Marble Original: 1150, Arms 1241 Ascalon To the victor go the spoils. This large slab of white marble was a prize won in battle. It had first been used to record the building of a tower in Ascalon during the reign of the Fatimid caliph al-Zafir (1149-1154). The cities defenses were inadequate against the attacks of Crusaders, among them Sir Hugh of Wake (d. 1241). For Sir Hugh's purposes, a mason turned the inscription on its side and cut through it, superimposing the Englishman's coat of arms and two smaller, unidentified ones. The intended use is unknown, but the message concerning who is in charge is clear. The memories of both the tower and the knight wer revived when this slab was excavatd in Ascalon several decades ago.
aperture=f2.8 focal length: 90.0 mm exposure 1/100 sec ISO: 2500