Hail fellow memebers, it has been some time since I have last reviewed my own group, as I have never met any of you. Let me introduce myself, I am the Hand of Nergal. My interests include long walks on the beach, topical subjects, and ruling over hordes of insipid drones... I am an active duty serviceman and warrior in the service of the great american empire, and from my fascination with all things ancient was inspired to create...this place. Please, feel free to include art, clips, links, and please, introduce yourselves:hmmm:
For the rest of this month we should wait for the rest of the new members as we introduce ourselves, and then for november I want to host some discussions on ancient cultures and mythology. For december most of you will probably be celebrating Christmas, but if we can squeeze it in, I have something special planned
Hi, I am interested in the religions and folk lore of late antiquity and the early middle ages from 1st Century A.D. to 10th Century A.D., but I also have love for classical histories too.
Excellent Armatus. The gods salute you...Listen, do you hear that? The raspy voices of the ancients crone; Nergal, awaken the spirits of these Methusalehs so that they may teach us what they know, and what we have forgotten!
Assyria!
Welcome Legio Caesar, aye, lets quaff a draught of ale and toast to the Assyrians, a fine ancient people they were, where might they be now?
Yes Zesus has saved me once from drowning.
Zesus or Jesus?
For the month of November, at least the beginning of the month, I was wondering if we could go over a topic sure to raise some hairs for some of us and serve as a bit of controvery. The topic is this: can we trust ancient authors and historians? As you may have heard, modern historians and experts of the past sometimes caution us and warn us to take all their writings with a grain of salt. They tell us that some are prejudicial, partial, or otherwise wholly inaccurate. I have my own opinions, and Im sure you gents have your own as well. Your thoughts on this?
We need to not trust in too much of what contemporary historians tell us until we've done the work ourselves and read the classical works such as Homer, Herodotus, Pliny, Plutarch, Dido, and many many others. I think a certain level of trust given to those "experts" is ok, but I do not throw the baby out with the bath water until I've had a chance to at least look at the materials.
hmm, I think I have to agree with you Armatus. Its like, they were actually there, you know? Now Arrian might not have been with Alexander at Guagemela, but he still lived in the ancient world and has fascinating insights into what it was like then. He tells us! Sometimes the authors very frankly describe what happens, not just to be read by their peers, I think that a few knew (or hoped) they would be read this far in the future, but not to put on a show.
This looks like an interesting, and active group. History is my favorite subject too, and mythology is interesting as well.
In consideration of what Nergal posted Mythology is not limited to folk lore alone, but in many cases our historical accounts of the past, in fact they are quite interchangeable, possibly even the same thing who knows. The problem is contemporary historians wish they where living in the times they write about. But then would we take them seriously too? Although his thread about The Alexiad was written in Medieval times rather than antiquity, I felt it is somewhat relevant to this group discussion we're on
One thing that needs to be remembered about ancient authors is that they were in many cases more propagandists then they were Historians... While...yes, they did provide us valuable information that we would never have otherwise... When you have "personal" information or reign accounts (especially when are are contemporary to the person of which they are writing) it must be looked at with a degree of skeptism.
well said Oglethorpe, by being enlightened by some other frequenters of the forums I have learned a great deal. This includes accepting all ancient historical accounts, even from the Bible, dubiously. Before Thucydides goes into very active and some-oft vivid and frank discourses of the Peloponessian war, his introduction, which gives an abbreviated account of archaic Greek history, mentions mythological events and characters. None of Thucydides' critics would have criticizized his authenticity, for every Greek boy was familiar with the myths and accepted them unconditionally as truth!
btw: welcome Sesshoumaru, the ancients smile upon you!
Well my friends I am happy to say that on Dies Martis IV Novembris MMVIII history was made in the United States of America.
Amen, a little off topic, but amen nevertheless.
Well in a thousand years it will be ancient history so you heard it here first
Okay..time for a new discussion Which of the Wonders of the Ancient World is your favorite and Why?
