Page 94 - All About History - Issue 54-17

HISTORY ANSWERS

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Did the Romans
CHRYSIPPUS OF SOLI
Nationality: Greek crucify women as
Born-died: 279 BCE –
206 BCE well as men?

Alex Patterson
Chrysippus was born in
the Greek port of Soli, The Romans used crucifixion as their most extreme
Brief in what is now Turkey. punishment. It wasn’t just an execution, it was also a
Bio He moved to Athens as form of torture and ritual humiliation, meaning that it
a young man when his was generally reserved for the most serious crimes like
family fortune was confiscated rebellion and treason. The nature of society at the time
by a local king. There, he
became a leading member of the made it less likely that women would be in a position
Stoic school of philosophy and to commit these crimes, but it did happen. When the
wrote more than 700 works. politician Lucius Pedanius Secundus was murdered by
one of his slaves in 61 CE, the Senate demanded that all
400 of his household slaves be crucified as collective
punishment. There were protests, partly because most
of the slaves were entirely innocent, but also specifically
that a lot of them were women. This tells us that there
was public distaste when it came to crucifying women,
but the the punishment was nevertheless carried out as
the law and tradition required.

This bust was carved before
Chrysippus thought of the
funniest joke ever

What was the joke that killed

Chrysippus of Soli?

Laverna Shaw A modern equivalent might be if your dog had
As related by fellow philosopher Diogenes Laertius, just stolen a steak off the kitchen counter and you
the story is that he saw an ass eating figs and said said, “Why don’t you just give him my twelve-year-
that the animal should be given unmixed wine to old single malt whisky as well?” It’s also worth
wash them down, whereupon he laughed himself pointing out that Chrysippus was 73 at the time
to death. If that doesn’t sound like a killer joke to and had been drinking undiluted wine himself at
us, it’s perhaps because we are missing the context. the 143rd Olympiad, so a modern death certificate
Figs weren’t animal food and in those days people would probably record a heart attack brought on
almost always drank wine heavily diluted with by excessive drinking. The laughing may have
water, so it’s possible that Chrysippus was making triggered the heart attack, but even the ancient
fun of the luxury meal the ass was having by Greeks probably wouldn’t have found a donkey Crucifixion of women was a lot more graphic and
brutal than this 19th century painting suggests
saying he should follow it up with strong drink. eating fruit fatally funny – unless they were drunk.
This day in history 20 July

911 1304 1807 1885

O Siege of Chartres O The War Wolf used O Patent granted O Football legalised
Rollo the Viking lays siege to Edward I captures Napoleon grants a The FA legalises
Chartres in France. He later Stirling Castle using the patent for the first professional football for the
marries a Frankish princess ‘War Wolf’, the largest internal combustion first time. Clubs can now
and becomes the first ever trebuchet. It took engine. It runs on finely pay players as long as they
Norman Duke, eventually 50 men three months powdered coal and resin were born within 10km of
to be a direct ancestor of to build and could hurl and is used to power a the ground or have lived
William the Conqueror. 136kg boulders. small boat. there for two years.

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