Review: Attila the Hun: A Barbarian King and the Fall of Rome
May 06, 2008
Attila the Hun is a household name- a byword for barbarism and violence –but to most of us the man himself, his world and his place in history have remained elusive. So reads the blurb on the back of John Man’s book on Attila the Hun. Yet does the book actually give us a greater idea of the personality and life of the infamous barbarian warlord?
At first glance it might seem not, but as the book develops Man creates a brilliant picture of Attila and his Huns, as well as their Roman victims. We are treated to a brief overview of the political situation facing the Western Roman Empire during the early fifth century, before the author quickly turns his attention to other topics...
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Review: Working IX to V
April 22, 2008
"Working IX to V" is a survey of a variety of professions in the ancient Greco-Roman world. The work is divided into ten topical chapters, with each chapter containing around fifteen or so professions consonant with the topic. The descriptions of the various professions provide a brief overview, each ranging from one to three pages in length. In the margins on the book are various illustrations of caricatures of the professions under study or the symbols they used to identify themselves, usually punctuated by tongue-in-check quotes meant to be humorous...
Read "Ursus'" full review of Working IX to V by Vicki Leon.
Mediterranean Anarchy - Review
April 10, 2008
"Political science is not the same as political commentary. The former is the objective and often dry analysis of social events as they relate to theoretical paradigms. The latter is the biased, unscientific and all too often overly emotional discourse of opinions. The former takes training and a keen mind, the latter can be offered (whether solicited or not) by any buffoon with an axe to grind. There have been innumerable political commentaries on Ancient Rome, but there have been far too few inquiries by trained political scientists into classical politics. Arthur M. Eckstein is a political science professor at the University of California at Berkeley and has written various articles and books on Roman imperialism. In his latest work, he applies modern international relation theory to Roman history. In so doing he does a great service to both classical studies and modern political theory."...
Read UNRV moderator "Ursus" full review of Mediterranean Anarchy by Arthur M. Eckstein
Caracalla
April 01, 2008
The historical narrative continues with part one of Caracalla's biography:
"Lucius Septimius Bassianus was the elder of two sons of the emperor Septimius Severus. His cognomen Bassianus stems from his maternal grandfather, Gaius Julius Bassianus who was a priest of Heliogabalus, the patron god of Emesa, Syria. He was born in April AD 188, in the city of Lugdunum (Lyon, France) while his father (Severus) was governor of Gaul during the reign of Commodus. When his father won the civil war following the assassination of Commodus (c. 193), Bassianus was declared Caesar (heir) and renamed Marcus Aurelius Antoninus in order to establish the Severan reign as legitimate heirs to the popular and adoptive Antonine dynasty. The name Caracalla emerged from the style of cloak that he wore and later made popular throughout the empire. While it distinguishes his identity in a historical context, much like the name Caligula as a substitute for the third princeps Gaius, it should be considered little more than a nickname as it was not used in any official capacity..."
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HBO Rome Season 2 Review
March 24, 2008
"Bad sex, it is said, is still pretty good, insofar as it is preferable to no sex at all. Unfortunately one cannot say the same thing about bad history. One spends too long in anticipation and preparation; the actual event proceeds rather clumsily; and when the climax (such as it is) finally arrives, one gets the sense it was hardly worth it. I do not mean to suggest that I am UNRV's resident expert on bad sex, but after watching the 2nd season of "Rome" I know a thing or two about bad history. The problem with "Rome" is precisely that its sex is better than its history and left me feeling like a dirty whore for watching it."...
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