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Nephele

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Posts posted by Nephele

  2. De Bello Lemures, Or The Roman War Against the Zombies of Armorica

    in Reviews

    Posted

    Ursus - Terrific review...very well done.

     

    Based on a recommendation within our own forums, I purchased this book and finished it up this morning. It's terrifically creative and well done. Brookside, author and translator of Castus' document, has done an amazing job of making the reading experience extremely genuine.

     

    I'd like to thank UNRV for their gracious review.

     

    It looks like JGolomb was also kind enough to post a review at Amazon - thanks, sir! Those really help get the book in front of more Amazon customers. And I really appreciate the feedback as well.

     

    It's not Roman-themed, but I have a new "historical horror" novel that just came out on July 1 that you might find interesting as well. The Last Days of Jericho is set in the Bronze Age and reimagines certain Old Testament episodes as an apocalyptic monster horror tale.

     

    This is a great site, and I'm happy to have found out about it!

     

    Welcome to UNRV, Thomas Brookside! We have a number of author members here, so you'll find yourself in good company!

     

    -- Nephele

  4. How did the Romans remove the nails from the dead body

    in Romana Humanitas

    Posted

    I think that we need to consider how common crucifixion really was...

     

    I think that's a good point to consider. There's currently a religious scholar in the news named Gunnar Samuelsson who's even saying that he's been unable to find absolute evidence that Jesus had been crucified.

     

    He found very little evidence of crucifixion as a method of execution, though he did find corpses being suspended, people being hanged from trees, and more gruesome methods of execution such as impaling people by the belly or rectum.

     

    Considering all the inventive ways that people might devise for torturing others with stakes and crosses, I wouldn't be surprised if using nails were only one of several options.

     

    Gunnar Samuelsson is from Sweden

  5. The Flynn effect

    in Romana Humanitas

    Posted

    This has nothing to do with the Romans (or any other ancient civilization) being less intelligent than us.

     

    As explained in this issue of American Scientist:

     

    Flynn contends that our ancestors were no dumber than we are; rather, most of them used their minds in different ways than we do, ways to which IQ tests are more or less insensitive. That is to say, we have become increasingly skilled at the uses of intelligence that IQ tests do catch. Although he doesn

  6. Eating Well On $1 A Day

    in Hora Postilla Thermae

    Posted

    I have no idea how all this coupon thing works (here they are not very common), but it seems, if you are hungry, all you need is 30 bucks and you are set for the month....

     

    pretty amazing stuff..

    So at the end of the day, I spent $4.49 of the $31.00 I have this month on day 1 to get the following food (before today

  8. Spartacus: Blood and Sand

    in Colosseum

    Posted

    And on an encouraging note, on Amazon it went down from$50+ to just over $40. Excellent. Very tempting.

     

    I really need to give this show another chance as it seems to be getting fairly rave reviews from all quarters. (The problem is that I really just want Crassus to kick his ass) :unsure:

     

    I do just about all my online DVD shopping with DVD Planet, which often has better prices than Amazon.

     

    PP, how much of the series did you see already? I think it gets better as it progresses. It certainly gets more shocking. (And I thought I was already pretty shock-proof.) The characters are very interesting, which probably is what makes the series.

     

    -- Nephele

  9. Macrobius' Saturnalia

    in Libri

    Posted

    >>Maty, remember when you were looking for an English translation of Macrobius' Saturnalia? <<

     

    I was, until a friendly librarian helped me out! Will you be reviewing this one for UNRV, Nephele?

     

    I think you'd be a better choice as reviewer, Maty. You can certainly give a better opinion on the quality of the translation, than I can!

     

    -- Nephele

  12. Roman gladiator cemetery discovered?

    in Archaeological News: Rome

    Posted

    But also, once they had inflicted the death penalty, the Romans did not take it out on the corpse. The dead were handed to family or friends who could bury it with all honours. Consider St Peter, whose mausoleum still stands (and has grown somewhat) next to the circus of Nero where he was executed, or the last honours given to Jesus after his 'death' on the cross. So burial with elaborate grave goods might simply indicate well-connected individuals sentenced to the arena for being Christian, or on the wrong side in a rebellion.

     

    Ah, that makes sense, and explains a lot. Although I wonder how much of the victim might be left for a proper burial after the lions had their share of him. Did they allow the lions to finish their meal, I wonder?

     

    Thanks for the info, Maty!

     

    -- Nephele

  13. Roman gladiator cemetery discovered?

    in Archaeological News: Rome

    Posted

    I post here basically what I have written also at RAT referring to the article by "The Guardian":

     

    When reading this it seems to me that either they are talking about venatores (beast fighters) or noxi (condemned criminals). To me it sounds unlikely that a gladiator has a well trained right (sword) arm because as I can tell from my own experience a gladiator needs also a well trained left (shield) arm. To me this sounds more like a laborer of monotonous work such as a smith or any other craftsman etc. or a field worker.

     

    Decapitation and hammer blows also point towards noxi because gladiators acc. to Junkelmann did not receive the hammer blow but only the noxi. Scars of animal bites of large carnivores point towards venatores or also noxi. Burial objects point to venatores as it would be unlikely that condemned criminals would receive a proper funeral.

     

    I haven't yet read any of Melvadius' links to this story, but my own local newspaper's reporting suggests that these weren't condemned criminals: "All of the skeletons were buried with pottery, animals or other offerings, suggesting they were respected people, not criminals." The reporter is quoting Michael Wysocki, a lecturer in forensic anthropology and archaeology. Wysocki also explained the beheadings as having been "an act of mercy" for those gladiators who surrered horrific injuries during their fights.

     

    Medusa, I always find your comments on gladiators and gladiatrixes interesting. What kind of mercy killings, to your knowledge, did the Romans practice on their mortally wounded fighters?

     

    -- Nephele

  16. Spartacus: Blood and Sand

    in Colosseum

    Posted

    Spartacus has reached the British shores.

     

    The article mentions a six-part prequel while Andy Whitfield (Spartacus) undergoes treatment for lymphoma.

     

    http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2010/0...eres-in-the-uk/

     

    guy also known as gaius

     

    "They are now going ahead with a six-part prequel, which will focus on the characters played by Lucy Lawless and John Hannah."

     

    Yay!

    And here I thought we'd seen the last of John Hannah and Lucy Lawless, with the first season's finale. Glad to hear that they're not quite gone yet!

     

     

    -- Nephele

  18. Vestal Virgins

    in Templum Romae - Temple of Rome

    Posted

    In this kind of "new" way of living women in all sections of life (even historically speaking) will be brought up to the surface. Yes, in books too :)

     

    Well, my most recent experience of the Vestals having been "brought up to the surface" in books revolves around a work of fiction. In Lindsey Davis' novel, Saturnalia, the Vestals play a significant role.

     

    I love the way Lindsey Davis ties her fiction in with historical fact. In this scene from Saturnalia, she has the Vestals agreeing to lead a deputation of respectable Roman matrons (properly dressed in black), to go before the emperor Vespasian in order to plea for the life of the historical Germanic priestess and enemy of Rome, Veleda, who has been captured. To establish a reasonable justification for this scene, Davis mentions in passing the historical account of when the Vestals had formed an earlier deputation to plea on behalf of the general Vitellius with Vespasian's general Antonius. (Tacitus 3.81).

     

    Even though such intervention by the Vestals didn't always prove successful, it interests me that Roman generals, and even the Emperor, himself, would pause to respectfully receive the Vestals and give due consideration to their petitions.

     

    -- Nephele

  20. "judeo-Christian vs Greco-Roman influences and the American Revol

    in Historia in Universum

    Posted

    From the aol article U.S. government be referred to as a "constitutional republic" rather than "democratic." Does everyone agree with this? They do have a valid point. The founding fathers admired the stable Roman Republic much more than the Greek Democracies which tended to become free-for-alls.

     

    I've always considered our nation (U.S.A.) to be a constitutional republic. If we were a true democracy, then we wouldn't have laws and representatives making certain that minorities in our nation had a voice, beyond that of the majority. I rather think that majority rule (as in a democracy) is oppressive to those of us who disagree with the majority.

     

    In this respect, I like to think of the U.S. having much in common with ancient Rome. But I'm not certain if this was the reason why Rome was founded as a republic. After all, the plebeians didn't have much of a voice in Rome's government in the early republic.

     

    -- Nephele

  22. Vestal Virgins

    in Templum Romae - Temple of Rome

    Posted

    Hello friends.

    Just wanted to thank you on this interesting subject and discussion. I was going to post a question about if any of you had a tip on a good factual book on the subject of Vestals. And then I stumbled on this posting.

    I, on the other hand, am wanting to write any novel or anything alike. I'm just very curious about it all, historically speaking.

     

    I'm also new on this forum so...this is my first post in which I'd like to salute you all :)

     

    Vale Bene!

     

    Welcome aboard, Vesta! The Vestal Virgins make up one of my favorite subjects in Roman history. Not because I have a thing for virgins, I hasten to add. But rather it's the power and privilege that this unusual sisterhood had, that fascinates me.

     

    -- Nephele

  24. Three word story

    in Hora Postilla Thermae

    Posted

    The Republic was wistfully remembered by, by stoic romans and by corrupt Emperors, such as...

    (description: add three words to continue the story)

     

    [so far so good, but it looks like we need to delete that extra "by" -- "remembered by, by stoic romans." Change to "remembered by many stoic Romans"?]

     

    -- Nephele

    Unofficial Three Word Story Editor. :(

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