guy

The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, later named Elagabalus of Heliogabalus, was barely fourteen years old when he became emperor (AD 218-222). He was succeeded by his cousin Alexander Severus only four years later. He was Syrian on his mother's side and was a part of the Severan dynasty. This decadent and bizarre boy-emperor brought with him to the city of Rome the Syrian cult of Elagabal. Elagabalus, named after the deity, was the high priest of this cult. The cult of Elagabal was originally from Emesa (modern Homs), Syria. As explained from Wikipedia, his name has an interesting derivation: Interestingly enough, although the cult of Elagabal might be the cult of "the God of the Mountain," there are no large mountains near Emesa, Syria. While reading Martijn Icks' The Crimes of Elagabalus: The Life and Legacy of Rome's Decadent Boy Emperor, I came upon this interesting passage: This reminds me of a previous post in the past on the significance of Mount Argaeus: http://www.unrv.com/forum/topic/11560-mount-argaeus-on-coins/ A black conical stone played a prominent role with this cult (from Wikipedia): Hexastyle temple containing the conical stone of Elagabal (ornamented with a facing eagle) on a later bronze coin by potential Roman usurper Uranius from Emesa.*** Icks describes how this God of the Mountain later developed into a Syrian sun god. Roman aureus depicting Elagabalus. The reverse reads SANCT DEO SOLI ELAGABAL (Holy Sun God Elagabal), and depicts a four-horse chariot [the quadriga is a traditional Roman image] shaded by four umbrellas carrying the sacred stone of Emesa. Here are other examples of similar coins from Wildwinds.com: http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/sear5/s7545.t.html The introduction of the foreign cult of Elagabal was probably not popular among most of the elite in traditional Roman society. Elagabalus flouted Roman law and tradition by elevating the cult of Elagalabus in the Roman pantheon and by marrying a vestal virgin. With Elagalabus's assassination in AD 222, the cult of Elagabal lost its patronage in Rome and the religious transformations were quickly reversed. The black stone of Elagabal was returned to Emesa. Numismatic evidence sheds light on this turbulent and confusing period of Roman history. guy also known as gaius ***For more information on Uranius, the potential usurper from Emesa, read this previous post: http://www.unrv.com/forum/topic/14589-uranius-antoninus-little-known-usurper/ .

Although I'm skeptical about conclusions from DNA studies, this was interesting: http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/scotland/scotland-s-dna-descended-from-lost-tribes-and-related-to-napoleon-1-2238030

Here's a nicer example that sold in May 2012 for 33% less: http://www.acsearch.info/record.html?id=570085 Your example (not nearly as nice):

Here's a link to some Roman coins sold in auction that possibly have the image of Vercingetorix (or at least a Gallic warrior). http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?search=Vercingetorix&view_mode=1&en=1&de=1&fr=1&it=1&es=1&ol=1&sort=&c=&a=&l=#17 guy also known as gaius

If you are interested in the subject of Phillip II of Macedonia, Ian Worthington's Phillip II of Macedonia might be worth a look. Worthington also contends that the overlooked Phillip II was greater in many ways than his more famous son, Alexander. guy also known as gaius

If you are going to the Reggio Calabria area, be sure to see the famous Greek Riace bronzes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riace_Bronzes These bronzes are housed at the National Museum of Reggio Calabria. I've never been there, but they must be spactacular. Addendum: It appears these stunning statues are undergoing restoration and study. They may not be on display again till late 2012. I recommend checking ahead of time.

I, too, have wondered about his motivation. His distrust of Greek physicians is very indicative of his warped view:

Not wanting to get into the modern politics of illegal immigration, America is fortunate that the vast majority of its immigrants (both legal and illegal) want to learn English, assimilate into American culture, and become

Nice introduction to the Roman limes for the non-expert:

The image of the noble and pristine agrarian culture degenerating into the corrupt and venal urban civilization has long persisted in Western mythology, echoed in writings as diverse as the Ancient Roman historian Tacitus to the 18th century French writer and philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The inevitable collapse and destruction of urban society, according to many modern writers, results in the chaos and confusion of a future nightmare setting as depicted in George Miller's post-apocalyptic The Road Warriors from the Mad Max series. In the years 1833-36 Thomas Cole, an early American landscape artist, created a series that reflected this pessimistic belief. His series, titled The Course of Empire, is rich in Ancient Roman imagery to depict this decline. The five paintings below are from The Course of Empire series. (The fourth painting is my favorite.) Remember, one must be logged in to see the images. The first painting in the series, The Savage State, captures the pristine beauty of the wilderness. picture pending The second painting, The Arcadian or Pastoral State, represents the pre-urbanized Greek ideal. The third painting, The Consummation of Empire, depicts the city state in all of its Ancient glory. The fourth painting (the most impressive), Destruction, shows the Ancient city being destroyed by enemy warriors as they sail up the river. Many think that this imagery was inspired by the Vandals

It's a great concept for a book -- I'd eagerly purchase it. Did you already choose the paintings and get the rights to reproduce them? I agree. It would certainly be a book to purchase. Now that I have figured out how to add images again, I hope to make similar posts in the future. Ironically, the patron of Vanderlyn who painted this masterpiece, was Aaron Burr. For those who don't know, Aaron Burr was Vice-President under Thomas Jefferson. Burr was later humbled for his political machinations. He killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. A few years later he was arrested for treason involving lands in the West, but later was acquitted. Similar to Marius, Aaron Burr fell from the pinnacles of power. Vanderlyn's career floundered when he lost the patronage of Aaron Burr. guy also known as gaius

As we have discussed before, the founding fathers of the United States were greatly influenced by the histories of the Ancient societies of Greece and Rome and they used them as a lesson during the formation of the American Republic. Not surprisingly, early American painters were influenced by the art movement of Neoclassicism that drew inspiration from the classical art and culture of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. I found this painting fascinating: (One must be signed in to see the image)

I can't imagine much. Not a lot of room in that man purse. According to the article below:

Wow. It will be interesting to see how this technique will be used to assess future coin hoards. This technique may allow better assessment of the coins of a hoard found in a jar, for example, without disturbing the original order of placement of the coins in the jar. This could show whether the coins were carefully placed at various intervals for votive offerings. The time span of the hoard could be better dated by assessing the levels of placement of attributed coins. Or it might show these coins were haphazardly deposited at a time of an emergency for safe keeping. With time, I

Certainly watch the link above of Mary Beard's lecture "Mistaken Identities: How to Identify a Roman Emperor." Ultimately, however, the numismatic evidence may be the most important tool for emperor identification. I like these two sites for emperor identification: http://wildwinds.com/coins/ric/i.html http://www.tesorillo.com/aes/_anv/index4i.htm Good luck, guy also known as gaius

Fonseca Bust, Museo Capitolino. 2nd century CE I found this passage from Annelise Freisenbruch's Caesars' Wives thought provoking:

Maybe Malcolm McDowell was the correct actor to play Caligula afterall. guy also known as gaius

I recently got this image of Caligula from Wikipedia (source of all information--some good and too frequently bad). What's the opinion of this image of Caligula? How accurate, especially with the fair hair and eye coloring? Caligula was not part of the Ahenobarbus [or "red-beard" (literally, "bronze-beard") in Latin] plebeian family of the Domitia gens as was Nero. (Source : Wikipedia) Other than this background information, there was no other information:

Interesting article. Page two of the article mentions a period that had "slightly wetter climate than today...well suited for grassing wild and domesticated animals...." I have to believe that Palmyra 2000 years ago wasn't the barren desert it is today. guy also known as gaius

The Senate of Republican Rome must have been a rowdy and sometimes violent place. (For proof, just ask the brothers Gracchi.) Here's a clip from the HBO series Rome: I don't think things have improved in the Italian Senate today: In the first clip, if I understand things correctly, the right wing politician named La Russa has just yelled "vaffanculo" (similar to a more explicit version of "go screw yourself") to another conservative politician Fini in the Italian Senate in Rome, Italy. This was met with screams of "fascista." Meanwhile, the president of the Senate is pleading for La Russa to have "un attegiamento rispettoso" or "respectful attitude." The second recent clip has the temporary President of the Senate offering amendments for vote. She's saying, "Chi

And the quakes keep coming (There is a good video clip in the link): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-18247659 Fortunately, the tremors are occuring in mostly agricultural areas. I can only wonder the potential horrific damage done by a similar quake in Rome. I imagine that the Ancient Roman ruins were not originally made earthquake proof. guy also known as gaius

You might be right, but let's ask the OP of this thread. Hey, wait a minute, that's me. And I say, "Let's include any information, no matter how tangential, that enhances our understanding of Ancient Rome." Being no Grecophile apologist, I still recognize the contributions and influences of the Ancient Greeks on Ancient Rome. So, I feel it's better to maintain a dynamic and thought-provoking forum rather than a rigid and narrow one that would not interest anyone. Finally, your remarks about Theodosius are so far off the mark that they deserve a separate post later. guy also known as gaius

I certainly agree with that statement. I think another person who could be the basis of a great movie is the Greek / Theban general who destroyed Spartan hegemony: http://en.wikipedia....iki/Epaminondas Plutarch had been the source for a lot of Shakespeare's work. Unfortunately, Plutarch's chapter about Epaminondas in Parallel Lives (along with his Roman counterpart, Scipio Africanus) was lost. He has the making of an HBO special, along with his Theban Sacred Band: http://suite101.com/...-defeat-a139520 Back to the subject of Galla Placidia, I would nominate the enchanting Alyssa Milano to play her role: http://search.aol.co...ent95_searchbox Ms. Milano exudes both the inner fortitude of a Roman empress, but the quiet dignity of a devoted daughter, wife, and mother. guy also known as gaius

I have a special interest about the earthquake since my relatives live about 30 miles away from the epicenter. I haven't talked to them, yet, but I'm sure they are doing well. http://www.huffingto..._n_1530531.html The human toll is tragic, of course. A woman who was 106 died during the quake when her house's roof collapsed on her. Imagine surviving the destruction of the Nazis and World War II, only to be killed in your own house by an earthquake. The destruction of property was immense, also: http://www.bonappeti...earthquake.html Millions of dollars of real Parmesan cheese was lost. There are not many Roman ruins in that area, fortunately. The area is more famous for its Renaissance and Italian reunification history. Trivia: The earthquake was near the modern city of Modena. This is the Ancient Roman city of Mutina, near the battle between Marc Antony and the Republic forces of Pansa, Hirtuis and Octavian: http://en.wikipedia....attle_of_Mutina This was also the area where the rebel Spartacus defeated an army of the Roman Republic under the governor of Cisalpine Gaul, Gaius Cassius Longinus. After the victory, however, Spartacus did not continue his trek over the Alps and possible escape. He and his followers returned south with tragic results. guy also known as gaius