• Ultraviolet light reveals how ancient Greek statues really looked
    125 replies, posted
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;24225665]Pretiacruento, are you by any chance studying history for a career?[/QUOTE] Nope, not really... but I did find out I really like reading about ancient history [editline]11:21PM[/editline] Currently I'm digging into ancient Egyptian history... I've never really got the hang of 'em
Fun fact: Greeks only saw sex between two men useful when one of the participents was a boy. Even then, it was done because they thought two things: 1. Men are the only beings capable of having true love, as women are simply mobile wombs and 2. Semen contains the knowledge and experience of the donor. Even then, Greeks saw relationships between two grown men unusual, even childish. Romans, on the other hand, saw homosexuality more as a useless triviality that "those strange foreigners do." Speaking of foreigners, the word Barbarian means "Foreigner" in Latin, although it's an adopted word from Greek. At it's most basic, the word is meant as an onomatopoeia: Romans/Greeks believed that anyone speaking in their native tongue (aka, non Greek/Latin) might as well be saying, "Bar bar bar bar" (an ancient equivalent of "blah blah blah.") I've found saying barbarbar out loud is unusually hilarious, I believe the Greeks/Romans saw the same humor in it. Of course, they also thought toads went Bre ke ke coax coax instead of the usual "croak" that we associate with the sound toads make.
Amazing
Ancient history, best history. My history classes were packed to the brim with content, and our teacher told it quite vividly and added some [I]more[/I] content while he told his stuff.
[QUOTE=Pretiacruento;24225719]Nope, not really... but I did find out I really like reading about ancient history [editline]11:21PM[/editline] Currently I'm digging into ancient Egyptian history... I've never really got the hang of 'em[/QUOTE] Though you're not making a career out of it, awesome none the less :hist101:
[QUOTE=Canuhearme?;24225733] 1. Men are the only beings capable of having true love, as women are simply mobile wombs and [/QUOTE] Wasn't this something socrates also mentioned a few times. I only had a few vague lessons about this guy, so I'm probably incorrect.
[QUOTE=articpenguin;24225547]Is it just for clothing/armor or does it work with skin as well?[/QUOTE] I'm pretty sure they had a very special way to pick and come up with the skin colors for their statues... the attention to detail on those statues must have been staggering back then I can only imagine what could have happened to a painter who didn't get the Caesar's skin color right :v: [editline]11:29PM[/editline] [QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;24225808]Though you're not making a career out of it, awesome none the less :hist101:[/QUOTE] Thanks, bro :3: For now it's just a pastime I enjoy a lot
[QUOTE=Pretiacruento;24225832] I can only imagine what could have happened to a painter who didn't get the Caesar's skin color right :v:[/QUOTE] Thinking about the fact that they randomly killed slaves to prove an useless point, in an useless discussion about a random subject, probably some pretty gruesome things.
I'm a bit surprised that the clothing around Augustus is reddish instead of purple, seeing as purple was a royal color. Unless that's just how the UV makes purple show up.
[QUOTE=Elexar;24225872]Thinking about the fact that they randomly killed slaves to prove an useless point, in an useless discussion about a random subject, probably some pretty gruesome things.[/QUOTE] Some owners were quite nice to their slaves, while others were downright sadistic (one text we read mentioned a slaveowner throwing unruly slaves into a pool filled with hungry lampreys.) The basic rule was that Greek slaves were practically treated like second class citizens, while slaves from the north (Gaul, Brittania, Germanica, etc.) were used as the harder labor. Scorpious, correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the top three desirable slave nationalities Greek, Gaul, and Thrace?
[img]http://wiki.nexuswar.com/images/thumb/f/f7/FCeye.gif/250px-FCeye.gif[/img] I am sorry, citizen, but these Greek statues are currently placed at Security Clearance ULTRAVIOLET. Seeing any of the true colors contained within these statues without appropriate security clearance is considered treason. Please proceed directly to the nearest available Termination Booth. Have a fantastic day!
[QUOTE=Cheezy;24225149]That statue of Caesar looks better unpainted I think. It looks really kitchy when painted.[/QUOTE] ^ this, a thousand times. the rest are really nice, though. Love you, science !
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;24225926]I'm a bit surprised that the clothing around Augustus is reddish instead of purple, seeing as purple was a royal color. Unless that's just how the UV makes purple show up.[/QUOTE] I'm not surprised if it was actually red; the Romans were awfully skittish about anything even resembling a king, and Augustus [I]was[/I] emperor during the "Golden age" of Rome (and a socially conservative "traditional" one at that) so I doubt he'd actually want those colors to be associated with him.
[QUOTE=Canuhearme?;24225937]Some owners were quite nice to their slaves, while others were downright sadistic (one text we read mentioned a slaveowner throwing unruly slaves into a pool filled with hungry lampreys.) The basic rule was that Greek slaves were practically treated like second class citizens, while slaves from the north (Gaul, Brittania, Germanica, etc.) were used as the harder labor. Scorpious, correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the top three desirable slave nationalities Greek, Gaul, and Thrace?[/QUOTE] That is correct. Especially from Greece. It was considered to greatly up your social status if you had a Greek slave, who were usually used as tutors for their children. Greek slaves could barely be called "slave" in a sense, as most were extremely well treated and had more liberty than most others in servitude. [editline]09:39PM[/editline] [QUOTE=Canuhearme?;24225959]I'm not surprised if it was actually red; the Romans were awfully skittish about anything even resembling a king, and Augustus [I]was[/I] emperor during the "Golden age" of Rome (and a socially conservative "traditional" one at that) so I doubt he'd actually want those colors to be associated with him.[/QUOTE] That is true. I don't know why I didn't realize it before, but he's wearing armor, so the red cloth would make sense with the armor, as he's somewhat dressed for battle.
Someone needs to make a thread about the Roman Republic/Empire, these discussions are really making me reminisce about my time in Latin class.
I'd like to believe Augustus's skin color was actually that white, it's funnier that way. This is all pretty cool none the less, makes you wonder how ancient buildings looked. Imagine how the Parthenon might have looked...
[QUOTE=Canuhearme?;24226017]Someone needs to make a thread about the Roman Republic/Empire, these discussions are really making me reminisce about my time in Latin class.[/QUOTE] I thought about it once, but then I saw some other guy make a thread about the Byzantine Empire. Along with box rape, the thread only lasted 2 pages and died. The Roman Empire might hold better though.
Well that's because it was the Byzantine Empire, which in my opinion doesn't even count as a true successor to the Roman Empire. Hell, we could go for two pages simply talking about Roman military ingenuity, from the lorica segmentata to the specific design of the gladius (designed specifically with formation maneuvering in mind) to the pilum.
Or just Greek Culture, the roman empire is ultimately part of it. [editline]04:56AM[/editline] But roman empire would be a lot on it's own, anyhow. [editline]04:57AM[/editline] Now that I come to think of it, does anyone have any books about the roman military to recommend? I've honestly never read up on that subject. Quite a shame.
Another reason I like ancient history so much: Astérix :3: Does anybody remember that old movie, where they had to complete like, 7 tests or something?? [editline]11:59PM[/editline] The historical content in those movies/comic books is amazing
[QUOTE=Elexar;24226333]Or just Greek Culture, the roman empire is ultimately part of it. [editline]04:56AM[/editline] But roman empire would be a lot on it's own, anyhow. [editline]04:57AM[/editline] Now that I come to think of it, does anyone have any books about the roman military to recommend? I've honestly never read up on that subject. Quite a shame.[/QUOTE] I'd recommend searching through your local library for books related to the Roman Empire, specifically relating to the military. I don't know any specific books that would contain everything you need, which is why I recommend picking out two or three books that look informative from your local library.
The pyramids were also covered in white marble and capped with gold.
[QUOTE=Pretiacruento;24226393] The historical content in those movies/comic books is amazing[/QUOTE] Indeed. Although they don't always get the facts straight, they're wonderful to watch. My personal favorite is Kingdom of Heaven, about the fall of Jerusalem a hundred years after the first crusade. The DVD I have even has a special feature that when turned on will show historical facts in captions at the bottom about each scene.
[QUOTE=Cheezy;24225149]That statue of Caesar looks better unpainted I think. It looks really kitchy when painted.[/QUOTE] I think most of them do, actually. Leaves more to the imagination. Kinda like a chick who leaves [I]some [/I]clothes on:keke:
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;24226611]Indeed. Although they don't always get the facts straight, they're wonderful to watch. My personal favorite is Kingdom of Heaven, about the fall of Jerusalem a hundred years after the first crusade. The DVD I have even has a special feature that when turned on will show historical facts in captions at the bottom about each scene.[/QUOTE] Oh man now I'm craving some Astérix DVDs! brb Amazon :v:
I wonder how Trajan's Column would of looked painted. I went to Florence and Rome this past March, and both cities were absolutely breathtaking. The Colosseum, the Pantheon, Trajan's Column...I was in heaven haha.
I've unfortunately never been to Rome, much less Italy :saddowns: In fact, the only European country I've ever spent any time in was Ireland (3 years.)
[QUOTE=Canuhearme?;24226790]I've unfortunately never been to Rome, much less Italy :saddowns:[/QUOTE] Welcome to the club... :smith:
I think they look cooler without the colour
[QUOTE=Canuhearme?;24225298]Hell, they had [I]heated floors.[/I][/QUOTE] Much as I hate to quote Monty Python... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExWfh6sGyso[/media]
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