Note: this page was last modified in October 1997; it needs to be revised.

Heraldry in Byzantium?

The use of heraldic insignia as a symbolic representation of families did not develop in Byzantium. The broad range of images (Christ, the Virgin, the Cross, various saints) found on seals are personal rather than familial. Certain blazons have, however, been interpreted by some scholars as official imperial or familial coats of arms. Not until after the restoration of 1261 and the reign of the Paleologues can one find any trace of heraldry. After that date, the Byzantine court was much more open to importations from the West, for example tournaments. The Paleologues became allied with a number of prominent Western dynasties; this may have also contributed to their adoption of armorial bearings. The use then spread to the Greek nobility. In any case, this Byzantine heraldry of the 14th and 15th centuries remained marginal.

The Arms of Byzantium

Two particular insignia have attracted a lot of attention, namely the double-headed eagle and the "tetragrammatic cross" (cross between 4 B's).

First, the eagle: it appears as a decorative motif at the court of the last Comnenoi and the Ange family (12th c.), on the cermonial costumes of members of the imperial family but not on the emperor himself. The same is true of the courtt of the Laskaris in the empire of Nicea (1204-61). The Crusaders have used the double-headed eagle as symbol of the empire, although the arms of the empire itself were: Gules, a cross between four crosslets or inscribed in an annulet each and between four crosslets each, all or. The double-headed eagle was taken back to Western Europe by two daughters of the first Latin emperor, one who struck coins in Flanders with the eagle, the other marrying into the house of Savoy and bringing the eagle in the Savoy achievement.

Even after the restoration of the empire and the Paleologue emperors, the eagle is still used by the imperial family but not the emperor. The first known use is in 1301. In the 14th c. the Paleologues used either a single-headed or double-headed eagle as emblem, settling on the double-headed eagle in the 15th c. But it always remained outside of the shield. The exceptions occur in Western documents: Ulrich von Richental's Conciliumbuch describing the arms of the participants in the Constanz council of 1414-18 is one. As for the other, in August 1439 John VIII Palaiologos conferred upon Giacomo de Morellis, a citizen of Florence, the right to place on his banner the imperial blazon (semeion); a painted representation of a shield gules with a double-headed eagle or on the document is probably a posterior addition. Thus the eagle was probably never thought of as a charge, which explains the tradition of the former imperial families (as well as states such as Serbia) of placing their arms on an escutcheon on the breast of the eagle.

As for the tetragrammatic cross, even though it was considered at the time by some to be the arms of the Paleologue family, it was in fact the arms of the Byzantine empire. The motif of a croos between four objects is derived from Constantine's labarum and has long figured on Byzantine coins, since the 6th c.

The B's of the tetragrammatic cross have been mostly interpreted as flints or firestones (purekbola in Greek), but also as letters. It is possible that they were initially letters, and later assimilated to firestones. The interpretation of the four B's standing for the motto "Basileus Basileon Basileuon Basileonton" (king of kings, ruling over those who rule) may well be posterior.

Main source:

D. Cernovodeanu: contributions à; l'étude de l'héraldique byzantine et post-byzantine, Jahrbuch der Österreichischen Byzantinik 32.2 (1982) 409-22.

Other sources (not consulted):

Babuin, A. 'Standards and insignia of Byzantium.' Byzantion: Revue internationale des �tudes byzantines 71:1, (2001), 7-59

G. Gerola: l'aquila bizantina e l'aquila imperiale a due teste, Felix Ravenna 43 (1934) 7-36. A. Fourlas: Adler & Doppeladler, in Phyloxenia (Münster 1980), 97-120. W.H. Rüdt von Collenberg: Byzantinische Präheraldik des 10. & 11. Jhs, recueil du 12e

congrès International des Sciences Héraldique et Généalogique (Stuttgart 1978), 169-81. (also published in Der Herold, Bd. 8, Heft 10, april-june 1977, p. 197-209).

A. Soloviev: les emblèmes héraldiques de Byzance et les Slaves, Seminarium Kondakovianum 7 (1935) 119-164.

Arms of Some Byzantine Families

These arms all come from Rietstap. The Angelos, Cantacuzene, Comnene, Ducas, Lascaris, Paleologue, Vatatzes families held the imperial throne at some point, and all but one display a double-headed eagle. A branch of the Paleologue family ruled over Montferrat in Northern Italy, when the title passed to the Gonzaga family (who quartered their arms with Paleologue); the latter died out in the early 18th century. As for the Comnene, they were still living in Corsica at the time of the French Revolution.

Angelos gules, 4 lozenges Or with an angel on each. (Greece) Argyros Or, a cross between 4 stars azure. Barbaro Argent, an annulet gules. Cantacuzene Gules, a double-headed eagle displayed crowned, Or. (Greece) Comnene Or, beneath an imperial crown proper, a two-headed eagle displayed Sable on a

sword per pale Argent, the hilt Or. (Corsica, Savoy) Comneno Or, beneath an imperial crown proper, a double-headed eagle displayed Sable,

holding in each claw a sword paleways Argent; on its breast an oval escutcheon, Argent 3 bells (?) Azure. (Milan)

Comnenos (emperors of Trebizonde): Argent, three bars Sable. (Greece) Ducas Azure, a cross Argent. (Greece)

Koressio (dukes): Sable, beneath an imperial crown proper, a two-headed eagle displayed Or, holding in each claw a sword paleways Argent. (Greece)

Lascaris Or, a double-headed eagle Sable, beaked Gules, beneath an eastern crown Or. (Greece)

Lascaris Gules, a double-headed eagle displayed crowned, Or; on its breast an escutcheon: Gules, a sun Or. (Verona, Dalmatia)

Lascaris quartered Azure and Argent, on which an double-headed eagle Sable, membered, beaked, crowned Or; on its breast an escutcheon: Gules, a sun Or. (Verona).

Lascaris Gules, a double-headed eagle displayed crowned, Or. (Greece, Provence)

Lascaris quartered Gules a chief Or; and Gules, a double-headed eagle displayed crowned, Or.

Lascaris-Castellar: Or, a double-headed eagle Sable, membered, beaked Gules. (Italy) Melissinos Gules, an escutcheon or, 3 bells sable, between six bees 1, 2, 2, 1

of the second. Melisurgo Azure, on a mound in base three daisies argent, below four bees per fess or, in

dexter chief a sun issuant of the last. Micrulaches Gules, three lions passant or. Palaelogos Gules, a Cross and four B's Or. (Greece) Paleologue Gules, a double-headed eagle displayed crowned, Or. (Greece, Piedmont) Phocas Gules, four lozenges conjoined in pale gules. Phouskarnaki Azure, the figure of the Blessed Virgin bearing the Divine Child argent. Phrangopoulos Sable, a fleur-de-lys or. Rhadino Argent, the sun in splendor or. Rhangabe Azure, a cross flory between the letters "e", "n", "t", "n" argent. Rhaoules Azure, a leopard rampant or. Rhodocanakis Gules, a two-headed eagle or, on its breast an escutcheon Azure, a cross

argent between ?. Vatatzes Vert, a double-headed eagle displayed Or, above each head an estoile Argent.

(Greece) Vlasto Gules, three plates 2 and 1. Vlattera Gules, 4 bends or.

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François VeldeJan 13, 2005

Heraldry In Byzantium &The Vlasto Family00-04-1998

The Vlastos being already prominent in Rome by the end of the 2nd Century A.D. and probably long before that, their position was almost certainly

augmented by Constantine The Great (c. 274 – 337 A.D.) who was not only the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity but also mobilised Christian church leaders to reinforce his own position (c.323 – 325 A.D.). Furthermore,

by establishing his new 'Roman' empire in Byzantium (Constantinople), he needed even more the skills, statesmanship and influence of the old, well-established dynastic Greek families who had already dominated Black Sea

and Mediterranean trade for over 1,000 years. By 1092 A.D. the Vlastos were at the centre of events in Constantinople and members of its principal noble

families.

These families were: Angelos, Argyros, Barbaro, Cantacuzene, Comnene (Comneno), Ducas, Lascaris, Melissinos, Melisurgo, Micrulaches, Palaelogos (Paleologue), Phocas, Phouskarnaki, Phrangopoulos, Rhadino, Rhangabe,

Rhaoules (Ralli), Rhodocanakis (Rodocanachi), Vatatzes, Vlasto and Vlattera. With sublime precision, Philip Argenti claims the Vlastos occupied the 6th

position among these principal families! I am grateful to François R. Velde for this interesting introduction to the orgin of the double-headed eagle 'motif' which appeared in Byzantium in the C12th-13th and was adopted by a number of the principal noble families at that time

– later being assumed by several imperial houses, such as in Russia, and states such as Serbia. The mystery is why the Vlasto family appears to have

adopted it as their symbol centuries earlier (see examples below) and what its significance was then – long before the arrival of the Empire in Byzantium

which looked 'east and west'.

See also: Vlasto Arms (1) c.1300-1500 A.D.; Vlasto Arms (2) c.1300-1500 A.D.; Vlasto Arms (3) c.1300-1500 A.D.; Vlasto Arms (4) c.1300-1500 A.D.;

Vlasto Arms (5) c.1300-1500 A.D.; Vlasto Arms (6) c.1300-1500 A.D.; Vlasto Eagles (1) c. 300 B.C.; Vlasto Eagles (2) c.50 A.D.

See other pages concerning the history of the Vlasto family

Heraldry in Byzantium?

The use of heraldic insignia as a symbolic representation of families did not develop in Byzantium. The broad range of images (Christ, the Virgin, the Cross, various saints) found on seals are personal rather than familial. Certain blazons have, however, been interpreted by some scholars as official imperial or familial coats of arms. Not until after the restoration of 1261 and the reign of the Paleologues can one find any trace of heraldry. After that date, the Byzantine court was much more open to importations from the West, for example tournaments. The Paleologues became allied with a number of prominent Western dynasties; this may have also contributed to their adoption

of armorial bearings. The use then spread to the Greek nobility. In any case, this Byzantine heraldry of the C14th and C15th remained marginal.

The Arms of Byzantium

Two particular insignia have attracted a lot of attention, namely the double-headed eagle and the "tetragrammatic cross" (cross between 4 B's).

First, the eagle: it appears as a decorative motif at the court of the last Comnenoi and the Ange family (C12th), on the ceremonial costumes of members of the imperial family but not on the emperor himself. The same is true of the court of the Laskaris in the empire of Nicea (1204-61). The Crusaders have used the double-headed eagle as symbol of the empire, although the arms of the empire itself were:

Gules, a cross between four crosslets or inscribed in an annulet each and between four crosslets each, all or.

The double-headed eagle was taken back to Western Europe by two daughters of the first Latin emperor, one who struck coins in Flanders with the eagle, the other marrying into the house of Savoy and bringing the eagle in the Savoy achievement.

Even after the restoration of the empire and the Paleologue emperors, the eagle is still used by the imperial family but not the emperor. The first known use is in 1301.

[N.B. While no doubt true in terms of formal court heraldry, the double-headed eagle (e.g. as adopted by the Vlasto family) appears to have a much earlier provenance – see: Eagles 1 and Eagles 2 – C.A.L.]

In the C14th the Paleologues used either a single-headed or double-headed eagle as an emblem, settling on the double-headed eagle in the C15th. But it always remained outside the shield. The exceptions occur in Western documents: Ulrich von Richental's Conciliumbuch describing the arms of the participants in the Constanz council of 1414-18 is one. As for the other, in August 1439 John VIII Palaiologos conferred upon Giacomo de Morellis, a citizen of Florence, the right to place on his banner the imperial blazon (semeion); a painted representation of a shield gules with a 'double-headed eagle or' on the document is probably a posterior addition.

Thus the eagle was probably never thought of as a charge, which explains the tradition of the former imperial families (as well as states such as Serbia) of placing their arms on an escutcheon on the breast of the eagle.

As for the tetragrammatic cross, even though it was considered at the time by some to be the arms of the Paleologue family, it was in fact the arms of the Byzantine empire. The motif of a croos between four objects is derived from Constantine's labarum and has long figured on Byzantine coins, since the C6th.

The B's of the tetragrammatic cross have been mostly interpreted as flints or

firestones (purekbola in Greek), but also as letters. It is possible that they were initially letters, and later assimilated to firestones. The interpretation of the four B's standing for the motto "Basileus Basileon Basileuon Basileonton" (king of kings, ruling over those who rule) may well be posterior.

Main source: o D. Cernovodeanu: Contributions à; l'Étude de l'Héraldique Byzantine et post-

Byzantine, Jahrbuch der Österreichischen Byzantinik 32.2 (1982) 409-22.

Other sources (not consulted): 1. G. Gerola: L'Aquila Bizantina e l'Aquila Imperiale a Due Teste Felix Ravenna 43 (1934) 7-36.

2. A. Fourlas: Adler & Doppeladler, in Phyloxenia Münster 1980), 97-120. 3. W.H. Rüdt von Collenberg: Byzantinische Präheraldik des 10. & 11. Jhs,

Recueil du 12e Congrès International des Sciences Héraldique et Généalogique (Stuttgart 1978), 169-81. (also published in Der Herold, Bd. 8, Heft 10, april-june 1977, p. 197-209).

4. A. Soloviev: Les Emblèmes Héraldiques de Byzance et les Slaves Seminarium Kondakovianum 7 (1935) 119-164.

Arms of Some Byzantine Families

These arms all come from Rietstap. The Angelos, Cantacuzene, Comnene, Ducas, Lascaris, Paleologue and Vatatzes families held the imperial throne at some point and all but one display a double-headed eagle. A branch of the Paleologue family ruled over Montferrat in Northern Italy when the title passed to the Gonzaga family (who quartered their arms with Paleologue); the latter died out in the early 18th Century. As for the Comnene, they were still living in Corsica at the time of the French Revolution.

1. Angelos – gules, 4 lozenges Or with an angel on each. (Greece)2. Argyros – Or, a cross between 4 stars azure.3. Barbaro – Argent, an annulet gules.4. Cantacuzene – Gules, a double-headed eagle displayed crowned, Or.

(Greece)5. Comnene – Or, beneath an imperial crown proper, a two-headed eagle

displayed Sable on a sword per pale Argent, the hilt Or. (Corsica, Savoy) [See references to Anne Comnene and her references to the Vlastos]

6. Comneno – Or, beneath an imperial crown proper, a double-headed eagle displayed Sable, holding in each claw a sword paleways Argent; on its breast an oval escutcheon, Argent 3 bells (?) Azure. (Milan) Comnenos (emperors of Trebizonde): Argent, three bars Sable. (Greece)

7. Ducas – Azure, a cross Argent. (Greece) Koressio (dukes): Sable, beneath an imperial crown proper, a two-headed eagle displayed Or, holding in each claw a sword paleways Argent. (Greece) [See reference to Grand Duke Jean Ducas, Crete & the Vlasto family, AD 1089]

8. Lascaris – Or, a double-headed eagle Sable, beaked Gules, beneath an eastern crown Or. (Greece)

9. Lascaris – Gules, a double-headed eagle displayed crowned, Or; on its breast an escutcheon: Gules, a sun Or. (Verona, Dalmatia)

10.Lascaris – quartered Azure and Argent, on which an double-headed eagle Sable, membered, beaked, crowned Or; on its breast an escutcheon: Gules, a sun Or. (Verona).

11.Lascaris – Gules, a double-headed eagle displayed crowned, Or. (Greece, Provence)

12.Lascaris – quartered Gules a chief Or; and Gules, a double-headed eagle displayed crowned, Or. Lascaris-Castellar: Or, a double-headed eagle Sable, membered, beaked Gules. (Italy)

13.Melissinos – Gules, an escutcheon or, 3 bells sable, between six bees 1, 2, 2, 1 of the second.

14.Melisurgo – Azure, on a mound in base three daisies argent, below four bees per fess or, in dexter chief a sun issuant of the last.

15.Micrulaches – Gules, three lions passant or.16.Palaelogos – Gules, a Cross and four B's Or. (Greece)17.Paleologue – Gules, a double-headed eagle displayed crowned, Or.

(Greece, Piedmont)18.Phocas – Gules, four lozenges conjoined in pale gules.19.Phouskarnaki – Azure, the figure of the Blessed Virgin bearing the

Divine Child argent.20.Phrangopoulos – Sable, a fleur-de-lys or.21.Rhadino – Argent, the sun in splendor or.22.Rhangabe – Azure, a cross flory between the letters "e", "n", "t", "n"

argent.23.Rhaoules (Ralli) – Azure, a leopard rampant or.24.Rhodocanakis (Rodocanachi) – Gules, a two-headed eagle or, on its

breast an escutcheon Azure, a cross argent between ?.25.Vatatzes – Vert, a double-headed eagle displayed Or, above each head

an estoile Argent. (Greece)26.Vlasto – Gules, three plates 2 and 1.27.Vlattera – Gules, 4 bends or.

François R. Velde

Vlasto Arms

Armoiries de droite:

Ecartelé, aux 1 er et 4 ème d'argent à l'aigle bicéphale éployée de sable, lampassée de gueules, posée sur un sceptre, surmontée d'une couronne royale du champ. Aux 2 ème et 3 ème de gueules, chargé de trois boutons de sinople, fleuris d'argent, posés en pal, rangés en fasce.

Casque: de profile a cinq grilles

Lambrequins: d'or et de sable

Devise: BLASTANW

Armoiries de gauche:

D'azur à l'aigle d'argent sur une champagne d'or chargée d'un rameau de sinople posé en fasce; au chef d'argent chargé d'une croix pattée de gueules.

Cimier: deux ailes d'argent sortant de chaque côté dur casque

Casque: de face à quatre grilles

Lambrequins: d'or et de sinople

Devise: BLASTANW

(See: Archivo Antico Biblioteca Universitaria, Padova, Consiglieri, Nazione Ultramarina, No. 482)

Tapestry versions of the arms described above.

See other pages concerning the history of the Vlasto family

Having sought and failed to obtain the permission of the author to reproduce this extract (published on the WWW), I gratefully acknowledge

his work and contribution to this subject – CAL

© Christopher Long (1998). Copyright, Syndication & All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

The text and graphical content of this and linked documents are the copyright of their author and or creator and site designer, Christopher Long, unless otherwise stated. No publication, reproduction or exploitation of this material may be made in any form prior to clear written

agreement of terms with the author or his agents.

Christopher Long   Hellenic Heraldry's roots are lost in the mists of time. It is believed by many that the ancient Greeks were the first to use symbols consistenly and over many generations to identify a warrior,

clan or city state. In Aescylus' tragedy "Seven Against Thebes" we have the first record of a shield blazon.    ANCIENT PERIOD

   Aeschylus describes with detail the devices found on each general's battle shields and how they were recognized more easily with those devices in battle while wearing their classical Greek hoplite helmets. Armour was very expensive and the arms of each warrior were almost always passed down to his eldest son along with the devices painted on them. Soon each family was easily identified with its coat of arms. Thus, some have credited the ancient Greeks with the first hereditary use of familial arms.

   In addition, Greek city states are the first recorded use of state heraldry. Each city state in Ancient Greece had its own coat of arms. Athens had the Owl, symbol of the city's protector goddess Athena, and of wisdom. The island of Aegina, where the first coins ever used in the world were struck, had the sea turtle and so on and so forth. These emblems were placed on the coins of each city and were prominently featured at the entrance gates and ports of each city.

   The fearsome armies of Sparta marched into battle in formation carrying identical shields with a red Lambda painted on them which stood for Lakedaimon, the original name of Sparta, which serves as another example of well established military and state heraldry.

   The Roman occupation continued the tradition of state heraldry in the roman armies, who marched under the Roman eagle, but familial heraldry in Greece waned and all but dissapeared during this period because the Greeks no longer had arms to pass down to their sons. They were now citizens of the Roman empire and Greek Hoplite citizen armies ceased to exist.

    BYZANTINE PERIOD

   When Constantine the Great moved the capital of the empire from Rome to the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium, which later was named Constantinople, he started a new period in Greek history. The Roman empire was Hellenized and its religion officially changed to christianity. This era ushered Heraldry back into the Hellenic world.

   The first few hundred years retained roman characteristics and thus not much use of coats of arms. However, interaction with the west and the introduction of the feudal system in Byzantium brought back the use of familial heraldry. The noble families, initially, of the empire began using heraldic devices to identify their families. There are many records of Byzantine heraldry which have survived, with modifications, to the modern era, still in use by Greek families.

   Byzantine heraldry flourished during the last two centuries of the empire. The empire was most commonly known by the double headed eagle crowned holding an orb on one claw and a sword on the other. This symbolized that the empire ruled the east and the west. The Imperial arms born by the emperor in battle consisted of a shield divided in four quadrangles by a cross, each quadrant containing and outward facing beta "B". This stood for "Basileus Basileon Basilevein Basilevonton" which means in ancient Greek: "King of Kings Ruling over Rulers". The double headed eagle made its way into many family arms. Initially it was only allowed to be used by families that at some point had given an emperor to the empire, but eventually other smaller branches of those families used a version of the eagle in their arms.

   The Byzantine empire inspired awe to the medieval world and the other rulers of the time. Even when its lands were slowly disappearing its ammassed wealth, its court ceremony, huge churches and buildings left visiting dignitaries and diplomats awe struck. Byzantine princesses that would marry other kings would bring a piece of that pomp and ceremony with them to their new courts. The combination of these two would introduce elements of Greco-Byzantine  heraldry into the western world and the medieval kingdoms of Europe. Russian Tsars outright took the double headed eagle from Byzantium and used it as the arms of their empire. Many other rulers

incorporated Byzantine heraldry into their arms after the fall of the Byzantine empire to the Turks.

   When Constantinople fell in 1453 all of the noble families of Byzantium fled to Europe and with them they brought their arms. Many went to Italy and France and the majority fled to the last remaining strongholds of Greece proper, mostly in the Peloponese, the Aegean Islands and the Eptanese Islands of Western Greece. The Turkish Ottoman occupation was a dark four hundred years for Hellenism but Greek Heraldry proved to be as resilients as its people.

   FRANKISH AND VENETIAN OCCUPATION

   Before the fall of Constantinople Greece proper, a byzantine province at the time, fell piece by piece to crusading knights from western Europe. These European knights, mostly French and Italian, on their way back from the holly lands decided to settle in Greece and start new duchies and principalities there. Along with the European occupation came the heraldry of these nobles. Their coats of arms can still be found carved in many medieval castles they built throughout Greece. These new princes granted titles of nobility to many of their new Greek subjects and along with the titles came grants of arms.

   When the Byzantine empire fell many of these principalities were swallowed up by the Ottoman onslaught. However, as mentioned earlier, a few areas remained independent of the Turks and under their former rulers. The Venetians consolidated their power over these few remaining areas and used them as trading posts and ports for their vast fleet. The Venetians granted nobility and arms to many Greek families. The most prolific arm-granting activity seems to have been in the Eptanese Islands (Corfu, Zakynthos, Kefallonia, Lefkada, Ithaca, Kythera) which was the region longest under the rule of Venice. Each island had adopted the Italian practice of keeping a libro d'oro (golden book) listing all the noble families, time of enoblement, and their arms. Unfortunately most of these books were burned publicly on the town squares of these islands in the 19th century during peasant revolts and after the independence of the islands from the Venetian rule. However, most of the families themselves kept their own archives and later crossreferenced them with records in Italy. POST-REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD

  After the Greek independence revolution of 1821 against the Ottoman Turks the first modern independent Greek nation was founded. The first Greek congress voted for a monarchy to be established in Greece. The young Bavarian Prince Otto was named king of Greece as Otto I. The first Royal arms of Greece were loosely derived from the arms of Bavaria. When Otto was forced to abdicate, a short period of a governorship under Count Kapodistrias was followed by a vote for a return to Monarchy. the Danish Prince who became George I King of the Hellenes would be the founder of the dynasty that would rule Greece for a little over a hundred years.

   During this last era leading into the modern times no official attempt , at least none that this writer knows of, was made to organize heraldry in Greece. Further, the Kings did not grant titles or arms. The royals and the state had coats of arms but there are no known grants or any type of heraldic college founded between 1864 and 1967 at which time King Constantine was deposed by the millitary coup.

   In a region that has gone through so much turbulence and instability, successive wars and destruction it would be hard to preserve genealogical records and along with that Heraldry in an organized form. This is the case in Greece where official records, the few that were kept by whoever controlled the land at the time, were repeatedly destroyed by the next conqueror or invader. The last such destruction being that of the state registrar records by the invading Nazi forces during World War II.

   However, through familial record keeping, manuscripts from other countries, and historical research many  Greek family arms are still documented and are around to remind us of the presevearance and tenacity of the Greek people.

   Hellenic Heraldry is thus an accurate reflection of Greek history itself. Whether its background was derived from crusading knights, Byzantine nobles, Venetian counts or Genoese aristocrats Hellenic Heraldry is still distinctly Greek and even though neglected it can and should be preserved for the next generations.