longshotgene

Here is a topic. How wide-spread was homosexuality in the army? I have read where the legions stationed along the Rhein were particularly homosexual. I find this interesting with prostitution being so wide-spread. Was being gay just not an issue in Rome? Was Christianity the first religion to really tear it apart?

Yesterday 10/14/08, I saw an interesting program on the International History Channel. It was about the capture of Masada. I had to teach class, but my coffee was still brewing, so I decided to watch the tele. The program showed through archaeological research that the legion who commanded the siege was most likely Syrian in composition. They worked to prove this by looking at papyri that had been found near the site. I thought it was pretty interesting because that places detachments from the 10th Legio Ferentis rather than 10th Legio Gemina. So many people have believed that the Romans sent troops from one side of the world to the other to fight, in order to stop attrition and the A.W.O.L. factor. This evidence shows the Romans did in fact the opposite. You can look it up on Youtube.com and Historychannel.com

Even in countries like the U.S. there exists examples of the caste system. It is the rare case where a man breaks out of the mold he finds himself in to become someone famous and rich. People point to Bill Gates in a lot of instances, but his family was already very well to do. The only instance of someone really breaking the mold in the world today I can think of is J.K. Rowling. This woman lived on rock-bottom for a long time. Her creation of Harry Potter changed that. I think the difference between the caste systems of say India and the United States is a state of rigidity. In the U.S. things are less rigid. It is interesting that you bring up the concept of patricius Asclepiades. My Latin teacher always told me it was a title reserved for the 'fathers' of Rome. It is the equivelant of the 'Sons and Daughters' of the American Revolution. They are the people who fought to make the country what it is.

I love asking these questions. What do you think is the most valuable tool, machine, process or invention the Romans created that we still use today? Personally, I think it is the idea of the Plebian and Patrician classes. This system is what America has based its 'House of Representatives' and Senatorial class off of. Most of America's political structure minus that detestable concept of 'Democracy' (Being Greek in nature and given to the U.S. by F.D.R.) came from the Romans. Without it, what would the U.S. be based off of?

Agreed on those points. It just felt like every time someone launched a question that may seem basic, you pointed out the flaws in their logic by showing them how the topic has been argued before. I guess that is the vile aspect of typing things via chatrooms. The emotion cannot be seen behind the responses.

Try Youtube.com or has the UK found something offensive about that too?

I fear if Aesc. keeps pointing out that all of these chat questions are outdated and constantly repeated, then this forum will have little to talk about in the future. I don't mind being reminded that the discussion already exists elsewhere, but maybe someone has something new to bring to light.

Here is the question. Was Pompey really not the caliber of general Julius Caesar was, or has history been written by those who conquered him to the point to diminish his abilities? And, did Julius Caesar really do everything he claims he did, or do you think a lot of it came with the help of brilliant generals such as Labienus?

Who do you think were the greatest generals Rome ever had to offer? This can include kings, emperors, etc. Also, why and what made them so great in your honest opinion?

Thanks for Livius.org. What an awesome website. I wonder if professors would allow students to use it?

I would have to disagree about shaving being a bonding ceremony for soldiers. Out in the desert where there is little water, you would not waste your water to shave your face. On the defensive areas such as Hadrian's Wall and the Rhine area, civilian barbers would have been readily accessible, much like the hospitals that were based with the legions. I just don't think shaving would have been something readily done while on the march. The 'appearance' of a soldier was probably something that grew up around the 18th or 19th century with the appearance of Victorian society.

I think beards would have been discouraged amongst the higher classes until Hadrian made them popular. However, I think a beard on the lower ranks probably would have been permissable. A beard in various climates provides protection, warmth and a good net for fallen food. I have thought about this question numerous times while hunting deer in the middle of a zero degree winter. Plus, a military on campaign would not have had the resources to keep a few thousand men clean shaven. Soldiers serving on the frontier would have had access to everything considering they all had hospitals and civilians surrounding them. The march, from my thoughts and research would have been different.

On the Christian note. We have a couple of problems with the gospels listed above. One, were any of those guys actually at the crucifixion? Second, what does the original Greek say? I just finished a book called, Misquoting Jesus. Talk about interesting. There are so many parts of the Bible that have been misconstrued to work for a certain society. I would be interested to see if the soldiers really did mock the Christ. After all, he really was not a criminal. Pilate didn't want to crucify him. I highly doubt his troops would have mocked him. I could have seen the Jews mocking him. Also, the three gospels listed. Did any of those guys speak Latin? Remember, the troops serving in Judea would not have been from that area. Would they have spoken Aramaic of Greek? There are a lot of questions to have answered before saying the troops did this.

I am working on a paper right now for a class, and came up with a question. Justinian the Great, so called, never conducted a battle, nor fought in one in person. What other Roman or Byzantine Emperors never were in the army or led a battle?

Does anyone know how many emperors were titled "great"?

I think the bigger question is, "How far do you wish to take your work?" In the States you can pursue a degree online with the American Military University. I think the quality is good, and the studies are harder than any university I have gone to sit in. My book load for this semester is heavier than any other time in my academic career. The professors want a lot out of your work, and the expectations are high. Posting your comments online gives you a lot of time to think about your response, which I think gives you the ability to gather more information and bring more to the table. As far as professors giving your degree credibility, in the United States I feel that only exists on the Ivy League level. If I go to Notre Dame, Yale, Princeton, etc., my degree is held in higher esteem. Nowadays to just have a degree gives you a good deal of credibility. In the field of history, your personal works will go far as well. Just my thoughts.

I am reading a book right now about the Vindolanda tablets found from 1973 on. The author says the tablets only showed ink for about 15 minutes, and then vanished. Why did the ink vanish? The marks are still visible under infrared film, but not to the naked eye under normal light.

Legal issues? Are they afraid of Cicero coming back from the dead and talking people to death? Companies always have some excuse. I want to see my children growing up playing with little Julius Caesars and Cleopatras. Is this such a big dream?

This is awesome! I am gearing up to teach an intro to Ancient Cultures class next spring. I would like to be able to have a few hundred Roman soldiers, builders and various famous Roman works to use in demonstrations. Imagine if you could actually act out the Battle of Cannae with little soldiers!

Today I was in Chicago and happened to go to the Lego store. While there I saw Medieval Lego men, Star Wars men, and for God's sake, Harry Snotter, I mean Potter Lego men. But for the life of me, I could not find a Roman Lego man. How is it that a civilization that existed for almost two thousand years (west and east), who gave us the arch, concrete, and cheap entertainment can not even earn its place of obvious respect with the Lego company? I mean almost everything else in our culture has some sort of Roman characteristic incorporated in it except Legos! If you want a Roman Lego series started, post here! I will send this list to Lego to see what can be done.

Maty, I am not sure I agree with you. You have to remember that Hadrian's Wall was really more of a sign of Roman Limitations. Hadrian consolidated the empire unlike the previous emperor Trajan who expanded it to the point of breaking. Also, remember that there were several auxillary forts along the wall. These forts held several hundred men with specialties from various parts of the Empire. These forts also had hot/cold water baths, graineries, and brothels on the outside. These boys were here to stay. Last summer, my experiences along Hadrian's wall led me to believe it may have started off as a military border, but quickly turned into a commerce funnel. I think the famous painting of the wall being built while the barbarians harass the legionairres is what leads people to believe there was constant warfare up in those parts. Also remember that York was almost 100 miles away. At a 13 mile per day march, that meant almost 10 days would pass before the ACTUAL Legions would have arrived. By that time, the barbarians would have been back across the border and back in their home. I don't think this happened on a normal basis. On another note, I subscribed to the blog. I find it to be very informative and enlightening. Thank you for showing us!

Does any one know of any key sources that discuss events that transpired along Hadrian's Wall? I am looking for information that talks about battles that took place there, and anything of interest and importance. I know when I was there, Chesters Fort or Great Chesters I believe was attacked and overran. Unfortunately no one in the gift shop knew anything about it, and no one had any books on it.

I think personally, they will find that man has been around in most of the world a lot longer than what we initially thought. North America is no exception to this rule. On the east coast, they found the remains of white men. Why wouldn't there have been remains much longer than 13,000 years ago on the west coast?

You mean Indiana Jones does not really exist? Like Santa Claus? Dang it! What can I believe in that actually exists any more?

AMU.APUS.EDU You can major in several disciplines of History. I am in Classical Studies right now.