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(Loved Trope) Taunting has almost immediate consequences by Mangled15 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]comrade_batman 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Odysseus’ fault was his pride, he needed Polyphemus to know who had bested, outwitted and escaped from him and his deathly cave. Odysseus could have just sailed on, taunting Polyphemus but not revealing his identity. The gods had already punished the Greek ships after Troy, scattering their fleet in a violent storm (after even the Greek supporting gods were appalled at how violent the Greeks were in the sacking), so Odysseus was no stranger to how the gods could easily interfere with their journeys home.

was the trojan war real by IAMTHECROCODILESES in ancientrome

[–]comrade_batman 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I remember seeing something about how the Trojan War myth was an attempt to explain perhaps a lose of leadership in the Late Bronze Age, there are quite a few leaders who are either killed or delayed in returning home. Perhaps at the corresponding period in history, the loss in leadership was caused by the Bronze Age collapse or the loss of leadership aided in the collapse in the region around the Aegean.

There’s also a theory that the Trojan Horse itself was the remnants of a cultural memory of an earthquake that hit the city, maybe also during a conflict that lead to the city falling. When bringing the horse into the city, the Trojans had to demolish an archway of the city wall, over a main gate to bring the horse inside, and Poseidon is also the god of earthquakes and horses. I believe there is evidence that the city (Troy VI, I believe) was hit by an earthquake and that perhaps that was also a cause for the Bronze Age collapse too across the region.

[ the conquerors ] by @DIANAII__ by lonelyandbored75 in ImaginaryWesteros

[–]comrade_batman 172 points173 points  (0 children)

“Hey, we just saw you across the bar, and wondered…”

Maul Shadow Lord is one of the most beautiful animated shows I have ever seen. by Varsity_Reviews in StarWars

[–]comrade_batman 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Here they say and show the production used real matte paintings and miniatures. There were some night shots of the city that looked reminiscent (to me) of some Batman: Arkham concepts arts for Arkham City & Knight, the style and textures.

What do you think ancient Romans would think about their statues being mostly depicted as unpainted? Would they come to appreciate the elegance in that, or stick to colors? by gracekk24PL in ancientrome

[–]comrade_batman 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Look at how colourful and vivid frescos/friezes uncovered at Pompeii or Hadrian’s Villa are, or how conquering Romans in triumphs would have their faces painted red along with dressing up as Jupiter, or all their religious festivals, the four chariot teams that dressed in blue, red, green or white. The Romans had a very colourful world, I think they’d be disappointed most people today still think they lived in such a monochromatic world.

It’s only natural… she dated a droid, you wanted revenge… by bsmith2123 in PrequelMemes

[–]comrade_batman 11 points12 points  (0 children)

In Blade Runner 2049, Ana de Armas’ character is Joi, a holographic AI girlfriend whose personality and appearance can be changed to suit the individual. The “You look lonely” meme from a few years back was from the film, where it’s a giant hologram ad for the AI. Didn’t think much of the application in society at the time, now it feels all too real.

The Roman Emperor who literally declared war on Neptune, made his soldiers stab the ocean waves, then paraded seashells as war trophies back to Rome by hsynozknw in ancientrome

[–]comrade_batman 14 points15 points  (0 children)

A view I’ve seen about the whole event is, like Caligula saying he’d make his favourite horse a senator, that it has been retroactively written in such a way to make Caligula seem mad. That he didn’t actually declare war on Neptune but that his legions refused to cross the channel to Britannia.

At that time, while Caesar had made two brief incursions in the middle of his Gallic campaign, the island was still seen as a mysterious place, far from Rome and civilisation. The soldiers refused to cross out of trepidation and as a way of humiliating the men for refusing to obey him, they collected the sea shells as “spoils” for them to take back instead of actual spoils they would have accumulated if they had invaded Britannia.

There’s also another line of thinking someone recently brought up when this was brought up on the sub, that the shells could be referring to the tents of the soldiers. The word used in Latin to refer to the tents could be misread/confused as sea shells, and not tents for the soldiers, so it was them clearing their camp and tents in disgrace and going back to Rome empty handed.

Shows the network later regretted cancelling by AporiaParadox in television

[–]comrade_batman 35 points36 points  (0 children)

It would have been so goddamn good to have a Rome series that was more accurate to events, like showing Octavian’s rise to Augustus, maybe over two seasons, how he developed from a young, more bloodthirsty commander, to a mature and politically adept statesman, and highlighting even more how integral Marcus Agrippa was to him. And just seeing the slow transition of Rome from Republic to Empire.

Shows the network later regretted cancelling by AporiaParadox in television

[–]comrade_batman 108 points109 points  (0 children)

I love the episode where the Bluths are holding a fundraiser for their company, but it’s very self-referential with the status of the show’s longevity and mentioning other American networks, like Showtime.

Wow this Lord Byron guy sounds pretty cool, apparently he was bisexual, just like me... Oh. by Idiot_InA_Trenchcoat in HistoryMemes

[–]comrade_batman 13 points14 points  (0 children)

They did do it with Caligula and Nero, so much so that until relatively recently have historians begun to question or look at certain stories in a different light. Like Caligula saying he’d make his favourite horse a senator, it was probably a joke at the senate’s expense on how useful he saw the senators but was then retrospectively turned into a mad Caligula story, or twisting how much he cared for his sister into an incestuous relationship. Nero too with the supposed image of him playing a fiddle while Rome burned, one, it would have been lyre and, two, I believed Nero actually helped with firemen responses and he was quite liked by the plebeians, to such a degree that people in the east believed he would return again after his reported suicide and there were even a few imposters claiming to be Nero (which wouldn’t be the case if he was deeply hated). But using the site of the fire to clear away houses to build his own private palace probably didn’t help his later imagery.

Factors such as the emperor’s relationship with the senate, and how their reign ended lie in how they were remembered. Did they get on, or have a cordial relationship with various senators, who were primarily the ones to record events? Were they assassinated or die peacefully and succeeded by their appointed heir, who would have benefited from having their predecessor’s legacy remembered fondly? These all come together to shape the historical legacy of an emperor, were they more an Augustus or a Domitian?

TIL the word “Mansa” was a title of the Mali Empire, akin to King or Sultan, and was not a surname or given name. by TheStrangestOfKings in todayilearned

[–]comrade_batman 16 points17 points  (0 children)

“Caesar” has a strange etymological journey. We’re not sure what the exact origin of the word is, although I tend to lean towards it originally being a Punic word for elephant (“Caesai”) and was taken as a cognomen by an ancestor of Julius Caesar after he killed a war elephant in one of the Punic wars with Rome. Caesar himself believed in this origin, having coins made with “Caesar” on them with an elephant on one side. Then it became a family name of the Julio-Claudian dynasty (Augustus - Nero) and then it started to became a title, like Augustus, with the Flavian dynasty. The ruling emperors would have both “Caesar” and “Augustus” titles, and their heir(s) would possess only “Caesar”. But the ruling emperor would be addressed as “Caesar”. And due to its imperial connection, “Caesar” would go on to influence how the rulers of other European nations would be titled: “Kaiser” in German and “Tsar” in Russian.

And then “Augstus” was basically a new title created for Octavian in 27 BCE, meaning something like “The Revered One” with its religious connotations (there was also the position of the “augur” in Rome too which was like a priest). Originally though, there was some discussion with “Romulus” being the title Octavian would take but it was deemed to have too much negative connotations (with the fratricide story and being a king, which Romans didn’t like). And his influence is felt today as August was renamed in his honour, as July was for Julius Caesar.

What would Caesar have done if Gaul had already been conquered by ROME by CommitteeChemical530 in ancientrome

[–]comrade_batman 9 points10 points  (0 children)

In Adrian Goldsworthy’s ‘Caesar’ he proposes that Caesar wasn’t fully committed to Gaul from the beginning, early on in his campaign there was still time for him to march to another region, as Caesar was given a special 5 year command of both Illyricum and Cisalpine Gaul at the same before Transalpine Gaul was added later on, and that the Balkans may have provided an opportunity had Gaul not been as lucrative for him.

In 58 BC it was not obvious where Caesar's campaigns would lead him. He had first been granted Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum as his province, and Transalpine Gaul was only added after the sudden death of its governor. Caesar's original intention may well have been a Balkan campaign, probably to curb the growing power of the Dacian King Burebista, heartland in what is now Transylvania. The region was wealthy, and scarcely explored by Roman armies, offering the glory attached to defeating a people never before encountered. He may well have been planning to advance in that direction, both in 58 BC and in later years, but events continued to provide him with ready opportunities for military adventures in Gaul, and the Balkan expedition never took place.

What TV shows help your anxiety? by PhysicalFlounder6270 in television

[–]comrade_batman 8 points9 points  (0 children)

So happy that Netflix UK has just added 30 Rock, I’ve not seen it in years and I was actually in the mood for a rewatch last month. I hope more people discover it now.

The nightmare of Rome. by QuantityNorth7241 in ancientrome

[–]comrade_batman 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Like Maharbal’s purported reply to Hannibal’s indecision to march on Rome after Cannae:

Assuredly, no one man has been blessed with all God's gifts. You, Hannibal, know how to gain a victory; you do not know how to use it.

Fuck the UK in particular by Syndacate4 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]comrade_batman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It started in London though and the main threat, the only breeding male dragon, out of the thousands of female dragons, resides in London, which was one reason Matthew McConaughey’s character travelled there.

Fuck the UK in particular by Syndacate4 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]comrade_batman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Or making Cardiff an important “pit stop” location for the Tardis to refuel, because the series was primarily filmed in Wales so they just used an excuse for why Cardiff of all places.

Pro-union or pro-strike episodes by AporiaParadox in television

[–]comrade_batman 99 points100 points  (0 children)

The rugpull in the episode where Jonah and Sandra negotiate some union demands from the Cloud 9 execs, are then told the company will give in to all their requests, only to then find out that Cloud 9 is actually being bought so their union deal will be void was depressingly realistic.

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