This is Part 3, from 11 to 15, of my Pic&Quote series. The quotes are from The Boy in Two Minds and the pictures are mainly photographs taken as research.
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Posted on social media on
June 21 2024
Pic&Quote 11
#AncientOlympicBoy #Paris2024 #TheConnectionTrilogy
From The Boy in Two Minds 432 BCE, Chapter 19
On board “The Pelican”, moored in a crowded harbour at night.
< Themis dozed, but was suddenly awake as the ship rocked. He sat up and made out the ship's dog Beast in the starlight, standing at the rail, growling with teeth bared.
‘Just the boys, then,’ came a harsh whisper from the quay. ‘We can give you forty drachmas each for them. In silver.’ >
Photo 2016 off the Peloponnese
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Posted on social media on
June 25 2024
Pic&Quote 12
#AncientOlympicBoy #Paris2024 #TheConnectionTrilogy
From The Boy in Two Minds 432 BCE, Chapter 25
In Olympia
< Phidias looked mischievously down at Themis. ‘Why, young Themistokles? Are you impatient to have your next meeting with the god Zeus?’
Themis smiled but did not speak. What could he say? That he was afraid that that meeting would be his last day on earth? >
Photo of Zeus abducting Ganymede, 2000. Archaeological Museum of Olympia, T2, by Zde, via Wikipedia https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en
Large terracotta (110 cm), 480-470 BC.
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Posted on social media on
June 29 2024
Pic&Quote 13
#AncientOlympicBoy #Paris2024 #TheConnectionTrilogy
From The Boy in Two Minds 432 BCE, Chapter 27
Above Olympia
< The view from this high place was glorious in the growing light. Layers of misty grey and blue hills lay between Themis and the pale green sea.
He breathed the scents of the new day, then bent to pick a hyacinth to offer to Artemis – and froze.
Beside the rocks to his right a brown bear swayed on all fours, watching him. >
Photo 2024 ©Julia M Newsome
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Posted on social media on
July 02 2024
Pic&Quote 14
#AncientOlympicBoy #Paris2024 #TheConnectionTrilogy
From The Boy in Two Minds 432 BCE, Chapter 30
Near Olympia
< Their agreed meeting place was a built-up spring on the outskirts of the village where this valley joined that of the Alpheios. Frog was already there, talking to a stout woman who was sitting on a stone bench, spinning.
She was saying, ‘Running alone can be dangerous. There are boys stolen every year by the slavers. You’d best stick together.’ >
Research photo ©Julia M Newsome
Such springs are still common in rural areas with their stone benches, usually under plane trees.
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Posted on social media on
July 05 2024
Pic&Quote 15
#AncientOlympicBoy #Paris2024 #TheConnectionTrilogy
From The Boy in Two Minds 432 BCE, Chapter 31
In the Temple to Zeus, Olympia
< Themis lay along the beam in the temple roof and watched a huge parcel, wrapped and crated, being brought in through the mighty doors by a team of ten men. He could hear the stamping of the oxen on the temple ramp as the hubbub inside suddenly stilled. >
Research photo ©Brian Donnelly
The present state of the ruins of the Temple of Olympian Zeus at Olympia in southern Greece, an area of devastating earthquakes throughout history. The one standing column was renovated for the 2004 Olympic Games.
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#Paris2024
The Paris Olympics begin in less than two weeks now. As I'm sure you are aware, there are constant postings and news items about the qualifying rounds in various countries. Lists of the athletes who will participate in each of the 208 countries have now appeared, including 33 Individual Neutral Athletes from Russia and Belarus, countries the International Olympic Committee have suspended because of the invasion of Ukraine violates the Olympic Truce.
This truce, or 'laying down of arms', originates at the ancient Games. The online encyclopaedia, Britannica, says:
"Before every Olympiad ... heralds from Olympia moved around Greece inviting participants and spectators and announcing the truce. Contrary to what many have thought, especially some modern Olympic officials, the Greeks did not cease their wars against one another during the Games or the Olympic truce. Rather, the truce, besides protecting Olympia from invasion, forbade any individual or government to interfere with anyone traveling to and from the Olympics." https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Olympic-Truce-1688469
It would be so much better for the world if, as once believed, conflicts did cease during the Games ...
And, according to the above web page, the International Olympic Truce Foundation, based in Athens, is working towards this goal. Learn more here.
Thanks for reading this far! The next five Pic&Quotes in my series will appear in my next blog post. So, till next time ...
All photographs ©Julia M Newsome unless otherwise credited.
Birkby Books
The Connection Trilogy by J M Newsome:
1. The Boy in Two Minds 9781838413606
(first edition was The Boy with Two Heads, 2012, Trifolium Books, now out of print)
2. The Girl in Two Worlds 9781838413620
3. An Ancient Connection 9781838413644
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