sea-peoples:

possible reference to purported seafaring confederation that attacked ancient Egypt & region of the E. Mediterranean before & during the Late Bronze Age collapse (1200–900 BC), or a reference to the early Faustian tribes, Norseman & Vikings who sailed across the N. Atlantic, the Mediterranean & Black seas (in contrast to the landed Apollonian).

 

Classical (homeland): * see EndNote<A>

the seedbed of the Apollonian Culture lay by the Aegean; the heartlands were west of this sea, on the mountainous central land mass, the Peloponnese, & Attica & Boeotia; to the north of this sea were the lands of Thrace & Macedon, to the south the island Crete, east was the coast of Anatolia, Ionia & its associated isles

 

naval architects (Alexandria):

Until Alexander the Great the standard size warship was the quinquereme with 5 banks of oars.  According to Pliny Alexander conceived the idea of constructing larger vessels & ordered the building ships of 7 & 10 banks.  His successors carried on this trend.  Demetrius Poliorcetes (337–283 BC) was one of the first; he superintended the building of vessels of 15 & 16 banks.  Giant ships now became fashionable among the Macedonians.  Ptolemy Philadelphus (308-246 BC) engaged in a naval race building 2 ships of 30 banks!  However pride of place went to Ptolemy Philopater (244-205 BC).  His famous Tesseraconteres was a triumph of naval architecture.   As described by Athenaeus it was it was 420 feet long, 57 feet wide & had 40 tiers of oars. The uppermost oars were 57 feet long, counter-balanced with lead to make them easier to handle.  It had a double bow & stern, carried 7 rams, one was the leader, the others gradually reduced in size.  Manned by 400 sailors it also had, 4000 rowers & 2850 soldiers (total crew 7250 men).  Its size alone would impress & its broad deck was an excellent weapons platform, however it was too large to be of practical use.

 

steamship (Apollinians): * see EndNote<>

Ctesibius (285–222 BC), Greek inventor & mathematician in Alexandria, Ptolemaic Egypt. He wrote the first treatises on the science of compressed air & its uses in pump, credited with developing the aeolipile, although many sources attribute this to Hero of Alexandria (10-70 AD); the aeolipile is a simple, bladeless radial steam turbine which spins when the central water container is heated, torque is produced by steam jets exiting the turbine, much like a tip jet or rocket engine.

 

Macrocosm:

the sum of all symbols, physical representation of the Sprit if the culture

 

Columbus:

see Chapter IV page 148

 

Vasco da Gama:

(1460-1524), Portuguese explorer, first European to reach India by sea.  His initial voyage to India (1497–1499) linked Europe and Asia by an ocean route, connecting the Atlantic and the Indian oceans & the West and the Orient; this marked the start of sea-based globalism, opened the door to global imperialism & enabled the Portuguese to establish a colonial empire in Asia (avoiding the disputed Mediterranean & the dangerous Arabian Peninsula).  This voyage was the longest ocean voyage ever made until then

 

planetary character:

one of Spengler’s many analogies; he means a system (like the Solar System) made up a many bodies, rather than a single all-encompassing body (Earth); the new continents discovered by Columbus & Vasco de Gama resembled planets, separate bodies to Europe.

 

Heimweh:

German, homesickness, nostalgia

 

patria:

Latin, country; the word patriotism is based on this Latin root; patriotism is strongly linked to nationalism

 

Urbs Roma:

Latin, the city of Rome

 

Latium:

region of central western Italy where Rome was founded, a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil where the Latin tribe lived; located on the left bank (east & south) of the Tiber, extending northward to the River Anio and south eastward to the Pontine Marshes & as far south as the Circeian promontory.