Aurelia
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Posts posted by Aurelia
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Lovely stuff - but it might not be wise to read it before going to bed...
Was the cradle of civilization also the birthplace of atrocity? Historians have been researching the most extreme forms of torture in the ancient world. Among other things, they have found that, back then, "sitting in the tub" was actually a pretty nasty way to kick the bucket.
A new book, "Extreme Formen von Gewalt in Bild und Text des Altertums" (Extreme Violence in the Visuals and Texts of Antiquity) by Martin Zimmerman, a professor of ancient history in Munich, looks at current research into the kinds of violence that inspired "loathing, dread, horror and disgust."
Full review here.
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Hmmm, could this be true?
Stone Age humans were adept chemists who whipped up a sophisticated kind of natural glue, a new study says.
They knowingly tweaked the chemical and physical properties of an iron-containing pigment known as red ochre with the gum of acacia trees to create adhesives for their shafted tools.
Read more here
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My tv guide describes 'Torchwood', the spin-off of 'Doctor Who' (can't be taken serious as a sci-fi series without at least a few spinn-offs) as ''a mix between 'Star Trek', 'CSI', '24' and 'The X-files''.'
Notice they don't even mention 'Doctor Who' himself.
So a mix between four shows ( well, 27 more likely if you count all the spin-offs ) that are to be avoided at all cost. That must be worth watching.
No, and I don't care which 'CSI' series you do like, Miami, Philadelphia or Sioux Falls.
I'll make an exception for the first '24' series. But, couldn't you have guessed it ? They just had to make another one and another one and another one .... How many times can you save the world and the human race in 24 hours ?
And if anyone dares to mention 'Heroes', I'll really get mad. I saw one of those nobody-actors in a talk show and he was proudly explaining that, yes, it was a big budget show. No expenses were being spared. 'You see, a lot of the action is situated in New York, but ... the series is filmed in LA. So they had to move half of NY to LA : taxi's, what not, to create an authentic looking set ...'
Really, the stupidity is mind boggling.
But, say, Nephele, how come they asked you to come up with a title for that 'Doctor Who' spin-off ?
F
rmosusFV,
What channel is Torchwood on? I'd like to check it out one of these days.
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Sadly, Marion Zimmer Bradley must be consigned to the ranks of derivative works.
And dull, Calders - she's so Dull! I remember slogging through The Mists of Avalon years ago and giving up half way.
Noooo, it's not dull! I remember reading it for the first time when I was 13 and I think I must have re-read it at least 4 or 5 times after that (it was one of my favourite novels for quite some time). True, I haven't tried to read it again in a while, but I do have fond memories of it...
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Well done to you, Aurelia - a true individual. I take my hat off to you
Thanks, Augusta, I had missed you comment. Let's just hope I can live up to all these expectations.
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Ludovicus,
I found an interesting link that deals with the status of slave women in ancient Rome and, I think, addresses your question. Don't know how reliable it is though.
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Hmmm, went to see it yesterday and have to say I was not too impressed. I thought it would be interesting to watch it on the big screen as I was expecting Lord of the Rings-like CGI. But as it turns out, I could have saved 9 euros and just wait for it to be released on DVD.
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So yup, I'd say our Roman woman, 21st century lass, western or otherwise, or your average (I stress average) female in any society wants a good marriage, to enjoy social status in her peer group, would prefer wealth to poverty, and would probably like to give that little cow down the road a good slap. And should it happen that the average woman does not want to raise a brood of bonny bouncing children, the human race is in trouble.
The major difference is that the 21st century lass has more choices for her life than her ancient Roman counterpart may have had, "basic human traits" notwithstanding.
A "good marriage" may not be as appealing to the modern woman as it was to her ancient counterpart. The laws of modern society may favor the independent woman more than did the laws of ancient society, thereby making it easier for a woman to earn her own living without the welcome protection (or obstruction) of a husband or pater familias.
I believe that your 21st century lass (of an industrialized nation) is vastly different from her ancient Roman counterpart. Granted, both may want many of the same things for themselves -- but the modern woman will want more. Because she knows that more is possible for her. Her very behavior is guided by such knowledge.
Furthermore, the "average woman" (of a modern, industrialized nation) does not want "to raise a brood of bonny bouncing children." She wants to have perhaps one to three children, and most especially she wants a government-provided public school system to help raise her children for her. She wants that so much, that she is willing to demand that she and her neighbors pay higher taxes to insure the provision of "better" public schools for her children, with perks that include pre-kindergarten classes, school lunch programs, after-school activities, and more.
Matrons of ancient Rome would regard the modern woman with much suspicion, I believe.
-- Nephele
Amen to that. I agree 100%. It's all about having options, something that women in the past unfortunately did not have.
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This girl sure likes building... and destroying...
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The male skeleton was discovered in 1972, north of Kingsholm Square and ever since experts have wondered where he came from. Now, the Gloucester City Museum has had funding for the analysis of the skeleton using new technology to work out where he originated. Member and former president of The Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, Carolyn Heighway, said: "We believe he was a special person in the late Roman period in Gloucester, judging by his grand belt and buckles and that sort of thing.
For more. click here.
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I've never been much of a Star Trek fan but I would actually like to see this one!
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Haha! So much for the article I posted here a while ago. I'm assuming it's the same bust we're talking about?
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Mallory's work was a later version of the Arthurian story and yet it often gets the credit for being the source. In fact, many Arthurian tales were originally derived from either celtic legend or Geoffery of Monmouths 'interesting' history of Britain. Sadly, Marion Zimmer Bradley must be consigned to the ranks of derivative works.
Oh, yes, absolutely. I don't regard MZ Bradley's work as original but it's still good fun!
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The first literary work dealing with the legend of King Arthur I read was La Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory, when I was around 13. I remember thinking it was rather dry so I switched over to The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, hehe...
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I visited the Catacombs of S. Domitilla last year. I remember seeing all these blocked passages and wondered why we didn't have access to them. And our tour was pretty short (about 15/20 mins max). Now I know why...
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Wow, imagine being part of something like this!
I love the little dog wearing a leather (?) jacket at 2:45. :-)
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Right... tape has gone to charity!
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Hmmmm... The mediterranean appearance of many Welsh, Irish and Breton individuals is well attested - I even have two work colleagues who come from Wales, and and have a distinctly Spanish 'look'. Oppenheimer (Origins of the Brtitish) comments on this and even provides photographs. I could also give as examples 'The Edge' from U2, and the actor Stanley Baker (Zulu).
Let's not forget the Scots - lots of swarthy types up there too.
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Happy birthday, Ursus and welcome to the club. Here's a little something to bring out the child in you.
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Very sad to read about old monasteries being used as sheep pens...
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/english/domesti...34871.asp?scr=1
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Concerning IIII vs. IV, I found this on Wikipedia:
The notation of Roman numerals has varied through the centuries. Originally, it was common to use IIII to represent four, because IV represented the Roman god Jupiter, whose Latin name, IVPPITER, begins with IV. The subtractive notation (which uses IV instead of IIII) has become the standard notation only in modern times.This is something I had already noticed before: that on most clock faces IIII is normally used instead of IV...
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Stone Age Superglue Found
in Archaeological News: The World
Posted
I totally agree. The suggestion that pre-historic humans were producing superglue at will is a wild guess at best. The first thought that went through my mind was that this must surely have been an accident.
But I guess anything goes if what you want is for people to notice you.