Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

AudibleNod t1_iuwirht wrote

This is what happens when your enemy writes your story. You end up looking like a little piss baby when you don't get your way.

119

AshenTao t1_iuyi1qz wrote

Wasnt there a story about a roman(?) army being ordered to attack and stab the sea as an hostile act against Poseidon as well? Been a while since I read it. In our latin classes we translated both fictive stories and real stories.

17

Far_Sided t1_iuymd0s wrote

Not really. Seutonius notes that when his soldiers threatened to mutiny, Caligula ordered his men to pick up the musculi. This can transalate to seashells/mussels, but was also the word for the huts they were living in.

The whole war with Poseidon (who is a GREEK god) and collecting the seashells as trophies probably comes from misunderstanding and specifically the Excellent (though wildly inaccurate) TV series I, Claudius or the book that inspired it.

11

r4pt0r_SPQR t1_iuzg86o wrote

Seutonius was the Roman TMZ. Dude was 90% gossip and rumor.

3

Far_Sided t1_iv2ro3o wrote

LOL, SO true. But at least he's A source. Sadly, we don't have Claudius' history of the Julii but we think maybe Seutonius drew from it? Some modicum of truth is better than a vacuum.

2

r4pt0r_SPQR t1_iv2svsu wrote

I continue to hold out hope that some of the Herculaneum scrolls can be read with future tech, and that some of them may have more lost history.

1

Frenk_preseren t1_iv0piel wrote

Yes, Caligula sent them to do it. He was mad and did many other mad things.

1