Diderot"Per Honor et Gloria della Enciclopedia" • Un'opera che raccoglie la sistematizzazione del sapere umano. • Une oeuvre qui rassemble et systématise la somme des connaissances humaines. • A comprehensive compendium of all the branches of knowledge. • 人類過去積累的全部知識或的書面摘要
"We can chart our future clearly and wisely only when we know the path which has led to the present"Adlai Stevenson "Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth"Gandhi "The dogs may bark, but the caravan moves on"Persian proverb "An encyclopedia can only be as good as its contributors" Anonymous
About me
This editor is a Master Editor (40,000+ edits and 5+ years of service), and is entitled to display this Plutonium StarLe Chevalier aux Fleurs, resplendescent knight of the Encyclopedia, glorious dispeller of ignorance and prejudice.
Hi! I have been contributing to Wikipedia since 2004/03/06. With over 52,000 edits to date, and more than 6 years of service, I am a Master Editor, i.e. one of the Top 40 Wikipedians in seniority and edit count combined.
My main interests revolve around World History and cultural interaction through the Ages, and I enjoy developing content on these subjects. I tend to focus on trans-national phenomena, "connection" history between civilizations, and the role of non-European civilizations in world history. I am a fervent supporter of Wikipedia:NPOV policy, according to which all significant views should be presented in articles (not just arbitrarily defined "majority" views), and an inclusionist who feels that all true information, however seemingly minute, does belong to an encyclopedia that aims at being "the sum of all knowledge".
This user has been on Wikipedia for 20 years, 8 months and 3 days.
My main interest is cultural interaction through the Ages.
The motto of the AIW is conservata veritate, which translates to "with the preserved truth".
This motto reflects the inclusionist desire to change Wikipedia only when no knowledge would be lost as a result.
>>> "Here's the Barnstar of High Culture. Excellent work! --Historian 07:28, 30 September 2005 (UTC)" (Thanks Historian!)
The Tireless Contributor Barnstar
For your magnificent contributions on Asian history and a seemingly endless variety of other subjects. Hats off to a Wikipedian Star! John Hill 22:23, 11 March 2007 (UTC)
The Tibetan Award of Excellence
For your outstanding work on East Asian and Buddhist related articles your contribution is a delight to read and has been admirable ♦ Sir Blofeld ♦"Expecting you"Contribs 11:13, 21 June 2007 (UTC)
I, Eupator, hereby award you this Barnstar of National Merit for all the work you have done to improve the coverage of Cilician Armenia on Wikipedia and the creation as well as maintenance of the Franco-Mongol alliance article. Keep up the great work!
this WikiAward was given to {{subst:PAGENAME}} by ~~~ on ~~~~~
Congratulations! Here's a medal for you in appreciation of your hardwork in creating, expanding and nominating 25+ articles for DYK. It seems a long time since Tillia Tepe and so many articles. Keep up the good work, PHG! --Victuallers (talk) 21:15, 2 January 2008 (UTC)
With great pleasure and on behalf of the wiki can I thank you for your contribution of fifty (and more) DYK articles. I enjoy that yours are not always "another anglo/american subject"! Thailand needs a few articles more? Keep up the good work (the 100 template is a really nice shade of yellow). Cheers Victuallers (talk) 09:40, 19 August 2008 (UTC)
Wikipedia Valued Contributor
In February 2009, PHG was determined to be a Valued Contributor, who "contributes resourcefully, cooperatively, and productively in many topics" and is "encouraged to continue contributing to Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects", by no less than 11 arbitrators (Passed 11 to 0 with 4 abstentions). At least, it shows that these bureaucrats may not quite be completely wrong all the time! Cheers
The Barnstar of Integrity
For your deep and introspective thoughts on your user page regarding the state of Wikipedia, especially with Truth and Freedom of Speech v. Consensus, I award you this barnstar as a matter of thanks. Chris (talk) 14:19, 1 May 2009 (UTC)
The History Barnstar
I've noticed your excellent and greatly needed work on French and Ottoman history. This is a small token of my appreciation for your work. keep up the DYKs and great work!! Oriental carpets in Renaissance painting is a fantastic article and articles like Capture of Tunis are very important in Tunisian history. Many thanks!Dr. BlofeldWhite cat 12:27, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
The Working Man's Barnstar
Your dedicated contributions to Ottoman Empire-related articles have not gone unnoticed. Much appreciated. Skäpperöd (talk) 22:40, 4 November 2009 (UTC)
WELL DONE! YOU NOW HAVE THIS GRAND MEDAL IN TOTAL INSUFFICIENT EXCHANGE FOR THE DYK ARTICLES YOU HAVE DONATED TO ANYBODY WHO CARES TO READ, EDIT OR EXPLOIT THEM. I SEE YOU HAVE STARTED ON THE WAY TO THE 200.... THANK YOU PHG ... FROM ME AND THE WIKI VICTUALLERS (TALK) 16:57, 10 OCTOBER 2009 (UTC)
Complete and Perfect Tutnum of the Encyclopedia
This editor is a Complete and Perfect Tutnum of the Encyclopedia, and is entitled to display this Book of All Knowledge. 15:21, 17 October 2009 (UTC)
Bopearachchi, Osmund (1991). Monnaies Gréco-Bactriennes et Indo-Grecques, Catalogue Raisonné (in French). Bibliothèque Nationale de France. ISBN2-7177-1825-7.
Avari, Burjor (2007). India: The ancient past. Routledge. ISBN0415356164.
Faccenna, Domenico (1980). Butkara I (Swāt, Pakistan) 1956–1962, Volume III 1 (in English). Rome: IsMEO (Istituto Italiano Per Il Medio Ed Estremo Oriente).
McEvilley, Thomas (2002). The Shape of Ancient Thought. Comparative studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies. Allworth Press and the School of Visual Arts. ISBN1-58115-203-5.
Puri, Baij Nath (2000). Buddhism in Central Asia. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN81-208-0372-8.
Tarn, W. W. (1984). The Greeks in Bactria and India. Chicago: Ares. ISBN0-89005-524-6.
Narain, A.K. (2003). The Indo-Greeks (in English). B.R. Publishing Corporation. "revised and supplemented" from Oxford University Press edition of 1957.
Narain, A.K. (1976). The coin types of the Indo-Greeks kings (in English). Chicago, USA: Ares Publishing. ISBN0-89005-109-7.
Cambon, Pierre (2007). Afghanistan, les trésors retrouvés (in French). Musée Guimet. ISBN9782711852185.
Keown, Damien (2003). A Dictionary of Buddhism. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN0-19-860560-9.
Bopearachchi, Osmund (2003). De l'Indus à l'Oxus, Archéologie de l'Asie Centrale (in French). Lattes: Association imago-musée de Lattes. ISBN2-9516679-2-2.
Boardman, John (1994). The Diffusion of Classical Art in Antiquity. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN0-691-03680-2.
Errington, Elizabeth; Joe Cribb; Maggie Claringbull; Ancient India and Iran Trust; Fitzwilliam Museum (1992). The Crossroads of Asia : transformation in image and symbol in the art of ancient Afghanistan and Pakistan. Cambridge: Ancient India and Iran Trust. ISBN0-9518399-1-8.
Bopearachchi, Osmund; Smithsonian Institution; National Numismatic Collection (U.S.) (1993). Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian and Indo-Parthian coins in the Smithsonian Institution. Washington: National Numismatic Collection, Smithsonian Institution. OCLC 36240864.
東京国立博物館 (Tokyo Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan); 兵庫県立美術館 (Hyogo Kenritsu Bijutsukan) (2003). Alexander the Great : East-West cultural contacts from Greece to Japan. Tokyo: 東京国立博物館 (Tokyo Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan). OCLC 53886263.
Lowenstein, Tom (2002). The vision of the Buddha : Buddhism, the path to spiritual enlightenment. London: Duncan Baird. ISBN1-903296-91-9.
Foltz, Richard (2000). Religions of the Silk Road : overland trade and cultural exchange from antiquity to the fifteenth century. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN0-312-23338-8.
Marshall, Sir John Hubert (2000). The Buddhist art of Gandhara : the story of the early school, its birth, growth, and decline. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal. ISBN81-215-0967-X.
Mitchiner, John E.; Garga (1986). The Yuga Purana : critically edited, with an English translation and a detailed introduction. Calcutta, India: Asiatic Society. OCLC 15211914 ISBN81-7236-124-6.
Salomon, Richard. "The "Avaca" Inscription and the Origin of the Vikrama Era" Vol. 102.
Banerjee, Gauranga Nath (1961). Hellenism in ancient India. Delhi: Munshi Ram Manohar Lal. OCLC 1837954 ISBN0-8364-2910-9.
Bussagli, Mario; Francine Tissot; Béatrice Arnal (1996). L'art du Gandhara (in French). Paris: Librairie générale française. ISBN2-253-13055-9.
Marshall, John (1956). Taxila. An illustrated account of archaeological excavations carried out at Taxila (3 volumes) (in English). Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.
(2005) "Afghanistan, ancien carrefour entre l'est et l'ouest" (in French/English). Belgium: Brepols. ISBN2503516815.
Seldeslachts, E. (2003). The end of the road for the Indo-Greeks? (in English). (Also available online): Iranica Antica, Vol XXXIX, 2004.
Senior, R.C. (2006). Indo-Scythian coins and history. Volume IV. (in English). Classical Numismatic Group, Inc.. ISBN0-9709268-6-3.
Some of my books on the Crusades.PHG 16:09, 19 October 2007 (UTC)
Grousset, René (1935). Histoire des Croisades III, 1188-1291 (in French). Editions Perrin. ISBN2-262-02569-X.
Foltz, Richard (2000). "Religions of the Silk Road : overland trade and cultural exchange from antiquity to the fifteenth century". New York: St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN0-312-23338-8.
Demurger, Alain (2007). Jacques de Molay (in French). Editions Payot&Rivages. ISBN2228902357.
Eddé, Anne-Marie (2002). L'Orient au temps des croisades (in French). GF Flammarion. ISBN2080711210.
Jackson, Peter (2005). The Mongols and the West: 1221-1410. Longman. ISBN978-0582368965.
Lebédel, Claude (2006). Les Croisades, origines et conséquences (in French). Editions Ouest-France. ISBN2737341361.
Maalouf, Amin (1983). Les croisades vues par les Arabes. JC Lattes.
Mutafian, Claude (1993, 2001). Le Royaume Armenien de Cilicie (in French). CNRS Editions. ISBN2271051053.
Riley-Smith, Jonathan (1996, 2005). Atlas des Croisades (in French). Autrement. ISBN2862605530.
Riley-Smith, Jonathan (2002). The Oxford History of the Crusades. Oxford University Press. ISBN0192803123.
Runciman, Steven (1987 (first published in 1952-1954)). A history of the Crusades 3. Penguin Books. ISBN9780140137057.
Turnbull, Stephen (1980). The Mongols. Osprey Publishing Ltd.. ISBN9780850453720.
Wood, Frances (2002). The Silk Road. University of California Press. ISBN0520243404.
Some users seem to be particularly fond of litigation, disputes and "Wikilawyering". I've encountered a few such cases, the most recent one being when I created the Franco-Mongol alliance article (back in August 2007). It is a great subject, which I am passionnate about, and which is very much in sync with my general interest for cultural interaction thoughout history. I do like this kind of fascinating, instances of cultural interaction (see also Indo-Greeks, Boshin War, Hasekura Tsunenaga, Christianity among the Mongols, Sino-Roman relations, Roman trade with India etc...), and I generally can spend quite some time and research to document such subjects.
A few of these subjects sometimes seem to be quite annoying or contentious with some users however, possibly out of nationalistic or religious sensitivities, leading to heated discussions which may degenerate into nasty attacks ("Ancient Greeks invading India?!""Crusaders allying with Mongols?!""Interactions between Christianity and Buddhism?!"). Sometimes, things seem to never end, and multiple diatribes can keep being posted on various Talk and User pages for a long time. Some users might try to misrepresent my edits, accuse me of giving undue weight to certain authors or theories or of misrepresenting some others, generally try to discredit my contributions and viciously attack me through various instances, but I can certify that all my edits are, and have always been done, in good faith (a fact which has been recognized by the community), and my only objective is to contribute as much knowledge as possible to Wikipedia. I've always tried to remain as composed and civil as I could, even when I found the attacks, or their outcome, to be quite outrageous and unfair.
What the heck? I'm here to share knowledge and contribute fascinating, referenced, stuff about ancient history and cultural interaction. On the other hand, I must say I am not at all interested in Wikipedia politics or lobbying day long against specific users.
Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han Dynasty 1st to 2nd Centuries CE. An annotated translation of the Chronicle on the ‘Western Regions’ from the Hou Hanshu Booksurge. ISBN978-1-4392-2134-1
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts." Bertrand Russell
"The mind of the superior man dwells on righteousness; the mind of the little man dwells on profit" --Confucius, Analects
"Most of us are just about as happy as we make up our minds to be." --William Adams
"Make voyages! Attempt them... there's nothing else." Tennessee Williams
"I don't want to be 85 years old and have my grandkids go, Ewwww. Grandpa did some dumb shit. I'd rather have them say, Wow, man, you're nuts!" Johnny Depp
Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That’s what we’re doing.
—Jimbo Wales
“Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain cool and unruffled under all circumstances.”Thomas Jefferson
"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." Albert Einstein
"Death is nothing, but to live defeated and inglorious is to die daily." Napoleon Bonaparte
"Le succès, c'est une question de méthode" French proverb
天下一家 Chinese proverb
Foucault's pendulum does not rotate. It swings back and forth, as the earth rotates under it.
"When the storm breaks, each man acts in accordance with his own nature. Some are dumb with terror, some flee, some hide, and some spread their wings like eagles and soar on the wind." Elizabeth: The Golden Age
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." – Albert Einstein... wow...
"For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple — and wrong." H.L. Mencken
"Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by incompetence." Napoleon
The threshold for inclusion in Wikipedia is verifiability, not truth—that is, whether readers are able to check that material added to Wikipedia already has been published by a reliable source, not whether we think it is true. Editors should provide a reliable source for quotations and for any material that is challenged or is likely to be challenged, or the material may be removed.
"Qu'est-ce qu'un homme peut faire de mieux de sa vie selon vous? -Transformer en conscience une expérience aussi vaste que possible" L'EspoirAndré Malraux
"The Eighth Busiest Website On The Internet by its nature attracts a lot of cranks and nutcases" User:Iridescent
"Only two things are infinite, the universe and the stupidity of mankind, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
"We're drowning in information and starving for knowledge." - Rutherford D. Rogers, American librarian, Yale University
"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
"Доверя́й, но проверя́й." (Russian proverb, "Trust, but verify".)
"If the Aborigine drafted an I.Q. test, all of Western civilization would presumably flunk it." - Stanley Garn
"... that mixture of arid legalism and semantic pretentiousness that so often passes, in the halls of our domestic-political life, for statesmanship" George F. Kennan, Memoirs: 1925-1950, p. 409
"Insanity in individuals is something rare - but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule"Friedrich Nietzsche
"Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar." Anonymous
"(Believers) are civil, educated and ignorant. They're not mad. They're trained to believe, not to know. Belief can be manipulated. Only knowledge is (truly) dangerous." - Scytale from Dune Messiah written by Frank Herbert
"Civilization is a movement and not a condition, a voyage and not a harbour." - Arnold Toynbee
"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor." -Henry David Thoreau
"Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. The primary job of Wikipedians is to write it. Everything else is secondary." (•)
"Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men, for the nastiest of reasons, will somehow work for the benefit of us all." John Maynard Keynes
"Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship. ...voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country." Hermann Göring
"A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." Antoine de St. Exupery
"The Just Society will be one in which the rights of minorities will be safe from the whims of intolerant majorities" Pierre Trudeau[16]
"The true scientist lives in the land of possibility, the land of questioning rather than the area of final and complete answers" Abram Maslow
Life is like walking along a long road shouldering a heavy load; there is no need to hurry. One who treats difficulties as the normal state of affairs will never be discontented. Patience is the source of eternal peace; treat anger as an enemy. Harm will befall one who knows only success and has never experienced failure. Blame yourself rather than others. It is better not to reach than to go too far.
"The empires of the future are the empires of the mind." Winston Churchill
"In France, one is taught to take a stand in the face of injustice" Anonymous
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt
"A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger." The Bible
Multi-licensed with the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike License versions 1.0 and 2.0
I agree to multi-license my text contributions, unless otherwise stated, under Wikipedia's copyright terms and the Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license version 1.0 and version 2.0. Please be aware that other contributors might not do the same, so if you want to use my contributions under the Creative Commons terms, please check the CC dual-license and Multi-licensing guides.
status (Boshin War, Imperial Japanese Navy, Hasekura Tsunenaga, Indo-Greek Kingdom, History of Buddhism etc...). I am also among the Top 30 creators of Did you know? articles. On Wikipedia Commons, I have contributed about 3,000 images and photographs from Museums and places around the world.
) Imperial Japanese Navy - 447 edits (
The History Barnstar
