The 14th!
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As can be seen we are in the period 75 CE -125 CE or thereabouts. Once again we have excellent attention to authenticity , from quotidian detail of carried (Centurion) marching gear :
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and camp implements :
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some robust noble born persons:
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Ive become absorbed in Pliny, some of his one liners' are priceless: and I dont mean this to denigrate him where it appears that "modern" science concludes he is mistaken in a thing.
For some reason I was drawn to his writing on the Elephant , which he describes as second only to man in intellect and a thoughtful beast capable of offering homage to the Gods, and to its own Chief beasts.My favourite observation was "elephants mate in secret because of their modesty" what a quaint but elegant
Appalling weather again in Brigantia , but I havent returned entirely empty handed. I have some shots of the site of the Fort at Alavanna. This is a bit of a problem in terms of naming, as you will be aware Alavanna Carvetorium is modern Maryport, and if my shakey Latin is any good I understand Alavanna tends to be interpreted as "the beautiful place" -fair enough (and please comment accordingly Latin scholars) because a lot of the sites are gloriously set in verdant landscapes. Here though we h
Before I , hopefully, attend the re-enactment at Banna I would like to clear up the geography of the Eastern extremity of Hadrian's Wall. This is also to indicate the likely extent of any photorecce , as much of the Wall in this area was destroyed by use as building material for the Military Road in the Jacobite Rebellion (c1745).
The other difficulty is that in this area urbanisation has swamped or overgrown the remains of the fortifications.
If you refer to this map section:
http://www.
Very sad news from the Secvnda , John Davis , their personable and vastly knowledgable Architectus has lost his life in a road accident. I have placed a Memoriam on the main Forum floor and posted a shot of John in his Auxilliary garb in the gallery.On the Secvnda site ,you can see the tributes coming in and some more images of him at various re-enactments.
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This entry is also by way of invitation, to any visitors from the S
For once I report to you on a non-Roman event. There was a small Norse re-enactment unit attached to a larger Civil War (English) event nearby , so I went in search of interesting items and weapons .
There was a selection of goods and weapons on show.
I have firstly, posted a Northman in general undress with everyday kit , were he to fight a padded jerkin would be neded under a coat of chain mail.This is a man of high status and thus his equipment is of superior finish.
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A coincidence of two items leads me to post a little about grain conssumption in the ancient world. Northern Neil fortuitously got hold of some spelt (red wheat) bread from a local (to ourselves) supermarket chain, this particular loaf is very different to any off the shelf product in mass usage.I am presently also writing a review of grain supply vis a vis famine in the classical world, and was struck by the frequency of grain shortages (as opposed to outright famine)
A couple of slices of
Exhausting but worthwhile. The various reports are being posted in the Forum, the images are going into the Gallery. A tremendously eclectic meeting with specialisms ranging from unusual dietary and sexual behaviour in Rome via detailed knowledge of construction techniques, medicinal practice , gladiatorial fashions, military engineering etc. This was one of those rare events where everything actually went right, and I just hope we can follow this up with additional UK meetings and a Forum me
As many of you will know I maintain a morbid interest in toxic items from ethnobotany , and likewise the animal kingdom where its creatures were known and "utilised" in a known (or fabled ) historical context...Cleopatra's asp as our most prominent , recent televised suicide in Rome 2.
I intend to revise my list of plant poisons (previous blogs) and add some spiteful animals (and fish).
However a scale of toxicity is needful if we are to determine the relative efficacy of our assassinatio
I have written previously about Hemlock Conium maculatum (and its main poisonous principle the virulent alkaloid coniine, which essentially makes its victim "forget" to breathe), coldness of the flesh moving from the feet toward the chest with a gentle numbness being its significant property. It is said no pain attends this death.
I was taking a gentle stroll to relieve a modest hangover when I happened upon two items , lying by the wayside, that a maleficium would have ceased upon with g
At Chester Zoo there has been an attempt to re-create a Roman garden , or certain elements of types of garden. The medicinal, the rustic (cottage garden) and the ornamental are represented in an overlapping reconstruction.
The problem with visiting a Zoo is of course the spectacle of large , dumb animals wandering aimlessly and displaying semi-psychotic behaviour , whilst their offspring are never allowed to live in freedom (nor experience a healthy diet). The animals look pretty pissed off a
My trip to Aqua Sullis and outlying settlements of interest (to the forum) was terminated abruptly by snowdrifts forcing me to take shelter at the nearest available Hotel and wait for the roads to clear -regrettably I was unable to make any headway to even local sites or museums . I returned early today as more snow is now falling. I have posted a shot of my Hotel garden-looking suspiciously like Lantern Waste in Narnia.
Greetings all!
I would like to use the blog feature to co-ordinate additional information on herbal medicines with the plant illustrations in my album. I am awaiting the "Pompeiian Herbal" to read and review, I hope I can make a small contribution towards the modern understanding of the use of plant medicines by the Greeks and Romans.
I am aware that Yarrow "The soldier's herb" has not made an appearence yet , but im biding my time till I can take a worthy photo.(note: this herb followe
Not a bad trip to York , the winter sun doesnt help when trying to get panned shots of the walls so I think that will have to wait till spring. The Roman Bath's 'Museum" is in turmoil at present so no shots of that , however the Yorkshire Museum had an excellent array of items. The Walls were a bit tricky because of the lighting conditions so I concentrated on the Gatehouses.The wallls were in part original Roman built and constantly extended in medieval times. I was struck by the fact that the
Ye seconnde partte_Part 2
So firstly we see the near universal practice of fermentation as food, medicine and divine conduit now we are down to practical matters and the
Salvete Omnes!
I am pleased to be able to return to the forum at last. I hope to have new photos from the Luguvallum area next week and from Alavanna (Watercrook) .The Tullie House museum and Carlisle Castle diggings are on my itinerary.
edit: The Alavanna to which I refer is not Alavanna Carvetorium (Maryport) it is possibly related to the "lost port" of the Morecambe Estuary , namely that port used by II Adiutrix to combine with IX on its march north to deal with the Brigantine uprisin
The re-enactors were quite a bunch, very friendly and keen to share knowledge. They also presented a sight that many will consider strange, their ages-many were "grizzled veterans" but that added to the event , it was easier to see "old sweats" with missing teeth and not so athletic builds -we know Germanicus had to quell revolts by men who showed him toothless gums and old injuries.
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A visit to the splendid LEG II AUG at Bremetenacvm. This outfit have a top notch Greek surgeon with state-of -the-art equipment for all wound types and a comprehensive medicine chest.As you can see the battle had been bloody and some nasty wounds had to be dealt with.
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here we have a messy fracture and splintered shin bone, the man has been given opium and a little
I have been keeping notes to try and produce a handy recipe that would be both beneficial to modern users , and whilst not attested , be understood by our Roman forbears.
I think I have one such ready for the forthcoming Saturnalia, no part of it was unknown in Rome (though some ingredients would be for the rich alone) this mix would be both cleansing and pleasant .
take 1 pint of maderia wine ( so we are talking sweet and rich hence adjust your choice to taste).
1 sprig of wormwood (
The cavalry unit of the Legion was present at the Bremmetenacvm event. Only four horsemen in all (not the regulation 40) , and even then the logistics of moving , preparing and saddling the animals was by no means easy. One of the animals in particular was a complete newbie to the event and bridling was a rather tense experience. The Commander also had to improvise a mounting block from a nearby stone wall as his mount ws a little nervy.
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Hello to everyone after my unfortunate absence , here is a short blog to get me back into the swing of things.
A long European jorney took me via Koln, Frankfurt, Zurich and Innsbruck to Verona and the Venetian Carnival. Verona has the second largest surviving amphitheatre outside of Rome, and what a joy it is to behold in mellow sunlight. One might imagine that Theatre is worn and fragile with antiquity, however under a patina of weathering the massive structure retains its basic integrity and
Apart from materia medica my abiding passion is for the Triclinium, and I will keep members informed of any particularly outre gustatory experiences.I will also endeavour to gather a little more material regarding medieval recipes and pass these on from time to time.
You will all be amused to hear that I have succumbed to a stomach bug today, but as I hold to the virtue of plant medicine I have mixed the inner bark of the Red Elm (native to N.America) with Manuka honey.It seems to have done the
Im determined to get to Hadrian's Wall in the next few days -I dont know if the weather will allow me to present any reasonable photos,if it remains gloomy I may have to confine myself to interior artefacts at the Roman Army Museum and the Castle Museum at Carlisle.
Britain has a general water shortage , this does not seem to affecting Brittania Inferior.So I will be absent for a while. I will be on the Wall again at the start of February so lets hope for a few hours sunshine.
Madame Perti
Salvete Omnes!
I have returned from Vindolanda and Vercovicium with a massive portfolio of photographs. Dea Fortuna favoured the lone scout from UNRV moving quietly through the early morning mists to steal the images of the special places.I will spend some time editing and paring down , many of the shots I will load onto my own home site ( though its link is still defective) particularly the detailed "object" museum shots . For now I will post a couple of images in the miscellenia gallery .
The visit to the extremity of the Western Defences was hampered by poor weather. Ice, fog and bad light! Not so good for any of the locations I wanted to post in the Gallery, Medibogdum is a non-starter in icey conditions as the road is not much better than a cart track -and also happens to be the highest driveable pass in Britain.That will have to wait for another visit.I was able to get some shots of the bath ruins at Glannaventa (home of the Batavian "marine/amphibious " auxiliaries) a Flavia
