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> To add a further strange twist to the death of Aeschylus, Roman author Pliny, suggested that Aeschylus had been spending a lot of time outdoors to avoid a pro
by ed25519FUUU 6y ago
> To add a further strange twist to the death of Aeschylus, Roman author Pliny, suggested that Aeschylus had been spending a lot of time outdoors to avoid a prophecy that he would be killed by a falling object.
- baobabKoodaa 6y agoI don't get it. If you're worried about being killed by a falling object, wouldn't you want to stay under the cover of a roof?
- ponker 6y agoBuildings back then probably collapsed much more frequently.
- asdff 6y agoThe entire hellenic world was pretty much an earthquake zone too
- notfed 6y agoI suspect at least part of this story originated as a joke given his status as the "father of tragedy".
- inimino 6y agoIt really depends whether you live in an area where earthquakes, collapsing houses, things falling from high shelves, etc are more common ("indoor dangers") or one where durian fruits, falling tortoises, etc ("outdoor dangers") are more prevalent. If the prophecy gets you either way, it's just a question of whether you'd rather meet your end indoors, perhaps while trying to reach something from a high shelf, with a deep sense of foreboding, or outdoors, probably in a completely unexpected fashion, or--shall we say?--completely out of the blue.