My two cents about the achievements of the EB team

[Docus]

Belgian I'd say, I don't think any Dutch universities use the name 'letteren en wijsbegeerte' for their faculties, it's normally either one or the other (or geesteswetenschappen).

Correct!

That said... I'm secretly hoping to be able to roleplay as the Belgae. Hopefully the Morini or the Menapii will be respresented somewhere in the tribes system. Perhaps most of the "Old Belgians" were wiped out by the Romans and later replaced by the Franks, but I've got the ginger gene, so mayhaps I have a distant Belgae ancestor somewhere :) a man can dream.

[Brennus]

Perhaps most of the "Old Belgians" were wiped out by the Romans and later replaced by the Franks, but I've got the ginger gene, so mayhaps I have a distant Belgae ancestor somewhere :) a man can dream.

It's unlikely that the Romans successfully exterminated any tribes, certainly they appear to have seriously reduced the numbers of Menapii and Eburones. However tribal identities certainly became extinct, but from what we know of Celtic socio-political systems this appears to have been a fairly frequent occurrence. The ginger gene itself is theorised to be the result of interbreeding with Homo sapiens neanderthalensis in the Palaeolithic, preserved Neanderthal hair has been found, among other colours, to be ginger. Its prevalence in northern regions is likely because during the neolithic there was not much of a migration by near eastern farmers into these regions, also reduced sunlight at higher latitudes, ironically, correlates with lighter hair colours.

[helenos aiakides]

I take slight issue with the Neanderthal "ginger" hypothesis for a few reasons.
1. It is unlikely that humans and Neanderthal ever interacted http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/20...umans-research
2. Having shared DNA is by no means an indication of interbreeding; it could merely be a relic of a recent common ancestor.

[athanaric]

I take slight issue with the Neanderthal "ginger" hypothesis for a few reasons.

So do quite a few others, I've heard.

1. It is unlikely that humans and Neanderthal ever interacted http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/20...umans-research

Sigh... and what are Neanderthals, if not humans? Gets me every time when people say "humans and Neanderthals".

2. Having shared DNA is by no means an indication of interbreeding; it could merely be a relic of a recent common ancestor.

Or a more recent deelopment.

[Blxz]

The ginger gene itself is theorised to be the result of interbreeding with Homo sapiens neanderthalensis

Damn dirty gingers into beastiality as well.

[Cyclops]

Speaking of EB team's acheivements, has EB inspired CA to harden up and put more accurate detail in to RTW2? EB has to be a pretty rare case where the mod is better than the vanilla.

Don't get me wrong I appreciate the many beautiful (and wonderfully moddable) engiunes CA has crafted. I think that CA were forced into the well documented shabby shortcuts: they're obviously informed guys and respectful of history but had to make some commercial compromises to get the thing published (eg Pharoanic Ptolies).

Maybe EB has shown a little reality goes a long way, and CA has taken the opportunity to inject more realism on the back of that?

Damn dirty gingers into beastiality as well.

You be quiet or I bang you head with rock, and my sister/wife/red setter too!

[moonburn]

Damn dirty gingers into beastiality as well.

that should explain a few primal responses i seem to get when i see a ginger girl jumping up and down

ofc that that being said i do believe i have a few of those gens in me my dad as red beard when he lets that crap grow

[Blxz]

ofc that that being said i do believe i have a few of those gens in me my dad as red beard when he lets that crap grow

It is fascinating to think of all the little bits of DNA sitting inside us and where it may have come from. Where does our lineage 'start'? So many questions....

[moonburn]

considering some epigenetic remarks as many as 1% of our dna might actually be active

ofc that if you don´t live in a swamp i´m pretty sure that the dna marker that activates the anti yellow fever defenses ain´t that usefull doesn´t mean it might not be in future

or that our fish gens wich we still possess won´t be usefull in the future

in the end of the day all we know is that our dna are hoarders they don´t throw nothing out ... once you´re tainted you´re kids will forever be tainted matters not if the enviroment that surrounds them activates it or not it´s always there ... (ok evil laughter and make some stupid witty remark about antrophogy )

[Ludens]

in the end of the day all we know is that our dna are hoarders they don´t throw nothing out ... once you´re tainted you´re kids will forever be tainted matters not if the enviroment that surrounds them activates it or not it´s always there ... (ok evil laughter and make some stupid witty remark about antrophogy )

Actually, DNA is being thrown out all the time. You only pass on 50% of it to your child, after all. Of course, since most people have more than one child, the other 50% isn't entirely lost. But it doesn't "taint" your descendents for ever. There's a 50% chance it may not "taint" them at all.

"Taint" is the wrong word in any case, but that's another discussion.

By the way, it's true only 1 % of the DNA is transcribed into protein, but that doesn't mean the remaining 99% is useless. It includes structural elements, binding sites, epigenetic regulators, and so on. In fact, new research suggests that most DNA is used. Just not as a template for protein.

[Maeran]

Our lineage starts right at the start of life itself, of course.

With the whole Neanderthal/ginger thing; it is worth bearing in mind that concepts of species (especially closely related species and morphologically defined paleospecies) can get a bit woolly. Sometimes Homo neanderthalensis has been considered to be H. sapiens neanderthalensis and sometimes not, largely depending on who you're talking to.

I'd like to point out that the likely areas where humans and Neanderthals could have interacted have a huge swathe of more southerly sites, including into the middle east.
Yes, Neanderthals had ginger hair, but any hybridisation zone would likely be to the south and probably south east of Europe. Including the fertile crescent where all these good looking dark haired people supposedly came from as they swept Europe with their farming package (guess my hair colour :) )
Not saying it's impossible, but I don't buy it. The relative prevalence of ginger and blonde hair along the northern periphery of Europe, when considered with the presence of these hair colours at lower rates among worldwide populations, corresponds with a local selective advantage for lighter skin tones (better vitamin D production in weaker sunlight). The genes are already among the general population though.

[moonburn]

population adaptation can occur very fast so considering we´re talking 28.000 years = at least 1120 generations if not more we can use 20 years instead of 25 so phisical appearence can tell you very litle about your further back ancestors

from my understanding of epigenetics the gens are activated when they are needed and are sleeping/dorment when we don´t need them and from that point of view we use as litle as 1% unleass if your concept of activated gens includes those which we can consider dependent on others to be activated a bit like the mess that we sometimes find in a few programing lines that tecnically could simply be simplified but they are still there and without it the important programed lines wouldn´t work

as for the 50/50% for everytime we make kids it´s the so called genetic lotery

thus our genetic matrix are hoarders because they keep too much stuff with we could just simplify since today we don´t need it (doesn´t mean we won´t need it in the future if surrounding enviroment changes)
imagine the air becomes heavier with heavy metals and stuff like that and that civilization colapses if we didn´t had the gens to create barriers to protect the lungs our trial and error manouver until we found a new way of protecting ourselfs would take alot of death until we got the right mutation so we could have a new defense (i speak ofc of nose hair ... )

[Moros]

Correct!

My Guess would be Gent? In Leuven the faculty of philosophy and arts has been split decennia ago, In Brussels there's no option for majors in classical history I believe. And well Antwerpen... Is just not a fun town to study in. So you're home would be the Overpoort?

[Ailfertes]

This is getting funny quite fast. Where are you based Moros? (I'm doing a PhD in Gent right now btw).

[Moros]

Leuven, the only university in Flanders with a seperate classical history curriculum.

[Brennus]

Damn Belgae

[Gaius Scribonius Curio]

On the subject of Belgium, this is quite scary. My supervisor (I'm studying a Masters by research in Melbourne) got his PhD from Ghent. He has encouraged my girlfriend (another of his students) and I to apply for a scholarship that would take one of us to Brussels, and told her specifically to consider applying to Leuven...

Belgium: the unexpected capital of ancient historical research...

[Ailfertes]

Your supervisor is Frederik Vervaet?

BTW Curio, why did you choose that name? (I thought it was a stupid question to ask for the interview) I'm currently writing an article about Curio (the tribune of 50), so I'm quite interested

[Moros]

On the subject of Belgium, this is quite scary. My supervisor (I'm studying a Masters by research in Melbourne) got his PhD from Ghent. He has encouraged my girlfriend (another of his students) and I to apply for a scholarship that would take one of us to Brussels, and told her specifically to consider applying to Leuven...

Belgium: the unexpected capital of ancient historical research...

If you ever need a guide let me know. ;)

[Ibrahim]

On the subject of Belgium, this is quite scary. My supervisor (I'm studying a Masters by research in Melbourne) got his PhD from Ghent. He has encouraged my girlfriend (another of his students) and I to apply for a scholarship that would take one of us to Brussels, and told her specifically to consider applying to Leuven...

Belgium: the unexpected capital of ancient historical research...

it is also the capital of Doom! (I'm sure one guy knows who I refer to)

it is also the land of Tintin, Alix, and a variety of other cartoons and comics from my childhood. It is only natural it should also have ancient history as a good place of study.