Category History

What is the history of the Colosseum in Rome Italy?

1. A little history

A popular tourist site today and one of the world’s largest sporting arenas, the Colosseum was built between 72 AD and 80 AD by the Roman emperor Vespasian. Though construction started during the time of Vespasian, he did not live to see its completion. His son, Titus opened the arena. The Colosseum is built using stone and concrete and the manpower of tens and thousands of Jewish slaves.

The first-ever games at the Colosseum were held in 80 AD by Titus. It went on for 100 days straight

2. Largest amphitheatre in the world

The oval-shaped Colosseum is the largest amphitheatre in the world. It measures 189m long, 156m wide and 50m high. The arena was so big that it could fit a modern-day football pitch inside. The Colosseum had 80 entrances and could seat approximately 50,000 spectators at a time.

3. Free for all, mostly

Sporting events at the arena included gladiatorial combats, wild animal hunts and naval battles. These games continued to be held for centuries, with gladiatorial combats held till the fifth century, and wild animal hunts till the sixth Most the major events held at the Colosseum, which were often organised and paid for by the emperors, were free for spectators. Sometimes free food was also served to the spectators. Emperors did this to gain popularity and support from the public.

4. What’s underground?

There were numerous rooms and passages below the Colosseum. This is where the gladiators and the animals were kept before they were allowed entry into the arena. The Colosseum also had 36 trap doors for special effects during games.

5. A graveyard for animals

Along with other sporting events, Romans staged wild animal fights and hunts at the Colosseum. This left thousands of animals such as elephants, tigers, lions, bears and other exotic creatures wounded or dead.

 

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What is the history of Jantar Mantar?

1. A king and his love for astronomy

The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is one among five such observatories built by Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder of Jaipur. Jai Singh II was extremely enthusiastic about astronomy and even owned telescopes. He came up with the idea of building the astronomical observatories in India when he noticed that the astronomical tables of the Zij (an islamic astronomical book that tabulates parameters used to calculate the positions of the Sun, Moon, stars, and the planets) were incomplete. He used the observatories to come up with a more accurate zij and new astronomical tables known as the zij-i Muhammad Shahi. These tables were used in India for nearly a century.

2. One among five observatories

The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is the largest among the five observatories built by Jai Singh II, and the only one among the five to receive the UNESCO World Heritage tag. The other observatories, also called Jantar Mantar, were built in Delhi, Varanasi, Mathura, and Ujjain between 1724 and 1735. However, today only four of these exist. The one in Mathura was destroyed just before the Revolt of 1857.

3. Astronomy with the naked eye

The monument has a collection of 19 astronomical instruments constructed out of local stone and marble. Each of these giant instruments caries an astronomical scale and facilitates calculation of the positions and distances of the celestial bodies with the naked eye.

4. World’s largest stone sundial

The Jantar Mantar in Jaipur is home to the largest stone sundial in the world. The Vrihat Samrat Yantra, which stands at the centre of the observatory, is a 27m-tall sundial which can help calculate time accurately down to two seconds.

5. No longer in use

Apart from stone and marble, bronze tablets, bricks and mortar were employed during the construction of the observatory. The Jantar Mantar was in continuous use till about the early 1800s, and then fell into disuse. It was restored several times during the British rule. Today, the observatory serves as a tourist attraction, kindling students interest in astronomy through guided tours, and music and light shows. It was declared a national monument in 1948, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010.

 

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Who was the first Mughal emperor in India?

Babar (1526-1530) is the great grandson of Tamerlane and Genghis Khan, was the first Mughal emperor in India. He confronted and defeated Lodhi in 1526 at the first battle of Panipat, and so came to establish the Mughal Empire in India. Babar ruled until 1530, and was succeeded by his son Humayun.

He established himself in Kabul and then pushed steadily southward into India from Afghanistan through the Khyber Pass. Babur’s forces occupied much of northern India after his victory at Panipat in 1526. The preoccupation with wars and military campaigns, however, did not allow the new emperor to consolidate the gains he had made in India.

The instability of the empire became evident under his son, Humayun (reigned 1530–1556), who was forced into exile in Persia by rebels. The Sur Empire (1540–1555), founded by Sher Shah Suri (reigned 1540–1545), briefly interrupted Mughal rule. Humayun’s exile in Persia established diplomatic ties between the Safavid and Mughal Courts, and led to increasing Persian cultural influence in the Mughal Empire.[citation needed] Humayun’s triumphant return from Persia in 1555 restored Mughal rule, but he died in an accident the next year.

 

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Which is the warrior ruler conqueror who unified the nomadic tribes of Mongolia and extended his empire across many parts of Asia in the 12th and 13th Centuries?

Mongol leader Genghis Khan (1162-1227) rose from humble beginnings to establish the largest land empire in history. After uniting the nomadic tribes of the Mongolian plateau, he conquered huge chunks of central Asia and China. His descendants expanded the empire even further, advancing to such far-off places as Poland, Vietnam, Syria and Korea. At their peak, the Mongols controlled between 11 and 12 million contiguous square miles, an area about the size of Africa. Many people were slaughtered in the course of Genghis Khan’s invasions, but he also granted religious freedom to his subjects, abolished torture, encouraged trade and created the first international postal system. Genghis Khan died in 1227 during a military campaign against the Chinese kingdom of Xi Xia. His final resting place remains unknown.

Going against custom, Temujin put competent allies rather than relatives in key positions and executed the leaders of enemy tribes while incorporating the remaining members into his clan. He ordered that all looting wait until after a complete victory had been won, and he organized his warriors into units of 10 without regard to kin. Though Temujin was an animist, his followers included Christians, Muslims and Buddhists. By 1205 he had vanquished all rivals, including his former best friend Jamuka. The following year, he called a meeting of representatives from every part of the territory and established a nation similar in size to modern Mongolia. He was also proclaimed Chinggis Khan, which roughly translates to “Universal Ruler,” a name that became known in the West as Genghis Khan.

 

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Which is the emperor of the Maurya Empire who renounced armed conquest after the Kalinga war in 3rd Century BC?

Following his successful but bloody conquest of the Kalinga country on the east coast, Ashoka renounced armed conquest and adopted a policy that he called “conquest by dharma” (i.e., by principles of right life).

The empire he and his family built did not last even 50 years after his death. Although he was the greatest of the kings of one of the largest and most powerful empires in antiquity, his name was lost to history until he was identified by the British scholar and orientalist James Prinsep (l. 1799-1840 CE) in 1837 CE. Since then, Ashoka has come to be recognized as one of the most fascinating ancient monarchs for his decision to renounce war, his insistence on religious tolerance, and his peaceful efforts in establishing Buddhism as a major world religion. 

When Ashoka was around the age of 18, he was sent from the capital city of Pataliputra to Takshashila (Taxila) to put down a revolt. According to one legend, Bindusara provided his son with an army but no weapons; the weapons were provided later by supernatural means. This same legend claims that Ashoka was merciful to the people who lay down their arms upon his arrival. No historical account survives of Ashoka’s campaign at Taxila; it is accepted as historical fact based on suggestions from inscriptions and place names but the details are unknown.

The Kingdom of Kalinga was south of Pataliputra on the coast and enjoyed considerable wealth through trade. The Mauryan Empire surrounded Kalinga and the two polities evidently prospered commercially from interaction. What prompted the Kalinga campaign is unknown but, in c. 260 BCE, Ashoka invaded the kingdom, slaughtering 100,000 inhabitants, deporting 150,000 more, and leaving thousands of others to die of disease and famine.

Ashoka then renounced war and embraced Buddhism but this was not the sudden conversion it is usually given as but rather a gradual acceptance of Buddha’s teachings which he may, or may not, have already been acquainted with. It is entirely possible that Ashoka could have been aware of Buddha’s message before Kalinga and simply not taken it to heart, not allowed it to in any way alter his behavior. This same paradigm has been seen in plenty of people – famous kings and generals or those whose names will never be remembered – who claim to belong to a certain faith while regularly ignoring its most fundamental vision.

 

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Which queen ruled Great Britain when India came under the British rule in 1858?

This system of governance was instituted on 28 June 1858, when, after the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the rule of the British East India Company was transferred to the Crown in the person of Queen Victoria (who, in 1876, was proclaimed Empress of India).

Queen Victoria took her duties as Empress very seriously and when her Golden Jubilee came around in 1887 she made every effort to showcase her ‘jewel in the crown of the British Empire’. She hosted lavish banquets and parties for Indian princes and European nobility and rode in elaborate processions accompanied by the Colonial Indian cavalry. Indian attendants were brought to the royal household to help with the festivities as well. Victoria took a liking to one of her new servants in particular: Abdul Karim. Soon the twenty-four-year-old’s role changed from patiently waiting at tables to teaching the Queen to read, write and speak in Urdu, or ‘Hindustani’. The Queen wanted to know everything about India, a place where she ruled but could never visit. Abul told her all about Agra, from the local fruits and spices to the sights and sounds of his homeland. It was not long before he became her ‘Munshi’, or teacher, and they began a friendship that would last over a decade.

India in Victoria’s time was rife with such unrest, in addition to sweeping famine and widespread change. The census of 1871 aimed to record the age, caste, religion, occupation and education level of the entire population in order to better govern. It found the total population to be 238,830,958. British-born subjects in India (excluding the army and navy) numbered just 59,000. India is now the second most populated country in the world with 1,326,801,576 residents as of July 2016. The population density in England in 1871 was 422 people per square mile on average, whereas in India it ranged from 468 in Oude to just 31 in British Burma. The census of 1871 failed to fully report on Indian subject’s level of education, but came to the conclusion that only around one in 30 men (women were not included in these reports) had received the ‘barest rudiments’ of education. In 2016 81% of Indian men over 15 years and 61% of women were literate. The census also found the population to be expanding at the rate of 3% annually, which the report writers thought to be ‘an improvement doubtless due to the better administration of the country since it came under the British rule.’

 

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