earby Odyssud park. These earthworks, though, might more accurately be called mounds than pyramids; earthen heaps such as these are more conical than pyramidal, and a quick look at the Miamisburg Mound reveals a striking similarity.
That said, they are incongruous, placed as they are in the center of a French town. Set to one side of an artifical lake, they afford those who climb them a view of the environs. Not a spectacular view, but a view nonetheless.
The artificial lake here is probably the explanation. After digging up a few hundred metric tons of earth, where do you put it? You could construct berms or simply haul it away, or you could construct a couple of pyramid-like mounds.
And why not? They're fun. We can see stuff. They excite the imaginations of impressionable bloggers. And from below the little signs which explain what the visitors are seeing in the distance (or not seeing; there are proud proclamations , for example, that we are looking in the direction of Italy), well, these little signs look like a miniature Stonehenge.
So. There you go. Voila, as they say in France. A weird little bit of landscape architecture from the Illuminists of Blagnac.
And why not? They're fun. We can see stuff. They excite the imaginations of impressionable bloggers. And from below the little signs which explain what the visitors are seeing in the distance (or not seeing; there are proud proclamations , for example, that we are looking in the direction of Italy), well, these little signs look like a miniature Stonehenge.
So. There you go. Voila, as they say in France. A weird little bit of landscape architecture from the Illuminists of Blagnac.
You've a sharp eye, I think, to notice this, Daurade. A lot of people see a park and think nature -- and assume a godly architect rather than human sculpting.
ReplyDeleteA lot of parks, New York City's Central Park, for example, were careful sculpted, every hill planned and built by people to create a more perfect corner of wilderness.
To see the landscape and to imagine the thoughts of the mind that craft it ... an interesting challenge.
Olmstead also designed the current grounds of the US Capitol building. The owl-like form created by the streets have been linked by conspiracy theorists to the Bohemian Grove and the alleged little owl on the dollar bill.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't know about the Grove, it's well worth a look. Very rich and powerful people gather each year for a rustic drinking fest and kick it all off with a weird pageant called the Cremation of Dull Care. This of course being where hooded men burn a coffin in front of a giant owl effigy.
Just your normal rich man's shenanigans, I suppose!
All this apparently is symbolic of Molech, despite there being absolutely no historical support for this. More than likely has something to do with Athena. Also opens the door for new interpretations of the mechanical owl in Pynchon's "Mason & Dixon". Other than being a sly nod to "Clash of the Titans", that is....
Also, thanks Dave, but I'm not sure I'm that sharp-eyed (like an owl?); those pyramids are pretty much eye-poppers. Maybe I'm more alone in linking them to burial or temple mounds, however. :)