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Great link, Auris. Thank you. There have long been two gaps in my knowledge to the better understanding of Ancient Roman history: Latin and Ancient Roman numismatics. Over the last several years I've worked hard to learn about Ancient Roman numismatics (although I don't collect coins). Learning Latin, however, has been a real struggle. I function very well in Spanish, using it nearly daily at work for more than twenty years. My Italian, another Latin-derived language, is more than adequate to communicate with my relatives in Italy on a regular basis. Learning Latin, however, has been a nearly impossible task. I lose my motivation as soon as I hear Latin, Maybe my brain has ossified. Maybe Latin is so foreign to my ears. I would much rather review my Dutch (a far more guttural and harsh-sounding language) before my next trip to the Netherlands than review my Latin so I can speak Latin with...no one. At least when I practice my Dutch, I can annoy my Dutch friends and...I can pretend I am speaking the tongue of some Ancient Germanic Batavian tribe. guy also known as gaius

Very thought-provoking post. From Wikipedia: Approximate distribution of languages in Iron Age Italy during the 6th century BCE. I always found the Oscan language to be interesting. If I remember correctly, it was used on the coinage of the rebels during the Social War (91

First, welcome to UNRV. Although most of us are not coin collectors (myself included!), I think it is important to study and appreciate numismatic material to gain a deeper inside into the daily life and economics of Ancient Rome. Many of the great books on Ancient Roman numismatics are expensive and not always user friendly. Doug Smith, an excellent teacher on Ancient numismatics, lists his favorite books here: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/book.html#cat Here is respected numismatic author David Sear's recommendations: http://www.davidrsear.com/academy/general_works.html That said, there are so many excellent sites on Ancient numismatics on the web, why bother? For the novice as well as the more experienced numismatic student, Doug Smith's own web site is a place worth starting: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/dougsmith/ Here is a web site that is helpful to any student of Ancient numismatics. I've frequently researched the site when writing about Ancient Roman numismatics: http://wildwinds.com/coins/index.html If you must spend money, however, a nice introduction is Wayne G. Sayles' Ancient Coin Collecting III : The Roman World--Politics and Propaganda. Seriously, though, research the web at the above sites and other links listed on this subforum. Although I have found many books invaluable for my reasearch into Ancient numismatics, most the information can be found from the web in a sometimes easier-to-read and always free source. guy also known as gaius

Thank you for reading my response. I also thought about sponsorship by the rich elites (thus, free admission) to many public spectacles (including gladiatorial events). I agree that these would be free. I think admission to the baths required a nominal fee. I also suspect that there was some non-sponsored events (sports and theatrical) that would have required some sort of fee Although many things would have been subsidized by the state (e.g; grain) or sponsored by rich elites (gladiator fights), it's hard to believe that there weren't events or performances that required some sort of fee, however small. Remember, Rome had a million inhabitants. I don't think the rich elites could have payed for all the entertainment needs. I also doubt much bartering was going on in brothels. Haggling, yes. Bartering, unlikely. In answer to the original question: Money, therefore, was an important means of exchange. guy also known as gaius .

Coin from 154 BC: C Scribonius Denarius. 154 BC. Roma right / Dioscuri galloping right, SCR below. Scribonia 1, Syd 380. http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/sear5/s0079.html Although many prices were probably haggled between individuals, there were probably "set prices" for many public activities: admission to a theater, sport events, etc. guy also known as gaius

I have great respect for Mary Beard and I appreciate anyone who challenges long-held, historical dogma. That said

Here is someone's paper on Suetonius' possibly biased assessment of Nero in comparison to Vespasian. (To see the link, refresh the page.) http://www.academia.edu/1526168/Comparisons_and_contrasts_the_reigns_of_the_emperors_Nero_and_Vespasian_as_presented_in_the_imperial_biographies_of_Suetonius guy also known as gaius ?

This is an interesting program dealing with Rome's often violent interactions with Scotland. The program poses an interesting question: "In the end, how should we assess Rome's influence on Scotland? ...a force for aggression and a force for change. A golden opportunity and a mortal danger. Two sides of the same coin." This program uses numismatic evidence to shed light on Scotland's complicated relationship with Rome. guy alos known as gaius

Although I read and contribute at a few coins sites, I am most fascinated by the daily webposts from the diary of Samuel Pepys: http://www.pepysdiary.com/ Samuel Pepys was an English naval administrator, rogue, and diarist from the late 1600s. He observed firsthand the English restoration of Charles II, the great plaque of 1665, the great fire of London 1666, and the Dutch defeat of the English fleet at Medway in 1667. We should do something like that here at UNRV. guy also known as gaius

Although Suetonius wrote during the time of Hadrian (one of the adoptive emperors from the Nerva-Antonine dynasty), he is thought to be a Flavian apologist, with especially good things to be said about the Flavian emperor Vespasian. There is no doubt where Suetonius stands on Vespasian, setting the tone from the very first sentence about his reign: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Vespasian*.html He is somewhat unfair to Nero, who will forever live in infamy. guy also known as gaius

Thanks for trying! It comes up on the PC, although the image smaller than usual. I hope the "upper management" addresses this glitch. guy also known as gaius

Here's an interesting set of animated videos that are a nice intro to Ancient Roman Society. Any opinions? guy also know as gaius

Just a test:

Another problem : Posting a You Tube videos is difficult. Sometimes, only a smaller screen is seen: guy also known as gaius

Here's the finding on video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=405YeDu7Wms

I may not understand the significance possibly from the late Roman Empire, but it is interesting: http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/image-celtic-geordie-god-found-4865961 http://esciencenews.com/articles/2013/07/04/archaeologists.unearth.carved.head.roman.god.ancient.rubbish.dump guy also known as gaius

I appreciate everyone's input. I assume that olive oil was source of fuel used by these lamps? Here's an interesting article about a lamp factory recently found in Ancient Mutina (modern day Modena between modern day Parma and Bologna). (Click image to enlarge) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Millennia-Old-Roman-Oil-Lamp-Factory-Discovered-99444.shtml These ancient lamps with different names are similar to modern day mass productions. guy also known as gaius

(Carausius, rebel emperor of Britain and Gaul) Good to know. Thank you. guy also known as gaius

Anyone living today by a major city is impressed by the number of lights and the amount of activity at night. But how was the night in the major cities of the Ancient Roman world? I imagine there would be fires in the private houses. Are there any ancient sources attesting to lighting at shrines at night (except for the Temple of Vesta, of course)? Were there ever gladiator, chariot, or other public outdoor spectacles at night? Or, because of the lack of public lighting, were all night time activites held indoors at a home or possibly a small outdoor theater? Traveling at night must have been dangerous and relatively rare. In smaller cities and town, the night time must have been a very isolated, absolutely dark, and extremely vulnerable time. Thanks in advance, guy also known as gaius

it seems no one can right now upload images, i notified the host about it, seems like the transition made some unwanted changes, i keep you up to date... Any update concerning posting pictures? I still cannot. guy also known as gaius

I saw the program, too. Very interesting and one can only wonder how much of history has been lost forever from the devastation of war. Hopefully, the Ancient Roman city of Palmyra in Syria won't be destroyed. The fascinating history of the Eastern princess Zenobia has already been obscured by the mists of time. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmyra http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenobia guy also known as gaius

http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2013/06/04/roman-concrete/ guy also known as gaius

Thank you for the help. Nevertheless, I am still unable to load pictures, even pictures I have loaded before. Here's the message I get: "The server returned an error during upload." Thank you for your attention. guy also known as gaius

Still can't post pictures. Most of my posts involve images, so until then, ....