1.
History of Belgium
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The history of Belgium predates the founding of the modern state of that name in 1830. Belgiums history is intertwined with those of its neighbours, the Netherlands, Germany, France, due to its strategic location and the many armies fighting on its soil, since the Thirty Years War, Belgium has often been called the battlefield of Europe or the cockpit of Europe. It is also remarkable as a European nation which contains, and is divided by, Belgiums formation, like that of its Benelux neighbours, can be traced back to the Seventeen Provinces within the Burgundian Netherlands. The Eighty Years War, led to the split between a northern Dutch Republic, and the Southern Netherlands from which Belgium and Luxembourg developed and this southern territory continued to be ruled by the Habsburg descendants of the Burgundian house, at first as the Spanish Netherlands. Invasions from France under Louis XIV led to the loss of what is now Nord-Pas-de-Calais to France, the French Revolutionary wars led to Belgium becoming part of France in 1795, bringing the end of the semi-independence of areas which had belonged to the Catholic church. The king set up his own private colonial empire in the Belgian Congo, Belgium was neutral but its strategic location as a pathway to France made it an invasion target for Germany in 1914 and 1940. Conditions under the occupation were severe, in the postwar period Belgium was a leader in European unification, as a founding member of what has become the European Union. Brussels is now host to the headquarters of NATO and is the de facto capital of the European Union, the colonies became independent in the early 1960s. Politically the country was once polarized on matters of religion and, in recent decades, it has faced new divisions over differences of language and the unequal economic development. This ongoing antagonism has caused far-reaching reforms since the 1970s, changing the formerly unitary Belgian state into a federal state and it is now divided into three regions, Flanders in the north, Wallonia in the South, and bilingual Brussels in the middle. There is also a German-speaking population along the border with Germany, on Belgian territory Neanderthal fossils were discovered at Engis in 1829-30 and elsewhere, some dating back to at least 100,000 BCE. The earliest Neolithic farming technology of northern Europe, the so-called LBK culture and its expansion stopped in the Hesbaye region of eastern Belgium around 5000 BCE. The Belgian LBK is notable for its use of walls around villages. A slightly later-starting Neolithic culture found in central Wallonia is the so-called Groupe de Blicquy, one notable archaeological site in this region is the Neolithic flint mines of Spiennes. Farming in Belgium however failed to take permanent hold at first, the LBK and Blicquy cultures disappeared and there is a long gap before a new farming culture, the Michelsberg culture, appeared and became widespread. Hunter gatherers of the Swifterbant culture apparently remained in the north of Belgium. In the third and late fourth millennia BCE, the whole of Flanders shows relatively little evidence of human habitation, although it is felt that there was a continuing human presence, the types of evidence available make judgement about the details very difficult. The Seine-Oise-Marne culture spread into the Ardennes, and is associated with megalithic sites there, the same pattern continues into the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age
2.
Mythology in the Low Countries
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Pre-Christian traditions of veneration of trees, springs and woods native to the Low Countries survived in Christianized guise into the Middle Ages. Sources for the reconstruction of such traditions include the accounts of the Anglo-Saxon missionaries to the region, medieval and modern folklore and legend. From ancient regional mythology, most names of ancient gods and goddesses in this region come from local tribal lore, Many of the deities are the same as eastern Germanic Deities, Wodan is Dutch for Odin, the god of war and leader of the Wild Hunt. The Wild Hunt was retold in Dutch with Wodan leading under different guises, Gait with his dogs, Derk with his dogs, Derk with his boar, Donar is Dutch for Thor the god of thunder. In Dutch the days of the week are named for Germanic gods, finally some deities were regional or specific to one clan, Arduinna was the Celtic goddess of the Ardennes forest. Nehalennia was a goddess of travellers in Zeeland, where over 160 stone votives depicting her image were located in the sea, Vagdavercustis was an ancient goddess of the Batavians mentioned on an altar near Cologne. Tanfana is another more mysterious goddess recorded in the 1st century AD, the Dutch words witte wieven and wittewijven in Dutch dialects means white women. They were spirits of the women who died of heartbreak after their men had been untrue to them and they would live on in the mists and appear when it was night and misty. They would attack men who were untrue to their women by getting them lost in the mists, the moss maidens, who appear in Old Dutch and Southern Germanic folklore were known as tree spirits or wood elves, often chased in the Dutch version of the Wild Hunt. The Kabouter was the Dutch name for the kobold, a household spirit, the first epic heroes, kings and leaders of The Low Countries, considered mythological, in the sense of supernatural and foundational, include, Tuisto - the mythical ancestor of all Germanic tribes. Mannus - ancestor of a number of Germanic tribes, son of Tuisto, ing - founder of the Ingaevones tribe, son of Mannus. Istaev - founder of the Istvaeones tribe, son of Mannus, redbad, King of the Frisians Folcwald - hero of Frisian tribes. Finn - hero of Frisian tribes, Frisian lord, son of Folcwald, merovech, semi-legendary founder of the Merovingian dynasty Objects considered magical or sacred in the Low Countries included, Oak trees, springs and wooded groves had sacred and medicinal powers. Corn dollies were thought to hold the spirit of the corn in harvest rituals, Amulets and charms were worn on the head or the arms for protection and veneration of the gods and goddesses. Neolithic ground axes were collected, thought to be Donars lightning, farmers hung these axes in their homes to protect against lightning strike, in accordance with the belief that lightning never strikes the same place twice. After the influence of Christian missionaries, the original mythologies were lessened in power, the witte wieven for example became ghosts haunting sacred sites. However sacred beliefs and practices continued, often incorporated with Christianity, in a good example, the 12th century poem from the Netherlands Karel ende Elegast, an elven being is described as the hero who befriends and helps the Christian king Charlemagne in the forest. In the Hieronymous Bosch painting, Cure of Folly, 1475-1480, the main missionaries of the Netherlands were Willibrord, Bonifatius and Saint Eligius
3.
Belgian cuisine
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Belgian cuisine is widely varied with significant regional variations while also reflecting the cuisines of neighbouring France, Germany and the Netherlands. It is sometimes said that Belgian food is served in the quantity of German cuisine, outside the country, Belgium is best known for its chocolate, waffles, fries and beer. Belgian cuisine therefore usually refers to dishes of Belgian origin, or those considered typically Belgian, Belgian cuisine traditionally prizes regional and seasonal ingredients. Ingredients typical in Belgian dishes include potatoes, leeks, grey shrimp, white asparagus, Belgian endives and local beer, in addition to common European staples including meat, cheese and butter. Belgians typically eat three meals a day, with a light breakfast, medium or large-sized lunch and small dinner, Belgium has a plethora of dishes and products that are local to a specific area. Examples include waterzooi from Ghent, the biscuit from the town of Dinant. While their local origins are acknowledged, most such dishes are enjoyed throughout Belgium, boterhammen / Tartines, Slices of rustic bread and an uncovered spread, often pâté or soft cheese, served on a cutting board. A typical variety is a slice of bread with sliced radishes, charcuterie, particularly smoked ham and pâté, often made of game such as wild boar. The forested Ardennes region in the south of Belgium is renowned for this type of food, salade Liégeoise, a salad with green beans, bacon, onions and vinegar. It is usually associated with Liège, tomate-crevette / Tomaat-garnaal, a snack or starter of grey shrimp and mayonnaise stuffed into a hollowed-out raw tomato. Moules-frites / Mosselen-friet, mussels cooked or steamed with onions and celery served with fries, the recipe has often been referred to as the countrys national dish but is also popular in the neighboring Nord region of France. Carbonade flamande / Stoverij, a Belgian beef stew, similar to the French Beef Bourguignon, served with bread or fries and mustard. This is also considered one of the dishes, along with moules-frites. Steak-frites Waterzooi, a stew and soup of chicken or fish, vegetables, cream and eggs. Gegratineerde witloof / Chicons au gratin, a gratin of Belgian endives in béchamel sauce with cheese, often the endives are wrapped with ham. Kip met frieten en appelmoes / Poulet-frites-compote, konijn in geuze / Lapin à la gueuze, rabbit in gueuze, which is a spontaneously fermented beer from the area around Brussels. Filet américain, Very finely minced ground beef eaten raw and cold and it is spread on a sandwich or bread with and sometimes topped with a sauce, usually with Sauce américaine, and served with fries. When served as a dinner, it is mixed with onions and capers like steak tartare, paling in t groen / Anguilles au vert, Eel in a green sauce of mixed herbs
4.
Religion in Belgium
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Christianity, in particular Roman Catholicism, is the largest religion in Belgium. According to Eurobarometer, as of 2012 about 65% of the population is Christian, members of Protestant, Eastern Orthodox churches and other Christian denominations make up 7% of the population. The second-largest religion in Belgium is Islam, which accounts for 5% of the population as of 2009, in 2012, the proportion of all immigrants with Islamic backgrounds on the total population was estimated to be 8. 1%. As of 2016 the proportion of Muslims in the French-speaking regions is 7%, 23% in Brussels, Belgiums policy asserts the separation of church and state, and freedom of religion of the citizens is guaranteed by the countrys constitution. According to a 2010 Eurobarometer poll, 37% of Belgian citizens believe there is a God, 31% believe there is some sort of spirit or life force. 27% do not believe there is any sort of spirit, God, also in dispute are how many Catholic Belgians have become deists or have joined small Protestant churches. The Belgian constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the government generally respects this right in practice, however, government officials have the authority to research and monitor religious groups that are not officially recognized. There are a few reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice, Belgian law officially recognizes many religions, including Catholicism, Protestantism, Anglicanism, Islam, Judaism, and Eastern Orthodoxy, as well as non-religious philosophical organizations. Buddhism is in the process of being recognized under the secular organization standard, official recognition means that priests receive a state stipend. Also, parents can choose any recognized denomination to provide education to their children if they attend a state school. Adherents to religions that are not officially recognized are not denied the right to practice their religion, Roman Catholicism has traditionally been Belgiums majority religion, with particular strength in Flanders. However, by 2009, Sunday church attendance was 5. 4% in Flanders, nationwide, Sunday church attendance was 5% in 2009, down from 11. 2% in 1998. Nevertheless, Catholicism remains an important force in Belgian society, the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels and Primate of Belgium, Jozef De Kesel, is well-liked, with the Brussels daily Le Soir calling him a spiritual son of the popular Cardinal Godfried Danneels. Until 1998, the Roman Catholic Church annually published key figures such as Sunday Mass attendance, in 2006, it announced that Mass attendance for the Christmas period was 11. 5%, and weekly Mass attendance 7%, for the Flanders region. Since 2000, Sunday church attendance in Flanders has dropped by 0. 5% each year, the rate of decrease was previously 1%. Roman Catholicism, is the largest religion in Belgium, as of 2012 about 65% of the population is Christian, with 58% being members of the Roman Catholic Church. Belgium had 13 Anglican churches as of 2012, including the Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Brussels and they are part of the Church of Englands Diocese in Europe. In 1566, at the peak of Belgian Reformation, there were an estimated 300,000 Protestants, the Administrative Council of Protestant and Evangelical Religion in Belgium is a coordinating group that mediates between many Protestant groups and the government
5.
Art of Belgium
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Despite its size, Belgium has a long and distinguished artistic tradition that goes back to the Middle Ages, considerably pre-dating the foundation of the current state in 1830. Art from the making up modern Belgium is called in English Netherlandish up to the separation with the Netherlands from 1570 on. Important monasteries in Belgium were centres of production in Carolingian art and Ottonian art, in the Renaissance Antwerp Mannerism was an early attempt by Flemish artists to respond to Italian Renaissance art, with Romanism a later phase. Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting culminated in the work of Pieter Bruegel the Elder in one direction, Flemish Baroque painting is dominated by the figure of Rubens, though like his pupil Anthony van Dyck, he spent much of his career abroad. There was also a development of specialized genres in painting, paralleling those in Dutch Golden Age painting to the north. Among them the masterpiece of Renier de Huy and perhaps of the whole Mosan art Baptismal font at St Bartholomews Church, Liège. The architecture of Romanesque churches of the Walloon country is also named Mosan, for example the Collegiate Church of Saint Gertrude in Nivelles, ornamental brassware is also a part of Mosan art and Hugo dOignies and Nicholas of Verdun important metalworkers. During the so-called Northern Renaissance, Belgium experienced an artistic boom, the cities of Bruges and Antwerp, some of the richest in the region, became artistic centres during the period. The artist Peter Paul Rubens painted in Belgium between 1609-1621, working for many royal patrons from his studio in Antwerp, Rubens house in Antwerp, the Rubenshuis, is now a museum. Anthony van Dyck, celebrated for his painting of British court, joachim Patinir Henri Blès are generally called mosan painters. Lambert Lombard was a Renaissance painter, architect and theorist for the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, gérard de Lairesse, Bertholet Flemalle were also important painters in the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. Many of these are paintings and scenes of peasants partaking other outdoor enjoyments viewed from an elevated viewpoint. Originating in France, the Impressionist style was adopted by Belgian artists. Anna Boch, Eugène Boch, Georges Lemmen and Théo van Rysselberghe were all influential Belgian impressionist or neo-impressionist painters, other known impressionist painters were Félicien Rops, Floris Jespers, Fritz de Brouckère or even Constant Permeke. Their style was close to symbolism, the avant-garde CoBrA movement appeared in the 1950s. Surrealism developed in Belgium during the inter-war period, the best known Belgian surrealist, René Magritte, exhibited in 1927 for the first time. Jacques du Broeucq was a sculptor of the 16th century, known for his religious scenes and as the teacher of the famous Italian late-renaissance sculptor Giambologna, who was himself born in Flanders. Constantin Meunier was an influential Belgian sculptor of the late 19th-early 20th century, known for his figures, meuniers work was very popular around Europe, coinciding with the rise of the political Labour movement in the late 19th century
6.
Sport in Belgium
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Sport in Belgium plays a prominent role in the society. As of 2010, Belgium counted around 17,000 sport clubs with approximately 1.35 million members, thus 13% of the Belgian population is involved in sport. Popular sports in Belgium are among others football, cycling, tennis, table tennis, athletics, swimming, basketball, badminton, judo, hockey, motocross, auto racing, volleyball and running. Belgium has organized the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp as well as the 1972 UEFA European Championship, the Belgium national football team best result was a 4th place at the 1986 FIFA World Cup and a second place of the 1980 UEFA European Championship. Belgian football clubs have won 3 times the UEFA Cup Winners Cup and twice the UEFA Cup, Belgium has won 38 gold medals at Summer Olympic Games as well as 1 medal at Winter Olympic Games for figure skating at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz. Among the 37 gold medals at the Summer Olympics,11 medals were won in archery,6 in cycling,4 in equestrian,3 in athletics and fencing and 2 in sailing, former International Olympic Committee president Count Jacques Rogge is a Belgian. As a sub-area of culture in Belgium, sport is now considered to fall under the responsibility of the 3 Belgian communities, with the exception of football and field hockey, all other major sport federations in Belgium are split into 2 major federations. The Belgian Football Association, the body of football in Belgium, was founded in 1895 and was one of the founding members of the FIFA in 1904. The first Belgian championship was held in 1895 among the 10 founding teams of the Belgian Football Association, a second level was added to the Belgian league in 1905, a third level in 1926 and a fourth one in 1952. Anderlecht is the most successful Belgian team both at national and international levels, other successful clubs include Club Brugge K. V. Union Saint-Gilloise, Standard Liège and K. V, the club with the most Belgian Cup titles is Club Brugge KV followed by RSC Anderlecht and R Standard Liège. The 8 European titles won by Belgian clubs were claimed between 1976 and 1988, the Belgian national football team played its first game in 1904 against France. The match ended in a 3–3 draw, since then, Belgium has qualified for 12 out of 20 World Cups, finishing 4th in 1986, and for 4 out of the 12 UEFA European Football Championships in which it entered, finishing second in 1980. At the Summer Olympics, Belgium won the medal in 1920. The most capped player for Belgium is Jan Ceulemans, followed by Timmy Simons, Belgium all-time topscorers are Bernard Voorhoof and Paul Van Himst with 30 goals each. Current well-known Belgian players are Thibaut Courtois, Simon Mignolet, Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen, Marouane Fellaini, Romelu Lukaku, Christian Benteke, Cycling is a very popular sport in Belgium. It is governed by the Royal Belgian Cycling League, which is split between the Dutch-speaking WBV and the French-speaking FCWB. Belgium has had the most World Championship gold medals with 3 victories by Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx and 2 by Georges Ronsse, Briek Schotte, Rik Van Looy, Belgian cyclists have also performed very well in the 3 grand tours
7.
Culture of the Netherlands
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The culture of the Netherlands is diverse, reflecting regional differences as well as the foreign influences built up by centuries of the Dutch peoples mercantile and explorative spirit. The Netherlands and its people have played an important role as centre of cultural liberalism. The Dutch Golden Age is popularly regarded as its zenith, the official language of the Netherlands is Dutch, spoken by almost all people in the Netherlands. Dutch is also spoken and official in Aruba, Brussels, Curaçao, Flanders, Sint Maarten and it is a West Germanic, Low Franconian language that originated in the Early Middle Ages and was standardized in the 16th century. West Frisian is also a language and it is used by the government in the province of Friesland. Another Dutch dialect granted the status of language is Limburgish. However, both Dutch Low Saxon and Limburgish spread across the Dutch-German border and belong to a common Dutch-Low German dialect continuum. There is a tradition of learning languages in the Netherlands, about 89% of the total population have good knowledge of English, 70% of German, 29% of French. Between the Celtic and Germanic peoples and later the Roman conquerors a cultural exchange took place, an adaptation of polytheistic religions and each other myths has taken place among the various tribes, coming from both the Germanic, Celtic and later Roman mythology. Around 500 the Franks, initially residing between the Rhine and the Somme, adapt to Christianity, the following centuries Catholic Christianity is the only mainstream religion in the Netherlands. The rebellious Netherlands that had united in the Union of Utrecht declared their independence from Spain in 1581, during the Eighty Years War, Spain finally accepted this in 1648. The Dutch revolt was partially religiously motivated, during the Reformation many of the Dutch had adopted Lutheran and these religious movements were suppressed by the Spanish, who supported the Counter Reformation. After independence the Netherlands adopted Calvinism as a state religion. In the 1960s, this started to diminish, although religious diversity remains, there has been a decline of religious adherence. The Netherlands is one of the most secular countries in Western Europe, religion is in the Netherlands generally considered a personal matter which is not supposed to be propagated in public. In a December 2014 survey by the VU University Amsterdam was concluded that for the first time there are more atheists than theists in the Netherlands, the rest of the population being agnostic or ietsist. Since 1989, the unaffiliated have become mainstream, according to the most recent statistics approximately 34% of the Dutch people adhere to the two historical Christian traditions of their country. Meanwhile, Muslims in the country constitute 5% of the total population, approximately 55% of the population has no religious affiliation
8.
Culture of France
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The culture of France and of the French people has been shaped by geography, by profound historical events, and by foreign and internal forces and groups. France, and in particular Paris, has played an important role as a center of culture since the 17th century, first in Europe. From the late 19th century, France has also played an important role in cinema, fashion, cuisine, the importance of French culture has waxed and waned over the centuries, depending on its economic, political and military importance. French culture today is marked both by regional and socioeconomic differences and strong unifying tendencies. Some action has taken by the government in order to promote French culture. For instance, they have established a system of subsidies and preferential loans for supporting French cinema, the Toubon law, from the name of the conservative culture minister who promoted it, makes it mandatory to use French in advertisements directed to the general public. France counts many regional languages, some of them being different from standard French, such as Breton. Some regional languages are Roman, like French, such as Occitan, many of these languages have enthusiastic advocates, however, the real importance of local languages remains subject to debate. In April 2001, the Minister of Education, Jack Lang and he announced that bilingual education would, for the first time, be recognized, and bilingual teachers recruited in French public schools to support teaching these other languages. In French schools, pupils are expected to learn at least two languages, the first of which is typically German or English. A revision of the French constitution creating official recognition of languages was implemented by the Parliament in Congress at Versailles in July 2008. France is a country where freedom of thought and of religion is preserved, by virtue of the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man. A2011 European poll found that a third of the French population does not believe there is any sort of spirit, in 2011, in a poll published by Institut français dopinion publique 65% of the French population describes itself as Christians, and 25% as not adhering any religion. According to Eurobarometer poll in 2012 Christianity is the largest religion in France accounting 60% of French citizens, Catholics are the largest Christian group in France, accounting for 50% of French citizens, while Protestants make up 8%, and other Christians make up 2%. Non believer/Agnostic account for 20%, Atheist 13%, and Muslim 6%, France guarantees freedom of religion as a constitutional right, and the government generally respects this right in practice. A long history of violent conflict between groups led the state to break its ties to the established Catholic Church early in the last century, the government adopted a strong commitment to maintaining a totally secular public sector. Long the established religion, the Roman Catholic Church has historically played a significant role in French culture. Kings were considered head of the church and state, most French people are Roman Catholic Christians, however, many of them are secular but still place high value on Catholicism
9.
Flanders
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Flanders is the Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium, although there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, language, politics and history. It is one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, the demonym associated with Flanders is Fleming, while the corresponding adjective is Flemish. The official capital of Flanders is Brussels, although Brussels itself has an independent regional government, in historical contexts, Flanders originally refers to the County of Flanders, which around AD1000 stretched from the Strait of Dover to the Scheldt estuary. In accordance with late 20th century Belgian state reforms the area was made two political entities, the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region. These entities were merged, although geographically the Flemish Community, which has a cultural mandate, covers Brussels. Flanders has figured prominently in European history, as a consequence, a very sophisticated culture developed, with impressive achievements in the arts and architecture, rivaling those of northern Italy. Belgium was one of the centres of the 19th century industrial revolution, geographically, Flanders is generally flat, and has a small section of coast on the North Sea. Much of Flanders is agriculturally fertile and densely populated, with a density of almost 500 people per square kilometer. It touches France to the west near the coast, and borders the Netherlands to the north and east, the Brussels Capital Region is an enclave within the Flemish Region. Flanders has exclaves of its own, Voeren in the east is between Wallonia and the Netherlands and Baarle-Hertog in the consists of 22 exclaves surrounded by the Netherlands. It comprises 6.5 million Belgians who consider Dutch to be their mother tongue, the political subdivisions of Belgium, the Flemish Region and the Flemish Community. The first does not comprise Brussels, whereas the latter does comprise the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Brussels, the political institutions that govern both subdivisions, the operative body Flemish Government and the legislative organ Flemish Parliament. The two westernmost provinces of the Flemish Region, West Flanders and East Flanders, forming the central portion of the historic County of Flanders, a feudal territory that existed from the 8th century until its absorption by the French First Republic. Until the 1600s, this county also extended over parts of France, one of the regions conquered by the French in Flanders, namely French Flanders in the Nord department. French Flanders can be divided into two regions, Walloon Flanders and Maritime Flanders. The first region was predominantly French-speaking already in the 1600s, the latter became so in the 20th century, the city of Lille identifies itself as Flemish, and this is reflected, for instance, in the name of its local railway station TGV Lille Flandres. The region conquered by the Dutch Republic in Flanders, now part of the Dutch province of Zeeland, the significance of the County of Flanders and its counts eroded through time, but the designation remained in a very broad sense. In the Early modern period, the term Flanders was associated with the part of the Low Countries
10.
Antwerp
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Antwerp is a city in Belgium, the capital of Antwerp province in the region of Flanders. With a population of 510,610, it is the most populous city proper in Belgium and its metropolitan area houses around 1,200,000 people, which is second behind Brussels. Antwerp is on the River Scheldt, linked to the North Sea by the Westerschelde estuary, the Port of Antwerp is one of the biggest in the world, ranking second in Europe and within the top 20 globally. Antwerp has long been an important city in the Low Countries, the inhabitants of Antwerp are nicknamed Sinjoren, after the Spanish honorific señor or French seigneur, lord, referring to the Spanish noblemen who ruled the city in the 17th century. The city hosted the 1920 Summer Olympics, according to folklore, notably celebrated by a statue in front of the town hall, the city got its name from a legend about a giant called Antigoon who lived near the Scheldt river. He exacted a toll from passing boatmen, and for those who refused, he severed one of their hands, eventually the giant was killed by a young hero named Silvius Brabo, who cut off the giants own hand and flung it into the river. Hence the name Antwerpen, from Dutch hand werpen, akin to Old English hand and wearpan, a longstanding theory is that the name originated in the Gallo-Roman period and comes from the Latin antverpia. Antverpia would come from Ante Verpia, indicating land that forms by deposition in the curve of a river. Note that the river Scheldt, before a period between 600 and 750, followed a different track. This must have coincided roughly with the current ringway south of the city, however, many historians think it unlikely that there was a large settlement which would be named Antverpia, but more something like an outpost with a river crossing. However, John Lothrop Motley argues, and so do a lot of Dutch etymologists and historians, aan t werp is also possible. This warp is a hill or a river deposit, high enough to remain dry at high tide. Another word for werp is pol hence polders, historical Antwerp allegedly had its origins in a Gallo-Roman vicus. Excavations carried out in the oldest section near the Scheldt, 1952–1961, produced pottery shards, the earliest mention of Antwerp dates from the 4th century. In the 4th century, Antwerp was first named, having been settled by the Germanic Franks, the name was reputed to have been derived from anda and werpum. The Merovingian Antwerp was evangelized by Saint Amand in the 7th century, at the end of the 10th century, the Scheldt became the boundary of the Holy Roman Empire. Antwerp became a margraviate in 980, by the German emperor Otto I, in the 11th century Godfrey of Bouillon was for some years known as the marquis of Antwerp. In the 12th century, Norbert of Xanten established a community of his Premonstratensian canons at St. Michaels Abbey at Caloes
11.
Cartoonist
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A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is created for entertainment, political commentary, or advertising. The English satirist and editorial cartoonist William Hogarth, who emerged In the 18th century, has credited with pioneering Western sequential art. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic series of pictures called modern moral subjects. Much of his work poked fun at politics and customs. Gillray explored the use of the medium for lampooning and caricature, calling the king, prime ministers and generals to account, while never a professional cartoonist, Benjamin Franklin is credited with having the first cartoon published in an American newspaper. In the 19th century, professional cartoonists such as Thomas Nast introduced other familiar American political symbols, during the 20th century, numerous magazines carried single-panel gag cartoons by such freelance cartoonists as Charles Addams, Irwin Caplan, Chon Day, Clyde Lamb, and John Norment. These were almost always published in black and white, although Colliers often carried cartoons in color, the debut of Playboy introduced full-page color cartoons by Jack Cole, Eldon Dedini, and others. Single-panel cartoonists syndicated to newspapers included Dave Breger, Hank Ketcham, George Lichty, Fred Neher, Irving Phillips, comic strips received widespread distribution to mainstream newspapers by syndicates such as the Universal Press Syndicate, United Media, or King Features. Sunday strips go to a company such as American Color before they are published. Some comic strip creators publish in the press or on the Internet. Comic strip artists may also work in book-length form, creating graphic novels. Both vintage and current strips receive reprints in book collections, the major comic book publishers utilize teams of cartoonists to produce the art. When a consistent artistic style is wanted among different cartoonists, character model sheets may be used as reference, animated cartooning is created for short films, advertising, feature films and television. It is also used in live-action films for dream sequences or opening titles. An animation artist is referred to as an animator rather than a cartoonist. They create motion pictures as well, Animation studios such as DreamWorks Animation, Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Blue Sky Studios create CGI or computer-animated films that are more three-dimensional. There are many books of cartoons in both paperback and hardcover, such as the collections of cartoons from The New Yorker, prior to the 1960s, cartoons were mostly ignored by museums and art galleries
