Why did a clown walk behind the coffin at an ancient Roman funeral? Detailed answer

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Why did a clown walk behind the coffin at an ancient Roman funeral? Detailed answer

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Why did a clown walk behind the coffin at an ancient Roman funeral?

In ancient Rome, the senior clown from the theater, the archimim, was invited to the funeral of noble people. In the procession, the archimim walked immediately behind the coffin, and his job was to imitate the gestures and behavior of the deceased. To enhance the effect, the actor could dress in the clothes of the deceased and put on a mask depicting him.

Authors: Jimmy Wales, Larry Sanger

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

Is the whale the only marine mammal?

A mammal is a warm-blooded animal, viviparous, feeding its young with milk. Oddly enough, among the inhabitants of the sea there are also several mammals. Zoologists call this group cetaceans. These include whales, dolphins and sperm whales.

By studying their skeletons and other body parts, we can tell that their predecessors once lived on land. When they began to live in the water, their body shape gradually began to resemble the body shape of a fish, as they had to lead the same way of life. The fur that once covered their bodies is gone and their skin is smooth. Instead of gradually disappearing hind legs, powerful flat tails appeared in cetaceans. The forelimbs became fins.

For breathing, fish have gills, and whales have lungs, and they breathe air. Therefore, they need to float to the surface every half an hour to breathe air. At the moment when they emerge from under the water, the trapped air escapes from their lungs. It exits through the nostrils at the top of the nose, not through the mouth. Whales can swim with their mouths open because their nostrils are directly connected to the windpipe.

Therefore, they do not choke when water enters their mouths. We all know that dinosaurs were huge creatures, but even the largest dinosaurs were smaller than some types of whales. So, the yellow-bellied minke whale is probably the largest of all animals that have ever existed on Earth. Some of them reach 30 meters in length, while the length of the largest dinosaur did not exceed 24 meters. The average weight of these giants is 68 tons.

A newborn whale is larger than an adult elephant! During the first year of life, while he is with his mother, he reaches 18 meters in length.

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The fabric of the future is changing shape and color 02.05.2023

Scientists from the University of Waterloo have unveiled a smart fabric that can change shape and color at the same time. It was created by interweaving several durable structures. This allows it to be strong, flexible, yet soft to the touch.

If you heat the development with a hair dryer or any other device, it will change color from purple to blue. The main rule is to get in the temperature range from 20 °C to 60 °C. Otherwise, "magic" will not happen.

When the fabric cools down, it will return to its original purple color. So far, this option only works with two colors, but later the palette can be expanded.

Another development feature is shape change. Under the influence of electrical impulses, the tissue straightens or, conversely, contracts. It can become softer and more flexible, or it can become so rigid that it becomes difficult to bend.

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