"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/04/science/greece-archaeology-pylos-griffin-warrior.html?_r=0
Quote
In Greek Warrior's Grave, Rings of Power (and a Mirror and Combs)
By NICHOLAS WADE OCT. 3, 2016
A trove of beautifully engraved gold rings and gemstones, found in the untouched grave of an ancient Greek warrior last year, were possessions from his culture, not loot from the nearby island of Crete, archaeologists now believe.
The gold rings, they say, were rings of power. These items served as insignia of the elite who ruled the local inhabitants of Pylos, the town on the southwestern coast of Greece where the warrior's grave was found.
The grave throws light on a dramatic historical process, the extension of the Minoan culture of Crete to southern Greece, where it formed the basis of Mycenaean civilization, the first in mainland Europe. Mycenaean rulers such as Achilles, Agamemnon and Odysseus were the heroes of Homer's epics, and Mycenaean civilization, even though it collapsed shortly after 1200 B.C., was the forerunner of the classical Greek era that arose some 700 years later.
The grave was discovered last year by Jack L. Davis and Sharon R. Stocker, a husband-and-wife team at the University of Cincinnati, and is judged by other archaeologists to be one of the richest tombs to have been found in Greece in the last half-century. The warrior was buried around 1450 B.C., a date derived from pottery found around the grave. His facial appearance has been reconstructed from his skull by Lynne Schepartz and Tobias Houlton of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
The gold rings, engraved gemstones and many other items in the grave bear Minoan themes, so they could have been plunder from a raid on Crete. But Dr. Davis and Dr. Stocker believe otherwise, noting that objects in the grave are echoed in the iconography of the gold rings, they write in an article to be published in the journal Hesperia.
The grave contained a bronze mirror and six ivory combs, accessories the archaeologists were surprised to find in a warrior's tomb. But Greek warriors wore their hair long, and Spartan warriors are known to have combed their hair before battle. And the mirror may have had a ritual significance: One of the gold rings depicts a goddess holding a similar mirror.
Another object both in the grave and shown on the rings is a staff. A twisted piece of metal found in the grave appeared at first to be a meat hook. But when untwisted it turned out to be the head of a horned animal, probably a bull, with a socket and nail hole as if to be mounted on a staff. A goddess is holding just such a staff on one of the gold rings.
The staff almost certainly indicates that the warrior held authority of some kind, religious or civil.
The archaeologists do not yet know if the warrior and those who buried him were Minoans or Mycenaeans steeped in Minoan culture.
"Whoever they are, they are the people introducing Minoan ways to the mainland and forging Mycenaean culture," Dr. Davis said. "They were probably dressing like Minoans and building their houses according to styles used on Crete, using Minoan building techniques."
The warrior's grave "is telling us that right from the beginning there were people on the mainland who knew what Minoan culture meant and were bringing it to the mainland for a specific reason, that of establishing themselves in positions of power," he said.
By 1400 B.C., half a century after the warrior's death, that power had been extended to the province of Messenia and 20 district capitals, all paying taxes to their Mycenaean overlords, who ruled in Pylos from the so-called Palace of Nestor, named after the Homeric hero.
Cynthia W. Shelmerdine, an expert on the Aegean Bronze Age at the University of Texas, said she agreed that the rings and gemstone seals in the warrior's grave represented administrative and political power. "These things clearly have a power connection," she said, whether or not the rings were used in the Minoan way for sealing objects.
The grave, whether dug by Minoans or Mycenaeans, "fits with other evidence that the elites on the mainland are increasingly closely connected to the elites on Crete," Dr. Shelmerdine said.
The Mycenaeans continued to use Minoan themes, such as gymnasts leaping over bulls, in their art and administration until the end of the palatial period. But by classical times the memory of Minoan culture had faded, and survived mostly in the myth of Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos, who showed Theseus how to kill the dreaded Minotaur and escape from the labyrinth at Knossos.
Any oil? No? Pass.
Lord of the rings suck. Nerd.
Quote from: Ed Anger on December 16, 2016, 01:06:11 PM
Lord of the rings suck. Nerd.
Oh Ed, you're such a grumpypants :hug:
I really do hate LoR. Especially the gay ass movies.
Peter Jackson eats dicks
Quote from: jimmy olsen on December 16, 2016, 12:50:52 AM
....
Retroactive Timmay Taint found responsible for early Greek civilizations' collapse.
Quote from: Ed Anger on December 16, 2016, 01:22:52 PM
I really do hate LoR. Especially the gay ass movies.
Peter Jackson eats dicks
I agree with you re: the movies, but likely for the opposite reason :lol:
Quote from: Jacob on December 16, 2016, 01:34:37 PM
I agree with you re: the movies, but likely for the opposite reason :lol:
Not gay enough?
Not enough dwarf jokes.
Not enough endings. Aragorn was not broody enough. Legolas' fights were insufficiently over-the-top.
#TomBombadilLives
Quote from: Valmy on December 16, 2016, 01:44:42 PM
Quote from: Jacob on December 16, 2016, 01:34:37 PM
I agree with you re: the movies, but likely for the opposite reason :lol:
Not gay enough?
:lol:
I dislike the liberties they took with the book - especially the dumb-ass thrill-ride action sequences and additional Hollywood "snappy" banter. Also they needed more singing like that bit at the beginning of the Hobbit.
So maybe?
Quote from: The Brain on December 16, 2016, 01:46:20 PM
Not enough dwarf jokes.
Yes, that shortage really stood out.
Dwarf puns? How low-brow.
Came in expecting a reference to the Mandarin. Was disappointed.
There weren't nearly enough scenes of that ghost army in Return of the King. I'd also liked a few more scenes where a character seemingly dies but ultimately doesn't spread throughout the trilogy.
Quote from: celedhring on December 17, 2016, 07:11:07 PM
There weren't nearly enough scenes of that ghost army in Return of the King. I'd also liked a few more scenes where a character seemingly dies but ultimately doesn't spread throughout the trilogy.
:yes: The ghost army should have shown up at Hem's Deep and made all the sacrifices there pointless as well.
Or, maybe, an Ent forest instead of the ghost army.
The Lord of the Rings movies are masterpieces with minor problems that can be overlooked :bowler:
Fag.
I actually liked the LOTR movies. Kinda overstayed it's welcome toward the end, but overall okay. Now the Hobbit films, ugh. That's like having a friend sent to you in three separate boxes. Along with parts of some other people you don't know. And maybe some fish guts.
Quote from: Razgovory on December 17, 2016, 09:49:58 PM
Now the Hobbit films, ugh. That's like having a friend sent to you in three separate boxes.
:lmfao: Ain't that the truth.
Yeah, the Hobbit films were underwhelming. I sorta liked them, but only because I liked the Lord of the Rings movies. Even so, I am probably only interested in seeing them once. There is just not enough story in them.
Because I will basically like any piece of crap that has Tolkienesque Dwarves and Elves in it I really enjoyed but trilogies. Obviously LOTR is actually a good set of films as opposed to The Hobbit. But yes I know they have...issues :P
Quote from: Monoriu on December 18, 2016, 12:48:37 AM
Yeah, the Hobbit films were underwhelming. I sorta liked them, but only because I liked the Lord of the Rings movies. Even so, I am probably only interested in seeing them once. There is just not enough story in them.
The Hobbit films changed the story and just about all their changes made it worse. The stuff that I did think was awesome was usually stuff that was actually in the book.
No references yet to D&D? You dissapoint me. :mad:
They're obviously +5 STR magic rings. :nerd:
Quote from: The Larch on December 18, 2016, 06:03:37 PM
No references yet to D&D? You dissapoint me. :mad:
They're obviously +5 STR magic rings. :nerd:
Multiple rings wouldn't stack :contract: :nerd:
Quote from: celedhring on December 18, 2016, 06:20:43 PM
Quote from: The Larch on December 18, 2016, 06:03:37 PM
No references yet to D&D? You dissapoint me. :mad:
They're obviously +5 STR magic rings. :nerd:
Multiple rings wouldn't stack :contract: :nerd:
Let's assume they are for the whole company. Otherwise one other is +5 DEX, and another is +5 CON, and other assorted bonuses.
[upside down]?[/upside down]Como se dice nerd, dork, y geek en espanol?
Quote from: Admiral Yi on December 18, 2016, 06:24:43 PM
[upside down]?[/upside down]Como se dice nerd, dork, y geek en espanol?
"Friki" (from the English "freak")
I have the hand of Vecna.
Pretty sure there's a Gold Bond cream that can take care of that.
I have the Head of Vecna.
Quote from: PDH on December 19, 2016, 12:16:23 AM
I have the Head of Vecna.
How do you guys manage? I couldn't even get a damn toenail clipping.
Quote from: Jacob on December 16, 2016, 01:51:32 PM
Also they needed more singing like that bit at the beginning of the Hobbit.
definately not!
Quote from: Monoriu on December 17, 2016, 08:38:17 PM
The Lord of the Rings movies are masterpieces with minor problems that can be overlooked :bowler:
Finally, a connaisseur! :)
Quote from: Valmy on December 18, 2016, 01:03:30 AM
Because I will basically like any piece of crap that has Tolkienesque Dwarves and Elves in it I really enjoyed but trilogies. Obviously LOTR is actually a good set of films as opposed to The Hobbit. But yes I know they have...issues :P
I'm still waiting for my extended versions. I hope that conversion of the Dwarf leader is less... Anakinesque.
Quote from: viper37 on December 19, 2016, 03:53:51 PM
Quote from: Valmy on December 18, 2016, 01:03:30 AM
Because I will basically like any piece of crap that has Tolkienesque Dwarves and Elves in it I really enjoyed but trilogies. Obviously LOTR is actually a good set of films as opposed to The Hobbit. But yes I know they have...issues :P
I'm still waiting for my extended versions. I hope that conversion of the Dwarf leader is less... Anakinesque.
Oh I do hope those come out. I bought the extended set of the LOTR films I do think they work better. The theatrical versions just were not long enough.
Quote from: Valmy on December 19, 2016, 04:13:32 PM
Quote from: viper37 on December 19, 2016, 03:53:51 PM
Quote from: Valmy on December 18, 2016, 01:03:30 AM
Because I will basically like any piece of crap that has Tolkienesque Dwarves and Elves in it I really enjoyed but trilogies. Obviously LOTR is actually a good set of films as opposed to The Hobbit. But yes I know they have...issues :P
I'm still waiting for my extended versions. I hope that conversion of the Dwarf leader is less... Anakinesque.
Oh I do hope those come out. I bought the extended set of the LOTR films I do think they work better. The theatrical versions just were not long enough.
They're out now. But sold individually. At a very steep price. So I'm waiting.
Quote from: Valmy on December 19, 2016, 04:13:32 PM
Oh I do hope those come out. I bought the extended set of the LOTR films I do think they work better. The theatrical versions just were not long enough.
I think that this is true. Almost all the bad bits of the films were left in when they were cut, so the average quality suffered. The visual WOW moments and character development were cut for pacing, and they are the best parts of the movies.
About the archaeology
Chron in the article is confusing. Werent Mycenaeans invading Crete around this time not other way around ?
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on December 19, 2016, 09:54:14 PM
About the archaeology
Chron in the article is confusing. Werent Mycenaeans invading Crete around this time not other way around ?
The switch from Linear A to Linear B is generally set at around 1450 BCE, so, yeah, this guy would have lived around the time of the Mycenaean invasion of Crete.
There's a facial reconstruction of this guy that was written about in the Daily Mail :rolleyes: . I'm skeptical about the utility of the part I bolded. There has been a lot of migration in the last 3,500 years into Greece. I'm not sure how appliacble modern Greek faces are to this.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3839092/The-face-Bronze-Age-fighter-revealed-Scientists-reconstruct-face-Griffin-Warrior-elite-group-3-500-years-ago.html
QuoteAccording to the Dr.Sharon Stocker, the warrior appears to have been a handsome man, with the facial reconstruction having been based on a stamp that was found inside the tomb.
The reconstruction was performed by Tobias Houlton, a specialist in reconstruction, and his colleague Lynne Schepartz of University of the Witwatersrand.
The Manchester method was used for the reconstruction – facial tissues were laid from the skull surface outward by using depth marker pegs to determine the thickness.
And facial features, such as the eyes and mouth, were determined by the underlying skull.
The researchers used average face templates of 50 modern Greek makes that were 25 to 35 years old to reconstruct the eyes and nose.
Artifacts from the Mycenaean and Minoan civilizations were used to determine the Griffin Warrior's skin tone and hair color.
Maybe if they took some Greeks living in the islands. They can be pretty isolated. I am reminded of that story of the Greek Army arriving at an island recently taken from the Turks in the Balkan War in 1912 and the inhabitants insisted they were not themselves Greeks but 'Romans' (in the Byzantine sense).