Search found 932 matches

by Taphoi
Sat Apr 02, 2016 6:16 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis
Replies: 1585
Views: 542200

Re: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis

Here is a different conversion from the 2020 years before present (71BC) raw radiocarbon date to a calibrated date range that I have done. Thin red lines at 2-sigma (70 years) either side of the 2020 BP black centre line projected onto the horizontal calibrated dates axis. This gives 170BC to AD70 (...
by Taphoi
Sat Apr 02, 2016 5:50 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis
Replies: 1585
Views: 542200

Re: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis

Nice try but you are quite wrong about your graph and how to use it, there is a big clue in the y-axis label of TYPICAL CALIBRATED RANGE, the ‘calibrated’ being crucial, clearly applying uncalibrated dates is wrong and this is simply proven. We know what the calibrated date range is at 1 sigma, you...
by Taphoi
Sat Apr 02, 2016 10:59 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis
Replies: 1585
Views: 542200

Re: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis

It looks to me as though the archaeologists have made a big mistake concerning the carbon dating of the torch soot from the interior of the tomb. But first, I should try to clear up some of the confusion about the calibrated date range. Agesilaos appears to have been confused by my 2-sigma reference...
by Taphoi
Fri Apr 01, 2016 1:27 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis
Replies: 1585
Views: 542200

Re: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis

If it's got a crescent on its chest it's not a sacrificial bull. Therein is the point. It's not a sacrificial scene. Is that rather curious? Absolutely. Gepd has a Roman example a few posts back which is most intriguing, but first I've seen of that mosaic. But, no, I still don't see either side goi...
by Taphoi
Fri Apr 01, 2016 1:39 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis
Replies: 1585
Views: 542200

Re: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis

They are not crotchless. The photos show that about 90% of the paint is gone. The "crescent" on the bull only looks like a crescent in the weird fantasy reconstructions. In the photos it looks like the remains of a wreath or garland. Perfectly normal for a bull about to be sacrificed. Bes...
by Taphoi
Fri Apr 01, 2016 1:18 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis
Replies: 1585
Views: 542200

Re: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis

I'm all for crotchless kilts too, but they seem less Emperor's New Clothes than Taphoi's Fantasy Wear. ;) And it still doesn't explain the crescent shape on the bull's lower chest. A bull in a kilt would be a most glorious sight to be sure. They are not crotchless. The photos show that about 90% of...
by Taphoi
Fri Apr 01, 2016 12:19 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis
Replies: 1585
Views: 542200

Re: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis

agesilaos wrote:The 2 sigma range is more like 100 BC to 40 AD.
Absolute tosh. Here is an intelligible diagram. You can read 71BC off the vertical scale and the blue lines delineate the 2-sigma 95% calibrated range on the horizontal scale.
Best wishes,
Andrew
Carbon14b.png
Carbon14b.png (6.03 KiB) Viewed 9870 times
by Taphoi
Fri Apr 01, 2016 12:12 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis
Replies: 1585
Views: 542200

Re: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis

I do wonder whether discussions of the "centaurs" are a bit too credulous. Their hindquarters are really not properly discernible in the photos and the claim that the things that look for all the world like loin cloths or kilts are actually peculiar crescent shaped bits of gold bling is r...
by Taphoi
Thu Mar 31, 2016 7:42 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis
Replies: 1585
Views: 542200

Re: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis

Here are some details regarding analysis of the burn layers in the fill of the burial chamber. Not sure if the date given is the uncalibrated one or not. If it is the uncalibrated radiocarbon age, then the calendar date and 1-sigma error for the sample is 24 BC +/- 34 yrs (based on the tool Agesila...
by Taphoi
Wed Mar 30, 2016 12:13 am
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis
Replies: 1585
Views: 542200

Re: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis

The reconstructions of the murals appear to be fanciful and to pay insufficient attention to precedents in Greek art. For example, we have these weird combinations of sphinxes with braziers and bulls, when there are very clear and familiar scenes on red figure vases, which provide excellent preceden...
by Taphoi
Fri Mar 25, 2016 12:19 pm
Forum: The Diadochi
Topic: Cassander (and Olympias)
Replies: 28
Views: 34831

Re: Cassander (and Olympias)

... but it seems you meant Aegus and thus your statement was completely wrong. I shall of course continue to quibble as long as you continue to be factually incorrect or your 'analysis' facile. I predict that there will be much quibbling to come :( Since it seems we are to do some more quibbling (n...
by Taphoi
Fri Mar 25, 2016 12:02 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis
Replies: 1585
Views: 542200

Re: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis

Could you help identify which part of "the remains of a woman were thrown on this spot without an orderly re-composition of her body" is "reading far too much into Corso's words"? I'm struggling to see the problem with my summary. I'd have thought disarticulated remains thrown i...
by Taphoi
Thu Mar 24, 2016 9:31 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis
Replies: 1585
Views: 542200

Re: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis

A grave dug out sufficiently to remove every bone from three corpses but not every remnant of the cremation would need some explaining. I don't put much faith into Corso's words, but if he's giving an accurate recounting of the evidence (and it does indeed match what has already been said) then we'...
by Taphoi
Thu Mar 24, 2016 9:04 pm
Forum: Discuss Alexander the Great
Topic: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis
Replies: 1585
Views: 542200

Re: The Sphinxes Guarding the Lion Tomb Entrance at Amphipolis

The evidence at the moment would suggest that the original burial was for the cremains within an urn and a body upon a kline or within a coffin (the fragments found could be either). As far as I know there is no evidence for high-status double-decker burials in Macedon. There are then at least thre...
by Taphoi
Thu Mar 24, 2016 8:38 pm
Forum: The Diadochi
Topic: Cassander (and Olympias)
Replies: 28
Views: 34831

Re: Cassander (and Olympias)

...I shall of course continue to quibble... I predict that there will be much quibbling to come :( What fun :D The ’45, is actually not a bad analogy, Bonnie Prince Charlie landed from France failed to gain the support of the Lowland Scots or the English Jacobites was abandoned by Louis XV and crus...