Nephele

Gotta post the links so we can decide. Rooster or Weasel -- Nephele

You

Thanks for a great review, Ursus! I'll be checking my library today to see if we have a copy of this book in the collection. And, if not, I'll be ordering one. There's much to be said (and you said it extremely well) for the "Old School" presentation of history. -- Nephele

No, no, nooooo. Ben-Hur was the movie in which Moses parted the Red Sea and the Romans came and held a HUGE chariot race through the center of it. Rumor has it that you can see someone driving a red Chevy pickup truck in the background. The guy named Spartacus was the eponymous hero of a low-budget musical from the '40s, about the struggles of a poor, young immigrant with talent trying to make it on Broadway. That line you remember -- "No, I am Spartacus!" -- was uttered by the jealous members of the chorus line who all wanted to steal "Sparky" Spartacus's role when the stage manager called out his selection for star tap-dancer. -- Nephele

What a zoo! The Bear is an Elephant, and we've got a possible Beaver with Sheep's personality? Would that be a "Sheaver"? I'm a Bat and have to agree with Ursus that it's "amazing how accurate a silly internet quiz can be." Because the Bat description fits me so precisely, it's scary. -- Nephele

Inspired by the on-going topic on this board titled

I've never been a fan of common beliefs. It's the uncommon ideas that intrigue me. -- Nephele

"Calorie content (per 12-ounce serving): approx. 307" Holy Hygieia! That's more calories than I take for a MEAL! Must be good stuff! -- Nephele

Whatever else one might think about Caesar, saying that he (or anyone else) is one of the most written about figures in history doesn't always serve as a character reference. After all, Time Magazine has selected, at various times, for their front cover "Person of the Year" ("a man, woman, or idea that, for better or worse, has influenced events in the preceding year"): Adolf Hitler (1938), Joseph Stalin (1939 & 1942), and the Ayatollah Khomeini (1979). Despite the fact that each of these was "honored" by Time only for the events they influenced in a particular year, they are still talked about and written about today. Caesar had two millennia on the rest. Give them time. -- Nephele

MPC, you should have posted the direct "Jumped the Shark" link to Rome. As of my writing this, six diehard voters say the show has never jumped. Four who say it did jump were resentful of the Octavian substitution ("This new guy sucks"). The remaining three were distressed by Cleopatra's crack whore smoking ("they should be ashamed of themselves"), Caesar's death (this voter was too choked up to leave a comment), and Pullo's shtupping of Cleo ("too far fetched"). One loyal viewer felt compelled to enlighten all the nay-sayers: "if you ever bothered to read Caesar's Commentaries you'd know Vorenus and Pullo were real characters" whose "relationship on the show is similar to the one they had in real life!" I suspect this guy's really into buddy movies more than Caesar's Commentaries. Haven't a clue as to where the series is going with Timon, but have to say these Jump the Shark voters' reactions are at least as entertaining as the show itself. -- Nephele

Sigmund Freud, the same lovable goofball who gave us the term "penis envy" and Moses and Monotheism. -- Nephele

Point taken. Although I couldn

I

My mum and dad were (and still are) keen members of the local archaeological society and used to take me to archaeological digs and sites. To 'put flesh' on what I saw, I read the novels of Rosemary Sutcliffe, and the reconstruction books of Ronal Embleton and Peter Connolly. Yikes, looks like Ursus and I have gotten commingled there in the quote function. Is this prophetic? Thanks for sharing your "Roman introduction", Neil. I'm enjoying reading all of these. -- Nephele

Quoting from A Day in Old Rome, by William Stearns Davis, Professor of History in the University of Minnesota: -- Nephele

Thanks for starting this, Ursus. My turn! It was my high school Latin language class that introduced me to the fascinating world of Rome and the Romans. I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't sign up for Latin due to a burning interest in things Roman -- it was because Latin was the smallest class in my high school and I was a bit of a social misfit -- painfully so. And so a classroom with the fewest fellow students in it seemed very appealing to me. (Although I later discovered that, due to the intimacy of smaller groups, avoidance of social interaction is practically impossible.) That choice led to a love affair with the Romans, which I have never regretted. Who's next? What served as your introduction to Rome? -- Nephele

Through various other polls and just generally keeping track of the folders, I've determined that the politics & personalities of the Late Republic is the most discussed aspect on this site. The early-middle Republic as well as the early Empire roughly tie for second place. So I suppose you could say a general historical narrative from 500BCE to 200CE comprises the vast bulk of the site. The military in general is also a steady source of interest. What is interesting is that when I first came to the site in 2004, the smallest details of the Legions seemed to overwhelmingly dominate discussions. Especially those ridiculous hypothetical X vs Y threads (e.g. "Could a Roman Legion defeat a Mongol Horde?") Once we outlawed those threads, it seems topic discussions became broader and more intelligent (or at least facilitated a trend along those lines already in place). Hmm, in addition to the "Why are you interested in Rome?" poll, perhaps it might be enlightening to poll people on "What introduced you to Rome?" RPG? Your school's Latin class? History was your best subject in school? A visit to the city of Rome itself? College toga parties? -- Nephele

Roman architecture intrigues me, too. While I agree that the buildings of the Romans served many purposes, I kind of envision "architecture" (and art and literature, as well) as falling more into the "Culture and Daily Life" category. Perhaps there should have been an "Art & Architecture" category? Glad you enjoyed those pics of the Roman house model and floorplans, Neil, that I posted in the Gallery. I wish I'd taken more of those. Heh, I wonder how this survey might have turned out if there had been no "Little Bit of Everything" category, and everyone had been obliged to choose one specific interest area to which they felt themselves most drawn? -- Nephele

I love GO's motto: Nemo Me Impune Lacesit. Edgar Allan Poe used it in his short story, The Cask of Amontillado. Ooo, very gothique! -- Nephele

You're very welcome, Bripus. If you have a middle name to give me, I might be able to get something else for you. And -- welcome to UNRV! -- Nephele

Was there an old Crusader from the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword guarding the cave? -- Nephele

Those Mozambique garnet rings are gorgeous. Glad you had a few nice surprises to make up for the bitchy workmate. Btw, did you realize that your birthday falls on the Roman festival of Regifugium? "According to Varro and Ovid, this was a festival commemorating the flight of the last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus, in 510 BC." You should celebrate "The Running of the King" by finding a suitable, modern-day, megalomaniacal subsitute to chase 'round and 'round. Hmmm... I wonder if a certain Don Tomasso with dreams of world domination will do... -- Nephele

Bripus Klmunus, you have somewhat of a literary background, being distantly related to the famous Quintus Ennius, known as "the father of Roman poetry". (You and he share the same nomen). Unfortunately, you come from a more prosaic branch of the family, as indicated by your cognomen of "Faber" (meaning "skilled worker", possibly "smith"). But being descended from honest workmen is nothing to be ashamed of, as the Roman metal-smithing god Vulcan is your patron, and he was the gods' master craftsman. Plus, your praenomen is distinctive, by virtue of it being the rare "Proculus" (abbreviated by a "Pr."). Your full Roman name is... Pr. Ennius Faber -- Nephele

Birthday hails to you, LW! Since you were the very first person on this board to request your hidden Roman name when I first came, have another for your birthday: Cloelia Hymna (ymklejcntloi -jkt +aah) And have a great day! -- Nephele

Raptor, you came to Rome as a captive from Thessaly, to be trained as a gladiator. Your original name has been long-forgotten, as they re-named you at the gladiator school with the fearsome name of "Haemon" (meaning "blood"). You fought well in the arena, and were eventually granted your freedom and Roman citizenship as your reward. Upon becoming a citizen, you took the praenomen of "Kaeso" (abbreviated "K.") and the nomen of Maenius in a feeling of kinship with the plebian Maenia gens, noted for having "produced several distinguished champions of the rights of the plebeian order." You retained your gladiator name of Haemon as your cognomen. Your full Roman name is: K. Maenius Haemon (hnhejanamkomer -hjr +ius) Now there's an idea. Yipe! You're in league with Ursus! -- Nephele