More Gladiator Fashion?

From the Mirror’s celebrity gossip pages:

Lindsay Lohan looks like an extra from the blockbuster movie Gladiator as she strides through LA in knee-high black sandal boots.

Perhaps ancient Roman is the latest trend or maybe she wants a patterned tan on her legs.

Beyonce looks even happier in strappy pumps and nephew Daniel seems to holey approve of her style.

His My Aunty Rocks T-shirt says it all.

If Ridley Scott is planning a Gladiator 2 he knows where to go for his female leads.

Oddly, the Mirror doesn’t include any photos … Shudoo comes through, though:

Shudoo photo
Shudoo photo

Not sure we can call those things ‘gladiator-style’ … you can decide for yourself if they are reminiscent of the gladiators on the Zliten mosaic:

Wikimedia Photo
Wikimedia Photo

Another Arthur Link?

From a press release via Earthtimes:

Researcher David Xavier Kenney discovered the inscriptions on the 2nd to 3rd century artifact which was found on a hilltop in Norfolk County, England and is part of his collection.

Among the revelations on the lance head (or contos head) is that the real King Arthur may have been Marcus Aurelius Mausaeus Carausius, a 3rd century Belgic sailor from humble origins who rose up through the ranks to eventually become a Rogue Emperor of Rome.

The contos was a victory votive to the Romano Celtic war/sword god Mars Camulos and Carausius, who undoubtedly identified himself with this god, based on coins he minted and evidenced on the contos. The Roman settlement of Camulodunum (modern Colchester), named after Camulos, is widely thought to be the origin of Medieval writers’ Camelot.

Carausius strove to become a people’s hero of Britain and Northern Gaul when he rebelled against the co-Emperor Maximian, who ordered his execution after he was accused of keeping seized pirate booty. Backed by his Roman legions, he proclaimed himself another co-emperor. Three years later in 293 AD Carausius was assassinated by his finance minister.

The war/sword god Camulos’ primary center of Celtic worship was with the Remi, a Belgic tribe. Based on contos inscriptions Camulos appears to be connected to a previously unknown Belgic agricultural/fertility bear god of the northern constellations and its related symbols, including a pagan type grail cup, magical blade weapons, meteorites, magnetic north, and the seasons named Artor. The sword in the stone shown on the contos has a connection to an elite Roman Parazonium (ceremonial short sword).

According to Kenney, inscriptions show the primary aspect of Artor is a force associated with breaking through or beginnings, including spring and the dawn. Other artifacts show that this bear war/sword god in some form can be seen across ancient Europe and Asia as far east as ancient China, particularly in the northern regions.

… the author has more to say at his webpage … personally, I don’t see most of the stuff he’s seeing on this; your mileage may vary (but I doubt it) …

Classical Allusion of the Moment

Dan Carpenter in the Indy Star on Sarah Palin last week (inter alia, of course):

And the Obama detractors who rejected his assertion that his campaign for office was not about him are content to let her be a kind of Cleopatra in a parka, reclining symbol of lost stature.

… interesting mental image …

Hilarofustis Atarium

Excerpts from a piece at Network World … not bad:

On a recent excavation, Chris Locke unearthed an amazingly well-preserved fossil of Hilarofustis atarium, commonly referred to as the Atari joystick. This is the most recent “discovery” he has made, but among his Modern Fossils collection you can also spot long-dead boom boxes, aged iPods, obsolete hard drives, and ancient phones.

[…]

Here are a few of the “finds.”

Hilarofustis atarium

One of our earliest specimens, Hilarofustis atarium occupies the same position on the food chain as Dominaludus nintendicus but predates it by several years. Examples of this particular species are somewhat rare, especially today, as so many other species have arisen to take its place.

Dominaludus nintendicusThis is an early example of the “game controller” unit, specifically from the mid-1980s. The earliest examples of this species appeared in Japan, but quickly spread throughout the United States and the rest of the world within only two or three years.

Ludustatarium temperosony

First seen in the mid-1990s, Ludustatarium has been found throughout the world. Similar in origin and function to Dominaludus nintendicus, Ludustatarium is obviously a more complex evolution of the form.

Dexteludicrum repuerasco

First seen around 1989, Dexteludicrum repuerasco has also appeared worldwide. Dexteludicrum repuerasco obviously bears some of the same traits as Dominaludus nintendicus, but it includes extra components.

Ambulephebus sonysymphonia

First found in the late 1970s, often in close proximity to Asportatio acroamatis, suggesting a possible symbiotic relationship. This species rapidly evolved into many other forms, including a large, round version (Ambulephebus discus) and the rare Ambulephebus minidiscus.

Experts theorize that the entire Ambulephebus genus was virtually wiped out by the sudden appearance of Egosiliqua malusymphonicus near the turn of the century. Some Ambulephebus remain, but not in the numbers once seen.

Egosiliqua malusymphonicus

Egosiliqua malusymphonicus, which first surfaced in 2001, remains today in several forms, most closely resembling this one. Some observers speculate that it evolved from Ambulephebus sonysymphonia, while others suspect that Egosiliqua was the natural predator whose presence led to the eventual extinction of Ambulephebus.

[…]