Showing posts with label Cleopatra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cleopatra. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Lip Color and Lipstick Invention
In ancient civilizations, women crushed colored stones and used them to decorate their faces and lips.
Egyptians used a mixture of dye and iodine, which was sometimes dangerous. Cleopatra, though, was said to wear lip color made by crushing carmine beetles, and adding that dye mixture to a base made of ants. The addition of fish scales added a much-admired shimmery effect.
Later, in medieval Europe, the Church banned the wearing of lipstick. Cosmetics were worn only by prostitutes.
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a pale face and bright red lips came into fashion, and this time a product less dangerous was used. Lip color now was made of beeswax and plant dye.
During Victorian times, when lipstick was once again banned, this time by Queen Victoria, women resorted to drastic measures to redden their lips, such as chewing them, biting them, and even using brandy to bring out the color.
In 1880s Paris, a perfume manufacturer sold the first commercially successful lipstick. The perfume store was the House of Guerlain, established in 1828 on the rue de Rivoli. The lipstick was in the form of pomade, and was made with grapefruit mixed with butter and wax. For the next several decades, the House of Guerlain continued the enterprise, selling their popular cosmetics and perfumes. In the twentieth century, the perfume family was bought out, but even today, production continues. Guerlain products are considered by many to be the best, and alas, some of the priciest cosmetics and perfumes in the world.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Cleopatra V!I
The woman we think of when we think of Cleopatra is a georgeous vixen who played the role of UN from her bedroom. Err not exactly.
Cleopatra was the daughter of her mother and uncle, incestous marriage was common then as it was believed royal blood was to be untainted. She co ruled with her father Ptolomy III, but her throne was challenged by others who sought power in Egypt. She married her brother Ptolomy XIV, while her older brother (Ptolomy XIII) usurped her throne. Rome was becoming an ever increasing threat as its power grew. Julius Ceasar became so popular he was voted to become sole ruler of the empire.
The Egyptian army was no match for the Romans, and Cleopatra decided to make an alliance.
She arranged to have a huge carpet delivered to the 54-year-old Caesar. When he unrolled it, he found the 22-year-old former queen wrapped inside. She asked for Caesar's help against her brother. Caesar and Cleopatra became lovers, and Cleopatra got what she wanted from him. The Roman general led his army to capture and kill the people who removed her from power. Ptolemy XIII drowned in the Nile while trying to flee.
Julius Caesar was very popular with the Roman people. They named him dictator. Cleopatra was not popular with the Romans, however. She had called herself the "new Isis" and she didn't worship the Roman gods.
The senators of Rome were threatened Julius Caesar's popularity and power. Caesar used his power to make many changes in Rome, often without approval from the Senate. A year after his election as dictator, the Roman people elected Caesar "dictator for life." The Roman senators were outraged. On March 15, 44 B.C., Caesar was met by a mob of sixty senators who stabbed him to death.
Cleopatra left Rome with her son in fear of their own lives and they returned to Egypt. There she murdered her husband (and brother) Ptolemy XIV and named her four-year-old son as the new king. She thought that she was once again in control of Egypt.
After Caesar's murder, Rome was in turmoil (confusion, chaos, civil war). Several armies competed for control. The two greatest generals were Mark Antony and Octavian. Octavian was the adopted son of Julius Caesar, but Mark Antony led a larger army.
When Antony asked Cleopatra to meet with him, Cleopatra decided that she had another opportunity to return to power both in Egypt, and in Rome. She had made one ruler of Rome fall in love with her. Could she conquer another Roman leader's heart? She agreed to meet with Mark Anthony in 42 B.C. and her royal ship was prepared to take her to him.
A legend says that Cleopatra dressed herself as Venus, the Roman goddess of love. She filled her ship with so many rose petals that the Romans knew of her fragrance before they could see her ship. The boat was sailed by her maids, who were dressed as sea nymphs (fairies in Roman mythology). She reclined under a gold canopy, fanned by boys in Cupid costumes.
At their first meeting, Antony was immediately love-struck with the Egyptian queen. Forgetting his responsibilities, he accompanied Cleopatra to the Egyptian city of Alexandria and spent the winter with her there.
Mark Anthony and Cleopatra became lovers.The Roman people were disgusted by the way Antony had treated Octavia, his Roman wife. They were also angry to hear that Cleopatra and Antony were calling themselves gods, new Egyptian gods! Worst of all, in 34 B.C. Antony gave away large chunks of the Roman Empire as gifts to Cleopatra and her children. He made one of his children with Cleopatra the king of Armenia, another the queen of Cyrenaica and Crete, and the third the king of Syria. Caesarion, her child with Julius Caesar, was proclaimed the "King of Kings," and Cleopatra was the "Queen of Kings."
Angered by all of this, Octavian convinced the Roman Senate to declare war on Egypt. Cleopatra and Mark Anthony had gone too far!
Ceasar's assasins Brutus and Cassius were bested by Mark Anthony and Ocativan. In the settlement followng Mark Anthony took the eastern section of the roman empire and Octavion the westmark divided his lands between Cleopatra and kids, this gave Ocatavian a chance to run a propaganda campaign against them.
In 32 BC, Rome declared war on Egypt. In 33BC Octavian bested Mark Anthony in a battle at sea, Cleopatra's ships departed and Anthony comited suicide when all was lost, some say, he mistakenly thought Cleopatra wsa dead. Cleopatra followed suit days later preferring death to the humiliation of a Roman triumph. Cleopatra's son by Ceasar was named pharoh, but Octavioan had him captured and executed. After thriving thousands of years, Egypt became a province of the eastern roman empire.
Cleopatra was the last great leader in Egypt before it fell to the Roman Empire. Her beauty, in the words of one of her contemporaries, was in her charm, wit and sweetness of voice. She was however, highly intelligent and charismatic. The Cleopatra of legend.
Cleopatra was the daughter of her mother and uncle, incestous marriage was common then as it was believed royal blood was to be untainted. She co ruled with her father Ptolomy III, but her throne was challenged by others who sought power in Egypt. She married her brother Ptolomy XIV, while her older brother (Ptolomy XIII) usurped her throne. Rome was becoming an ever increasing threat as its power grew. Julius Ceasar became so popular he was voted to become sole ruler of the empire.
The Egyptian army was no match for the Romans, and Cleopatra decided to make an alliance.
She arranged to have a huge carpet delivered to the 54-year-old Caesar. When he unrolled it, he found the 22-year-old former queen wrapped inside. She asked for Caesar's help against her brother. Caesar and Cleopatra became lovers, and Cleopatra got what she wanted from him. The Roman general led his army to capture and kill the people who removed her from power. Ptolemy XIII drowned in the Nile while trying to flee.
Julius Caesar was very popular with the Roman people. They named him dictator. Cleopatra was not popular with the Romans, however. She had called herself the "new Isis" and she didn't worship the Roman gods.
The senators of Rome were threatened Julius Caesar's popularity and power. Caesar used his power to make many changes in Rome, often without approval from the Senate. A year after his election as dictator, the Roman people elected Caesar "dictator for life." The Roman senators were outraged. On March 15, 44 B.C., Caesar was met by a mob of sixty senators who stabbed him to death.
Cleopatra left Rome with her son in fear of their own lives and they returned to Egypt. There she murdered her husband (and brother) Ptolemy XIV and named her four-year-old son as the new king. She thought that she was once again in control of Egypt.
After Caesar's murder, Rome was in turmoil (confusion, chaos, civil war). Several armies competed for control. The two greatest generals were Mark Antony and Octavian. Octavian was the adopted son of Julius Caesar, but Mark Antony led a larger army.
When Antony asked Cleopatra to meet with him, Cleopatra decided that she had another opportunity to return to power both in Egypt, and in Rome. She had made one ruler of Rome fall in love with her. Could she conquer another Roman leader's heart? She agreed to meet with Mark Anthony in 42 B.C. and her royal ship was prepared to take her to him.
A legend says that Cleopatra dressed herself as Venus, the Roman goddess of love. She filled her ship with so many rose petals that the Romans knew of her fragrance before they could see her ship. The boat was sailed by her maids, who were dressed as sea nymphs (fairies in Roman mythology). She reclined under a gold canopy, fanned by boys in Cupid costumes.
At their first meeting, Antony was immediately love-struck with the Egyptian queen. Forgetting his responsibilities, he accompanied Cleopatra to the Egyptian city of Alexandria and spent the winter with her there.
Mark Anthony and Cleopatra became lovers.The Roman people were disgusted by the way Antony had treated Octavia, his Roman wife. They were also angry to hear that Cleopatra and Antony were calling themselves gods, new Egyptian gods! Worst of all, in 34 B.C. Antony gave away large chunks of the Roman Empire as gifts to Cleopatra and her children. He made one of his children with Cleopatra the king of Armenia, another the queen of Cyrenaica and Crete, and the third the king of Syria. Caesarion, her child with Julius Caesar, was proclaimed the "King of Kings," and Cleopatra was the "Queen of Kings."
Angered by all of this, Octavian convinced the Roman Senate to declare war on Egypt. Cleopatra and Mark Anthony had gone too far!
Ceasar's assasins Brutus and Cassius were bested by Mark Anthony and Ocativan. In the settlement followng Mark Anthony took the eastern section of the roman empire and Octavion the westmark divided his lands between Cleopatra and kids, this gave Ocatavian a chance to run a propaganda campaign against them.
In 32 BC, Rome declared war on Egypt. In 33BC Octavian bested Mark Anthony in a battle at sea, Cleopatra's ships departed and Anthony comited suicide when all was lost, some say, he mistakenly thought Cleopatra wsa dead. Cleopatra followed suit days later preferring death to the humiliation of a Roman triumph. Cleopatra's son by Ceasar was named pharoh, but Octavioan had him captured and executed. After thriving thousands of years, Egypt became a province of the eastern roman empire.
Cleopatra was the last great leader in Egypt before it fell to the Roman Empire. Her beauty, in the words of one of her contemporaries, was in her charm, wit and sweetness of voice. She was however, highly intelligent and charismatic. The Cleopatra of legend.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
History's tough mothers
The worlds' oldest profession, err, the other oldest profession.
Motherhood.
We are the cornerstone of society, the building blocks of an empire rest on our shoulders, how we nurture the next generation makes history. This mothers day, I would like to acknowlege some of the tough mothers we might have forgotten.
Anne Boleyn:
Refusal to become Henry VIII's mistrress. Anne kept her eyes on the prize. She became Queen of England when Catherine of Aragon was evicted back to Spain.
A key figure in the English Reformation, She gave birth to one of the greatest leaders in England: Queen Elizabeth I. Sadly, the birth of a daughter became her undoing when the king wanted a son.
She was beheaded May 1536 for high treason.
When her daughter became queen, Anne was venerated as a marty and heroine of the English Reformation.
Her sister ran off with Anne's child and raised her so, Mary Boleyn deserves mention as a tough mom as well.
Olympias of Epirus:
Princess of Epirote, commander of her own army and Queen of Macedonia, Alexander the Great just called her mom.
Angry at comments that her son was an inferior hier as he wasn't of pure Macedonian blood, she told her husband Zeus fathered her baby. They divorced and her husband, king Philip of Macedonia, denied Alexander.
At the wedding of his next wife, a toast was made blessing Philip and the legitimate heirs he will have with his new bride. Philip then offered this man the hand of his daughter (with Olympias).
He was found murdered soon after and Alexander took over his father's throne.
Olympias supported her son and they were close, afer his death Olympias reared her grandchildren as warriors, plotted against ememies, and caused the deaths of usurpers.
Cruel while in control it is said she was denied burial rites after she died.
Elizabeth (Ersébeth) Bathory:
Countess of Hungary, mass murderer, occultist and mother of four.
When accused of her crimes aginst female blood the countess outsmarted her cousins attempt at a land grab and left all her property to her children, assuring thier wealth and title after her death.
She helped fund the war against the Turks and was in line to be queen of Poland.
Her son stood up for her in court. Bathory was not executed but bricked up in her room until she died four years later in 1610.
Cleopatra:
Incestuous marriage to her brother yeilded no children. Political alliances (and betrayals) bore a son to Julias Ceasar and a son as well as twins to Marc Antony.
Her reign marks the reign of the Roman Era in the Eastern Mediterranean. She rebelled against Rome and tried to fend for the best interests of Egypt.
Allied with Marc Antony they suffered a final defeat at Actuim. She killed herself.
Her beauty was not as renowned as history proclaims. In the words of Plutarch, what made Cleopatra attractive was her wit, charm and sweetenss in her tone of voice.
Coretta Scott King:
After her husband's murder in 1968, the easiest course for this lady might bave been to flee to a more tolerant part of the country and never risk raising public ire again.
Coretta might have been critcized for not protecting her children, instead she rose to the challenge of continuing her husbands work with the civil rights movement, as as well as the womens movement.
She approached Josephine Baker, an entertainer and activist, to take over her husbands place as leader of the civil rights movemement. Josephine declined, stating her children were too young to lose a mother.
Coretta stepped up to the plate herself, speaking boldly for human rights, and an end to war and poverty.
She founded the Martin Luther King Jr. Center of Non Violent Social Change in Atlanta.
Any threat of violence was superceded by a desire to carve a better world for children, hers and ours.
Does motherhood bestow an occult inner strength or does the power of love transcend all forces both natural and supernatural?
Motherhood.
We are the cornerstone of society, the building blocks of an empire rest on our shoulders, how we nurture the next generation makes history. This mothers day, I would like to acknowlege some of the tough mothers we might have forgotten.
Anne Boleyn:
Refusal to become Henry VIII's mistrress. Anne kept her eyes on the prize. She became Queen of England when Catherine of Aragon was evicted back to Spain.
A key figure in the English Reformation, She gave birth to one of the greatest leaders in England: Queen Elizabeth I. Sadly, the birth of a daughter became her undoing when the king wanted a son.
She was beheaded May 1536 for high treason.
When her daughter became queen, Anne was venerated as a marty and heroine of the English Reformation.
Her sister ran off with Anne's child and raised her so, Mary Boleyn deserves mention as a tough mom as well.
Olympias of Epirus:
Princess of Epirote, commander of her own army and Queen of Macedonia, Alexander the Great just called her mom.
Angry at comments that her son was an inferior hier as he wasn't of pure Macedonian blood, she told her husband Zeus fathered her baby. They divorced and her husband, king Philip of Macedonia, denied Alexander.
At the wedding of his next wife, a toast was made blessing Philip and the legitimate heirs he will have with his new bride. Philip then offered this man the hand of his daughter (with Olympias).
He was found murdered soon after and Alexander took over his father's throne.
Olympias supported her son and they were close, afer his death Olympias reared her grandchildren as warriors, plotted against ememies, and caused the deaths of usurpers.
Cruel while in control it is said she was denied burial rites after she died.
Elizabeth (Ersébeth) Bathory:
Countess of Hungary, mass murderer, occultist and mother of four.
When accused of her crimes aginst female blood the countess outsmarted her cousins attempt at a land grab and left all her property to her children, assuring thier wealth and title after her death.
She helped fund the war against the Turks and was in line to be queen of Poland.
Her son stood up for her in court. Bathory was not executed but bricked up in her room until she died four years later in 1610.
Cleopatra:
Incestuous marriage to her brother yeilded no children. Political alliances (and betrayals) bore a son to Julias Ceasar and a son as well as twins to Marc Antony.
Her reign marks the reign of the Roman Era in the Eastern Mediterranean. She rebelled against Rome and tried to fend for the best interests of Egypt.
Allied with Marc Antony they suffered a final defeat at Actuim. She killed herself.
Her beauty was not as renowned as history proclaims. In the words of Plutarch, what made Cleopatra attractive was her wit, charm and sweetenss in her tone of voice.
Coretta Scott King:
After her husband's murder in 1968, the easiest course for this lady might bave been to flee to a more tolerant part of the country and never risk raising public ire again.
Coretta might have been critcized for not protecting her children, instead she rose to the challenge of continuing her husbands work with the civil rights movement, as as well as the womens movement.
She approached Josephine Baker, an entertainer and activist, to take over her husbands place as leader of the civil rights movemement. Josephine declined, stating her children were too young to lose a mother.
Coretta stepped up to the plate herself, speaking boldly for human rights, and an end to war and poverty.
She founded the Martin Luther King Jr. Center of Non Violent Social Change in Atlanta.
Any threat of violence was superceded by a desire to carve a better world for children, hers and ours.
Does motherhood bestow an occult inner strength or does the power of love transcend all forces both natural and supernatural?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
