Árta (English spelling)

Japanese: アルタ（英語表記）Árta

Ancient name: Ambrakia. A city in the Epirus region in western Greece. It is located on the plain on the north shore of the Ambracian Gulf, overlooking the Araphsos River. It was founded as a colony of Corinth around 650-625 BC. It became the capital of the Kingdom of Epirus in 294 BC, but was captured by the Romans in 189 BC. In 31 BC, Octavian (Augustus) built a new city, Nicopolis Actia, about 20 km southwest to commemorate the victory at Actium, and relocated the inhabitants, causing Ambrakia to decline. After Nicopolis Actia was destroyed by the Bulgars in the 11th century, a new settlement called Arta was formed on the site of Ambrakia, and developed into the central city of the region. It came under Turkish rule from the mid-15th century, but Greek literature flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries. After the Balkan Wars (1912-13), it became part of Greece. It is now the center of a fertile agricultural region where oranges, lemons, and citrons are grown, and it is a trading center for livestock, alcohol, tobacco, and fruit, as well as textiles (wool and cotton) and embroidery. The ruins of a Byzantine fortress, 13th-14th century churches and monasteries are preserved in and around the city. Population: 20,451 (1991 estimate).

Alta
Alta

A town in Finnmark County in the far north of Norway. In 1973, a large group of rock paintings was discovered in Hemmelhout, a suburb of this town. The rock paintings are scattered in 45 places over an area about 5 km wide on the slopes facing the Altafjord Bay. The outlines of humans, reindeer, bears, whales, fish, etc. are carved into the granite surface and painted with pigments. It is believed that the paintings were made in succession on the newly exposed rock surface as the land rose after the end of the last ice age more than 6,000 years ago, and the top and bottom paintings are 18 meters apart. It is speculated that the paintings were made in places facing the sea because it was thought to be a place where gods and humans could interact, but this, along with the fact that humans existed in the far north, is a mystery. In 1985, the rock paintings were registered as a cultural heritage of the World Heritage Sites.

Alta
Artha

In Sanskrit, it means material gain. Since ancient times in India, it has been considered one of the three great aims of life, along with dharma (law) and kama (sexual love). It also has other meanings such as thing, meaning, content, theme, and purpose.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

古代名アンブラキア Ambrakia。ギリシア西部，イピロス (古代名エピルス) 地方の都市。アンブラキコス湾北岸の平野にあり，アラフソス川にのぞむ。前 650～625年頃コリントの植民市として建設された。前 294年からエピルス王国の首都となったが，前 189年ローマ人により攻略された。前 31年オクタウィアヌス (アウグスツス) がアクチウムの戦勝を記念して南西約 20kmの地に新市ニコポリス・アクチアを建設し，住民を移住させたので，アンブラキアは衰退。 11世紀ニコポリス・アクチアがブルガル人により破壊されてのち，アンブラキアの跡にアルタの名で新しい集落が形成され，この地方の中心都市に発展した。 15世紀なかば以降トルコ領となったが，16～17世紀にはギリシア文芸が繁栄。バルカン戦争 (1912～13) 後ギリシア領。現在オレンジ，レモン，シトロンなどを栽培する肥沃な農業地帯の中心地で，家畜，酒類，タバコ，果実などの集散が行われるほか，織物 (毛，綿) ，刺繍製品などを産する。市内外にはビザンチン時代の要塞跡，13～14世紀の聖堂や修道院などが保存されている。人口2万 451 (1991推計) 。

アルタ
Alta

ノルウェー最北部，フィンマルク県の町。この町の近郊ヒェンメルフトでは，1973年に多数の岩石画群が発見された。岩石画群は，アルタフィヨルドの湾に面した斜面，幅およそ 5kmにわたる区域の 45ヵ所に点在し，花崗岩の表面に人間やトナカイ，クマ，クジラ，魚などの輪郭線が彫られ，顔料も塗られている。 6000年以上前，最後の氷河期が終わり，陸地が上昇するにつれて新しく現れた岩肌に順次描かれたものとみられ，最上部の絵と最下部の絵の間は 18mも離れている。海に面した場所に描いたのは，そこが神々と人間の交流の場と考えられたためと推測されるが，極北の地に人間がいた事実と合わせて謎とされている。 1985年世界遺産の文化遺産に登録。