All my creative pursuits.
The theme for Cee’s Black and White Challenge this week is made by humans.
This is a really broad category! Pretty much anything not naturally occurring is made by humans. And within nature, we humans make more of our own kind so I had a tough time choosing. Oh I wish I could have come up with something clever! Here are my shots – of landmarks made by humans:
The Roman Coliseum:
The Pillars of Pompeii:
Notre Dame Cathedral:
The Eiffel Tower:
Header image: Mount Vesuvius, as seen from the streets of Naples – photo my own.
Yes, the world’s oldest profession… I was going to make this a Wordless Wednesday post, but I really think it deserves a little description. So in the name of history, let me explain what you are looking at. The images painted on the walls of a typical brothel of the time –Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79– weren’t merely to arouse the patrons visiting the establishment. You see, at the height of Pompeii’s splendor, an average citizen would have been illiterate. Only the upper classes would have been able to read or write. Thus, the images provided a sort of menu from which the customer could make some choices. Also, notice that the one being ‘serviced’ in the images all had the darker skin of someone who worked out of doors, perhaps depicting a shepherd or field laborer, whereas the prostitutes all had the fairest of skin. Here are some photos from my trip to Italy in 2009:
Fire and ash from miles away
Buried the city of Pompeii
Choked of breath
The throes of death
The victims lie preserved to this day
I had the chance to see Pompeii in 2009. Here are a couple photos:
And the victims…
Some of the architecture:
Wall paintings, remarkably preserved. The one on the top left is from the wall of a brothel. Notice the fair skin of the prostitute, compared to the darker skin of her client, who spent his time out in the sun!
Meg Sorick, Author/Artist 