The Story of the Stele – Tracing the Footprints of Gods and the Glory of the Empire

Author: Laplace
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: The "World Architecture and Humanities Stories" series aims to explore the world's classic architecture, uncovering the historical figures and stories hidden within them, enabling readers to gain a systematic understanding of the historical context related to world-famous buildings, and experiencing the pain and glory of historical civilizations. The original purpose of building the Tower of London was to serve as a royal palace and a defensive fortress, but it gradually evolved into a prison for detention, torture, and executions. To this day, a species of large crows still thrives within the tower, perched atop it, on the treetops, and even strutting about the grasslands with indifference. When they cry out, their voices are extremely mournful and terrifying. What happens in the Tower of London is even more hair-raising. I present the stories of the world's famous towers and monuments to the readers in the form of short dramas, which is undoubtedly a task that greatly attracts me. Its entire significance lies in allowing readers to read many vivid stories hidden in the river of history within a limited time. The shock brought by this reading is lasting, it strikes the heart of every person. While dredging these stories, I have shed tears several times. I believe such stories will move everyone. Compared to other buildings, the structure of towers and monuments is relatively simple, and their metaphysical meaning always surpasses their practical value. This determines that they should be a gathering place for thoughts, a focal point of beauty, and a repository of historical information. As a result, they also have more imaginative space than any other type of building. I like to call the extension of such buildings the "humanistic tension" of architecture. The existence and movement of this humanistic tension mean that the wisdom invested by the architects in them is no less than that of other buildings. However, the wisdom of the architects is not what this book particularly concerns itself with. What we care about is the profound background of the humanistic tension the architects them, what they want to tell us, and what they have told us. This makes us develop a strong desire to explore the era in which the buildings were situated and their spiritual mysteries. This temptation that attracts us exists in the vast expanse of history. Exploring the depths of history is a wise choice for civilized people, it is a magic lamp that guides us into the unknown realms. However, the stories of towers and monuments only touch a corner of history, they are not all-encompassing. The story of the Tower of London cannot constitute the history of London, let alone the history of Britain, and the story of the Egyptian obelisk cannot unravel all the secrets of the ancient Nile. But this tiny iceberg of history moves us deeply.