History Questions Not Worth Their Own Thread VII

[Louis XXIV]

Even then, it doesn't prove its the genesis of that particular story. Flood stories are interesting because it's possible to cherrypick stories around the world that involve floods, but that could be a coincidence.

With the biblical flood story, there's a high probability that the Jewish version simply copies the Sumerian version regardless of whether the Sumerian version is based on any real event or not.

 

[gay_Aleks]

Speaking of floods. I saw a documentary, according to which, in the past, the Black Sea was much bigger, and it actually managed to connect to the Caspian Sea, and then using the Amudarya to trade as far as to India.

Is this true?

 

[Ajidica]

I'm trying to remember the name of a small battle at the end of WWII. From what I can remember, it involved Allied and German Army collaboration to defend a castle from SS troops where the Nazis had interred socialites and other famous people that -while not posing any real threat to the Nazis- were too well known to be left to their own devices.

 

[Cutlass]

Speaking of floods. I saw a documentary, according to which, in the past, the Black Sea was much bigger, and it actually managed to connect to the Caspian Sea, and then using the Amudarya to trade as far as to India.

Is this true?

If you look at the geography between the Black and the Caspian, that seems impossible. There's a minor mountain range called the Caucasus between them.

 

[Michkov]

I'm trying to remember the name of a small battle at the end of WWII. From what I can remember, it involved Allied and German Army collaboration to defend a castle from SS troops where the Nazis had interred socialites and other famous people that -while not posing any real threat to the Nazis- were too well known to be left to their own devices.

This one?

 

[cybrxkhan]

I'm trying to remember the name of a small battle at the end of WWII. From what I can remember, it involved Allied and German Army collaboration to defend a castle from SS troops where the Nazis had interred socialites and other famous people that -while not posing any real threat to the Nazis- were too well known to be left to their own devices.

This one?

Holy crap, that is one weird battle. As if somebody wrote a really cheesy Hollywood action flick.

 

[jackelgull]

Someone really should make a cheesy Hollywood action flick out of that battle. Preferably with Arnold Schwarzenegger as a "good" German.

 

[gay_Aleks]

I think he's too old for that, mate. Have you seen the Expendables 3?

 

[Ajidica]

This one?

Yes, thanks.

 

[JohannaK]

Holy crap, that is one weird battle. As if somebody wrote a really cheesy Hollywood action flick.

Sounds like a sort of mix between Fury and a Dirty Dozen-in-reverse?

 

[Louis XXIV]

Someone really should make a cheesy Hollywood action flick out of that battle. Preferably with Arnold Schwarzenegger as a "good" German.

Probably not Arnold anymore, but I agree completely with that. How can you pass something like that up?

 

[jackelgull]

I'm not well versed in the current cache of movie stars. Who's the current king of cheesy action flicks? Arnold of course is still the emperor, even well past his prime.

 

[cybrxkhan]

Maybe Arnold could be one of the older VIPs who was imprisoned at the castle? I mean they fought too.

 

[jackelgull]

Sure why not? I just mean I don't know who's come to replace Arnold for this era as the best action star. Hollywood just doesn't give action stars the stage to shine like they used to.

According to this article Liam Neeson is the closest thing we've got to an A list action star. He doesn't look particularly promising, but I know nothing about the guy or his work.

 

[sydhe]

If you look at the geography between the Black and the Caspian, that seems impossible. There's a minor mountain range called the Caucasus between them.

They were connected at some point. It was north of the Caucasus, through what are now the Don and Volga valleys.

On history channel, they talked about how it's possible the Black Sea came about because of a flood. And since it might have held 20% of the world's population at the time, when those people dispersed to different geographic areas they brought myths of a world ending flood with them. Still, I suppose there's no solid proof until someone finds proof of habitation in the Black Sea.

At some point in prehistory, the Mediterranean and Black Seas were joined through the Straits, which resulted in fresh water pouring into the Mediterranean through the Straits, and salt water in the other direction. The depths of the Black Sea are still dead because of this exchange. I suppose this could have resulted in a flood, especially if the breakthrough at the Strait of Gibraltar happened at the same time.

 

[reddishrecue]

Salt Lake City is kind of similar to those seas.. The ancient minoa civilization used to appear near one of those lakes.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Probably not Arnold anymore, but I agree completely with that. How can you pass something like that up?

Because there are too many reboots/remakes, bad sequels and Marvel Comics Superhero movies to make.

Hollywood can only churn out so many turds at one time.

 

[daft]

A question (or two):
Why did Rome fail to conquer Caledonia(Scotland)?
What happened to the ninth legion?

 

[schlaufuchs]

A question (or two):
Why did Rome fail to conquer Caledonia(Scotland)?

Too remote. Not enough there to warrant a concerted effort at conquest. Same for Hibernia.

 

[Flying Pig]

Too remote. Not enough there to warrant a concerted effort at conquest. Same for Hibernia.

I think it's also a question of what 'conquering' a place meant to the Romans - there were plenty of Roman camps in Scotland, so it wasn't the case that they simply couldn't or didn't want to send troops that far. Roman 'conquest' essentially meant taking over the towns and apparatus of state that already existed, and in some places founding new colonies to create one afresh. Their narrative, if you like, was that their empire was made up of towns, which were the important things, through which everything was done, but you might equally have argued that it was made up of towns because that was all they could meaningfully control. In most of the Greek world, I doubt that 90% of people even noticed the Romans coming in, and certainly the mechanics and personalities of local government rarely changed. That model didn't work in places without urban centres - which, I think, is a major part of the reason why their expansion stopped at the point where people stopped living in lootable towns. After all, the main motivator for conquest was the glory of it, so as long as there were slaves and movable property to bring home and parade through the streets, it didn't really matter how 'useful' or 'necessary' a war was.