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A 2k-year-old sun hat worn by a Roman soldier in Egypt

smithsonianmag.com

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Re: A 2k-year-old sun hat worn by a Roman soldier in Egypt

#21

Post by steve_adams_86 »

deadbabe wrote: post #20
ekianjo wrote: post #15

> As it turns out, even the Romans understood the power of a good hat. The author thinks Roman had low intellect or something?

Most people think ancient people were idiots. Romans could have invented steam engines if they wanted to.

One thing I've learned is that in all of the brief history of humans we're aware of, people a lot smarter than I am existed in fairly large numbers. It puts things into perspective. They would have learned to use hacker news and program computers as easily as I do. We stand on the shoulders of giants.

I love the perspective they had on things due to living in such different (yet remarkably similar) conditions.

Re: A 2k-year-old sun hat worn by a Roman soldier in Egypt

#22

Post by mk89 »

steve_adams_86 wrote: post #21
deadbabe wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most people think ancient people were idiots. Romans could have invented steam engines if they wanted to.

One thing I've learned is that in all of the brief history of humans we're aware of, people a lot smarter than I am existed in fairly large numbers. It puts things into perspective. They would have learned to use hacker news and program computers as easily as I do. We stand on the shoulders of giants. I love the perspective they had on things due to living in such different (yet remarkably similar) conditions.

100% agreed with you.

I think we forget we're the "same" (more or less) homo sapiens as 200+ thousand years ago. Better overall conditions allow us to use the brain more (books, universities, etc) but our brain hasn't changed, as far as I know.

Re: A 2k-year-old sun hat worn by a Roman soldier in Egypt

#24

Post by thaumasiotes »

metalman wrote: post #4
lostlogin wrote: post #2

So it lasted about 2k years where it was, then was removed, put in storage and damaged by moths in the museum?

yep, the worlds oldest shirt was found in an ancient rubbish pile in eygypt, nice shirt, but obviosly thrown out from ancient wear and tear.....it NEVER rains in eygypt...or to be exact any area can expect rain once in 400 years or something ludicrous, so ya stuff just sits, and in just the right conditions lasts for millenia, so we have ancient chit chat letters sent back and forth between women that represent the e…

> but both instances required exceptional conditions and the use of very durable materials, papyrus paper and dried and protected clay

Note that papyrus is not a "very durable material"; it's an extremely fragile one.

Papyrus records survive in Egypt, and only in Egypt, because nothing ever spoils in Egypt no matter how fragile it might be.

Cuneiform records survive all over the cuneiform-using world because they are very durable if you set fire to them.

Re: A 2k-year-old sun hat worn by a Roman soldier in Egypt

#27

Post by WalterBright »

deadbabe wrote: post #20
ekianjo wrote: post #15

> As it turns out, even the Romans understood the power of a good hat. The author thinks Roman had low intellect or something?

Most people think ancient people were idiots. Romans could have invented steam engines if they wanted to.

> Romans could have invented steam engines if they wanted to.

They did not have the precursors to it, such as a lathe. Steam engine technology evolved out of cannon technology, which was developing for centuries before the steam engine. (The lathe also came about from cannon improvements.)

Re: A 2k-year-old sun hat worn by a Roman soldier in Egypt

#28

Post by steve_adams_86 »

mk89 wrote: post #22
steve_adams_86 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One thing I've learned is that in all of the brief history of humans we're aware of, people a lot smarter than I am existed in fairly large numbers. It puts things into perspective. They would have learned to use hacker news and program computers as easily as I do. We stand on the shoulders of giants. I love the perspective they had on things due to living in such different (yet remarkably similar) conditions.

100% agreed with you. I think we forget we're the "same" (more or less) homo sapiens as 200+ thousand years ago. Better overall conditions allow us to use the brain more (books, universities, etc) but our brain hasn't changed, as far as I know.

Right, and as far as I know as well.

It's kind of exciting when you realize just how much there is to learn from the people who came before us. All of the most interesting, difficult problems of human minds and experiences are still almost just as pressing and difficult today, but many people had remarkable insights and made genuinely incredible progress in understanding things we tend to take for granted these days. Hard problems that we face literally every day, even.

Re: A 2k-year-old sun hat worn by a Roman soldier in Egypt

#30

Post by wyclif »

accrual wrote: post #14
throwaway173738 wrote: post #5

It looks like a bucket hat.

Bucket hats are pretty useful as far as hats go. Glad to see they have a long standing heritage!

The great feature of the bucket hat IMO is that, unlike a wide brim hat, you can fold it down and stick it in your pocket when it gets cloudy or the sun goes down.
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