Was I going to end up walking around in a ballgown and pearls?
Rebecca Hendin/ BuzzFeed
Kristabel Plummer
Kristabel Plummer
I Let My Mom Choose My Outfits For A Week
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These Rare Pictures Capture The Former Beauty Of ISIS’s Latest Target
The Syrian town of Palmyra, which means "the city of palms," is home to the monumental ruins of an ancient oasis city that predates the first century A.D. Some findings at Palmyra have provided evidence of settlements dating as far back as 7,500 B.C.
Once a stop in the Syrian desert for travelers, Palmyra became a bustling city under the Roman empire, and its enormous wealth allowed the construction of significant monuments and architectural structures. Palmyrene art, its temples, cemeteries, and statues are so treasured that the city was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980.
The following images were taken by Félix Bonfils, a French photographer who traveled through the Middle East after moving to Beirut in 1867. The book of images, Photographs of Palmyra, circa 1867–1876, is part of the Myron Bement Smith collection at the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
Palmyra's grande colonnade is a series of Greco-Roman columns that stretch a little over half a mile and was built in stages during the second and third centuries.
Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library, Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Earlier this year, the city — which had been passed from one empire to another over the last 2,000 years — was captured by ISIS and remains under its control. Since then, the militant group has been bombing parts of the ruins using explosives and threatening to destroy what they describe as idolatrous statues as part of their efforts to destroy all evidence of pre-Islamic civilization in Syria. Meanwhile, smugglers hope to benefit from the crisis by extracting and selling its most valuable objects.
Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library
The colonnade extended from the Temple of Bel in the east to the Funerary Temple in the west.
Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library
Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library
The Temple of Diocletian was one of the monuments built as a part of a military garrison during the time of Roman emperor Diocletian in third century.
Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library
The monumental arch at Palmyra, also known as the Triumphal Arch of Septimius Severus, was built by the Roman emperor in the third century.
Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library
The arch connects the eastern and central sections of the colonnade and used to be one of the most popular sites for visitors at Palmyra.
Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library
Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library
"Haliphat," the bust in the middle, is considered one of the most important findings at Palmyra. The sculpture, which went on display at the Smithsonian in June, shows a woman in jewelry raising her two fingers to her cheek.
Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library
The fortified Temple of Bel, dedicated to a group of powerful gods, is considered the center of religious life at Palmyra. Archaeologists worry that the temple could become the next ISIS target, after the group bombed the Temple of Baal Shamin earlier this week.
Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library
Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library
But more than 100 years before Bonfils captured the majesty of Palmyra in his photographs, Robert Wood, a British traveler and classical scholar, traveled to Syria and the Levant with a wealthy Oxford scholar. When they arrived at Palmyra, Wood took measurements of the monuments and sketched drawings of the ancient Roman ruins, which are thought to be the first recorded renderings of Palmyra, starting a newfound interest in the Middle East among Western travelers.
Wood's work was printed in a collection called "The ruins of Palmyra, otherwise Tedmore, in the desert" in 1753 in London.
Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library
Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library
Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library
Freer Gallery of Art | Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library
Wood's renderings from Syria were so vivid that they are said to have had a profound impact on the neoclassical architecture in the West. One of the images by Wood, which shows an eagle decorating an ancient Roman temple, later became the model for the Great Seal of the United States.
You can see more of the images in the Smithsonian collection in this video.
Related stories on Syria:
ISIS beheaded a renowned antiquities expert who oversaw Palmyra's ruins
This is how Syrian artifacts are being smuggled and sold
Exclusive photos of looted (and fake) Syrian artifacts for sale
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23 Times Michelle And Jal From "Skins" Nailed '00s Fashion
Hooped earrings, short-sleeved shirts, and kitten heels ftw.
Everyone knows Michelle was the best-dressed "Skins" character.
But let's not forget Jal's ~Hermione at the Yule Ball~ moment.
E4
Between them, they absolutely nailed '00s fashion. Michelle was all about the accessories.
E4
And Jal managed to make braces a ~thing~.
E4
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How Well Do You Know The Counties Of Wales?
Powys is the big one, right?
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Usain Bolt Is Cool With The Guy Who Wiped Him Out With A Segway
The fastest man in the world can’t outrun a Segway.
Usain Bolt continued to crush the competition at the athletics World Championships in Beijing today, winning the 200 metres final with a time of 19.55, having already won the 100 metres.
But he couldn't escape the cameraman riding a Segway who crashed into him moments after he'd crossed the finish line.
This Vine is even better, thanks to the Italian commentator.
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A New Smartphone App Wants To Help You Find An Antidepressant That Works
Because depression is tough, and antidepressants don’t work equally for everyone.
Anna Borges / BuzzFeed Life / Via buzzfeed.com
Depression isn't an easily quantifiable medical disorder. Defined by moods and emotional states, it's subjective and difficult to measure. And because of that, it's often tough to determine whether or not medications prescribed to treat it are working as intended.
A new smartphone app called Start aims to change that. Developed for people on newly prescribed antidepressants, the app is designed to track and summarize their response to the medication over time so that they can determine whether or not it's working.
Available for download today on Apple's App Store, the iOS-only Start is the latest offering from Iodine, a health tech startup that crowdsources reviews of medications for everything from asthma to heartburn. Since its launch last year, Iodine's founders — one a former executive editor of Wired, the other a former Google engineer who co-developed the company's flu-tracking software — noticed that a significant number of reviews submitted to the site were for antidepressants.
That's hardly surprising. According to surveys conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 2005 to 2008, roughly one in 10 Americans take antidepressants, making them the drugs most frequently prescribed to people between the ages of 18 and 44. And since efficacy varies from patient to patient, many people need to try more than one before finding one that works. But not everyone gets to that point: Half of psychiatric and primary care patients stop taking their medications within six months of starting, according to a 2012 study in Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience.
"The system isn't very good at matching people to the right medication and then isn't very good about following up and tracking whether the medication is working for that individual," Iodine co-founder Thomas Goetz told BuzzFeed News.
That's where Start is supposed to come in. People tell the app what drug they've been prescribed and how often they're supposed to take it, and the app reminds them to do so and tracks their experiences on it. Users also tell Start what things in life they want to feel better about — like sleep, relationships, work, or family — and the side effects that most concern them. Every few days, the app asks them about those issues and symptoms. It then generates bi-weekly progress reports summing up their responses.
Iodine
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Meet The Man Getting Trolled And Blamed For Unrest In Gujarat Just Because Of His Twitter Handle
“@Hardik” Shah isn’t involved with the Patel agitation at all, but try telling Twitter that.
This is Hardik Shah, Mumbai resident and Business Head, India, at Videogram.
Shah is a Twitter veteran who joined way back in 2006 as @hardik.
And this is Hardik Patel, the leader of a protest movement that has brought Gujarat to a standstill over the past week.
Patel has been making national news for demanding educational and job reservations for the Patel community, an agitation that has resulted in the loss of lives and destruction of property across the state.
Sam Panthaky / AFP / Getty Images
Unfortunately, a lot of the messages meant for Patel and his revolt are being directed towards @hardik's Twitter account.
The tweets he's been receiving have included sincere requests...
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43 Reasons Why The Best Two Kardashians Are Actually Kourtney And Khloe
Without them, who else would keep Kris and Kim in check?
Kourtney and Khloe are without a doubt the best Kardashians, for many reasons.
E! / Via kardashianngifs.tumblr.com
First off, there's the fact that the rest of the family can often be totally insane.
That's just Kim modelling nude for Playboy while her mother takes pictures.
E! / Via lord-disick.tumblr.com
And in amongst the goddamn madness, they're always the voices of reason.
E! / Via kardashianempire.tumblr.com
E! / Via kardashianempire.tumblr.com
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Do You Know What Happened In The News This Week?
Stock markets around the world bounced up and down, a country said it was banning Wikipedia, and Amazon announced it will bring one-hour alcohol delivery to a U.S. city. Take the BuzzFeed News quiz, made from stories featured in the BuzzFeed News app and the BuzzFeed News newsletter this week.
Want to get better at the BuzzFeed News quiz? Download the BuzzFeed News app for iPhone now! (Android is coming soon, we promise!)
BuzzFeed
And enter your email address to sign up for the BuzzFeed News newsletter!
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17 Cats Who Are Clearly Just Lions
King of the house jungle.
This cat who's got something to say:
"Clearly, I am a lion."
This cat with a mismatched mane:
"Still feelin' my look."
This silent stalker:
"Shh...hunting bugs."
And this king in the trees:
"Ready to pounce!"
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McDonald's Rejected Burger King's "McWhopper" Idea, So We Made Our Own
“It’s got a lot of calories, but twice as many veggies.”
This week, Burger King proposed an idea to McDonald's: Let's join forces and create a McWhopper. But McDonald's promptly rejected the idea, so we decided to make it ourselves.
youtube.com / Via youtu.be
Things got pretty messy...
But also pretty tasty.
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19 Sad Foods That Just Don't Want To Die
Sadness never tasted so good.
This cereal who is begging to be dropped back in the milk.
This pumpkin scone who's ashamed to have it end this way.
This coconut who's out of hope.
This sandwich thing who would rather spoil than get eaten.
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How To Be Totally Irresistible, As Told By Pizza
Pizza knows best.
We've all been there. Cold, alone, in a place you really didn't belong. Are you tired of getting walked all over? Are you done with being stepped on by others? It doesn't have to be this way. It's time to change your life.
Katie Corvino for BuzzFeed
First thing's first, confidence is key. Look in the mirror and tell yourself you are hot AF.
Katie Corvino / BuzzFeed
Physical fitness makes you feel good and other people will pick up on that.
Katie Corvino for BuzzFeed
Establish a simple skincare routine and let those pores breathe!
Katie Corvino for BuzzFeed
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Watch A 5-Year-Old Girl "Hit The Quan" Because It's Amazing
Hit it, girl!
You met her on The Ellen Show, but now she's kickin' it up a notch. Heaven King already has 67 million hits with the video of her doing the "Whip/Nae Nae." Building on that momentum, her new video has her dancing to the new sensation, "Hit The Quan."
Her videos have a total of 116,847,480 views on YouTube.
Tianne King / Via youtube.com
HIT THAT QUAN, HONEY!
Tianne King / Via youtube.com
Go 'head, Heaven!
Tianne King / Via youtube.com
CRUSHED IT.
Keep doin' you, Heaven!
Tianne King / Via youtube.com
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How Well Do You Remember Ashlee Simpson's "Shadow"?
Relive some iconic emotions.
And now that you've obviously won this game, relive the greatness.
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18 Times "Key And Peele" Made Us Laugh Til We Peed And Keeled
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How Many Netflix Original Series Have You Seen?
Check ‘em off!
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5 Ways You Need To Eat Pizza Before You Die
There is a GOD!
Candace Lowry for BuzzFeed
From stoner to every day plebeian, everybody loves pizza, right?!
Comedy Central
Lucky for you, we've compiled the three greatest ways to eat pizza you've never thought of. And you don't even have to be capable of being a chef. You're welcome in advance.
Thinkstock / Candace Lowry for BuzzFeed
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These Three Questions Will Tell You How To Treat Yourself This Weekend
Treat yourself.
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20 Things People Who Crush Easily Know To Be True
How YOU doing?
You find an abnormal amount of people attractive.
Like, a ton of people.
Oh hello, random person. I think you are very cute.
No one is safe.
I know we're 12 years apart, Tom Hiddleston, but I don't care. I DON'T CARE
Because so many people tickle your fancy, you're never really out of options.
Plenty o' fish in the sea, am I right?
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