Pyrrhos: his son and daughters married?

[Pontius Pilate]

No, it doesn’t produce retarded offspring, but it does increase the likelihood of them receiving genetic illnesses caused by recessive traits. Most genetic illnesses are caused by a mutation at a specific allele. For example, if a random mutation occurs at a specific allele in a royal bloodline, it isn’t really an issue as long as each individual has at least one good copy of the gene, but inbreeding increases the likelihood of having two copies of the bad gene and thusly the disease.

yes, about the gene thing. an example is that I have heard that due to inbreeding Charles V holy Roman emperor, had a slightly deformed/protruding chin that he and some of his predecessors carried.

In all fairness, it's not fair to judge ANY culture by the norms of one. Just as we may find some cultures past and present barbaric and uncivilised, they may think the same as us.

The things that seperate different cultures are their values and morals more than anything else. Just because Incest is consider heinous now doesn't make it so then.

I couldn't have said it better myself. We really don't have the right to judge what people thousands of years ago did, and whether it was right or wrong. We would just be implying our own modern ideas and morals to them, and twisting the image. I like to view the past and history in general, as it was then, with no bias or bull in it. You also, have to remember, Pyrrhos lived in a time before Judeo-Christian beliefs were dominant in the west. It was a whole different world back then.