Talk:Attalus I



Talk:Attalus I



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Contents

Fantastic

Fantastic new article; where did the content come from? Have you been writing about Attalus recently offline? I love it. +sj+ 22:18, 11 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. The "content" came from my head, and the references I cited in the article, especially Ester Hansen's great book, The Attalids of Pergamon ;-) I'm hoping to write articles about the rest ot the Attalids as well. I've already done the previous two: Philetaerus (282 BC-263 BC) and Eumenes I (263 BC-241 BC). Paul August 22:40, Oct 11, 2004 (UTC)
Yes please! Wetman 18:01, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Footnotes?

This is great, but is it necessary to have so many footnotes, or even footnotes at all? It makes it look like an essay. It seems like it would make a better article if you just included the sources rather than the footnotes. Adam Bishop 03:39, 12 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Hi Adam, for a bit of my take (and others) on footnotes see below. If the disscussion below leaves you unconvinced, I'd be happy to discuss this some more;-) Paul August 17:21, Oct 13, 2004 (UTC)
Footnotes do rather undercut the enjoyable exercise of factless argumentation that fill so many entertaining pages of Discussion at Wikipedia. Cut the documentation, and then we'll challenge the facts one by one! ;-) Wetman 18:01, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)
 ;-) Paul August 00:53, Oct 14, 2004 (UTC)

Discussion of footnotes from "Featured article candidates" page

(The following was excerpted from Wikipedia:Featured_article_candidates#Attalus_I, the ellipses are mine: Paul August 17:21, Oct 13, 2004 (UTC) - For complete discussion text see below. Paul August 22:52, Oct 18, 2004 (UTC)) !

!

For example, it seems to me that "Attalus was the son of Attalus and Antiochis" needs no footnote, just like there is no source for the information on who his brother was. However, the sentence "According to Pausanias "the greatest of his achievements" was the defeat of the Galatian Gauls" should get one.
If there is a problem with the fact that the references works are very large (thousands of pages), mention the page numbers or chapters that were used to narrow it a bit down. Jeronimo 12:25, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)
I agree, that "Attalus was the son of Attalus and Antiochis" doesn't need to be footnoted, but I still find it useful to have the footnote. Every statement in this article is a summarization and/or an interpretation of someone else's words. I think it is useful to let the reader know whose words, and where they were written, so they can judge for themselves if the summaries and interpretations are accurate. (The reason I haven't yet included source information for the newly added content is because I wanted that content and this issue to be settled first ;-) ! Paul August 17:19, Oct 13, 2004 (UTC)

(End of excerpt)


As I said above on the talk page, a footnote like that makes it read more like an essay than an article. It would be out of place in an essay too, since it's not disputed or controversial, it's not the opinion of some author or another, like Jeronimo said. If this was an essay, you might be expected to prove an argument, with footnotes as a backup, but this is not meant to be original research. In an encyclopedia article you're just giving a biography, not making an argument about some aspect of his life. Adam Bishop 05:50, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)
Yes, it is your opinion that it reads like an essay and I respect it. However, the solution is to have MediaWiki updated to allow for a footnote markup language, I suggest <<brackets>> around text that autonumbers the footnotes and quote them. The footnotes can be a preference that can be turned off and on. This way everyone is happy, people who want it will turn it on, those who are not will not. --ShaunMacPherson 03:49, 15 Oct 2004 (UTC)
The problem isn't the footnotes, its that Wikipedia does not give the option to hide them. If someone wants more information about the varacity of a certain fact they should have the ability to 'turn on' footnotes and observe. If they do not want footnotes, because it can interfere with the flow of reading, then they can leave it off.
It is my hope, shared by a few others here that all facts will eventually be footnoted and referenced. It is the cure to Wikipedia's #1 problem and complaint - that its not accurate. Here is a sample of what can be done with *current* Wikimarkup, but if we had footnote markup put in, it would be a lot nicer looking and easier to use. --ShaunMacPherson 03:43, 15 Oct 2004 (UTC)
Well, what if I wanted the option to see the footnotes, but to hide the ones that aren't useful or necessary? Adam Bishop 04:23, 15 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Adam, I don't know what you mean by "makes it look like an essay". Could you elaborate? I'd really like to understand your objection. To me the only problem with footnotes is that they are visually distracting, Just like links are. Paul August 05:01, Oct 15, 2004 (UTC)

I'm trying to find a way to articulate my objection...it's not that it has the structure of an essay, but the footnotes make it resemble one, and seem to suggest that there are statements or contentions or arguments that you want to prove. I see in the first three footnotes, for example, that each ancient author says something slightly different, like he reigned 43 or 44 years, but...so what? Are you trying to prove it one way or the other? It's like it'a almost too much information for an encyclopedia. I'd give the sources at the end, so people can read them for themselves. I think my objection is something like "this is not an encyclopedia article" but I know I'm not explaining myself properly. Adam Bishop 18:06, 15 Oct 2004 (UTC)
If I may interject - The problem is this isnt a 'normal' encyclopedia since there are not 'experts' who verify the relability of the data. It could very well be in truth that Wikipedia is more accurate, but this is *not* the perception. The way to counter the percpetion that wikipedia is inaccurate is to have fact checking that is visible, transparent and available for viewing.
I see no downside to solving Wikipedia's #1 achelles heel, criticism of unreliable facts. If we can get actual wikimarkup to include intelligent footnotes, then it can only make it more visually appealing for everyone. If you know or are a programmer for Mediawiki please consider pushing up footnote markup up the task list. --ShaunMacPherson 22:56, 15 Oct 2004 (UTC)
Well, that seems to be a case of "We need to solve Wikipedia's criticism, and this is Wikipedia's #1 criticism; this is a possible solution, we must do this." It doesn't necessary follow that this is the best way to do it. Adam Bishop 01:55, 16 Oct 2004 (UTC)
Adam, thanks for attempting to explain your objection to me, I really appreciate it, especially when I can see It was something of a struggle, and you are not completely satisfied with it. I think I understand a bit better why footnotes bother you. I have a few things to say in response:
  • ! it's not that it has the structure of an essay, but the footnotes make it resemble one
Most encyclopedias articles are not footnoted like this one is, the footnotes are particularly dense here. So that probably accounts for why it doesn't "resemble" one. But because such heavily footnoted articles are uncommon doesn't mean they're bad. I suspect that one of the reasons that footnotes are rare is for reasons of space, which doesn't apply here. But whatever the reason, we need not follow fashion. To quote the Bard, who has Henry V say to Kate, after she has refused a kiss on the grounds that it's not the fashion in France for maids to kiss before marriage:
O Kate! nice customs curtsy to great kings. Dear Kate, you and I cannot be confined within the weak list of a country's fashion: we are the makers of manners, Kate
Links aren't in most encyclopedias either ;-)
  • ! I see in the first three footnotes, for example, that each ancient author says something slightly different, like he reigned 43 or 44 years, but...so what? Are you trying to prove it one way or the other?
No I'm not trying to prove anything. The footnote is there so the reader can tell where these "facts" come from, and that while the article "declares" that he was born in 269 BC and died in 197 BC, there is a small controversy about this (by the way, a controversial fact is one of the few times above where Jeronamo does support footnotes) . I admit that this may not be all that important, but you never know, "garbage in, garbage out" ;-)
  • ! It's like it'a almost too much information for an encyclopedia.
An encyclopedia having too much information, sounds to me like a contradiction in terms. An encyclopedia is supposed to be well encyclopedic ;-), quoting From the Wikimedia Foundation home page: our goal to provide "access to the sum of all human knowledge."
  • ! I'd give the sources at the end, so people can read them for themselves.
Nothing in an encyclopedia is new information. Everything in it is available elsewhere. So why encyclopedias at all? The point of an encyclopedia is not to provide new information but to provide an easier way to access old information. Source citation is just another step in that direction. It makes it easier to access the information contained in the sources. Sure we could just say to the reader, "well if you wonder where this fact comes from just read these five books, each around 500 pages long, and in some paragraph on some page in one of them you'll find it." Piece-a-cake no? ;-) I think citing sources, is a value-added resource for the reader. It let's them know where to go to verify a fact, to check an interpretation, to investigate the reliability of a source, to read more on an aspect of the subject etc. It's for the readers convenience.
Does any of this make sense? Paul August 05:12, Oct 16, 2004 (UTC)
Yes, I suppose so. To really make myself clear I would probably have to go through every footnote one by one, but I don't particularly feel like doing that :) Adam Bishop 19:10, 17 Oct 2004 (UTC)
Fair enough ;-) Again, thanks for your thoughts. Paul August 22:52, Oct 18, 2004 (UTC)

Whose translation?

and much worse shall God do/ To those who dwell by the shores of the sea/ Shall a short while. This seems to be nonsense, even by the standards of oracles. Whose translation is this? Markalexander100 09:21, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)

From the references:
Pausanias, Description of Greece, Books I-II, (Loeb Classical Library) translated by W. H. S. Jones; Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. (1918) ISBN 0674991044. (See:)
If you follow the above external link, you'll find at the bottom of that page, "H.A. Ormerod, M.A." is also listed as a translator. Why is this "nonsense" exactly? Feel free to supply a better translation ;-) Paul August 17:50, Oct 13, 2004 (UTC)

Shall a short while what? There seems to be a verb missing. I also don't understand the dear son of a bull reared Zeus: did the son of a bull rear Zeus? Or is this person the son of Zeus, who was reared by a bull? Neither seems very likely. Markalexander100 05:40, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Oh I see now. The're both typos ;-) I've just fixed them. It should have read:
Then verily, having crossed the narrow strait of the Hellespont,
The devastating host of the Gauls shall pipe; and lawlessly
They shall ravage Asia; and much worse shall God do
To those who dwell by the shores of the sea
For a short while. For right soon the son of Cronos
Shall raise a helper, the dear son of a bull reared by Zeus
Who on all the Gauls shall bring a day of destruction.
Does that make more sense now? Thanks. Paul August 06:01, Oct 14, 2004 (UTC)

Much better, thanks! Markalexander100 06:19, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Achaeus' capture - story?

Under the pretense of a rescue, Achaeus was finally captured. This is a bit Delphic. Is there a story to be told here? Markalexander100 08:02, 14 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Oh yes, quite an amazing story, told by Polybius, complete with Cretan spys, encoded messages, a double cross, attempts to "out cretan a Cretan", a disguised king spirited from the citadel by night, an ambush, a grisly death, a distraught Queen watching from on high, and more. It reads like a "Mission Impossible" episode. Probably the most dramatic passage in any of the ancient histories, It goes on for several pages but it's a great read: [1] Paul August 16:36, Oct 14, 2004 (UTC)

FA candidacy discussion

(The following is the complete text of the Wikipedia:Featured_article_candidates discussion for this article. Paul August 22:52, Oct 18, 2004 (UTC))


Sort of a self-nom, since I created the first stub ages ago. Fantastic new work by Paul A.; now feature-worthy. +sj+ 23:32, 11 Oct 2004 (UTC)

For example, it seems to me that "Attalus was the son of Attalus and Antiochis" needs no footnote, just like there is no source for the information on who his brother was. However, the sentence "According to Pausanias "the greatest of his achievements" was the defeat of the Galatian Gauls" should get one.
If there is a problem with the fact that the references works are very large (thousands of pages), mention the page numbers or chapters that were used to narrow it a bit down. Jeronimo 12:25, 13 Oct 2004 (UTC)
I agree, that "Attalus was the son of Attalus and Antiochis" doesn't need to be footnoted, but I still find it useful to have the footnote. Every statement in this article is a summarization and/or an interpretation of someone else's words. I think it is useful to let the reader know whose words, and where they were written, so they can judge for themselves if the summaries and interpretations are accurate. (The reason I haven't yet included source information for the newly added content is because I wanted that content and this issue to be settled first ;-) by the way you haven't yet said whether the new content is satisfactory. Is it?) Paul August 17:19, Oct 13, 2004 (UTC)
As for the other objections: they are solved. Jeronimo 07:38, 16 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Could Taxman, and Jeronimo please respond as to whether any of there of their objections have been addressed by the recent edits? Or if they haven't been addressed adequately, could they please say what else needs to be done? (Jeronimo: I realize that the footnote are still there, I'm still pondering that question and I'll have more to say on the matter - I don't suppose you've been swayed at all by my last comment have you ;-) Thanks in advance Paul August 15:18, Oct 15, 2004 (UTC)

  • 1) As I said above, his relationship to the previous ruler of Pergamon, and his kingship are of considerable importance. He became important because he was king, and he became king because of his relationship to Eumenes. Encyclopedia Britannica and The Oxford Classical Dictionary seem to agree. Both, include this information in their first two sentences in their articles about him. These facts are part of the "definition" of who he is. They answer the question: "Which Attalus was that?" (there were more than one); answer: "The successor to Eumenes I" or "You know, the first king of Pergamon"; response: "Oh yeah that guy." Yes the relationship to Eumenes is mentioned again in the "Early life" section, but as you said above "Any good intro needs to be a summary of the most important points of the subject with an eye towards why they are important. That neccessarily will duplicate some information" I agree the repetition of the phrase 'the title of "king"' (I've changed this slightly) in the first paragraph and second paragraphs, was not good. But the reason for mentioning his kingship in the second paragraph was to explain how he gained the title, and to answer, in part, your question: "! what was so important about the victory over the Gauls".
Some good points, but the intro still doesn't say who Eumenes is or why he is important to anyone that doesn't already know. But if it is that standard, fine. In general just because two sources do it one way does not mean it can't be improved to say why this guy is important.
But the intro does say who Eumenes I is and why he is important, specifically it says that Attalus I "was the second cousin and the adoptive son of Eumenes I, whom he succeeded,". Thus Eumenes is identified as the predecessor to Attalus as ruler of Pergamon, which is also why he was important. Paul August 16:16, Oct 16, 2004 (UTC)
  • 2) I found two one sentence paragraphs, and have eliminated them.
  • 3) According to Livy:
A large body of Gauls, induced either by want of room or desire for plunder ! marched !into the country of the Dardani ! Fighting with those who opposed their progress and exacting tribute from those who asked for peace !they went further into Asia. Out of the 20,000 men not more than 10,000 were carrying arms, yet so great was the terror they inspired in all the nations west of the Taurus, that those who had no experience of them, as well as those who had come into contact with them, the most remote as well as their next neighbours, all alike submitted to them. They levied tribute on the whole of Asia west of the Taurus, but fixed their own settlement on both sides of the Halys. Such was the terror of their name and the growth of their numbers that at last even the kings of Syria did not dare to refuse the payment of tribute.
The Gauls were a "problem" for Pergamon (as I am sure Pergamon was a problem for the Gauls). This statement is not meant to (nor as far as I can tell does it) indicate that the Pergamene were in any way superior to the Gauls. Would you please offer alternative, less POV wording for "Galatians had posed a problem for Pergamon, indeed for all of Asia Minor." As for the section titles "Defeat of the Gauls" and "Conquests in Seleucid Asia Minor" the first is meant to describe the event whereby Attalus met the Gauls in battle and won, the second is meant to describe the expansion of territory, (not at the expense of the Gauls by the way) in that part of Asia Minor previously controlled by the Seleucid empire. Why are these headings POV? Can you think of better ones? Paul August 01:52, Oct 16, 2004 (UTC)
Well I couldn't think of much better titles right away or I would have changed them. Conquest connotes ideas like valor and superiority. Defeat is fine, it is more factual. I can't even figure out what is going on and follow who is who in the Conquests section, so I don't know what a better title there is. I think I fixed a bit of the "Gaul problem", by noting what made them a problem closer to the sentence in question. Don't forget Livy was a Roman and Rome had been sacked by the Gauls, so he is hardly unbiased himself. - Taxman 04:35, Oct 16, 2004 (UTC)
I don't think the word "conquests" is anymore POV, than "defeat". Webster: Conquest: 1. The act or process of conquering, or acquiring by force; 2. That which is conquered; possession gained by force, physical or moral. In the section heading "Conquests in Seleucid Asia Minor", the word is being used in both the above senses (which I rather like). I don't think that "conquest" connotes a "valorous superiority" any more than it connotes a "brutal subjugation". Rather it's the action itself which is POV laden. In any victory or defeat, there are the victorious and the vanquished and they each will naturally enough have their own POV. Of course the word then inherits the POV, but it inherits both a positive and a negative one. In my opinion, the POVs are symmetric, and thus (more or less) balance out. To rule out the use of such words as "conquest" and "defeat" as too POV, is to impoverish the language.
Having said all that, if nevertheless "conquests" must go, then I propose: "Hostile takeovers in Seleucid Asia Minor". Just kidding ;-) this came to mind as i was considering the phrase "territorial acquisitions" as a possible alternative to "conquests". Seriously though, if you can't abide "conquests" how about "Territorial expansion in Seleucid Asia Minor"? It's less concise, dryer, more boring and contains (unfortunately) only the first meaning of "conquest" given above - but it probably is less POV.
Yes, of course, Livy is biased, but the collective scholarly judgment would be, I think, that he's not so biased as to fabricate that the Gauls were extracting tribute and plundering throughout Cis-Tauric Asia Minor. But anything's possible ;-), (Jeronimo: that's one of the reasons for citing the source of this in the footnotes ;-). I think his bias would extend only so far as to characterize such actions as "brutal" or "barbaric" say. Paul August 17:36, Oct 16, 2004 (UTC)

Abbreviated references

I recently made some changes to experiment with a new idea of mine called abbreviated references. The idea is that each reference is associated with an abbreviation - in this case I used last names - and then the footnotes section uses these and links to the line of the page giving all the details of the reference. This makes references easier to update, footnotes easier to add, and makes the footnotes section neater. What are your thoughts? Deco 03:34, 9 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Having only the last name of the author (along with a date of publication say, if there are more than one work by the author in the in the "References" section) is typical for footnotes. The reason for this is primarily for reasons of space, and the convenience of the writer and/or editor. Since space is not much of an issue for us, I chose to repeat the full reference in the footnotes to maximize reader convenience, over editor convenience. Although I suppose it does, as you say, look "neater", and in any case it isn't much more (or less) convenient either way. However I don't like the look of the "References" section now. It looks unusual to say the least. In this case, since the bolded "abbreviation" is the same as the last name, it adds no information, and is confusing. I think they should go. Paul August 17:04, Nov 9, 2004 (UTC)
Good idea. Done, and thanks for the feedback. Deco 21:33, 9 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Div tags for references?

Why? Is there some reason that we've chosen to go down this route? - Ta bu shi da yu 06:19, 4 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Why is picture of tired boxer labeled Attalus?

Like the Dying Gaul, this is a famous Roman statue, but I've never seen it labeled Attalus. Doesn't the man have the boxing "gloves" on his hands? alteripse 12:01, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I agree this image is suspect, unless someone can provide source information, it should probably be removed from the article. I've copied the relevant discussion from Wikipedia:Featured article candidates below. Paul August 14:38, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)

(Beginning of excerpt:)

Attalus I

Currently has a picture of a coin featuring his uncle. Definetely needs some depiction of him. →Raul654 00:40, Apr 5, 2005 (UTC)

Dont know the copyright status of the following images, but this could be a potential candidate. So could this.  ALKIVAR™ 07:45, 8 Apr 2005 (UTC)
The first picture given above is not an image Attalus I, but rather Priscus Attalus, don't know about the second one. Paul August 14:18, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)
Not sure if pictures of old 3D works of art (ie sculptures) is PD, but there's this bust [2]. - Bryan is Bantman 02:00, Apr 17, 2005 (UTC)
Bryan's is a great image; I would see the usage of the image applicable because the source indicates, 25 March 2005, that: "About questions such as "Could you agree to have your website being mentioned in our Newsletter or to include links to any of the web pages? My answer: Yes, if you want. I do not exchange links except if the content is related to some pages of this website and if I think that the content is appropriate and interesting. I try to exclude links to sites with content that promotes violence, or racism. This website is mainly about Hellenic culture and science with increasing emphasis of modern Hellas." I think this sense applies to Wikipedia, and I am tagging the image as PD-art (I believe this image would, if agreed that it is not subject to copyright by the creator given his statement above, belong to the public domain.)
However, I have found another image which, with some modest pruning, now appears in the article; the host states that the media therein "are in the public domain, and can be freely copied and used for any non-commercial purpose..." --DanielNuyu 01:30, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)
What is the source for this actually being an image of Attalus I rather than some other Attalus? Paul August 14:18, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)

Why is picture of tired boxer labeled Attalus? Like the Dying Gaul, this is a famous Roman statue, but does it really depict Attalus? Not very regal, and doesn't the man have the boxing "gloves" on his hands? alteripse 12:05, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I agree this image is suspect, it probably should be removed from the article, unless source information is provided. Paul August 14:18, Apr 19, 2005 (UTC)

(End of excerpt)

I've found this image used in Britannica's article on Boxing with the caption: "The Boxer, Roman bronze copy of Greek sculpture by Apollonius the Athenian, 1st century BC; in the Roman National Museum, Rome." See also: [3] It is still possible that this picture is connected to Attalus I, in some way but for now I've removed the image from the article. I will also leave a note for DanielNuyu, on his talk page. Paul August 14:26, Apr 20, 2005 (UTC)

Galations versus Gauls

(I've reconstructed the following discussion from Angr's and my talk pages. Paul August 21:07, September 4, 2005 (UTC))

Hi Angr. I'm not completely content with your edit at Attalus I, I think it interrupts the flow there, and I'm not sure what information it is trying to convey. Is it trying to imply that calling the Galatians "Gauls" is a misnomer? My understanding is that the Galatians were Celtic speaking immigrant Gauls from Thrace, who were part of the great Celtic/Gualish Eastward migration. Am I wrong about this? Paul August 19:07, September 3, 2005 (UTC)

The problem is the term "Gaul" is rather vague. Today it's usually understood to mean speakers of Gaulish, i.e. the Celts of what is now France, Switzerland, and northern Italy, but the Greeks and Romans called the Galatians Gauls too. It's clear the Galatians were Celts and that they moved from Thrace to Asia Minor during the historical period, but no one really knows how closely related they were to the Gauls of Gaul. Their language is way too sparsely attested to say whether it was particularly closely related to Gaulish. I think it's important to mention that the Galatians were called Gauls in the Attalus I article because of the reference to the Dying Gaul (always known as such even though he's apparently actually a Galatian) and because section 2 of the article is called "Defeat of the Gauls" and makes reference to "Galatian Gauls" and even simply "Gauls" in the quote. I wouldn't say calling the Galatians "Gauls" is definitely a misnomer, but it might be; we just don't know enough about the ethnolinguistic groupings among the Continental Celts to be sure. The Greeks and Romans considered them Gauls, and maybe they were right, but maybe they weren't. If you think my edit disrupts the flow, maybe you can change that sentence back to what you had, but then add a sentence in section 2 explaining that the people in question were the Galatians but that contemporary sources called them Gauls. --Angr/tɔk tə mi 19:23, 3 September 2005 (UTC)

Angr: Thanks for your cogent explanation. I now think I understand and agree with the point you are making. I think the best way to handle this might be, as you suggest, to remove the explanation of the distinction from the lead and into the section "Defeat of the Gauls" (renaming it the "Defeat of the Galatians"). I would propose replacing the first sentence there with something like this:

According to Pausanias "the greatest of his achievements" was the defeat of the "Gauls". Pausanias was referring to the Galatians, immigrant Celts from Thrace, who had recently settled in Galatia in central Asia Minor, and whom the Romans and Greeks called Gauls, associating them with the Celts of what is now France, Switzerland, and northern Italy.

What do you think? I think that the slight confusion that might be created by the mention of the "Dying Gaul" in the lead, doesn't really warrant an explanation there. Paul August 19:53, September 4, 2005 (UTC)

That looks pretty good. It might be worth pointing out that the Greek word here translated "Gauls" is Γαλάται. --Angr/tɔk tə mi 20:03, 4 September 2005 (UTC)

Hmmm. Having been prompted by your mention, to look at the original Greek, I'm now wondering if the translation of "Galatas" as "Gauls" is really correct in the first place? And what does it really mean to say that the Greeks called the Galatians Gauls? Paul August 20:34, September 4, 2005 (UTC)

Well, Liddell and Scott say that Γαλάται is just a later word for Κέλτοι, implying the Greeks would have called the inhabitants of Gaul Γαλάται as well. --Angr/tɔk tə mi 20:45, 4 September 2005 (UTC)

Ok I will go ahead and make the above changes, adding in the Greek word, as you suggested. Paul August 21:01, September 4, 2005 (UTC)

Protection?

I've noticed that this page has been subject to a lot of similar vandalism lately; perhaps semi-protection would be in order? Mr. Lefty 23:19, 24 April 2006 (UTC)

No. See user:Raul654/protection Raul654 00:47, 25 April 2006 (UTC)
Well, when I proposed this, this page was being bomarded constantly with the same offensive vandalism; check the history and you'll see where I'm coming from. It had nothing to do with the featured article status. Mr. Lefty 01:03, 25 April 2006 (UTC)

Unclear sentence

The following sentence makes it seem (or it did to me at first reading) as if the elder Attalus was the son of incestuous gay procreation:

The elder Attalus, was the son of a brother (also called Attalus) of Philetaerus, the founder of the Attalid dynasty, and Eumenes, the father of Eumenes I, Philetaerus' successor

I'm assuming that the following rewrite would be correct; but without a family tree I'm not certain:

The elder Attalus was the son of a brother (also called Attalus) of both Philetaerus, the founder of the Attalid dynasty, and Eumenes, the father of Eumenes I, Philataerus' successor. qp10qp 12:50, 16 September 2006 (UTC)
Yes this is correct and better! I've made the above change. By the way a family tree is given at Attalid dynasty. Paul August 22:05, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

Featured article review

Note that this article is undergoing a Feature article review Wikipedia:Featured article review/Attalus I/archive1. Paul August 16:42, 10 June 2009 (UTC)

The result of the FAR was "keep". The following is a copy of the review. Paul August 21:03, 9 December 2009 (UTC)

Recent edits

The following has been copied from User talk:Yannismarou and User talk:Paul August.

Hi Yannismarou. I don't think we want breaks in the "refs", The rest of the "refs" use ";" between multiple cites. I've been converting the breaks to ";". Also I'm assuming you will add works being cited (Austin, Lagnavec, Gruen, et al) to the reference list? It would be ideal to have the works listed there before citing them. Paul August 21:38, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

Breaks is just a way of citing multiple citations, which I first used in El Greco, and then evolved in Roman-Persian Wars to distinct between primary and secondary sources, but I have no intention to impose them. It is up to you! Of course, I'll add any sources I've used before going to sleep, and it is up to you to judge is these sources should stay or go. Cheers!--Yannismarou (talk) 21:46, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

Well, to me, the breaks just make the "Notes" section, unnecessarily longer. As for quality of the sources I will take a look once you tell me what they are. And as for who is to judge, that will be all of us of course ;-) By the way thanks for your good work here. Paul August 21:54, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

As I said in the FARC, they are sources from google booking. I have no access to printed sources, and therefore this is only what I find in the Google Book (focusing to as modern as possible secondary sources of established publishers). If you want I can add the urls in the sources.--Yannismarou (talk) 21:57, 9 June 2009 (UTC)
The urls would be helpful. Paul August 22:01, 9 June 2009 (UTC)
Here Mitchel has a very long and interesting analysis on Attalus' Gaul War; here is the url, in case you want to add something to the article: [5].--Yannismarou (talk) 22:26, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

End of copied text. Paul August 16:47, 10 June 2009 (UTC)

Yannismarou, more comments and a question on your recent edits:

  1. I've removed your addition here. Since this is too much of a direct quote of Gruen. In order to include this we would have to either paraphrase Gruen, or place quotes around Gruens phrases. However I think that speculation as to Attalus' motives is out of place there among what is otherwise a straight recital of historical events.
  2. You're addition here, is again too close to the original. I've reworded and moved it to a better place I think.
  3. Also I've reworded this edit, to be less of a (unquoted) quote and more of a paraphrase. I don't remember where I got that the "Peace of Phoenice" also ended the war with Prusias - apparently in conflict with what Gruen says - I would have guessed it came from Hansen - but your edit cited Hansen, p. 50. As I don't have Hansen readily available, can you tell me what Hansen says there?

Thanks again for your good work here. Paul August 18:27, 10 June 2009 (UTC)

I don't have a full access to Hansen (it is snipped view in GoogleBook); so I've verified page 50 for what I cited, but I don't think if Googlebook will give me access to the same page for the same piece of info! I know it sounds crazy, but it is the truth!--Yannismarou (talk) 19:11, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
Ok! He says that since Prusias was included in the peace, his difference with Attalus must have been settled.--Yannismarou (talk) 19:16, 10 June 2009 (UTC)
I don't believe there was any inconsistency in the article as to when he died. The last paragraph of "Second Macedonian War" read: "Early in 197 BC ... Attalus was taken back to Pergamon, where he died the the following fall". this means (to me) that he died in the fall of 197. As to whether he died before or after Cynoscephalae, I'd like to know what Hansen says. (Can you tell me?) I think I will try to get a copy in the next couple of days. Also note this edit, which I'm still mulling over how best to handle. Paul August 17:08, 17 June 2009 (UTC)

Talk:Attalus I


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