Friday, November 07, 2008
RANDOM E BRITANNICA POST
CORVUS, M. VALERIUS-illustrius roman general. b 370is. legend, he was gognomen of corvas(raven) + when fighting a big Gaul, one flew + fluttered at gaul's face + C won. defeated Gauls, samnites, etruscans, marsi + volsci. died 100 yrs old 270. ow!
CORYBANTES- in greek mythology, were associated w/ the phrygian goddess Rhea Cybele as her 1st whorshippers + priests, same class of beings as the curates,cabiri, + dactylis of mt. ida in crete. daemones, from the earth like trees. wild orgiastic dance traced to them. name sought to experss the din of music + dance. blah blah.
COSMAS- riter of the 6th C. nothing of his history, but what can be found in his writing. a book which is a mere bank of mud, but remarkable for certain geographical fossils of interest. 1-V, embracing books? around 535. a monk at the time, but starting a merchant + sailed seas + oceans. big traveler, the book written in alexandria- a christian topography embracing the whole world + denounced heathen doctrine of the rotundity of earth + the earth a rectangle.
'altogether the book is a kind of charicature type of that PROCESS OF LOADING CHRISTIAN TRUTH w/ the DEAD WEIGHT OF FALSE SCIENCE WHICH has had so many followers + done so much mischief.' oh snap!
interesting info on ethiopia(abysinnia) + gold traffic. he knew also that a ship sailed to china, after running east a long way + leaving the clone(known?) country behind + turned north.
his book preserved in at least 2 MSS. 1 at vatican from 8th C w/ illustration from Cs.
