Pillars of HerculesThe Pillars of Hercules (Columnae Herculis, , Aʿmidat Hiraql, Columnas de Hércules) was the phrase that was applied in antiquity to the promontories that flank the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. The northern Pillar, Calpe Mons, is the Rock of Gibraltar. A corresponding North African peak not being predominant, the identity of the southern Pillar, Abila Mons, has been disputed throughout history, with the two most likely candidates being Monte Hacho in Ceuta and Jebel Musa in Morocco.
Akrotiri (prehistoric city)Akrotiri (Greek: Ακρωτήρι, pronounced akroˈtiri) was a Cycladic Bronze Age settlement on the volcanic Greek island of Santorini (Thera). The settlement was destroyed in the Theran eruption sometime in the 16th century BC and buried in volcanic ash, which preserved the remains of fine frescoes and many objects and artworks. Akrotiri has been excavated since 1967 after earlier excavations on Santorini. The earliest evidence for human habitation of Akrotiri can be traced back as early as the fifth millennium BC when it was a small fishing and farming village.
ThuleThule (ˈθjuːliː Thoúlē; Thūlē) is the most northerly location mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman literature and cartography. Modern interpretations have included Orkney, Shetland, northern Scotland, the island of Saaremaa (Ösel) in Estonia, and the Norwegian island of Smøla. In classical and medieval literature, ultima Thule (Latin "farthest Thule") acquired a metaphorical meaning of any distant place located beyond the "borders of the known world".
Sais, EgyptSais (Σάις, Ⲥⲁⲓ) was an ancient Egyptian city in the Western Nile Delta on the Canopic branch of the Nile, known by the ancient Egyptians as Sꜣw. It was the provincial capital of Sap-Meh, the fifth nome of Lower Egypt and became the seat of power during the Twenty-fourth Dynasty of Egypt (c. 732–720 BC) and the Saite Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt (664–525 BC) during the Late Period. On its ruins today stands the town of Sa el-Hagar (صا الحجر) or Sa El Hajar. A Neolithic settlement has been identified at Sais recently (1999), dating to 5000 BC.
XenocratesXenocrates (zəˈnɒkrəˌtiːz; Ξενοκράτης; c. 396/5 - 314/3 BC) of Chalcedon was a Greek philosopher, mathematician, and leader (scholarch) of the Platonic Academy from 339/8 to 314/3 BC. His teachings followed those of Plato, which he attempted to define more closely, often with mathematical elements. He distinguished three forms of being: the sensible, the intelligible, and a third compounded of the two, to which correspond respectively, sense, intellect and opinion.
Skeptical InquirerSkeptical Inquirer is a bimonthly American general-audience magazine published by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) with the subtitle: The Magazine for Science and Reason. Originally called The Zetetic, the magazine initially focused on investigating claims of the paranormal. As the organization and magazine evolved, it expanded to address other pseudoscientific topics that are antithetical to critical thinking and science. Notable skeptics have credited the magazine in influencing their development of scientific skepticism.
Ascended masterAscended masters, as written about in the theosophical tradition, are held to be enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans, but who have undergone a series of spiritual transformations called initiations. Theosophists believe in: 1) the Law of Rebirth or reincarnation; 2) the Law of Cause and Effect; and 3) the Law of Harmlessness. Most importantly, evolution is considered to be spiritual in nature. Spiritual development occurs over many life-times, with humans slowly learning to observe themselves and to come to terms with who they are on a moment-to-moment basis.
