Attila the Hun versus Flavius Aetius

 


The Battle of Catalaunians Plains – when is a plain not a plain? The famous battle between Attila the Hun and Flavius Aetius in AD 451 was fought, it seems, over a ridge.

The name of the battle of the Catalaunian Plains has become the most dominant one for the climactic meeting of Attila’s Huns and a vast alliance of Romans, Visigoths, Franks and others joined to oppose him in AD 451. There were, however, many other names by which the battle was known; Catalaunian Fields, Campus Mauriacus, locus Mauriacus (locus meaning, rather unhelpfully, ‘location’), Maurica, Châlons, Troyes. All of these alternate names are not helped by the fact that we do not know the precise location of the battle and much ink has been spilt arguing for one location or another.

We know that Attila had rampaged across Germany and Gaul, sacking many towns. Jordanes tells us that Attila’s horde of rampaging Huns had 500,000 men. Very few scholars believe that number, but there were enough men with Attila (and they had wrought such destruction all over the Roman Empire in the previous ten years) that it was large enough to create the perception of Hunnic hordes we still have. Attila reached Orléans and there, either just before he breached the walls or even as he was breaching them, the allied army of the supreme Roman general Flavius Aetius (the comes et magister utriusque militiae) and Visigothic King Theodoric came into view. There were other allies too: Alans, Franks, Sarmatians, Armoricans, Liticians, Burgundians, Saxons, Riparians, Olibriones, Riparioli and Briones. Some of these names defy identification but this large number of allies were probably amassed to at least try and match Attila’s numbers. Attila had allies of his own – Ostrogoths and Gepids – although Sidonius names a whole array of peoples (several of them fictional or from myth): Gepids, Rugi, Sciri, Neuri, Bastarnae, Thuringi, Bructeri, Franks and Burgundians. This was to be an enormous meeting of hostile peoples, perhaps the largest battle the ancient world ever saw.

Attila chose to retire from Orléans, probably towards Tricasses (modern Troyes, France) on the River Seine. As he prepared to cross the river by the bridge there, the forces of Aëtius and Theodoric caught up to him; they had followed him from Orléans. Other sources, however, give the location of the battle as close to Metz, or the Mauriac plain, even on the Loire or Danube. There was probably some celebrity in being the site of the battle and several candidates emerged. Paris, an unimportant town in 451, developed its own mythology of how it was saved from Attila by St Genevieve – but contemporary sources do not name it as a target. Modern scholars have argued incessantly over their favoured location, north, east or west of Troyes. The ancient town of Catalaunum is now Châlons-en-Champagne on the River Marne (hence the name the Battle of Châlons).

Our best account of the wars with Attila – although there are many which need to be sifted through – is the 6th-century historian Jordanes, who wrote two works that are extremely useful to us. Known as the Getica, the De origine actibusque getarum (‘On the Origin and Deeds of the Goths’) traces the history of the Goths but also includes Hunnic history. Jordanes used the eyewitness Priscus of Panium as a source although some of his material seems to go further than Priscus does. Jordanes also wrote a Romana, a short history of the most noteworthy events in Rome’s history down to AD 552. Jordanes’ account of the battle in the Getica is the most complete we possess even though his details differ from other accounts and several modern authors do not follow it. Most importantly, Jordanes makes the crux of the entire battle the contest for a ridge. He describes the battlefield as a ‘plain rising by a sharp slope to a ridge’. Jordanes tells us that the Huns seized the right side of the ridge and the Visigoths the left, with the crest untaken; it would be there, at the crest, that the battle was decided. Both Aëtius and Attila realized that control of the crest would be crucial to the battle and, in the race to secure it, the cavalry of Aetius and Thorismund (Theodoric’s son and heir) reached it first and there they held off successive Hun cavalry attacks. The Huns tried again and again to take the ridge, Attila himself leading charges seeing that his personal command was necessary. The Romans and Visigoths on the crest also needed reinforcements and Theodoric led more Visigoths forward; in doing so he lost his life and Thorismund continued to fight not knowing he was now king. The battle began at 3pm on 20 June, close to the summer solstice, and fighting continued until nightfall, around 10pm; seven hours of continuous fighting. Only as night drew close did Attila break off his attacks and withdraw to his wagon laager. Confused fighting continued in the darkness – the allies pursued the retiring Huns but Thorismund pursued too keenly and got isolated in the Hun encampment and had to be rescued. Aëtius too got lost and isolated from his men – he spent the night in the Visigoth camp.

The battle has gone down as one of the most decisive in western history. This may not be strictly true as Attila remained a threat and invaded Italy in AD 452, plundering many cities in the north including Aquileia and Mediolanum (Milan). Catalaunian Plains was, however, certainly bloody. We are told of 300,000 casualties and Jordanes calls the battle the ‘graveyard of nations’. As it seems to have been primarily a cavalry battle, historians have sought for a flat plain on which the huge numbers of cavalry on both sides roamed. If we read our best sources closely, however, the battle was fought mainly for the control of a ridge. To find out exactly which ridge, you’ll have to get yourself a copy of CBT 67!

Sustainable Living Paper Stopmotion animation Honorable Mention Sunhak Peace Prize 2022

 
 
Team:
Dudz Clotario (team leader) - Animation
Nehesh Poll - Voice Over
Pinky Orejana Velasquez - Script
 
 
Sustainable Living PaperStopmotion animation Honorable Mention Sunhak Peace Prize.
 
Here are some Behind The Scene pictures of my paper stopmotion animation made from papercraft.

 

SUSTAINABLE LIVING- Sustainable Food 
Do you know that the food we enjoy eating like grilled steak and fried chicken have hidden costs to the environment?
It begins with clearing natural habitats to make way for agriculture.
Soil is fertilized with chemicals to maximize crop yield.
Livestock feeding produces methane and animal waste.

Food production and distribution use fossil fuel.
1.3 billion tons of food produced globally is wasted every year.
3.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide are produced by food waste.
The world’s population will increase to 10 billion by 2050.
Food demand will increase by 60-70%.
 
This calls for sustainable food production like reducing the use of fossil fuel;
Eat more plant-based food than meat.
Adopt zero waste by reusing containers;
and reducing food waste
Let’s practice sustainable living to save the environment.





Views about this Year's Global Media Competition 2022 #GMC2022 #BurnedByTobacco #stopmotionanimation #animation

 Hi this is Dudz Clotario, just sharing my views about this year's Global Media Competition.


When I learned about the competition maybe just 3 days before deadline, I immediately wanted to enter. I am a non-smoker and I know tobacco industry's environment harms so I wanted to show it through my video. I asked my friend ma’am Pinky to make the script and Nehesh to do voice over. It was a seamless workflow that even we have different timezones, we still managed to finish it fast and upload just an hour before the deadline.


This competition is useful to share my talent using papercraft stopmotion animation. And It was a way to showcase my paper craft style of animation. It is hard to do, but its worth it.

When the winners where announced, I was so happy. I thanked all the people who supported, shared and voted for my entry. It’s good to learn the many people like my paper stopmotion.

Everyone should participate in this competition because it creates awareness about the hidden harm of the tobacco industry.


Long time ago when I was in grade 1, my very first art competition win was titled Be an Earth Saver, it was for a poster making competition. Fast Forward until now, I am still doing it, trying my best to save our environment by sharing information and making videos about it. The Tobacco industry is a big culprit causing massive harm to nature. 


Love the earth and be an earth saver. It’s the only home we have.

Raw file: ORYX in QATAR SEALINE using DJI spark drone


What is an oryx?

There are four species of oryx living in Africa and the Middle East. They are large antelopes with long, spear-like horns — with the Gemsbok (Oryx gazella) being the largest of the oryx species. They are a true desert animal, with a thick, horse-like neck; a short mane; and a compact, muscular body. A defined pattern of black markings that contrast with their white face and fawn-colored body are prominently displayed during dominance rituals to emphasize the length of their horns and the strength of their shoulders.

Scientific name

Oryx gazella

Weight

180 to 240 kilograms (395 to 530 pounds)

Size

115 to 125 centimeters at the shoulder (45 to 50 inches)

Life span

Up to 20 years in the wild; about 22 years in captivity

Habitat

Dry plains

Diet

Herbivorous

Gestation

8.5 months

Predators

Lions, hyenas, African wild dogs

Live in herds of up to
600
animals
Population of
373,000
the Gemsbok species
Private land holds
45%
of the population
Oryx

Challenges

Oryxes are hunted by humans.

Local communities hunt these large antelopes for their meat and hides, and in many cultures, their horns are sought after as charms.

They are losing habitats to humans.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, Gemsbok populations rapidly decline due to human expansion in South Africa. This species’ habitat is decreasing as human populations grow and expand, resulting in growth of agriculture, settlements, and roads.

Solutions

Our solutions to protecting the oryx:

Set aside space for wildlife.

African Wildlife Foundation works with governments and villages to designate wildlife corridors — large swaths of land that oryxes use to roam freely and safely from one park, or country, to another. Corridors link protected areas and allow wildlife to follow rains or travel to their calving grounds.

Develop conservation tourism.

AWF brings together communities and private investors to construct conservation tourism lodges like The Sanctuary at Ole Lentille in Kenya. The lodge provides sustainable income for the community, and the 20,000-acre conservancy is a safe home to a variety of wildlife. 

Oryx
Oryx

Behaviors

Males are pitted against each other in strength tests.

The dominance hierarchy among oryxes is based on age and size. As they grow, calves assess one another in tests of strength that look like games. As the hierarchy becomes established, the need to fight is reduced. Ritual displays replace actual contact, except when evenly matched individuals may have to fight to establish their rank. Along with lateral displays, these large antelopes perform a slow, prancing walk and sometimes break into a gallop. When several males are making these displays, they may clash horns. The nonterritorial males live in mixed groups with females, or with females and their young. Males that dominate are territorial to a degree, marking their areas with dung deposits.

Females like to calve in private.

A female leaves the herd to give birth and hides the calf for its first two or three weeks of life, visiting a few times a day to nurse it. The newborn is an inconspicuous brown color. The black markings begin to appear when the calf is ready to return to the herd with its mother. Calves are suckled for six to nine months and reach maturity at 18 to 24 months. Most young males migrate out of their natal group to join other groups.

Diet

The oryx eats smart.

They typically feed in early morning and late afternoon, feasting mainly on coarse grasses and thorny shrubs. In desert areas, they consume thick-leaved plants, wild melons, and roots and tubers they dig out of the ground. Plants collect dew, which is gradually released during the hotter parts of the day. Some plants increase their water content by 25 to 40 percent, so when oryxes feed late at night or early in the morning, they maximize both food and water sources.

Fifa Lego Soccer minifigure stopmotion Qatar

 

Made in the year 2019 for QSL - Fifa Lego Soccer minifigure stopmotion Qatar. Featuring minifigure of BAGHDAD BOUNEDJAH QSL LEGO STOP MOTION. 


The QNB Stars League is the main tournament managed by the Qatar Stars League (QSL). The league is held every season with the participation of 12 clubs, which compete over 22 weeks for the championship.
The QSL gives much importance to the preparations, infrastructure, operations and follow-up of all elements and associated tasks to successfully deliver the tournament, with a goal of improving the championship’s technical levels. This is reflected positively on the performance of our national teams and professional football in Qatar.
The tournament receives wide media coverage locally and internationally. All matches are broadcast live through our Host Broadcaster AL KASS sports channel, which allocates a wide variety of programs to cover all aspects related to the QNB Stars League.
The league is also widely covered by print media, radio, websites, and various social media platforms.
Each of the participating clubs must meet the standards of professionalism in order to obtain licenses from the QSL to be eligible to compete in the tournament.
Since the inception of the professional league, Qatar football has achieved a lot at the club and country levels in Asian and regional competitions. And the QNB Stars League has gained a prominent place among the professional leagues in Asia.

On This Day - July 21, 1871 - Praxedes Julia Fernandez, a performer who is considered Queen of Philippine Drama, was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila

 

Today in Philippine History, July 21, 1871, Praxedes Julia Fernandez was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila

On July 21, 1871, Praxedes Julia Fernandez, the so-called singing sweetheart of Manila, a performer who is considered Queen of Philippine Drama, was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila. She was one of the three children of Mariano Fernandez and Josefa Quizon.

Praxedes Julia Fernandez   
(Praxedes Julia Fernandez on her wedding day)   

Yeyeng as she was popularly known, was one of the founders of Fersuta company, the name framed from the names of the principal lady players, Fernandez, Suzara,and Tagorona. Her group presented many benefit shows for the widows and orphans of the soldiers of the Spanish army.

On September 30, 1891, in grateful acknowledgement of Miss Fernandez's performances for charity, the Spanish army honored her with a gala affair. As a memento of the occasion, she was presented with a silver crown.

Yeyeng ended her stage career with a farewell presentation of the opera La Viuda Alegre at the Manila Grand Opera House on November 14, 1911.

On August 18, 1892, she was married to Ricardo Penalos Pastor, a professor in the Escuela de Artes y Oficios in Iloilo. Their marriage was not blessed with any children.

She died on August 22, 1919 at the age of 48.

References:

  1. Philippine News Agency archives
  2. Photo credit: http://dreamcatcherrye.blogspot.com/

On This Day - July 20, 1826 - Margarita Roxas de Ayala, one of the Philippines' greatest businesswomen, was born in San Miguel, Manila

 

Today in Philippine History, July 20, 1826, Margarita Roxas de Ayala was born in San Miguel, Manila

On July 20, 1826, Margarita Roxas de Ayala, one of the Philippines' greatest businesswomen, and founder of La Concordia College, was born in San Miguel, Manila.

(Margarita Roxas de Ayala)

She was the eldest child of Domingo Roxas founder of Casa Roxas, and Maria Saturnina Ubaldo, a Spaniard. During her early life she suffered great indignity and injustice when her father was incarcerated three times. The Spanish colonial authorities suspected that her father was a sympathizer of the Filipino cause.

Don Domingo one of the earliest industrialists of the Philippines, was an advocate for liberal reforms. He died in prison in 1843.

Assuming control of her father's company, Margarita acquired her vast wealth as she diversified into real estate, mining, and alcohol production.

She was married to her father's partner Don Antonio de Ayala, a Spaniard from the Basque region of Alava de Ayala, Spain. Don Antonio de Ayala was one of the first directors of Banco Español-Filipino de Isabel II currently known as Bank of the Philippine Islands.

Margarita Roxas de Ayala became the foremost philanthropist of her time, donating her own summer residence called La Concordia in Santa Ana, Manila in 1868 to the Colegio de la Concordia which survives to this day as La Concordia College.

The school upon her instruction was staffed by a Spanish order of nuns, the Sisters of Charity, and dedicated to educating and giving scholarships to marginalized women.

She died on November 1, 1869 at age 43 leaving Don Antonio to run the company until his death in 1876. They had three daughters. The first daughter Carmen Roxas de Ayala would marry her cousin Don Pedro Pablo Roxas and their daughter Margarita Roxas de Ayala y Roxas would later marry Eduardo Soriano. They would become the parents of San Miguel Corporation industrialist Andres Soriano.

References:
Philippines News Agency
Photo: Wikipedia Commons