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I am not even sure if you will believe this... - Petra Rocks - 11-08-2007
I am taking an Art History class in local Community College, and when going over the Are Pacis, and again with an early medieval work, the professor has solemnly assured the class that both works contain pictures of armadillos. I would consider than an embarrassing error in John Q. Public, and now a university prof is placidly lecturing on about it! They were evidently part of a Roman motif for plenty. :roll: This after being told about the Islamic holy day of Ramadan, how the Colosseum was built in honor of Nero and how the Vikings lost Spain to the Muslims, I am starting to look forward to this class as a source of comic relief.
Re: I am not even sure if you will believe this... - Aetius Helvius Merula - 11-08-2007
Early medieval....+ armadillos.....? Man, them Texas critters get around, don't they?
He actually said armadillos?
Re: I am not even sure if you will believe this... - Carlton Bach - 11-08-2007
How come *qualified* historians are unemployed if that quality is paid to teach? :x
Re: I am not even sure if you will believe this... - Petra Rocks - 11-08-2007
She, but yes. She was quite firm on the point, despite the fact that several people in class immediately objected. "But, if they don't live in Europe, why are we seeing them in Roman artwork?" :lol: To be fair I am learning things in that class, but that particular lecture sounded more appropriate for April fools day than a serious academic setting.
Re: I am not even sure if you will believe this... - Martin Moser - 11-08-2007
Tell her to show you those here:
http://www.arachne.uni-koeln.de/monumente.html (-> click Ara Pacis etc.) for splendidly detailed pics of this monument)
Should give her a hard time (or the rest of the world quite a surprise ;-) ) )
Re: I am not even sure if you will believe this... - Martin Moser - 11-08-2007
Maybe she was thinking of this little fellow on the Ara Pacis ...
or
this one?
Re: I am not even sure if you will believe this... - Petra Rocks - 11-08-2007
![[Image: 388pxarapacisjpgnt9.jpg]](http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/2544/388pxarapacisjpgnt9.jpg)
This is the offending animal.
-\\
Re: I am not even sure if you will believe this... - Martin Moser - 11-08-2007
Quote:I admit it does almost look like one, though I daresay it is supposed to be a grazing sheep of some sort.
Yes, you are right, it's a sheep!
Quote:Sorry I couldn't find a more zoomed-in picture. :-\\
As I said, the Ara Pacis browser is a splendid thing: here's the culprit :-) )
Re: I am not even sure if you will believe this... - satsobek - 11-08-2007
How could anyone think that was anything but a sheep? I think it's really quite clearly sculpted, and you'd have to be quite dumb to confuse it, unless she lacks access to any detail photos! Are you sure she isn't very evil and tries to feed her students misinformation just to see if she can get away with it? :twisted:
Re: I am not even sure if you will believe this... - Materfamillias - 11-08-2007
If they are truely scholarly they should have no prob citing their sources, if it starts with "www." I'd ask for a course refund!
kind thoughts
Materfamillias
Re: I am not even sure if you will believe this... - Petra Rocks - 11-08-2007
Thanks Martin, that totally removes any doubt that it is a sheep.
@ Christy From the zoomed out view the lips look quite long, the grass sort of blends into it. I doubt she has looked at detailed pics, we do go through a lot of artwork and it would take a long time to look over every part of every piece with a fine-tooth comb. Not worth it unless you are looking for something in particular. She might have noticed armadillos live nowhere close to Europe and done some checking though....
Oh well, it gives me something to look foreword to in class. I didn't think she could top the one about the Islamic holy day of Ramadan she told us about in the class before last, but she proved me wrong. Surely she can't do beat this......
As for giving her a hard time, I did that back when she told me the Colosseum was built by Nero to honor himself. I made my point eventually, but it seems like more trouble than it is worth, and I hear such errors in almost every lecture. I am simply too lazy to research her lectures for her, so as much as I appreciate it I am probably not going to try. I have do the legwork to prove my points, and I get nothing but her enmity in return. Still, I couldn't resist sharing this particular whopper with the world.
Re: I am not even sure if you will believe this... - M. Demetrius - 11-08-2007
Ok, I'm from Texas, and we have lots of armadillos here. The hipline is clearly not an armadillo. Even a casual glance will show that the armor shell does not display a hipline, as sheep, horses, and other four legged animals do.
I'll bet that teacher has never even SEEN an armadillo.
For goodness' sakes. That's just silly.
Re: I am not even sure if you will believe this... - Gaius Julius Caesar - 11-08-2007
An armoured dil....ok never mind... :?
Re: I am not even sure if you will believe this... - Petra Rocks - 11-08-2007
Good chance she has never seen an armadillo. I don't know her life story of course, but she grew up around here (Michigan) and they do not live in this area. I have never seen one either, actually, but I do know they are not European animals.
Re: I am not even sure if you will believe this... - Gaius Julius Caesar - 11-08-2007
Maybe she was thinking of a testudo? :roll: :lol: