The guide to The Land of Frankincense, Dhofar Oman. Frankincense is an alluring and magical product. The tree is found in Oman's southern Governorate of Dhofar and this book guides the reader to the locations associated with it and illustrates the History of Frankincense.
Archaeology has been transformed by technology that allows one to ‘see’ below the surface of the earth. This work illustrates the uses of advanced technology in archaeological investigation. It deals with hand-held instruments that probe the subsurface of the earth to unveil layering and associated sites; underwater exploration and photography of submerged sites and artifacts; and the utilization of imaging from aircraft and spacecraft to reveal the regional setting of archaeological sites and to assist in cultural resource management.
The genus Bursera covers a vast area in the New World, extending from the southwestern part of the United States through México, Central and South America, and into the Caribbean Islands. Bursera has been embedded in the folklore of the Americas for its colorful exfoliation and for its aromatic gum resin known as copal since the Aztec and Inca periods. The resounding similarities of its use in medicine and incense make Bursera the Frankincense of the Americas. This book is a guide to growing, cultivating, and exhibiting Bursera, with the primary objective to preserve these hidden jewels of the New World through horticulture. The scientific classification of Bursera is put into context with its horticulture for a holistic understanding of the genus in habitat and in cultivation. It is written to be a reference book containing all 105 known species with their taxa, including descriptions, illustrations, photos of habitat and cultivated plants, with specificity to enable the reader to identify the species.
For the past 4,000 years, Boswellia, the source of frankincense, has played a role in the economic growth and technological advancement of the Arabian Peninsula. It was the source for a cure of many diseases and purified worship halls across the globe. It has been an ageless natural commodity equal to gold and treasured as a sacred gift from the Gods.This book is a guide to growing, cultivating, exhibiting and extracting the resin of these wondrous plants in an urban agriculture and for personal and commercial use. It gives the reader scientific compilation of original descriptions of the nineteen species in their natural habitats, their historical perspectives, a process for hybridization, uses for holistic medicine, and what the future holds for these magical species of the ancient world. It is a reference book for botanists, growers and collectors with specificity of detailed habitat information and over 200 color photographs that compliment the text and illustrate the diversity of the genus.
In this fourth book in the legendary Lymond Chronicles, Francis Crawford of Lymond desperately searches the Ottoman empire for his kidnapped child. Somewhere within the bejeweled labyrinth of the Ottoman empire, a child is hidden. Now his father, Francis Crawford of Lymond, soldier of fortune and the exiled heir of Scottish nobility, is searching for him while ostensibly engaged on a mission to the Turkish Sultan. At stake is the political order of three continents, for Lymond's child is a pawn in a cutthroat game whose gambits include treason, enslavement, and murder. In that game's final move, which is played inside the harem of the Topkapi palace, Lymond will come face to face with his most implacable enemy and the dreadful ambiguities of his own nature. With a Foreword by the author.
"The perfect Christmas gift for anyone interested in the historical background behind the birth of Jesus of Nazareth." — Robert J. Hutchinson, author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Bible, The Dawn of Christianity, and Searching for Jesus. "Utterly refreshing and encouraging." — Eric Metaxas, New York Times bestselling author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy and Martin Luther "The best book I know about the Magi." — Sir Colin John Humphreys, Ph.D., author of The Mystery of the Last Supper Modern biblical scholars tend to dismiss the Christmas story of the “wise men from the East” as pious legend. Matthew’s gospel offers few details, but imaginative Christians filled out the story early on, giving us the three kings guided by a magical star who join the adoring shepherds in every Christmas crèche. For many scholars, then, there is no reason to take the gospel story seriously. But are they right? Are the wise men no more than a poetic fancy? In an astonishing feat of detective work, Dwight Longenecker makes a powerful case that the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem really happened. Piecing together the evidence from biblical studies, history, archeology, and astronomy, he goes further, uncovering where they came from, why they came, and what might have happened to them after eluding the murderous King Herod. In the process, he provides a new and fascinating view of the time and place in which Jesus Christ chose to enter the world. The evidence is clear and compelling. The mysterious Magi from the East were in all likelihood astrologers and counselors from the court of the Nabatean king at Petra, where the Hebrew messianic prophecies were well known. The “star” that inspired their journey was a particular planetary alignment—confirmed by computer models—that in the astrological lore of the time portended the birth of a Jewish king. The visitors whose arrival troubled Herod “and all Jerusalem with him” may not have been the turbaned oriental kings of the Christmas carol, but they were real, and by demonstrating that the wise men were no fairy tale, Mystery of the Magi demands a new level of respect for the historical claims of the gospel.