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the latest developments on the amphipolis tomb is that katerina peristeri has found evidence that the tomb was build for hephaestion. they found his monogram , project contract and more. they think its a shrine.

 

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2015/09/30/hephaestions-monogram-found-at-amphipolis-tomb/

 

http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/ancient-amphipolis-tomb-was-commissioned-alexander-great-his-closest-friend-020551

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  • 4 weeks later...
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For those living in the Chicago area or visiting the city between November 25, 2015 and April 10, 216, The Field Museum will host an exhibition called The Greeks - Agamemnon to Alexander the Great. Here are the details:

 

 

greeks_identity_5x3_horizontal_final.jpg

 

Take an exceptional journey through 5,000 years of Greek history and culture in The Field Museum?s latest exhibition, The Greeks?Agamemnon to Alexander the Great. Encounter Mycenaean rulers and priestesses, warriors and princesses of Archaic Greece, and heroes and athletes of Classical Athens and Sparta. This once-in-a-lifetime exhibition features more than 500 priceless treasures?many of which never have been displayed outside of Greece?from 21 Greek museums. Discover how the ancient Greeks saw themselves, their society, and their gods. Explore pivotal moments that led to the birth of Western democracy, philosophy, and theater, and learn how Greek culture continues to shape the modern arts, science, medicine, and sports.

 

The Greeks is co-presented in Chicago by The Field Museum and the National Hellenic Museum, and made possible by the generous contribution of The John P. Calamos Foundation and John P. Calamos, Sr., Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Hellenic Museum.

 

 

Also at the Field Museum between November 25, 2015 - December 4, 2016 the exhibition called Echoes of Stone Age Greece will be presented. details for that one:

 

greek_cave-horiz.png?itok=DhMfo5ps

 

Imagine for a second a world suspended in time. What could a long-forgotten cave, sealed off by an earthquake thousands of years ago, tell us about how people lived in times past?

 

Echoes of Stone Age Greece invites you into the enormous caverns and secret lakes of Alepotrypa, which serve as a passageway into Neolithic Greece. The bones and artifacts found there are helping scientists solve the riddle of why some human settlements disappear from history, while others flourish to turn into powerful civilizations. In this exhibition, you can explore Alepotrypa Cave yourself using a touchscreen panorama, and be one of the first to see a 3D model of the cave built from newfound data.

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That second one actually looks more interesting to me. I think I'm overdue for a return trip to Chicago. Bougatsa for everyone!

 

If and when you come let me know and I will direct you to the best bougatsa in town. Not that there are that many places to choose from.

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Good video on the battle that saw the end of the Macedonians as a major force and the start of Greece being rules by the Romans. Now I know why the Phalanx formation went out of fashion too. Its an old vid since all the graphics are from Rome total war haha.

Edited by Koro
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  • 6 months later...
  • 5 months later...

I have been living in Italy for the past 5 months. A couple of weeks ago I went to Naples for four days so I had the chance to go to Pompeii. The weather was nice so it was perfect for having a tour. As much as I was impressed with what I saw, I think the more ancient sites I see the more I realise how indifferent we are today. The only things that have changed is technology and mentalities. We still just want to eat, drink and have sex.

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^^^

Westworld is a new series on HBO. Its premise is "to satisfy every desire of the guests"...  In one scene, the question is, "do you know why Westworld is so successful?" and the answer is, because it gives people what they really want.... to F*** and kill!

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1 hour ago, athinaios said:

^^^

Westworld is a new series on HBO. Its premise is "to satisfy every desire of the guests"...  In one scene, the question is, "do you know why Westworld is so successful?" and the answer is, because it gives people what they really want.... to F*** and kill!

Superb show by the way.

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2 hours ago, Bananas said:

Superb show by the way.

I watched all episodes. I couldn't help thinking about AI (artif. intel) and what conscience is...   How would you know if a machine is conscious? Is the line somewhere between competence and comprehension? Machines (and not only :cool:) are competent in performing tasks, but comprehension involves understanding that leads to more complex behavior, synthesize information and create new concepts, actions, etc.

Then at which point a machine can be self-conscious? Is there any way to know? I assume you are conscious because you're very similar to me, and I know I'm conscious (well, most of the time :coffee-532684:).

Guys, if you like Westworld you'll definitely like Ex Machina.

 

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8 hours ago, athinaios said:

.. the answer is, because it gives people what they really want.... to F*** and kill!

Yes, great show, but is that all people want? What would you do if could go to Westworld?

I also think that fantasy could be fun to pursue at times. I've played video games, even thought about how it'd be to kill another human being, but I hold that human lives are very precious, and I'm not at all violent. Could I kill? Possibly, but in self defense or to save other lives from unjustified violence.  So, Westworld is a fantasy world where I think it's OK to play in-person "video" games. 

It's those in the real world who think violence is the first option that I'm concerned of.

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1 minute ago, Epicurus said:

Yes, great show, but is that all people want? What would you do if could go to Westworld?

I'd learn how to ride a horse really well..:children-870953:

5 hours ago, Hudson said:

I watched all episodes. I couldn't help thinking about AI (artif. intel) and what conscience is...   How would you know if a machine is conscious? Is the line somewhere between competence and comprehension? Machines (and not only :cool:) are competent in performing tasks, but comprehension involves understanding that leads to more complex behavior, synthesize information and create new concepts, actions, etc.

Then at which point a machine can be self-conscious? Is there any way to know? I assume you are conscious because you're very similar to me, and I know I'm conscious (well, most of the time :coffee-532684:).

Guys, if you like Westworld you'll definitely like Ex Machina.

 

Interesting questions. I'd be in a quandary if my robotic house cleaner said I'm working "her" too much. :blush:

Ex Machina is a great movie with lots of twists and an unexpected ending.

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20 hours ago, Hudson said:

I watched all episodes. I couldn't help thinking about AI (artif. intel) and what conscience is...   How would you know if a machine is conscious?

At this stage the idea of a machine that is truly conscious is in the realm of sci-fi.  Maybe it always will be.  It certainly won't be in our life times as romantic (or scary) as the concept is.

If we're talking about machines that can "act" like they're people, that is definitely feasible.  Not any time soon, but it's just a matter of time.  If the programming was broad and complex enough and the computational power sufficient you'd have a machine that for all intents and purposes "looks like" it's a human.  You'd probably have some "base" programming where all the machines are the same and other things could be up to the machine.  When I say up to the machine, it's still just following its programming but maybe makes selections/choices that aren't important (e.g. what it's favourite colour is) in a random number generator sort of fashion.

Then again, maybe we're doing the same thing except in our case the programming code is in our DNA.

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OK. But, it's already happening.... and, technology is advancing rapidly.  In my lifetime, I've seen magic becoming reality. We went to the moon with such a primitive technology. The computers (real term) of NACA (before it was renamed NASA) were actual people, like the three women Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan portrayed in the film, Hidden Figures, who calculated trajectories and other vital space flight data. If someone had pulled out a modern mobile phone, they would have been taken in by gov as an ..alien (undocumented, of course :happy-300900:)

Now, what to you think it'll happen when humans merge with machines? They're already putting chips in brains to control diseases like Alzheimer's, and other body parts are already replaceable. Where will be the line human-machine?

Edited by Hudson
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Merging with machines and consciousness are not the same.  And even merging with machines creates weird scenarios.

For example, let's say we could make a complete copy of your brain and store that on a machine.  You die shortly after.  Using cloning technology or some other technology a body is grown.  It's got everything except the brain.  We get a brain that's been grown, do a format brain: in Windows 42, to make sure it's completely clean with no data, and then copy the data from the machine to the brain.  The brain is then inserted into the freshly grown body.

Voila!  You're back!  But is that you ?  What if I did the same procedure but with two bodies ?!?!  Which one is "you" ?  And hence the conundrum.  The answer I believe, is that neither of them is you.  The "you" that died was a unique "version" or "copy" and it's well and truly gone.  Just like when you run a program on a computer.  It's executing a copy of the program that is unique.  If you end that copy and then run a second copy shortly thereafter, even if the result is the same, they were a different instance of the same program.

This is all gets weird quite quickly.  And I'm sure if the technology was available, the temptation for loved ones to bring back someone deceased will be strong and in their mind to hell with philosophical questions.

Just imagine, Trump being virtually immortal.  Lots of Trumps.  Trumps, Trumps everywhere.  NOW ARE YOU AFRAID ?!?!?!

-- edit --

Getting slightly off topic.

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a conversation worth its own topic...

that was my problem with Star Trek's transporter... dissolving and reconstituting a person's atoms should be producing clones, not the real person.

As for many Trumps...  that would be great! Oh, how I'd wish that....

..Trump would be the worst enemy of ..Trump. No 2 Trumps could exist in same room or even universe. It'd be total annihilation

:Bang: [like matter v. anti-matter]

Edited by Hudson
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  • 8 months later...

Thanks Tantra, very interesting.

The geographical area of Greece produced some great civilization. Yes, the genetic code shows that there's a lineage from the ancients to the modern Greeks, but also a mixing of the populations of peoples who lived in the area.

Does DNA carry qualities that make one people more special or even superior to others? Is there genetic memory that makes people predisposed to something?  I think that people can make themselves what they want. It certainly feels good to have ancestors with a history of greatness, but it's up to you to learn from them and carry on the tradition.

Also, should you be given privileges because your ..father won the Nobel Prize? You can certainly feel proud, but I'd ask you, have you done anything of importance?  I see DNA lineage the same way. It's nice to have but show me something new, say your generation has done....  Also, nobody prevents anyone from adopting great ideas from the ancients, or from anywhere really, even if they don't have direct lineage, and I think this is beautiful.

 

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Yes, I read the article(s) about this archaeological find; it's amazing in its detail.

One of the things I admire about the Hellenic civilization was its emphasis on the human condition. It wasn't all about glorifying the kings or the gods. Even their religion was humanly based! The human form was idealized.

Also, their attempt to understand the physical world by using reason and the scientific method--extremely rare for the times then.

As for things back then and even today, we have to define what greatness is!  So, what were the "great civilizations" or the people that achieved extraordinary things?

One was military power, brute force, battle tactics. Genghis Khan conquered huge swaths of lands. The Vikings were great warriors too.  Same with Assyrians, Babylonians, et al.

The other one was ideas, science, philosophy, etc, that survived and influenced thousands of future generations. The Athenian model of organizing tribes on a more open, tolerant political system, gave rise to all these things, which in turn produced greatness.  For me, ideas and culture matter as to what possible outcomes are likely. It could have been an accident of history that the Athenians did what they did, but they ..did it! Not many other societies copied them.

 

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The great world museum in NYC, the Metropolitan, has one of the best collections of art and artifacts from across the globe and throughout human history. I highly recommend visiting this museum, but budget many hours, which wouldn't be enough to see everything.

I suggest you visit the Medieval section first. This was the time when European society was focusing its art on glorifying the rulers and God. The Dark Ages lasted centuries. The Renaissance re-discovered the Greek and Roman past, not by design or will, but as a result of a new emerging class, the merchants, who traded, got rich, and challenged the status quo.

Anyway, the medieval section is dimly lit. Then walk to the Greco-Roman wing of the museum.... woa, the light, the brightness of human spirit, the potential of humanity, the pursuit of happiness as a worthy value, instead of absolute devotion to rulers and gods.

It's been humanism, and the Enlightenment that gave us some of the best things we enjoy today, from science and its benefits, to individual choice and freedom.

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  • 2 months later...

"Having reconstructed a lot of Stone Age women and men, I think some facial features seem to have disappeared or 'smoothed out' with time. In general, we look less masculine, both men and women, today.”

I wonder why? Natural selection? or those masculine features weren't needed any longer. Maybe strength wasn't as necessary?

In a population where most everyone hooks up and has children, it doesn't explain "more masculine women" (uglier?) being selected out of the pool.

Interesting.

Edited by Hudson
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