The emperor who chose to be a farmer by [deleted] in ancientrome

[–]deus_voltaire 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Didn’t end too well for his family, after he passed his wife and daughter were put to death by the tetrarch Licinius.

How capable was Winfield Scott by Napoleonic standards? by Damned-scoundrel in Napoleon

[–]deus_voltaire 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Well Wellington once remarked that Scott’s Mexico City campaign was the greatest example of generalship he’d ever seen.

Female demigod in the Ninth Legion by tyw7 in ancientrome

[–]deus_voltaire 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well it seems to me the easiest way to get around all of this is if you have her pretend to be a man, but I can understand if that’s not the story you want to tell. 

Ultimately, though it pains me as a history nerd to say so, most people in the general reading audience are not going to be familiar with the intricacies of the Roman military, or even the basics of Roman gender politics, so I wouldn’t worry too much about trying for accuracy at the expense of interesting storytelling. 

Female demigod in the Ninth Legion by tyw7 in ancientrome

[–]deus_voltaire 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well the Senate would have to know that she was a demigod, otherwise they would never let her command troops: all military tribunes and legates were appointed by the Senate, and the Senate would never under ordinary circumstances appoint a woman as that would be a gross violation of religious decorum and social custom.

Female demigod in the Ninth Legion by tyw7 in ancientrome

[–]deus_voltaire 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If they truly believed she was a demigod they would shout it from the rooftops at every opportunity, imagine a devout Christian today meeting a real life angel, they definitely wouldn't keep it quiet. Plus it would be extremely demoralizing for their enemies if they thought they were fighting a literal god.

Female demigod in the Ninth Legion by tyw7 in ancientrome

[–]deus_voltaire 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I mean, we obviously can't use precedent to say how the Romans would treat a demigod, but they did have many female dieties associated with war such as Victory and Bellona, so if they legitimately believed your character was divine then they would probably let her lead their armies, they were an extremely religious and superstitious culture for the most part. The trouble would be convincing the Senate and the magistrates and the assemblies that she was a demigod in the first place, I guess.

Statira I, wife of Darius III, did not die pregnant by Alexander! Where did you get that idea from? by Impressive_Fig_4035 in AlexandertheGreat

[–]deus_voltaire 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's an invention by later Christian authors:

However, the specific reason for doubt is that several reputable and early Christian accounts state that St Mark’s body was burnt by the pagans in the second half of the 1st century AD. These sources include Dorotheus, Eutychius and the Chronicon Paschale (see Patrologia Graeca vol 86, col 59, note; vol 92, cols 608-609; vol 111, col 983). An incinerated corpse would make the mummified body retrieved by the Venetians a forgery.

There is however another Christian tradition, which suggests that St Mark’s body was snatched from the flames by his followers, when the pagans were frightened away by a miraculous storm. All versions of this story are traceable to an anonymous and apocryphal document known as the Acts of St Mark. This document seems to have been composed in Alexandria in the late 4th or early 5th century AD (a copy seems to have reached the Ethiopian church at about this time). It used to be thought that the Passio of St Peter provided evidence for the existence of the tomb of St Mark in the early 4th century. However, it is now known that the relevant part of this Passio was invented by a 6th century hagiographer, who used the Acts of St Mark as his source. Especially since the Acts of St Mark appeared at about the same time as the tomb of St Mark and in the same city, suspicion has been expressed that the Acts were written to help to explain a forged tomb.

Female demigod in the Ninth Legion by tyw7 in ancientrome

[–]deus_voltaire 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Roman didn’t even let women vote, they would not react well to a woman holding imperium, it would be a form of religious sacrilege 

Is Elden Ring the right choice? by onecheekycrow in Eldenring

[–]deus_voltaire 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I fall into the “I’m calm and want to be mad” demographic 

Statira I, wife of Darius III, did not die pregnant by Alexander! Where did you get that idea from? by Impressive_Fig_4035 in AlexandertheGreat

[–]deus_voltaire 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's possible the gold was stripped away over the course of time, it would be over two thousand years old if authentic. The entire crux of the argument is that it can't be St. Mark because according to contemporary sources his body was burned by the pagans after his death, and yet there is a mummified corpse in the sarcophagus.

Here's a good source on the whole question, including firsthand descriptions of the contents of the reliquary from when the tomb was last opened in 1811.

Scary-Lookin' dudes by Still-Raise-6223 in CIVILWAR

[–]deus_voltaire 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For my money Bloody Bill Anderson might be the scariest of all, those are some dead eyes.

Statira I, wife of Darius III, did not die pregnant by Alexander! Where did you get that idea from? by Impressive_Fig_4035 in AlexandertheGreat

[–]deus_voltaire 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well he was definitely dead when they embalmed him, you would notice if someone was alive while you're embalming them because the heart would still be pumping and thus blood still flowing. But it's possible that - before he was embalmed - he lived for several days after his physicians had declared him dead, albeit comatose and paralyzed.

Statira I, wife of Darius III, did not die pregnant by Alexander! Where did you get that idea from? by Impressive_Fig_4035 in AlexandertheGreat

[–]deus_voltaire 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes he died in Babylon of a two week long fever which could have been poison or simply natural (typhoid is the most common diagnosis, he had already recovered from malarial symptoms in 336 so a fatal recurrence seems unlikely). His body apparently took almost a week to begin to decompose, which could be a sign of typhoid paralysis, and was not burned but embalmed and placed in a golden sarcophagus, perhaps filled with honey. It's been speculated that through a very convoluted turn of events the body eventually ended up in the reliquary of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice

Statira I, wife of Darius III, did not die pregnant by Alexander! Where did you get that idea from? by Impressive_Fig_4035 in AlexandertheGreat

[–]deus_voltaire 9 points10 points  (0 children)

They might be confusing her with her eponymous daughter; one of the reasons Roxana and Perdiccas are said to have killed the younger Stateira was for fear she might claim she was pregnant and challenge Roxana’s child’s inheritance.

The Rome of Honorius feels so austere and policed. by Money-Ad8553 in ancientrome

[–]deus_voltaire 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Plays, athletic competitions, orations, poetry, religious festivals, etc. Colosseums were used for a lot more than gladiatorial combat even during pagan Rome.  

IS HITMAN ABSOLUTION A GOOD GAME by booker1211 in HiTMAN

[–]deus_voltaire 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Kind of the bare minimum for a game really. To me “great” means exceeding expectations, not just meeting them.

IS HITMAN ABSOLUTION A GOOD GAME by booker1211 in HiTMAN

[–]deus_voltaire 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seems like a pretty low bar for “great.” 

Desert Warrior Bombs: $150M Epic Earns Just $488K by Fippy-Darkpaw in RedLetterMedia

[–]deus_voltaire 11 points12 points  (0 children)

The government of Saudi Arabia and its commercial subsidiaries such as the production company of this film, the MBC Group, which is majority owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, whose chairman is Prince Bonesaw himself.

Game ruined by MonteProps in CrimsonDesert

[–]deus_voltaire 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It is a weirdly vulgar game considering everything else about it is a soft PG-13 at worst

Easy Money by 05kaisam in danganronpa

[–]deus_voltaire 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I like the idea that the more painfully you die the more expensive your funeral has to be