Just a very minor issue...

**Randarkmaan** · 08-03-2006, 19:23

This is just a very minor issue that sort of irritated me (not just in EB, in basically all RTW mods as well as vanilla RTW) and I thought I should bring up. Why is it that southern Europeans in EB (Romans and other Italians, Iberians, Greeks) are just as light-skinned as northern europeans in EB (Gauls, Germans, etc.)? If any of you have ever been to any of those countries you will realize that nearly everyone are tan (sun-tanned that is), why is it not so in games or mods such as this?
Just bringing this up because I feel that it would make the mod a little more authentic... Don't you agree?

Just realized that some of the lower tier greek troops have a tanned skintone (toxotai, akontistai) what about the other greek troops, any logic behind them not having this skintone?

**Fondor_Yards** · 08-04-2006, 05:01

Too much time inside studying greek "logic"? Or all that heavy armour stops the sunlight from getting in. Maybe back then skin tones were all pretty much the same in the region. *well probably that if it's any of those*.

And why would they have a better tan then the northern europeans, like the celts,getai,germans? They would probably spend at least the same amount of time outside.

Also, probably, it is just overlooked by most/all people. There might not be a whole lot of historic scores on this subject. I know I've never thought about it before...

**Earl of Sandwich** · 08-04-2006, 06:04

Everyone knows the true reason is because back then, the noble Greco-Roman race wasn't "diluted" by genetically inferior strains coming from North Africa, and thus, their skin is of a proper light tone, rather than the tainted swarthy color seen nowadays. I mean, c'mon, this is common sense here!!!!!

**Randarkmaan** · 08-04-2006, 10:27

And why would they have a better tan then the northern europeans, like the celts,getai,germans? They would probably spend at least the same amount of time outside.

Well nowadays they do have a better tan than Northern Europeans, so it doesen't really make sense that they would not back then, I'm also pretty sure that Southern Europeans have an easier time getting tan.

Everyone knows the true reason is because back then, the noble Greco-Roman race wasn't "diluted" by genetically inferior strains coming from North Africa, and thus, their skin is of a proper light tone, rather than the tainted swarthy color seen nowadays. I mean, c'mon, this is common sense here!!!!!

The funny thing is that many people actually think this is the truth...

**Earl of Sandwich** · 08-04-2006, 20:58

Yes, quite idiotic, but as long as their numbers are small, they are little more than entertainment.

**-Praetor-** · 08-04-2006, 23:43

It`s all about the radiation the people receive that determines the amount of melanine, and thus the pigmentation.

Since the people in northern europe commonly were heavily dressed in order to withstand the cold climate, and the people on southern europe wore lighther clothes in order to be more comfortable, or no clothes inthe upper torso at all, the amount of radiation received by those peoples was substantially different. Also there is the thing of the differences of the cloud cover in those areas and such.

That`s it. Pure logic.

**Avicenna** · 08-05-2006, 03:28

Well, Randarkaan, keep this in mind. You can't just assume that the same ethnic groups resided in the same places as they do now 2000 years ago. Migrations are very common.

**Randarkmaan** · 08-05-2006, 12:11

Well, you can't assume that they didn't either I think it's safer to make most peoples look much like what they do today. Also read what k_raso said:

Since the people in northern europe commonly were heavily dressed in order to withstand the cold climate, and the people on southern europe wore lighther clothes in order to be more comfortable, or no clothes inthe upper torso at all, the amount of radiation received by those peoples was substantially different. Also there is the thing of the differences of the cloud cover in those areas and such.

Because of this increased amount of radiation their skin pigments adopted to the this and as a result their skin darkens faster when there is strong sun...

**Trithemius** · 08-07-2006, 03:01

Originally Posted by Randarkmaan

Well, you can't assume that they didn't either I think it's safer to make most peoples look much like what they do today.

Safer?

**Tuuvi** · 08-07-2006, 04:48

I'm not sure if this is how it was during the period EB takes place in, but back in the day light skin tone was considered better looking and was a symbol of status in a way. Maybe this is why the lower tier troops, who would have been farmers etc, have darker skin tones, while the higher quality troops,who would have been richer, have lighter skin tones. That's just my guess.

**Avicenna** · 08-07-2006, 05:59

Originally Posted by Randarkmaan

Well, you can't assume that they didn't either I think it's safer to make most peoples look much like what they do today. Also read what k_raso said:

If you see a blond haired native in modern day Iran, please take the effort to point him out to me.

Foreigners living there on the payroll of news agencies don't count.

**Randarkmaan** · 08-07-2006, 13:40

Blondism (light hair, light eyes and light skin) is naturally occuring among all humans, and does not necessarily mean blond hair and blue eyes, also many have blue eyes and blond hair as babies which later becomes darker. There are both Arabs and Iranians who have blue eyes and light brown hair. And where do you get that thing that light skin was considered prettier? Also the only way those higher tier troops would have been able to have very light skin would be if they seldom were outside or wore very much clothing, which most know people like the Greeks and Romans did not do because it was very hot, also what were they supposed to do inside?
Also on a different note ancient greeks were not very impressed by people from the north who had blue eyes and blond hair (nearly all Greeks have and had dark hair and dark eyes)

**Zastrow** · 08-07-2006, 17:50

I don't wish to be rude but I think EB team has bigger fish to fry than delving into the sensitive issues of race. They make all the Romans darker skinned, next we'll have Italians on the forum posting how EB portrayed them badly and posting mug shots of themselves.

The skin color is fine for me, Its not that critical. After all they are all automatons to do my bidding and die, doesn't matter what color they are, as long as they die well!