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Nephele

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Posts posted by Nephele

  2. Genome results

    in Hora Postilla Thermae

    Posted

    $100? Wow, the price for that kind of test has really come down! I took Oxford Ancestors' mitochrondrial DNA test five years ago and I remember it cost twice that amount.

     

    Now that I think about it, I spent a $100 to confirm what I already more or less knew: that my ancestors were from Western Europe. Oh well, at least I now have the science to back up the family tree. :-)

     

    And now, when you get mad at your parents, you can no longer shout: "I must have been adopted into this family!"

     

    -- Nephele

  7. Lindsey Davis

    in Libri

    Posted

    Nephele, I finished "Last Act in Palmyra" today and already fetched "Time to Depart" from the library. LAIP - brilliant ending! As usual Ms.Davis manages to add humor in just the right places and does it so well. This seventh book has to be one of my favorites.

     

    You're leading me in Davis' books like a breakout auriga! I'm only partway through LAIP. I love the story arc of all these novels, and I especially love the way Helena Justina assists Falco in his sleuthing. They remind me so much of the patrician Nora and her somewhat seedy detective mate, Nick Charles, in those old The Thin Man movies. I know from having read a couple of the later novels (before I started reading them in order) that Falco even has a dog as Nick had. Now that I'm reading the novels in order, I'm curious as to when Nux (the counterpart to Asta) will make her first appearance.

     

    -- Nephele

  9. Feminine forms

    in Lingua Latina

    Posted

    I've no proof that they were actually used to describe a gladiatorix using the same weaponry as a Thraex.

     

    -- Nephele

     

    gladiator = gladiatrix (leave the "o" out)

     

    Same of course for all male versions ending on -tor become -trix in the female version.

     

    Oops! Typo.

     

    -- Nephele

  10. Feminine forms

    in Lingua Latina

    Posted

    Ha! Some fancy footwork there, CoG. :lol:

     

    I have to admit, though, that even Lewis & Short probably isn't ideal for these purposes, as Lewis & Short includes late Latin and ecclesiastical Latin.

     

    For a dictionary of classical Latin (which just includes words in use up to the year 200 C.E.), the Oxford Latin Dictionary would be the better source. But I haven't got one of those handy. The OLD is on my wish list.

     

    -- Nephele

  11. Feminine forms

    in Lingua Latina

    Posted

    Check out a few of those words on Glossa. A superb Latin website.

     

    Oh, it's not so superb. Glossa's Latin entries are not only lifted entirely from Lewis & Short (a truly superb source for Latin etymologies), but the Greek source words duplicated in Glossa's entries are missing letters.

     

    Check the "see also" entry for Threissa: Tracia. The Greek source words given are missing the letter theta, thereby making no sense at all. It must be some glitch in their transcription (theft) of Lewis & Short.

     

    -- Nephele

  13. Feminine forms

    in Lingua Latina

    Posted

    Dash! The title of this thread wrote a cheque the content couldn't cash.

     

    Hahahaha! Hope that sneak preview pic Russ provided will tide you over, CoG!

     

    And, before you posted your wish list, Russ, I'd consulted my massive volume of Lewis & Short and I think I may have figured out the following feminine forms (quiet, CoG!) for you:

     

    Andabatissa, Andabatina (female andabata, mostly based on the Agrippa/Agrippina forms

    Bellatrix (female fighter)

    Bestiaria (female fighter of beasts)

    Bipennifera (female fighter armed with a two-edged axe)

    Clavatrix (female fighter armed with a club)

    Falcifera (female fighter armed with a scythe)

    Funditrix (female fighter armed with a sling)

    Retiaria (female fighter who uses a net)

    Sagittaria (female archer)

    Threissa, Thressa (female Thraex/Thrax/Threx/Thracian

  14. Lindsey Davis

    in Libri

    Posted

    I really don't want to search out the answer either. I'll wait. Thanks for the info about "Two for the Lions". I'm almost ready for "Last Act in Palmyra". Sure hope I find out soon where that kitchen knife came from. :unsure:

     

    Me too. I'm not quite through Poseidon's Gold yet. I'm loving Lindsey Davis' turns of phrase so much. I have to remember snarky expressions such as: "I found him about as exciting as watching a bird-bath evaporate." lol

     

    -- Nephele

  15. Types of bulla and its importance

    in Romana Humanitas

    Posted

    I would like to know, if a boy lost his bulla how big a problem would this be.

    Surely it wouldn't mean he would no longer be treated as free born since his parents, tutor, and friends, would surely know his status?

    This is assuming he didn't lose it in extreme circumstances like being kidnapped or whatever. Say it got pulled off in a fight (boys fought back then right?) and fell into a river or something.

    He goes home and tells his pater that he has lost his bulla. Does he get a beating?

    what would happen?

     

    I'm pretty certain that the loss of a child's bulla (young, unmarried girls wore something like bullae, too, although what they wore was a less prominent, protective amulet) wouldn't change the child's free-born status. And, while I couldn't find any references as to what the consequences would be for such a careless child, I think we can safely speculate that the traditionally stern Roman pater would give such a youngster a sound whuppin.

     

    -- Nephele

  16. Lindsey Davis

    in Libri

    Posted

    The recent thread about The Colosseum here, mentions it was officially opened in 80AD. So how come the author never mentions The Colosseum in the process of being built? Just curious.

     

    Actually, Lindsey Davis does mention the Colosseum being built -- in her novel Two for the Lions. I know this because that was one of the two novels in the Falco series that I read out of order. In the novel [not a spoiler] there's a lot of rivalry going on between gladiatorial schools and beast collectors, who are hopefully vying for contracts for when the Colosseum (called Vespasian's new amphitheatre) is completed.

     

    Also do you have any clue as to what year the final book in the series is suppose to take place? I know I can just wait and find out, but just wondering.

     

    Haven't a clue, and I'm avoiding trying to find out by going to Wikipedia or other sources because I don't want to spoil the story arc, now that I'm reading the novels in their correct order. If you find out, don't post it here without using spoiler blocks! :)

     

    -- Nephele

  17. Dad in ancient roman writing or symbols

    in Imperium Romanorum

    Posted

    The Latin word for "Father" is "Pater." I suppose if you wanted to express the fact that you hold your father in highest and most affectionate esteem, you could use "Pater Carissimus."

     

    As for ancient Roman writing -- the Romans used the same alphabet as ours, for the most part (and in capital letters). Roman cursive writing might make an interesting tattoo. A Google search on "Roman cursive" should bring up some examples of how the different letters of the alphabet appeared.

     

    Welcome to UNRV, and condolences to you regarding your dad. He sounds like he was quite a guy.

     

    -- Nephele

  18. Lindsey Davis

    in Libri

    Posted

    Off topic, but do you work in a library?

     

    I'm a public library administrator.

     

    I recently found an article by Roger Pearse saying later books of the serie did not live up to his expectations, to the point he's decided not to buy them anymore : http://www.roger-pearse.com/weblog/?p=5178

     

    What do you enthousiast readers think ?

     

    I think that Roger Pearse (whoever the fook he is) could not begin to imagine the immensity of the fook I do not give for his opinion.

     

    -- Nephele

  19. Lindsey Davis

    in Libri

    Posted

    Unfortunately, they're not all available on Audiobook. The later ones seem to be the easiest to find.

     

    If you don't have any luck with your library, the cheapest way to get hold of them is via Audible.com. The scheme is that you join, and pay $7.49 a month. In return for this you get one audiobook a month - which is quite a good deal (they charge a higher monthly fee to folk this side of the Atlantic).

     

    Good library system, by the way. We have to pay for audiobooks at our library.

     

    . . . and you are, of course, always welcome to have a borrow of my copies of the dramatised CDs.

     

    Thanks for the offer, GoC! But I found two pages of Lindsey Davis' novels in audio format at Amazon. These don't appear to be read by Hamilton, though (unless I missed his name somewhere). I'm going to be ordering a bunch today for my library.

     

    -- Nephele

  20. Lindsey Davis

    in Libri

    Posted

    I'm about three quarters of the way through the first one (The Silver Pigs) on Audiobook, so no spoilers, please. I can see why you're all hooked!

     

    I bought the BBC dramatisations for the next three (Shadow's in Bronze, Venus in Copper and The Iron Hand of Mars).

     

    Good move? Bad move?

     

    PS The guy who reads the audiobook sounds just like Andy Hamilton (the comedian). I'm not sure overseas readers will know him, but I'm sure he will be familiar to the Brits.

     

    I didn't know there were audiobooks for the series! I've never heard of Andy Hamilton, but Falco has such a dry irony so perhaps a comedian is a good choice as the reader.

     

    I'm going to see about ordering the audiobooks for my public library, so then I can borrow them for free. :)

     

    -- Nephele

  21. Lindsey Davis

    in Libri

    Posted

    So how did you like "The Iron Hand of Mars"? I enjoyed this book, too; altho the "bull dancing" towards the end was a little much, even for Didius Falco! Ha. In fact the last few chapters seemed a bit rushed, but I think everything he set out to solve got solved. I'm still not sure if he gets paid for all his work or others continue to take the credit.

     

    Anyway I picked up "Poseiden's Gold" at the library today, the next book in the series, and am looking forward to starting it tonight. How far into the series are you?

     

    I'm a good way into Poseiden's Gold. Totally hooked on Falco. And, yes, the bull dancing was a bit over the top in the previous novel. Hahaha!

     

    -- Nephele

  22. "got the short end of the stick"

    in Historia in Universum

    Posted

    Come on, Nephele. You know I always use Wikipedia to make me sound cleverer than I actually am!

     

    Ah! :) Wiki or no, you're still pretty clever, GoC.

     

    Okay, I checked out the Discussion Page for the Wiki article on "Tally Stick" (your direct link doesn't appear to be working), and here is what they gave:

     

    "The saying 'the short end of the stick' has no known relationship with the concept of split tallies. (See the article - The Long Story of The Short End of the Stick, Charles Clay Doyle, American Speech, Vol. 69, No. 1 (Spring, 1994), pp. 96-101.)"

     

    I believe this is the article to which they are referring: retrieved from JSTOR.

     

    Since this topic relates more to general history (the possible ancient or medieval origin of a popular expression), I'm moving it to the Historia in Universum forum.

     

    -- Nephele

  23. "got the short end of the stick"

    in Historia in Universum

    Posted

    But what's to stop me coming back to you and saying, "hi Crispina, have you got that penny you owe me?" As a succesful, busy and prosperous merchant, you can't keep track of all your transactions. We match tally sticks, and you say, "oh . . . I suppose I must owe you a penny, Mr OfClayton, the sticks match."

     

    Hmmm... What's to stop you from simply destroying your half of the tally stick, and never going back at all to that rather forgetful merchant?

     

    I've never heard that explanation before for the expression "short end of the stick." I have to say that the complexity of it suggests to me that it's a story that's been passed around too many times to be true. Do you have a reference for it, GoC?

     

    -- Nephele

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