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Arachne
Arachne, from the Greek arákhnē (meaning spider), is a figure in Greek mythology whose talent for weaving was renowned and who famously challenged the goddess Minerva to a weaving competition. As told in Ovid’s (43 BCE-17 CE) Metamorphoses...
Definition
Minerva
Minerva was the Roman goddess of wisdom, medicine, commerce, handicrafts, poetry, the arts in general, and later, war. In many ways similar to the Greek goddess Athena, she had important temples in Rome and was patron of the Quinquatras festival...
Definition
Queen of Sheba
The Queen of Sheba is the monarch mentioned in the Bible and then in later works who travels to Jerusalem to experience the wisdom of King Solomon (c. 965-931 BCE) of Israel first-hand. The queen is first mentioned in I Kings 10:1-13 and...
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Spider Rock, Canyon de Chelly
Spider Rock, Canyon de Chelly, Arizona, USA. The canyon boasts 5,000 years of habitation, including the Ancestral Pueblan Culture from c. 700 CE.
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The Spinners or The Fable of Arachne By Velázquez
The work represents the moment in which the weaver Arachne was turned into a spider by the goddess Athena, and is one of the best-known mythological works by the Sevillian painter Diego Velázquez. Completed in 1648.
Definition
Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots was the queen of both Scotland (r. 1542-1567) and briefly, France (r. 1559-1560). Obliged to flee Scotland, the queen was imprisoned for 19 years by Elizabeth I of England (r. 1558-1603) and finally executed for treason...
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Nazca Line Spider
A geoglyph showing the Nazca Line Spider. The designs and lines created on the desert floor of southern Peru are known collectively as the 'Nazca Lines' and were made over several centuries between 200 BCE and 500 CE. Their exact purpose...
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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 won her a...
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Minerva and Arachne By René-Antoine Houasse
Minerva and Arachne (1706), by French artist René-Antoine Houasse.
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Arachne or Dialectics
Arachne or Dialectics painted in 1520 by Italian Renaissance painter Paolo Veronese.