Subject: Oh. That sucks.
Author:
Posted on: 2013-05-27 21:05:00 UTC
There is at least one Let's Play of it on Youtube, though, if you want to have some sort of experience of it, but, well, the problem with LPs is that, while entertaining, you're not playing the game. Someone else is.
-Aila
*looks around for someone to engage in geeky blather with*
...even if I'm a little late.
I like to read pretty much anything on ancient history, but for some reason nothing really sticks. Does anyone have any interesting historical events to share?
As for me, I specialize in the First World War era, a period that is often overshadowed by the rest of the twentieth century.
There's always the Senator Joseph McCarthy debacle in the Cold War era.
Guy was an early example of a troll - anybody who disagreed with him was a communist, according to "proof" he somehow always had. It always stuck because of the whole Red Scare going around.
And then he made his own investigation firm, which was pretty bad at its job, but still won cases on the basis of "OHMAHGAWD CAHMYOONEESUM!"
Until they tried to sue the military for being Communists.
Yeah, I'll let you figure out how well they took that.
I'm probably not obsessive, in the true sense of the word, but I like to think that I am.
I do, however, know a lot about Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Norse, and Chinese mythology and the Arthurian legends. Likewise, I know most Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Norse, and Chinese history as well as some of the history of Britain.
The advent of civilization, and the cities involved, is kind of my thing, though, so I can answer most questions about Sumeria, Mesopotamia, Alexandria, and the like.
Any of that interest you?
I'd be interested in any of it, although my own knowledge is somewhat more restricted.
Please, do ramble!
All history interests me. But if you will talk with me about ancient history, you may own my soul.
Well, right now I'm kind of into the Black Death, since I'm doing a research project on it for school. Did you know that, although people will tell you its "proper" name was the bubonic plague, that the Black Death IS its real name? And that the bubonic plague was only a third of the actual pestilence, which was made up of a septicemic, a pneumonic, and a bubonic plague integrated into the same pathogen? I didn't until recently, not being a very scientific person, but I thought it was a cool trivia nugget.
I didn't know much about it until my reading-comprehension prep for state testing last year, in which one of the paragraphs was all about it. Before that, all I knew (or thought) was that it had something to do with rats.
More WWII-ish history.
The best claim I've got as far as World War 2 knowledge is reading a few novels that took place in it.
So what's the most interesting thing about it, in your opinion?
My current favorite, however, is Princess Elizabeth's Spy, a great mystery novel set in and around Windsor Castle. It's the second book in a series, and I seriously recommend it.
I read a lot about that, but recently I didn't have much time.
I just love how bizarre the mythology and customs can be and then see how weird our customs would be from their point of view.
Like tapping on a flat, oddly glowing boxy... thing... to make funny little runes jump around on it and finding that entertaining.
Or putting "hashtag" in front of every noun we say.
Or UGG boots in summer.
Or dystopian novels.
Or worrying about environmental impacts.
Or, in warfare, running around pell-mell making bent sticks make banging noises and thus magically causing enemies to fall down dead via some sort of telekinetic witchcraft instead of marching with honor in straight lines like "ordinary" folk.
Or pants.
Or- You know what? They'd probably just think we were loony in general.
... of my brief analysis of the legendary beast known as the 'lion', and how the symbolism of it changed through to the late 20th Century.
I also once read a book which described an archaeological dig of an ancient Earth temple-racetrack, complete with discussions of their monetary system and ritual transportation devices...
hS
Especially the part about warfare. ;)
Well, sort of. I'm probably not obsessive, per se, but I do know a lot of random details and like to talk about them.
I should still remember a lot about Ancient Egypt, some bits about Greek and Roman mythology and history, Arthurian legends, a bit of Norse mythology (which I must improve, considering that I'm co-writing the Avengers OFU), some Medieval stuff, Native American tales, and a whole lot of Jewish history, thanks to the efforts of most of the schools I've been to. Past that, the list goes on.
Any of that interest you? If so, let's converse! If not, let's find something that one of us knows about and the other wants to learn about, and converse anyway! :)
~DF
I'm the same way. As in- doing research at school and having to relate it all in story form to my best friend, whether she cares or not. I also tend to exhaggerate, so maybe "very much intrigued and enjoying to rave about it" would be more accurate than "obsessed."
Well, out of those, Greece and Rome would be common ground. I've learned bits and pieces of Jewish history, but not in much detail, and I know next to nothing about Arthurian legends and Native American mythology. They sound fascinating, though.
Ancient Egypt history, ancient Greek history, ancient Japanese history... also various mythologies (Ancient Egypt, old Norse, Japanese, the Arthurian myth, Welsh myths, Irish myths)...
are fairly fun to read in a good translation. I can't recommend "the Norse Myths" by Kevin Crossley-Holland enough, who makes up for his lack of creativity with titles with his prose and accuracy of translation.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/497366.TheNorseMyths
So what's Japanese mythology like?
I know absolutely nothing about that! (Well, I know that it's a mythology... and it probably originated in Japan...)
There's a genre of anime/games/what-have-you called Widget. Its name comes from WJT, Wierd Japanese Thing. Let's say that that weirdness had to come from somewhere. It contains such things as Japan being created from blended sea-foam, gods being born from drops of water dropping from another god's face when he ritually bathed in a river to cleanse himself (the story goes that, after he defeated the Three Ugly Women of Hell his sister Izanami sent after him, and since he's been to Hell, Izanagi needed to cleanse himself. He bathed in a river. Amaterasu-Omikami, the sun goddess, was created from a drop the fell from his right eye, Tsukuyomi, the moon god, was created from a drop that fell from his left eye, and Susa-no-o, the god of storms, was created from a drop the fell from his nose), gods thinking the best prank ever is to drop skinned foals through the roofs of other gods' rooms, the sun hiding in a cave and only being lured out again via a combination of an erotic dance and a mirror, etc.
There are also eighty million gods. Not literally, but there is an astounding number of gods.
You should play Okami. It's based on Japanese mythology, some very distorted and some hardly at all, and the art style is like brush paintings and it's my favorite video game and this is a run-on sentence.
-Aila
I have heard about Okami. However, I do not possess a console (my PS3 is long dead, buried in a closet, and not coming back), nor do I plan on buying one.
Which is somewhat of a shame, because of that game. And Ratchet and Clank.
There is at least one Let's Play of it on Youtube, though, if you want to have some sort of experience of it, but, well, the problem with LPs is that, while entertaining, you're not playing the game. Someone else is.
-Aila
Read it if you have the time. How Amaterasu is convinced to peek out of the cave where she's sulking, Izanagi's and Izanami's marriage, Izanami's death, et cetera.
The tales are quite a riot, too bad I didn't remeber it all.
Feel free to monologue! I'd be interested in hearing about it. :D
I'm obsessively into pretty much all history! But ancient history is especially fascinating. What region are you most into?
... Europe, mostly. Minoans-Middle Ages type stuff.
This year we've been studying western civilization, and I tend to get absurdly involved in research projects, then feel the need to retell anything I read to my friends, whether they're interested or not.
Maybe obsessive was a slight exhaggeration, but I love it when other people talk about historical stuff, and the oppurtunity to yammer is always welcome. :P
Especially polytheism of Norse culture.
Being a fantasy writer, though, I do have to study into workings of life from certain eras, so I guess you could say I HAVE to be obsessed with history.
I end up doing a decent amount of historical research for writing projects as well. For my current one, I've had to look into autism, septicemic plague, the runic alphabet, Old Norse, and Viking woodcarving. (Looking at that, you'd think it was a more interesting story than it is.)
I'm not bad at Greek mythology, and I know a bit of Roman, but Norse isn't really my territory. So, uh... Do you have a favorite myth?
And how Odin gained his powers, but mainly the tale of Sigurd.
He's a mythical swordsman in Norse mythology. I'm a nut for swords. It works out.
but I'm perfectly happy to listen to people talk about it; it's very interesting. Especially when it has to do with mythology.
-Aila
But I would like to think I know my Roman and Greek bits, if that's sufficiently ancient.
...I could smatter on for ages about that guy. :)
I'd love to hear about him, since I'm not that familiar with the era.
All right, here's the abridged and unedited version for your reading pleasure. I'm going off memory, so I don't guarantee perfection.
Basically, after the Punic Wars, Rome took Spain as a sort of victory prize and made it into a province. Spaniards were not well thought-of at the time. They had no rights, no status, and no respect from the Romans. It was into that situation that Trajan was born in 53 AD.
The emperor at the time, Domitian, was generally a poor ruler- arrogant, abusive of power, and an all around jerk. Despite this, he did initiate some reforms regarding provincials that allowed them to enjoy some citizen-only priveleges such as joining the army or participating in the local government. Trajan's father, a poor farmer, took advantage of the reforms and became a member of the province's council, but Trajan himself wanted no political power or personal glory, only to have contributed toward the glory of Rome and the wellbeing of his homeland. So he did the logical thing for a teenage guy and joined the army as a low-ranking legionary.
He served in the military for most of his life, from when he was about 12 to age 45. Trajan proved himself a talented and intelligent soldier, and after a short while was placed in the rear of the marching formation, with the most skilled fighters. The back were beasts. He slowly worked his way up the battle hierarchy, from a literally expendable footsoldier (the Spanish were exploited and used as decoys all the time in wars.) to a leader. Trajan's superiors began to take notice of him for his merit, unimpressive roots, and lack of concern for power. Being Romans, they appreciated a guy who wasn't constantly trying to stab distinguished gentlemen to death to get the throne. Soon Trajan found himself a tribune, which was a level of military command higher than a centurion and lower than a legatus, at the head of a maniple 160 men strong.
Following the Universal Laws of Comedy, just as things were working out nicely for Trajan, an esteemed commander in Germany named Saturninus openly revolted against Emperor Domitian, and more importantly, against Rome itself. Saturninus turned on the other legions stationed in Germany in a scandalous bloodbath just to spite the emperor.
The soldiers around the rest of the empire, including Trajan, were ordered to steer clear and let Saturninus run himself down. When he heard the number of casualties (I don't know them, but they must have been high.), Trajan broke ranks with his legion, driving his maniple north to stand up to Saturninus. Although almost comically outnumbered, Trajan and his men emerged victorious. As a reward for his bravery, Domitian promoted Trajan to the rank of commander, a pretty significant leap from tribune. In addition to the loyal soldiers who had fought under him against the rebela, hw was given an entire legion of elite soldiers. The legion soon became infamous, although few knew the name of its soft-spoken leader.
Trajan was chummy with his men. Kind, a bit shy, and a brilliant combatant and strategist, he knew each soldier by their nickname.
He employed creative strategies in warfare, and is known for having constructed an entire fake harbor at Ostia to fool enemies. But he never suspected that he'd rule not just one legion, but the entire Roman world.
When Trajan was in his 30's, Domitian was spontaneously assassinated. Okay, it wasn't that spontaneous. Nobody liked him. But he was the last of his dynasty.
Moving back a bit, the last time a dynasty ended, it was with Nero's suicide, which had resulted in one of Rome's goriest civil wars. Fearing that the same would occur with Domitian's murder, the Senate hurriedly selected a new leader who no Roman could possibly harbor ill will toward... Nerva, an elderly and childless politician.
Nerva was neither a poor nor a particularly eminent emperor. Picture Dumbledoor, add a toga, and you have a good idea of what he was like. Nerva spoke so wisely and cryptically that the Senate declared him mentally unstable. (They didn't get it, so he must be insane. Roman logic.)
Their theory was proven true, at least to their thinking, when Nerva announced who exactly he planned to name his heir. When the emperor first stated that he planned on adopting a son to succeed him, the Senate was delighted. They bombarded him with lists of famous politicians, rich generals, and, of course, themselves. But Nerva waved them away. He would have Trajan, and only Trajan, on the throne after himself.
Outraged, the Senators berated him, saying that a shy, little-known commander who was not even a proper citizen of Rome was unfit to lead. This was the last straw for them. Nerva would be metaphorically committed to the old folk's home in the morning.
Still he insisted, claiming that since Trajan did not expect nor desire power, he would not abuse it. That this commander had a greater integrity than any in Rome, greater than Trajan himself knew.
When the Senators did not relent, he declared Trajan governor of Germany, so that he would have the political status required of a future emperor, then died shortly thereafter of unspecified causes. *cough Senate cough*
A messenger was sent to Trajan, who was engaged in battle with the Parthians near the Danube River at the time, informing him of his adoption, new status, and of Nerva's demise. Immediately, Trajan's men sank to their knees and hailed him as emperor, but Trajan smiled sadly and told them to stand in an epic Aragornish fashion. He quietly told the messenger that he did not see himself as a capable politician, and that Rome deserved better than he. He would not go to the capital, and the Senate should choose a more competent diplomat to lead.
He then mounted his horse and ordered his legion to move out. Dejected, the messenger returned to Rome and relayed Trajan's speech to a gleeful audience in the Senate.
Several years past, and Trajan had celebrated his 40th year before word at last reached him in the form of a desperate peasant that the Senate had taken over the government, and that corruption and violence an tyranny had seized the empire under their twisted rule. This was the convincing Trajan needed. Setting aside his own misgivings and his hesitance to leave the life he'd led and loved for so long, he appointed a close friend the new head of the legion and rode hard for Rome, through several days and nights.
When he arrived, he was choked with terror. He had never seen a city so extensive, nor a throng so large. Yet he somehow mustered the courage to pass through the looming walls into the capital.
Unlike the emperors before and after him, Trajan's entrance into Rome had no parades or grandeur. He did not even flatter himself so much as to ride a horse, just walked, slowly and gracefully, down the crowded street with his head held high.
All the citizens of Rome gathered to watch his trek through the metropolis.
When Trajan reached the Senate building, he found the Senators waiting for him on the stairs with murder in their eyes. To their surprise, he knelt to the ground before them. His words, though they were never specifically recorded, were soft and respectful, and his disposition modest. Grudgingly, the Senate handed over the laurel crown, if only not to look bad in the eyes of the public.
I won't bore you with the specifics of his reign. Trajan is still known to be the greatest of all Roman emperors, the only one to survive his term with untarnished morals and a clean conscience. Through gentle words and the brilliant strategem only a military man could create, Trajan led the Senate back to the light and made a new empire out of Rome where trust and forgiveness took precedence over wealth and status. He connected the outer provinces to central Rome, expanded the territory to the fullest extent it would ever reach, and rebuilt the Forum, which had burned in the Great Fire during Nero's rule. Rome shone like a beacon in the Mediterranean.
And then things went wrong.
Trajan was 64 and terribly ill, and had been for years. No physician could diagnose him, but it was clear that the emperor's body was failing him, and that his time was running out. With their leader's guiding light flickering, the people grew wary and unsteady. The Parthians attacked once more, seeking vengeance for Trajan's earlier victories. Trajan himself rode out to meet them in Mesopotamia, and faught side-by-side with his old comrades even while his sword grew too cumbersome for him to lift any longer. During battle, he was stricken by a heart attack and had to be carried out of the fray on the shield of a fellow warrior. Those who saw this feared that the emperor was dead, and before anyone could deny it, the runor had spread like wildfire across the empire. In response, conquered areas stirred rebelliously. Trajan's homie, whom he had given command of the legion to, was killed in the New Parthian Wars defending his emperor and friend. Another plummet in health followed the news of the casualty, and Trajan was ordered to stay in bed. Soon he could not have done otherwise even if he had been of a defiant temperament.
This was the opportunity that the rising insurgency had been waiting for. A full-scale revolt erupted on the edges of the empire. Provinces burned. The Jews rebelled, first in Cyrene, then Alexandria, and then the entire enpire. Barbarians attacked, and the people of Rome were thrown into chaos without their beloved emperor to lead them.
Trajan knew the end was near. He confronted his half-cousin Hadrian, a younger politician, and named him his heir. He told Hadrian to inform the people that Trajan had left on a long journey from which he would likely not return. He said he would rather they cursed his name forever for abandoning them in a time of crisis than for them to be more divided by grief.
Trajan planned to steal away in the night and die quietly away from the eyes of the Romans. That night, he donned a peasant cloak and left the Senate building where he had been hospitalized. Halfway down the grand staircase, he crumpled to the hard marble of a fatal stroke.
A Roman woman filling a water pitcher at the nearby well saw him fall and carried him into her home, where he died shortly thereafter, only surfacing from his unconscious state long enough to say "I am sorry." No one is sure to what he referred.
Trajan had feared that sorrow would divide the people.
But on August 8, 117 AD, all of Rome joined in mourning.
And that's what saw them through those days.
Now I need to find out what the heck happened to Hadrian afterward.
If anyone's interested, although this is an older thread, Hadrian built some small temples and such, which is all lovely, and constructed his famous Wall, then surrendered most of the territory Rome had won, wandered around the empire trying to look busy, executed quite a few Senators, became an early supporter of the gay marriage movement, went insane, became a crazy evil tyrant, killed everyone, and died at the age of 60.
It's kind of sad.
...and my battery died and lost the post.
*incoherent curses*
I'll get back to you on that.
Ouch. That sucks. I appreciate that you wrote it; don't feel you need to do it again just for my sake.
Referring to the random message-less post of "Well... *ahem*" that I have no memory of...
I fear I've gone round the bend.
