guy

Wow. I'm impressed by the knowledge of Roman baths around here. One day, I hope to visit this famous bath in England: I'm probably wrong on this theory...but that never stopped me from spouting my nonsense. I always thought the concept of the "Roman baths" to be a modern oversimplification and obsession. The "Roman baths" were really part of a much larger "leisure or pleasure center," with the baths only the main modern focus of a much larger complex. I read somewhere that the "Baths of Diocletian" could accomodate 3000 bathers, but the entire complex was 32 acres with lecture halls, libraries, gyms, and gardens. Pictures of the ruins of the Baths of Caracalla: Modern depiction of the Baths of Caracalla: Some strigils and an Ancient Roman Hugh Hefner's strigil party. Oh, well. It's time for my bath now. "Hey, who's got my strigil?"

The societal acceptance of public nudity has evolved over the millennia. Even today, the range of acceptance by politicians has run the gamut, from extreme unease with the display of nudity even in classical statues to

Thanks for reading my post. The site mentioned is probably the best for reference. However, one needs to know the number of the tablet of interest. My post is based on tablet 154, and one must enter 154 to bring up the tablet in question. (Alternatively, one can click on the "View all tablets" option and go through each tablet, one at a time.) http://vindolanda.cs.../TVII-2-1.shtml

This section of Vindolanda tablet (154) provides interesting insight into the troop strength and health of the soldiers from a Tungrian auxiliary cohort at the fort of Vindolanda in Northern England during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian, near the later-constructed Hadrian's Wall. (Enter tablet 154): http://vindolanda.csad.ox.ac.uk/tablets/TVII-2-1.shtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vindolanda_tablets http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fjx9Qjhiv1o The Tungrians were a tribe from modern day Belgium. Interestingly, about 60% of the total cohort was not at the fort, presumably on duty elsewhere. Of those remaining at the fort (296), 31 (more than 10%) were unfit for duty (sick, wounded, or suffering from eye inflammation). I am surprised by the large number who were absent due to eye disease. Eye disease was a common condition in Ancient Rome. Trachoma, for example, was apparently a common ailment. It is caused by a highly contagious infection that occurs in crowded settings with poor hygiene and malnutrition. Although rare today in the industrialized world, it continues to cause misery and blindness for millions in the Third World. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trachoma This and other surviving tablets from Vindolanda provide us with a wealth of knowledge about the everyday lives of the Roman Army and their families. Background information from the youtube clp:

I don't know what to think of this: http://www.chretiente.info/noel/ guy also known as gaius

Part II : The Other Coin: Could This Be the "Tribute Penny"? This is the coin that many think is the "Tribute Penny," instead: (Read inscription counterclockwise) Augustus. (27 BC-14 AD). Silver denarius Obverse: CAESAR AVGVSTVS DIVI F PATER PATRIAE, head laureate right Reverse: AVGVSTI F COS DESIG PRINC IVVENT, C L CAESARES Lucius and Gaius Caesars, togate, standing holding honorary shields and spears, lituus and ladle above. This coin was struck to celebrate Gaius and Lucius Caesars, the sons of Marcus Agrippa, as heirs to the imperial throne. Gaius became Princeps Iuventutis in 5 BC and Lucius in 2 BC. (Princeps Iuventutis, "Prince of Youth", was an honorific title awarded to a presumptive Emperor-designate.) They died in 4 AD and 2 AD respectively, thus promoting Tiberius (Octavius's stepson through his wife Livia) to heir apparent. From the Res Gestae Divi Augusti

Part 1: Was the Tiberius Denarius the "Tribute Penny"? So what is the tribute penny? This is the famous coin described in this passage from the Bible: Matthew 22:15-22

Video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcuFMdYwF_Q guy also known as gaius

This video best best captures the brutality of Ancient surgery. (The is taken from the trepanation scene in HBO's Rome): Also, the above quote was by Aulus Cornelius Celsus (25 BCE to AD 50), who probably was not a physician. The quote is from De Medicina, the only surviving part from a much larger encyclopedia of general knowledge that included diverse topics such as law, rhetoric, agriculture, and the military arts. (Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aulus_Cornelius_Celsus) guy also known as gaius

Here's my favorite quote by Celsus on medicine. It deals with the qualifications of surgeons in a world without safe and consistantly effective anaesthetics, analgesics, or sedation.: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Celsus/7*.html Great picture http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?app=gallery&module=images&section=viewimage&img=3070 It is hard to imagine the agony and terror that patients face while undergoing surgery in the Ancient world. Ouch. guy also known as gaius (Source: Wikipedia): 1st Century A.D. fresco from Pompeii (now in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Naples)), showing Iapyx removing an arrowhead from the leg of Aenas, with Aenas's son Iulus Ascanius crying beside his father. At left, Aeneas' mother, the goddess Venus (the Greek Aphrodite).

Great Ancient Roman find in Israel: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1339051/The-sea-gave-Wonder-Israel-ancient-Roman-statue-buried-thousands-years-uncovered-storm.html guy also known as gaius

Coins have frequently provided portraits of Ancient figures otherwise unseen by modern eyes. For example, much of our knowledge of the poorly documented "Crisis of the Third Century" in Ancient Rome comes from the study of numismatics. I found this possible image of Hannibal Barca, Rome's infamous enemy who achieved notoriety with his relentless attack of the Roman Republic and with his use of elephants as a weapon of mass destruction. I found this interesting coin from Heritage Auction Galleries catalog. (One must be signed in to see the images.): Here's the background information associated with the coin: http://coins.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=3012&Lot_No=24416 (Interestingly, this coin eventually sold at auction in January 2011 for $46,000.) For comparison, here is a marble bust thought possibly to be Hannibal: guy also known as gaius

How 'bout a map of the late Roman Empire (AD 460 or later) that could show the Visigoths, Vandals, a defeated Hunnic Empire, Ostrogoths, Lombards, etc? Just some ideas: http://www.tesorillo.com/aes/_map/map.htm guy

Thank you for at least considering my idea that the number of early adherants to Christianity may be greater than commonly accepted since estimates don't take into account the number of females, slaves, and poor who would be attracted to a Jesus movement that preached salvation and afterlife blessings for (especially) the poor and the powerless. I think this quote by Pliny in his letter describing Christians to Trajan is very supportive of this idea: Note that these church deacons were both female and slaves. guy also known as gaius

Don't get me wrong. I highly recommend the movie. I thought it was very thought provoking. At least one of the actors (the actor who played Ammonius is a devout Palestinian Christian) insisted that the director of the movie moderate the potential anti-Christian tone of the film. The movie shows most of new Christian converts to be women, slaves, or the poor. "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." This depiction of the weaker segments of society being attracted to the Jesus movement supports my belief about the underestimated size of the early Jesus movement. I think the estimate that less than 10% of the Roman Empire was Christian at the time of Constantine's "conversion" is a gross underestimation of the number of people who, at least partially, embraced Christian theology. First, we have little recorded history of the weak and powerless in Ancient society (most women, slaves, and the poor). Second, it is probable that many Romans (including possibly Severus Alexander) included Christ in their personal pantheon of worshiped deities. Although they weren't technically Christians, they accepted some of the teachings of the Jesus movement. One day I will write on this further. Once again, I recommend the movie to anyone who enjoys Roman history, especially late antiquity. guy also known as gaius

Although I liked the movie (and my wife more than I did), I think it is interesting to watch the director's commentary on the bonus section of the DVD. I enjoyed some of his historical perspectives. I didn't enjoy some of his modern historical analogies, however. I can accept that he is a former Christian who has become cynical of religion. I may even agree with him to some degree. I am slightly defensive, however, when he equates the Parabalani (the Christian brotherhood portrayed in the movie as intolerant and fanatical) with us Americans. He assures viewers that with the election of President Obama, however, we Americans will become more tolerant and rational thinking. Good to know. guy also known as gaius

No one has asked...but my avatar is Antonius Musa, Augustus' personal physician. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonius_Musa I was wondering the significance of other members' avatar. guy also known as gaius

This is one of the best books about the Late Roman Empire. Here is my review from several months back: http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=9493 Enjoy. guy also known as gaius

Here at UNRV, most of us aren't coin collectors. I think most of us can agree, however, that an appreciation and understanding of ancient numismatics can enrich our appreciation of the culture and history of Ancient Rome. Since I don't collect coins and I don't have any Roman Republic coins, my knowledge of the numismatics of this period is very limited. Here is a link to an informative article by David Vagi on the subject of coins from the Roman Republic. He is a well respected author, scholar, teacher, and expert on Ancient numismatics. He is also the director of NGC's Ancient division. Enjoy. http://www.ngccoin.com/news/viewarticle.aspx?NewsletterNewsArticleID=965 guy also known as gaius

I highly recommend the third lecture by Victor Davis Hanson (11/10/10): "Life of a Soldier: Persian and Greek." (Go to the link in the first post.) The lecture focuses on the Greek hoplite warrior. Aside from a brief technical glitch in the middle, the podcast is a very good quality. Hanson, of course, gives a great lecture. He also briefly mentions the possible future movie about the Greek naval victory at Salamis patterned after the very successful movie 300. guy also known as gaius

Funny video on the accuracy of a Balearic slinger: Interesting quote by Vegetius of the Late Roman Empire about the sling as a weapon from De Re Militari: THE SLING Recruits are to be taught the art of throwing stones both with the hand and sling. The inhabitants of the Balearic Islands are said to have been the inventors of slings, and to have managed them with surprising dexterity, owing to the manner of bringing up their children. The children were not allowed to have their food by their mothers till they had first struck it with their sling. Soldiers, notwithstanding their defensive armor, are often more annoyed by the round stones from the sling than by all the arrows of the enemy. Stones kill without mangling the body, and the contusion is mortal without loss of blood. It is universally known the ancients employed slingers in all their engagements. There is the greater reason for instructing all troops, without exception, in this exercise, as the sling cannot be reckoned any incumbrance, and often is of the greatest service, especially when they are obliged to engage in stony places, to defend a mountain or an eminence, or to repulse an enemy at the attack of a castle or city. http://www.digitalattic.org/home/war/vegetius/index.php#b114

Below is the link to the Marathon 2500 project. It represents a year long series of lectures commemorating the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon. http://www.marathon2500.org/ Right now, the site seems clunky and full of technical glitches. Hopefully, since this will be a year long series of lectures, they will improve the site and its audio quality as time goes on. guy also known as gaius Dr. Thom: Thanks for the information and good luck with the lecture.

I am not a coin collector. Nevertheless, I enjoy the history I can learn from coins. Part of the success and relative stability that Ancient Rome achieved over a vast and diverse empire could be attributed to the Empire's willingness to tolerate and even foster local traditions and beliefs (provided one showed proper deference and respect to the Empire and Emperor, of course). This is an interesting coin with the image of Mount Argaeus on the reverse that reflects that concept. This is a coin of the Emperor Commodus made in Cappadocia (Central Turkey). On the reverse of the coin is an image of Mount Argaeus, which was held in special esteem and mythology by the local population. (Similarly, coins of provincial Egypt could show an image of Serapis, a god unique to Ancient Egypt.) Mount Argaeus (modern day Ericyes. Source: Wikipedia): Here is the coin description: Caesarea Cappadocia, Commodus 177-192, Didrachm Laureled head of Commodus right "AYT M AYP KOMO ANTWNI" "YPi ATOC D Pi AT Pi A" Mt Argaeus surmounted by a star Note that the coin inscriptions are in Greek, not the usual Latin. This would be in deference to the local population. Here is another image (Top and bottom images from Wildwinds.com.) Here is a previous discussion on the mythology surrounding Mount Argaeus. http://www.unrv.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=11544&pid=106951&st=0entry106951 guy also known as gaius