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Cullinan Diamonds I-IX
A 1908 photograph of the nine largest stones cut from the Cullinan diamond which was discovered in Transvaal, South Africa in 1905. The stones are each named Cullinan I to IX after the owner of the mine in which it was found...
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Witwatersrand Gold & the Creation of South Africa
The discovery of gold at Witwatersrand in Transvaal in 1886, coupled with that of diamonds at Kimberley in 1867, transformed the entire region of Southern Africa. The 'Rand' proved to be the largest...
Definition
Buddhism
Buddhism is a non-theistic religion (no belief in a creator god), also considered a philosophy and a moral discipline, originating in the region of modern-day India in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE. It was founded by the sage Siddhartha...
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Life in a Japanese Buddhist Monastery
Buddhist monasteries have been part of the Japanese cultural landscape ever since the 7th century CE, and they remained both powerful and socially important institutions right through the medieval period. Today...
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Queen Mary Wearing the Cullinan Diamonds
Queen Mary (l. 1876-1953), consort of George V of England (r. 1910-1936), wearing four of the famed Cullinan diamonds. She is wearing Cullinan I and Cullinan II on her sash and Cullinan III and Cullinan IV...
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British Crown Jewels
A few items from the British Crown Jewels. The St. Edward's Crown (1661), the Sovereign's Sceptre with the Cullinan I diamond (1685, diamond added in 1911), the Sovereign's Orb (1661), Queen Mary II's Sceptre with dove (1689...
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Catherine the Great
Catherine II of Russia (Catherine the Great) was empress regent of Russia from 1762-1796. She was born in Prussia to Prince Christian August of Anhalt-Zerbst (1690-1747) and Princess Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp (1712-1760...
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Portuguese Brazil
With a wealth of natural resources, Brazil was by far the most important colony in the Portuguese empire and was, at one time or another, the world’s leading producer of sugar, diamonds, and tobacco. Colonised from the 1530s...
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Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria of Great Britain (r. 1837-1901) was one of the most loved of all Britain's monarchs. Her longevity, devotion to her role as figurehead of an empire, and recovery from the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert...
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The Weapons of an English Medieval Knight
The weapons of an English medieval knight in combat included the long sword, wooden lance with an iron tip, metal-headed mace, battle-axe, and dagger. Trained since childhood and practised at tournaments, the...