The sculptures were described as 'minor works', whatever that means--they were two thousand years old. It has not been reported which two were broken.
A reminder of all that has been lost, and that it wasn't just "lost," but intentionally demolished.
I saw this too, a different article, yesterday which said that a nose was broken off one (but don't remember what it said about the other one).
This article suggests that the person had a mental heallth problem and randomly grabbed one, and the second one fell while he was trying to escape the scene.
Seems like they should put them behind glass protectors, or they need to more securely mount them.
Seems like they should put them behind glass protectors, or they need to more securely mount them.
They have SO MUCH loot gathered from so many centuries they were probably like, "Oh, could somebody pick that up?"
I realize that's not entirely fair, and we do have them to "thank" for the Vatican Sayings I suppose.
we do have them to "thank" for the Vatican Sayings I suppose.
I dunno. I would prefer to add to the string of zingers.... It's too bad that Epicurus was not around to label the Judeo-Christians as part of this list!
QuoteHe used to call Nausiphanes ‘The mollusk,’ ‘The illiterate,’ ‘The cheat,’ ‘The harlot.’ The followers of Plato he called ‘Flatterers of Dionysus,’ and Plato himself ‘The golden man,’ and Aristotle ‘The debauchee,' saying that he devoured his inheritance and then enlisted and sold drugs. Protagoras he called ‘Porter’ or ‘Copier of Democritus,’ saying that he taught in the village schools. Heraclitus he called ‘The Muddler,’ Democritus [he called] Lerocritus (‘judge of nonsense’), Antidorus he called Sannidorus (‘Maniac’), the Cynics [he called] ‘Enemies of Hellas,’ the Logicians [he called] ‘The destroyers,’ and Pyrrho [he called] ‘The uneducated fool.’
I guess we do have unflattering commentary on the Christians in Lucian's "Death of Peregrine," but so much more is possible 
On the subject of the "art of calumny" -- I will simply say that it would not fit well with PD5:
"PD5: It is not possible to live joyously without also living wisely and beautifully and rightly, nor to live wisely and beautifully and rightly without living joyously; and whoever lacks this cannot live joyously."
Also, I found this very interesting painting:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumny_o…les_(Botticelli)
and which has an interesting write up.
On the subject of the "art of calumny" -- I will simply say that it would not fit well with PD5:
"PD5: It is not possible to live joyously without also living wisely and beautifully and rightly, nor to live wisely and beautifully and rightly without living joyously; and whoever lacks this cannot live joyously."
I gather that you're saying that developing calumny into an "art" might not be a good idea, rather than that all calumny is a bad idea, since Epicurus himself was apparently regularly engaged in it!
I gather that you're saying that developing calumny into an "art" might not be a good idea, rather than that all calumny is a bad idea, since Epicurus himself was apparently regularly engaged in it!
I have a hard time believing that Epicurus would have said all that, because it doesn't fit with the Principle Doctrines. The source for all that is Diogenes Laertius, and what he wrote was what was said by Timocrates,
(the brother of Metrodorus, who was his disciple and then
left the school.)
Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, BOOK X, EPICURUS (341-271 B.C.)
Hard to believe but I would say that part is true 
The Greeks sem to have taken philosophy very seriously!
My stance regarding calumny is that I would want to believe that Epicurus would not have said what Diogenes Laertius wrote, because Epicurus focused on what the senses perceive. This means that any criticism would have been spoken in this way: X said "xyz" which is incorrect because of such and such Epicurean physics, etc. ---- or X is wearing his toga with red stains of the wine we saw him spill last night (this is just a hypothetical example of specific observations). So he would not have used abstract ideas which are vague categories which pigeon hole a person as forever having the same character (branding someone as a permanent cheat, etc.) and which would be very Aristotilian and much like something that Aristippus of Cyrene would have said.
On the other hand we can't know for sure about all this.
LOL! I didn't even know what "calumny" was! 
Oh, "false and misleading statements meant to slander"! As far as Epicurus's nicknames for people and groups, I don't think he felt they were "false and misleading." I think he thought those were accurate descriptions of their teaching and character! Maybe not their permanent character, but certainly his experience of them. I also think some of them were purposeful hyperbole and sarcasm or satire.
That's my initial take.
LOL! I didn't even know what "calumny" was!
And lol to that too because the number of people who can adequately define "calumny" probably exceeds those who can understand "ataraxia" by a factor of ten! . Can't play to the lowest coon denominator all the time but when to do so is an art it seems.
This latest exchange is why it is so helpful to have people with varying backgrounds - Kalosyni's Buddhism probably causes her to question the amiability of guy wearing a helmet but when we have a good sprinkling of ex-Buddhists with a similar take then that is more persuasive.
We better wait a while before we add in for consideration Epicurus' "enemies of Hellas" remark!
Be sure to note that I have in included lots of in the above !
Check out this thread too
LOL! I didn't even know what "calumny" was!
---especially the synonyms: insults, slights, bad-mouthing (see synonyms below).
Was Phyrrho really an uneducated fool? (I will have to research that).
From Google, --the making of false and defamatory statements about someone in order to damage their reputation; slander.
"a bitter struggle marked by calumny and litigation"
synonyms: slander, defamation (of character), character assassination, misrepresentation of character, evil-speaking, calumniation, libel, scandalmongering, malicious gossip, muckraking, smear campaign, disparagement, denigration, derogation, aspersions, vilification, traducement, obloquy, verbal abuse, backbiting, vituperation, revilement, scurrility, lies, slurs, smears, untruths, false accusations, false reports, insults, slights, mudslinging, bad-mouthing, contumely
By the way Don, I didn't know either until I looked it up 
I'd definitely recommend the Sedley paper linked in the other thread unfound:
In Book VIII of Athenaeus' Deipnosophistae the Cynic Cynulcus concludes a disquisition on Aristotle's zoological works with these words : 1 3 Although I've still plenty to say about the Druggist's foolish words, I'll stop - although I know that even Epicurus, that great devotee of truth, says this of him in the Letter on Occupations, that having squandered his family property he joined the army, and that, doing badly in it, he took up the drug-trade ; then, he says, since Plato's school had opened, he entered it and attended the lectures, being not ungifted, and gradually attained the character14 for which he is known. I know that Epicurus is the only person to have accused him of this, and that neither Eubulides nor even Cephisodorus dared make such an accusation against the Stagirite, although they even published works against him. And in the same letter Epicurus also says that the sophist Protagoras, having been a porter and a wood-carrier, first became Democritus' secretary. He impressed Democritus by some special way he had of tying up logs, and through this start he was taken under his wing. He also became a schoolteacher in some village. And it was from these activities that he embarked on the business of sophistry. And I too, fellow diners, from this long speech shall now embark on the business of gluttony.
