Most Important People in Ancient Classical History

Most Important People in Ancient Classical History

From the ancienthistory.about.com article:

When dealing with Ancient/Classical History, the difference between history and legend is not always clear. Evidence is scant for many people from the start of writing to the Fall of Rome (A.D. 476). With this reminder, here is my list of the most important people in the ancient world. In general, I exclude Biblical figures before Moses, legendary founders of Greco-Roman cities, and participants in the Trojan war or Greek mythology. Also, note the firm date 476 is violated by “the last of the Romans,” Roman Emperor Justinian. The order is thematic.

See the list here.

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/basics101/tp/061308famouspeople.htm

From the ancienthistory.about.com article:

When dealing with Ancient/Classical History, the difference between history and legend is not always clear. Evidence is scant for many people from the start of writing to the Fall of Rome (A.D. 476). With this reminder, here is my list of the most important people in the ancient world. In general, I exclude Biblical figures before Moses, legendary founders of Greco-Roman cities, and participants in the Trojan war or Greek mythology. Also, note the firm date 476 is violated by “the last of the Romans,” Roman Emperor Justinian. The order is thematic.

See the list here.

Ancient Etruscan Ointment Discovered in Italy

Ancient Etruscan Ointment Discovered in Italy

From the discovery.com article:

Italian archaeologists have discovered lotion that is over 2000 years old, left almost intact in the cosmetic case of an aristocratic Etruscan woman.

The discovery, which occurred four years ago in a necropolis near the Tuscan town of Chiusi, has just been made public, following chemical analysis which identified the original compounds of the ancient ointment. The team reports their findings in the July issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Dating to the second half of the second century B.C., the intact tomb was found sealed by a large terracotta tile. The site featured a red-purple painted inscription with the name of the deceased: Thana Presnti Plecunia Umranalisa.

…

After analyzing the material, the researchers established that the contents of the vessel consisted of a mixture of substances of lipids and resins.

“The natural resins were the pine resin, exudated from Pinaceae, and the mastic resin, from Anacardiaceae trees. The lipid was a vegetable oil, most likely moringa oil, which was used by the Egyptians and Greeks to produce ointments and perfumes,” Ribechini said.

Also called myrobalan oil, moringa oil was mentioned by Roman scholar Pliny the Elder (23 A.D. – 79 A.D.) in his celebrated Natural History as one of the ingredients in the recipe of a “regal perfume” for the king of Parthes.

Read the article here.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/07/10/ancient-ointment-02.html

From the discovery.com article:
Italian archaeologists have discovered lotion that is over 2000 years old, left almost intact in the cosmetic case of an aristocratic Etruscan woman.

The discovery, which occurred four years ago in a necropolis near the Tuscan town of Chiusi, has just been made public, following chemical analysis which identified the original compounds of the ancient ointment. The team reports their findings in the July issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Dating to the second half of the second century B.C., the intact tomb was found sealed by a large terracotta tile. The site featured a red-purple painted inscription with the name of the deceased: Thana Presnti Plecunia Umranalisa.
…

After analyzing the material, the researchers established that the contents of the vessel consisted of a mixture of substances of lipids and resins.

“The natural resins were the pine resin, exudated from Pinaceae, and the mastic resin, from Anacardiaceae trees. The lipid was a vegetable oil, most likely moringa oil, which was used by the Egyptians and Greeks to produce ointments and perfumes,” Ribechini said.

Also called myrobalan oil, moringa oil was mentioned by Roman scholar Pliny the Elder (23 A.D. – 79 A.D.) in his celebrated Natural History as one of the ingredients in the recipe of a “regal perfume” for the king of Parthes.

Read the article here.