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  • JusticeforPlutoJusticeforPluto Registered User regular
    Juggernut wrote: »
    Ancient people were notoriously extra and I feel like we could learn a lot tbh

    Counter point, our rich are super extra. We're just detached from the past rich to not be passed at the waste of wealth.

    Some Anatolian sheep herder would probably feel the same way about that tent as we would seeing someone buy an expensive sports car and a private jet.

  • Captain InertiaCaptain Inertia Registered User regular
    TheStig wrote: »
    I have a tent now

    In my pants

    I'm not following

    It’s an erection

    Of a tent

  • Houk the NamebringerHouk the Namebringer Nipples The EchidnaRegistered User regular
    TheStig wrote: »
    TheStig wrote: »
    I have a tent now

    In my pants

    I'm not following

    that's good, it's always a bad idea to follow someone into their pants tent

    Come again?

    no thank you

  • tynictynic PICNIC BADASS Registered User, ClubPA regular
    Cooool



    Text:
    One of the oldest images of Osho/Shiva, on the reverse of the coin of Kushan King, Vima Kadphises 85-120AD. The image is closely based on classical Greek images of Herakles & Poseidon, raising the interesting question if that is the ultimate source of Lord Shiva's trident/trishul

    (Commenters cast doubt upon the last claim about the trident but regardless this is a cool example of cultural cross pollination)

  • The Cow KingThe Cow King a island Registered User regular
    I just had a coinc collection will some old Roman and Chinese dynasty coins cool as heck

    Even some traitor backs and Weimer Republic inflation banana dollars

    icGJy2C.png
  • GvzbgulGvzbgul Registered User regular
    Hmmm. That is bringing to mind a example of West to East pollination. I'm thinking, a Greek god who became a Buddhist god in China iirc?

    I can definitely remember an example of East to West, the tale of a Saint Josaphat is a westernised version of the story of Buddha in his father's palace.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barlaam_and_Josaphat

  • NeveronNeveron HellValleySkyTree SwedenRegistered User regular
    Gvzbgul wrote: »
    Hmmm. That is bringing to mind a example of West to East pollination. I'm thinking, a Greek god who became a Buddhist god in China iirc?

    Are you thinking about how Hercules/Heracles became syncretized with Vajrapani, perhaps?

    Greco-Buddhism is kind of wild and it's crazy how interconnected the ancient world was. Pop culture would have you believe that the Roman Empire and India existed in two separate worlds, but then Strabo writes about how an Indian monk burned himself to death in Athens.

    Alexander the Great conquered all the way to India, and it's not like there wasn't any cross-pollination at that point. e.g. Pyrrho, the first Greek Skeptic, was in Alexander's army and was inspired by Buddhism in developing his own philosophy.

  • JusticeforPlutoJusticeforPluto Registered User regular
    I don't know to much about the history of Buddhism but I always found it odd that it developed in India but really took off in East Asia.

  • NeveronNeveron HellValleySkyTree SwedenRegistered User regular
    There was a lot of religious persecution in India over the millenia, from what I understand, so it got pushed outwards.

  • ToxTox I kill threads he/himRegistered User regular
    Also Zoroastrianism developed in Persia/Iran I want to say before Buddhism so there's also that.

    Twitter! | Dilige, et quod vis fac
  • DepressperadoDepressperado I just wanted to see you laughing in the pizza rainRegistered User regular
    do people- do people still worship the old Greek or Roman Gods, do you think?

    are there temples where people cook the flesh of sacrificial animals so the Gods can feast on the delicious scent?
    is there some guy in a navy who prays to Poseidon before his ship heads out?

    'cause I could get down with that.

  • MadicanMadican No face Registered User regular
    It's especially surprising since I would think that a caste based society's upper class would love a religion that says people suffering is justified based on what they did in a previous life and that acceptance of the suffering is vital. That seems tailor made for caste societies since it encourages the lower classes to not rebel.

  • cB557cB557 voOOP Registered User regular
    do people- do people still worship the old Greek or Roman Gods, do you think?

    are there temples where people cook the flesh of sacrificial animals so the Gods can feast on the delicious scent?
    is there some guy in a navy who prays to Poseidon before his ship heads out?

    'cause I could get down with that.
    There's no like, actual continuity with ancient Greek or Roman traditions, but there are some hippies who are trying to make "neopaganism" a thing.

  • StraightziStraightzi Here we may reign secure, and in my choice, To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User regular
    Tox wrote: »
    Also Zoroastrianism developed in Persia/Iran I want to say before Buddhism so there's also that.

    Around the same time, depending on who you ask

    My world religions professor used to always say that if he had a time machine he would go to 600 BCE just to see what the hell was going on to cause so many religions to spring up or undergo major changes all around the same time

  • ToxTox I kill threads he/himRegistered User regular
    do people- do people still worship the old Greek or Roman Gods, do you think?

    are there temples where people cook the flesh of sacrificial animals so the Gods can feast on the delicious scent?
    is there some guy in a navy who prays to Poseidon before his ship heads out?

    'cause I could get down with that.

    Yeah, definitely
    cB557 wrote: »
    There's no like, actual continuity with ancient Greek or Roman traditions, but there are some hippies who are trying to make "neopaganism" a thing.

    Not just hippies! Some actually do legitimate historical research and actually try to, like, emulate the mysteries (what very little can be understood) and other aspects of authentic pre-Christian worship.

    Twitter! | Dilige, et quod vis fac
  • StraightziStraightzi Here we may reign secure, and in my choice, To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User regular
    I'm pretty sure they're still hippies, even if they're doing legitimate historical research

  • PiptheFairPiptheFair Frequently not in boats. Registered User regular
    Straightzi wrote: »
    Tox wrote: »
    Also Zoroastrianism developed in Persia/Iran I want to say before Buddhism so there's also that.

    Around the same time, depending on who you ask

    My world religions professor used to always say that if he had a time machine he would go to 600 BCE just to see what the hell was going on to cause so many religions to spring up or undergo major changes all around the same time

    600 bc would be roughly a century or two after the dark ages wound down and a bunch of successors started flourishing instead of just surviving

  • GvzbgulGvzbgul Registered User regular
    edited February 2021
    I dunno about actual coherent systems of belief, but superstitions last a lot longer than religions.



    So there's lots of these kinds of things around, although most get absorbed into the next religion that comes along so they don't necessarily stand out as "pagan".

    edit- the book Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms by Gerard Russell is an interesting look at remnants of ancient religion in the Middle East. Most are monotheistic, as they were able to survive under Islam. But there is one polytheistic religion covered, the Kalasha religion of the Kalash people in Pakistan. It's not Greek, but neither is it Hindu, and you can see some of the influence of both (though there's only a little Greek). IIRC, the locals don't see it as a religion, its just something they do.

    Oh, I suppose the Druze would also count as something of a Greek survival in the Middle East. Although it is a survival of Pythagoreanism. Definitely not 1:1 with ancient Pythagoreanism though, but the links are there.

    The thing that made it spring to mind was the foreword/intro which compared the Middle East with Europe, and how the presence of these religions would be like finding an island of Odin worshippers today. The difference between Europe and the Middle East was that Muslim leaders were incentivised by the Jizya to accept some non-believers (but only those who could be handwaved as fitting under a monotheistic belief system that looked kind of like Judaism/Christianity if you squinted) and that pagan belief in Europe tended to be polytheistic, which wouldn't have survived in the Mid East anyway.

    Gvzbgul on
  • SiliconStewSiliconStew Registered User regular
    Madican wrote: »
    It's especially surprising since I would think that a caste based society's upper class would love a religion that says people suffering is justified based on what they did in a previous life and that acceptance of the suffering is vital. That seems tailor made for caste societies since it encourages the lower classes to not rebel.

    I think that's just called Prosperity Gospel these days.

    Just remember that half the people you meet are below average intelligence.
  • MulysaSemproniusMulysaSempronius but also susie nyRegistered User regular
    Not sure the best thread to place this in, but Omicron means "little o", and Omega means "big o".


    "Though most letters of the Greek alphabet get their names from the older Phoenician alphabet, a few are Greek inventions.

    Omega and omicron respectively mean 'big O' and 'little O' in Greek, while epsilon and upsilon are 'bare' E and U, from the adjective psīlós 'bare, naked'."

    If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
  • NeveronNeveron HellValleySkyTree SwedenRegistered User regular
    o-micro
    o-mega
    I can't believe that I never caught that.

  • sarukunsarukun RIESLING OCEANRegistered User regular
    fuck

  • FencingsaxFencingsax It is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understanding GNU Terry PratchettRegistered User regular
    edited February 2021
    It would be fascinating to watch an actual relogious ceremony.

    Fencingsax on
  • TefTef Registered User regular
    Oh I love psīlós ladies!!

    help a fellow forumer meet their mental health care needs because USA healthcare sucks!

    Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better

    bit.ly/2XQM1ke
  • HobnailHobnail Registered User regular


    Good thread of colorised and touched up photos

    Broke as fuck in the style of the times. Gratitude is all that can return on your generosity.

    https://www.paypal.me/hobnailtaylor
  • [Expletive deleted][Expletive deleted] The mediocre doctor NorwayRegistered User regular
    Tef wrote: »
    Oh I love psīlós ladies!!

    The band is good, too.

    Sic transit gloria mundi.
  • honoverehonovere Registered User regular
    Special anniversary today.
    1700 years of work free Sundays.
    Supposedly on march 3rd, 321 Roman emperor Flavius Valerius Constantinus declared that on Sundays no work should be done. So German churches and unions are celebrating that today as it's been like that from that point on until today (more or less, exemptions exist of course).

  • RMS OceanicRMS Oceanic Registered User regular
    I wonder how Licinius felt about that.

  • PeasPeas Registered User regular
    edited March 2021
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56262954
    'Exceptional' 15th-Century Ming Dynasty bowl unearthed at US yard sale

    A small bowl bought for just $35 (£25) at a market sale in the US state of Connecticut has turned out to be a rare 15th-Century Chinese artefact.

    The white porcelain bowl was spotted by an unidentified antiques enthusiast near New Haven last year, and they quickly sought an expert evaluation.

    The experts came back with good news, revealing that the bowl is thought to be worth between $300,000 and $500,000.

    In fact, it is believed to be one of only seven such bowls in existence and most of the others are in museums.


    Yea I want to see the reaction of the previous owner

    Wonder how it even got there in the first place though lol

    Peas on
  • DisruptedCapitalistDisruptedCapitalist I swear! Registered User regular
    edited March 2021
    That whole thing reminds me of how absurd the notion of fine art is though.

    Aesthetically that bowl isn't much different from something I can buy at Target and yet because its an "original" it can now get six figures.

    I've been thinking about this a lot what with those stories about how block chain is being used to authenticate "original" digital artwork. It's all so ephemeral.

    Edit: here's an article about it

    https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/feb/26/art-amulets-cryptokitties-new-frontier-cryptocurrency-non-fungible-tokens-nft

    DisruptedCapitalist on
    "Simple, real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." -Mustrum Ridcully in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather p. 142 (HarperPrism 1996)
  • V1mV1m Registered User regular
    That whole thing reminds me of how absurd the notion of fine art is though.

    Aesthetically that bowl isn't much different from something I can buy at Target and yet because its an "original" it can now get six figures.

    I've been thinking about this a lot what with those stories about how block chain is being used to authenticate "original" digital artwork. It's all so ephemeral.

    Commodification of art comes from living in a capitalist society, alas.

  • LordSolarMachariusLordSolarMacharius Red wine with fish Registered User regular
    Neveron wrote: »
    o-micro
    o-mega
    I can't believe that I never caught that.

    I read Stephen Fry's recounting of the greek myths (Mythos) recently, and two things made me slap my forehead:

    "Alphabet" is just the beginning of Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc.

    And "hermaphrodite" is from Hermaphroditus, the child of... Hermes and Aphrodite.

  • StraightziStraightzi Here we may reign secure, and in my choice, To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User regular
    Fine art gets to a ridiculous scale, but I don't find it that strange an idea that items have value beyond their immediately perceptible function.

    Like, there are so many things that are more valuable than others made of similar materials using similar methods, it's really just the scale of fine art that makes it feel weird (which is at least partially in itself just because it's incredibly out of reach).

  • DisruptedCapitalistDisruptedCapitalist I swear! Registered User regular
    But still, it seems like it has value only because an expert authenticated it. I mean even in the market of dinosaur fossils, there's been allegations of fraud an awful lot. Experts and their expertise can come and go. (Not to say that this one is a fraud, but it very well could have been.)

    "Simple, real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." -Mustrum Ridcully in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather p. 142 (HarperPrism 1996)
  • StraightziStraightzi Here we may reign secure, and in my choice, To reign is worth ambition though in HellRegistered User regular
    edited March 2021
    I mean this isn't fine art, that was a tangent

    This is a historical artifact

    And while there are similarities in how rarity can make something more valuable, I feel like it's a fairly distinct playing field

    Straightzi on
  • DisruptedCapitalistDisruptedCapitalist I swear! Registered User regular
    Good point

    "Simple, real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time." -Mustrum Ridcully in Terry Pratchett's Hogfather p. 142 (HarperPrism 1996)
  • PiptheFairPiptheFair Frequently not in boats. Registered User regular
    V1m wrote: »
    That whole thing reminds me of how absurd the notion of fine art is though.

    Aesthetically that bowl isn't much different from something I can buy at Target and yet because its an "original" it can now get six figures.

    I've been thinking about this a lot what with those stories about how block chain is being used to authenticate "original" digital artwork. It's all so ephemeral.

    Commodification of art comes from living in a capitalist society, alas.

    commodification of art has literally existed longer than the concept of society

  • The Cow KingThe Cow King a island Registered User regular
    The thing about uh historic valuables it it entirely relies on popularity of the creator, was it mass produced and what is the quality of the piece you see

    There is only ever one original of a piece of art and if you happen to own it when the artists is considered most valuable well you can make bank but also how often does that happen

    Most rare items from 1950 onwards are actually production mistakes which makes them a limited run

    No I'm not joking

    icGJy2C.png
  • PiptheFairPiptheFair Frequently not in boats. Registered User regular
    158912447_3270321723068304_7868413157532479637_o.jpg?_nc_cat=1&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=5CrcDqEFAQsAX_rjTbx&_nc_ht=scontent.ftpa1-2.fna&oh=d268891b0d13d1de2cbd4ef9470645fe&oe=6072E767

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