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Lost city discovered beneath Egypt's desert with ancient church

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Re: Lost city discovered beneath Egypt's desert with ancient church

#51
post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been to India many times (visiting family) as someone born and raised in America, and most people on the internet have bizarre views on India. I'm someone who is generally 'down' on travel to India because it's just a lot to ingest and I prefer easier places, but I personally would never worry about the sorts of things people online claim. It's not particularly dangerous in terms of violence. Food is amazing obv…

The problem with India is hygiene, not so much safety. The food might be great but you're practically guaranteed to get Delhi-Belly. I visited for work years ago, didn't eat any street food and was still taken out of action for 3 days. Rubbish is strewn everywhere , any standing water stinks. I don't think visiting again is worth the risk. Every Indian I've ever met has been lovely though (except for the ones who try…

I think it was Anthony Bourdain who said pretty accurately that it's far safer to eat street food than restaurant food as street food is freshly cooked, hot and instantly sold while restaurant food might be sitting in a broken fridge over a weekend.

Re: Lost city discovered beneath Egypt's desert with ancient church

#52
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Proof to your modern eyes. Not to the eyes of those who also called Constantinople "New Rome", and who called themselves Romans even 1000 years later.

Many Western polities have sought the title of the Roman Empire and the legitimacy it endows. Constantine split the empire, and Constantius II did not rule over Rome (or many other parts of the empire). Is it even reasonable to assert it was still the Roman Empire after the fracture? Is it legitimate for the Eastern Roman Empire to claim the legacy? I think so, and I think they have among the best arguments for it. C…

"Constantine split the empire" is just incorrect. There were co-emperors with regional responsibilities both before and after him. They were co-emperors of one empire. If you want a firm split, 395 (death of Theodosius) is the more common date AFAIK.

I'm not denying that gradually, over well more than a thousand years, the empire (only surviving in the East) changed character in many ways. I am denying that a unique Eastern character sprang up (and immediately applied to Egypt) the moment that Constantinople was founded.

Re: Lost city discovered beneath Egypt's desert with ancient church

#53
post #49
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Proof to your modern eyes. Not to the eyes of those who also called Constantinople "New Rome", and who called themselves Romans even 1000 years later.

They actually called themselves Ῥωμαῖοι, not Romani, and not every description needs to be emic. There's nothing wrong with the label "Byzantine" except to Byzaboos.

So I shouldn't call them Romans, since that is an English translation of what they called themselves, and thus foreign to them.

But you can call them Byzantines, an English term invented in the 19th century, because... you say so? Thank you, I have been enlightened.

Re: Lost city discovered beneath Egypt's desert with ancient church

#54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with India is hygiene, not so much safety. The food might be great but you're practically guaranteed to get Delhi-Belly. I visited for work years ago, didn't eat any street food and was still taken out of action for 3 days. Rubbish is strewn everywhere , any standing water stinks. I don't think visiting again is worth the risk. Every Indian I've ever met has been lovely though (except for the ones who try…

I think it was Anthony Bourdain who said pretty accurately that it's far safer to eat street food than restaurant food as street food is freshly cooked, hot and instantly sold while restaurant food might be sitting in a broken fridge over a weekend.

I know at least 3 people who got sick from the spicy chicken at KFC in India. It seems like everyone who eats it gets sick.

Re: Lost city discovered beneath Egypt's desert with ancient church

#55
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, invented much later, but the expression of a different power structure that those types of Romans felt was not present. But to our modern eyes it was. Hell, the mere fact the centre of power was in Constantinople and not Rome is proof enough that they were distinct.

Proof to your modern eyes. Not to the eyes of those who also called Constantinople "New Rome", and who called themselves Romans even 1000 years later.

"Capital of the Western World for a Cool Thousand Years" (TM)

Re: Lost city discovered beneath Egypt's desert with ancient church

#56
> During this period, from the late fourth to the mid-seventh century AD, Christianity became the dominant religion, towns expanded across the country and Egypt served as one of the empire's richest provinces.

It's easy to forget how different the Middle East looked before the conquest of Islam starting in 600 AD.

Re: Lost city discovered beneath Egypt's desert with ancient church

#57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh. I concede that there are a ton of scammers in the tourist areas. However, I think a lot of people used to the manners of the West really struggle with Egypt’s (admittedly, exhausting) haggling culture.

> haggling culture. There's haggling where you actually enjoy the process (i.e. Turkey, visiting the bazaars, you get to haggle, then you get invited for some cay w/ the vendor, talk a bit, that's really enjoyable) and then there's outright scamming. Friend of mine went to Egypt, really wanted to ride a camel. Agreed on a price, rode the camel, and at the end they wouldn't bring the wooden thingy so that he could dis…

Yeah, that’s just scamming. Unfortunately, that’s pretty common with the camel vendors.

Since camel rides are almost exclusively bought by tourists, it attracts scammers that see the “customers” as easy marks.

The government won’t do anything about it until it starts negatively affecting the money coming into the country via tourism.

Re: Lost city discovered beneath Egypt's desert with ancient church

#59
post #6

this is amazing. I am ancient egypt nerd but sucks that egypt is in egypt. I got scammed last time i went there and ppl were rude and agrresive.

Egypt in Egyptian hands outperforms Roman ruins under European urban development, Native architecture under US expansion, Aboriginal sites under Australian settlement

:^)

Re: Lost city discovered beneath Egypt's desert with ancient church

#60
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many Western polities have sought the title of the Roman Empire and the legitimacy it endows. Constantine split the empire, and Constantius II did not rule over Rome (or many other parts of the empire). Is it even reasonable to assert it was still the Roman Empire after the fracture? Is it legitimate for the Eastern Roman Empire to claim the legacy? I think so, and I think they have among the best arguments for it. C…

"Constantine split the empire" is just incorrect. There were co-emperors with regional responsibilities both before and after him. They were co-emperors of one empire. If you want a firm split, 395 (death of Theodosius) is the more common date AFAIK. I'm not denying that gradually, over well more than a thousand years, the empire (only surviving in the East) changed character in many ways. I am denying that a unique…

Also worth noting that Roman tradition was for two Consuls at a time.
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