their walls with spirals. 2 Bathtub. You might be wondering, why on earth would I add this word?... because bathtubs were an integral part of room architecture, i.e. of the bathroom. The people of Knossos in particular were very clean. They even had an advanced hydraulics driven piping and drainage system, the likes of which was never again repeated until ancient Rome. And the Romans, unlike the Minoans at Knossos, made the terrible mistake of constructing their pipes of lead, leading to widespread lead poisoning. The Minoans used ceramics... nice and clean. Clever. No surprise there. 3 Mantles! Isn’t that what people wear? Well, yes, but they could also be used to decorate the top of windows, I imagine. Or maybe it is just my imagination. Correct me if I am wrong. 4 The word erepato, which is the equivalent of the Homeric Greek elefantos never means ivory either in Mycenaean or in Homeric Greek! 5 Crocus? - of course! ... used all over the place in the lovely frescoes! 6 Circles were likewise universal on the building friezes. And with good reason. They are geometrically perfect, a typically Greek characteristic.
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Linear B tablets dealing with gold cloth (supersyllabogram KU incharged)
Linear B tablets dealing with gold cloth (supersyllabogram KU incharged):The 3 Linear B tablets above all deal with gold cloth. The supersyllabogram KI incharged in the ideogram for pawea = textiles indicates that the cloth is made of gold = kuruso in Linear B. The translations are completely transparent. The only problem is with the right-truncated syllabogram A on the first fragment. This could be the first syllabogram, i.e. the first syllable of at least 5 Mycenaean Greek words as illustrated above. Take your choice. My favourite is “decorated”, although I also particularly like “silver”, since cloth woven with silver and gold would be extremely precious. The following picture illustrates two Minoan women wearing dresses with gold weaving.
Canadian Zen Haiku canadien ISSN 1705-4508 
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