Primus Pilus Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 The discovery of an ancient Roman cave has unearthed a debate about its historical purpose and delved into a deeper question for scholars: Can archaeology prove mythology? The cave was found when a camera was lowered through a hole in Rome's Palatine Hill during restorations of the palace of the Emperor Augustus, who ruled from the late first century B.C. until his death in A.D. 14. The Palatine Hill was a seat of power in ancient Rome; today it is home to the fragile remains of palaces and temples... USA Today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faustus Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 a deeper question for scholars: Can archaeology prove mythology? It would logically seem the answer is no. But it can help get to mythology Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klingan Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 a deeper question for scholars: Can archaeology prove mythology? It would logically seem the answer is no. But it can help get to mythology Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maty Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 I agree. It can however, also confirm that mythological events did take place in a slightly different shape. Remember the boar tusk helmets from the Homers Iliad that nobody believed for a second that they were actually used. On which topic, I seem to remember a helmet of a warrior from a tomb painting in the Greek city of Paestum (in Campania) which had a definitely tusky look. Or bull's horns perhaps? What I find interesting about the Roman foundation myth is that despite a lot of hard work by the hyper-critical school, no-one has been able to actually prove it definitely wrong in any important particular. If anything, what evidence is uncovered all points in the direction of the legend being essentially correct. However, short of a dateable artifact marked 'Romulus wuz here' I'm not sure if the foundation myth debate will ever be really settled. While it's interesting that there is indeed a cave where the legend says there should be, this doesn't mean it's THE cave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ursus Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 I'm inclined to think myth has some very distant roots in history - look at Troy and The Iliad, for instance. But the idea of sacred twins runs throughout Indo-European mythology, as does the myth that the world (or, in this case, a city) began with the murder/sacrifice of a divine being. So I think you have a very ancient proto-Indo-European myth that has been recontextualized by the various IE cultures as they separated and matured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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