Below is an example of Temple Square, and the Jordan River temple. These are interactive embedded maps, so you can drag them around with your mouse and look at various parts of Temple Square, in exquisite detail, as if you were in an airplane.

Just think what it’ll all look like when they get 3D aerial photography in Google Maps!

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Jordan River temple (this one is a bit more finicky, if it doesn’t show the 45 degree angle at first, zoom out one level and back in):

View Larger Map

Bird’s Eye View of Temple Square (and others)

San Joaquin Delta College Hellenic Dancers doing the Greek Syrtos dance at the school's new campus dedication in 1977. They wear the traditional Greek folk dance costume. A musician is playing a Thracian gaida in the center of the circle, leading the dance. Used with permission.

When I originally wrote my paper on “The Genesis of the Round Dance,” I included a short section on the ancient Greek dance forms:

The ancient choruses, dances, and songs of the dithyramb of Greece displayed the familiar pattern of a dignified, circular dance around the altar of Dionysus in the theater's orchestra. In fact, the term orchestra originally meant the circular dancing place of the theater. In addition, the terms carole and chorus, also originally Greek, meant a sacred ring dance, men and women holding each others hands [other related English words are chorale, choir, and choreography]. LDS scholar, Dr. Hugh Nibley, reminds us that the creation was often acted out in these Greek dance dramas:

The Greek play has a chorus. Well what does chorus mean? It's a ring dance; it's a circle. Same as our word curve; Latin: curvus; going around. The chorus sings, and the chorus of the muses sings the poiema, the creation song . . . When they sing together, it's the poiema, the song of the creation. It's a glorious thing. It's a round dance like the Egyptian maypole.

Nibley takes it one step further to explain that all the arts originated from the ancient temple dramas. “So poetry, music, and dance,” he tells us, “go out to the world from the temple-called by the Greeks the Mouseion, the shrine of the Muses.” Again he states that, “All the arts and sciences began at the temple. Dance, music, architecture, sculpture, drama, and so forth-they all go back to the temple.” Kraus supports this claim of a ritualistic connection between the arts when he informs us that Native American ceremonies and sacred dances are “part of an elaborate drama which embraces all the arts.”

The more one learns about the arts, the more one is convinced of Nibley’s stunning summation.

I want to expand a bit more on the traditional Greek dance forms, and share some more interesting details I’ve learned about these ancient practices that still are continued today. 

Form

One of the most ancient literary references to dance in the Greek tradition is found in Homer’s The Iliad.  In book 18, the circular Shield of Achilles is described, with dancing youths making up one of the rings:

Hereon there danced youths and maidens whom all would woo, with their hands on one another’s wrists. The maidens wore robes of light linen, and the youths well woven shirts that were slightly oiled. The girls were crowned with garlands, while the young men had daggers of gold that hung by silver baldrics; sometimes they would dance deftly in a ring with merry twinkling feet, as it were a potter sitting at his work and making trial of his wheel to see whether it will run, and sometimes they would go all in line with one another, and much people was gathered joyously about the green. There was a bard also to sing to them and play his lyre, while two tumblers went about performing in the midst of them when the man struck up with his tune.

This same dance form has lived on in Greek literature, art, and tradition for centuries, changing little along the way.  There is a multitude of artifacts that represent the Greek dance, which tells us some of the story of how it was danced anciently.  The Greeks claim the form is the same today.  John Pappas of GreekFolkMusicandDance.com informs us:

Invariably, the dancers are in a circle or line, often with a musician or musicians in the center. The dancers are joined with the same common handholds still used in our Greek folk dances today. These include the shoulder hold, the chain hold, and the most common joining of hands (shoulder height with elbows down, like a ‘W’).

The Greeks don’t believe they invented this dance, but that it came from a divine source:

Ancient Greeks believed that dancing was invented by the Gods and therefore they had associated it with their religious and worshiping ceremonies. They believed that the Gods offered this gift to some select mortals only, who in turn taught dancing to their fellow-men.

Not only did the Gods reveal the dance, but it was an evolution of something else:

The ancient Greeks believed that dancing was a gift from the gods, and the art of the dance evolved from ritualized movements used in religious ceremonies.

These dances also included singing, which was antiphonal, meaning that a leader sang a statement, and another group responded or repeated the statement, which is where our modern verse and chorus originated.  Athan Karras writes:

Today the folk songs of the countryside still reflect antiphonal singing in their dances, especially in processional dances, when a leader will sing a verse, which the chorus repeats. The early church music also used chanters answering antiphonally with one another, evolving into today's choir. It is believed that in the earliest temples, the congregation danced and sang the liturgy. From this evolved the chorus leader and later, the priest. These early choruses or, Omadikoi Horoi, evolved by having the closed circle break open to allow for a leader. In her book on the ancient Greek dance, Lillian Lawler speaks about the circle, a sense of incorporating giving, receiving and excluding: “Circle dances and especially those with clasped hands have a mystical significance among ancient people, often performed around an altar, tree or a pillar or some sacred object, or even a musician. . . At times the circle dance seems to have been an invocation dance, as can be seen in ancient Minoan coins, or frescoes in the Minos palace in Knossos.”

One of the most well-known of the ritualistic uses of the dance is in the Greek Orthodox wedding ceremony.  First, the couple are crowned with flowered crowns, then the priest joins their right hands together, and later the bride, groom, and priest perform a dance procession around the altar, circling precisely three times.

There are many other uses of the Greek dances, used on occasions of “rites of passage” in life.

Greek dancing in Foustanelles costume (men) and Florina costume (ladies). 1970s. Used with permission.

Costume

"Women's Festive Costume... made of a variety of materials... sleeveless cotton tunic with a multi-colored embroidered hem, a silk jabot-trachilia, pure silk sleeves with lace... white woolen coat... The headgear with coins and ornaments... is covered with a white silk shawl... The apron is of velvet with floral embroidery." (http://www.greekfolkdancers.com/costumes.htm)

The Greek folk dance costume has a direct relationship to the liturgical garments of the Greek Orthodox Church:

Some of the characteristics of Greek folk costumes can be traced back to elements in ancient Hellenic and Byzantine costumes. In fact, many of the elements of the liturgical clothing worn today by the Greek Orthodox priests are related to the modern Greek folk costumes and have their origin in the clothing of the Byzantine Empire.

Such details make a study of the Greek folk dance costume even more intriguing.

While the costumes from various locations in Greece all differ significantly in ornamental design and individual styles, all the costumes are made with similar parts and construction.  I will focus particularly on the women’s costume.  The basic parts of this costume generally are:

• a long linen or cotton chemise or basic undergarment (Poukamiso)
• a sleeveless wool vest (Segouni)
• an apron (Bodia)
• a sash or girdle (Zonari)
• a scarf or head covering (Mandili)
• shoes or foot coverings (Tsarouhia)
• decorative jewelry

Many of these elements can be seen in the photographs of the Greek dancers above, and at the beginning of the article.  More examples of this costume and textiles can be seen at GreekFolkMusicandDance.com, GreekFolkDancers.com, and the Museum of Greek Folk Art.

"Greek Apron, 19th century Karagouna, Thessaly Athens, Museum of Greek Folk Art, Inv. No. 6633. The Karagounides were indigenous Greek inhabitants of the Thessaly plain. This particular apron is trapezoidal... Its surface is decorated all over with motifs including honeysuckle, spirals, arabesques and rosettes, and would appear to be a bridal apron judging from the lavish ornamentation." (Attika Guide of Museum of Greek Folk Art)

One of the more interesting accessories worn by the Greek dancers, and in daily wear, was and is an apron (called in Greek a podia or bodia).  This is one of the most ornamented and decorated articles of clothing worn by the Greeks and also one of the most important.

Their trapezoidal aprons of black wool were of great social significance… A woman would make about twenty-five for her dowry, each to be worn on a specific occasion.

This apron was not for practical use, to protect clothing underneath as is common in modern Western culture, but rather it stood as a symbol:

The purpose of the ubiquitous apron of most European peasant costume, and particularly that of eastern Europe, is symbolically protective and not practical.  Varying in style with each village but normally heavily embroidered, intricately pleated or finely woven in striped patterning, it covered a dress or petticoat that almost always was deliberately left plain where the apron would be worn.  It is the antithesis of an apron worn to protect precious clothing.  Instead it protects the body.

One of the primary associations of the apron was with marriage, a significant rite of passage:

This was the moment at which the bride, as well as taking a new hairstyle and headdress, changed the type of apron she had worn as a young girl to another that declared her status as a married woman… Women of the nomadic Sarakatsani, now living mainly in Greece, embroidered twenty to forty aprons (panoules) during their youth, each with different symbolism – such as the cross, the serpent, or the moon – that showed the woman’s social status or was thought suitable for various occasions and moods.  She would then choose each day the appropriate one to wear.

The designs embroidered on the aprons have “religious and magical significance”.

The apron and head scarf were important items in a girl’s dowry.  Her distinguishing traits of movement from girlhood to marriage did not derive so much from utility but as objects for protection and strengthening.  The apron (podia), is traditionally thrown over the stomach of Thracian women in labour to facilitate birth.

The apron – the podia – of all Greek costume was imbued with magical properties.

As can be seen in the links given above, the embroidery’s design on the Greek aprons is usually based on stylized vegetation, viz floral motifs, vines, leaves, etc.  The reason for this is because these designs usually are a depiction of the Tree of Life.

When embroidered, both everyday and festive aprons featured mainly flower designs or symbols of fertility such as the pomegranate.

The tree of life is one of the most common motifs in embroidery almost everywhere… almost every vaguely foliate shape and every pot of flowers is deemed to represent the tree of life.  Most in fact do. 

Sheila Paine describes why the Tree of Life is so universal in embroidery:

The tree is one of the most potent of symbols.  Its roots delve into the underworld, its trunk links the earth to the heavens – it transcends all three spheres.  Its life-cycle unfurls before our eyes in each season of the year, the symbolism of birth, maturity, death and rebirth embodied in leaf, bud and fruit.  Its fruitfulness is matched by the fruitfulness of woman and even sap and milk were equated by primitive man.

Many times the symbol of the Tree of Life is stylized:

It may be a simple linear pattern intended to signify a particular tree, such as a palm, or more often to convey the general concept of growth and fertility.  When the tree of life is depicted as an actual tree, it is stylized to convey its mythological significance.  Consequently foliate patterns or simple branched devices signify the tree of life, rather than a realistic tree with trunk and leafy branches.

Sampler, England, 1826. The tree of knowledge is a widely used motif in many English embroideries of the 19th century. (Embroidered Textiles, Sheila Paine.) Click for larger view.

The Tree of Knowledge, which bore the forbidden fruit, is also depicted on a number of embroideries:

The birth, life, death and regrowth of the tree symbolized in its fertility also the concept of immortality, an inestimable treasure.  In ancient Babylon such treasure was protected by a serpent and the concept of two trees, the one of immortality attained through the heavily guarded one of wisdom, formed part of mythological belief.  In biblical terms this is the tree of knowledge with the serpent that deprived Adam and Eve of paradise, and that became the central motif of a great number of nineteenth-century English samplers [a sampler is a piece of embroidery produced as a demonstration or test of skill in needlework].

Some scholars believe that the fig leaves that Adam and Eve used to make their aprons in fact came from the same tree that they had just eaten the forbidden fruit from, i.e. the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:6-7).

Conclusion

Studying the traditional Greek folk dances reveals that they are very rich in history and culture, and date back anciently to religious beliefs and practices, particularly the ring dance around the altar.  The suggestion that these traditions seem to have changed little since ancient times gives us a glimpse of how things might have been millenia ago.

Clearly, there is much more can be learned from a study of this subject.  Do you have any additional insights about the Greek folk dances?  Please share with us in the comments.

The Traditional Greek Folk Dances and their Ancient Roots

A retired farmer spent 30 years building this massive model of Herod's Temple. Picture: Geoff Robinson Photography

The Telegraph reported today about a man from Norfolk, England, who has spent the last 30 years building an awesome, gigantic and highly detailed scale model of Herod’s Temple.  Here are some interesting facts about it:

• Estimated 33,000 hours to construct
• Measures 20ft by 12ft
• Includes 4,000 tiny human figures, with authentic time-period dress
• 1:100 scale
• Everything is hand-made down to every clay brick and tile
• Took 3 years of research
• Still not finished
• Not for sale
• Resides in a building in the creator’s back garden
• The creator, Alec Garrard, is now 78 years old, and he started it when he was in his 40′s
• Some historians believe it to be the best representation of the temple in the world

Now that is pretty creative!  You can see many more great photographs of the model at the Telegraph’s picture gallery.

Man Builds Massive Model of Herod’s Temple

There is a very well done 44-minute professional video about LDS temples, and why the LDS Church builds temples, entitled “Between Heaven and Earth.”  Above is a preview of this video.  It is an excellent overview and introduction of the Mormon temples.

Also, yesterday lds9999 posted on LDS.net an awesome collection of 125 videos that he has been putting together of all the temples around the world. The amount of work he must have put into this project is staggering to think about.

I have made a new permanent page, Videos, to begin collecting all of these great videos in one place. I have placed a link to this Videos page on the top navigation bar. On this new page I will continue to gather links to all temple videos as I come across them.

Mike Batie has also contributed fantastic videos of temples (including interiors) on YouTube, and I have included those also. In particular, I have added his video of the Nuku’alofa Tonga temple, and another video of Various temples, that I haven’t featured here before.

Thanks to all who are sharing their testimonies of the gospel and of the temple online in so many different ways.

New LDS Temple Videos Page

The temple in Curitiba Brazil was announced in August 2002, and groundbreaking was in March 2005. The dedication of the temple will take place on June 1st, following a cultural celebration that is expected to be attended by 25,000 people.

The excellent music in this video is by Lex de Azevedo, “If you Could Hie to Kolob,” on the album Variations on a Sacred Theme: Vol. 2, available at Deseret Book, or Amazon.com.

Virtual Open House for Curitiba Brazil Temple

An interesting anecdote of the placement of the angel Moroni during construction comes from LDSChurchTemples.com:

On January 13, 2005, a statue of the angel Moroni crowned the temple. During placement, a remarkable solar halo was visible, which surrounded the sun. Once Moroni was in place, the phenomenon dissipated.

The excellent music is entitled “The Power of Heaven,” with words and music by Steven Kapp Perry, arranged by Greg Hansen, and from the 1999 album “As Temples Fill the Earth.” The vocalist is Tammy Simister Robinson. You can buy the album at the BYU Bookstore or at Deseret Book.

To see the other videos I’ve posted on Temple Study, see the video tag.

Newport Beach California Temple Interiors Video

We have examined the iconostasis on this blog previously, an icon wall which stemmed from an earlier chancel screen or templon, a barrier or partition which separated the holy area where only the priests could go from the area of the laity.

This ancient Athens church retains its original chancel screen, including a curtain or veil. This veil is particularly interesting in that it includes the original gammadia marks, right-angled symbols like the Greek letter gamma (Î"), which we’ve also mentioned before. As Dr. Hamblin notes, these gammadia were often used to mark veils, altar cloths, and priestly robes in early Byzantine Christianity. Almost all of these veils have now been replaced by iconostases in modern churches.

Read the whole post at Bill Hamblin’s Things Unutterable. Thanks Reed!

Early Byzantine Veil with Gammadia

The temple is truly the most beautiful place on earth.

Video of LDS Temple Interiors

Considering all the commotion over the supposed daguerreotype photo of Joseph Smith that has been going around like wildfire (which the Church has not authenticated), I thought I might post this new proposed photo of Joseph Smith. This one actually looks much more how I would imagine the prophet than the first one, considering the death mask. Historian Will Bagley apparently notes that Joseph made mention of a photograph he had taken in 1844 (does anyone have the original reference to Joseph’s statement, if it exists?). We’ll see what this turns up.

The story of how the finder acquired this image is interesting, mentioning how the Brazilian book he found it in only said that it came out of New York in 1845. When was the last time Joseph was in New York? Why would it be in New York? He also includes higher resolution scans of a photocopy that he has of the original (which is currently lost). Correction: the photocopy is from a book. The original daguerreotype is in the Museu Paulista РUniversidade de Ṣo Paulo, Brazil).

An article in the New Era a few years ago gives a description of Joseph from a combination of all the accounts:

Joseph was:

• a little over six feet tall;
• considered good looking and dignified;
• athletic and strong with long legs and large feet.

He had:

• an oval-shaped face;
• a prominent nose, long and straight;
• a rather long upper lip;
• a light complexion;
• deep-set hazel or blue eyes;
• thick eyebrows;
• long eyelashes;
• fine, straight, light brown or dark blond hair.

If this isn’t a photo of Joseph, it does helps us imagine him more closely.

[via A Soft Answer]

Update 3/27/08: Incidentally, this daguerreotype reminds me a lot of the actor who played Joseph Smith in the film Legacy: A Mormon Journey.

Update 3/27/08: Also consider this drawing of Joseph Smith by Theodore Gorka in 1982, which is now in the Museum of Church History and Art. I’m particularly interested in the way the forehead and chin are receding, and the prominence of the nose, like the death mask (which is probably where Gorka got his inspiration). The upper lip is also very defined. Most of the early images of Joseph were side profile sketches, but which clearly show just how strong his nose was on his face. See more below:

Update 3/27/08: Correction. The finder at LDSA says that the author of the book Retratos Quase Inocentes, a Mr. Carlos Eugenio M. de Moura, acknowledges that this “daguerrotype in question is, in fact, at the Museu Paulista – Universidade de São Paulo.” We’ll see if he can track down a color hi-res of this. Maybe someone should just order the book off the Brazilian website.

An Even Newer Proposed Daguerreotype of Joseph

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. (Revelations 14:6-7)

The temple is truly the house of God, the gate of heaven (Genesis 28:17).

The 80+ photos shown in the gallery all come from the best that are available on Flickr. If you like a particular photo, please visit Flickr and give credit to the respective photographer.

Temples Photo Gallery – New