Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2018 September 16

= September 16 =

NTV Kenya
Even though per Religion in Kenya Islam accounts for only 11.1% there (with 84.8% Christians), in this news report the NTV Kenya presenter is in hijab. Why is that? Some regional Islamic office? Brandmeistertalk  15:35, 16 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Why would there be any other reason than that the newsreader is a Muslim? Here in the UK Islam is only 4.4% of the population and we've had TV presenters wearing a hijab (though not on the news, as far as I can remember). Fgf10 (talk) 16:40, 16 September 2018 (UTC)
 * My second thought was that, but looks quite unusual. Brandmeistertalk  18:55, 16 September 2018 (UTC)
 * WHAAOE - see Fatima Manji - "Manji became Britain's first hijab-wearing TV newsreader in March 2016". Alansplodge (talk) 19:29, 16 September 2018 (UTC)
 * This shows what an empathetic lady Diana, Princess of Wales, was. 92.8.178.228 (talk) 11:03, 19 September 2018 (UTC)

Byzantine diplomacy
Byzantine diplomacy doesn’t mention thisand I understand the Byzanines were offended when Nikephoros II Phokas was referred to as Emperor of th Greeks by the West. But how did the Byzantines referred to the Holy Roman Emperors? Did the Byzantine considered the HRE emperors or plain kings? If they did consider them emperors, did they refer to them as emperors of the Germans, Franks or Latins instead of considering them Western Roman Emperors?107.193.163.81 (talk) 17:05, 16 September 2018 (UTC)


 * They didn't refer to them as emperors, because there was only one emperor (in Constantinople), and whatever the western Europeans thought they had couldn't be an empire according to the Byzantine world view. The basileus article talks a bit about how that title was used in diplomacy with the west ("The later German emperors were also conceded the title "basileus of the Franks".") I can't find it in the Greek text at the moment, but as an example, the translation of Nicetas Choniates actually refers to Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, as "king of the Germans". Adam Bishop (talk) 01:45, 17 September 2018 (UTC)


 * I can't find an easily searchable text of Choniates at the moment, but on at least one occasion he calls Henry VI "krator" of the Germans. Adam Bishop (talk) 12:27, 17 September 2018 (UTC)


 * Well, technically.... -165.234.252.11 (talk) 17:18, 17 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Right, technically the HRE is only king of Germany/Italy/Provence until being crowned emperor by the Pope. The Byzantines were presumably aware of that. I know that Arabic sources also typically refer to the HRE as King of the Germans as well. Adam Bishop (talk) 17:29, 17 September 2018 (UTC)


 * See Michael I Rangabe: "In 812 Michael I reopened negotiations with the Franks, and recognized Charlemagne as basileus (King) (but not as Emperor of the Romans). In exchange for that recognition, Venice was returned to the Empire".
 * Also Irene of Athens. Alansplodge (talk) 10:15, 19 September 2018 (UTC)

Other than the Christian writings...
I'm super interested in texts similar to Misopogon and Passing of Peregrinus. That is, non-Christian writings from the first two or three centuries which have somehow survived to this day. I don't mean the famous political texts or histories (Josephus etc) or poetry of the time, but the other stuff like correspondences and satires and so on. I do mean specifically during the rise of Christianity. Can anyone recommend? Temerarius (talk) 17:23, 16 September 2018 (UTC)
 * Juvenal's 16 Satires (early 2nd century) are written in poetic verse, but otherwise, you might enjoy them. 2606:A000:1126:4CA:0:98F2:CFF6:1782 (talk) 19:01, 16 September 2018 (UTC)


 * You might try browsing Category: 2nd-century novels and related categories (e.g., A True Story -a satirical novel by Lucian of Samosata). 107.15.157.44 (talk) 22:31, 16 September 2018 (UTC)
 * The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius have, I think, lasting wisdom.--Wehwalt (talk) 00:56, 17 September 2018 (UTC)


 * The Letters of Pliny the Younger which Wikipedia calls Epistulae. You can read the letters here. Pliny actually mentions the early Christians and efforts to suppress their activities, see Pliny the Younger on Christians. Alansplodge (talk) 10:04, 17 September 2018 (UTC)