Pella

Pella (Greek: Πέλλα), is best known as the ancient and wealthy capital of the kingdom of Macedon in the time of Alexander the Great. On the site of the ancient city is the Archaeological Museum of Pella.

Etymology

A common folk etymology is traditionally given for the name Pella, deriving it from the Ancient Macedonian word pélla (πέλλα), "stone" and forming with the prefix a- the Doric apella, meaning in this case fence, enclosure of stone. The word apella originally meant fold, fence for animals, and then assembly of people. However, the local form of Greek was not Doric, and the word exactly matches standard Greek pélla "stone", possibly referring to a famous landmark from the time of its foundation. Another proposed etymology is that Pella originally meant "defensible citadel on a cliff", and this etymology is backed by the numerous ancient cities throughout Greece with similar name i.e. Pellana, Pallene, Palle, Pelle, Pelion, Palamede, Pellene, etc.

History

Pella is first mentioned by Herodotus of Halicarnassus (VII, 123) in relation to Xerxes' campaign and by Thucydides (II, 99,4 and 100,4) in relation to Macedonian expansion and the war against Sitalces, the king of the Thracians. According to Xenophon, in the beginning of the 4th century BC it was the largest Macedonian city. It was probably built as the capital of the kingdom by Archelaus I, replacing the older palace-city of Aigai although there appears to be some possibility that it may have been created by Amyntas. In antiquity, Pella was a strategic port connected to the Thermaic Gulf by a navigable inlet, but the harbour and gulf have since silted up, leaving the site landlocked.

Maître Gims

Gandhi Djuna (born 6 May 1986), better known by his stage name Maître Gims, is a Congolese rapper and singer who has lived most of life and made his career in France. He is a member of the hip-hop group Sexion d'Assaut and also has developed a solo career with a major release, his solo album Subliminal.

Career

Gandhi Djuna, born in Kinshasa (DRC) with his brother, immigrated to France when he was just two years old. Growing up in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, he later moved to the 9th arrondissement and eventually the 19th arrondissement. Taking the name of Gims, he rapped at college with his friends of Sexion d'Assaut while studying communication and graphical arts. He also worked part-time as a courrier at night.

He recorded his first track with Sexion d'Assaut "Coup 2 Pression" and worked with JR in the Prototype 3015 duo project. He decided to add Maître to his name Gims and also used the pseudonyme "le Fléau" ("the Bane"). He also worked on a number of independent releases, and a mixtape La Terre du Milieu ("Middle-Earth")as part of 3e Prototype after taking Dawala as manager. In 2007, he also worked as producer, wrote instrumental pieces and released his maxi Pour ceux qui dorment les yeux ouverts ("For those who sleep with open eyes"). On the maxi were tracks with Sexion d'Assaut, rapper Koma (from Scred Connexion) and a singer Carole. Continuing to record tracks with Sexion d'Assaut at two Inch'All Star battles, he became a well-known French freestyler. He also took part with 3e Prototype in a new street album called Le Renouveau ("The Rebirth").

Guido Pella

Guido Pella (born 17 May 1990) is an Argentine professional tennis player who competes mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures, both in singles and doubles. He reached his highest ATP singles ranking of world no. 75 in June 2013, and his highest ATP doubles ranking, no. 123, on 6 April 2015.

Early life

Guido Pella was born in Bahía Blanca, Argentina. His father, Carlos, first taught him the game at the age of five. His sister, Catalina, is also a tennis player who competes mainly in ITF tournaments.

Career

Junior career

As a junior Pella posted a 19–5 record in singles and reached as high as No. 42 in the combined world rankings in 2008. Entering as a qualifier, he had a good showing at the junior French Open, upsetting first-seeded Bernard Tomic in the quarterfinals, but lost to Jerzy Janowicz in the following round.

Junior Slam results – Singles:
Australian Open: -
French Open: SF (2008)
Wimbledon: -
US Open: 3R (2008)

2006–2011

Pella started playing Futures tournaments in 2005, winning his first at Peru F3 in July 2008 without dropping a set. In the following years, he won six further Futures titles, all of them on clay. His first Challenger final came at Guayaquil, Ecuador in November 2011, losing the match to Matteo Viola in straight sets. He finished the 2011 season ranked world no. 350 in singles and no. 501 in doubles.

Alexander the Great

Alexander III of Macedon (20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great (Greek: Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας, Aléxandros ho Mégas [a.lék.san.dros ho mé.gas], from the Greek ἀλέξω (alexō) "defend" and ἀνδρ- (andr-), the stem of ἀνήρ (anēr) "man" and means "protector of men"), was a King (Basileus) of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon and a member of the Argead dynasty, an ancient Greek royal house. Born in Pella in 356 BC, Alexander succeeded his father, Philip II, to the throne at the age of twenty. He spent most of his ruling years on an unprecedented military campaign through Asia and northeast Africa, and by the age of thirty he had created one of the largest empires of the ancient world, stretching from Greece to Egypt into northwest India and modern-day Pakistan. He was undefeated in battle and is widely considered one of history's most successful military commanders.

During his youth, Alexander was tutored by the philosopher Aristotle until the age of 16. After Philip's assassination in 336 BC, Alexander succeeded his father to the throne and inherited a strong kingdom and an experienced army. Alexander was awarded the generalship of Greece and used this authority to launch his father's Panhellenic project to lead the Greeks in the conquest of Persia. In 334 BC, he invaded the Achaemenid Empire, ruled Asia Minor, and began a series of campaigns that lasted ten years. Alexander broke the power of Persia in a series of decisive battles, most notably the battles of Issus and Gaugamela. He subsequently overthrew the Persian King Darius III and conquered the Achaemenid Empire in its entirety. At that point, his empire stretched from the Adriatic Sea to the Indus River.