Fanal
Fanal (from Italian fanale 'lamp', 'torch', which comes from the Greek fanos ) came from Italy to Germany in the 18th to 19th centuries as the name for a beacon . With agreed smoke and flame signals, certain messages were transmitted over short distances in ancient times , for example among the Persians, Greeks and Romans, until the early modern era . See also chalk fire , noise fire and high watch .
In the military, the fanal was used as a vertically erected pole, at the upper end of which combustible material such as tow or wool soaked with tar and pitch was attached. When the fanal was ignited, an intense flame was created with heavy smoke formation, so that it could serve as a signal transmitter both during the day and in the dark . It was set up on high points in the landscape in order to be able to alert scattered outpost positions and troops.
Today's meaning
Today, a fanal means an attention-grabbing and change announcing sign, often in the form of a meaningful, momentous or symbolic event or such an act ("set a beacon", "a beacon of hope").
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Brockhaus - the encyclopedia in 24 volumes. 20th edition Leipzig: Brockhaus, 1996–1999; Volume 7, p. 103
- ↑ Fanāl . In: Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon . 6th edition. Volume 6, Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig / Vienna 1906, p. 309 .
- ↑ Meyer's encyclopaedic lexicon in 25 volumes. 9th edition Mannheim: Bibliografisches Institut, 1971–1979; Volume 8, p. 498