this post was submitted on 02 Jan 2025

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Illustrations of history

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Roman fisherman being slapped in the face with his own fish after intruding on Emperor Tiberius's private island (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 months ago by PugJesus to c/historyillustrations

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[–] PugJesus 38 points 2 months ago (1 children)

The story, related by the infamous rumormonger Suetonius, may not be true. However, the Emperor Tiberius had, at the time, become isolated and paranoid, so it's also not impossible.

A fisherman appeared unexpectedly and offered him a huge mullet; whereupon in his alarm that the man had clambered up to him from the back of the island over rough and pathless rocks, he had the poor fellow's face scrubbed with the fish. And because in the midst of his torture the man thanked his stars that he had not given the Emperor an enormous crab that he had caught, Tiberius had his face torn with the Crab also.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago (1 children)

A fisherman appeared unexpectedly and offered him a huge mullet;

[email protected]

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

The result

[–] aeronmelon 19 points 2 months ago

This was definitely commissioned by Tiberius.

[–] misterdoctor 10 points 2 months ago

Guy in the back is the most smug looking human being this side of the Belvedere of Tragara

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 months ago

Today women pay big bucks to get their face scrubbed with a fish.

[–] SwordInStone 7 points 2 months ago

Finally, a proper illustration of what happens in the background in my friends' houses when I talk with them online.

[–] Anticorp 7 points 2 months ago

What an asshole.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Why were emperors like that?

[–] PugJesus 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

For Tiberius, paranoia. High-grade paranoia. The man never wanted to be Emperor, got stuck in the job, and then couldn't get out because his life was constantly under threat of assassination. He tried retiring to a private island and having contact with literally no one, and then this fisherman just SUDDENLY finds him?! Even if it's a mistake, an example MUST be made!

Alternatively, as noted, the historian Suetonius, who recorded this incident, was a dreadful gossip, and this story may not be true, though at the very least it is likely to have been a rumor floating around at the time.

[–] Maalus 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Imagine if it was something stupid like "dude, a fisherman came out of fucking nowhere and offers you fish" "mmm fuck that it's poisoned, slap him with it or rub it onto his face or something" "now he smells like fish and jokes about crabs" "pinch his ass with the crab and tell him to fuck off".

Like, if they were actually ripping off your face with fish scales, would you then go "oh fuck good thing they forgot the crab lmao". That just screams masochistic energy. More likely a fisherman went "holy fuck you would not believe, who I just met" "who?" "The fucking emperor dude" "whaaat what did he do" "slap me with my fish" "whaaat that's so random" "yeah and then he pinched me with my crab and told me to fuck off"

Edit: also, was the historian there to witness it? Dude just got his walking diary to see how he fish-face-f'd a random fisherman? Then didn't go "computer, erase the last log"?

[–] homesweethomeMrL 11 points 2 months ago (1 children)

an exquisite combination of lead poisoning, syphilis, alcohol, and unchecked unimaginable power.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

They still are

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

Naruhito and...?

[–] rwdf 5 points 2 months ago

Tiberius slaps Fisherman around a bit with a large trout.