Belisarius: The Last Roman General
April 28, 2009
Ask anyone to name a famous Roman. I suspect Juilus Caesar will be the common answer, with the colourful emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty not far behind. But these are all names from a short period of history. The astonishing longevity of the Romans and their Byzantine successors isn't always appreciated. We so easily forget that the Roman world survived for two thousand years in total. One character, Justinian, has been nicknamed 'The Last Roman' for his attempt to reunite the fractured empire of his day. His story is little known to the public, and even that overshadows the story of the man who fought for Justinian and led his armies to victory. This then is the tale of Belisarius, 'The Last Roman General'...
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Europa Universalis: Rome
April 25, 2009
Rome Total War (RTW) seems to have set the standard for a Roman gaming experience, and all games are necessarily compared to it. Having found RTW wanting in several respects, I was definitely ready for an improvement. I wanted to find a game that left RTW in the dust, allowing me to write a triumphant review boldly proclaiming that RTW had finally been consigned to oblivion. Unfortunately Europa Universalis: Rome (henceforth designated as EUR) did not adhere to my expectations. Rarely have I been so disappointed. Consider this review a warning to not waste your time and money on this flawed product...
...read the full review of Europa Universalis: Rome
Surnames of the Sempronii
April 20, 2009
The Sempronii Atratini (the only patrician branch of the otherwise plebeian Sempronii) were among the earliest of Rome's founding fathers, for scarcely a dozen years had passed since the founding of the Roman Republic by the time a member of this family was made consul (in 497 BCE). But the patrician Sempronii Atratini of the earliest years of the Republic vanished after the 5th century BCE, and the first plebeian Sempronius to attain the consulship (in 304 BCE) was Publius Sempronius Sophus...
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The Trojan War: A New History by Barry Strauss
April 15, 2009
Homer sung of the fall of Troy some five centuries after the supposed event. Thirty centuries later the tale has become a timeless one, but interpreted variously over the generations. Barry Strauss argues that many of the non-supernatural events and actors in Homer's tale plausibly existed. For those that like to draw a thick barrier between legend and history, Strauss throws down a gauntlet...
...read the full review of The Trojan War: A New History by Barry Strauss
Plautus - adapting New Comedy for the Roman stage
April 08, 2009
Titus Maccius Plautus was one of ancient Rome's greatest playwrights. He was born in Sarsina, Umbria in about 254 BC. Little is known about his life but it is believed that he worked as a stage carpenter as a young man. Plautus eventually went into business as a merchant shipper and according to tradition worked as a miller's labourer after his venture collapsed. He studied Greek drama in his spare time and from the age of forty onwards achieved increasing success as an adaptor of Greek comedies for the Roman stage....
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