The EB Face Database: Faces Required For EBII!

**Maniro** · 02-02-2011, 10:18

I personally have no scientific idea whatsoever
how the ancient peoples looked like, but for example
if the ancient Greeks were stylized in such way Rafael Santi
made them look on his famous "School of Athens" fresco,
I would be excited.

**Gustave** · 02-02-2011, 11:14

Well ancient people were not very different from us... I mean they had two eyes, one nose, one mouth, .... so I don't know why using pictures of contemporary people would be inaccurate, as far as we don't show modern stuff like piercings, sunglasses, Iphones etc.. If you look at our previews you'll see that our soldiers don't look like the average internet geek.
Eb2 is about realism, so we are not going to make idealized characters like the ones you can see in renaissance paintings. Most soldiers of ancient times were just simple people conscripted in the army.

**adishee** · 02-18-2011, 07:30

Originally Posted by Gustave

Well ancient people were not very different from us... I mean they had two eyes, one nose, one mouth, ....

heh

**stratigos vasilios** · 02-26-2011, 06:29

**bobbin** · 02-27-2011, 13:42

Wow! Loads of Iranians, just what we were looking for, you rock stratigos vasilios!

**QuintusSertorius** · 02-02-2011, 12:49

Originally Posted by Maniro

I personally have no scientific idea whatsoever
how the ancient peoples looked like, but for example
if the ancient Greeks were stylized in such way Rafael Santi
made them look on his famous "School of Athens" fresco,
I would be excited.

What makes an (admittedly famous and well-regarded) Renaissance painter, who probably didn't have much access to good sources, a better judge of what ancient people looked like than a team of historians and enthusiasts?

You do realise most painters tended to simply paint contemporary people (since those were the models available), and even in many instances entirely contemporary settings? Like that massive Altdorfer painting of the battle of Issus, where everyone is dressed in Renaissance, not Hellenistic garb and fighting in the Renaissance manner too.

**bobbin** · 02-02-2011, 17:52

Originally Posted by Maniro

I personally have no scientific idea whatsoever
how the ancient peoples looked like, but for example
if the ancient Greeks were stylized in such way Rafael Santi
made them look on his famous "School of Athens" fresco,
I would be excited.

People look the same now as they did back then, I find it odd that you would think otherwise, it's not like humans have undergone some huge leap in evolution in the last 2000 years.

Soldiers would not all be statuesque, alpha male types either, just as in todays armies you would see a wide range of looks.

**Maniro** · 02-03-2011, 00:01

That´s bunch of empty talk guys.
During different time periods "the same people" look often very different,
for example everyone know that in medieval period the
average height was below 160 cm for males.
Basically appearance of people mirrored
the nature of "dark age".

Renaissance paintings are not so out of touch with reality
as you try to imply, Socrates on that painting is
as close to reality as possible, based on sources,
so is Aristotle and some others.

Face of malnutritioned human looks other than hardy face.
So is face of athlete-soldier raised in wealthy state different
from face of - lets say - babylonian peasant or contemporary human.
It is just written there.

If someone still does not understand,
this is my point, not "alpha males" or whatever.

(With that said, it does not mean I mock or judge modern
humans or sympathetic enthusiasts who posted their pictures)

**Ludens** · 02-03-2011, 10:08

Originally Posted by Maniro

(With that said, it does not mean I mock or judge modern
humans or sympathetic enthusiasts who posted their pictures)

Perhaps you shouldn't have referred to post-modern Facebook whacks, then.

I get what you are saying: the hardship of the time would have left its mark on the faces. However, going back to renaissance paintings or even classical sculpture will not help. Those are often idealized scenes about the well-fed, reasonably healthy upper-class, for whom you argument applies less.

**QuintusSertorius** · 02-03-2011, 11:16

Not to mention that many of the classes from which soldiers were drawn (especially cavalry and heavier infantry) were themselves quite well fed and healthy.

**Maniro** · 02-03-2011, 12:33

It was just clumsy attempt to quickly give you the idea based on
cartoonish comparison which could hurt within the given
context someone´s feelings for which I am sorry.

It obviously does not mean that everybody who post
own picture or have facebook is postmodern whack,
but quite often those two match to extend which is
somehow subconsciously intelligible to anyone.
So it is up to you to judge.

You can give million examples why such
notion is utopian, but is it really that utopian
to ask for some Macedonian generals/elite troops
to resemble Alexander the Great, or that face of
Seleucid FMs would be based on original rulers,
as we know them from coins etc., same with
Rome FMs and for rest of them.