Romance sex
Zamora, late 10th century. On the banks of the Douro River and outside the city walls the church of Santiago de los Caballeros was built. The inside capitals of the church depict varied scenes with sexual content: an orgy, a naked woman holding the penis of a man… in the capitals of the Collegiate of San Pedro de Cevantos (Cantabria), in the church of San Nicolás de Teza de Losa (Burgos) and in many other Romanesque churches similar sexual scenes were also sculpted.
So far, several hypotheses have been made about the objective of explicit images, according to which reliefs would represent sin, actions to avoid and, therefore, these capitals would be the appeal to chastity. But Vitorian art historian Isabel Mellén has received a very different view in her book Sex in Time of the Romanesque (Critical). For Mellén, the interpretation of these Romanesque reliefs uses contemporary prejudices and taboos and he has opted for a more natural vision. Sex at that time was more normalized than was thought, especially among nobles. The historian has researched above all the nobility in his work, since they were the ones who built many Romanesque churches. They were therefore in charge of choosing the figures that would decorate the temple. “They had prosperous sexual habits, because having children strengthened the lineage. The family was above the individual and, therefore, sex was in the center.” It relates these images with the values of nobility, with the need for children to be heirs. So they often represent scenes of pregnancy or childbirth.
The turning point came in the 11th century. It was then that the extreme rigidity of the church occurred. A minority of the clergy began to associate sex with sin and “that idea gradually entered society until we reached that taboo that we have today of corporality”. The Alavés says that genitality was something everyday, because they didn't have the concept we have of intimacy in the Middle Ages.
The change was not abrupt. At first, the citizens did not listen to these fellow clergy, but laughed at them if they took into account what had been collected in the literature of the time. But the crusade against sex would achieve its goal. “He departed from a small church nucleus that wants to change sexual habits and wants to increase his power, and eventually they managed to get into bed all over the world.”
Linear A is a Minoan script used 4,800-4,500 years ago. Recently, in the famous Knossos Palace in Crete, a special ivory object has been discovered, which was probably used as a ceremonial scepter. The object has two inscriptions; one on the handle is shorter and, like most of... [+]
Londres, 1944. Dorothy izeneko emakume bati argazkiak atera zizkioten Waterloo zubian soldatze lanak egiten ari zela. Dorothyri buruz izena beste daturik ez daukagu, baina duela hamar urte arte hori ere ez genekien. Argazki sorta 2015ean topatu zuen Christine Wall... [+]
Bilbo, 1954. Hiriko Alfer eta Gaizkileen Auzitegia homosexualen aurka jazartzen hasi zen, erregimen frankistak izen bereko legea (Ley de Vagos y Maleantes, 1933) espresuki horretarako egokitu ondoren. Frankismoak homosexualen aurka egiten zuen lehenago ere, eta 1970ean legea... [+]
Japonia, XV. mendea. Espioitzan eta hilketa ezkutuetan espezializatutako eliteko talde militarra sortu zen. Edo horixe uste du behintzat Stephen Turnbull historialari britainiarrak. Beste aditu batzuen ustez, askoz lehenago sortu ziren ninjak, duela 2.300-2.500 urte inguru. Eta... [+]
Eskultura grekoerromatarrek bere garaian zuten itxurak ez du zerikusirik gaurkoarekin. Erabilitako materiala ez zuten bistan uzten. Orain badakigu kolore biziz margotzen zituztela eta jantziak eta apaingarriak ere eransten zizkietela. Bada, Cecilie Brøns Harvard... [+]
Chão de Lamas-eko zilarrezko objektu sorta 1913an topatu zuten Coimbran (Portugal). Objektu horien artean zeltiar jatorriko zilarrezko bi ilargi zeuden. Bi ilargiak apaingarri hutsak zirela uste izan dute orain arte. Baina, berriki, adituek ilargietan egin zituzten motibo... [+]
Hertfordshire (Ingalaterra), 1543. Henrike VIII.a erregearen eta Ana Bolenaren alaba Elisabet hil omen zen Hatfield jauregian, 10 urte besterik ez zituela, sukarrak jota hainbat aste eman ondoren. Kat Ashley eta Thomas Parry zaintzaileek, izututa, irtenbide bitxia topatu omen... [+]
Luxorren, Erregeen Haranetik gertu, hilobi garrantzitsu baten sarrera eta pasabide nagusia aurkitu zituzten 2022an. Orain, alabastrozko objektu batean Tutmosis II.aren kartutxoa topatu dute (irudian). Horrek esan nahi du hilobi hori XVIII. dinastiako faraoiarena... [+]
AEB, 1900eko azaroaren 6a. William McKinley (1843-1901) bigarrenez aukeratu zuten AEBetako presidente. Berriki, Donald Trump ere bigarrenez presidente aukeratu ondoren, McKinleyrekiko miresmen garbia agertu du.
Horregatik, AEBetako mendirik altuenari ofizialki berriro... [+]
Urruña, 1750eko martxoaren 1a. Herriko hainbat emakumek kaleak hartu zituzten Frantziako Gobernuak ezarritako tabakoaren gaineko zergaren aurka protesta egiteko. Gobernuak matxinada itzaltzeko armada bidaltzea erabaki zuen, zehazki, Arloneko destakamentu bat. Militarrek... [+]
In the Maszycka cave in Poland, remains of 18,000 years ago were found at the end of the 19th century. But recently, human bones have been studied using new technologies and found clear signs of cannibalism.
This is not the first time that a study has reached this conclusion,... [+]
Porzheim, Germany, February 23, 1945. About eight o’clock in the evening, Allied planes began bombing the city with incendiary bombs. The attack caused a terrible massacre in a short time. But what happened in Pforzheim was overshadowed by the Allied bombing of Dresden a few... [+]
Judea, 2nd century AD. In the turbulent atmosphere of the Roman province, a trial was held against Gaddaliah and Saul, accused of fraud and tax evasion. The trial was reported on a 133-line paper in Greek (pictured). Thinking that it was a Nabataean document, the papyrus was... [+]
Poloniar ikerlari talde batek Sevillako Italica aztarnategiko Txorien Etxea aztertu du, eta eraikinaren zoruko mosaikoak erromatar garaiko hegazti-bilduma xeheena dela ondorioztatu du.
Txorien etxean 33 hegazti daude mosaikoetan xehetasun handiz irudikatuta. Beste... [+]
Vietnam, February 7, 1965. The U.S. Air Force first used napalma against the civilian population. It was not the first time that gelatinous gasoline was used. It began to be launched with bombs during World War II and, in Vietnam itself, it was used during the Indochina War in... [+]