Bryaxis Hecatee

I've just seen information on a new project which provides the same functionnalities as google map for planning travels, but for the roman period ! Article is availlable at this site and the site itself is already accessible. I've done some tests, it's quite impressive although they mainly go through the main cities, it would have been nice if they had been able to use more detailled maps (with more daily halts, etc.)

Maybe small parts of it, possibly under Trajan, but certainly not all of it. Likewise the roman did not conquer Yemen or the Gulf States.

When you read the excellent book "Soldiers and Ghosts" by J.-F. Lendon you see that maybe this technological mindset was due to cultural bias which needed to be completely wiped out in order for massive progress to come. Lendon only studies the warmaking technologies, but shows rather convincingly in my opinion that it was in large part driven by cultural concepts (Homer for the Greeks, Virtus and Disciplina for the Romans) which, by dictating a thought framework, limited, if not inventions, at least implementation of inovations. With war-making taking such importance in ancient cultures, I'd be most surprised if the same was not true, in parte or in toto, for other technological realms. Lendon thinks the final failure of the Western Empire was in part due to a wrong outlook from the elites of the time on the past : they tried to copy the past instead of looking toward it in order to reinterprate things in their own way. For Lendon, Arrian's fascination with Alexander or Julian's Alexander like behaviour shows that the past was no longer an inspiration for change but a model to be reached despite the widely different conditions of the period. If we follow this vision, we can say that this phenomenon grew worse after Julian because they were no longer cultural elites such as there had been in the Constantinian era, especially none that would use pagan texts as basis. So we had a sclerosis of an unfinished model and a christian elite who did not want to think of war, and indeed did not want to think about the world anymore. So the fall of Rome was both a consequence of it's technological and cultural level and a necessary step in order to insure technology could start from a clean mindset. The so-called Carolingian Renaissance of the 9th century will then appear as a false start because it was, in many ways, too close to ancient models it sought to re-take where they had been left by the Romans instead of starting anew. It would take the world of Renaissance, with people able to take distance from the ancient texts and with also the agregated evolutions of the Byzantine Empire brought to the West, to have this new start in an environnement where competition between states was such that the need for evolution was important. We all know where it led the West.

For those who want it, it seems that the shadows of the interweb are holding some downloadable versions of the program. An italian site (.it) with the name EZTV offers it to all roman lovers out there...

Your posts are really interesting and full of information, I just hope I'll be able to read it all once more before I come to Bulgaria in two weeks

Melvadius, at the time of the original discovery it was mostly the sellers of papyrus who did the cutting. Papyrus were found in mounds and were used by locals as fertilizer. Then they became aware that the westerners were ready to pay big money, so they began to sold papyrus by weight, just cutting the mass with shovels. Then, also, some sellers began to dig for intact pieces and sold them in pieces which they deliberately cut. Archeologists themselve did not usualy cut their discoveries in pieces, so that what they did discover are usualy the most intact pieces of parchements.

See also : http://rogueclassicism.com/2012/04/18/female-gladiator-statue-skepticism/

Sudan also seems a bit of a stretch, for I don't think they ever claimed lands south of Abu Simbel (if they even claimed it as their own)

In Belgium cheques have disapeared except for very large payement when they are made by the bank, given to the customer who will then give them to the seller. Thus I had one such cheque when I bought my appartement. But in France it's the most common way to pay something, just after cash and before debit card (and I don't speak of credit cards, which are not so common).

Here I don't open the TV very often, using the web to get most of the few programs I do indeed look at. Those include : NCIS and it's derivative NCIS:LA, definitively not roman. House MD is also on the list, at least until the end of this season which will close down the diminishing show. Then there are The Borgias (the US version, not the European, altough the second one is said to be better both in quality of play and historicity) and Game of Throne. Last year I did also watch the rather mediocre Camelot (the US serie, not the quite funny french short format comedy serie). Last but not least, I wait to know wheter or not a new season of the science-fiction Sanctuary will come back. For more cultural programs, I mainly look at Des Racines et des Ailes, once every two weeks on France 3 channel, a mostly fine discovery of nice places and tastes from a part of the world or, simply, of France, with a lot of interest for peoples restauring old houses/castles/monnuments and preserving traditions (be it local music, food, wine, beer, building tradition, ...). One is amazed at how rich France's past is, how different the traditions of every place, and how much it's inhabitant try to keep it, far from what seems to be the case in Italy for example, although the show has also lots of episodes on italian noble families restauring their palaces and villas... They've also had fantastic shows on Syria for instance. On the other hand Spain has not been visited very often, nor has the UK. It is in part due to the fact they like the locals to speak in french, most of their contacts being through french cultural circles.

Five days ? Ok. Your hotel is in the area of stazione termini or some place else ? Must see places in five days, organised as full days, a suggestion for someone ready to walk a lot, see a lot (that's how I plan my own trips) : 1) Vatican : half a day at least, eventually conbined with Hadrian's mausoleum which is close by. From there you can walk alongside the Tiber toward Transtevere area and cross the bridge to the Tiberine island. From there you can also see the Largo Argentino Temples and, if you have the time and the energy, visit the Crypta Balbi museum which is the best one to see how Rome did evolve from Republican to Medieval time, with some nice posters showing the evolution of the area surrounding the Largo Argentina. 2) Forums, Capitol, Palatine and Colosseum : you might want to begin from the Via Nazionale, alongside Trajan's Markets : visit the markets and the museum installed in the former shops. Then you'll pass in front of Trajan's column, were you can take the Via de Fori Imperiali : no need to tell you what's there. Just take the time to go inside St Cosme and Damian church to see the roman remains in the back of the church. Go up to the Colosseum, but don't visit it yet : take the street to the right of the Ludus Magnus (with the colosseum to your back) and go to San Clemente basilica to go visit the underground mitraic temple there. Go out, and back to the colosseum that you can now visit, before taking a look at Constantine's arch. From there, go around the Palatin hill by going under the aqueduct : welcome to the Circus Maximus. Go along the Palatine's fa

Oxen were also famously used by Hannibal as a ruse to escape the roman force tracking him down, lighting torches to the beasts horns and setting them underway, the romans hot on their heels because they thought it was the main cartaginian army

I could have suggested you to hire me, but I'll be in Bulgaria instead, driving around from ancient roman place to thracian remains while going through some medieval ones... But what you must decide before going to Rome is : which Rome do you want to see ? Because no guide can show you well everything in the city. Some are better for Renaissance period, other for Baroque, other are obviously more roman oriented... How much time do you have to spend in the City ? Museums or no museums ? Periods of interest ? Do you intend to go through Vatican ? Going into churches or not ? ...

Magister Pecoris is more often found, being the title of the chief herdsman of a domain, agricultural treaties also say they would be acting as veterinaries, with a knowledge of the ailments of the animals under their care and of the cures. Magister Camelorum does not seems to have been much in use, google does not find it. Unfortunately my OCD does not have entries for either Calocaerus or Magister Pecoris/Magister Camelorum so I can't tell you much more at the present time but the reference to camels might and cattle might well be linked to army logistics. It would explain how a man in such a position could have some forces, some ressources, some credence and some (misguided) hope...

I recently saw the movie Fethye 1453, a turkish (rather nationalistic) movie about the capture of the city by the muslim armies, they were some nice reconstructions of parts of the city and of the walls !

Also of interest, and probably much more thant Robert's book, is "La terre dans le monde romain : anthropologie, droit, g

I have no precise sources on had, but you may want to look at Giusto Traiana's book "428 : an ordinary day at the end of the Roman Empire". I don't know of Jean Noel Robert's book "La vie

Up to a certain point a larger exploitation brings economies of scale. It also meant that they could go to a monetary exchange level, which might well have become difficult or impossible for small farmers who'd have used exchanges in nature rather than commerce by cash. Since what interested the state the most was cash those small farmers were hit harder by tax collectors. Thus the move to the protector who became responsible for the cash taxes. Also the large landowners were also the local autorities and could illegaly influe on the tax collector (bribes, etc.)

In fact it sounds conservative because it is conservative : it's Plato's and not Socrates The confusion comes from the fact that this extract from The Republic is put in the mouth of Socrates by Plato as can be seen in http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=plat.+rep.+8.562b and following passages, in particular http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=plat.+rep.+8.562e

For the tank I don't know As for the next trip, Bulgaria is currently being planned : two weeks mid-may, with possible ex-cursus to Edirne (rather doubtfull) and/or Thessaloniki and the macedonian tombs and palace of Aegae and Vergina (depending on how much time and cost are invested in Bulgaria since I don't drive and would thus need a driver, taking public transportations in a nation using the cyrillic alphabet not sounding like a good idea to me...). Thanks for the appreciation in any case ! (and yes, google is rather upsetting me with the changes to it's services, managing my pictures on my computerS is getting harder and harder every time)

The man tied is no man, he is the satyre Marsyas being punished for daring suggest he might be better than Appolon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsyas) Picture 80 is of a man, long thought to be emperor Pupien, but more probably a mid 3rd century AD general. The body and the head seems to make one, but the body is the typical heroic man wearing only the military cape, the so called "paludamentum". The model of that kind of model comes directly from the greek tradition. (about the pictures : you may want to check almost all the galleries : you will then travel from Egypt to Danemark, from the UK to Lebanon, with many wonderful museums such as the British Museum; the Ashmolean Museum; the museum of London; the Louvre; Amsterdam's archeology museum; museums of classical antiquities of K

Crispina, please also take a look at my gallery Ny Carlsberg Glypthotek (https://picasaweb.google.com/115229891211658247956/Copenhague19Novembre2011NyCarlsbergGlyptothek), you will positively love it. As for your questions : - Most pieces were dug from the ground at various periods. Pieces found long ago often got "facelift" by the greatest artists of the time, be it during the Renaissance or the 19th Century : the Ny Carlsberg's "nasothek", collection of add-on pieces for ancient statues which were later removed, is quite telling. About the making of the pieces, many situations : indeed wax-masks were used, especially in the roman world, for dead peoples, and this from the republican period onward, thus the greater realism or roman portraiture. Imperial portraits were often made from a first exemplary made from the living emperor, this first portrait being later reproduced in numerous exemplars by official or provincial workshops. As for the specific pieces you asked : pictures 119 and previous : two peoples, male and female, the female arming the male : this is described as emperor Hadrian as the god Mars being dressed by Annia Aurelia Galeria Lucilla, child of Marcus Aurelius, sister to emperor Commodus, wife to emperor Lucius Verus. The statue was made between 120 and 140 AD but the initial woman's head was removed and replaced by Lucilla's, probably in the 160's. About picture 281, the child fighting the cane, is a common theme found in numerous parts of the Empire, with 4 copies coming from a single villa next to the Via Appia : this one kept at the Louvres, the Vatican, Munich and Geneve. It is thought that it may be a copy of a bronze by 2nd century BC's sculptor Bo

In order not to open another thread, I inform you all that about 350 pictures from the Louvres ancient greek, etruscan and roman collections are now online at https://picasaweb.google.com/115229891211658247956/Paris05Fevrier2012Louvres

Did you not know that Valentine's been cancelled ? Because, as we all know, 14-02-12=00 !

Don't forget that Jesus' reputation was quite small outside Judea at the time he was wandering around it. And the tales of his miracles were not so widely known, especially in the upper circles, and even more especially in the roman circles. Roman never quite knew what those jews were really about, and never really cared until the issue of paying hommage to the emperor came in. Jesus was a local magician who did not travel very widely to improve his reputation. Simon, on the other hand, seems to have curied favors with the powerfulls, including romans, and went to Rome at about the same time as other apostles if the texts are to be believed. He knew his marketing while Jesus had his done mostly post mortem by his bunch of friends...