When a new resident is accepted for membership,
their URL will be listed on Elysium Gates in one of several areas (free advertising and link for their web site!). These areas are
divided by site content and may be specifically requested by the prospective
member but are usually assigned by the Elysium Gates Staff based on subject
matter. There are also volunteers who help and interact with members in each of these subject areas. These areas are:
Agora
The agora referred to
the ancient Greek marketplace, an equivalent of the Roman forum. It developed
from a need for a place where people could gather politically, for commerce
and was a center for trade. At times, around the main agora, the government
would lease (rent) stalls to merchants and craftsmen, generating revenue
for the state.
Here at Elysium Gates it
is where we put those member sites that do not fall in any of the categories
below. It is an eclectic collection of quality sites.
Bibliotheke
Bibliotheke is the Greek
word for library. The greatest library of the ancient world was established
by the Greeks in Alexandria in the 3rd century B.C.E. A center of
learning for the entire Hellenistic world, it consisted of a museum,
a library of 700,000 scrolls on papyrus or linen, and facilities for copying
and translating texts in many languages.
At Elysium Gates this is
where you will find sites that are about authors, books, literature, poetry and
reference material. Thus creating a learning center for the entire
web world.
Emporium
Emporium is the Greek
word for warehouse. Although we know that agora was the traditional
Greek marketplace, we felt that most of the American English speaking world
would be more familiar with the term Emporium and associate it with the
selling of merchandise.
Thus in Elysium Gates, the
Emporium is where you’ll find modern commercial enterprises and their wares
vying for your drachma (money or coin). As you stroll along the 'aisles'
and look into the stoa (stalls), see what interests you. You’re bound to
find a plenitude of bargains and perhaps some rarities as you shop. If
you’re a merchant yourself, why not consider renting a stoa in our Emporium?
Our polis is a friendly place – and our rates won't break your bank.
Gallery
In Greece, architecture was
filled with covered passages that were open at one side, such as a portico
or a colonnade. These passages are also known as a gallery.
Facing into a structure, a gallery may either be set into the thickness
of a wall at ground level or be elevated and supported on columns or corbels.
It would function as a communicating passage. Galleries appear as long,
narrow rooms in substantial Renaissance houses and palaces, where they
were used as promenades and to exhibit art. In Elizabethan and Jacobean
houses these were called long galleries. The modern term art gallery is
derived from this usage.
In Elysium Gates you will
find
this area filled with members who are artisans. Fine art, graphics,
crafts, jewelry design and fashion design to mention but a few. Be
sure to visit this area often as many of the members offer exquisite free
graphics for your web sites.
Historia
Histora is the Greek
word for history. History is, in its broadest sense, the totality
of all past events. The concerns of all serious historians has been
to collect and record facts about the human past and often to discover
new facts. All have tried to discover in the facts patterns of meaning
addressed to the enduring questions of human life. In the 5th century
B.C.E. Herodotus of Greece, who has been called the father of history,
wrote his famous account of the Persian War.
At Elysium Gates, you will
find in this area members whose interests lie in the past. Here are sites
on genealogy and archeology, also, sites that specialize in certain historical eras and more speculative sites of the trends of
societies and what it means for our future.
Observatory
About 300BC the most famous
observatory of classical times was built by the Greeks in Alexandria. It
was probably equipped with instruments, such as the astrolobe, by which
the celestial latitude and longitude of a star or planet could be measured.
The Alexandria observatory existed for approximately 500 years.
Since observatory
comes from the word observe which means to watch carefully (the
way something happens or someone does something), especially in order to
learn more about it, we have chosen to place the sites that deal with
science and nature in this area. Here you may find a site about an
endangered species, a new asteroid, alternative power, pets, flower gardening, medical discoveries,
modern physics, recycling or even how the internet works.
Orchestra
The word orchestra originally
signified the section in ancient Greek theaters between the stage and the
audience that was used by dancers and instrumentalists.
In Elysium Gates this area
will allow you to find members whose interests lie in anything that involves
music. Current and past vocalists, musicians, bands, dancers, composing,
instruments, lyrics, ballet and square dancing all will be residing in
this area and much more.
Taverna
Taverna, the Greek word
for tavern; is a place that for countless centuries people have gathered
to socialize, drink, eat and exchange news. This lively area of Elysium
Gates will find members who love to share. If you are looking
for a site on food, recipes, wine, how to meet your next love, what the
news or gossip is, or perhaps find a pen pal; this is the area to go to.
The Taverna is always open. Not only is there no need to show your ID to
Dionysos who rules here, you also won't have a hangover in the morning no
matter how long you stay.
Theater
You may think the word theatre/theater
is English, but it is actually a Greek word. The term theater is
often applied only to dramatic and musical plays, but it properly includes
opera, dance, circus and carnivals, mime vaudeville, puppet shows, pageants,
and comedy. Ever since the famous greek Aristotle discussed the origin
and function of theater in his famous treatise Poetics (330 B.C.E.), the
purpose and characteristics of theater have been widely debated.
In the Elysium Gates Theater
area, you will not only find all of the above but also film, TV, and radio.
At Elysium gates we are constantly blending the old world with the new
and trying to share on the net the best of both.
Symposium
This word comes from the Greek
word symposion, which comes from sympinein which means "to
drink together." In ancient Greece the word conveyed the idea of
a convivial party (as after a banquet) with music and conversation...the
conversation being the focal point with a free interchange of ideas. The
famous Greek Plato wrote a book called the Symposium which records
several banquet eulogies and presents the conversations that the phenomenological
world can be viewed, as objects of mystical contemplation and as stimuli
of mystical emotion.
Such discourses and commentaries
have led to the modern usage of the term Symposium to be a formal gathering
of experts that elucidate on various specialized topics. Once again
Elysium Gates in this area is blending the old with the new, by gathering
member sites that reflect spiritual, metaphysical and religious beliefs
and contemplations. Also here you will find sites that reflect philosophy,
psychology and the mystical side of all cultures and activities.
Stoa
In Greek architecture, stoa
is a freestanding colonnade or covered walkway; also, a long open building,
its roof supported by one or more rows of columns parallel to the rear
wall. The Stoa of Attalus at Athens is a prime example. Stoae (plural
for Stoa) surrounded marketplaces and sanctuaries and formed places of
business and public promenade.
Since this area was the promenade
of the marketplace, it was also the place where cultures intermingled.
Greece was the center of the classical world and drew scholars, merchants
and travelers from everywhere. In our more modern Elysium Gates we
felt that this was the ideal place for those members that wished to focus
on cultural traditions such as Celtic, Hispanic and Native American and also sites
that explore the vast diversity one can experience through travel.
This area is dedicated to celebrating the differences while honoring our
interconnectedness.
All of the above areas are
explorable by the links on the column on the left of Elysium Gates pages.
Additionally, there are community, member
and volunteer areas. Community areas are accessible to all residents
and guests; member and volunteer areas are of interest only to members or volunteers.
Click these links for more detailed information:
We
commit part of our profits to
charities of your choice!
Click on my picture above to continue your tour!
About Objectives Areas Community Membership Joining
©Elysium Gates 2001-2010