Me Ed wrote:Its real name is actually Byzantium.
And speaking of Byzantium, let us all be reminded that Turkey owes its flag to that ancient Greek city founded by the Megarians, (I think).
(GR, this lesson in Greek history is especially dedicated to you).
The purpose of this lesson is to prove that:
1. Turks must be grateful for the fact that we let them use the flag they have. We could apply to the UN and ask that they be banned from using it on the grounds that it is a Greek historical/cultural symbol.
2. Cyprus can do the same as it used to be the flag of the Cypriot Byzantine kingdom of Isaak Comnenous.
3. The British can do the same claiming it was the banner of Richard the Lionheart.
4. The Municipality of Portsmouth can claim it.
5. And finally, Portsmouth f/c can claim hereditary rights on it.
Here we go:
ByzantiumAccording to legend in 339 BC the city of Byzantium, (later known as Constantinople and then Istanbul), won a decisive battle (against Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great) under a brilliant waxing moon which they attributed to their patron Goddess Artemis (Diana in Roman mythology) whose symbol was the crescent moon (resembling the bow of Artemis).
In honor of Artemis the citizens adopted the crescent moon as their symbol.
Byzantium Flag.jpg
Constantinople.
When the city became the Christian Roman Constantinople in 330 AD, Constantine also added the Virgin Mary's star on the flag.
Constantinople-Banner.png
Isaac Comnenus of CyprusIsaac Comnenus was the last ruler of Cyprus before the Frankish conquest during the Third Crusade.
He was a minor member of the Comnenus family, a great nephew of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus (1143-1180) and a grandson of the Sebastocrator Isaac.
The coat of arms used by Issac Comnenus was a crescent moon and an eight pointed star on an azure background, adopted in relation with his family links to the Byzantine emperor.
Komnenos-Cyprus-Arms.png
Richard the LionheartIn 1192 the fiancée and the sister of the English King Richard I Lionheart were shipwrecked on Cyprus and were taken captive by Isaac. In retaliation Richard conquered the island while on his way to Tyre.
Isaac was taken prisoner near Cape St. Andreas on the Karpass Peninsula, the northernmost tip of the island. According to tradition, Richard had promised Isaac not to put him into irons, so he kept him prisoner in chains of silver. At this time Richard adopted the star and crescent symbol, which Isaac Comnenus had been using, as his own.
Richard the Lionheart.jpg
Portsmouth Coat of Arms In 1194 it was King Richard I, Richard the Lionheart, who granted the Town of Portsmouth its first charter.
The star and crescent symbol is also present on the seal of William de Longchamp, Bishop of Ely, who as Lord Chancellor, was involved in the in the granting of Portsmouth's charter.
It is believed that the Town of Portsmouth adapted the symbol to use as its coat of arms in tribute to King Richard, for his patronage in granting Town status.
The Star and Crescent symbol is known to have been used by Mayors of Portsmouth from at least the seventeenth century and probably earlier from the middle ages.
The motto 'Heaven's Light Our Guide' was incorporated into the coat of arms in 1929, it is the same motto that was also used by the Order of the Star of India and was used on Indian troopships which regularly travelled between Portsmouth and the East.
http://www.welcometoportsmouth.co.uk/st ... esent.html[/quote]
THE STAR AND THE CRESCENT
Rafael Narbaez, Jr.
Books and E-Books
On Muslim History and Civilization
The city of Byzantium (Constantinople, modern Istanbul) was dedicated to Diana, goddess of the hunt, and the crescent was the symbol of Diana. In 330 CE, Constantine rededicated the city to the virgin Mary, whose star symbol was added to the previous crescent. When the Turks took possession of Constantinople, they found lots of crescent flags and adopted it as a symbol of good omen.
"The star and crescent" was first hoisted on behalf of the Muslims by Mohamed II after the capture of Constantinople in 1453 CE. Prior to that, it was common on the arm of knight and esquires. A star within a crescent was a badge of Richard I, 250 years before Constantinople fell. They quit using it when it became the banner of Muslims. It has been used more and more ever since by Muslims in a way to identify themselves.
http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/cresc ... m#conclude
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