#and the setting is ancient GREECE

[regulusrules]

holy god above i just stumbled across yet another retelling of bbc merlin

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

1,700-Year-Old Writing Kit from Georgia (South Caucasus): this writing kit was found in an unmarked grave located in the foundations of a cathedral, where it lay buried next to the body of a 40-50 year old woman; it's decorated with images of the Greek muses

The unmarked tomb was discovered at Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, which is located in the city of Mtskheta, in modern-day Georgia. The burial site dates back to about 250-350 CE, when Mtskheta served as the capital of Kartli (also known as the Kingdom of Iberia), which covered most of what is now Eastern Georgia.

The tomb lay undiscovered for more than 1,600 years, as it was tucked into the foundations of the cathedral; it contained the body of an unidentified woman in her 40s or 50s, along with an assortment of jewelry and a gilded writing set, which had been placed by the woman's waist. Her identity is still a mystery, but the contents of her tomb suggest that she was a member of royalty and/or nobility.

The writing set contains several different components, including a gilded pen case with the Greek muses depicted across the back, a silver frame depicting three historical figures, an openwork cover made of gold, a gold ink pot, three silver pens, and a small "pencil-box" made of silver.

All nine of the Greek muses are depicted on the pen case. The figures are divided into three rows; each muse is identified by name, and each is depicted with its own unique attributes/objects.

Above: the top row of the pen case is decorated with gilded images of Clio, Euterpe, and Thalia

The three figures in the top row are identified as Clio, Euterpe, and Thalia, which are the muses of history, lyric poetry, and comedy, respectively. Clio is shown holding a slate pencil in her right hand and a book in her left, while Euterpe is depicted with a trumpet and a wind instrument, and Thalia carries a comic mask and ploughshare.

Above: Melpomene, Terpsichore, and Erato

The figures in the second row are identified as Melpomene, Terpsichore, and Erato, who are the muses of tragedy, dance, and romantic poetry. Melpomene carries a tragedy mask, Terpsichore has a lyre in her left hand and a plectrum in her right, and Erato is depicted with a flanged lyre.

Above: Polyhymnia, Urania, and Calliope

The figures in the third row represent Polyhymnia, Urania, and Calliope. Polyhymnia is the muse of song, sacred dance, and mime, and she is depicted with a scroll in one hand and a mask in the other. Urania is the muse of astronomy, so she carries a pointed slate pencil in her right hand and a globe in her left. Calliope is the muse of epic poetry, and she's depicted with a scroll.

Above: the writing kit also includes this silver frame, which features three more figures that are identified as Menander, Homer, and Demosthenes

A small silver frame attaches to the front side of the pen case. That frame is decorated with portraits of Menander, Homer, and Demosthenes, who are identified by the Greek inscriptions above each figure ("MENAN[ΔΡΟΣ], OMEROC, ΔHMOCΘENHC"), though the inscription of Menander's name is partially damaged.

The frame fits neatly around a small ink-pot, which is then fixed to the front of the pen case, along with an openwork cover made of gold.

Above: the openwork cover was crafted from a sheet of gold, and it features an elaborate laurel motif along with a Greek inscription

The cover includes a two-line Greek inscription ("BACIΛEΩC OΥCTAMOΥ TOΥ KAI EΥΓENIOΥ") that can be translated as "king Oustamos-Eugenios" or "kings Oustamos and Eugenios." There is no written record of any king(s) by that name in Kartli, nor in any other part of Georgia, but the written history for this period is sparse, and the names of many Georgian rulers have been lost.

The writing set also includes three silver pens and a "pencil box" made from a pair of silver sheets. One of the silver sheets has a corrugated design that holds the pens in place.

Above: three pens and a silver "pencil-box" are shown on the right, while the openwork cover, frame, ink-pot, and pen case are shown on the left; the "pencil-box" is supposed to slide between the pen case and the other components

The artifacts from this unmarked tomb (along with the ink pots and styli that have been found at other sites nearby) suggest that there was a high level of literacy among the elites of Mtskheta during this period. The burial also contains several artifacts that were likely crafted in foreign workshops, reflecting the significant trade relationships and cultural exchanges that existed between Kartli and the peoples of Colchis, Greece, Rome, Iran, Armenia, Scythia, and the Levant.

Sources & More Info:

Phasis: A Rich Burial from Mtskheta (Caucasian Iberia)

Georgian National Museum: Pen Case

Colors and Stones: Writing Tools from Mtskheta

Greek and Latin Inscriptions from Classical Antiquity in Georgian History: Inscription on a Pen-Case from Mtskheta (p.269)

Hadrian and the Christians: Georgia in Roman Times (1st to 4th Centuries AD)

Phasis: Judicial Practices in Ancient Georgia (p.7)

International Black Sea University: Reinterpretation of a Late Roman Artifact

The Greeks and Romans in the Black Sea: What's in a Name? Who Might be Basilissa Ulpia from Mtskheta?

Journal of the Otar Lordkipanidze Centre of Archaeology: Archaeology of the Roman Period in Georgia

[sforzesco]

AKHENATEN

uhhh let's see. I combined some sketches I did of Nefertiti and Akhenaten and ended up somewhere here for an Akhenaten design. in my heart, it's for a comic but there's so much visual research I'd have to do before I could even think about approaching a comic. oof.

anyway moving on: Akhenaten was a childhood obsession! and then I moved onto other things, as one does, but then a couple months ago I decided to check out some books and now I have a headache.

Akhenaten, Ronald T. Ridley

[lumenniveus]

The Muses pooled their collective talents to design something worthy of Gods, heroes, and Sims.

I re-created a TS3 store set I always wanted. Hush, you, simpoints are expensive and I'm just that poor. Besides, it's nice to have something Mediterranean in the game.

Download link is right here (ZIP)

Some changes were made: I switched the frieze for a small painting and turned the seat into a lounger. Here's the full catalog showing off all 9 objects.

I play-tested and after some trouble everything checked out acceptable. There is a visual bug with the lyre that I know of that I can't remove - for now - but the rest is fully functional and should be bug free. If not, yell at me in my inbox.

Have fun with the new stuff you swarm of cc-hungry piranhas ✌️

[dinoserious]

concept roughs. just getting some ideas down

[itsmalombra]

Duilio Cambellotti (1876 – 1960) - Set design for Vittorio Gnecchi's opera Cassandra (1942).

[vyunok-obyknovenniy]

Really happy with how she turned out! I decided to give her some naiad features, inspired by this post and it was really fun! I hc that she can breathe underwater (even though she doesn't have gills. Do naiads have gills?), although I am not sure if she can do it freely or for a limited amount of time 🤔

The fabric piece covering her chest was loosely inspired by 18th century neckerchiefs, because I wasn't sure how the Mycenaean open chest fashion would fly with the censorship here or on other platforms ¯⁠\⁠_(•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[sherdnerd]

I stg if I see one more "Justice for medusa's TRUE story!" post I'm gonna kill someone.

(TW: Assault mention)

The medusa is assaulted by posidon then cursed by athena for being assaulted in her temple only appears in Ovid's Metamorphoses, which is written as a purposeful subversion of Greco-roman myths. most are reframed or rewritten from just kinda a thing that exists or a black and white moral tale of why you shouldn't be hubristic to full on tragedies on the part of the person often getting their comeuppance or the monster. Heck in book 13 we get a love story starring Polyphemus, the cyclops from the Odyssey.

In general mythology, Medusa is just another monster. Ovid revises the myth to turn it into a tragedy. I absolutely love ovid's work, he does so many clever things with the myths, but for the love of the gods its the furthest from the real version you can get

[kilgarraghforever]

I am genuinely really enjoying seeing people who have clearly never read the Odyssey before reacting to EPIC's Ithaca saga. I haven't listened to EPIC myself (yet) but people keep saying stuff like "Odyseeus built their palace around an olive tree he carved into his and Penelope's marriage bed that's so symbolic" and "He really just murdered all the suitors wouldn't that piss off their parents?" Which are observations and questions that the Odyssey makes incredibly blatantly clear as to the symbolism or the answer because it's a really old poem and subtlety wasn't really Homer's strong suit.

There's something really endearing about seeing people interact with the Odyssey through the same way the Ancient Greeks did - a bard singing the story of Odyseus' nostos.

(I gather the details have changed a little, but that's what happens with oral storytelling, and that's how the Odyssey got created in the first place)

Also as congratulations have my favourite ancient depiction of Odysseus surfing with two amphemorae having stolen Poseidon's trident, being sped along by Boreas, stark naked except for a cloak he's holding onto.

[mpicabo]

Continuing on with Ancient Greek inspired Pokemon fanart (GrecoMon?), here is a line based on porygon I’m calling pythagoron! Their evolutionary line is built on higher dimensions, with the first stage being a 2D diagram of shapes composed of straight lines written on papyrus (excluding its circular eye), and the second stage being built entirely from three dimensional shapes with curved surfaces excluding its 2D circular eye. The third stage is based on a 4D object called a Klein bottle as the head, with a fractal inspired by the Mandelbrot set as the body!

[lordgeneralsix]

I obviously wouldn't say no to kcd3 but some people (mostly reddit bros) are a little too desperate for it when we Just got kcd2... it's concerning how many people think the writing isn't good or consistent or even rushed/unfinished just bc they don't like the conclusion (which happened w the first game too). kcd2's ending Was conclusive for henry; he wanted his father's sword back and to kill istvan and markvart, and of course to keep hans safe above all. he did all of that and more. the ending of kcd2 was the end of this story, but there's potential for more w these characters if warhorse wants to... there's no "there Has to be kcd3", if warhorse thinks the story is done, then its done. we don't need another ubisoft slopfest.

[exromaadtempus]

Ex Roma Ad Tempus #4 (Ardent Quest) (2/3) Lineart (no color/background)

[dinoserious]

chlamys

[flow2024]

i love nolans odyssey discussions bc sometimes people will be like wow this is so surprising but the odyssey to me is the most yeah you WOULD adapt that famous director christopher nolan you love stories about men and their complicated problems. see every film he's ever made. i have many thoughts about it that only increase as new information is announced but it's all just funny to me. probably least surprising career move i could think of for nolan.

[arcadialedger]

What’s one joke from a movie that you realize isn’t even that clever but gets you every time nonetheless?

I’ll go first. The “Somebody call ixii!” joke in Disney’s Hercules makes me laugh so hard.

[thirstywaffles]

Hi! I really like your humanformers designs of dpax! Lowkey they're the only ones I can picture with their va?? Like most people draw them looking a little too young (imo) but yours aren't too young or too old! Very much early 20s but I've only ever worked manual jobs so I look older than I am kinda look

Why would the matrix/megatronus whitewash my boys 😔

Idk what hc you have for Pax but he looks latino to me. bless 🙏🔥💯

Thanks!!!! I didn't think ppl would enjoy my silly humanformers au 😭🫶

The short answer why I made them slightly paler is basically bc y'know how sick people get paler yeah? That's why!

Long answer, to preface HF!TFO universe for me is like a combination of cyberpunk & tokusatsu. So yes in this AU they still transform (heh)

Both have different reasons for the changes but I wanted the overall vibe to feel permanent. I want them to look sicker and tired after taking/getting the t-cogs by force. Different from the first time they got their t-cog from Alpha Trion where they look healthier

Also Pax is seasian here! But if you see him as latino that's fine too lmao