Bad Historians
Grrrr...Doing reading for Latin take-home exam, which is an essay on Scipio Africanus and M. Cato (and there are about 4 guys in the same period with each name, dammit). Many books, flled with historiography, and "but was Polybius biased? Livy says this differently...." and so on. So I decided to check the net for summaries of their careers, give me an overview.
Much more readable, but am reduced to shouting "Nooo! You can't just say that! Back it up!" at my computer. In one of my books an entire chapter is devoted to discussing the reliability and otherwise fo this anecdote, and this site just says
'Scipio was a brave soldier from his youth. When only seventeen years old he fought in a battle and saved his father's life. He was always gallant and heroic in war, so he soon became noted in the Roman army and rose to high rank. And although he was a member of a noble family, he was well liked by the plebeians and they elected him "ædile."
"aedile"? What's with the "s? It's like they think its a cool and made-up name. Sooo condescending. And don't even get me started on
"When Scipio went to Spain many of the people there were against him, but they soon became his friends. Whenever he took a city he allowed the chiefs who were captured to go free, and he gave presents to many of them. He always showed great respect to women and children who were taken prisoners. In those times it was the cruel custom to make slaves of women who were found in towns that had been taken in war. But Scipio never did this in Spain. He always let the women go free. "
Well, isn't that nice? What about the men, if you're going to be like that? How about the kitties? Was he nice to them too? I bet he was, I bet he gave them lollypops, didn't he? Grrr... sooo inappropriate, judging someone by the standards of a society that happen thousands of years later.
!#$%^&*()_)(*&^%$#@
************
In other news, Viv, can we set up a directory of links on Spampage like there are on the other blogs? Ever so much better to procrastinate as efficiently as possible.
Much more readable, but am reduced to shouting "Nooo! You can't just say that! Back it up!" at my computer. In one of my books an entire chapter is devoted to discussing the reliability and otherwise fo this anecdote, and this site just says
'Scipio was a brave soldier from his youth. When only seventeen years old he fought in a battle and saved his father's life. He was always gallant and heroic in war, so he soon became noted in the Roman army and rose to high rank. And although he was a member of a noble family, he was well liked by the plebeians and they elected him "ædile."
"aedile"? What's with the "s? It's like they think its a cool and made-up name. Sooo condescending. And don't even get me started on
"When Scipio went to Spain many of the people there were against him, but they soon became his friends. Whenever he took a city he allowed the chiefs who were captured to go free, and he gave presents to many of them. He always showed great respect to women and children who were taken prisoners. In those times it was the cruel custom to make slaves of women who were found in towns that had been taken in war. But Scipio never did this in Spain. He always let the women go free. "
Well, isn't that nice? What about the men, if you're going to be like that? How about the kitties? Was he nice to them too? I bet he was, I bet he gave them lollypops, didn't he? Grrr... sooo inappropriate, judging someone by the standards of a society that happen thousands of years later.
!#$%^&*()_)(*&^%$#@
************
In other news, Viv, can we set up a directory of links on Spampage like there are on the other blogs? Ever so much better to procrastinate as efficiently as possible.
posted by Ang at 1:00 pm
15 Comments:
Who knows? Possibly some kind of two-paper-cups-linked-by-string get-up?
No, links, so Idon't have to go to all that effort typing in URLS. We can codify them, perhaps, Call Pun's blog "Marmalade advertisments" or something to discounrage clicking? What would the others be? Hmmmm...
well ang, if you use a site that says that it's "bringing yesterdays classics to todays children", you are bound to get less-than-perfect history.
don't know if there's much point in codifying things by discussing them on the blog. but, hmmm, lets see, ang's could be "sick dragons" or "sick dragon lovers" although that sounds very dodgy and dodgy internet stalker-types might really go for that...
Ok, first of all, I didn't see where it said it was for "today's Children" until after I'd posted. And second of all, my argument holds.Humph...
No, "Sick Dragons" is (a) too literal, ("spun in Jam" isn't literally a marmalade ad, it's just amusingly related, and if people clicked, they would'nt go "aha! This has nothing to do with that link text!") and (b) people are more likely to click it.
So Leachy ought to be "Parasitic Invertebrates", CertainHope can be... "Great Generals of History:epic biographies" (More than conquerors, see?) And the IB could be "Accidental links" or something... hmmmm...
And yay for me again, have improved Cat's Avatar to a sniper kitten in honour of her meanly shooting down my historical criticisms.
:P pbbbbt!
Wha? Marmalade advertisements?? Oh I get you.
No I believe I would be Marmalade roll, or even better Jam Roly-Poly
Nooooo, it needs to be LOOSELY connected and discouraging. Plus "Marmalade Ads" would fit with the whole "spampage" thing.
I'm confused, I'm Spun In Jam = Jam Roly Poly
Spampage = Processed meat ads
ads ARE spam pun.
Yes but I'm confused as to where Marmalade comes into Spampage?
it doesn't, relates only to you being spun in jam.
?? *sighs*
Can I be "Copper coil"?
sounds boring enough. unless some freaky physics people have freaky physics fetishes ;P
look guys, if any stalker was stalking us on spampage, most likely they found spampage from one of our other blogs, which already have links to spampage. no point trying to deter them from where they came.
And you could just stick everything into "favourites" anyway :)
Ang said let there be links...and there were links.
Any dissenters?
Hear hear
I welcome you stalkers, whereever you are. Go do something with your life! Something that doesn't in any way affect ours. :)
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