ted@imsvax.UUCP (Ted Holden) (10/26/85)
The following two quotes, out of context, of course, are from two of Richard Carnes' articles: >Anyway, since I am studying ancient Greek >history, I am looking forward to Ted's explanation of why I need to >revise radically my ideas about this historical period. >What is the evidence that the ancient myths about the reign of Kronos >are referring to the *planet* Saturn? Surely you jest?! Did you think that when planets were discovered, say, sometime in the middle ages, that people simply gave them names from Greek and Roman mythology?? When you say you are studying "Greek", do you mean exotic sexual practices? The names of the planets, at least the visible ones, come to us from the dawn of time; I'm just an ordinary businessman and even I know that. Have you never read Plato's dialogues, which clearly describe the planetary gods as well as the "creator god"? Have you never wondered how the ancients, who had much close at hand to be afraid of, chose two tiny points of light, Jupiter and Saturn, as the two most feared things in the universe, and the two captains of their two sets of dieties, Titans and Olympians? I mean, if you were told to pick a chieftan of the gods from the visible planets, with no knowledge of telescopes, based on the sky which WE observe, would you not choose Venus? It is much larger and brighter looking than Jupiter and Saturn, at least in 1985. Think about a few of these things, before you write your next article on recognizing "cranks".
csdf@mit-vax.UUCP (Charles Forsythe) (10/28/85)
In article <444@imsvax.UUCP> ted@imsvax.UUCP (Ted Holden) writes: >>What is the evidence that the ancient myths about the reign of Kronos >>are referring to the *planet* Saturn? > >Surely you jest?! Did you think that when planets were discovered, say, >sometime in the middle ages, that people simply gave them names from >Greek and Roman mythology?? When you say you are studying "Greek", do >you mean exotic sexual practices? I think the question was asked wrong, Ted. When mythology says, vaguely, "Kronos ruled the heavens" why does that mean that the Earth orbited it? Even so, your answer is really stupid. I think you're getting edgy. -- Charles Forsythe CSDF@MIT-VAX "I'm looking for the joke with a microscope." -Iggy Pop